Chapter 267: Chapter 267: I Don’t Like Acting

“I’m his mother!” Renee Jennings declared. “Naomi Kenway, you’re sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong! It’s obvious Nathan fell on purpose. He’s already learned to lie at such a young age. If he isn’t disciplined, he’ll cause a huge disaster someday!”

“Like you?”

Naomi Kenway retorted.

Renee Jennings froze, her face turning pale. Her eyes were filled with panic. “What do you mean?”

“Lying… what do you think I mean? Is there anyone who knows more about that than you?” Naomi Kenway retorted with a raised eyebrow, watching with satisfaction as the color drained from Renee Jennings’s face.

She wasn’t directly involved in what happened before. Besides, Clementine Coleman had said being scammed was humiliating and chose to let the matter drop to keep the peace. Naomi Kenway wasn’t about to be a blabbermouth and spread it around. But seeing the panic on Renee Jennings’s face gave Naomi a brilliant idea.

’Scaring her a little might be fun.’

Renee Jennings clenched her hands, her lips white. She didn’t dare say another word.

Naomi Kenway glanced at her, then quickly helped Nathan Lynch up from the ground. She dusted off his clothes and got him settled back in his seat.

The moment Renee Jennings walked away, Nathan Lynch stopped crying and began to eat his pilaf with great relish.

[How did their mother-son relationship get this bad? I get the feeling Nathan really dislikes Renee Jennings. Am I imagining things?]

[This is totally normal. Just a minute ago, Best Actor Lynch and his wife were so busy with their PDA that they completely forgot about Nathan. The kid is constantly ignored.]

[At the end of the day, a stepmom will always have a hard time. Renee cooks for Nathan Lynch and helps with his homework every day, but this kid is still not satisfied. His birth mom probably wouldn’t even do that much, right? Renee, you should hurry up and have a baby with Best Actor Lynch! If the Lynch family fortune goes to Nathan, you’d better watch your back when you get old, Renee!]

[What is the commenter above even talking about? Did you not see how harsh Renee Jennings is? She’s always criticizing him and forcing him to do homework. Who would like a stepmom like that? If you ask me, if Renee Jennings wants to earn Nathan’s acceptance, she needs to be twice as nice to him, not hurt him with this whole ’I’m doing this for your own good’ act.]

[Reading the comments, I think both sides are too extreme. Renee Jennings tutors Nathan every day because she wants him to be successful. That shows she does care about him. Maybe her methods are just wrong. I hope the two of them can communicate better. They have to see each other all the time; there’s no need for things to be so tense.]

…

The performance on stage began. A dance number was followed by a short skit, and the guests in the audience watched with great interest.

The village chief smiled and announced, “We’re short one young actor backstage. I wonder if any of the children would like to give it a try?”

Naomi Kenway remembered that Ian didn’t like acting, but she asked anyway. “Ian, do you want to go up on stage and perform with the older kids?”

Ian, chewing on a jujube with his cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s, shook his head. “I don’t wanna.”

Naomi Kenway nodded and handed him a lamb skewer. “I can see you really like these. Here, but be careful not to poke your mouth with the stick.”

Ian nodded, grabbed a napkin from the table to wipe his mouth, and then planted a loud SMOOCH on Naomi Kenway’s cheek. “Thank you, Mama.” He held out the lamb skewer. “Mama, you have some too.”

Naomi Kenway took a bite, then hugged him with a contented smile. “Mmm… that’s delicious.”

[Our Ian is so considerate! He even knew to wipe his mouth before giving a kiss. I’m crying… so sweet!]

[HAHAHAHAHA, he’s so cute! I want a kiss from Ian too!]

[Quick, Nina, give him a kiss for me! He’s too cute, ahhhh!]

[It’s true what they say, other people’s kids are always the best. I love sweet, obedient children like him. He looks so soft and cuddly, like a big fluffy bun. If only I could skip marriage and childbirth and just get an Ian-style kiddo! (drooling)]

[Those lamb skewers look like they’re the real deal. They look so good! I’m so hungry I want to crawl through the screen and grab one…]

…

When she heard the village chief mention an opportunity to perform, Renee Jennings’s eyes lit up. “Our Nathan is a good actor,” she said. “Let Nathan give it a try. He loves acting! He was in several TV shows just a little while ago!”

Nathan Lynch, who had been unexpectedly put on the spot, froze for a second before saying, “I’m not going.”

He added, “If you’re so excited, you can go.”

A vein throbbed on Renee Jennings’s forehead as she struggled to control her temper. “Nathan, don’t you love acting? This is a great opportunity.”

“I don’t like acting.”

Renee Jennings froze.

Ruby Preston stepped in to play peacemaker again. “Stop fighting. If the boy doesn’t want to go, just let it be. You have to respect his wishes.”

Renee Jennings sat down, fuming.

[He doesn’t like acting? I thought Nathan loved acting? I’ve seen him in several TV shows, and he was good. He’s so young but so prolific, appearing in so many series in such a short time.]

[There’s something seriously wrong with Renee Jennings. If the kid doesn’t want to act, then just let him not act. Why is she pulling a long face? If she’s so into it, she should go on stage herself! I’m liking her less and less!]

[If he really loves acting, it’s fine for him to do it for fun. But if he doesn’t, Renee, you really shouldn’t interfere. Kids only have so much energy. If his grades start to slip, the loss will definitely outweigh the gain.]

[Nathan doesn’t seem to care, but Renee Jennings is the one who looks desperate. I have a wild theory… what if Nathan really doesn’t like acting and Renee Jennings is forcing him?]

[Why are they fighting again? This mother-son pair is in constant conflict.]

[Well, they are stepmother and stepson. It takes time to work things out.]

…

None of the children were interested in performing. Simon Sawyer, however, keenly noticed the look of disappointment on the village chief’s face. He raised his hand. “I’ll go.”

A staff member came up with a white plate. On it were five round chocolates.

The tour guide raised a megaphone and announced, “Since the weather is so hot, the production team has a gift for the children! These chocolates may look plain on the outside, but they each have a different little toy hidden inside.”

The tour guide’s announcement immediately piqued the children’s curiosity. The five kids huddled around the table, eyeing the chocolates. After a moment of whispering amongst themselves, they each picked one and returned to their seats.

As Naomi Kenway watched Ian return, she had a hunch that there was more to these chocolates than met the eye. ’They probably correspond to something,’ she thought, ’since we haven’t started the house-selection segment yet.’

Ian’s expression was equally serious as he stared at the chocolate in his hand.

Before long, the children had all retrieved the toys from their chocolates. Ian held his up; it was a blue toy race car.

His eyes sparkling, he ran over to show it to Naomi Kenway. “Mama, look! It’s a car! A little car!”

Naomi Kenway was happy for him, too. “Wow… our Ian is so lucky! You got your favorite toy, a little car, on the first try.”

Nearby, Nathan Lynch also bit open his chocolate shell. Inside was a toy shaped like a golden ingot.

Naomi Kenway praised him as well. “A golden ingot! Looks like you’re very lucky too, Nathan.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep