Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Renee Jennings is Too Pretentious

As luck would have it, Renee Jennings happened to be leaning over, washing her hands nearby.

She didn’t dare wash her face, afraid of ruining her makeup. She always woke up extra early to put on a full face of makeup before the cameras were set up. Since she had been sweating a lot just now, she’d found an excuse to get away from the cameras and touch up her makeup.

Renee Jennings cried out in pain. She felt water splash into her eye, with a few more drops trickling down her cheek.

“Who did that?!”

Jared Woods froze on the spot, his wet buzz cut sticking up like hedgehog quills. He realized he must have done something wrong and looked a little lost.

Chelsea Raines scolded him before walking over and taking out a handkerchief to wipe Renee Jennings’s face, worried that Renee would cause trouble for her son.

But to her surprise, Renee Jennings suddenly shoved her away, demanding in a fit of pique, “What do you think you’re doing?!”

Startled by the sudden movement, Chelsea’s voice weakened. “I… I’m helping you wipe your face…”

“Who asked you to meddle?!” Renee Jennings clutched the left side of her face.

Chelsea was completely baffled.

Naomi Kenway let out a laugh and reminded Chelsea, “You just smudged the makeup she just finished touching up.”

Chelsea froze for a second, looking at Renee’s fair cheek. “Didn’t Rachel say she’s too lazy to wear makeup?”

“Look at your handkerchief.”

Chelsea looked down and, sure enough, saw a faint stain of liquid foundation on the white handkerchief. If the handkerchief hadn’t been white, she might not have noticed it at all.

She couldn’t help but give Renee a complicated look. “Rachel, why would you lie? Do you have any idea how anxious I’ve been ever since you told me you don’t like wearing makeup?”

The other guests said nothing, quietly watching the drama unfold.

“I… That’s just dust.”

“Then take your hand away. And you’re usually such a neat freak. If there’s dust on your face, why won’t you wash it?”

Renee Jennings’s brow furrowed, her slight tremble revealing her nervousness. After a moment, she turned away stiffly. “You people are being ridiculous! I can’t believe you’d side with Naomi Kenway against me. Chelsea, you’ve really disappointed me!”

With that, Renee Jennings said she needed to change her clothes and ducked away from the cameras. Anyone could tell she was going to fix her face.

[Drama, this is so much drama! Am I really getting to see this level of catfighting for free?]

[Like… does she ever tell the truth? Wearing makeup is totally normal, and she’s very pretty. But wearing it and then claiming you’re bare-faced is just…]

[What brand of foundation is that? Need a recommendation! It only smudged that little after getting wet and being wiped with a handkerchief. The staying power is amazing!]

[Are those two about to have a falling out? Renee Jennings actually turned around and chewed out Chelsea Raines, hahaha!]

[They were probably fake friends to begin with. They’ve had a lot of conflicts before, but for some reason, they still hang out together.]

[Is all this necessary? She’s trying way too hard! Is her idol image that important?]

[If Naomi Kenway has brought me one surprise after another, Renee Jennings has shattered my worldview time and time again.]

…

After the farce ended, the guests returned to the watermelon patch to continue picking melons for their task. As if by a silent agreement, Renee Jennings and Chelsea Raines stopped speaking to each other, pretending not to see one another even when they passed by.

*

On the other side, the children were also working on their task. Ian Shaw’s gaze was focused as he continuously tightened his grip, wringing a cheesecloth with the watermelon wrapped inside. He had washed his hands before squeezing the juice to make sure they were spotless, but he still wasn’t satisfied. He added another layer of cheesecloth over the wide mouth of the bottle.

Sweet watermelon juice dripped into the bottle. Ian Shaw watched it intently, as serious as if he were conducting one of his usual experiments.

[Ian is so serious! His earnest little face is so cute!]

[Why do I feel like I’m watching a science experiment? Our Ian is so meticulous!]

[Hahaha, after checking out everyone, I found Ian is the most serious. All the kids are so adorable!]

…

Simon Sawyer and Carina Sanders were performing steadily, working in an orderly and methodical way.

Jared Woods, on the other hand, was a rather comical sight. He completely ignored the cheesecloth, grabbing the watermelon with his chubby little hands and starting to squeeze. There wasn’t much watermelon left on the plate in front of him; a good portion of it had already gone into his own stomach.

Seeing this, Simon Sawyer, who was next to him, rushed to stop him. “No, Jared, you can’t do it like that! No!”

Jared Woods paused, staring at him blankly. “Sean, why are you bothering me? I’m making juice for my mom!”

Simon Sawyer looked at his innocent expression and explained seriously, “If you don’t use the cheesecloth, dust might get into the juice. Jared, you wouldn’t want Aunt Raines to drink something gritty, would you?”

Jared Woods was unfazed. “It’s fine, my mom has big gaps between her teeth!”

[Peak filial piety!]

[My god, they give you cheesecloth and you just don’t use it. I can’t imagine what this watermelon juice will taste like. Chelsea Raines is in for a real treat.]

[I’m dying, the contrast between Jared and Ian! One is so scared of it being dirty he uses two layers of cloth, the other just uses his bare hands, hahaha!]

[This is just too ridiculous. I mean, Chelsea Raines might not taste the difference, but Jared, you were just holding a dirt-covered watermelon. This aunty suggests you wash your hands and use the cloth!]

[Poor Sean, having to be both a mom and a dad at such a young age!]

…

A helpless look crossed Simon Sawyer’s face. He tried persuading him from a different angle, but Jared Woods wouldn’t listen at all, single-mindedly focused on finishing the task quickly so he could go run and play in the fields.

Jared Woods’s eyes darted to Simon Sawyer’s plate, and he asked for two more pieces of melon to snack on.

Nathan Lynch was also looking focused. He had already finished the juicing part and was now seriously adding “condiments” to the juice.

Carina Sanders stopped him. “Mona, why are you putting salt in the juice?”

Nathan Lynch glanced at her and insisted, “This is sugar.”

“This isn’t sugar.” Carina Sanders took another jar to show him. “This is the sugar. Look, the jar you’re holding says ’salt’ on it!”

Nathan Lynch looked at the jar and said nonchalantly, “It’s fine. My dad told me salt makes watermelon taste sweeter.”

“But…” Carina Sanders whispered, “didn’t you add a little too much salt?” She had just watched Nathan Lynch put two large spoonfuls of salt into the juice with her own eyes.

“It’s not.” Nathan Lynch picked up a small piece of watermelon, sprinkled some salt on it, and handed it to her. “Try it. See if it’s sweeter.”

Carina Sanders nodded. “It actually is.”

“See? So adding this much salt will definitely make it even sweeter.”

Carina Sanders felt that something was off but couldn’t figure out how to refute him. “Too bad my mom doesn’t like salt, or I’d add some too.”

Nathan Lynch nodded, then, under Carina Sanders’s stunned gaze, added a handful of chocolate chips to the watermelon juice.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep