Margaret Jennings was slightly taken aback, remembering that her daughter seemed to have a very good impression of Ian Shaw from day one.
"Carina, do you like Ian a lot?"
"He's very pretty, and I want him to be my little brother!"
Margaret Jennings's heart stirred. She was already thirty-two when she had Carina, and she had never considered having a second child. But Carina had always seemed lonely, often mentioning that she wanted a little brother.
"Mommy, can I play with Ian?"
Margaret Jennings hesitated.
'If only it were someone else's kid. But it just had to be Naomi Kenway's.' Because of the rumors, Margaret Jennings didn't want Carina to get involved with Naomi for the time being.
"Carina, sweetie, why don't you finish telling Mommy this story first, then you can go? Where were you just now? You dreamed that the mermaid swam to the shore, and then what? What happened after that?"
Carina Sanders's attention was caught, and she once again launched into the fantastical story of her dream.
Ruby Preston and Renee Jennings also arrived one after another. They had come from the same direction, but what was most surprising was that the two, who seemed to be on good terms, didn't exchange a single word the entire time. Renee Jennings's expression was a little strange.
Renee Jennings was surprised to see Naomi Kenway had already arrived. She gave her a startled glance, and then, as if remembering something, her expression soured.
Chelsea Raines was the last guest to arrive. She and her son, Jared Woods, were dressed as stylishly and eye-catchingly as ever.
When she got closer and saw what Naomi Kenway was doing, Chelsea Raines couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I was just teaching my son math on the way here. You're really something else, Naomi, squatting by the roadside teaching your son about wildflowers. How ridiculous!"
Naomi Kenway felt annoyed just hearing her voice and glanced at her casually. "You seem pretty busy lately. It's been a while since I've seen you running over to my mud hut."
Remembering the humiliation that occurred at Naomi Kenway's mud hut, Chelsea Raines gritted her teeth, her face turning livid. "Who'd want to go to your dump!"
Then she stormed off in anger.
In stark contrast to Chelsea Raines, Naomi Kenway was now feeling incredibly pleased. 'Serves her right for always looking for trouble.'
[Naomi Kenway's tongue is so sharp, she really got under Chelsea Raines's skin. Forget Chelsea, I'm embarrassed for her. She ran over all aggressively to confront her, only to end up kneeling and apologizing.]
[I was just thinking, Naomi was just minding her own business counting flowers by the road, she wasn't bothering Chelsea at all. Is this the first time I'm realizing Chelsea is kind of a jerk?]
[Naomi Kenway has done all sorts of terrible things, so we can't even let our Chelsea clap back a little?]
[The user above must be a Chelsea Raines stan, right? I'm not a fan of either of them, but Chelsea really was the one who started it for no reason.]
...
Not long after all the guests had arrived, Dalton the tour guide made his appearance. His makeup and outfit this time weren't as exaggerated or grand as before; he was just wearing a simple shirt and jeans.
"Long time no see, everyone! I wonder how you all slept last night?" he said, holding a large megaphone.
He directed this question specifically to Naomi Kenway, "Naomi, how did you sleep?"
"It was fine. There was mosquito repellent in the room. The production team prepared everything quite well."
The tour guide couldn't help but laugh. "Is that so? I didn't expect you to be so optimistic." He then looked down and asked Ian Shaw, "Ian, how did you sleep?"
As the microphone was handed toward him, Ian Shaw backed away slightly, not used to strangers getting so close. "...Very well."
"Looks like he's a bit shy around strangers." The tour guide took a few steps back, giving Ian Shaw plenty of space.
He was holding a script. "I'm sure you're all looking forward to this next task, right? First, we're going to play a little game." He spread his arms, gesturing for everyone to look behind him. "Look over here. We have wooden boxes. Each guest will draw a card from inside, and the card you draw will affect the difficulty of your task."
"Stop being so mysterious. What is the task?" Chelsea Raines asked directly.
The tour guide smiled. "Why don't you all draw your cards first? I'll explain the next step after that."
Naomi Kenway followed the other guests and drew a card. After getting it, she opened it and saw the words written on it: Knife-Cut Noodles.
"Mommy, what does it say?" Ian Shaw asked curiously.
"Knife-cut noodles."
Ian Shaw's eyes lit up. "Daddy often takes me to a restaurant where the knife-cut noodles are delicious. Ian likes knife-cut noodles."
'Ian likes knife-cut noodles,' Naomi Kenway made a mental note.
The other guests announced their drawn words one by one. Ruby Preston had Egg Fried Rice, Margaret Jennings had Buns, Chelsea Raines had Scrambled Eggs with Tomato, and Renee Jennings had Steamed Buns.
They were all very common, home-style dishes and staples.
"What do these things we drew represent?" Chelsea Raines asked impatiently.
Margaret Jennings ventured a guess, "Is it the dinner we get to have? We're getting our dinner by drawing cards this time?"
Chelsea Raines frowned. "Scrambled eggs with tomato… Can you get full on just one dish?"
The tour guide chuckled. "It's not that simple. You'll have to prepare your own dinner today. During tonight's dinner party, each guest must make the dish on their card. In the evening, the junior guests will taste them and vote for today's Top Chef."
"The guest who wins 'Top Chef' will receive a special gift prepared by the production team. As for what the gift is, that's a secret for now."
After hearing the tour guide's words, Renee Jennings's expression grew heavy. 'I can't believe we have to make the food on the cards. My steamed buns are the most unremarkable. How am I supposed to win over the other kids' taste buds with that?'
An idea struck her. She remembered that Naomi Kenway had drawn knife-cut noodles. Knife-cut noodles required exceptional knife skills—a great choice for showing off—and coincidentally, knife-cut noodles were what Renee Jennings was best at.
Gazing at the card in Naomi Kenway's hand, Renee Jennings walked straight over. "Nina, you've probably never cooked before, have you? Knife-cut noodles are way too difficult for a beginner. My steamed buns are much simpler. How about we trade cards?"
One look at Renee Jennings was all it took for Naomi Kenway to see right through her little scheme.
'Always claiming to be helping others when it's clearly for her own benefit. This girl's got some moves.'
Naomi Kenway refused without hesitation. "No, thank you. Ian is really looking forward to the knife-cut noodles, and I want to give it a try."
Renee Jennings couldn't tell if Naomi Kenway was telling the truth, but the current situation was indeed difficult to handle. "Nina, you might not know this, but knife-cut noodles are my specialty. I guarantee Ian will love the ones I make. Why don't we trade cards? What do you think?"
"I only want to eat what Mommy makes," Ian Shaw spoke up.
Renee Jennings froze. 'I can't believe this mother and son are so difficult.'
Chelsea Raines overheard and rushed over. She had always been Renee Jennings's staunch ally. "Knife-cut noodles aren't something just anyone can make well. If I remember correctly, Naomi, you've barely even stepped into a kitchen, right? Your noodles will taste awful tonight, and you'll just embarrass yourself. In my opinion, you should just trade with Renee. This is her giving you an easy way out."