Jin Jie had already received several phone calls from Yun Duo'er today. She was busy with a job offer when Yun Duo'er's call came in again. She said impatiently, "Duo'er, what's going on with you today? Is there something else you need this time?"
Seeing that it was noisy on Jin Jie's end, Yun Duo'er whispered, "Sister Jin, I've had a sudden unexpected situation. Find a convenient place quickly, and I'll tell you."
"What, did that Xia Qianqian cause you trouble? Or did your child's father go back on his word and threaten you?" Jin Jie asked, confused.
Yun Duo'er shook her head. "It has nothing to do with Xia Qianqian, and not much to do with the child's father. Oh, Sister Jin, don't ask so many questions, I'm really in a hurry."
Seeing Yun Duo'er's anxiety, Jin Jie immediately found an empty room and locked the door. "Alright, no one's here. Tell me, what happened?"
"Do you know who I ran into when I was putting on makeup at noon?"
"How would I know who you ran into? Besides Xia Qianqian and your child's father, who else could make you so nervous? Who did you run into this time?" Jin Jie didn't want to waste her brain power guessing.
Yun Duo'er immediately said, "I saw my son!"
Jin Jie, who had been calm, couldn't stay calm anymore. Her eyes widened, and she couldn't believe what she heard. "What did you say? Say it again?"
"I said I saw my son!" Yun Duo'er was not surprised by her reaction.
After confirming she hadn't misheard, Jin Jie stumbled back a few steps until her hands rested on the edge of the table. "What's going on? Why is he at the TV station too? Did the child's father buy two audience tickets and deliberately humiliate you?"
"No, this child is also one of the contestants!" Yun Duo'er stopped beating around the bush and told her everything.
Jin Jie was stunned again. "Are you sure? Your son is not even four years old. This is the 'Super Brain' competition. Every contestant on this show is a top talent, a genius. How can your son compete at such a young age?" She didn't believe Yun Duo'er, thinking there must be some misunderstanding.
"It's absolutely true. This child was on the show this afternoon and performed exceptionally well. He advanced with the best results in all three rounds, eliminating quite a few contestants." Yun Duo'er's tone was very certain.
Now Jin Jie had to believe her, but she was also very confused. "Your son is just an ordinary little boy, right? Besides being handsome, there's nothing outstanding about him. How did he suddenly become so amazing? Not only did he participate in 'Super Brain,' but he also performed so well!" She had visited Yun Duo'er's home with her and seen the child. He seemed timid and not very talkative, not at all like a child prodigy. Otherwise, if she had known Tong Tong was so intelligent, she would have helped Yun Duo'er use him to gain fame.
This was also what Yun Duo'er couldn't understand. "I don't know either. I've had this child with me for over three years, and I've never noticed anything different about him. But his performance today can only be described as astonishing. The audience was captivated by his amazing memory." Then she recounted Tong Tong's performance that afternoon to Jin Jie, word for word.
After listening, Jin Jie was also amazed, her mouth agape for a long time. "This child is truly a marvel! At such a young age, he could remember so many faces in such a short time without a single mistake. And you, his mother, didn't notice anything? His father got him for free!"
Yun Duo'er also regretted it immensely. If she had known Tong Tong was such a genius child, she would never have sent him away. As Tong Tong's mother, if she had participated as a special guest, she would have become famous. Then, she wouldn't have to hide the fact that she had a child. With a persona of a struggling single mother who raised and educated Tong Tong so well, her fans would not only not criticize her for having a child out of wedlock but would also sympathize with her. But now, it was too late. If she tried to claim Tong Tong now, fans would think she only wanted him because of his brilliant performance, and the gossip would drown her.
"Sister Jin, what do you think I should do? Every time I see this child around me, I worry that his identity as my son will be discovered sooner or later, and all my previous efforts and sacrifices will be in vain."
Jin Jie, being relatively calm, asked in a deep voice, "Did the child show any unusual reaction when he saw you? Did he call you 'Mom' in front of others?" This was also her biggest concern.
Speaking of this, Yun Duo'er was full of anger. "I don't know what the child's father said to him, but when the child looked at me, he seemed like a stranger. He called me 'Auntie,' and was more cordial with other women than with me. He wouldn't even say a word to me voluntarily."
As soon as she said this, Jin Jie scolded her, "Are you stupid? If the child had called you 'Mom' in front of so many people, wouldn't you be finished? Fortunately, the child didn't reveal anything, otherwise, how would you have handled it?"
"But I'm just so angry! This child was born by me and raised by me, yet he's been coached by his father like this, and he doesn't even recognize his own mother." Yun Duo'er said angrily.
Jin Jie, fearing she would lose her mind from anger and do something irreversible, quickly said, "Duo'er, listen to me. It's best that the child treats you as a stranger. I think the child is pretending not to recognize you because of his father, but this is good. At least no one will suspect anything when you're together!"
"That may be so, but every time I see this child, I can't help but want to look at him more. Sister Jin, do you have any way to get this child to leave the program?" Yun Duo'er asked. This was the ultimate purpose of her call to Jin Jie. She felt that getting Tong Tong and his father to leave the program was the only way to solve the problem once and for all. Otherwise, she would live in constant fear.
Jin Jie was taken aback when she heard Yun Duo'er's words. She never expected such a thing to come from Yun Duo'er's mouth. After all, what mother would do such a thing? Who wouldn't want their son to win the championship on such a show? Yet, Yun Duo'er actually wanted her son to leave the program. However, this was also good. She wouldn't have to worry about Yun Duo'er forgetting her son and secretly contacting him behind her back.