Tan You: "You’re not wrong. I’m really not interested in romance. I’d much rather watch people build their careers. These days, the only things you can truly count on are your money and your career."

"Especially when it comes to feelings. Even the bonds of family aren’t always pure, so romantic love is even more difficult."

Ye Qian gave a bitter smile. "Yes, I’m only now realizing that you can’t force a relationship. It’s a lesson I didn’t learn until after my divorce. But I learned it too late. If I hadn’t been so focused on getting married and having children back then, perhaps my life would be completely different now."

Ning Yao asked curiously, "Do you regret it?"

"I have regrets, but I don’t regret my decision," Ye Qian said after a moment of thought. "My marriage may have been a complete mess, but I gained something from it. I have a wonderful daughter."

"I won’t completely erase my past. No matter what, it’s part of my life’s journey. Everyone faces setbacks; life can’t always be smooth sailing. And in a way, I’m grateful. At least I got out early and wasn’t stuck in that mess for years."

"It’s not too late for me to start over now."

Tan You smiled. "Accepting life’s imperfections and setbacks... I’m starting to admire you more and more."

Ye Qian said, "That’s why I’m focusing on my career now. Director Hu, can I really audition?"

"Of course," Director Hu said magnanimously. "My only worry is that once you land a role in Director Liu’s production, you’ll be too good for ours."

"As if!" Ye Qian laughed. "This is Li Zi’s script. I wouldn’t miss it for the world."

The filming of the slow-paced variety show went smoothly. The guests all knew one another, so they got along naturally. The rhythm of working from sunrise to sunset created a poetic and picturesque atmosphere, even for those just observing.

Director Hu watched the monitor. "Honestly, every variety show I film with you is so relaxing. It rarely gives people that feeling of anxiety and unease."

Tan You said calmly, "Life is tiring enough as it is. There’s really no need to pass that kind of anxiety on to the audience. Letting everyone relax after a busy day is the whole point of this show."

Director Hu changed the subject abruptly. "So you’re really planning to have Ye Qian play a villainess? That’s not an easy role to pull off. And her face... to be blunt, it would be hard for her to look convincing as a villainess."

"I think you’re stuck on the stereotype of what a villainess should be," Tan You said, leaning back in her recliner. "I have a lot of faith in her. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see."

Director Hu said, "Alright, I’ll be waiting. But are you planning to have Director Liu direct this one too? Will he even have the time?"

"There’s no rush. It won’t be happening anytime soon," Tan You said, tapping the armrest of her recliner. "Director Liu hasn’t even started filming yet, you’re still shooting this slow-paced show, and then you have a TV series after that. She won’t have the time to spare anyway."

"Which gives me time to slowly hash it out."

Previously, Tan You’s writing process was like a simple ’describe the picture’ exercise. But after seeing so much, she began to develop her own ideas. Now, she wanted to translate those ideas into words, a task that naturally involved a significant amount of work.

Director Hu wasn’t in a hurry either. "Alright, take your time with it. If you’re looking for a director down the line, you can always ask me."

Tan You retorted, "Why don’t you focus on finishing your sweet romance drama first?"

’Are all directors like this? Do they try to snatch up every script they see?’

Director Hu protested, "Well, that’s because your reputation precedes you! Look at how cool and aloof other directors are. People are always begging to work with them. You’re a famous screenwriter now. By the way, you still haven’t let me get a look at that award of yours."

Tan You said, "It’s nothing special to look at. That’s past glory. What’s better is always ahead."

Director Hu lowered his voice conspiratorially. "So, Director Liu and Director Chen both have scripts from you. Do you think we’ll see a clash of the titans next year?"

Tan You was unfazed. "Even if it’s a clash of the titans, I’ll still be the biggest winner in the end."

Ning Yao whispered to Ye Qian, "Doesn’t Li Zi seem especially charismatic right now?"

Ye Qian nodded. "Mhm, she’s always been incredibly charismatic."

After filming for the slow-paced variety show wrapped up, Tan You returned to her hometown. She didn’t have any other work lined up. She was now a shareholder, after all, and had already blown past her KPIs for the year, so Tan You could afford to take a break.

Besides, the company was completely swamped. Director Hu’s slow-paced show was in post-production, the director of the childcare show and Xu Dongzhi were busy recording a music competition for professional singers, and the company was unwilling to give up the idea for a music show featuring crossover artists, so they bit the bullet and put together yet another production team.

Of course, people had asked Tan You if she wanted to get involved, but she refused every time. ’It’s Xu Dongzhi’s idea. How would it look if I interfered?’ Besides, Tan You genuinely wanted to take a break.

She had been working non-stop ever since she’d arrived. On top of that, she had to deal with the Li family’s scheming. To be honest, Tan You was exhausted.

Back in her hometown, her grandparents from the Tang family were the happiest to see her. After Li Lanzhen moved out of Tang Li’s house, the elderly couple had moved back into their own home, though they still came by to check on Tang Li’s place from time to time.

"Has your mother contacted you recently?" her grandmother asked during dinner.

Tan You just smiled. "No. As long as the money hits her account each month, she has no reason to contact me."

"What kind of mother acts like that?" her grandmother said, displeased. "You’re out there working so hard, and she doesn’t even ask how you are."

Her grandmother didn’t say more. After all, she couldn’t bring herself to speak ill of people behind their backs.

Tan You said, "She’s basically a distant relative to me, so why would I be angry? By my count, she and Sun Zhicai have been dating for a few months now. Have they mentioned any future plans?"

Her grandmother replied, "I’ve seen her from a distance. She seems to be doing well. But with someone like her, isn’t she just going to be a disaster for whomever she ends up with? What if the Li family latches onto him..."

Tan You replied unhurriedly, "Sun Zhicai is no pushover. Even if the Li family wants to mooch off him, it’s up to him whether he’ll allow it. Besides, her reputation for spoiling her family rotten is well-known around here. How could Sun Zhicai not be aware of it?"

Her grandmother considered this and agreed. "Still, it must be hard on you. If your own mother remarries, you’ll only have us left."

"I’m not sad at all," Tan You said, amused. "In fact, I’ll be relieved if she remarries. If she has another child or two, I’ll just be happy for her." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Sun Zhicai has made plenty of money over the years. It’s enough for her to live comfortably for the rest of her life."

Although she’d previously suspected something fishy about the disappearance of Sun Zhicai’s ex-wife, Tan You had investigated and confirmed that he wasn’t a suspect. ’It just goes to show you can’t always judge a person by their appearance,’ she thought. It was another lesson for her: judging a book by its cover was truly wrong.

Grandfather Tang spoke up as well. "It’s good that she’s remarrying. She won’t be our daughter-in-law anymore, which will save you a lot of trouble. And to be honest, she was never very filial to us anyway."