Zhou Liqun, who had been impatient, immediately perked up upon hearing it was Liu Yifeng. "It's Mr. Liu, my apologies, those words just now weren't directed at you."
Liu Yifeng didn't take it to heart. "It's alright, but Mr. Zhou seems to be in a bad mood. Did I call at an inconvenient time? Perhaps I should call back tomorrow?"
"No, no, no, you can say whatever you need to now, Mr. Liu. I'm feeling much better," Zhou Liqun said hastily, afraid Liu Yifeng would hang up.
In his opinion, Liu Yifeng calling so late was most likely related to the Super Brain program he had mentioned before.
Liu Yifeng got straight to the point. "Didn't you recommend the Super Brain program to me before, hoping my son could participate? I've considered it for a few days and think it's indeed a very good program. So, I've decided to let my son participate. Do you still have any spots available?"
Seeing that his guess was correct, Zhou Liqun nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Mr. Liu, this is absolutely a wise decision. This program is bound to be a huge hit once it launches. It's such an honor for your son, who is so young, to shine on such a grand stage!"
"Then how do I sign up? Do I need to prepare anything?" Liu Yifeng asked.
"You don't need to prepare anything. Just give me your son's birthdate, age, name, and other personal information, and I'll handle the rest," Zhou Liqun said.
"I appreciate it. I heard that many contestants have to go through preliminary rounds and multiple selection stages to reach the final. I wonder if we need to start from the selection rounds through you. If you don't have the authority to let my son directly enter the finals, I know Mr. Zhao, who can directly recommend my son to the final competition!"
"Which Mr. Zhao are you referring to?" Zhou Liqun asked curiously.
"It's Mr. Zhao Dewang. He is the former president of the Calligraphy Association and is currently retired."
Upon hearing Mr. Zhao Dewang's name, Zhou Liqun became even more excited. "Mr. Zhao is no ordinary person! I didn't expect you to know him. But if he can suggest letting your son directly enter the finals, it means your son has the talent. He's also one of the judges for this program. Since Mr. Zhao said so, you can directly take your son to participate in the finals!" He felt he had truly struck gold this time.
"When does the program start?"
"The contestants and special guests are still undergoing selection. It will likely be about another month. Once all contestants and special guests are confirmed, they will arrange for them and the special guests to film short videos for interspersing. Don't worry, I will definitely arrange for a very famous actor to be your son's special guest."
However, Liu Yifeng refused. "I don't want a very famous person as my son's special guest. Didn't you say earlier that there are also special guests in the selection process? Then let the program team match them themselves!"
Zhou Liqun quickly said, "You need to think carefully. Generally, those who participate in selections wanting to be special guests are newcomers with little fame. Teaming up with your son might not be advantageous. Because after this program, they will also film a segment about the daily lives of special guests and contestants. The audience will then choose the most popular team. The first-place special guest will get to choose ten good dramas, or if they don't act, they can receive a song by a gold-medal lyricist to perform. This will definitely elevate their career to a new level. Additionally, the contestants can get a chance to participate in an overseas forum. Currently, very few people in our country have had the qualifications to attend such a forum. If Tongtong can participate, it will be an honor for the country, and his future will be immeasurable. This is no less significant than winning the championship and receiving a guaranteed admission to Yan University."
"I believe in my son, so please, Mr. Zhou, don't specifically assign a special guest to my son!" Liu Yifeng said with extreme confidence. It wasn't arrogance, but a genuine belief in Tongtong's abilities. The reason he was doing this was to show Yun Duo'er how her son would turn an unknown celebrity into a future superstar. Didn't she abandon Tongtong because she thought he was just an ordinary child? He wanted to make her regret her actions. Perhaps some would consider him petty, arguing that he shouldn't be so calculating with the child's own mother. But the thought of her abandoning and neglecting her child, her indifferent attitude towards him, made him unable to swallow his pride. Only this way could he show her what a terrible mistake she had made! He couldn't wait to meet Yun Duo'er at the program shoot; her expression would surely be priceless!
Seeing Liu Yifeng's firm stance, Zhou Liqun had nothing more to say. "Alright then, we'll see how the program team arranges it. Please remember to give me Tongtong's personal information and a two-inch color photo tomorrow so I can send it to the program team. However, they don't know Tongtong's true capabilities and might think he's getting in through connections. They might select a very ordinary person as the special guest, so you need to be mentally prepared for this." Generally, those who wanted to be special guests in such selection programs were either unknown or mere background figures in their companies. Celebrities with exposure and a certain fan base would not stoop to participating in such talent shows. Their companies had symbolically arranged for a few less-famous artists to participate, and whether they got selected would depend on their own luck. Liu Yifeng, however, hoped the special guest for Tongtong would be as obscure as possible. Only then, when they became popular because of Tongtong, would Yun Duo'er regret it even more. Didn't she also serve as a special guest for someone? Let them be defeated by Tongtong and teach Yun Duo'er a harsh lesson. After confirming with Zhou Liqun, Liu Yifeng hung up the phone. Just as he was about to take a bath, Xu Muqing called.
"Mr. Liu, I just heard from Yaoyao that Tongtong was sick and didn't attend class this afternoon. Is Tongtong alright now?" Xu Muqing's concerned voice came through as soon as he answered.
"Tongtong is much better. He's watching cartoons now. Thank you for your concern, Ms. Xu. Please tell Yaoyao not to worry!" Liu Yifeng replied. Hearing that Tongtong was fine, Xu Muqing was relieved. "It's good that he's alright. Children get sick sometimes, and you shouldn't blame yourself too much for not taking good care of him." She knew from her own experience as a mother that parents often blamed themselves when their child was sick, sometimes feeling miserable for a long time due to guilt. That was why she comforted Liu Yifeng. Liu Yifeng knew she was worried about him blaming himself, and he did feel a bit guilty, but self-reproach wouldn't solve the problem. He still needed to find a way to prevent Tongtong from getting sick because he missed his mother.