The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 146: High Fever

"I’m fine," Naomi Kenway said.

Ruby Preston instructed an assistant beside her, "Take Nicole to the RV to rest for a bit. The sun is vicious today."

She then lamented, "I don’t know what’s up with this damned weather. Yesterday it was a downpour, and today the sun is scorching..."

Naomi Kenway rested in the RV for a while, but she still felt a little dizzy, and her throat was aching badly. She had a nagging feeling that something was wrong. ’This probably isn’t just low blood sugar.’

Her assistant, Lily, also grew anxious. She took out a thermometer, and after taking Naomi’s temperature, found she had a fever. Putting the thermometer away, she said, "Nina, we should go to the hospital."

"No need. Go to a nearby pharmacy and buy me some medicine. The fever will go down quickly after I take it."

Lily had been Naomi Kenway’s assistant for quite some time, and her eyes widened slightly at those words. This didn’t sound like something Naomi Kenway would say at all. Normally, Naomi would go to the hospital for a consultation just for a scraped finger to avoid a scar.

"Just hurry up and go," Naomi Kenway urged. Her fever wasn’t that high; it should break soon after she took some medicine. Besides, the hospital was too far, and Naomi didn’t want to delay the afternoon shoot. The rental time for the afternoon’s location was also about to expire, and she didn’t want to drag down the crew’s progress.

Lily quickly agreed and told Leo to run the errand.

After taking the medicine, Naomi Kenway took a short nap in the RV. When she woke up, she felt much better.

Lily asked, "Nina, how are you feeling? Are you okay?"

Naomi Kenway’s voice was a little hoarse. "Much better."

Only then did Lily breathe a sigh of relief.

This afternoon’s schedule was a scene with Yara Preston. The third female lead, Hugh Chandler, played by Naomi Kenway, and the first female lead, played by Yara Preston, were best friends, and the two had a very close relationship.

Before shooting this scene, the director had specifically asked Yara Preston and Naomi Kenway to spend some time alone to find their chemistry. The two had just sat down together as Ruby Preston suggested when, less than two minutes later, Yara Preston made an excuse and left.

Naomi Kenway’s throat wasn’t feeling great, so she couldn’t be bothered to call her back.

When filming officially began, the two just couldn’t capture the inseparable atmosphere of best friends. Naomi Kenway was a bit helpless; every time she reached out, Yara Preston would avoid her touch a second before.

It was the same for several takes.

The crew member didn’t dare to criticize Yara Preston, so he singled out Naomi Kenway instead. "Ms. Kenway, I think you should reflect on this scene a little more."

Naomi Kenway glanced at him, her gaze cool. "Do you think this is my problem?"

"This is not your problem." Ruby Preston then turned to Yara Preston. "Yara, this isn’t the state you should be in. I expect you to adjust yourself as quickly as possible."

Yara Preston’s body stiffened slightly.

Naomi Kenway said, "I know you look down on my acting, and you might even despise me as a person. I don’t care about any of that. However, I hope you can act opposite me without such a biased view. You detest artists who aren’t professional about their craft, but aren’t you being exactly that right now?"

Those words made Yara Preston’s cheeks burn. "Yes, I was being narrow-minded."

Naomi Kenway ignored her, turning to take the bottle of mineral water from her assistant and tilting her head back to take a large gulp.

In the following takes, Yara Preston had adjusted her attitude and partnered well with Naomi Kenway.

Naomi Kenway felt increasingly unwell. When the director’s megaphone blared, she struggled to walk over, her legs feeling as if they were filled with lead.

Naomi Kenway, who had previously been performing excellently and clearing scenes in one take, now had several NGs in a row. She could hear the crew member’s voice growing more and more irritable.

Yara Preston hesitated, then spoke, "I admit my attitude was off while acting with you just now, but are you using the same tactic against me?!" Her voice held a hint of apology. "I’m sorry. I hope you can treat this scene with the same serious attitude you had before."

A trace of disappointment flickered in Yara Preston’s eyes. She had actually felt a bit of admiration for Naomi Kenway, but she never expected her to retaliate in such a way. ’This is so childish!’

Naomi Kenway could barely hear what Yara Preston was saying anymore. All she wanted was to finish this last scene as quickly as possible.

"No one’s shoot is always smooth sailing. I hope everyone can be understanding of Nicole," Ruby Preston said. "Come on, let’s go again."

However, Naomi Kenway’s performance in this take was even worse than the last. To outsiders, it looked shallow and weak, as if she wasn’t putting any heart into it at all.

Murmurs rose from the surrounding crowd:

"This can’t be Naomi Kenway’s real skill level, can it? I heard she only got the part because someone leaked the audition questions to her beforehand. She’s probably cracking under the pressure and just giving up!"

"I knew it. How could someone’s acting improve so fast? Did Naomi Kenway’s coach ditch her, or did she just stop wanting to learn? If we knew it would be like this, we would have been better off with Renee Jennings in the cast. What’s the use of Naomi Kenway’s good performance before if what she’s doing now is a pile of trash?"

"Both Yara Preston and Naomi Kenway are going too far. They just have to let their personal grudge affect the entire crew. Aren’t they just dragging us all down?"

"Yara Preston is one thing, but for Naomi Kenway to start putting on airs with such terrible acting... isn’t it just because of her family’s stinking money?"

...

Ruby Preston had a nagging feeling that something was wrong. She couldn’t believe this was Naomi Kenway’s actual skill level. She walked over. "Nicole, are you not feeling well?"

"Sorry..." Naomi Kenway managed to say, but no one around her heard it.

Across from her, Yara Preston was getting annoyed. "Nicole, I know I was in the wrong earlier, but didn’t I already apologize? What more do you want... Are you going to keep dragging this out with me? You even told me off just now, so why are you acting like this again? If you have a problem, we can discuss it in private. I don’t want you bringing these emotions into the scene."

The other woman didn’t respond.

Yara Preston anxiously grabbed her arm. "Why aren’t you saying anything? Why are you keeping your head down?!"

The next second, Naomi Kenway collapsed. With quick reflexes, Yara Preston caught her by the shoulders, but gravity still pulled them both down to the ground, with Naomi falling into her arms.

Seeing Naomi Kenway’s eyes were closed, she assumed Naomi was doing it on purpose and immediately tried to explain:

"It wasn’t me! I really didn’t push her! She fell on her own! She’s doing this on purpose to frame me!"

The set erupted into chaos.

Ryan Thorne happened to be watching from the sidelines. Seeing that scene unfold, he felt even more certain of his own cleverness. ’Get too close to Naomi Kenway, and you’ll get latched onto like a leech.’

He looked into the distance, not seeing any paparazzi with cameras, but he did spot the resident doctor hurrying over with a medical kit.

Ruby Preston quickly took Naomi Kenway from Yara Preston’s arms, her voice filled with anxiety. "Quick, take a look! What’s wrong with her?"

The doctor examined her with a frown. "She has a high fever. Why did you all wait so long?"

The people around them looked on in disbelief.

Yara Preston’s face was filled with shame. Thinking about her earlier behavior, she wished she could just slap herself.