The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 61: Parent-Child Activity—Catching Ducks

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Parent-Child Activity—Catching Ducks

Big, round eyes stared at her without blinking, a hint of longing in their gaze.

Naomi Kenway’s heart skipped a beat. She was absolutely certain this was her son, Annie.

Seeing Naomi bend down to remove the mask, Ethan Shaw said, "This is only the second row. Let’s keep looking further back."

"No need. This is Annie," she said with conviction.

As she spoke, Naomi slowly removed the Pigsy mask from the child in front of her. A fair, tender face was revealed, his large, grape-like eyes filled with joy.

"Mommy!"

Naomi immediately pulled Annie into her arms.

"Mommy, I was so scared you and Daddy wouldn’t recognize me."

Naomi stroked his hair. "Never. No matter where you are, Mommy will always recognize you."

Ethan’s footsteps halted. He stared at the mother and son embracing before him and began to ponder a question.

’If all of Naomi’s kindness toward Annie was just an act, if everything she did was to achieve her own dark objectives, then how did she recognize Annie in a single glance?’

’When only their eyes were visible, how deep an understanding must she have to recognize her child in an instant?’

Ethan suddenly found himself believing the words Naomi had said about changing and turning over a new leaf.

Naomi sensed his gaze from the side and asked, "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing."

Ian Shaw was four years old and not exactly light. Naomi, on the other hand, was so slender her waist looked as if it could snap with a single squeeze.

Ethan frowned as he watched for a moment, then suddenly said, "Here, give the child to me."

Once in Ethan’s arms, Ian Shaw didn’t want to leave his mother’s soft, gentle embrace. "No! Annie wants Mommy to hold him!"

’Ian is this attached to Naomi...’

"No, Annie will tire Mommy out. Aren’t you happy with Daddy holding you?"

"I’m happy!" Ian Shaw turned his head slightly, his gaze still lingering reluctantly on Naomi.

Something in his arms felt a bit strange. Ethan looked down and was surprised to find that Annie had a small, fluffy tail. He looked at Naomi, slightly astonished. "Did you change him into this outfit?"

"Kids’ suits are so stuffy and old-fashioned. My son looks best in bright, cute clothes like this!" Knowing Ethan was an old traditionalist, Naomi didn’t expect their tastes to align.

Previously, Naomi had paid no attention to the child, so most of the clothes in Ian Shaw’s closet were kids’ suits, all picked out by Ethan.

Ethan glanced at his son again, his expression shifting slightly. It did seem a bit more lively than a children’s suit.

He offered a rare compliment, "You have good taste."

This time, it was Naomi’s turn to look at him in surprise.

That Annie’s parents had recognized him so quickly was a surprise to Jessica Hilton. She walked over and congratulated them, "You found Annie so fast."

She pointed to the chairs on the left. "Annie’s mom and dad, you can rest there for a while."

Between the chairs was a round table laden with all sorts of candy and snacks. Naomi noticed Ian Shaw’s longing gaze and handed him a White Rabbit creamy candy.

"If you eat too many, your teeth will hurt. You can only have one, okay?"

Most of the other parents were still searching for their children. At one point, two sets of parents were fighting over a single "Pigsy baby," and the scene was incredibly lively.

After half an hour, the scene finally quieted down a bit.

During this time, staff members cleared away the bedsheets and Pigsy masks and brought in many new props in preparation for the second activity.

"I’m sure you’ve all heard the ’Counting Ducks’ nursery rhyme. Next, we’re going to use this song to play a fun parent-child game called ’Catch the Duck’!"

"The rules are: everyone sings the ’Counting Ducks’ nursery rhyme together. When you hear the word ’duck’ in the song, you have to loop a hula hoop over a child or parent who is still standing. The family that gets caught has to perform a talent!"

Naomi carefully memorized every word of the rules the teacher explained. She, who was normally never nervous at any event, felt a rare sense of anxiety. Fortunately, she had already rehearsed a talent with Annie. However...

Naomi glanced in Ethan’s direction.

Ethan hadn’t been part of their rehearsal.

At the teacher’s direction, Naomi’s family stood in the line.

"Our game is about to begin."

Besides Teacher Hilton, two other teachers also picked up hula hoops.

"Down by the bridge, a flock of ’ducks’ swim by..."

The moment the word "ducks" was sung, the teachers feigned throwing the hula hoops over the parents.

They played several rounds like this, but Naomi’s family was never caught. The families that were caught performed their talents; there were duets, dances, and poetry recitals.

Ethan stood ramrod straight, his slightly trembling eyelashes lowered. ’Is he a little nervous?’

’What a shocking discovery,’ Naomi thought to herself.

Another round of "Catch the Duck" began, and this time, the hula hoop landed squarely over Ethan.

Jessica Hilton announced, "This time it’s Annie’s dad who’s been caught! Annie’s family has to come up and perform a talent!"

Knowing they would be caught sooner or later, Naomi was mentally prepared.

"We’re going to do the hand-gesture dance for ’Two Tigers.’ We’ve already practiced, so Ethan, you can just follow our lead and dance with us."

"Dancing?" Ethan’s brow furrowed, his expression unreadably complex.

"Don’t tell me you’ve never danced before?"

"I can ballroom dance."

’Ballroom dancing for business banquets?’

Naomi said, "It’s fine. This is a good chance for you to learn."

The speakers started playing the audio for "Two Tigers."

Ian Shaw was soft and cuddly, and every move—from stretching out his hands to wiggling his bottom—was utterly adorable. With the little yellow tail on his rear, a small "ROAR!" from him made him seem even more like a cute little tiger cub.

Naomi had a dance background, and with her prior practice, her performance was both pleasing to the eye and executed with ease.

The only one not doing so well was Ethan. He was tall and handsome, and also easy on the eyes, but his movements were so stiff that his hand-gesture dance looked more like physical therapy.

When the music stopped, Ethan covered his forehead and fled the stage.

The audience erupted in thunderous applause.

"Mommy, why did Daddy run off so fast?"

The smile on Naomi’s face was impossible to hide. "Your daddy was embarrassed. He got shy."

"Shy?" Ian Shaw thought for a moment. "So Daddy gets shy, too."

Naomi carried Annie over to Ethan’s side. "That was a pretty good performance just now. You kept up with every move. Watching you dance in that suit reminded me of that ’money-grabbing dance’ that was trending online a while back."

"Naomi!" Ethan was furious from the embarrassment.

Seeing Ethan so flustered made Naomi feel much better. She was still annoyed when she remembered how dismissive he had been to her before. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Her phone buzzed with a notification. It turned out the teacher was sending videos of the talent show to the group chat as a keepsake.

Naomi opened it and, sure enough, there was her family’s "Two Tigers" performance.

Watching it a second time, Naomi found it even funnier. She turned her head and, just as she expected, saw that Ethan’s face had turned completely dark.