Wei Xin's smile faded slightly, and she remained silent.
She almost forgot—the first time she came home after going public in her past life, Xu Wenyi had accompanied her.
The short-haired woman beside Old Madam gloated, "Wei Huojin, looks like your family status is on the rocks?"
"Shut up, you single dog." Wei Xin put down the gifts, striking precisely at her childhood friend's sore spot. "Well, will you be able to graduate on time?"
"My god, act like a human being, won't you? Had to poke right where it hurts! Do you have any conscience at all?"
The short-haired woman was named Ji Le, and she was the friend Wei Xin had known the longest and studied with best.
As the top science student of her graduating class, she had submitted to her mother's decree and applied to medical school.
Ever since then, every single day was a rerun of preparing for the college entrance exams, opening her eyes every morning just to study.
How did this medical hound have time to come over today?
Wei Xin glanced strangely at her childhood friend and asked, "What brings you here?"
"You have the nerve to ask. You had health issues and didn't even tell me. Given our relationship, I'll definitely give you a discount on a broken bone."
Wei Xin had a sudden realization—she had rushed over to check on her health.
"Wait here for a moment, I'm going to get the medical kit." Ji Le casually took the gifts before realizing something was off with her friend. "Oh my god, were you possessed by a ghost?! You actually know not to come home empty-handed."
Wei Xin's thin lips parted slightly as she sent her friend a single word: "Scram."
If Ji Le hadn't brought it up, even she wouldn't have noticed these small changes.
According to her past personality, she would at most have casually bought a fruit basket to make a perfunctory gesture.
Yet in her past life, she had frequently accompanied Xu Wenyi to pick out gifts, and somehow she had developed the habit. Even when coming home, she hadn't forgotten to buy gifts beforehand.
Wei Xin frowned slightly, thinking to herself: *Seriously speaking, my personality has changed quite a bit. I used to be so taciturn I couldn't squeeze out three words, and yet this morning I was communicating effortlessly with Dog Brother.*
As she was thinking, a middle-aged woman walked down from the second floor, dressed in a sharp business suit, and approached leisurely.
"Aunt, Grandma, good morning." Wei Xin greeted them first before taking a seat.
"Why are you alone?" Wei Heyun poured her a cup of tea, smoothly bringing out a shield. "Your grandma has been talking about you for ages."
"You didn't say you were bringing her." Wei Xin shifted the blame without any burden. "Weren't we leaving as soon as we picked up Ji Le?"
"It's just that I'm leaving this afternoon; Xiao Le is staying a bit later for an evening flight, and I was hoping the family could have a meal together." Wei Heyun changed the subject. "Are you two really dating?"
"Of course!" Wei Xin was well-prepared, answering with absolute certainty.
When it came to a contract romance, the fewer people who knew, the safer it was.
Besides, if Grandma found out she was messing around outside, Ji Le would be able to pack her own corpse and go abroad for advanced studies.
Wei Heyun gave her a deep look. "I'm going to be abroad for a while, so make sure you come home more often to see your grandma when you have time."
"I'm not paralyzed; I don't need you guys waiting on me hand and foot every day." Old Madam put down her reading glasses and waved at Ji Le, who was holding the medical kit. "Hurry up and let Lele check you over."
"Grandma, I've already checked; it's just minor ailments."
"Shut up, this doctor has her own judgment!" Ji Le put on the air of an otherworldly expert and earnestly began checking her friend's health.
"Minor ailments are all the more reason to be careful. You're young now and don't feel it, but when you get older, you'll suffer for it." Old Madam took a sip of tea. "Is your manager squeezing you dry?"
"No, Sister Liu treats me pretty well. Don't worry blindly."
"How can I not worry? Your mom... they left early, and you were a walking pharmacy when you were little. If anything happened to you, how would I face your sister?"
Wei Xin thought about it and comforted her, "It's fine, I can drop into her dreams and explain it to you."
Old Madam: "......"
Wei Heyun had rich experience in dealing with such sudden situations. "Alright, Mom, Xiaoxin is already an adult and knows what she's doing."
"You have the nerve to speak! She got injured filming before and you even helped cover for it with me. The two of you will be the death of me!"
Wei Xin frowned and said sincerely, "Grandma, if you die of anger, I won't be able to face my sister."
