The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 19: Who Will Be the God of Cooking?

[It’s obvious this is Naomi Kenway’s first time making knife-cut noodles. She’s following every step from the internet. I refuse to believe a beginner can make them taste that good. Annie probably just said they were delicious to make her feel better!]

[This is making my mouth water. I’m going to crawl out of bed and make myself a delicious bowl of knife-cut noodles right now!]

[That looks kind of familiar. It looks like the specialty noodles from a shop I ate at when I was visiting Veridia. It’s impossible to get a table at that place; you might not even get a reservation booking two weeks in advance!]

...

Buoyed by her success, Naomi Kenway’s cooking went much more smoothly. She used up all the ingredients to make four bowls of knife-cut noodles.

The other guests at the potluck would also be bringing their own dishes. Not everyone would necessarily want the knife-cut noodles, so four bowls should be about enough.

Since they didn’t have any plastic containers, Naomi Kenway had to borrow a few clean plastic bags from a neighbor to pack the knife-cut noodles. She figured she could transfer them to bowls once they got to the square.

"Annie, it’s time to go to the square and meet up with the other guests."

Ian Shaw put down his science fiction book.

Naomi Kenway freed one hand to hold Ian Shaw’s, and the two of them walked along the country path toward the square.

"Mama, look! There are so many stars!"

Ian Shaw suddenly exclaimed in delight, pointing to the sky.

Naomi Kenway followed his gaze. The pitch-black night sky was dotted with twinkling stars, and she found herself momentarily stunned.

’It’s been so long since I’ve seen this many stars,’ she thought. With air pollution getting worse in recent years, all you usually see when you look up is darkness.

Seeing her son so happy, Naomi Kenway couldn’t help but smile. "I guess we’re lucky, seeing the stars as soon as we stepped outside."

Ian Shaw nodded enthusiastically.

A brilliant streak of light shot across the sky.

Ian Shaw shook Naomi Kenway’s hand. "Mama, what’s that?"

Naomi Kenway looked closely. "It’s a shooting star. They say wishes made on shooting stars come true. Do you want to try, Annie?"

"Really?" Ian Shaw immediately clasped his hands together. A smile touched his lips as he earnestly and reverently made a wish.

Ian Shaw opened his eyes a few seconds later.

Naomi Kenway asked curiously, "What did you wish for?"

Ian Shaw shook his head mysteriously. "My teacher said wishes don’t come true if you say them out loud, so Annie can’t tell Mama."

Naomi Kenway smiled and ruffled his hair. "I’m sure Annie’s wish will come true!"

*

By the time Naomi Kenway and her son arrived at the square, all the other guests were already there. The production team had chosen an open space for the potluck, surrounded by a grassy area with wildflowers. The scenery was lovely.

The warm, yellow lighting wasn’t harsh at all and created a cozy atmosphere. Naomi Kenway knew the production team had arranged this potluck specifically to give the guests a chance to get to know one another.

"Oh, you actually came. I thought you wouldn’t dare show your face after failing to make the knife-cut noodles!"

Naomi Kenway automatically tuned out Chelsea Raines’s words.

Chelsea Raines then turned to Ruby Preston beside her. "Well, it is humiliating. If it were me, I’d probably just hide at home and never come out!"

Ruby Preston waved her hand around. "It’s not even summer yet. Why are there so many flies?"

Chelsea Raines stiffened, then clamped her jaw shut and fell silent.

Naomi Kenway asked the tour guide sitting at the front, "Do you have any empty bowls?"

"We do."

A staff member then placed some empty bowls on the table.

Naomi Kenway simply lined a bowl with one of the plastic bags, revealing the knife-cut noodles, which looked and smelled incredible. The aroma alone was enough to stir anyone’s appetite.

"That smells amazing!" Jared Woods exclaimed, his eyes glued to the knife-cut noodles Naomi Kenway had just set down.

Chelsea Raines slapped his shoulder. "What’s so amazing about the smell? You’d dare eat that without knowing what she put in it? I see you never learn your lesson!" she said, shooting a sideways glance at Naomi Kenway.

Jared Woods shot her an aggrieved look and fell silent.

Naomi Kenway’s gaze swept over the table laden with dishes, then suddenly stopped. In front of Renee Jennings were several bowls of knife-cut noodles. She had thoughtfully made ten bowls in total, enough for every guest to have one.

Noticing Naomi Kenway’s gaze, Renee Jennings smiled and gave a small wave. Then, feigning nonchalance, she added, "Mona brought back a lot of food, but I was worried it wouldn’t be enough for everyone, so I just threw together some knife-cut noodles. You don’t mind, do you, Nina?"

Her words sounded perfectly reasonable on the surface.

’There are so many noodle dishes she could have made, but she just had to pick the same one as me: knife-cut noodles.’

Naomi Kenway gave her a knowing look.

"Aunt Kenway, Annie, come sit next to me!" Carina Sanders called out.

Naomi Kenway led Ian Shaw over to sit beside Carina Sanders, also greeting Margaret Jennings as she did.

The tantalizing aroma came entirely from the bowls of knife-cut noodles Naomi Kenway had brought. Under the table, Renee Jennings’s hands clenched into fists. Only she knew how anxious she truly felt.

’How can they smell so good? Did Naomi Kenway actually manage to make delicious knife-cut noodles?’

’My decision was a bit impulsive. If I win, I can easily use this to put Naomi Kenway down. But if I lose... won’t I become a total laughingstock?’

’Just because it smells good doesn’t mean it tastes good. I’ve been making knife-cut noodles for years. There’s no way I’m worse than a beginner like Naomi Kenway, right?’

Renee Jennings silently tried to reassure herself.

Seeing that everyone was seated, the tour guide announced, "For the rest of the evening, you’re all free to sample these dishes. At the end, our junior guests will vote for the ultimate ’Master Chef,’ and the winner will receive a special mystery gift from the production team!"

"Let’s dig in, everyone!"

[Coincidence or not? Renee Jennings made knife-cut noodles too!]

[Renee Jennings is so calculating! I don’t buy that this is a coincidence for a second! She’s clearly mastered the art of tearing others down to make herself look good!]

[Renee won first place in a cooking competition! From the moment Naomi Kenway refused to give up that card, she was destined to be humiliated! I’ll support Renee forever!]

[I’m kind of excited to see who will win.]

The moment the tour guide finished speaking, Renee Jennings eagerly took a bite of Naomi Kenway’s knife-cut noodles. Her body suddenly went rigid, and her delicate eyebrows knitted together tightly.

"What’s wrong, Renee? Is it terrible?" Chelsea Raines asked with concern. She then picked up her own chopsticks and tried Naomi Kenway’s noodles. The moment the fresh, silky noodles entered her mouth, all the sarcastic remarks she had prepared completely dissolved.

’This is... way too delicious...’

’Naomi Kenway made this??’

The two who had tasted Naomi Kenway’s noodles fell into a conspicuous silence. Margaret Jennings couldn’t help but grow curious. "What’s wrong? Is the taste that... unusual?"

She had heard that Naomi Kenway never cooked. It was surprising that noodles that apparently tasted so bad could have such a tempting aroma.

Renee Jennings, her face ashen, muttered, "It’s not that."

Unable to resist the temptation, Jared Woods defied Chelsea Raines’s orders and took a bite. "This is so delicious!!!" he couldn’t help but exclaim.