Lin Xiaorou stared intently at the coffee machine, then opened the small cabinet and took out two cups. "Go ahead," she said.

“I don’t want to turn down my current job to take on a new one,” Ming Jiayi said bluntly.

Lin Xiaorou was still fiddling with her coffee machine. "Why?"

Ming Jiayi straightened her back, placed her hands together on her knees, and answered seriously.

"Since I agreed to their invitation first, I can't break my promise to them and accept someone else's invitation."

Putting aside whether I can live with myself, how heartbroken would my fans be if they found out?

Lin Xiaorou looked up at Ming Jiayi and said earnestly,

"Jiayi, I thought you'd been in the entertainment industry for so long, you should already know its rules. Survival of the fittest, only the winner takes all. Why are you so fixated on these little details?"

Think of it this way: You turn down all those trivial jobs you took on before, and then take on several new projects by well-known directors.

This way, you'll not only increase your visibility and earn money, but you'll also have more time to rest. Don't you think that's a good thing?

Ming Jiayi shook her head and answered firmly.

"That's good, but I don't want to choose this option just because it's good."

Lin Xiaorou sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. She then turned off the coffee machine.

"Let's put everything else aside and just talk about Chen Jing's variety show. With your current status, or even with your status when you first debuted, it would be a huge demotion for you to accept Chen Jing's variety show."

Chen Jing is just a new director with only one low-rated TV series. Moreover, the male and female leads in that series can't even be called actors; they're just internet celebrities at best.

Leaving aside the fact that his new variety show is a complete flop, he doesn't even have an investor! Do you know what that means?

This means you'll have to work with him on a 20-day, thankless, and barely even public service-oriented variety show.

Ming Jiayi raised an eyebrow. When Mo Xing asked her back then, she was only thinking about taking on the variety show and doing tasks, and didn't have the mind to think about anything else.

But this doesn't seem to be a big problem.

Moreover, she had already seen the theme of that variety show, and it was quite meaningful; she should be able to learn a lot from it.

"Really, you need to think this through carefully. You won't turn down other jobs, okay, I promise you. But you have to turn down Chen Jing's variety show," Lin Xiaorou continued.

Ming Jiayi's attitude is wavering now. If she only has to turn down one, it won't be a big deal.

Just as Ming Jiayi was about to agree to Lin Xiaorou's request, a warning from the system suddenly rang in Ming Jiayi's mind.

[My darling host, you've already bound the name and director of that variety show to the system. If you try to change it now, the system will judge you as not taking the task seriously and will add an extra level for you. Be careful, my darling!]

At this moment, Ming Jiayi's mind was filled with question marks.

"No way, why should I be judged as not putting my heart into filming a different variety show? Could this be any more outrageous?"

[Waaaaah, sweetie, please don't be mean to me, this isn't something I can decide...]

Ming Jiayi touched her forehead, somewhat speechless.

There was no other way but to refuse Lin Xiaorou.

She didn't want to do another mission.

“I don’t want to turn it down. I think this variety show is very meaningful. It’s only 20 days, so there’s no loss in filming it.”

"Twenty days! How much can you accomplish in twenty days? Have you really thought this through?" Lin Xiaorou asked anxiously.

Ming Jiayi nodded firmly.

You'd better think that through.

"Sigh... Anyway, it's your choice, as long as you don't regret it," Lin Xiaorou replied helplessly. "There's one more thing I'd like to discuss with you."

Ming Jiayi tilted her head and looked at Lin Xiaorou with a puzzled expression, gesturing for her to speak.

Lin Xiaorou looked at Ming Jiayi and said seriously, "I think Mo Xing might not be very suitable to be a manager. Starting today, I will take over your manager position. Do you agree?"

"Did you ask Mo Xing? What did she say?" Ming Jiayi asked in return.

Lin Xiaorou turned her head somewhat awkwardly, only to see Mo Xing turn on her coffee machine and start fiddling with it again. She answered in a low voice, "Mo Xing agreed."

Seeing Lin Xiaorou's expression, Ming Jiayi immediately understood Mo Xing's attitude. She heard Lin Xiaorou give an ambiguous reply, "We'll see when the time comes."

...

President's Office of the Central Hospital of Beijing

"Hello Dean, my name is Xie Leying. I'm here today to complete my onboarding procedures. Shao Jin said he's already told you." Xie Leying said obediently, standing in front of the dean's desk.

The dean smiled kindly and gently. Gu Shaojin hadn't told him about this; it was Gu Shaojin's father who greeted him.

He picked up the employee ID card from the table and handed it to Xie Leying, then led her towards the cardiac surgery ward.

"Le Ying, you've just returned from abroad. I wonder how much you know about the development of medical care in China?" the dean asked.

Xie Leying thought for a moment, then replied in her sweet voice, "The demand in the medical industry is steadily increasing. I think the medical field is a major trend in every country, right?"

"Hmm. So why did you suddenly decide to return to China? I heard you worked at a very famous private hospital while you were abroad," the hospital director asked.

Xie Leying covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "Haha, living abroad can't compare to living in your own country. Besides, my parents and Uncle Gu will be coming back in a few months."

The dean was stunned when he heard this. "What? You mean Old Gu is coming back? Really? I've never heard him mention it before."

"Really? Auntie's illness is almost cured, so Uncle Gu plans to go back to China to live. He said he wants to give Shao Jin a surprise, and he doesn't want me to tell Shao Jin," Xie Leying said with a slightly shy tone.

The hospital director was quite excited. His eyes widened, and he asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Really? You mean Xiao Gu's mother's illness is almost cured?"

Xie Leying nodded, "Yes, my teacher knows an expert in this field. After several years of continuous efforts, Auntie's illness is almost cured. As long as she doesn't suffer any more shocks, she can basically live a normal life without any problems."

The dean shook his head in surprise. Now, both Xiao Gu and Lao Gu would be happy.

It's been over twenty years.

Their family was finally able to reunite.

It's really not easy.

"Did Old Gu say when he'll be back?" the dean asked Xie Leying with an expectant look.

Xie Leying shook her head. "They didn't say a specific time, but it'll be in the next few months."