They had already encountered cloud brocade and Su embroidery at the first two stops. Now, they were on to the third: Kesi silk tapestry. Reading the introduction to Kesi, Ning Yao couldn’t help but sigh.

After the first two stops, neither You Li nor Xie Yunzhi had been able to get the hang of the crafts, and in the end, they had to rely on her. ’So is that why the director chose me? Because I’m reasonably good with my hands?’

Xie Yunzhi glanced at Ning Yao, then at You Li, and suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Once this show airs, Teacher You and I are going to look like total deadbeats. All the show’s highlight reels will be thanks to Teacher Ning."

Ning Yao smiled. "It’s not that bad. You two just aren’t big on handicrafts. I’m the one who’s not good at communicating with people. You two are always the ones to step forward. I was afraid I was holding everyone back."

You Li chuckled. "How could that be? To be honest, I was a little nervous when I first signed on for this show. We may know how to act, but we’re definitely not what you’d call dexterous. And with our theme being the Silk Road, asking Little Xie and me to do embroidery... we really couldn’t handle it."

"Thankfully, not everything is related to silk. There are other projects later on. Little Xie and I should be able to make ourselves useful then."

Xie Yunzhi added, "But seriously, filming this show is really comfortable."

You Li replied, "How could it not be? It’s like being on vacation. The director is calling for us. Let’s finish filming and wrap up for the day."

While the cast was filming, Tan You usually wasn’t involved. Of course, that didn’t mean she was idle. As the head of her company’s planning department, she had to constantly produce new material.

Just because one project was up and running didn’t mean she could rest. On the contrary, she had to prepare for the next one. After all, with so many people waiting to climb the ladder, the moment you slacked off, someone would be eyeing your position.

After watching the shoot for a bit, Tan You found a spot to sit down and continued to scribble in her notebook. Seeing her engrossed in her planning, the staff subconsciously gave her a wide berth, leaving her in peace.

Even while busy with work, Tan You kept an eye on Fang Xiang’s side of things. He had returned in defeat, but Tan You didn’t believe a professional con artist like him would give up so easily. They would find a way, any way, to achieve their goals.

’And this has nothing to do with romance. It’s just that they can’t accept their failure... or maybe they don’t want to ruin their reputation in the business?’

Sure enough, over the next month, Tan You encountered four different men, one after another. There was the gentle type, the refined type, the cool-and-handsome type, and even the aloof, untouchable "flower on a high peak" type.

If Tan You hadn’t already seen the transaction records between these men and Fang Xiang, courtesy of 021, she might have actually thought she was some kind of irresistible charmer, with every man ready to fall at her feet.

The film crew, for their part, had gone from initial shock to calm acceptance. Now, they even gathered around with popcorn, eager to see what style of man would try to approach Tan You next.

One of the script supervisors counted on their fingers. "That gentle type last time was great. When he smiled at you, I wanted to just rip my heart out and give it to him."

"The cool-and-handsome one wasn’t bad either. Talk about a height difference!"

"And what about the aloof one? He only ever showed a tiny shred of gentleness when he was facing our director."

"Speaking of which, Fang Xiang from our company wasn’t bad either, the younger, ’little puppy’ type..."

"Tsk, tsk. Director Tang has already unlocked so many types in her collection of suitors."

"Too bad our director has a heart of stone and won’t give any of them a chance."

It wasn’t just the crew gossiping; Xie Yunzhi, You Li, and Ning Yao were curious too. During a rare moment when they were all gathered around a stove for warmth, the director asked curiously, "With so many suitors, is there really not a single one you like?"

Tan You looked up. Every single person there had their ears pricked, desperate to hear the latest gossip firsthand.

"I’d say I’m only a six out of ten in the looks department," Tan You said, prodding a beef bone on the grill. "My personality isn’t the gentle and kind type, either. And when it comes to work, I’m decisive and I never dither."

"Having so many people pursue me doesn’t satisfy my vanity," she said, her eyes narrowing. "On the contrary, it just makes me more vigilant. If someone suddenly appears in my life and seems to be a perfect match for me, my first reaction isn’t that I’ve met my soulmate."

"Instead, I wonder if they’ve been plotting against me all along. After all, there are plenty of people like that out there. I may not be fabulously wealthy, but I’m comfortably well-off."

"Besides, their gazes aren’t pure. I can tell real, genuine feelings from a person’s eyes. And it’s very clear that none of these men have them."

The director was silent for a moment. "You’re not wrong to think that way, but are you really not tempted at all? With so many different types of men, you’re telling me you don’t feel even a flicker of interest?"

"I have absolutely no interest in love," Tan You said, flipping the beef bone. "Love and affection don’t bring me any tangible benefits. On the contrary, they would consume a lot of my time, and I’m extremely unwilling to waste my energy on other people."

"It’s hard enough for me to manage my work and take care of my family. Why should I go worrying about someone else?"

"Besides, it’s already hard enough for women in the workplace. I’m not about to let these things jeopardize the career I’ve worked so hard to build."

Xie Yunzhi summed it up: "So when everyone says you have a heart of stone, they’re not wrong at all."

Tan You laughed too. "I don’t care what anyone thinks. Just because someone expresses interest in me doesn’t mean I have to accept it. Besides, their intentions aren’t pure. I know exactly what they’re trying to get from me."

You Li seemed to be catching on. "You know, there used to be gangs like that back in the day, called ’romance scammers.’ After choosing a target, they’d find out everything about their preferences and then approach them with a tailored strategy."

"We’re in a new era now, so you see fewer of them out in the open, but most have just gone underground. It looks to me like that’s who you’ve run into."

Tan You snapped her fingers. "Teacher You really is worldly-wise."

The director asked, "So how did you get targeted by them?"

Tan You answered vaguely, "It’s just about material possessions, nothing too difficult to talk about. Once filming for the show is over, I’ll have the time to deal with them."

"For now, I’ll just let them have their fun."

You Li shook his head. "So you’ve just been treating this whole thing as a show to watch?"

"Not exactly watching a show," Tan You said, shaking her head. "I never underestimate an enemy. I just want to see how far they’re willing to go. After all, this is my first time dealing with people like this. I might as well learn something from it. Wouldn’t it be boring to expose them right away?"

You Li advised, "This kind of group has connections with all sorts of shady characters. You need to be careful. Some of them play dirty. If you can take care of this, you should do it sooner rather than later."

He was usually the type to keep to himself to stay out of trouble, but he felt a certain rapport with Tan You, which was why he had said so much.

Tan You chuckled softly. "I know. Thank you for the advice, Teacher You."