Second floor restaurant.
"Zirui, this isn't a good idea, is it?" Mrs. He was currently being pulled by Aunt Rui, who was quietly peeking towards the dining table.
Aunt Rui waved her hand and continued to pull Mrs. He forward, observing further.
"We're just looking, we're not doing anything, what's there to be afraid of!"
Mrs. He frowned, "Let the kids deal with their own matters; we should not interfere."
Aunt Rui shook her head quickly and said, "No, this won't do, I have to watch carefully. If Sheng Yan doesn't have any interest in your Jinxia, we shouldn't delay Jinxia's prospects."
While they spoke, a servant passed by with a plate, and was beckoned over by Aunt Rui.
"What were the young master and Miss Jinxia doing earlier, and what are they doing in the restaurant now?"
The servant, surprised to be asked, said, "The young master and Miss Jinxia are having lunch, and they went to the gym to play tennis earlier."
Aunt Rui's expression was momentarily stunned, then a trace of joy flashed across her eyes, "They went to play tennis earlier?"
The servant nodded cautiously, "Yes, madam."
Aunt Rui couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth into a smile, and dismissed the servant.
Seeing her so happy, Mrs. He asked, "Why does children playing tennis make you so joyful?"
Aunt Rui, unable to restrain her excitement, said, "Fangfang, you don't understand. My son is very picky about people. He doesn't just play tennis with anybody. If he doesn't like an opponent, he'd rather say his hand is injured than play a match. Besides those few times I taught him how to play tennis when he was a child, I've never played with him again."
Mrs. He frowned, "Why not?"
Aunt Rui: "He thinks I'm clumsy."
Mrs. He: "..." She was at a loss for words.
Aunt Rui excitedly tugged Mrs. He's hand, "Oh, that's not the point. The point is that Jinxia played tennis with Yanyan! What does this mean? It means Yanyan thinks highly of Jinxia!"
If Sheng Yan were there, he would have certainly facepalmed in exasperation, telling his mother she was overthinking it.
Unfortunately, Sheng Yan wasn't there, but fortunately, Mrs. He also felt that things were not as simple as imagined.
"It's just a game of tennis after all, it doesn't mean he thinks highly of her, right? Besides, your son is so handsome and a celebrity in the entertainment circle. I've seen him many times on the TV, and there's no shortage of beautiful girls in the entertainment circle, why would he take interest in someone like Jinxia?"
Even while speaking about her own treasured daughter, Mrs. He had to admit, compared to those young and attractive female celebrities, Jinxia couldn't compare...
However, at this moment Aunt Rui shook her head, let out a heavy sigh, and said, "You don't understand, there are plenty of pretty girls in the entertainment circle, but how many are of good, clean background? Sure, picking a good one from that small lot would be fine, but Yanyan isn't interested in those girls at all. He's going to be 26 after his birthday this year and still shows no inclination to get a girlfriend, let alone marry and have children. I'd already had him at his age, how could I not be anxious? I've inquired discreetly and found out that aside from work-related interactions, he never goes out socially with the female celebrities. I was thinking maybe Yanyan doesn't like the beautiful female celebrities? Look at your Jinxia. She's like a refreshing stream in the entertainment circle, completely different from those flamboyant female celebrities. Yanyan is even willing to interact with her; maybe Yanyan likes girls like Jinxia?"
Aunt Rui reasoned with Mrs. He, presenting what she believed to be solid points.
Mrs. He frowned, feeling it was somewhat unlikely, but she had seen Sheng Yan when he was young; he had exceptional character. Maybe he wasn't focused on the external appearance of a woman, but on inner beauty, or perhaps his taste was slightly different from the average man?
Thinking this way, Mrs. He was somewhat persuaded.
The two tiptoed around, trying to get a better look, but unfortunately, they could only see He Jinxia's broad back. The distance was too far; they couldn't hear anything.
Aunt Rui was anxious to know what the two were talking about, wishing for the children to make momentous progress.
