’This old woman always has a comeback for me,’ Li Lanzhen thought. ’She used to go on and on about how "life is about movement," but now it’s "life is about stillness"?’

But she didn’t dare to openly oppose the old woman. After all, she was living in Tang Li’s house. And Tang Li was close with her grandparents, while treating her, her own mother, with plain indifference.

The thought made Li Lanzhen’s resentment flare up. She had gone through the hardship of childbirth, only to bring a little debt collector into the world. From a young age, Tang Li had been close with her grandparents and rarely showed any affection for her own mother.

Li Lanzhen never stopped to think that if she hadn’t shown favoritism first, Tang Li might not have become so cold toward her. But some people never look for reasons within themselves; it’s always someone else’s fault.

The old woman saw Li Lanzhen’s sullen face but paid her no mind. Regardless of what Li Lanzhen thought, this was the Tang family’s house. It was perfectly natural for her and her husband to live here, and Li Lanzhen wouldn’t have the audacity to try and kick them out.

At this thought, the old woman couldn’t help but sigh. They always say you should marry a virtuous woman. She had no idea what on earth her son had seen in Li Lanzhen to be so desperate to be with her.

Fortunately, her son hadn’t completely lost his head over love; he still knew how to protect his family’s interests. If one had to name Li Lanzhen’s greatest contribution, it would be giving the Tang family such an outstanding granddaughter in Tang Li. As for anything else... the old woman sighed.

’Oh well, my son has been gone for so many years now.’ The memory still made her emotional.

While Li Lanzhen and the two Tang family elders were engaged in a battle of wits, Tan You’s work was proceeding very smoothly. It would have been even more relaxing if You Li and the award-winning actor, Xie, didn’t constantly find her to discuss the script.

"Director Tang, there’s something I don’t understand... Why do you think the character is so calm when facing death?" A bottle of water was held out to her, and then the award-winning actor, Xie, sat down beside Tan You.

Tan You couldn’t help but sigh. She glanced over at You Li, who was already looking their way. "Mr. You Li, do you have something to add?"

’They’re really seizing every possible opportunity,’ she thought. ’Even during a ten-minute break, they have to corner me to discuss the script.’

You Li walked over. "That’s right. Little Xie and I were discussing it for a long time last night. Director Tang, when you were writing... I mean, when your *friend* was writing this part, why did they choose this particular phrasing?"

Tan You rolled her eyes. ’He might as well have come right out and said I wrote the script. It must’ve been difficult for the veteran actor to stop himself when the words were right on the tip of his tongue.’

Though she wasn’t sure what to say to that, Tan You had no choice but to explain. After all, she was the one who’d watched countless film analyses in the past.

"My... my friend’s thinking is that no matter how much splendor and excitement you experience, you eventually have to return to a state of peace and solitude. The protagonist has been through so much; he’s already seen and owned everything there is to see and own."

"Besides, he endured countless hardships and heartaches on his path to revenge. He has nothing left to lose and no longer possesses anything. That’s why he can face death with such tranquility."

Hearing Tan You’s little slip of the tongue, You Li and Xie Yunzhi exchanged a look, each understanding what the other was thinking. Since the screenwriter herself wasn’t admitting to it, there was no need for them to call her out, was there?

After finally sending the two actors on their way, Tan You leaned back lazily in her lounge chair. Come to think of it, her job as an on-set supervisor wasn’t all that tiring. The director and production coordinator handled all the arrangements; she just needed to ensure the project stayed on the right track.

The director ambled over and sat down beside Tan You. "This show is going to be a massive hit the moment it airs."

Tan You twisted open the bottle of water Xie Yunzhi had given her and took a sip. "That confident?"

"Of course. My confidence is in you, Director Tang. With your concept and these stars on board, it’s a guaranteed blockbuster. Plus, our show is one-of-a-kind. Just watching the scenes unfold gives you a sense of serene, timeless beauty."

"Compared to all those intellectually demanding, childish, or heavily scripted variety shows out there, ours is a real breath of fresh air."

Tan You said, "You forgot something—the hard work of the entire crew. Did Chairman Wang mention a pay raise to everyone?"

The director replied, "He did. It’s true everyone is tired, but as long as our hard work is rewarded with a raise, we all feel it’s worth it."

Tan You smiled. "That’s good to hear. Let’s all work together to finish this show. Then we can say we’re the team behind a blockbuster."

The director rubbed his hands together eagerly. "So, Director Tang, will you be personally spearheading the concept for next season as well?"

Tan You thought for a moment. "We’ll see. I’m not a huge fan of doing the same thing over and over. I might have a different idea by then. In any case, let’s focus on completing this season first."

"That’s true," the director said. "We’ve already covered two forms of intangible cultural heritage. Our country has so many of them, enough for plenty of future episodes."

Tan You replied, "There’s a lot of talent out there; new ideas are always emerging. And if we can make a show about cultural heritage, so can other people. I bet by the time we’re filming season two, other crews will have already jumped on the bandwagon. Copycats are everywhere."

The director sighed. "It’s so hard to find a good creative planner these days. So, Director Tang, what do you want to do for your next show? You’ve got our entire crew at your disposal."

Tan You glanced up. "You have that much faith in me? I recall you being quite picky, Director."

"Hah, I’m just trying to get on your good side ahead of time," the director said frankly. "Director Tang, you’ve always been incredibly capable. I had never worked with you before, but now I see just how experienced you are at leading a team."

"And a genius brain," the producer chimed in. It was impossible to tell how long he’d been listening. "Director Tang, when you come up with your next idea, you absolutely have to call me. Working with you is a dream."

Tan You smiled, neither agreeing nor refusing outright. "Let’s talk about it once a new concept is ready. For now, let’s focus on making this show the best it can be."

Ning Yao sat a short distance away, listening to the conversation. A slight smile touched her lips when she heard the cheerful parts. To be honest, she and Tang Li had barely ever spoken. The fact that Tang Li had handpicked her to be a regular on this show still felt incredible to Ning Yao.

Later, when she found out that the award-winning actor, Xie, and You Li were joining the cast, Ning Yao had been left speechless. Everyone was speculating back then: would she, the personally appointed female guest, be dropped? Even her agent had urged her to go suck up to Tan You and make her presence known.

But Ning Yao had refused. She believed there was a reason the Director had chosen her. Furthermore, Ning Yao was confident that if that person truly saw her value, they wouldn’t cast her aside so easily.

As it turned out, her gamble paid off. It just went to show that even if someone seemed zen and passive, it didn’t mean they were stupid.

Musing on this, Ning Yao lowered her head and looked over her materials again. This was their third location. The theme for the first season was the Silk Road, which, as the name implied, involved all sorts of projects related to its history and culture.