Fortunately, Chu Tian remained calm as he watched, showing little reaction, which greatly eased Cao Zheng's nerves.

In fact, the footage was indeed well shot. The script, from text to storyboard, was already very well-developed.

Anyone with a little understanding could shoot it. The only real question was how well it would be done.

Cao Zheng's personal skills were definitely not an issue, although the meticulously perfected storyboard design did restrict some of his personal flair.

However, it was evident he had poured significant effort into coaching the actors and directing the scenes. Plus, he had incorporated many small, creative touches of his own.

The plot content was largely similar to the original, but the props and costumes were far more exquisite, adding considerable value to the work.

Chu Tian then spent about seven or eight hours reviewing the material, sometimes fast-forwarding, sometimes focusing on specific segments. By the time darkness fell, he'd seen pretty much all he needed to.

"President Chu..."

"It's good, no problems. Director Cao, your abilities are indisputable. I believe if you maintain this standard, you can definitely create a masterpiece!"

Whether it would be a masterpiece or not, Cao Zheng didn't know. But as long as the boss was satisfied, that was what truly mattered. He wasn't some naive young man in his early twenties anymore. Years of navigating the industry had taught him to see through the complexities of human relationships. As for ideals and ambitions, those were concerns for another time. To make a living, one had to focus on what the boss wanted. Now that the boss was happy, everything was golden.

"Thank you for your support, President Chu. I will do my absolute best. I have high hopes for this series. It's definitely going to be a blockbuster."

Chu Tian neither confirmed nor denied Cao Zheng's enthusiastic words, nor did he say much else.

From his demeanor, Chu Tian had already discerned that this Cao Zheng was a sly old fox, very smooth, and thoroughly understood the ways of the world. His words? You could only take half of them seriously; the other half was best treated as amusement.

However, Chu Tian didn't care if Cao Zheng was being obsequious or if he was blindly lavishing praise to curry favor with him. In Chu Tian's view, as long as someone had talent and could produce good work, everything else was a minor detail.

"Alright, if you're not in a rush, let's call it a day here. Rest early. You need to preserve your energy to work better."

"Okay, President Chu. We're pretty much done here anyway; I was just about to wrap up."

"Mm, if anything comes up, you can call President Hou, or you can call me directly. If there's nothing else, I'll head back first."

"Rest assured, President Chu, I understand. Take care on your way out."

Leaving the film set, Chu Tian sighed in exasperation.

He'd only planned to stop by for a quick look, a mere formality, but it seemed his fate was to be constantly busy, never getting a moment's rest.

Why did I even bother looking at the footage? Wonderful. One look turned into several hours, and now it was pitch black outside.

It would take another hour or two by taxi to get to his place from here; who knew what time he'd actually get home.

It seemed he hadn't eaten dinner yet. While the crew had returned to the hotel for dinner, he was still hungry. He really should have known better than to rush off; he should have grabbed a meal first.

Standing at the entrance of the film and television base, Chu Tian stared at the ride-hailing app on his phone, which was stubbornly slow in finding a driver, and he grumbled inwardly again.

This godforsaken place made even hailing a cab difficult. It really seemed like it was time to buy a car.

Just as he was thinking this, his phone finally indicated a ride had been booked.

No romantic encounter, no stunning beauty out of a novel. Just a hulking Baldy. He spoke rather gently, which, deep in the night, was all the more unsettling.

「The next morning.」

As expected, he was late again. Chu Tian strolled leisurely into the studio. Everyone around was bustling about.

Just as he was about to enter the recording studio, he suddenly noticed the office was empty.

"Huh? President Xu isn't in today?"

He casually asked a nearby colleague, who replied without even looking up, "She came in, then left. She went to record a show."

Record a show? Where? Is she coming back?

"Where did she go to record a show? How come I didn't know?"

"Not sure. Star City, I think? I heard Sister Hua arranged it. It's a Lemon TV program. You should ask the operations department; they'll know."

"Alright, thanks!"

There was no need to ask. The mere thought of what happened the other night scared him. Xu Qingqiu seemed to know something. He always felt there was a hidden meaning in her words, as if she could see right through to his secrets, which was deeply unsettling.

Now, just like any regular employee, he was genuinely thrilled to hear the boss was away. He wished she would never come back—life would be so much more comfortable then.

Unfortunately, he was getting ahead of himself. Before he even reached the recording studio, his phone rang.

[Chu Tian, you didn't skip work today, did you?]

What the hell? She's away on a trip and still checking up on me?

[How could I? I'm a model employee, busy at the office right now!]

[Busy doing what?]

[I'm busy cleaning the instruments. They really need maintenance; they're all out of tune.]

[Like hell I believe you. I'll be in Star City recording a couple of shows these few days. Call me if you need anything.]

[Okay, got it!]

Call her? What for?

He was trying to avoid Xu Qingqiu right now. He'd much rather she came back later. Why would he be foolish enough to call her proactively? Was he looking for trouble?

Far away at the airport, Xu Qingqiu had no idea just how clueless this dense guy was. She stared at the reply on her phone, bit her lip, and seethed silently.

"Sister Qiu? Texting your Brother Tian again?"

Ever since Yiyi had called Chu Tian 'Brother Tian' that one time, Xu Qingqiu had been exceptionally jealous, constantly finding ways to mock Yiyi.

This gave Yiyi the perfect opening. With a mischievous grin, she began to fan the flames from the sidelines.

Xu Qingqiu rolled her eyes and shot Yiyi an annoyed look.

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