After watching for a while, she turned her eyes and simply pulled Mrs. He over, eavesdropping in plain sight!
Upon entering, Sheng Yan's indifferent voice gradually became clear.
"You just ate Black Forest cake, which has at least 250 calories, and the chicken wing you're holding has at least 240 calories. These two items alone add up to 490 calories, and you just played an hour of tennis, burning 450 calories."
He Jinxia looked down at the half-eaten chicken wing in her hand, a flicker of interest in her eyes, and listened quietly to Sheng Yan's speech.
"That means the calories burned playing tennis have been fully replenished by these two pieces of food, with an excess of 40 calories."
Sheng Yan gave her a glance, "Looking at the contents of your bowl, there's steak, bacon, and a small amount of vegetables; your calorie intake for today has seriously exceeded the limit."
Seeing He Jinxia's calm expression, Sheng Yan automatically categorized her as "clueless" and, given the relationship between the two families, took the time to provide a comprehensive summary:
"A qualified artist should have thorough control over their body. Even if you're not dieting now, you shouldn't let yourself continue to gain weight."
He Jinxia nodded in agreement, she found this theory quite plausible, something she had been neglecting.
It was also because her mindset hadn't completely transitioned to modern thinking, never considering that eating a meal would require counting calories. Her lips parted slightly, about to say something when suddenly, a cough sounded next to her.
Looking up, she saw Aunt Rui and Mrs. He.
Aunt Rui frowned slightly, disapprovingly saying, "Yanyan, you're not wrong, but today is different, isn't it? Everyone is so happy, what's wrong with eating a little more?"
Sheng Yan pulled the corner of his mouth slightly, unsure from which angle his mood appeared to be joyful to his mother.
Aunt Rui didn't expect an answer from Sheng Yan and turned her gaze to He Jinxia beside her, immediately changing her tone and speaking kindly, "Jinxia, don't listen to his nonsense, eat whatever you want."
He Jinxia found it impossible to be indifferent or dismissive in the face of the elder who cared for her; her smile was more genuine and sincere than when facing Sheng Yan.
She spoke gently, "Aunt Rui, Brother Sheng Yan is right. As a celebrity, since I chose this path, I must always be vigilant and start practicing self-discipline as an artist, beginning with controlling my diet."
Aunt Rui, looking into He Jinxia's eyes brimming with a smile, like a pond of rippling spring water, enchanting and passionate, was momentarily electrified by her gaze. She nodded in a daze, "Yes, it makes sense that Jinxia feels that way."
Mrs. He, standing by, tugged at Aunt Rui's hand, saying, "Didn't you just tell me you were hungry? Let's go pick out something to eat."
Mrs. He quickly pulled Aunt Rui away, giving He Jinxia and Sheng Yan another chance to be alone.
He Jinxia watched their retreating figures and said softly, "You're really close to Aunt Rui."
Sheng Yan looked up at her and replied indifferently, "Aunt He is also kind to you."
A smile curled up at the corner of He Jinxia's mouth, her eyes softening warmly, "Yes, that's why I feel blessed."
Perhaps even she didn't realize how tender her voice was when she spoke those words.
Sheng Yan took his gaze away from her, lowered his eyes, and suddenly asked, "Why did you choose to leave the JY girl group on your own?"
He Jinxia was startled, a flurry of complex emotions rising in her heart, with seemingly too many reasons, but in the end, they all converged into one sentence:
"For a better me!"
The girl's voice was firm and persistent.
***
Ever since that encounter with Sheng Yan, when He Jinxia visited Aunt Rui's home the next day, Sheng Yan was already gone, to her relief.
Time flew by, and soon He Jinxia's holiday came to an end. She took the high-speed train back to Imperial City and met with the nutritionist as planned with Luo You.
While waiting for the nutritionist to lay out the detailed plan, the reality TV show "Letter to Future Self" had officially premiered at that moment.