[IMP] base: reduce ref calls in users write override.

ref() always trigger a database query to verify record still exists.

In frequently used methods, it's best to avoid ref calls if not needed:

* either the records should always exist
* either the record isn't always needed and the ref can be sometimes
avoided.

X-original-commit: c1e05da7b71c8274aff00d67f8d1bc7e209fcaab