"Just thinking about it makes me feel so incredibly satisfied." Sister Li let out a long breath. "I’ve been so pent-up these last few days."

"But I never expected we’d be nominated for thirteen major awards. It’s no exaggeration to say we’re sweeping the nominations, right?"

Tan You smiled. "It’s no exaggeration. I have confidence in our work. You’ve worked hard, having to play nice with all those people back home. It must have been exhausting, right?"

Sister Li sighed wistfully. "I’m not the least bit tired now. I just wish I could laugh out loud right in their faces. It’s a shame I couldn’t see the looks on their faces. I bet they were pale as a ghost."

"Perhaps," Tan You said. "But what does that have to do with us? Since they wouldn’t give us any cake, we had to bake our own. It’s obvious to everyone who’s lost face now, even if I don’t say a word."

"Alright, let’s tone down the gloating. No matter how excited you are, we need to stay in top form for the next couple of days." After a moment of celebration, Sister Li’s rational side took over.

Everyone agreed in unison, their faces wreathed in smiles.

"You absolutely have to make an appearance at the awards ceremony," Sister Li said. "You’re the screenwriter, how could you not show up? On that note, the qipaos you ordered arrived. I brought all of them with me."

"Oh, and Teacher Zhang, we’ll be counting on you to put extra care into everyone’s styling."

The stylist nodded eagerly. "Don’t you worry, Sister Li. I guarantee I’ll have everyone looking gorgeous. You know, after we get back, I’m going to have to raise my rates. And it’s all thanks to you guys."

"I have complete faith in your aesthetic," Tan You said. "Teacher Zhang, your styling skills are second to none. You always manage to find a person’s best feature and amplify it."

The stylist was overjoyed. "Sister Wen, you really get me. It’s just a shame you’re so perfect that my skills have almost nowhere to shine."

While the team celebrated the nominations, the entertainment industry back home exploded, just as they’d expected. Countless people follow the international film festival every year. The more everyone had denigrated the film *Prison Tyrant*, the more severe the backlash was now.

The company presidents, in particular, were flooded with calls. The gist was always the same: Why could a film like *Prison Tyrant* earn so many nominations internationally when it came up completely empty-handed at home?

Even if the investors wanted to stir up trouble, they were being warned not to take things too far and not to overreach. The usually arrogant financiers could only meekly agree, all their previous imperious attitude gone.

If the investors were getting a talking-to from above, the celebrities and artists within the industry were going wild. They couldn’t help but imagine themselves in that position. ’If I had taken a role in that film, would I be the one getting nominated right now?’

In an instant, the phones of Sister Li and the rest of the crew were ringing off the hook. Even Director Qi was getting contacted by countless people. Other directors were subtly inquiring if Tan You had any more scripts, while investors were eager to get a piece of the pie.

As for Hu Yi, Wei Wei, and Wan Yi, they were also being contacted by innumerable artists, agents, and directors. And even over the phone, the group could sense the raw jealousy in their voices.

While everyone was frantically answering calls, Tan You’s corner of the world remained perfectly serene. Not many people in the industry had her number—just a few company presidents, and they were too ashamed to contact her.

As for the other artists and directors, Tan You rarely interacted with them anyway. So, the person who should have been at the center of the storm was, for the moment, enjoying the most peace and quiet.

Sister Li finally got off the phone with an investor. She set her phone down and rubbed her cheeks, which were stiff from smiling. "Now I finally understand what people mean when they say their hand goes numb from answering calls."

Hu Yi collapsed onto the sofa. "Me too. I’ve gotten so many calls, and my message notifications are all at 99+. I can’t possibly read them all."

Wei Wei and Wan Yi gave a wry smile. "We know the feeling."

Director Qi put down his phone as well, came over, and picked up the teacup across from Tan You. He downed it in a few gulps. "Not bad tea. It even tastes sweet."

Tan You chuckled. "That’s because you’re in a good mood."

Director Qi leaned forward slightly. "Old Qi—my dad, that is—wants to ask you for a script."

Tan You raised an eyebrow. "Old Qi is on good terms with President Yang. Did President Yang put your dad up to this?"

Director Qi knew he couldn’t hide it from her. "I knew you’d figure it out. That’s part of it, but Old Qi is genuinely tempted too. He’s not looking to win an award; he’d be thrilled just to get nominated."

"Whether it gets nominated isn’t up to me," Tan You said. "I can only guarantee the script will be no worse than ours was."

Director Qi coughed. "It sounds like you have more than one script on hand?"

Tan You just smiled and sipped her tea, saying nothing. Director Qi wiped a hand over his face. "Let me see them first. I want to pick the best one."

"There is no ’best,’ only ’better.’ And the best is always the next one." Tan You didn’t deny his suspicion, and the suite suddenly erupted in excitement.

Wan Yi was the most impulsive. He lunged forward and hugged Tan You’s leg. "Sister Wen, I want to be the male lead! Wei Wei got nominated for Best Actor, and I’m just a supporting actor..."

Hu Yi, for once not trying to stir things up, chimed in, "Sister Wen, I’m not picky! Even a small role would be fine!"

Tan You shook her head and glanced at Sister Li. "Sister Li, could you get the scripts from the second drawer of my nightstand?"

Sister Li was just as surprised. She got up and walked toward the bedroom. "Haven’t you been busy this whole time you’ve been abroad? Where did you find the time to write scripts?"

Tan You scratched her cheek. "I was busy a few days ago, but I’ve had the last couple of days free. Besides, I’ve been outlining these for a while. I figured I’d write them out while I had the chance, since I won’t have much time later."

She had an excellent memory, so transcribing movies she had once seen was, frankly, a test of her writing fundamentals. But Tan You had excelled in the liberal arts and had a knack for elegant phrasing, so turning them into scripts was simply a matter of time.

After all, describing a picture is always easier than creating something from nothing.

As she spoke, Sister Li brought out several file folders. Director Qi’s eyes widened. "Three scripts? Does your inspiration never run dry?"

Tan You answered vaguely, "It’s manageable. See which one you like, and we can film the others later. I’ll let Old Qi take his pick. See which one he’d prefer."

Director Qi said, "Old Qi is a glutton. I bet he’ll want all of them."

Hu Yi reached out a hand, then hesitated. "Sister Wen, can we look at them?"

"Go ahead if you want," Tan You said. "Just don’t go blabbing about them when you leave here."

Hu Yi snatched the one on top. "I promise I won’t say a word! Director, I want to read..."

Director Qi happened to have grabbed the same top script, and the two began to squabble over it. Hu Yi blinked, trying to use her charm to win him over, but unfortunately, Director Qi wasn’t falling for it.