"Mmm!" Gao Yuan replied dismissively and walked away, ignoring Yun Duo'er.
The assistant, witnessing this, couldn't help but grumble, "What's with the attitude!"
"She has the capital to be arrogant, who wouldn't be when their net worth is higher than mine!" Yun Duo'er said, and then she also left.
Not long after, they arrived at the dressing room. Many people were already queuing for makeup.
Newcomers like them, without much fame, had to wait in line for makeup. Only Gao Yuan and Yun Duo'er had arrangements for individual makeup artists.
Tong Tong didn't need makeup, so he stayed by Xia Qianqian's side, watching her get ready while chatting.
Only when Gao Yuan and Yun Duo'er entered the dressing room one after another did everyone's gaze shift to these two major figures.
They all stood up and greeted them, "Sister Yuan, Sister Duo'er!"
"There's no need to be so formal, everyone sit down, get your makeup done, or continue queuing!" Gao Yuan finished speaking and entered her private makeup room.
Yun Duo'er also smiled at everyone, her eyes landing on the little boy with his back to her. She guessed that this boy was the youngest participant in the competition.
But the child looked so familiar.
It wasn't until Tong Tong heard the movement and turned around that he saw his Mama. Yun Duo'er also clearly saw the little boy's face.
Her pupils instantly dilated, as if she had seen a ghost.
Seeing her reaction, everyone found it strange. "Sister Yuan, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong?" Yun Duo'er realized her reaction was a bit too intense.
But her gaze remained fixed on Tong Tong, unable to understand why he was here.
At this moment, Liu Yifeng walked over. Seeing this, Yun Duo'er panicked.
She knew. Liu Yifeng had brought Tong Tong to find her, intending to expose everything she had done in front of everyone.
"Sister Yuan, this little friend is the youngest participant in our competition. Aren't you surprised?"
Before Yun Duo'er could recover from the shock of Tong Tong's presence, she heard this and her eyes widened again in disbelief.
"He... he's a contestant too?" Although she had found the child's back profile somewhat familiar when she saw the photos, she had never thought of Tong Tong.
Even upon seeing Tong Tong just now, she had only assumed Liu Yifeng had brought him to retaliate and ruin her reputation.
But she never imagined that Tong Tong would actually be one of the contestants.
Yet, Tong Tong had been with her for three years, and she had never seen him possess any extraordinary talent.
So, what had Tong Tong relied on to become one of them?
"Yes, this child is not yet four years old. I wonder what remarkable skills he possesses to be able to participate in such a competition," one person's reply interrupted her thoughts.
At this point, Yun Duo'er had no choice but to believe that Tong Tong was indeed one of the contestants.
Her gaze then fell upon Xia Qianqian beside her. Tong Tong had been talking to her just now, which made her feel a pang of annoyance.
Xia Qianqian met her gaze openly and asked with a smile, "Miss Duo'er, Tong Tong is my teammate in this group. We will give our all in this competition."
Her words were innocent enough, but Yun Duo'er felt a sense of challenge.
The thought of her using her own son to provoke her made her incredibly displeased.
However, due to her special circumstances, she couldn't show it. She could only reply gently, "Then you two must work hard!"
Tong Tong, however, had been watching Yun Duo'er the entire time, never looking away. Seeing him like this, a special guest couldn't help but ask, "Little friend, why do you keep staring at Sister Yun Duo? Do you think Sister Duo'er is very beautiful?"
Yun Duo'er immediately tensed up, terrified that Tong Tong might say something wrong. She quickly interjected, "The child is still young, what does he know about beauty? Don't scare him."
After saying this, she intended to leave, but Liu Yifeng's next words made her heart leap into her throat.
"Tong Tong, staring at people like that is very impolite. Quickly say hello."
At this moment, all eyes turned to Tong Tong. Yun Duo'er's heart was filled with anxiety, and she had already cursed Liu Yifeng a thousand times in her mind.
She knew Liu Yifeng wouldn't let her off easily. If she had known Tong Tong would participate in this competition, she wouldn't have accepted this job.
Just as she was silently praying that Tong Tong wouldn't call her Mama, she saw Tong Tong looking at her with a smile and saying, "Hello, Auntie!"
He hadn't called her Mama, which made Yun Duo'er momentarily think she was hallucinating.
Until Tong Tong's voice rang out again, "Auntie, are you also a special guest?"
Although Yun Duo'er didn't understand why Tong Tong was calling her Auntie, she replied gently, fearing that others would become suspicious, "Yes, you must also work hard!"
Tong Tong's reply pleased her, yet her heart felt empty, as if something was drifting further away, beyond her grasp.
"Tong Tong, this Auntie is wishing you luck. Don't disappoint her expectations!" Liu Yifeng patted Tong Tong's head and said with a smile.
Tong Tong smiled and nodded, "Mhm, I will work hard. Thank you, Auntie!"
Every "Auntie" made Yun Duo'er feel uneasy.
This was the very title she most wanted to hear, yet hearing Tong Tong call her that now, she found it difficult to accept.
Her own biological son calling her Auntie, in front of so many people, the feeling was indescribable.
Especially when one of the parents spoke, it felt like a knife was twisting in her heart, "This child is so polite at such a young age, clearly well-educated. And at such a young age, he can participate in such a program.
Mom must be so proud of such a son, right!"
Her words made Yun Duo'er feel utterly ashamed. Fearing she would break down if she listened any longer, she quickly retreated into her makeup room.
Tong Tong watched his Mama's retreating back, his expression showing no hint of sadness, as if he were seeing Yun Duo'er for the first time.
In fact, Liu Yifeng could sense Tong Tong's inner sadness. He tightly clasped Tong Tong's hand, as if giving him strength.
At the same time, he was telling him that no matter what happened, he would always be by his side.
Tong Tong also sensed his Daddy's concern. He immediately looked up and smiled as if nothing was wrong, "Daddy, I'm fine!"
"Mhm, then let's not disturb Aunt Xia's makeup. Let's wait somewhere else!" Liu Yifeng knew Tong Tong needed time to compose himself, so he wanted to find a quiet place to hold him.
Soon, he found an unoccupied spot. Only then did Tong Tong drop his pretense, and tears streamed down his face, breaking Liu Yifeng's heart.
If Yun Duo'er had shown just a little concern after seeing Tong Tong, he wouldn't have been so heartbroken.
Instead, she was only concerned about being associated with Tong Tong and maintained a distance throughout, afraid that a single wrong word from Tong Tong would ruin her acting career.
And Tong Tong, her biological son, seeing his mother like this, could not accept it, no matter how strong he was.
It was just that with so many people watching, he had forced himself to hold back.
"There, there, cry it out and you won't feel so bad," Liu Yifeng's voice was also choked with emotion.
Seeing Tong Tong like this, he, as a father, felt helpless, with nothing to offer but comfort.