"Daddy, you're so narcissistic," Tongtong said, lecturing like a little adult. "Teacher says people should be humble and not proud!"
Liu Yifeng and Xia Qianqian were amused. This child was truly a joy.
"Alright, alright, Daddy isn't narcissistic anymore. It's getting late, let's hurry to breakfast. We have to go to the TV station, and we need to be there half an hour early!" Liu Yifeng checked the time. It was almost eight o'clock, and he urged them on.
Xia Qianqian looked at the messy room and asked, "Don't we need to tidy up?"
"No time. The hotel staff will probably tidy up later!" Liu Yifeng opened the door.
When they reached the breakfast hall, many contestants and their families were already eating.
Tian Tian's mother saw Liu Yifeng and the others and waved with a smile, "Tongtong's dad, good morning!"
"Morning!" Liu Yifeng smiled back.
"Why are you so late? We're almost finished. The bus is already waiting outside the hotel!"
"We'll drive ourselves. Tian Tian's mom and Tian Tian, you two go ahead on the bus!"
Seeing that Liu Yifeng would drive himself, Tian Tian's mother nodded. "Okay, then we'll leave after we finish eating. Be mindful of the time, don't be late."
With that, she left the restaurant with her daughter.
As the three of them ate breakfast, people were finishing and boarding the bus one after another.
Song Yicheng's mother was still unhurriedly feeding her son eggs.
She was feeding him a plain boiled egg. She could have just peeled it for Song Yicheng to hold and eat himself while she ate her own breakfast.
But she insisted on feeding him, almost as if she were eating for her son.
Song Yicheng ate the breakfast his mother fed him while reading a textbook. Everyone was accustomed to it.
Although they still found it inappropriate, they didn't intervene.
They knew she wouldn't listen and would think they were meddling. So, why bother?
In the end, everyone had finished breakfast and boarded the bus, leaving only Song Yicheng and his mother.
Liu Yifeng's group was driving, not taking the bus, as the driver had been notified.
Seeing that only Song Yicheng and his mother were left, someone came to the restaurant to hurry them along. The leaders had stipulated that they must arrive at the TV station before 8:30 AM.
It was already 8:10 AM, and if they didn't leave soon, they would be late.
However, Song's mother did not speed up her eating in response to the urging. Instead, she scolded the driver.
The driver was furious and argued with her. He couldn't let the whole bus wait for the two of them, especially when they were about to be late.
After hearing him, Song's mother gave the driver a glare. "It doesn't start until nine o'clock. There's still nearly an hour. What's the rush?"
"The leaders stipulated that we must arrive by 8:30 AM. If you don't hurry up, I'll have to take everyone else to the station first. You can take a taxi. If you're late for the recording, don't blame me!" the driver said expressionlessly.
He couldn't maintain a pleasant demeanor with such an unreasonable woman.
Just as Song's mother was about to lose her temper, she suddenly noticed that Liu Yifeng and the others were also still eating. She said unhappily, "We're not the only ones who haven't finished breakfast. They haven't either!"
The driver glanced at Liu Yifeng and explained, "They're not taking the bus; they're driving themselves!"
Song's mother's face immediately fell. "Tsk, so they're driving themselves. What's there to be proud of."
With that, she stood up, took her son's hand, and walked out of the restaurant.
Despite her unreasonableness, she knew that being late would delay the filming schedule and might cause trouble for Yicheng.
Seeing that they had left, Xia Qianqian asked, "Everyone else is gone. Should we be leaving too?"
Liu Yifeng saw that Tongtong hadn't finished his milk and still had two steamed dumplings left. "Tongtong, are you full?"
"No, I'll be done after I finish these!" Tongtong replied while eating.
Liu Yifeng smiled slightly. "Then take your time, no rush!"
After saying that, he looked at Xia Qianqian. "It's fine, I'll drive faster later!"
"It's rush hour. What if there's traffic?" Xia Qianqian voiced her concern.
