With global currency devaluation, I'll wear these back and take my whole family flying!

Shen Li was both surprised and delighted, staring intently at the text message.

288 yuan!

She had fantasized about earning her first pot of gold by landing her first role, but she never imagined she could earn this much.

Even though I knew how much I would be paid when I signed the contract, it still felt unreal when I actually received the money.

"Sister, 288 yuan! I never dreamed I could earn so much money from my very first film," Shen Li murmured, her voice trembling with tears.

Shen Ci affectionately patted his younger sister's head and said softly, "You'll earn even more than this in the future."

Shen Li nodded excitedly, looked up at her sister, and said with feeling, "Sister, although I have known for a long time that being an actor can earn a lot of money, my original intention for choosing to be an actor was really not for money. I genuinely love acting."

“My sister knows,” Shen Ci affirmed. “Not only does my sister know, but Mom knows too, which is why she’s so supportive of your participation in the art exam.”

Shen Li was visibly taken aback when she suddenly heard her mother mentioned by her sister.

After seeing her sister again, she deliberately kept quiet about their mother, but her sister brought it up first without batting an eye.

Shen Li pursed her lips and lowered her head, then whispered, "It's very expensive to become an art student through the art exam. Mom had no choice but to sacrifice your choice for me and Xingxing. Mom actually feels very guilty."

"I'm sorry, sister, we've dragged you down."

Hearing her sister say this, Shen Ci's heart ached again. She quickly put her arm around her sister's shoulder and said, "Don't say that. It wasn't easy for Mom to raise the three of us to adulthood. I was too willful back then. If my compromise can give you and Xingxing a better future, I'm willing, really."

As she spoke, Shen Ci smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "And now I think USTC is also very good."

"Really, sister? You don't resent Mom anymore?" Shen Li looked at her sister, her eyes filled with undisguised excitement.

The unresolved issues between her sister and mother have always been the same unresolved issues between her and Xingxing. She truly hopes that her sister can forgive her mother for having no other choice.

Shen Ci nodded vigorously and said in a sincere and firm tone, "I stopped blaming her a long time ago."

At that moment, Shen Li burst into tears of joy and hugged her sister tightly, because she felt guilty towards her sister, not only towards her mother.

Shen Ci smiled gently, patted her sister's back lightly, and said, "I plan to go back to Shenzhen and Hong Kong for National Day."

"Really?" Shen Li looked up in surprise, then her expression turned regretful: "But I have to start filming before National Day, so I can't go back with you."

"You focus on your work, I'll go back by myself."

Shen Li could only nod, but then she became excited again: "I made money! Tomorrow I'm going to the mall to buy gifts for Mom and Xingxing. What do you want, sis? I'll get it for you!"

Shen Ci wasn't going to spoil the mood and blurted out, "I want an evening gown."

She recalled the day she couldn't find suitable clothes for Lu Jinzhao's investor party, and wondered if she might need to wear them again in the future.

"Okay, I'll give it to you!" Shen Li said with a satisfied expression, clasping her hands together. "I also want to buy gifts for Chu Han, Meina, and Yuanyuan, and then treat them to a big meal to celebrate!"

Seeing her sister's smiling face, Shen Ci felt a sense of satisfaction she had never felt before, because this was something her sister had always wanted but could never have.

From now on, she will do her best to protect and support her sister's life.

The next morning, Gu Lianxing stayed in bed until the very last minute before getting up to wash and go to her early class. However, she didn't expect to see Li Xiao sitting on a bench by the roadside as soon as she went downstairs.

His complexion was terrible, and he looked dejected. Gu Lianxing was startled when she thought that he had come to see Shen Ci once yesterday afternoon and once yesterday evening.

"Brother, you didn't wait here all night, did you?"

Gu Lianxing stepped forward and asked in surprise.

Li Xiao looked up when he heard the voice, and when he saw that it was Gu Lianxing, he quickly stood up. He was still wearing the same clothes he had worn when he left home yesterday, so he obviously hadn't changed them.

"Lianxing, Shen Ci hasn't come back all night, has he?"

When he spoke, his voice was dry and hoarse from not speaking for a long time. Combined with his distraught appearance, Gu Lianxing couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"There's no need, Li Xiao. What's the point of waiting all night? Even idol dramas don't show this kind of plot anymore."

I felt sorry for him, but I couldn't help but complain when I opened my mouth.

"I'm worried about Shen Ci. Why didn't she come back all night?" Li Xiao asked to himself, as if he hadn't heard Gu Lianxing's words.

Gu Lianxing sighed. She had promised Shen Ci that she would never reveal any information about her to Li Xiao, so she shook her head: "I don't know, but I advise you not to wait here anymore, it's too scary, really."

"I have class and I'm going to be late, so I really have to go." Gu Lianxing shook her head with a look of disapproval, and before leaving, she didn't forget to remind him again: "You should go back and catch up on your sleep and rest, don't faint here."

Once she was out of sight, she quickly informed Shen Ci, "Honey, whatever you do, don't go back to the dorm right now! I just came downstairs and Li Xiao is standing there like a statue, waiting for you all night!"

Turning to look at Li Xiao, he sat back down in his chair, clearly not intending to leave.

Before long, Lin Biqi arrived.

"Brother Li Xiao, what are you doing here?" Lin Biqi was wearing Li Xiao's favorite green dress. Bathed in sunlight, she looked as radiant as a flower, clearly having dressed up specially.

"Your aunt said you went back to school yesterday. I asked your roommate and he said you didn't go back to the dorm at all last night. You just stayed here all night?"

"Brother Li Xiao, say something! I'm asking you a question!"

Already feeling uneasy, Li Xiao's head was throbbing from Lin Biqi's nagging. He suddenly looked up and glared at her, shouting, "What does my business have to do with you? Didn't I tell you not to bother me anymore and not to show your face in front of me!"

He had a fierce look on his face, and his pupils were bloodshot.

Lin Biqi was startled by his expression, and her aggrieved eyes immediately filled with tears.

Seeing her like this only made Li Xiao more annoyed. Her ability to instantly become teary-eyed whenever she wanted to cry was simply unbeatable; she could get into the mood in a second every time.

"Auntie was worried about you, that's why she sent me to find you," Lin Biqi said, her voice trembling with tears.

Li Xiao turned his head away irritably: "I don't need anyone to worry about me. You can leave."

"I'm not leaving!" Lin Biqi wiped away the tears that were about to fall, her eyes red, and plopped down next to Li Xiao: "Anyway, Auntie told me to watch over you, so if you don't leave, I won't leave either."

"Are you fucking crazy?" Li Xiao stood up and shouted angrily, "What kind of prisoner do I look like that that I need you to watch over me?"