"Wonderful, it's the original model, not possessed by a ghost." Ji Le let out an exaggerated, prolonged sigh of relief. "You really need to go on fewer variety shows with that mouth of yours. I don't want to return home in glory only to find you blacklisted."
Wei Xin nodded. "I'll try my best."
Even if she didn't know how to respond, she had to answer every single sentence—this was what Xu Wenyi had taught her.
Xu Wenyi, it was Xu Wenyi again. Why was she thinking about that bastard surnamed Xu all day long?!
Wei Xin gnashed her teeth and silently cursed herself for being spineless.
"What are you thinking about with your mind wandering?" Wei Heyun looked at her with amusement.
"Nothing, I want to open a studio."
"Alright, I'll make a call and have Liu Lin handle the handover so she can manage just you from now on."
"No, I mean open a personal studio. I don't plan to renew my contract."
"Why?!" Wei Heyun's voice involuntarily rose, a strange flash of emotion crossing the depths of her eyes. "Why are you suddenly getting this idea?"
"Nothing much, I plan to strike out on my own."
"Nonsense!" Wei Heyun scolded softly. "The entertainment industry eats people without spitting out their bones. Without a company protecting you, every step is a struggle!"
"Aunt, I'm not a three-year-old child..." Wei Xin shrugged. "I know what I'm doing."
"No! I don't agree!"
For some reason, her usually understanding aunt was extremely stubborn about this matter.
Wei Xin looked at her aunt's tightly furrowed brow, and a fleeting trace of strangeness flashed through her heart.
Why react so strongly???
Wei Xin took a firm stance. "Whatever, I've already notified you anyway."
Wei Heyun: "Wei Xin! You—"
"If Xiaoxin wants to make a go of it, let her try." Old Madam smiled warmly as she smoothed things over. "Having ambitions is a good thing, but what your aunt said isn't wrong either. We can talk about contract renewal when the time comes; besides, you already hold shares in the company, there's no need to go out on your own."
"Shares???" Wei Xin asked in astonishment. "I didn't buy shares in Future Pictures."
Wei Heyun leaned over to refill everyone's cups. The smile on her face vanished for a fraction of a second, but when she raised her head, it had returned to normal.
Old Madam frowned. "You didn't tell her?"
Wei Heyun smiled. "Look at my memory. I mentioned it before, but seeing how busy she was with filming, I forgot to formally bring it up. Thanks to Mom for the reminder."
Old Madam smoothed her brow, looking at her younger daughter with an ambiguous smile. "You should put more effort into teaching her. After all, this child has always been closest to you."
Wei Heyun: "Don't worry, I watched Xiaoxin grow up; she's closer to me than my own daughter. Once I finish dealing with matters abroad, I'll clear my schedule and bring her into the company."
What shares? She had lived until her sudden death in her past life without even knowing she owned shares in Future Pictures.
She emphasized her stance once more: "I'm serious, I don't plan to renew."
If nothing unexpected happened, early next year Xu Wenyi would sign with Feihuo Pictures.
At the beginning of last October, the two of them wrapped up filming on *No Regrets in Moves*, and because they starred in the same drama, they temporarily became rivals.
Once Xu Wenyi signed with Feihuo, if she were still at Future, they would become true rivals...
If they weren't rivals, that bastard surnamed Xu wouldn't have any reason to plot against her behind her back.
However... Fengxing Pictures held the dirt on her contract romance; how could they possibly let her walk away?
The matter of the contract romance hadn't leaked out until the day she died of overwork in her past life.
The more Wei Xin thought about it, the stranger it felt, failing to notice the fleeting gloom in her aunt's eyes as she looked at her.
Ji Le turned her head and found her staring blankly at her teacup. Thinking she was nervous, she spoke up to comfort her.
"Don't worry, your health is still considered normal. Maintain this state and don't jump straight into another production crew."
"Keep a balanced mindset. So many old men in their forties are still marketing themselves as 'boys until death,' you're only 25, what are you afraid of?" Ji Le seized the chance to complain.
Wei Xin: "...... I want my dignity."
"Do you even have that?" Ji Le blinked and corrected herself. "Let's talk business. Try to maintain a regular routine as much as possible, don't excessively pursue thinness, and make sure to consume an appropriate amount of carbohydrates every day."
Wei Xin: "Is there something wrong with my stomach?"
Ji Le smiled. "No, eating greens every day gives you bad breath. I'm just afraid it might affect your... cough cough, remember to remind Teacher Xu to keep eating carbs too."