Liu Yifeng hadn't really considered this. Just as he was about to speak, Tongtong quickly finished the steamed dumplings and picked up his milk, gulping it down.
"Daddy, I'm done. Let's go too, it's not good to be late."
Only then did Liu Yifeng take Tongtong's hand and walk out of the hotel.
Fortunately, there was no traffic, and they arrived at the TV station by 8:30 AM.
As soon as they got out of the car, they saw Yun Duo'er also alighting from a minivan.
Yun Duo'er was stunned when she saw Liu Yifeng get out of the driver's seat of a Porsche.
This car was worth at least over a million yuan. How could he afford such an expensive car?
She knew about Liu Yifeng's family situation – no house or car outside their hometown, and their house in their hometown was made of red bricks. He didn't seem like someone who could afford a Porsche.
It wasn't until she saw Xia Qianqian get out of the back seat that she guessed the answer.
This car was probably Xia Qianqian's. Thinking this, she ignored them and walked towards the TV station, her assistant closely following.
Soon, this father and son would disappear from her sight, along with the annoying Xia Qianqian.
Seeing Yun Duo'er ignore them, Liu Yifeng showed no reaction. He smiled and extended his hand. "Tongtong, let's go in quickly!"
Tongtong immediately took his father's hand. "Mhmm!"
As for Mommy, he wasn't too keen on interacting with her!
Although they didn't exchange any words, Xia Qianqian had a strange feeling that they knew each other.
With her doubts, she followed behind them.
Upon arriving at the TV station, they headed straight for the makeup room.
Many people were already getting their makeup done. The reason they were asked to arrive early was for makeup and a brief explanation of today's competition rules and order of appearance.
Yesterday, four people had been eliminated, leaving 28 contestants out of 32.
The chief director of the program saw that everyone had arrived and said, "The numbers you drew yesterday remain unchanged.
You don't need introductions today. Just enter the venue according to your assigned number and sit in your respective seats.
I'll briefly explain the competition rules. The host will provide detailed explanations later."
Everyone listened attentively as the competition rules were explained.
"The competition rules are simple. There will be three rounds, and ranking will be based on a point system.
The final eight contestants will advance to the semi-finals, where another four will be eliminated.
Therefore, everyone should not hold back today and must perform at their best.
As for what you'll be competing in, the host will tell you then." After speaking, the chief director, whether intentionally or not, glanced at Tongtong before leaving the makeup room.
However, this reaction did not attract the attention of the others.
When everyone heard that four more people would be eliminated, they all grumbled, saying it was too brutal, with so many people being eliminated every day.
Yesterday, four people were eliminated, and with only 28 people today, the chances of elimination were greater than yesterday.
Moreover, yesterday's fierce competition had revealed many strong opponents.
This put even more pressure on the contestants who had advanced to the semi-finals.
Tongtong's reaction was quite different from the other contestants. After hearing the competition rules, his expression remained calm, and he even chatted with Xia Qianqian while getting his makeup done.
He didn't look like someone who was about to compete. His composure made the other contestants envious.
It's good to be young; their minds are simple, with fewer worries.
Yun Duo'er was getting her makeup done in another room and was in a good mood.
Because after today, she wouldn't have to worry about facing this father and son anymore.
"You seem to be in a great mood. Are you that confident about the contestants in your group?" Gao Yuan was in the same makeup room as Yun Duo'er.
Seeing Yun Duo'er smiling, she started a conversation.
Yun Duo'er smiled after hearing Gao Yuan's voice. "Of course, I'm very confident in Song Yicheng."
"Your teammate is indeed quite unique..." Gao Yuan said with hidden meaning.
Yun Duo'er wasn't foolish; she understood the subtext, but she didn't care as long as Song Yicheng's intelligence was fine.
As for his other irritating quirks, they had nothing to do with her.
She stopped responding and quietly let the makeup artist work on her. "Please give me light makeup, and I want my hair styled in large waves today."
"Okay!" the makeup artist replied.