Director Liu looked at President Qi, but President Qi wasn’t taking the blame. "It wasn’t me who said it."

Director Chen patted President Qi’s shoulder. "That’s right, it wasn’t President Qi who told me."

President Qi said, "Director Chen, aren’t you protesting a bit too much? It really wasn’t me. I’m Director Liu’s investor now."

Director Liu snorted, but still had to get in a fighting word. "When the time comes, may the best man win."

Director Chen said nonchalantly, "You’re just being greedy. Your crew is still up and running, and Little Xie hasn’t even started directing yet, but you’ve already taken a script from Tang Li. When the time comes, you, his teacher, will definitely have to go help him."

"And you’re still this greedy?"

Director Liu retorted, "Can you ever have too much of a good thing? I can hoard them and shoot them slowly. What’s the rush?"

The group bantered back and forth as they walked briskly, but the overall atmosphere was still amicable. Of course, they were also curious: what kind of work had Tan You cooked up this time?

At that moment, Tan You was still in her office. When she heard she had visitors, she didn’t think much of it. But seeing the crowd that arrived with Ye Qian, she was a little puzzled. "You all... aren’t you filming? You all came?"

And they had all come, hadn’t they? The little group that had gathered for tea and a script reading last time was fully assembled, Director Chen included.

Director Liu was displeased. "His sources are too good. We ran into him the second we left the set."

Director Chen chuckled. "Aren’t I just curious about Li Zi’s script? It’s rare to see Li Zi struggle over one for so long. Seriously, all of Li Zi’s previous scripts came out so smoothly. You had just won your award, and the next thing you know, Li Zi had three scripts ready."

Ye Qian raised her hand obediently. "Director Liu overheard your phone call, so he was curious about the script too."

Tan You smiled. "It’s no big deal. Please, have a seat. I’ll print out the script."

She had contacted Ye Qian that morning. During the day, she had revised some of the logic and streamlined the dialogue. Now, Tan You had even more confidence in her work.

Five minutes later, the office was exceptionally quiet, a script in each person’s hands. Only Tan You wasn’t reading. Instead, she was in a corner of the office, absorbed in the art of tea.

Moments like this, brewing and savoring tea alone, were what best calmed Tan You’s mind. Old Zhou and President Qi sat across from her, watching in silence as she performed the tea ceremony with fluid grace.

Although they didn’t understand the intricacies, they had seen others perform the gongfu tea ceremony before, and the difference in skill was clear at a glance.

President Qi picked up the cup of tea Tan You had pushed toward him. "Li Zi’s tea ceremony is far superior to any of the tea masters I’ve ever seen. It’s more fluid, more Zen. There’s a greater sense of beauty in her every move."

Tan You replied, "You’re too kind. With tea, what matters most is that you enjoy it."

It hadn’t been a waste of all the effort she’d spent learning from Uncle Qiao back then. It had certainly taken a lot of her energy. ’Speaking of which, if I were ever transported to ancient times, could I rely on my tea skills to make a living?’

The scene in the office now was just like the one at Tan You’s home before: one group drinking tea, the other reading the script. Ye Qian was especially focused. This script was tailor-made for her by Tan You, so she had to savor and study every single word.

Tan You didn’t disturb them. After finishing a round of tea with Old Zhou and President Qi, Chairman Wang and Brother Chen also arrived. With this many people, they could have put together a table for mahjong, but unfortunately, Tan You herself wasn’t interested in such things.

Seeing that it was getting close to dinnertime, Tan You started to order food. Chairman Wang suggested, "Why don’t we go out to eat?"

Tan You glanced at the group engrossed in their scripts. "Do they look like they want to go out to eat?"

Chairman Wang thought for a moment and agreed. "You’re right. I’ll order the food, then. Does anyone have any dietary restrictions?"

Old Zhou felt a bit awkward. "I should be the one ordering..."

"Nonsense. It’s not often everyone comes to my company. Let me do the honors as the host." Chairman Wang was a silver-tongued man. After asking about everyone’s restrictions, he quickly decided on dinner for the evening.

Around nine o’clock, Director Liu finally put down the script. He took off his reading glasses, looked at Ye Qian, then back at Tan You. "Sometimes I really want to crack open your head just to see what’s inside. How can you possess such extraordinary talent?"

"However," he added, "your scene descriptions aren’t detailed enough this time. I’ll have to frame and shoot them myself."

Director Chen also put down his script. "Old Liu, you’ve got some nerve. Li Zi hasn’t even agreed to let you direct it yet. It’s not like I can’t do it. Besides, we have to be fair. You’ve already gotten two scripts from Li Zi, and I’ve only gotten one."

Tan You said, "The script isn’t finished yet. I still need to polish it carefully. We’ll see when the time comes. You’re both very busy; you probably won’t be able to find the time to shoot this anyway."

Director Liu tapped the arm of the sofa. "If things go quickly on my end, I can start production as early as March of next year..."

Director Chen cut in, "What about your student? Aren’t you going to look after him?"

Director Liu said, "Little Xie still has a lot to learn. He won’t start shooting the script he has for another two or three years."

Frustrated, Director Chen turned to Tan You. "Li Zi, you can’t play favorites."

Tan You smiled. "The human heart is naturally biased. I’m honored that you both want to direct this. But as Director Liu mentioned, Director Chen, don’t you have a big project to focus on next year? Besides, Ye Qian can’t wait that long."

Director Chen pouted but ultimately said nothing. He could only blame Old Liu for being too quick on the draw. That man was only concerned with shooting movies and nothing else—so greedy, always taking more than his share!

Ye Qian had also put down her script by now. Her eyes were a little red, but they shone with a special light. Tan You knew at a glance that this role had struck a deep chord with Ye Qian.

Tan You smiled. "I won’t let you take the script with you. For now, focus on Director Liu’s film. Besides, I still need to polish the script. I think there are many parts that still need careful consideration."

Ye Qian was reluctant to part with it, but she knew her primary task right now was to finish Director Liu’s movie. "I know. I’ll focus on shooting my current scenes well."

Brother Chen smiled and called out to everyone, "Let’s eat. None of you have had dinner; you started reading the script the moment you arrived and haven’t stopped."

You Li sat down at the large conference table in Tan You’s office. "I’m having the same thought as Director Liu right now. Li Zi, how in the world is your brain wired? I really want to crack it open and have a look."

"If you cracked it open, you’d find the same thing as in yours—brain matter," Tan You said calmly. "Besides, we’ve worked together several times now. Are you really still having such bloody thoughts?"

Director Liu gently poked Tan You’s head. "You... that talent of yours is truly enviable."

’I’ve seen and experienced so much,’ Tan You thought to herself. ’It’s only natural that I’d have some talent. Otherwise, wouldn’t all my experiences in those other mission worlds have been for nothing?’

"This is the only area where I have some talent. If you asked me to direct, I wouldn’t be able to do a good job." Tan You was aware of her shortcomings. Although she had studied film production before, a weak point was a weak point. The scenes she shot were truly mediocre.

With the exception of shooting portraits, of course.