"But you can't let things continue like this. The child is still young, there's still room for change. If he gets any older, he'll be set in his ways, and then it will truly be impossible to manage him," Old Mou wasn't someone who liked to meddle in other people's affairs.
But he felt it was a terrible waste for a high-IQ genius like Song Yicheng to be raised into a living mess.
Father Song nodded, "You're right, I'll talk to my wife properly."
"Mr. Song, please don't misunderstand. I'm saying this purely from the child's perspective," Old Mou explained.
"Director Mou, you don't need to explain. I understand. In fact, I've noticed other problems too, but my wife has always had the final say at home.
It seems I can't spoil her any longer, or it will harm Yicheng for his entire life."
Old Mou smiled, "It's good that you think that way!"
After finishing with Father Song, he walked out of the room.
The photographer was still in the room filming Song Yicheng studying, with Mother Song watching him closely, afraid that Song Yicheng wasn't studying diligently.
Old Mou looked at the closed door, knowing he wouldn't get the footage he wanted today, and sighed.
Yun Duo'er, standing beside him, whispered, "Director, when will we wrap up filming? It's almost lunchtime, and I don't want to stay here for dinner."
She had developed a psychological trauma from Mother Song's cooking.
If she had to choose between starving and eating Mother Song's food, she would choose the former without hesitation.
Old Mou glanced at the time, it was already half past eleven. The thought of Mother Song's cooking made him restless.
"Just a few more minutes, then we'll end this shoot, have lunch outside, and head back," he decided not to film anymore in the afternoon. No matter how much he filmed, he wouldn't get satisfactory footage, and it would be a waste of time.
Just then, his WeChat notification chimed. He took out his phone and opened WeChat, seeing Old Wang's name at the top.
Without looking, he knew Old Wang must be bragging about something again.
He didn't want to reply, but his fingers acted on their own and clicked on the message.
What greeted his eyes was a large villa with a garden.
The villa had three floors, with a modern exterior, and the garden was beautifully landscaped.
This house looked much more imposing than his own.
But wasn't his contestant living in the countryside? His house was a tile-roofed house, and it didn't look very well-off. How could he suddenly be living in such a large villa? Had he switched contestants?
So, he immediately replied, "What, did you switch contestants? Where's that child contestant?"
"Who said I switched contestants? This is a house his father bought in the city. He specifically brought us here to visit today.
You have no idea how big this house is, or how luxuriously it's decorated.
And the adults there are exceptionally friendly. This filming has been so enjoyable," Old Wang's tone was full of smugness.
"Go ahead and show off. We're not just filming videos; the main thing is the contestant's performance in the competition.
Your contestant is only a few years old, how smart can he really be? Don't let him get eliminated in the first round."
Seeing his rival's reply, Old Wang wasn't angry. "Even if your contestant gets eliminated, mine never will."
He had absolute confidence in Tongtong. Even if he didn't win the championship, he was sure he could at least get third place.
On the other hand, Old Mou's contestant could only do high school exams. For a genius, wasn't that a piece of cake?
This showed that he had nothing outstanding about him.
But Tongtong was different. At such a young age, he was proficient in a wide range of skills, excelling in every field. He was a standout.
Even someone like him, who was practically at the end of his life, felt like a useless person compared to Tongtong.
Let alone that little brat, what could he compare to Tongtong?
Old Mou dismissed Old Wang's words as boasting, "Hmph, it's too early to say all this. Don't get slapped in the face later, that would be embarrassing.
I advise you to be more realistic. People can have dreams, but not daydreaming. That's too impractical."
"Believe it or not, you'll know how powerful my contestant is when the competition starts, and it will blow your mind," Old Wang replied, feeling great, and put down his phone.
He loved seeing Old Mou flustered. The show was set to be recorded in a few days, and he couldn't wait for everyone to witness Tongtong's brilliant performance.
Yun Duo'er watched the director texting and asked, "Director, is it the director in charge of the child contestant contacting you again? What delicious food did he eat today?"
Old Mou snorted, "He didn't show me any food today, but he did show me his contestant's home."
"Isn't his home in the countryside? What's so good about that?" Yun Duo'er said indifferently, having no interest in looking at rural mud-brick houses.
Old Mou scrolled up through the chat history and then tapped on the picture to show Yun Duo'er.
When Yun Duo'er saw the large villa with an outdoor swimming pool, she couldn't believe her eyes. This house must be worth at least seven or eight million, right?
How much land would a farmer in the countryside have to cultivate to afford such a villa?
Director, are you sure this is the contestant's home? Could it be that the parents rented it to satisfy their vanity?"
She still couldn't believe that a genuine villager could afford such an expensive house. The only explanation she could think of was renting.
Old Mou didn't know about such things. "Whose house it is doesn't matter. I'm just waiting for his contestant to be eliminated from the competition and cry on the spot. That would be more interesting!"
This wasn't just his thought; it was Yun Duo'er's true desire.
Although she didn't like Song Yicheng, as his invited guest, she hoped Song Yicheng would win the championship.
This way, he would not only be directly admitted to Yan University but also receive a generous prize of five million.
And she would get more resources and scripts, which would be nothing but beneficial for her career.
Naturally, this outcome would be a win-win situation.
As they were talking, the photographer came out with his camera, looking dejected.
"What's wrong?" Old Mou immediately noticed something was off with the photographer.
The photographer said helplessly, "Mother Song felt that my presence was disrupting their mother-son study time and asked me to wait outside.
When it comes to filming, I'm a professional, but they wouldn't let me film. It's like a hero with no place to use his skills!"
Old Mou could understand his feelings. It was like him, a director for over a decade or two, encountering various unsatisfactory situations during filming, which made him doubt his own abilities.
However, when faced with such eccentric guests, they had no choice but to endure.
"Since they don't want you to film, let's pack up and go back. We'll head back to the production team this afternoon," Old Mou stood up.
Father Song, who was busy in the kitchen, heard them say they were leaving and hurried over.
"I'm just cooking, why are you leaving already? Why not eat first?"
Although Father Song was wearing an apron and looked the part, they had all been terrified by Mother Song's cooking.
And Father Song, as her husband, having lived together for so many years, could tolerate Mother Song's cooking, which meant their tastes were probably similar.
They shouldn't risk it. What if the food was even worse? Would they still want to live?
So, they politely declined Father Song's offer and insisted on leaving.
Before leaving, Old Mou mentioned that someone from the production team would pick up Song Yicheng to join the show in a few days, and one parent could accompany him.
After giving these instructions, he left with everyone.
Just as they were about to find a restaurant for lunch, Liu Yifeng had already led them to a private dining establishment.