The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show Chapter 273: A Huge Loss of Face

Chelsea Raines glanced up at the scorching sun, which was so blinding she had to shut her eyes. "Three hours," she sighed. "We’re going to be baked alive out here."

A tall, lean man in a felt hat and traditional ethnic attire approached them from the direction of the waterlon patch. He looked as if he had been working there for quite so ti.

"Hello, everyone. I’m Nigati. Welco to Xylia." His Mandarin wasn’t very fluent, but he had a constant, beaming smile on his face.

Two more n and a woman, also in traditional clothing and appearing to be in their twenties or thirties, ca over. They greeted the group first in the local dialect, then again in Mandarin.

Nigati introduced them. "These are my son and daughter."

The guests all shook their hands and exchanged greetings.

Nigati’s young daughter ran over, carrying a large waterlon. She had a healthy, rosy complexion, and a smile revealed her neat, white teeth.

Nigati took the waterlon, patting it a few tis before pressing his ear against the rind to listen. A satisfied smile spread across his face. "This is a good one!"

He turned and said a few words to his young daughter in their local dialect. A mont later, she brought over another waterlon, just as round and shiny, looking utterly irresistible.

Nigati tapped this waterlon as well, then took the knife his eldest son handed him.

Ruby Preston realized what he was about to do and quickly interjected, "Oh, please don’t go to the trouble, Nigati! We brought water. You worked so hard to grow these; you should save them to sell."

"It’s alright, they’re not expensive. The wholesale buyers only pay a few cents a pound. Sales aren’t great this year; not as many buyers have co as last year." He sighed.

Jared Woods tugged on the hem of Chelsea Raines’s shirt. "How much is a few cents? Is that a lot?"

Chelsea Raines felt a pang of complex emotions and, for a mont, forgot to answer him.

[How does Jared Woods not even know basic things like that? Chelsea Raines really needs to give him a little reality check.]

[Aren’t all rich kids like that? They have no concept of money.]

[That waterlon looks so sweet! And it’s huge. Now I’m craving so.]

...

With a few swift, practiced motions, Nigati had already sliced the waterlon into uniform chunks and was enthusiastically urging all the guests to have so.

Naomi Kenway said her thanks, handed a piece to Ian Shaw, and took a bite of her own slice.

’It’s very sweet,’ she thought. ’The texture is crisp, just how I like it.’

"Ian, is it sweet?" Naomi Kenway asked, looking down at him.

Ian Shaw nodded while munching on his waterlon. "Sweet."

Ten minutes later, the tour guide reminded everyone it was ti to head to the waterlon patch to complete their tasks. The children would be separating from the adults to do a fruit-juicing task.

Naomi Kenway first went to inspect the equipnt at the juicing station. Besides various bottles and jars, there was cheesecloth and a large bowl. The waterlon was already peeled and sliced.

Naomi Kenway relaxed after confirming that nothing posed a danger to the children.

’There’s no juicer,’ she noted. ’They’ll probably have to squeeze the juice out using the cheesecloth.’

The guests followed Nigati and his family into the waterlon patch.

Jared Woods, however, was proving to be a handful. He was still eating waterlon, refusing to let go no matter who tried to pull him away. His tan cheeks were sared with red juice, and a single black seed stuck to the tip of his nose gave him a comical look.

Simon Sawyer pulled out a tissue and wiped Jared Woods’s face. "Jared, we have to go. The task has already started."

Jared Woods was unfazed. "I don’t want to do the task. I want to eat waterlon."

"If you don’t finish the task, you and Aunt Raines won’t get a full al," Simon Sawyer said. "Co on, get up. Let’s go with everyone else."

"I said no," Jared Woods whined, continuing to munch on his waterlon. He tried to reason with him. "Look, there’s so much waterlon on the table. If nobody eats it, it’ll go to waste, right? My mom told not to waste food."

Simon Sawyer glanced at the table. There were, indeed, three slices of waterlon left. He was at a bit of a loss.

The tour guide ca over and told the other children to go ahead and start the task, then continued trying to persuade Jared Woods.

The director, who was listening in, chuckled and remarked that Jared Woods was giving the waterlons so great free publicity.

*

The process for harvesting waterlons was simple. However, because of Renee Jennings’s track record, a staff mber took her aside before the task began. "Quantity is important," they reminded her, "but quality is more important. Don’t be too hasty."

Renee Jennings was mortified. The mory of how she had ruined the potatoes ca flooding back. She nodded hastily and turned to leave, her cheeks burning red.

[What’s the production team’s problem? Why are they deliberately trying to embarrass our Rachel? That’s in the past, isn’t it? Everyone makes mistakes. Why dredge it up again?]

[But it’s a fact that Renee Jennings ruined the potatoes. She destroyed the fruits of their labor. The villagers toiled for days, only to have their harvest ruined. The show definitely had to compensate them. It makes sense they’d be a little cautious. What if she gets all worked up and smashes one of the waterlons? Who’s going to be responsible for that?]

[So cringe. I’m embarrassed for her. You really have to be more careful.]

[If she sses up again, there’s no excuse. I hope Renee Jennings just does the work properly this ti and doesn’t try any funny business.]

...

Naomi Kenway had morized the technique for picking waterlons. She harvested them and piled them in one spot, then used Nigati’s wheelbarrow to move them to the large cart.

The waterlons were heavy, and moving them was incredibly taxing.

Naomi Kenway rotated her aching wrists. ’I’ve been so busy with auditions lately that I’ve neglected my workouts,’ she thought. ’I need to get back into my fitness routine as soon as I get ho.’

A loud THUD ca from nearby. It was Renee Jennings, trying to load a waterlon onto the cart. The cart bed was a bit high, forcing her to lift her arms. Her strength wavered, and she nearly dropped the waterlon. Fortunately, she steadied her hands at the last second and managed to get it into the cart. Renee Jennings’s heart pounded in her chest. She quickly lifted the waterlon to inspect it, breathing a sigh of relief only when she confird there were no cracks.

She was drenched in a cold sweat. Seeing Naomi Kenway looking so calm and unbothered nearby, she felt a surge of annoyance.

"Nina, I almost fell just now. Why didn’t you give a hand?"

"You’re the one who almost fell, not . What’s it got to do with ?"

With that, Naomi Kenway sauntered off.

Renee Jennings huffed to herself, determined to complete the task perfectly—or at least, better than Naomi Kenway.

Over an hour passed. The guests were drenched in sweat. None of them had ever labored for so long under the hot sun, and hauling waterlons was especially grueling work.

Nigati’s young daughter, Aymira, ca over and led them to a basin of water by the roadside to wash their faces. Afterward, she cut another waterlon for them.

A commotion broke out as Jared Woods ca running over anxiously. His face was flushed from the sun, and sweat was pouring down his back. A staff mber had brought him over; while the other children were fine, Jared Woods was showing signs of heatstroke.

The staff mber quickly ushered him over to wash his face and cool off in the shade.

There were only two basins. The water had just been refreshed when Jared Woods, unable to wait, plunged his face in. He thrashed about, sending droplets of water flying everywhere.