The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 186: Mom Is Doing This for Your Own Good
Perhaps because she’d grown up poor and suffered the scorn of everyone around her, Chelsea Raines’s first impulse upon getting money was to flaunt it. She wanted to make sure no one would dare look down on her again.
The winding mountain path was as treacherous as ever.
This wasn’t her hometown, but it was very much like it.
Chelsea Raines never thought that after finally managing to escape the mountains, she would now, by a twist of fate, end up here again.
Her feet were throbbing with unbearable pain. Chelsea Raines pushed through it and kept walking, but a moment later, she finally gave in and switched to a pair of flats.
Renee Jennings sprinted forward, pulling Nathan Lynch along, careful to keep an eye on those behind them. She was terrified someone would pass them.
A child’s stamina is no match for an adult’s. Nathan Lynch’s legs gradually gave out, and he bent over, gasping for breath.
Renee Jennings was forced to stop. Annoyed, she snapped, "Mona, didn’t I tell you to work out at home? Why are you always so disobedient?"
"I can never finish my homework." Nathan Lynch pulled his hand away, his small face flushed. "You go on ahead. I can’t keep up."
"You...!" Renee Jennings gave him a tug. "Mona, don’t throw a fit."
Nathan Lynch suddenly sat down on the ground, completely ignoring her.
When she saw Nathan Lynch plop right down on the ground, getting his new, custom-made clothes dirty, Renee Jennings’s heart ached—for the outfit. But with the cameras rolling, she had to maintain her public image. She crouched down and said coaxingly:
"Mona, we’re almost there. Let’s just push a little harder, okay? Mommy believes you can do it, right? Didn’t we agree that you’d always be a good boy? Why are you misbehaving again?"
"Does being a good boy just mean always listening to you?" Nathan Lynch suddenly asked, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Renee Jennings was momentarily at a loss for words. After a pause, she nodded and added, "Mommy would never do anything to hurt you. Mommy is the person who loves you most in the world, and I’m doing this for your own good."
Nathan Lynch said no more. No matter what Renee Jennings said, he didn’t respond, simply sitting there with his head lowered.
The sudden conflict between the usually harmonious mother-son duo sent the livestream chat into a flurry of discussion:
[What’s going on? Why are they suddenly fighting? They weren’t like this last episode.]
[Mona seems really listless this episode. His emotional state seems off. Is he in some kind of trouble? Don’t tell me his birth mom is goading Mona into avoiding Rachel again, just like last time. That woman is so awful! If you’re divorced, you should part ways peacefully. What’s the deal with her constantly trying to ruin their family? Poor Rachel!]
[If a kid won’t listen, one good spanking will teach him. Rachel is just too soft, that’s why the kid is pushing his luck and doesn’t respect her.]
[Why is everyone in the comments blaming Mona? It’s perfectly normal for a kid to get tired. Why not just let him rest for a bit? Renee Jennings is a grown woman; can’t she handle something this simple? Or does she only care about winning the competition? The more I watch, the more disappointed I am in Renee Jennings. She’s completely different on the livestream compared to her own vlogs.]
[I’ve watched a lot of Renee Jennings’s vlogs, and they always felt a bit fake. Maybe this is what their dynamic is really like. Friction is normal. There’s no need for the comments to blow this out of proportion and attack anyone.]
...
Seeing that others were about to pass them, Renee Jennings suppressed her fury. "Mona, what do you want from me? Can you stop messing with me? We need to work together for this show. I can’t finish the task alone. Why do you always have to be so willful!"
Ruby Preston caught up to them and, taking in the scene, asked, "What’s going on here?"
Renee Jennings’s voice was thick with grievance. "I don’t know what’s gotten into Mona. He’s suddenly being so rebellious, just sitting here by himself. Maybe he’s just doing it to spite me?"
In her telling, Nathan Lynch was just an unreasonable child throwing a tantrum.
Just as expected, Ruby Preston frowned. She wasn’t one to indulge a child’s tantrums. Hearing Renee’s side, she chimed in with her own advice. "Mona, this task requires both you and your mom to work together. Neither of you can do it alone. How about we get up and finish the task first, okay?"
Renee Jennings was already dabbing at her eyes. "I just hate that I’m not Mona’s birth mother. He wouldn’t treat me this way if I were..."
Naomi Kenway and the others walked over as well. Gazing at Nathan Lynch’s small form curled up on the ground, Naomi Kenway felt a pang of pity. "What happened? Why is Mona squatting on the ground?"
Ruby Preston relayed what had just happened.
Chelsea Raines finally caught up, panting. After hearing the story, she huffed, "What an ungrateful brat. Don’t forget who’s raising you and helping you with your homework. Mona, how could you treat your mother this way? You’re not a baby. Can you really not tell who treats you well and who doesn’t?"
"I think..." Naomi Kenway began, her tone pensive, "that was all just what Renee Jennings said. Why don’t we hear Mona’s side of the story? Perhaps there’s another reason for this. He’s only a child. I don’t think we should be using such a harsh tone with him." As she spoke, Naomi Kenway glanced in Chelsea Raines’s direction.
Chelsea Raines just gave another cold huff.
Nathan Lynch had been unresponsive, but at Naomi Kenway’s words, his eyes suddenly welled with tears.
’Because I’m just a kid, all the adults just listen to my stepmom and ignore how wronged I feel.’
Naomi Kenway took out a handkerchief, bent down, and wiped the sweat from Nathan Lynch’s forehead. "You must be hot. Here, drink some water."
Nathan Lynch shook his head. When he looked up, his eyes were ringed with red. "I’m just really tired. I only wanted to stop and rest for a bit, but Mommy wouldn’t let me. She said I have to get first place in the mountain climb, so the only way to rest was to stop on my own."
Ruby Preston’s brow furrowed as she looked at Renee Jennings. This was completely different from the story she had just been told.
Chelsea Raines was also taken aback. Renee Jennings had been dragging Nathan Lynch along at a full sprint. It was only natural that he’d be tired; even she, an adult, was finding it hard to bear.
As she thought about it, an awkward expression crept onto Chelsea Raines’s face.
Renee Jennings’s expression turned to panic. "That’s not it! Mona, you misunderstood! That’s not what Mommy meant! We can only pick a good house if we finish first. Mommy knows you have sensitive allergies, so I was just trying my hardest to win a good house for you! All of this is for you! How could you think that!"
"If it’s all for his own good, then why weren’t you willing to let him rest when he was tired? Don’t you find what you’re saying a bit contradictory?" Naomi Kenway asked coolly.
Renee Jennings froze, her embarrassment quickly turning to rage. "This is between me and my son. It has nothing to do with you, does it, Nina? Why do you have to meddle in everyone’s business?"
"My mother isn’t nice to me at all..."
Nathan Lynch’s voice piped up.
Panicked, Renee Jennings stared at Nathan Lynch and called out his name.
"Mona, haven’t I been good enough to you? You can’t just make things up and slander me."
"Not at all."
