The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 116: The Chemistry Challenge (Part 2)

Chapter 116: Chapter 116: The Chemistry Challenge (Part 2)

[Wait, isn’t Naomi Kenway an actress? That’s literally her job. How does her going to an audition bother you?]

[Renee Jennings is going to win this round, ten to one. She’s always filming those parent-child vlogs. You can tell she puts a lot of real effort into raising her kid. It’s actually kind of funny when you think about it. The other guests probably haven’t spent as much time with their kids in total as Renee has in the last six months, right?]

...

"Renee, why are you sweating so much?"

Chelsea Raines handed her a tissue and asked, puzzled, "Are you too hot? I think it’s actually quite cool in here."

Renee Jennings took it, her voice a little weak as she thanked her.

A large partition separated the celebrity guests from their children. The guests stood in a line. Suddenly, several fruit icons appeared on the partition: a grape, a durian, an apple, a pineapple, and a watermelon.

Renee Jennings frowned, her anxiety showing as she asked, "What’s this for?"

The host chuckled. "You’re getting ahead of yourself, Renee. I haven’t even read the rules yet. A little patience!"

Renee Jennings mumbled sheepishly, "Sorry."

"As you can all see, there are several icons in front of you. Please choose the one your child likes to eat the most."

The question was a subtle one. They weren’t just picking their child’s favorite fruit, but their favorite out of these "five" specific options.

The guests all frowned in unison. Of course, they knew their children’s absolute favorite fruit, but to have to pick their favorite from just these five...

Naomi Kenway’s eyes swept over the icons. She walked straight up and took the card with the grape on it.

All the other guests turned to look at Naomi Kenway, their expressions all conveying the same thought: ’That was fast!’

[Whoa, Naomi was way too fast. Did she know her kid’s favorite among these was the grape after just one look? Or did she just give up and pick one at random?]

[It’s not rocket science, is it? If you know your kid well enough, you can pick quickly. Renee Jennings’s hesitation is what’s interesting. Isn’t she supposed to be the one who knows her kid best? Why is she taking so long?]

[Hahaha, Naomi is so cool! Looks like she really knows Ian well.]

...

To keep the competition fair, neither the guests nor the children were allowed to say their choices out loud.

After a moment’s thought, Margaret Jennings also walked over and took a grape card. "I’ll choose this one."

After agonizing over the choice for a bit, Chelsea Raines scratched her head and finally went up to grab the "durian" card.

Only Ruby Preston and Renee Jennings were left.

Ruby Preston sighed and took down the "watermelon" card.

Now, only Renee Jennings had yet to choose. Chelsea Raines patted her shoulder. "Renee, are you not feeling well?"

Renee Jennings seized the excuse. "I have a bit of a headache."

"I... I’ll choose..." After a moment of hesitation, Renee Jennings took the "apple" card from the middle.

Clutching the thin card, Renee Jennings’s heart pounded in her chest.

"It looks like everyone has made their selections. Now, let’s reveal the children’s choices."

The children came out from behind the partition one by one, holding up the cards they had chosen.

Jared Woods had chosen "watermelon," Carina Sanders had chosen "grape," Simon Sawyer had chosen "pineapple," Nathan Lynch had chosen "apple," and Ian Shaw had also chosen "grape."

Naomi Kenway and Ian exchanged a smile.

Renee Jennings’s back was slick with sweat. She only just let out a breath of relief. ’I actually got it right...’

Chelsea Raines looked miserable. Across from her, Jared Woods was wiping away tears, wailing that his mommy didn’t love him anymore.

Ruby Preston seemed to have expected this outcome, but it still pained her to see the unconcealed disappointment on Simon Sawyer’s face.

Margaret Jennings gave Carina a thumbs-up, and Carina gave her two in return.

"Ahem... based on those selections, Naomi Kenway, Renee Jennings, and Margaret Jennings all made choices that matched their children’s. One point to each of those three teams!"

The host announced, "Alright, let’s move on to the second round of the challenge."

Renee Jennings frowned and spoke up. "There’s a second round?"

"We have three rounds in this chemistry challenge in total."

Chelsea Raines looked at Renee Jennings’s pale face and couldn’t help but ask, "Renee, are you sure you’re okay? You look like you’re in pain..."

"I’m fine... I’m just a little... I think I got too worked up earlier and haven’t quite calmed down yet."

Hearing this, Chelsea Raines shot a glance in Naomi Kenway’s direction.

The young guests retreated behind the partition once more, and the second round of the challenge began.

Renee Jennings was unsteady on her feet, looking as if playing this game was a form of torture. Naomi Kenway, in contrast, was the very picture of unruffled calm, creating a stark juxtaposition with Renee beside her.

Chelsea Raines forced a smile. "You’re pretty lucky, Naomi. Guessed right on the very first round."

Naomi turned to the side and chuckled. "Not bad, I guess. At least I got it right."

"You—!" Chelsea Raines knew she was no match for Naomi in a battle of wits. She shot a pleading look at Renee Jennings, but Renee’s eyes were darting about, and she didn’t seem to notice.

A staff member came forward and quickly replaced the cards for the new round. This time, the icons were: sheet music, ballet slippers, a calligraphy brush, construction paper, and a robot.

"Please choose one of your child’s hobbies. The icons correspond to piano, dance, calligraphy, arts and crafts, and building robots."

The guests began to make their choices.

Margaret Jennings wavered between the sheet music and the ballet slippers for a moment before finally choosing the slippers.

Ruby Preston and Renee Jennings, one after the other, took the card for building robots.

Looking annoyed, Chelsea Raines walked over and grabbed the card for arts and crafts.

Only Naomi Kenway hadn’t moved.

Chelsea Raines scoffed, "What’s the matter? Don’t know which one to guess? You could just pick the same one I did. It’ll save you the trouble of agonizing over it."

"None of these are things my son likes, so I didn’t pick one," Naomi Kenway said, her tone firm and certain.

The host said, "It doesn’t have to be his absolute favorite. Surely Ian has one he prefers over the others, right?"

"Ian has taken classes related to all of these. He just doesn’t like any of them."

"Are you sure about that, Ms. Kenway? If Ian chooses any of the cards, you won’t get the point."

"I’m sure."

Chelsea Raines urged impatiently, "What’s with all the discussion? She made her choice, now she has to live with it. If you keep talking, the kids on the other side will hear, and they might change their minds."

The host nodded. It was time to reveal the children’s choices.

Simon Sawyer had chosen the calligraphy brush, Jared Woods had chosen the construction paper, Carina Sanders had chosen the ballet slippers, and Nathan Lynch had chosen building robots. The last one to come out was Ian.

His hands were completely empty.

Chelsea Raines was stunned, unable to believe her eyes.

The host also found this highly unusual. He leaned in and asked, "Ian, why didn’t you pick a card?"

Ian shook his head. "I don’t like any of them."

Just then, Nathan Lynch put the card in his hand back where it belonged.

Renee Jennings cried out, "Nathan, what are you doing?!"