The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 365 - 364: I’m Quite Happy at Home by Myself, Too

Chapter 365: Chapter 364: I’m Quite Happy at Home by Myself, Too

"A love song?" Rhys Quinn murmured those two words, his fair face suddenly flushing red. "No, it’s not. What are you talking about?"

"Was I wrong?" Naomi Kenway smiled nonchalantly. "It’s very beautiful." She gave him a thumbs-up in praise.

Rhys Quinn lowered his head, his eyes downcast, and said nothing. He looked extremely awkward.

Rhys Quinn wasn’t old, but he carried himself with a mature, serious air. It was rare for Naomi to catch a glimpse of such awkwardness and shyness on his face, and for some reason, she found it fascinating.

Rhys looked so lovestruck and bashful. Not wanting to embarrass him by pointing it out, Naomi changed the subject. "So, what now? Is there anything else you need my help with?"

Rhys Quinn’s mind was a mess. The moment she’d called him out, his heart had started pounding. ’I’m pathetic,’ he cursed himself internally. ’I already decided to cut off these improper fantasies, so why...?’

He frowned deeply, a hint of melancholy on his face.

"What’s wrong? Why the long face all of a sudden?"

At the sound of Naomi Kenway’s voice, Rhys Quinn’s expression suddenly turned cold for some reason. He reverted to his initial aloof and detached demeanor, only even icier than before.

"I’m fine. You can go take care of your own things now."

Watching Naomi Kenway’s retreating figure, Rhys Quinn felt a rare pang of regret. ’Was my tone too harsh? This is my problem, how could I take it out on her?’

Looking at the sheet music where he had jotted down his inspiration, Rhys Quinn’s brow furrowed deeply. He repeatedly crumpled the paper in his hands but couldn’t bring himself to tear it up.

Rhys Quinn’s manager walked in to check on his progress. "The song is already perfect. We don’t need to keep changing it. My dear boy, do you have any idea how much money it costs to change the intro?"

As he got closer, he realized something was wrong and quickly snatched the sheet music from Rhys’s hand. "Hey, what are you doing?" He fretfully unfolded the sheet music, smoothing it out again and again. "Why would you crumple up a perfectly good score like this? Every single note on here is your blood, sweat, and tears. Honestly..."

"It’s a discarded draft."

"Oh, so it’s a discarded draft." The manager folded the sheet music and started to put it in his pocket. "Even a discarded draft is your hard work. Instead of letting it end up in the trash, let me keep it as a memento."

"Wait."

"Give it back." Rhys Quinn looked at his confused manager, seeming extremely embarrassed, but he still spoke up. "It’s not a discarded draft."

The manager took the sheet music from his pocket, unfolded it, and placed it in Rhys Quinn’s hand. "You’d better hold on to it this time. What’s with the sudden change of heart? This isn’t like you."

Rhys Quinn was usually very picky, discarding many compositions during his creative process. If he said he didn’t like something, he’d toss it without a second thought. When had he ever been this conflicted?

Rhys Quinn’s expression was complicated, and his words utterly baffled his manager:

"It’s perfect. I’m the one who’s not."

*

After finishing the shoot, Naomi Kenway went home. The music video was supposed to wrap up today, but Rhys Quinn had made a last-minute change to the song. This meant they had to re-record the intro, which would take another full day.

Ethan Shaw was home unusually early today. He was sitting on the downstairs sofa, handling work on a tablet, while Ian Shaw sat barefoot on a nearby rug, fiddling with some toys.

Hearing footsteps, Ian immediately ran over. He was surprisingly fast even with bare feet. Naomi Kenway hurried forward to catch him. "Why did you run over without your shoes on?"

"I was so happy to see Mommy, I couldn’t help it."

He looked a little shy, but Naomi Kenway’s heart bloomed with joy at his words.

Ethan Shaw walked over as well. For some reason, Naomi felt he looked a bit resentful, but his expression returned to normal in an instant. "Did you have fun filming the music video?"

Naomi Kenway was taken aback for a moment. Other people always asked if things went smoothly; only Ethan Shaw asked if she had fun.

"It was fine. Why?"

"It’s nothing. As long as you had fun. I had a great time here all by myself at home, too."

This time, Naomi Kenway picked up on the sarcastic, jealous undertones in Ethan Shaw’s words. She was about to say something, but he continued, "Dinner is ready. I’ll take Ian. You go wash your hands and get ready to eat."

During dinner, Naomi noticed that many of the dishes on the table had been made by Ethan. She tried a bite and it tasted great; Ethan’s progress was incredibly fast. She was about to praise him but saw that he seemed lost in thought, so she didn’t disturb him and instead turned to peel two shrimp for Ian.

After dinner, Naomi noticed that Ethan Shaw’s mood seemed to have soured even more.

Their relationship now seemed to be back to normal, yet it was also very awkward. Because of their previous conversation, they were always a bit hesitant around each other. Naomi wanted to ask him what was wrong, but for some reason, she suppressed the thought and focused all her attention on the TV show in front of her.

She stared at the spectacular fight scenes, but her mind began to wander.

An hour later, Naomi Kenway took Ian upstairs to bed. This time, Ethan Shaw was the one to tell the bedtime story.

Although he still sounded formal and serious when telling stories, he had improved considerably after practicing so much lately. Ian listened to the story, asked two questions, and then fell sound asleep.

After closing the door to Ian’s bedroom, Naomi heard Ethan Shaw’s voice. "Want to dance?"

"What?"

For a moment, Naomi Kenway thought she was hearing things.

She remembered how Ethan Shaw had danced to "Two Tigers" with them at Ian’s kindergarten event, and how sour his expression had been afterward.

Ethan Shaw was very good at ballroom dancing, but *only* the kind of ballroom dancing done at business functions. He seemed to have a strong aversion to all other styles of dance.

"Don’t you like to dance?"

Naomi Kenway smiled in understanding. "Oh, so you want to practice dancing with me. Don’t worry, I’m already very familiar with the choreography for the music video. Besides, I remember... you don’t seem to like dancing very much. You don’t have to do something you don’t like just for me."

*

Liam Sherman thought his boss had lost his mind. Out of the blue, he wanted to hire a private dance instructor, specifically requesting a man because, he said, he was afraid of his wife getting the wrong idea.

Liam Sherman didn’t understand this at all. Out of respect for their many years of working together, he offered a rare piece of advice:

"President Shaw, dancing requires a foundation. My daughter is taking dance lessons right now, and some of the moves are very difficult. It’s easier for kids to build flexibility, but for adults, it’s a bit..."

Ethan Shaw seemed completely unfazed. "Find a male dance teacher. But he can’t be too handsome."

Hearing this, Liam Sherman gave Ethan Shaw a bewildered look.

"What’s with that look? My wife loves to dance. I’m worried she’ll be attracted to someone else, especially someone handsome..."

Thinking about the news he’d scrolled past two days ago, Ethan Shaw felt utterly depressed.

The surprise in Liam Sherman’s eyes deepened.