"President Shaw, you were looking for me?" Liam Sherman asked. He wore glasses and had a refined, scholarly air.
Ethan Shaw slowly turned the pen in his hand. He looked up, his deep-set eyes handsome and striking. "Naomi Kenway has been acting a little unusual lately. I don't believe someone can change so much in such a short time. Have someone look into it."
His gut told him Naomi was just using Ian to gain clout, but her awkward and reserved demeanor that day made her seem like a completely different person.
Ethan had been vehemently against Naomi taking Ian Shaw on the reality show. He didn't want his son to be a prop for Naomi to build a public persona. Moreover, Ian had always been a sensitive child, and Ethan didn't want him to be tainted by the cesspool of the entertainment industry at such a young age. But Ian was just so fond of being close to Naomi, and who knows what she'd said to coax him into insisting on going.
Ethan's head ached just thinking about it.
After a brief pause, Liam Sherman replied, "Understood."
He then bowed slightly and left the office.
After Liam Sherman left, Ethan Shaw opened his laptop and searched for information on Naomi Kenway's participation in the reality show. It was just as Ian had said; Naomi was taking very good care of him.
'But is it all genuine, or is it just an act?'
Ethan and Naomi's marriage had been arranged by their families. After they wed, they had a brief period of mutual respect, like honored guests to one another. But it wasn't long before Naomi's vile habits were exposed. She was malicious, often berating and hitting the staff in private, and was lazy and selfish, caring only for herself.
Ethan found her increasingly unbearable. The birth of Ian Shaw mended their nearly-broken marriage for a time, but Naomi's temper only grew more volatile and unpredictable as the child grew older. She neglected him, once even forcing him to kneel in the rain as punishment until he developed a high fever. Ethan had brought up divorce several times, but was always dissuaded by Ian's tears.
In the end, Ethan moved out of the manor, and their relationship existed in name only.
'How could such a terrible person change overnight?'
And yet... Ethan's gaze was fixed on the screen in front of him. The livestream replay was paused on an image of Naomi Kenway covering Ian Shaw's ears as she confronted Chelsea Raines.
He was starting to not understand Naomi at all...
*
「Three in the morning.」
Nathan Lynch was jolted awake by the grating sound of a saw on wood. He sat up in bed and, bleary-eyed, shuffled into the living room in his slippers. "Mom, it's so noisy..."
The cameras had long since been turned off for the night, and Renee Jennings's attitude toward Nathan Lynch became much more perfunctory. "Be good, now. It's late, go back to sleep."
With that, she lowered her head and went back to tinkering with the wooden plank in her hands. She figured Naomi must have gained a lot of popularity from that furniture-making task. After leaving Naomi's earthen hut, Renee had gone straight to a carpenter's house to learn the craft. She didn't return home until dark and had been practicing diligently in her bedroom ever since. But for some reason, her hands felt clumsy, and she could never manage to build a complete stool.
'Why are these simple movements so difficult? It seems Naomi must have suffered quite a bit during her months of practice.'
Nathan Lynch rubbed his eyes. "But Mom, it's so noisy. Mona can't sleep..."
"How can you not be able to sleep?" Renee Jennings looked at him, her patience wearing thin. "The big bad wolf will snatch away children who stay up late."
"The big bad wolf?!" Nathan Lynch flinched.
"That's right. The big bad wolf loves to eat children who sleep late. So to protect yourself, Mona should hurry back to the bedroom and sleep. Mommy will be back in a little while."
Nathan Lynch glanced at the tools in Renee Jennings's hands, hesitated, but ultimately left.
With the nuisance out of the way, Renee Jennings quickly refocused her energy on making the stool. 'If Naomi Kenway can do it, how can I possibly fail? I've prepared for so long. I can't let a disgraced celebrity outshine me.'
*
The only clock in the earthen hut was a tattered one hanging on the wall, and its alarm function was completely broken. Naomi Kenway could only rely on herself to wake up on time.
Worried about having to race for breakfast, Naomi woke up several times during the night. No matter what, she couldn't let her son go without a meal.
The clock's hands pointed to four-thirty, and Naomi Kenway climbed out of bed. The clothes she'd brought this time were all simple and practical. She picked out a gray jacket and jeans, then tied up her meticulously styled curly hair, looking exceptionally sharp.
Before leaving, Naomi tucked her son's blanket in. Ian Shaw was sleeping soundly, his fair, tender cheeks nestled into the soft pillow.
"Mommy's going out to get breakfast. I'll be right back."
She whispered, knowing Ian Shaw couldn't hear her.
Naomi Kenway opened the door and stepped outside. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and she could faintly hear the crowing of roosters.
She asked a nearby staff member, "Is the food distribution spot down this path?"
The cameraman, who seemed to have just woken up himself, was surprised to see Naomi leaving. "Ms. Kenway, you're up so early?"
"The early bird gets the worm."
Naomi knew a little about the female lead, Renee Jennings; she was famous for being diligent. 'If I go late, I definitely won't get any of the good breakfast items.'
Naomi was notorious for her laziness, so the fact that she was up at four-thirty was enough to make the livestream viewers' jaws drop.
[Is Naomi still asleep, or am I? It's only 4:45 AM!!]
[Has Naomi been possessed by some kind of ghost? I'm not kidding.]
[The other guests must still be sleeping. Only Naomi's stream has started! I must be dreaming. How is this possible? This is the Naomi who supposedly wakes up naturally at 11 AM every day!]
[She must be doing it to get the best breakfast for Ian, right? I'm really starting to like Naomi more and more. Go for it!]
[Ugh, Naomi is really going all out to build her 'good mom' persona.]
...
Just as Naomi had expected, she was the first to arrive at the east end of the village. A large table was set up next to a telephone pole, and the food on it seemed to have been laid out just a moment ago, still steaming hot.
She had to admit, the provisions from the production team were indeed meager. Among the wheaten foods, there were only two steamed buns; the rest were all plain mantou with pickled vegetables. Without hesitation, Naomi took both buns, then also grabbed an egg and some millet congee.
If those who arrived first took too much, the people who came later might not get any food. Naomi didn't consider herself that malicious, so once she had enough for two people, she left and headed home. The thought of her son waiting for her at home made her steps quicken unconsciously.
She remembered that her son loved steamed buns, and today's buns happened to be his favorite: mushroom and pork.
*
Renee Jennings had set her alarm in advance and left precisely at five. As she'd expected, there were no other guests at the food distribution spot besides the staff.
'I must be the first one here,' she thought, feeling a small sense of relief.
The table was filled with nothing but plain mantou and pickled vegetables. Inwardly, Renee Jennings cursed the production team for being so stingy, but she let none of it show on her face.
After taking enough for herself, she hesitated for a moment, then took another portion.
On her way back, Renee Jennings ran into a hurried Margaret Jennings. The two exchanged simple greetings.
Margaret Jennings looked at her, confused. "Huh? I don't think your little villa is in this direction."
Renee Jennings gave a faint smile and held up the mantou in her hand. "Naomi probably isn't up yet. I was afraid little Ian would go hungry, so I was planning to bring these mantou over to him."