Tan You wasn’t exactly incapable of building a team. She’d personally led teams back when she ran her own entertainment company. But then again, she wasn’t the boss anymore, so there was no need for her to handle every little thing herself.

Besides, the company was only paying her a director’s salary.

Right now, Tan You’s task was to persuade two highly reputable celebrities in the industry to join. One was the evergreen veteran, You Li, and the other was the "Triple Crown" Film Emperor, Xie Yunzhi.

This Film Emperor Xie was said to be extremely low-profile. Aside from seeing him on the big screen, it was impossible to find him in any interviews, variety shows, or the like. It took Tan You a great deal of effort to invite him.

As for the veteran You Li, he was even harder to get. But after Tan You brought out an award-winning script, she managed to secure both of them. At that point, the show’s production team hadn’t even been assembled yet.

The show’s director stammered, "Wait, Director Tang, how did you move so fast? It’s only been two days, right?"

Tan You gave a faint smile. "Better early than late. I’ve already locked in the artists’ schedules, Director Hu. You can’t drop the ball on me now."

Director Hu gave a dry laugh. "Of course, Sister Li, don’t you worry. After all you’ve done, it’s not like we’re completely hopeless. We’ll definitely keep up with you."

Tan You raised an eyebrow slightly. "You’d better be. I’m heading back to my office. Director Hu, contact me if anything comes up."

As soon as Tan You left, Director Hu let out a sigh of relief. "You know, Tang Li never used to be this intimidating. What’s gotten into her? Just looking at her is nerve-wracking."

"How did she even get those two?"

"How did you manage it? Those two are notoriously difficult to book." In his office, her direct superior, President Wang, personally poured Tan You a cup of tea, not bothering to hide his curiosity.

His sources were naturally excellent; he knew about the contracts the moment Tan You got them signed. So as soon as she returned to her office, he sauntered over.

"You just have to entice them with the right benefits," Tan You said, not keeping him in suspense. "I know a screenwriter, and as it happens, she has an exceptionally good script on hand. Both Film Emperor Xie and the veteran You Li are very interested in it."

"Coincidentally, Film Emperor Xie has a director he frequently works with. We’ve assessed the timeline, and they should be heading to the film set right around the time our variety show wraps up. By the time they finish shooting their movie, it’ll probably be time for our show’s second season to begin."

Tan You spoke of it casually, but President Wang was so shocked he felt like his head was about to split open. "What kind of script is it that could move them so much? And you know such an amazing screenwriter?"

"You know, the whole ’it’s for a friend’ excuse is pretty outdated these days."

Tan You merely glanced up to see President Wang’s gossipy eyes. "Even if I gave it to the company, the company couldn’t shoot it. Our directors aren’t up to par. Besides, I’m very picky."

President Wang’s suspicions were confirmed. He sighed, "Why didn’t you ever show this side of your talent before?"

Tan You was nonchalant. "It’s enough to focus on one thing at a time. Keep the script under wraps for me. In any case, it was a script from a friend."

President Wang burst out laughing, feeling the thrill of knowing a subordinate’s big secret. "Alright, I’ll keep it a secret for you. Speaking of which, our company is still too small. We don’t have enough artists in our roster."

Tan You said flatly, "In all these years, the industry has only produced one Film Emperor Xie. If it weren’t for this show, I wouldn’t have gone this far."

President Wang said with feeling, "In that case, you must really love your creative planning job."

Tan You just smiled. ’The one who truly loved this job was Tang Li. What I love most is being the boss. I wonder if President Wang would be willing to give up the chair he’s sitting on?’ But there was no need to say that out loud and twist the knife in President Wang’s side.

With Film Emperor Xie and You Li joining, the once-unknown variety show instantly became the talk of the town. The single female guest spot immediately became a hot commodity, and naturally, many people came to Tan You to recommend themselves.

Tan You rejected all of them. She had her eye on Ning Yao not just because of Ning Yao’s various qualities, but because Ning Yao herself was extremely hands-on and skilled.

The activities involving intangible cultural heritage mostly required dexterity and a delicate touch. ’Could the people who’d approached me do that? Definitely not.’

Tan You’s attitude was firm, but these artists didn’t give up. Instead, they started pulling all sorts of strings. It wasn’t for any other reason than the chance to share a screen with Film Emperor Xie and You Li. If they were lucky, they could even form a connection...

So, over the next two days, people were constantly coming to persuade Tan You. Even President Wang asked about it.

Tan You was very calm. "Did you get a new girlfriend? Is she the one you’re recommending?"

President Wang sighed. "From your tone, I can tell it’s a no-go. I know you don’t like to mix personal relationships with work. I’m just asking so I have something to report back."

Tan You said, "My stance is a definite no. She’s so young, yet all she thinks about is taking shortcuts. She should focus more on honing her own craft. None of that works on me."

"Don’t worry, I promise I won’t make things difficult for you." President Wang could see how resolute Tan You was. ’This capable subordinate of mine has been getting more and more decisive and efficient lately. Sometimes, even I feel a little intimidated when I see her.’ 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Okay," Tan You didn’t say anything more. As for President Wang’s somewhat extravagant lifestyle, Tan You couldn’t be bothered. He was the boss. ’Besides, as long as he doesn’t make a move on his female subordinates, what business is it of mine?’

Besides, in those situations, both parties were willing. She was in no position to interfere; she simply had a poor opinion of those girls.

"For our show’s upcoming shoot, are you going to be on set with them?" Setting aside personal matters, President Wang was still very concerned about the company, so he began asking about the production team’s various arrangements.

"Of course I’ll be on set." Tan You smiled. "I proposed the show’s concept. It wouldn’t make sense for me not to be there."

"Right, there’s something I need to talk to you about." Catching sight of Fang Xiang, who had already walked past her office twice, out of the corner of her eye, Tan You frowned. "What kind of person did the HR department hire this time?"

"He can’t write reports and can’t take complete meeting minutes. Besides having a pretty face and a smooth tongue, he’s useless at everything."

"He spends all day flirting and laughing with the female employees. What’s he trying to do? Wreck someone’s family?"

President Wang also glanced at the social butterfly, Fang Xiang. "Don’t worry. Once you’re away on set, I’ll fire him. You can tell at a glance that he’s got ulterior motives. Has he set his sights on you?"

President Wang wasn’t stupid. He was a seasoned veteran of the business world; how could he not see that something fishy was going on?

Tan You sighed. "Something like that. I have a vague suspicion. Just get rid of him for me so I don’t have to deal with the annoyance. By the way, can just any Tom, Dick, or Harry get into our company? I remember the hiring standards being quite high."

President Wang said, "I’ll ask the HR department later. But seriously, who would be foolish enough to plot against you? Aren’t they afraid of you crushing them so badly they can never get back up?"