"It’s unfair to you to compare you with Film Emperor Xie and Teacher You Li."

Ye Qian acknowledged with an "Oh." "That’s why I need to work even harder on my acting. I can’t disappoint Director Tang."

Chatting along the way, they soon arrived at the company, where a grand celebration party awaited them. Chairman Wang touched the Best Album trophy with something akin to reverence. "What are your plans for it? Are you going to keep it for yourselves...?"

Tang Li said, "I’m definitely keeping mine for my personal collection. As for Teacher Liang’s..."

Old Liang was perfectly calm. "Let’s put mine in the company’s recording studio. That way, I can see it anytime."

He glanced at Chairman Wang as he spoke. "Why are you so worked up? I don’t recall you being this excited when Li Zi won for Best Screenplay."

A nearby shareholder chuckled. "That was Li Zi’s personal achievement; the company didn’t have much of a hand in it. But for this trophy, the company genuinely put in a great deal of effort, so naturally, it feels different."

Tang Li lowered her gaze and smiled. When she looked up again, her smile was radiant. "It’s getting late, isn’t it? I have work tomorrow."

Everyone exchanged glances. ’It’ll be dawn in just a few hours, and she’s already thinking about work?’ No wonder she was so successful. It was a classic case of Director Tang eating the meat while the company got to drink the soup.

"Let’s wrap it up, everyone, party’s over! Li Zi, you pulled an all-nighter today, why don’t you take a few days off? Didn’t I hear that Ye Qian’s new movie is about to start shooting?"

The shareholders were now even more attentive than Tang Li. Who could blame them? The company had invested in this movie, and Ye Qian was one of their artists. When there was money to be made, of course they would treat it with the utmost seriousness.

Tang Li thought about it and agreed. "Alright, I’ll take a couple of days off. Just let me know when Ye Qian reports to the set."

"Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you’re notified."

Chairman Wang seized the opportunity to speak. "Shall I give you a ride home? I haven’t been drinking."

Tang Li glanced at her phone. "That’s alright, thank you. I have a ride coming."

"Okay then, take care, Director Tang."

"Get some good rest when you get home, Director."

Wang Mingyu watched Tang Li exchange pleasantries as she left the banquet hall, and he downed a mouthful of wine, stifling his frustration. A shareholder patted his shoulder. "Just let it go. Now that she’s found someone, be a man about it and offer your sincere blessings."

Wang Mingyu shot the shareholder a sideways glance. "Oh, so you know all about it?"

The man chuckled. "Is there anyone in this company who *doesn’t* know how you feel? But since she’s clearly moved on, we can’t be the kind of people who do something unethical."

"To be honest, any man who meets a woman like her is going to fall for her. If my own son weren’t still in high school, I’d want to snatch her up for him. She has character, principles, talent, and capability."

"My only regret is that my son wasn’t born a few years earlier."

Several other shareholders chimed in. "Isn’t that the truth? Every time I see her, I feel a pang of regret. Why isn’t such an outstanding woman in my family? Failing that, even a daughter-in-law would do! But alas, someone else beat us to the punch."

"There are too many people with a discerning eye these days."

"Look, Wang, when it’s time to give up, you have to give up. She told you back then that she couldn’t accept your kind of lifestyle, and it turns out she was spot on, wasn’t she? Why not just go back to your old, carefree ways?"

Their attempts at persuasion began to irritate Wang Mingyu. "I’m heading out. My driver’s waiting downstairs."

In the car, Tang Li yawned. "It’ll be dawn in two hours, and you still came to pick me up. Shouldn’t you be catching up on rest? Didn’t you just get back from a business trip?"

Wen Xiao said, "I just landed. It was a sudden business trip. I thought I’d get you home first and then deal with the jet lag. That way, we can rest together. Besides, I’d be worried about you driving yourself home at this hour."

Tang Li smiled. "What’s there to worry about? I didn’t drink."

Wen Xiao said seriously, "That doesn’t make a difference. Grandpa Tang told me you went to the company early this morning. You’ve basically pulled an all-nighter. Driving while fatigued is out of the question."

Tang Li let out another yawn. "Okay, okay, you’re right."

Wen Xiao handed her a brocade box. "I saw the news that you won as soon as I landed. Congratulations. This is for you."

Tang Li was suddenly wide awake. "And what if I hadn’t won? Would there be no gift then?"

"Of course not. I bought the gift when I was abroad. I would have brought you a gift whether you won or not," Wen Xiao smiled. "It’s nothing too expensive. I just saw it and thought it would suit you, so I bought it."

Tang Li opened the brocade box. Inside was a bracelet. The design was simple and elegant, and Tang Li loved it at first sight.

"The company gave me a few days off. I’m planning to make a trip back to my hometown. I heard my mom had a baby boy, so I should go back and see them." Her expression softened as she spoke. "Do you want to come?"

Wen Xiao’s heart suddenly hammered in his chest. They were both adults; the meaning of her invitation was clear without being spelled out.

"Of course I want to go. I’d be honored to see the place where you grew up." He toyed with Tang Li’s hand. "I thought I’d have to wait a lot longer for this."

"Do you think I’m an irresponsible person?" Tang Li leaned against the car window. "I’ve just been so busy lately. And another reason is... just now, when I saw you, I suddenly felt completely at ease."

"In the past, only my grandpa and grandma made me feel this way. But just now, I suddenly felt that having you here is really nice. You make me feel incredibly secure."

Wen Xiao didn’t ask why she hadn’t felt secure before. There was no need. If you insisted on digging into the root of every little thing, even the strongest relationship couldn’t withstand that kind of pressure.

No one in the Tang family or the Wen family objected to Tang Li taking Wen Xiao back to her hometown. Wen Xiao’s mother, in particular, patted her chest in assurance. "Li Zi, you just go ahead. We’ll let Wen Xiao’s father handle the company. This is a perfect chance for you two to get some proper rest."

Wen Xiao’s dad promised, "You go ahead and go back with Li Zi. Don’t you worry about a thing with the family or the company. Your old dad may be retired, but handling this stuff is still second nature to me."

Listening to the supportive tag-teaming of Wen Xiao’s parents, Tang Li couldn’t help but find it amusing. "Just how worried are you, Uncle and Auntie? It’s as if you’re afraid I’ll run away."

"What do you think? Of course they’re afraid you’ll run away," Wen Xiao said, a corner of his mouth twitching. "It’s not every day someone is blind enough to fall for their son. They wished they could have sent me off with gongs and drums the moment we got together. Now they’re even more terrified you’ll dump me."

What he said put Tang Li in an excellent mood. "Relax, what you’re worried about isn’t going to happen."

Wen Xiao leaned his head on Tang Li’s shoulder. "For real?"

"It’s true. Truer than gold," Tang Li said, scratching his chin. "Get some sleep. In my opinion, we could just go tomorrow. It’s not like I’m short on vacation days."

"No, that won’t work. Strike while the iron is hot." Wen Xiao’s eyes snapped open. They had left Tang Li’s company in the morning, gone home to pack a few things, and immediately set out for City A. Aside from a short rest in the car, they had been on the move the entire time.

He was exhausted, there was no doubt about it. But as long as Tang Li was by his side, Wen Xiao felt he could keep going.