Sister Hu wasn’t just happy. She was practically flabbergasted by the news. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

’This is Tang Li we’re talking about! How many people in the industry dreamed of signing with Tang Li’s company? And now, her own artist mentions it, and they just agree?’

Ye Qian said, "I just feel a little bad for you. Brother Chen said he’ll be managing me personally from now on, so you’ll just be my executive agent."

"That’s still great! It’s good to have a big tree for shade," Sister Hu said cheerfully. "I’m not that short-sighted. As long as we’re at Tang Li’s company, how could we possibly worry about your career?"

"Just look at Ning Yao. Look how well she’s doing now! How carefree is her life?"

Ye Qian breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as you really don’t mind, Sister Hu. After all, I did act without telling you first."

Terminating Ye Qian’s contract with her old company didn’t exactly go smoothly. It was only natural that they didn’t want to let her go. After all, Ye Qian was a bona fide rising star, but Brother Chen was no pushover, and the new company had its own legal department.

Although Brother Chen hadn’t personally managed an artist in a long time, his network wasn’t just for show. After some negotiations, Ye Qian’s contract was finally in the company’s hands.

What was done was done, so the other party knew to quit while they were ahead, though they still had to make some token remarks. The gist was that by letting her go gracefully, they were building goodwill with Director Tang, hoping she’d look out for them in the future, and so on.

Tan You was also in on the conversation. Hearing the other company’s president, she just smiled. "Look out for you? Of course. Our company is currently producing a reality show for crossover musicians. If your company has any interested artists, feel free to have them try out."

’The show needed guests anyway. It didn’t matter to Tan You which company the artists came from.’

The other company’s president was no fool, either. "Li Zi, I heard you have a new project in mind? And that you’re eyeing Ye Qian for the female lead?"

’News really travels fast in this industry,’ Tan You thought. After a moment, she said, "I have an idea, yes, but the script isn’t finished. It’ll take a year or a year and a half to polish."

Seeing he was about to say more, Tan You cut him off bluntly. "Let’s wait until the script is done. We’ll be holding auditions then."

"I never intentionally block anyone, but they need to be talented and have a clean record. I won’t compromise my work for any other reason."

The president replied sheepishly, "Of course, of course. All we ask for is a chance at a fair audition."

He deliberately stressed the word "fair." Brother Chen laughed. "Our Li Zi has always been the fairest, provided the person has no scandals."

’Come to think of it, that was true,’ the president mused. ’There had never been any rumors in the industry about Tang Li blacklisting anyone.’

Ye Qian watched as Tan You and Brother Chen negotiated with her former boss, her heart filled with gratitude. Tan You had gone to great lengths to get her contract.

Back in the car, Tan You saw Ye Qian looking apologetic and smiled. "Relax. Sooner or later, we’ll need to collaborate with other artists. If they’re genuinely talented, we can all just work together to make a good film."

"If you really feel like I’ve done a lot for you, then pour that energy into your acting. Hone your craft and don’t let anyone outshine you."

Ye Qian was instantly energized, as if she’d had a shot of adrenaline. "Yes! I’ll definitely take my acting classes seriously and really focus on my craft."

Ye Qian switching companies didn’t make much of a splash in the industry; after all, she was still pretty obscure. The slow-life reality show hadn’t aired yet, and although she had landed the second female lead in Director Liu’s film, the news wasn’t public knowledge yet.

Ye Qian only spent a day at the company before leaving for Director Liu’s film set with Sister Hu the next day. As for Tan You, she was in her office, focused on writing the script.

Knowing she was working on something important, the deputy director tactfully took over all departmental matters. Although he didn’t hold the official title of Creative Director, his salary and responsibilities were every bit the same.

The deputy director wasn’t disappointed in the least and was all smiles every day. As long as one had the substance, the title wasn’t so important.

And the employees in Tan You’s department knew better than to bother her. As a result, Tan You enjoyed an unusual amount of peace and quiet at the company. She clocked in and out on time, her only task being to immerse herself in the script, with no other responsibilities to worry about.

Writing based on a real person was very different from creating a story from scratch, and Tan You grew more and more consumed by the work. But the results were remarkable. Three months after Ye Qian joined the film set, Tan You finally managed to churn out the first draft of the script.

Ye Qian had just finished shooting a scene when she got a call from Tan You. "Really? The first draft is already done?"

Tan You pinched the bridge of her nose. "Mhm. If you have time, come take a look. After all, you’re the prototype for the character..."

Ye Qian wished she could teleport to Tan You’s side that very instant, but remembering she still had scenes to shoot, she suppressed the urge. "I’ll come find you after filming wraps up tonight. I still have more scenes today."

Sister Hu leaned close to Ye Qian’s ear, trying to overhear the conversation. Director Liu, who had been sitting behind the monitor, narrowed his eyes, put his hands behind his back, and sauntered over.

Under their combined gazes, Ye Qian had to quickly end the call. "Director, is it time for my scene?"

Director Liu had sharp eyes. "Was that Tang Li on the phone?"

At the mention of Tang Li’s name, everyone nearby perked up their ears. Ye Qian nodded. "Mhm. Director, I don’t have any scenes scheduled for tonight. I’d like to make a trip back to the company, would that be alright?"

Director Liu said casually, "Sure. As it happens, I didn’t schedule any other scenes for tonight. Let’s all go together. I haven’t seen Tang Li in a while myself."

You Li and Xie Yunzhi immediately chimed in, "Take us with you! We haven’t seen Director Tang in ages either."

President Qi was overjoyed. ’It’s not about being diligent, it’s about being timely,’ he thought. ’I don’t visit the set for days, and the one day I show up, I stumble upon such a great opportunity?’ Of course, he didn’t miss a beat, saying, "I’ll go too, I’ll go too! Old Zhou, are you coming?"

Old Zhou couldn’t possibly refuse. "Of course! Come to think of it, I miss Director Tang’s tea ceremony. I’ll go and have a cup of her fine tea."

The rest of the crew had their own thoughts. The female lead wanted to go too, but unfortunately, she wasn’t acquainted with Tang Li and couldn’t just tag along uninvited. ’Even though I know her script is earmarked for Ye Qian as the lead,’ she thought, ’I’m not picky! I’d take the third or fourth female lead role!’

After hanging up the phone with Tan You, Ye Qian couldn’t stand to be on set a moment longer. But she was a professional; no matter how excited she was, she still completed all of her scenes for the day, even performing exceptionally well.

Around four in the afternoon, Director Liu called an early wrap for the day. Everyone knew where he was going, but no one dared to follow. Offending Director Liu was a bad move, but offending Tang Li would be an even worse one.

But when they reached the parking lot, Director Liu was displeased. "Old Chen, what are you doing here?"

"I’m doing whatever you’re doing," Director Chen said breezily. As one of the industry’s old foxes, being well-informed was a necessary skill.