Ian Shaw glanced at Carina Sanders's fair hand, hesitated, and then shook his head.
Carina Sanders wasn't offended. "There seems to be a house up ahead. Let's go have a look!"
Margaret Jennings watched her precious daughter standing close to Ian Shaw. After a moment's hesitation, she decided not to approach them.
'Naomi Kenway has a nasty reputation, but her son is just a poor little thing. He doesn't have any of her malice.'
Naomi Kenway watched as Ian Shaw and the others walked further away. A smile touched her lips as she looked at their small, retreating figures.
'I'm so glad my son is willing to spend time with these kids. Everyone needs friends at every stage of life, and childhood is no exception. Maybe interacting with them more will help him open up a bit.'
Ruby Preston called out to Naomi, "They're handing out the phones. Let's go."
Naomi snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at her. "Alright."
Ruby Preston froze for a second. She'd never seen anyone with such a beautiful smile. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find another face like Naomi Kenway's in the entire entertainment industry; she was a true natural beauty. In the past, Ruby would have jumped at the chance to work with someone so stunning, but the rumors about Naomi's terrible acting and diva behavior made her put that thought aside for now.
Naomi Kenway took her phone from a staff member. In this fast-paced age, being without her phone for only a day or so felt like an eternity.
After she turned on her phone, there were no messages aside from trending entertainment news notifications. Her agent handled all work-related matters, and her relationship with her family was incredibly strained. For the first time since her 'awakening,' Naomi Kenway felt a pang of loneliness.
But she didn't let the miserable feeling linger for long. She had important things to do.
'She recalled Ian once saying that the knife-cut noodles Ethan Shaw took him to eat were delicious.'
'Should I ask Ethan Shaw to contact that chef for the recipe?'
Thinking of her son's expectant gaze, Naomi found Ethan Shaw's number and sent him a text. It was almost comical—they had been married for years, yet they weren't even friends on WeChat.
She tentatively sent a message: Are you there?
Knowing that Ethan Shaw might just ignore such a pointless pleasantry, Naomi got straight to the point:
Ian said the knife-cut noodles at the restaurant you often take him to are delicious. Could you send me the chef's contact information? I'd like to learn how to make them.
Ethan Shaw seemed busy. He replied ten minutes later: You're going to make knife-cut noodles for Ian?
'The truth was, Naomi knew how to cook—and she was actually pretty good at it, a far cry from the useless person rumors made her out to be. Before her awakening, she could only follow the script, showcasing her "incompetence" to serve as a foil to the female lead. Now that she was self-aware, she no longer had to pretend to be a disaster in the kitchen.'
Afraid Ethan Shaw wouldn't trust her, Naomi quickly typed a guarantee: I'll be the first to taste them. I definitely won't poison Ian! Please give me the chef's contact information!
Naomi wished she could send a pleading emoji, but since text messages didn't have that function, she had to settle for manually typing the word 'please'.
Naomi sat on a stone bench in the plaza. While waiting for Ethan Shaw's reply, she didn't stay idle. She searched online for videos on how to make knife-cut noodles, and the process looked quite involved.
'Actually, Naomi had taken a two-year culinary course. It was a method she'd come up with to win Ethan back when he first moved out. Of course, it hadn't worked.'
'She had also come to terms with her situation with Ethan Shaw. Their relationship was already broken, and the end of their marriage seemed inevitable. Naomi never believed in forcing matters of the heart. The best-case scenario would be for her and Ethan to continue co-parenting and living together, giving Ian a complete family. But if Ethan grew tired of that life, or if he found someone else someday, she wouldn't cling to him. Life after her awakening was too precious; she refused to live like a beggar, groveling for affection.'
'Naomi had enough savings to support herself and her son for several lifetimes. There was no need for her to live so meekly.'
'The two-year course had taught her a lot, but she'd never attempted knife-cut noodles. It looked like she'd have to learn from scratch.'
The sun grew more intense. Naomi shielded her eyes with her hand and walked over to a nearby pavilion to sit down. The other guests were resting there as well.
Her phone remained silent. Just as Naomi was thinking Ethan Shaw wouldn't reply, a new message popped up.
It was a string of numbers.
Naomi realized it was the chef's contact information from Ethan Shaw. She let out a small sigh of relief.
There was nothing else—no extra words, not even a punctuation mark. 'That Ethan Shaw really doesn't want to talk to me,' she thought. Still, getting the contact information was what mattered. Naomi quickly sent back a 'Thank you.'
Naomi didn't expect another reply from Ethan Shaw, so she immediately went to add the chef on WeChat.
Her friend request was accepted almost instantly. Before Naomi had a chance to say anything, a message from the chef came through:
Is this Mrs. Shaw? Hello.
President Shaw told me you needed the recipe for knife-cut noodles. The marinade I use is actually my own secret formula.
He followed up with a long block of text: the recipe for knife-cut noodles, explained in exceptional detail.
Next came a video that the chef had recorded specifically to demonstrate how to cook the noodles.
Naomi thanked him sincerely.
The chef seemed almost flattered, replying that if Naomi had any questions at all, she could ask him anytime. He promised to answer anything and everything.
After their chat ended, Naomi felt a bit dazed. 'So, does this mean Ethan contacted the chef for me ahead of time? But his message was so cold...' She really couldn't figure Ethan Shaw out, so she decided to let the difficult question go.
After that, Naomi threw herself into studying the art of knife-cut noodles. She was determined to make a version her son would love.
The other guests were resting on a stone bench not far away, their phones lying beside them. Not a single one of them was using their phone to look up information; after all, the dishes they had drawn weren't very difficult and didn't require any research.
Margaret Jennings watched Naomi, who was engrossed in her research, and remarked, "I'm surprised to see Naomi working so hard. I'm already getting restless just sitting here."
Chelsea Raines, still bitter about Naomi's earlier retort, sneered. "She has to act desperate if she doesn't want to be humiliated. But knife-cut noodles aren't just any pasta dish; they're incredibly difficult to make. I was trying to be nice and look out for her, and she bit my head off. I can't wait to see how she's going to save face later!"
The animosity radiating from Chelsea Raines was a little intense. Margaret Jennings subtly edged away from her.
A dark glint flashed in Renee Jennings's eyes. 'Naomi's behavior is just a classic case of cramming at the last minute,' she thought.
'Naomi is a terrible cook. I, on the other hand, am the exact opposite. I even won first place in my school's cooking competition.'
'This time, I'm going to get my dignity back at Naomi's expense!'