Chapter 14 — The Child You Never Knew

On Tam Duyet shook his head, shaking very hard. "No, that video is real. Khuong Niem really bullied you, I saw you cry with my own eyes. I can't turn away now. I promised you, I said that woman would never appear in my life again. I said I owe you." Her voice is getting higher and higher, more and more urgent, the image of "harmless innocence" that she has worked so hard for is crumbling layer by layer. The live frame mercilessly pointed straight at her face, and the direction of the wind in the comment section was completely reversed. *"The video from three years ago was fake? Wen Tam Duyet made it up himself?"* *"So Khuong Niem was wronged? She was harmed by Wen Tam Duyet and had to withdraw from the entertainment industry?"* *"Oh my god, what kind of heart is this woman? Harming someone for three years is not enough, now she also harmed someone's five-year-old son?"* *"Fu Tu Nien, don't pretend to be a good person anymore, that year when you were Che On Tam Duyet, why don't you go investigate?"* Khuong Niem stood in the middle of the stage, the spotlight shining straight on her. She did not look at Wen Tam Duyet, nor did she look at Pho Tu Nien. She went to the edge of the stage, squatted down, and reached out to Tieu Chau who was running from under the stage. Tieu Chau swooped into her arms and hugged her neck tightly with both hands.

“Mom, is the ‘time’ you said, is now?” The boy asked softly in her ear.

"Yes. It is now."

Tieu Chau let go, took a step back, and pulled out a square folded piece of paper from his pocket. The boy turned towards everyone on stage and all the cameras, holding the paper high above his head. It's a certificate with a red stamp. The inscription on the seal is "International Genius Education Alliance", the content certifying that Khuong Du Chau's intelligence test results reached one ten-thousandth of his peers, allowing him to join the alliance's Genius Children's Club.

“This is my own test.” Tieu Chau's voice was clear, "No one taught me. I taught myself."

The boy lowered the certificate and glanced at On Tam Duyet, who was sitting listlessly in the judge's chair.

“Also, you said my mother is a bad woman.” His tone was as calm as if he were reciting a textbook, "But everyone here combined, is not as powerful as your mother."

The whole comment section went completely crazy. Wen Tam Duyet was taken out of the hall by two staff members. Her manager followed behind and called, his voice both urgent and broken, as if trying to put out an uncontrollable fire. Livestream continues. In the director's earpiece were all instructions transmitted, from station leaders, producers, to the legal department, everyone was speaking at the same time. He was sweating profusely, screaming at the control room: "Cut the ad first." But the comments don't stop because of the advertising screen. 49 million online viewers turned the comment area into a blank screen. Three topics simultaneously rose to the top 5 hot searches. The first line is *"Wen Tam Duyet threatened a five-year-old child"*, the second line is *"Khuong Niem's three-year injustice"*, the third line is *"The child prodigy tore the judge apart"*. The ad runs for 90 seconds. When the image returned, the situation in the hall had changed. Wen Tam Duyet's seat was empty. There were only two judges left on the jury chair, looking at each other awkwardly. The director gritted his teeth and walked out in front of the stage, announcing the final score results: "After three rounds of combined scoring, this season's champion is family number 3, Khuong Du Chau and her mother, Khuong Niem." Applause rang out. In the stands, there were a few mothers clapping their hands as hard as they could, their eyes red. Tieu Chau stood on stage, holding the golden cup tightly in her hand, her expression very calm. The trophy was almost half the height of the boy's body, so he had to hold it with both hands. Khuong Niem stood next to him, neither smiling nor crying, one hand placed on his son's shoulder, his fingertips gently kneading the fabric of his uniform. Ms. Luu, in position 1, stood under the stage, her face ashen. Three minutes ago, she intentionally tried to lead Doa Doa out the side door but was stopped by the backroom staff.

“Sister Liu, the award ceremony hasn't ended yet.” The back-office staff said awkwardly.

"I have to go home. Doa Doa is sleepy." Ms. Luu's voice was unsteady.

“The director said he hoped all families would stay until the end, there was a part to take souvenir photos.”

The corner of Ms. Luu's mouth twitched. She lowered her head to look at Doa Doa. Doa Doa absent-mindedly ate the lollipop, completely not understanding what was going on. On the award podium, the second judge suddenly added a comment. He is a retired, gray-haired children's education specialist who has hardly said a single unnecessary word in the previous three rounds.

“I have been educating children for 40 years.” He spoke into the microphone, his voice neither fast nor slow, "I have met many smart children, and also met many children who were taken advantage of by adults. Today this five-year-old boy showed me something that I very rarely see."

He looked towards Tieu Chau. "The boy's intelligence was not created by training, it was achieved by protection. There was someone who used the right method to love the child for 5 years, so he was able to grow up like that." The comment stream ran through a series of *”Professor is right”*. The director came forward and signaled that it could be over. The old professor waved his hand and added: "There is one more thing. The certificate of that genius club, I once participated in the consulting work of that organization. I understand the threshold of passing that test very well, not just anyone who guides can achieve that result." He turned towards Wen Tam Duyet's empty seat, his eyes carrying the calm and disgust typical of an old person. "Who teaches? The child himself is already a genius. There is no need for anyone to come and compete for credit." The applause was even louder than last time. Khuong Niem finally bowed his head. Her hand covered the top of her son's head, her fingers trembling slightly. Tieu Chau looked up at her, reached out and grabbed the hem of her shirt, tugging at it. “Mom, your hands are shaking.”

“The wind is too strong.”

“There is no wind in the house.”

“That would be fun.” Khuong Niem squatted down and looked at her child, "I'm very happy."

Tieu Chau looked at her for two seconds and nodded seriously. “So that's good.”