Song Yicheng's expression was much calmer as he listened intently to the host's answer.
"A 3 birds, B 4 birds, C 5 birds, D 6 birds! Please answer."
"What kind of question is this? It's too tricky! Song Yicheng is so unlucky to pick such a difficult question."
"It's not that the question is difficult, it's just too misleading. Who would normally pay attention to the paintings on the wall?"
"I did see paintings on the wall, but I had no idea there were birds in them!"
"Song Yicheng can only guess now."
...
The audience below whispered amongst themselves, no one believed Song Yicheng could get it right.
Liu Yifeng also didn't expect this question. His attention had been on the cups. If he were asked how many cups there were, he could answer.
But to ask him how many birds there were, he really didn't know. Just like the audience members said, the picture was too misleading.
The other contestants in the contestant area were also stumped by this question, but not everyone was stumped.
"Tiantian, do you know the answer?" Gao Yuan asked the girl next to her.
Her mind was like a storage card, capable of remembering several different things simultaneously.
Tiantian nodded, "Yes, it's 6 birds." She answered in a very low voice.
Hearing this, Gao Yuan felt more at ease.
From the beginning until now, Tiantian had not answered a single question incorrectly. If she got this one right, this round would be cleared.
Yun Duo'er was nervously watching Song Yicheng on stage, afraid he would answer incorrectly.
Xia Qianqian was asking Tongtong, and Tongtong gave the same answer as Tiantian.
"Tongtong, you're amazing!" Xia Qianqian immediately gave him a thumbs up. She didn't doubt Tongtong's answer.
Everyone's attention was on Song Yicheng, and in just ten seconds, he gave his answer: "I choose D, 6 birds."
He answered with ease, but the audience below was anxious.
The host didn't rush to give the answer. Instead, he looked at the audience and asked, "Do you think Song Yicheng's answer is correct? Does anyone know the answer?"
Everyone shook their heads. If they knew the answer, they wouldn't be sitting there; they would be on stage.
Then, the host turned his gaze to the family seating area: "Do you think Song Yicheng is correct?"
Song's mother immediately said, "Of course, he's correct!"
"This lady seems very confident in Song Yicheng. May I ask who you are?" the host asked.
"I'm his mother. I believe my son will definitely not be wrong." Song's mother was extremely confident.
The host smiled, "It seems Song's mother has unwavering faith in her son! May I ask the other contestants, did anyone notice the birds in the painting from the video?"
As he spoke, he turned to look at the contestants again.
Everyone gave different answers. Some were the same as Song Yicheng's, but most were different, clearly indicating they had not noticed the painting.
Finally, the host's gaze fell on Tongtong: "Tongtong, do you have an answer?"
The camera followed the host's attention to Tongtong and Xia Qianqian.
Tongtong was not at all intimidated by the camera. Yun Duo'er turned to look at her son sitting in the back row, wondering how he would answer.
Under everyone's curious gaze, Tongtong smiled and replied, "My answer is the same as Brother Yicheng's."
However, to everyone's eyes, Tongtong was just following Song Yicheng's lead, not because he had counted the birds in the painting.
Yun Duo'er chuckled wryly after hearing Tongtong's answer. She had worried that Tongtong would surpass Song Yicheng at first, but now it seemed she had worried unnecessarily.
Although the host shared the same thought as the public, his emotional intelligence was not lacking. He turned to the camera and said, "Let's see if contestant Tongtong and contestant Song Yicheng are both that amazing and know the correct answer."
The venue instantly fell silent, everyone waiting for the final answer.
The host looked at the answer card in his hand. He already knew the answer. The reason he had asked so many questions earlier was to liven up the atmosphere and prevent everyone from being too tense and focusing solely on the questions.
"The correct answer is D. There are a total of six birds in the painting. Let's congratulate Song Yicheng for answering correctly."
As he finished speaking, the painting on the wall appeared on the large screen, with six birds circled in red.
These six birds were drawn smaller and smaller. Even if someone noticed the painting, they would likely only think there were five birds, because two of the birds were drawn overlapping, making them look like one bird if not observed carefully.
It could be said that this question was exceptionally difficult.
However, such a difficult and misleading question was answered correctly by Song Yicheng, and no one thought he had guessed.
This was because his tone when answering was very firm.
The venue erupted in thunderous applause. As for Tongtong, who had also answered correctly, very few people paid attention to him.
They all believed he had simply followed Song Yicheng's answer, thinking he was a clever child who knew Song Yicheng was right and had benefited from it.
It was a shame it was an individual competition, otherwise, he could have followed Song Yicheng to answer correctly.
Only Liu Yifeng knew that Tongtong genuinely knew the answer.
However, it didn't matter whether others believed it or not, because Tongtong's subsequent performance would surely make them recognize the terrifying extent of his abilities.
"Yicheng, you're amazing! Mom is proud of you!" Song's mother shouted from below, her expression undeniably triumphant.
Amidst the applause, Song Yicheng returned to his seat.
Yun Duo'er's praise followed: "Yicheng, you're so good. Keep it up!"
"Do I need you to tell me?" Song Yicheng threw back this sentence and ignored Yun Duo'er.
Fortunately, his voice was very low, and no one else heard him, or Yun Duo'er would have been extremely embarrassed.
Despite her dissatisfaction with Song Yicheng's attitude, Yun Duo'er did not argue with him, for the sake of the final success.
"Seventeen contestants have competed so far. I would like to invite the judges from the review panel to comment on the contestants' performances!" The host looked at the elders seated in the middle of the audience.
The first to speak was a middle-aged man around fifty years old, wearing glasses, thin, and exuding an aura of scholarly elegance.
His name was Kang Lida. He graduated from a Normal University, held a Ph.D. in Literature, and was currently the Vice President of Yan Jing University. He was proficient in ancient poetry and possessed a deep understanding of historical and cultural heritage.
"Although it is only the first round of the competition, every contestant has performed exceptionally well. While this tests the contestants' memory, it simultaneously tests their observation skills and thinking abilities. All three are indispensable. Every contestant on stage is underage, but at such a young age, their performance is remarkable, and their future is promising. In particular, the last contestant left a deep impression on me, and I eagerly anticipate his future performances."