Deep down, she still resented Tongtong. It was because of him that she would never find a man she loved, nor have a child born of love in this lifetime.
It was also because of him that her already struggling career began to decline.
That's why, even before her full month of confinement was over after giving birth, she immediately went back to work.
She wanted to numb herself with work, leaving the child entirely to the nanny.
She believed that as long as she provided for the child's food and clothing and gave him a good education, she wouldn't owe him anything as a mother. This continued until she received the script for "Fenghuo Jiaren," a role that would be her first leading lady part.
At the same time, she didn't want her backstage sponsor to know she had a son, which led her to send Tongtong to his father.
Who would have thought that this little brat, without a trace of gratitude for the hardship of her ten-month pregnancy and childbirth, or the expense of raising him, would actually scheme against her?
His extraordinary intelligence was never revealed to her.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have sent him away so readily. The thought of it filled her with an anger she couldn't express.
But what was the use of saying all this now? Things had already reached this point. The child had been sent away, and her career was on the rise, soon to reach its peak.
At this stage, no matter how clever Tongtong was, she couldn't take him back.
Now, all she wanted was to make the child disappear from her sight. "Sister Jin, what should we do? The child, in front of so many viewers, actually forced the show's director to come on stage and speak.
It will be very difficult to trouble him with questions and eliminate him now."
"If you ask me, you're overestimating your son. No matter how capable he is, he's just a child under four years old. This show's questions are very broad; I don't believe there isn't something he's bad at." Sister Jin said.
Although she hadn't expected that the son she had entrusted to Yun Duo'er would one day be competing on the show, she didn't see Tongtong as a threat. The child was still just a child, how could he possibly contend with so many older siblings?
Seeing that Sister Jin wasn't worried at all, Yun Duo'er, however, was not in good spirits. She had witnessed Tongtong's performance that morning, and the child had left a profound impression.
If she didn't resort to some tactics, he might actually make it to the end.
"I'm done talking to you. Just let Song Yicheng perform normally. He answers every question correctly, doesn't he? What are you afraid of?
The boss just called me and hung up when he saw I was on the line. I need to call him back immediately!" Sister Jin said and hung up the phone without waiting for Yun Duo'er to reply.
Yun Duo'er wanted to say more but saw the call had ended. Helplessly, she put down her phone.
In the cafeteria, Liu Yifeng and Tongtong were eating. Listening to many people's conversations, all centered around Tongtong and filled with admiration, made him incredibly proud as a father.
Meanwhile, Xia Qianqian had a question: "Tongtong, during the competition this morning, I asked you many questions and you said you didn't know the answers. So you were pretending to be weak to trick us, weren't you? I thought you really didn't know!"
Tongtong looked up and replied earnestly, "Auntie Xia, I wasn't pretending. I really didn't know!"
"Their questions were much simpler than yours. If you didn't know the answers to their questions, how could you possibly answer such difficult ones correctly?" Xia Qianqian's eyes widened.
Before Tongtong could speak, Liu Yifeng answered for him: "If I'm not mistaken, I suspect Tongtong didn't even look at their questions, which is why he didn't know the answers!"
"Is that really true?" Xia Qianqian looked at Tongtong.
Tongtong nodded and then gave Liu Yifeng a thumbs-up: "No one knows a son better than his father!"
Liu Yifeng gently stroked his head: "You're my son, how could I not understand you? Eat up!"
At this moment, Yun Duo'er appeared!
This was her first time showing up in the cafeteria to eat. Her appearance instantly became the center of attention.
Immediately after, Gao Yuan also appeared, as if they had planned it, arriving one after the other.
To everyone's surprise, Gao Yuan did not sit next to Tian Tian but instead at the table with Liu Yifeng, sitting directly opposite him.
Looking at her, who seemed difficult to approach, she offered Liu Yifeng a gentle smile: "You don't mind me sitting here, do you?"
Besides Yun Duo'er, this was the first time Liu Yifeng had been so close to a big star face-to-face.
He repeatedly shook his head: "Not at all, please sit!"
He had only seen big stars on TV before, but now, sitting so close to one, he realized she was even more beautiful in person.
Her skin was as smooth as a peeled egg, without a single flaw, not even a dark spot. At thirty, she looked like a young girl in her early twenties.
Indeed, she was a big star, and her maintenance was excellent.
However, even in the face of such a big star, Liu Yifeng did not show any lewd expressions.
With the preceding example of Tongtong's irresponsible mother, he had developed an immunity to beautiful women.
Moreover, to be honest, Su Wanru and Xu Muqing were not inferior to Gao Yuan in appearance. And Xu Muqing, perhaps due to her life and children, possessed a more captivating charm.
Xu Muqing, due to her work, always carried an aloof aura of a female CEO.
Both of them, when walking in a crowd, would be instantly recognizable beauties.
Therefore, his eyes had long since developed a resistance, preventing him from acting like a commoner, unable to tear his eyes away from a beautiful woman.
Gao Yuan's attention was not on him either. She looked at Tongtong gently: "Tongtong, you did great today. Keep up the good work in the afternoon competition!"
"Thank you, Auntie. I will!" Tongtong nodded obediently.
Although Xia Qianqian wasn't much of a fan, having a top-tier actress like Gao Yuan sitting next to her was still a bit exciting: "Sister Yuan, hello. Could I have a photo with you after we finish eating?"
"Of course, you're lucky to be in the same group as Tongtong!" Gao Yuan said with a smile.
"Tian Tian also performed very well, answering every question correctly and without using the special guest's privilege!" Xia Qianqian added quickly.
Gao Yuan was also very satisfied with Tian Tian's performance, but she had another purpose for sitting here.
Just as she was about to speak, she saw Yun Duo'er approaching from the food serving area, her assistant carrying her meal behind her.
She immediately waved: "Duo'er, sit here!"
Her familiar address made it seem like they had a close relationship.
Yun Duo'er didn't want to sit with Gao Yuan, especially since she was at the same table as Tongtong and his father, plus Xia Qianqian.
She didn't want to acknowledge any of these four people. However, Gao Yuan was her senior, and since she had actively invited her, refusing would likely lead to rumors of her being difficult.
Although she had no intention of being difficult, people's hearts were unpredictable. Under everyone's gaze, she walked over with a smile: "Sister Yuan!"
She just smiled at the others without speaking. She didn't know Tongtong, his father, or Xia Qianqian outside of this. It would seem strange to greet them first.
Xia Qianqian found this hypocritical woman disgusting and ignored her, focusing on her meal.
Tongtong and Liu Yifeng also paid her no mind, eating their meals quietly.
"Qianqian, there's a seat over there with Tongtong. Sit there!" Whether intentionally or not, Gao Yuan directed Yun Duo'er to sit in the same row as Tongtong.
Their table was two long tables placed side-by-side, capable of seating eight people. The four of them occupied one table, leaving enough space for Yun Duo'er at the other.
Yun Duo'er's expression stiffened as she sat down, feeling as though she was sitting next to Tongtong. It would be impolite not to greet him, so she smiled and said: "Hello Tongtong, is the food good?"
Tongtong finally turned to look at her. Yun Duo'er felt guilty and didn't dare to meet his gaze.
"Auntie, you'll know if the food is good or not after you taste it later," he said, returning to his meal.
His attitude surprised Xia Qianqian.