Chapter 193: Chapter 203: Doing Charity

“Mommy, I want to eat this! And that chicken leg! Quick, Mommy, get it for me!”

Jared Woods pointed at the dishes a short distance away. Wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead, Chelsea Raines said, “I know, I know. How did I give birth to such a glutton for a son? I must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck. It’s a good thing we’re rich, or you’d eat us into bankruptcy!”

Despite her words, Chelsea Raines still picked up her chopsticks and got the food for Jared Woods. She turned her head to the side and asked, “It must be my fate to be your servant! Is there anything else you want?”

Jared Woods’s eyes darted around, and he excitedly pointed out a few more dishes.

Nathan Lynch quietly took in everything around him, an air of loneliness settling over his expression. He lowered his gaze, lashes slightly downcast, and pressed his lips together.

He glanced in Renee Jennings’s direction and, just as he expected, found her fawning over the little girl named Six. All he got was the cold back of her head.

Chelsea Raines exclaimed in admiration, “Rachel, you’re so gentle and patient with children. I’ve heard you do a lot of charity work in private, helping many left-behind children in impoverished mountain regions. I think you must be a living Bodhisattva reincarnated, Rachel!”

Hearing this, the look Six gave Renee Jennings was no longer as resistant as before.

Margaret Jennings added, “I remember often seeing Rachel at charity galas, bidding on exhibits for charity. She’s there every single time, month after month, without fail. That’s truly a rare commitment.”

Ruby Preston didn’t join the conversation. She was a cautious person. Ever since the last incident, she’d harbored suspicions about Renee Jennings, always feeling that Renee had ulterior motives for everything she did.

Hearing this, Renee Jennings smiled humbly. “I don’t think it’s anything worth praising. I’m just doing what I can. I hope my money can bring them some warmth.”

The stream’s comment section was nearly flooded by Renee Jennings’s fans.

[Who the hell is slandering Rachel? How can you bear to attack someone as good as her?]

[Rachel has been doing charity work for years. She always bids on lots of items at charity galas to donate to children in remote areas.]

[No matter what anyone says, Rachel is a good person, a rare breath of fresh air in the entertainment industry. I’ll always support her! An artist with both integrity and talent like her is so rare!]

[For real? Renee Jennings does charity? She doesn’t look like a particularly kind person. She seems more like the petty type who’d stab you in the back and start conspiracy theories!]

[If the person above has eyes, I suggest you donate them. Are you a Naomi Kenway fan who came to Rachel’s stream just to be a hater?]

[Didn’t Renee Jennings lose a ton of fans? Why are there so many people in the stream? She didn’t pay for bots, did she? I think not a single word out of her mouth is true. She’s completely selfish, and you can tell just from her attitude toward Mona.]

…

Recalling her agent’s instructions, Renee Jennings delivered her pre-planned lines.

She had done a fair bit of charity work in the past, and her agent’s strategy was to use it to build up her public persona. The plan was to contact a few marketing accounts to push out a wave of promotional articles, and the recent incidents would naturally be forgotten.

Once her “kind” persona was firmly established, her public appeal would improve considerably.

“Speaking of which…” Her gaze drifted almost imperceptibly toward Naomi Kenway.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at a charity gala, Nina. I wonder where you’re usually active? I’d really love to get to know you better.”

“The Elysian Club, I’d say. I heard she’s a super VIP there,” Chelsea Raines said, naming a place that was one of Veridia’s infamous money pits.

“As for charity galas…” Chelsea Raines let out a faint laugh. “Nouveau riche types probably can’t get in, can they? Rachel, your question is putting Naomi Kenway in a tough spot. If you ask me, you shouldn’t just look for a handsome husband. What’s the use of a pretty face with no ability!”

Chelsea Raines held her head high, casually flashing the pigeon-egg-sized diamond ring on her hand. “Jared’s father had this ring custom-made for me. They say there are only two in the entire world. I have one, and Jared’s father has the other. I’m very happy and content with my life now.”

“Mommy, didn’t you buy that yourself?” Jared Woods mumbled, his words muffled by the pork knuckle he was gnawing on.

Chelsea Raines’s expression froze. She smacked Jared Woods’s arm. “You’re misremembering! What a terrible memory. Your dad obviously gave this to me!”

“I seem to recall that ring on your hand. It’s the signature piece from a luxury boutique. However, I heard that ring was purchased by a woman. I think you’d better go home and check on that,” Naomi Kenway said nonchalantly.

Chelsea Raines visibly faltered.

’If I say it’s indeed the product from that luxury boutique, it would mean my husband isn’t devoted to me, or is even unfaithful.’

’But if I say it’s not the ring from that store, it would mean the one on my hand is a fake…’

Chelsea Raines said dryly, “You must be mistaken. I trust my husband.”

Naomi Kenway laughed. “You seem to know a lot about The Elysian Club. Looks like you go there quite often yourself, Chelsea Raines.”

Chelsea Raines’s expression stiffened, then she snapped in annoyance, “What nonsense are you talking about? I’d never go to a sordid place like that, unlike you! I—I just heard about it. What, you did it but you don’t dare admit it?”

“Then why don’t you tell me who told you all this? I’m going to sue them for slander!”

A flicker of panic crossed Chelsea Raines’s face. “It’s been so long, how could I possibly remember…?”

“Can’t remember? You remember the name of the club and that I’m a super VIP perfectly clearly, but you can’t remember who told you?” Naomi Kenway’s gaze was sharp, clearly not planning to let her off the hook. She curled her red lips.

“You didn’t just make it all up yourself, did you?”

“Alright, Nina.” Renee Jennings seemed to have reached her limit. “Memories can get fuzzy over time. Stop making things difficult for Chelsea.”

Naomi Kenway’s gaze shifted to her. “You again? The great philanthropist? Where were you when I was being bullied with fabricated lies just now?”

Renee Jennings couldn’t hide her embarrassment from the mockery and simply turned her head away. ’I knew I shouldn’t have gotten involved,’ she thought. ’Just like my agent said, stay out of trouble.’

Nathan Lynch sat there all alone. He eventually gave up on the dish that was a bit too far away, picking only at the “Stir-fried Pork with Green Peppers” in front of him and chewing without tasting a thing.

Renee Jennings went back to fawning over Six, asking if she was warm enough or feeling cold, and only stopped when the little girl, looking mortified, said she didn’t have time to eat right now.

Only then did Renee Jennings remember Nathan Lynch. She glanced to the side and saw that he was only eating the single dish in front of him. The half of the plate closest to him was already empty, while the rest of the food remained untouched.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep