On stage, the judges offered their opinions based on the contestants' performances.
Zhao Dewang, in particular, praised Tong Tong profusely, but did not specifically introduce Tong Tong as his star student to the audience. He wished to wait until Tong Tong had impressed everyone with his own abilities before revealing the truth. Otherwise, if they knew beforehand, people might suspect he had colluded with the television station to leak the questions to Tong Tong. This would cast doubt on the authenticity of the program. Therefore, he felt it best to inform everyone after the competition.
"Thank you to all the esteemed judges for your insightful feedback, and let us also thank the contestants for their wonderful performances. The backstage staff are currently tallying the contestants' answering times. We will have a ten-minute intermission. Those who need to use the restroom are welcome to do so. On the big screen, we will randomly play a segment of interaction between a contestant and a special guest, showing everyone how geniuses are nurtured."
After the host finished speaking, he retreated backstage, and many audience members left their seats to go to the restroom. However, a significant number remained, watching the videos on the big screen. They were all parents themselves, and most of their children were ordinary, with poor academic performance and a penchant for mischief. Yet, no parent did not wish for their child to be a genius, omniscient and all-knowing. Now, presented with an opportunity to witness the daily life of a genius, they naturally would not miss it. Perhaps they could even glean some learning methods from the genius, which they could then apply to their own children. Even if they couldn't cultivate another genius, they might at least see an improvement in their child's grades.
Liu Yifeng immediately walked over to Tong Tong's seat and picked him up. "Tong Tong, your performance just now was amazing. Keep up the good work!"
"Yifeng, Tong Tong is truly remarkable. Although he is the youngest, his performance is the most outstanding. I am so lucky to have been assigned to Tong Tong's group." Xia Qianqian was already completely captivated by Tong Tong's performance. She seemed to see the dawn of victory.
Liu Yifeng smiled at Xia Qianqian's words. "This is also a matter of fate, isn't it? However, the competition has just begun, so we cannot afford to be careless. I see many contestants performing very well. Especially Tian Tian, Song Yicheng, and that foreign contestant. The others are also good. So, Tong Tong, when you answer questions, you must listen carefully to what the host says, okay?"
Tong Tong nodded. "Mm-hmm, Daddy, I know!"
Yun Duo'er, watching the three of them chatting and laughing from a distance, felt as if they were a family of three, which greatly displeased her. If it weren't for so many people watching and the numerous cameras present, she would have rushed over and driven Xia Qianqian away long ago. Although she had sent Tong Tong to Liu Yifeng's care and could not publicly acknowledge him as her son due to her work, Tong Tong was still her son, born from ten months of arduous pregnancy. She absolutely would not allow Tong Tong to call another woman "Mom" one day.
"Yicheng, your performance just now was excellent. Don't be affected by that little brat, okay? Although he was the fastest to answer, I think it was mostly guesswork. When the host asked him how he got the right answer earlier, he didn't dare to respond directly. Just perform steadily during the competition, and I don't believe he can guess correctly once and then guess correctly twice." After speaking, she looked at Yun Duo'er without waiting for her son's reply. "Duo'er, don't you think so?"
Yun Duo'er did not defend Tong Tong but agreed with a nod. "Yes!" She absolutely could not show favoritism to Tong Tong, lest anyone harbor any suspicions.
Song Mama smiled at her son. "Did you hear that? Aunt Duo'er thinks so too. You keep going, and you'll have one less competitor."
Yun Duo'er: "..." How did she become "Auntie"? She wasn't much older than Song Yicheng. She was only twenty-two when she gave birth to Tong Tong and was now only twenty-five. However, she didn't dwell on such trivial matters. As long as Song Yicheng placed in the top three, she didn't want to become too famous too soon. The venue was a bit noisy, and she felt a headache coming on. She decided to step outside for some fresh air.
Tong Tong also happened to need to pee. Liu Yifeng took his hand and walked out of the recording studio, happening to walk alongside Yun Duo'er. Yun Duo'er thought Liu Yifeng was deliberately bringing Tong Tong closer to her to make her anxious, and she subconsciously shifted to the side. This action greatly angered Liu Yifeng, but he was helpless. Fortunately, after crying earlier, Tong Tong's inner strength had become quite robust.
"Tong Tong, come on, Daddy will take you to the restroom to pee away the bad luck." He said meaningfully.
Yun Duo'er, upon hearing this, knew that Liu Yifeng's mention of "bad luck" referred to her. She became furious. "Who are you calling bad luck?"
Liu Yifeng stopped and turned to look at her. Yun Duo'er felt a chill under his gaze but pretended to remain calm. "You know exactly who I'm talking about. Don't think everyone is as wicked as you are!" After saying this, he led Tong Tong away without looking back.
"You..." Yun Duo'er, hearing Liu Yifeng speak to her like that, was so angry she wanted to chase after him and argue. However, her rationality ultimately prevailed over her anger. So many people were watching; if she got into a conflict with Liu Yifeng and it was filmed and posted online, her relationship with Tong Tong might be exposed. Seeing that no one had overheard her conversation with Liu Yifeng, she nonchalantly walked out as well. She could not intentionally cause Tong Tong to be eliminated, so she could only try her best to avoid any interaction with him. Her child was still young and probably wouldn't hold grudges. She would explain to Tong Tong when a suitable opportunity arose in the future, and she believed he would understand. With this thought, her guilt subsided.
Meanwhile, after Liu Yifeng took Tong Tong to the restroom, he looked at the unfazed Tong Tong and patted the back of his head. "Tong Tong, you go in. Daddy will wait for you outside." He had already used the restroom earlier and didn't feel the urge to go again. After Tong Tong came out of the restroom, he asked, "Tong Tong, are you feeling alright?"
Tong Tong flashed a pure smile. "I'm fine, Daddy. Don't worry. If anything like this happens again in the future, it won't knock me down!" The more resilient and sensible he was, the more uncomfortable Liu Yifeng felt. But he didn't want to show it in front of Tong Tong, so he quickly changed the subject. "Tong Tong, that painting you looked at earlier, besides the flowers, do you remember any other things like birds?"
"Yes, not just flowers and birds, I even know how many leaves there are!" Upon hearing Tong Tong's words, Liu Yifeng was stunned. The leaves could be so dense that they were barely visible. How could he possibly know how many there were?
Seeing his father didn't believe him, Tong Tong explained, "Daddy, I have an infallible memory. I can remember anything at a glance. The video earlier stayed for fifteen seconds. The remaining time was enough for me to count all the different types of flowers."