"I’ve been in a state of semi-retirement for the past few years anyway. Hasn’t everyone gotten used to it?" Lu Wen raised an eyebrow. "But if I win another award in the future, maybe you’ll all see me at the awards ceremony."

"As for the rest of my time, I’ll mostly focus on running the company. After all, we’ve signed artists, so the company needs to be responsible for them. As long as our artists conduct themselves properly, the company will do everything in its power to map out their careers."

"Besides, my acting... to be honest, I’d only give myself a seventy," Lu Wen said, shaking her head. "After seeing acting like Hu Yi’s, I feel like I’m just not cut out for it. Maybe running a company is a better fit for me."

"Dinner’s ready," Jin Xi said, finally speaking up. He had been leaning against the doorframe, watching for a long time as Lu Wen fell silent.

Lu Wen turned her head, and a smile bloomed on her face when she saw Jin Xi. "Alright. What are we having today?"

Jin Xi gently touched Lu Wen’s dimple. "I made potstickers and steamed dumplings. Which would you like?"

Lu Wen leaned into his touch, rubbing her cheek against his palm. "Mhm, I’m good with either. I can’t cook, so whenever we’re together, Jin Xi basically does all the cooking."

"But I could learn."

Jin Xi immediately refused. "We can hire a housekeeper. Besides, you already work so hard. The kitchen chores aren’t a big deal, so I can just handle them."

Lu Wen said, "You’re busy too. Let’s hire a housekeeper after the show is over."

Everyone who needed to see Lu Wen’s livestream saw it—people like her parents, Jin Xi’s relatives, and so on. Naturally, Lu Wen’s parents were all sorts of displeased, but Jin Xi’s family only felt their hearts go out to her after watching.

As it happened, Ji Mingxi had also seen the livestream. He was doing very well at the company now, and since this was Lu Wen’s show, he was definitely paying close attention.

He and Sister Li had been glued to the livestream from the very beginning. When he heard Lu Wen mention Jin Xi getting jealous, Ji Mingxi was so floored he felt like bowing down to him.

The man clearly had a strong sense of self-preservation. Seeing that Jin Xi and Lu Wen were eating, Ji Mingxi didn’t hesitate to make a video call—and he called Jin Xi directly.

When the video call from Ji Mingxi came in, Jin Xi paused for a second before answering.

"Brother Xi, you’re a true brother!"

The video call was on speaker, of course, so the director, camera operator, and the rest of the crew heard everything. Right now, all their eyes were sparkling, obviously hungry for some gossip.

Jin Xi was always cool and distant with others. His face was stern now, making him seem unapproachable. "Speak properly."

"Yes, Brother Xi," Ji Mingxi said meekly. "Brother Xi, I see Sister Wen as my own sister, I swear! I have absolutely, positively no ulterior motives toward her!"

Jin Xi just gave a soft "mhm." "Anything else?"

Sister Li appeared on screen as well. "That’s all, Brother Xi. Mingxi just wanted to explain things to you. We’ll let you get back to it. We’re hanging up now."

The fans went even wilder at the sight of Sister Li. The key thing was that no one expected that just after Ji Mingxi appeared, a woman—in loungewear, no less—would pop up right behind him. What was going on here?

The director really couldn’t contain his curiosity. "Sister Wen, Ji Mingxi and Sister Li..."

Compared to the low-profile Lu Wen, Sister Li was hardly discreet and often appeared in the media. But Ji Mingxi and Sister Li together... no one saw that coming.

"It’s exactly what it looks like," Lu Wen didn’t bother hiding it. "They’re married, too. They just haven’t announced it publicly."

"This... This is unbelievable." The director was also left reeling from the news. The main thing was, who would have thought that Ji Mingxi had gotten married on the sly, and the public had no clue?

"It’s no big deal. They both value their privacy, and Ji Mingxi has already retired from the industry anyway. He doesn’t want to expose his private life to the public."

The director muttered to himself, "I feel like today is full of surprises."

Little did he know, more surprises were in store. Jin Xi and Lu Wen had to leave for the show’s location, so they had to drop Little Leopard off at a friend’s house. It was already noon by the time Lu Wen and Jin Xi, with Little Leopard in tow, rang the doorbell. Lu Wen never would have imagined that the person opening the door would be Jin Mo.

"Sister Wen? Brother Xi?" Jin Mo hadn’t expected her top bosses to show up at the door and froze in the entryway. The live comments exploded. Jin Mo! That was the newly debuted starlet! Did they just stumble upon her secret romance? And was it the big boss herself who caught her?

"Little Jasmine, who is it? Why are you so quiet?" Just as they were all staring at each other, a somewhat serious voice called out. A moment later, the speaker came to the door and casually slung an arm around Jin Mo’s shoulders.

Lu Wen’s eyes narrowed slightly. "What is Jin Mo doing at your place? She’s still so young."

Jin Xi also frowned slightly. "You two..."

Du Chen immediately straightened up. "Brother Xi, Sister Wen, please, come in and sit down. Little Jasmine, you keep Sister Wen company while I go make some tea."

Lu Wen wasn’t letting him off that easily. "No, forget the tea. You’re going to explain this to me properly..."

Jin Mo was a bit awkward at first. "Sister Wen... it’s just like it looks. We’re together."

Lu Wen sighed. "Have you thought this through?"

Jin Mo replied, "I have. He’s very dependable."

"As long as you’ve thought it through, that’s what matters," Lu Wen said, stroking Jin Mo’s head. "I just think you’re still so young. Only twenty."

"I’m not that young," Jin Mo pouted slightly. "I know what I’m doing. Du Chen... he’s a really good person. I’m the one who pursued him for a long time before he finally agreed. He was just worried I was too young and that I’d regret it later."

Lu Wen finally smiled. "If you’re ever treated unfairly or feel unhappy, you come and tell me. The company will always have your back."

Jin Mo hugged Lu Wen’s arm. "Mhm, I knew you were the best, Sister Wen."

The director asked curiously, "Sister Wen, does your company not prohibit its artists from dating?"

Lu Wen laughed. "Of course not. As long as they are serious about the relationship, the company won’t interfere. Of course, if there’s an issue with their personal integrity, the company won’t go easy on them either."

Jin Mo added from the side, "Besides, I want to be an actress, not a celebrity or an idol who’s famous just for their popularity. So I’m not too worried about these things. Ultimately, our work has to speak for itself."

Meanwhile, Jin Xi had finished his talk with Du Chen and now came over to pledge his sincerity to Lu Wen. "Sister Wen, you can rest assured. I will definitely cherish my relationship with Jin Mo." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"I’ll make sure she never regrets her choice."

Lu Wen pinched the bridge of her nose. "It’s fine as long as you two know what you’re doing. I just never expected... When Jin Mo first asked me to play matchmaker, I never thought you two would progress so quickly. Much faster than us."

Jin Xi squeezed Lu Wen’s hand. "Good things come to those who wait. It’s just that someone once solemnly swore he was too many years older than Jin Mo and absolutely refused to be a ’beast,’ and now he’s eating his words."

Du Chen’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He held Jin Mo’s hand and said shamelessly, "Once you become a ’beast,’ you don’t want to go back to being a man. It’s pretty great, actually."