Cao Zheng hadn't expected such a great surprise. He had been keeping an eye on his company's development recently. He had initially thought it was a small company and planned to use it as a stepping stone. But now, he was wholeheartedly committed to staying. After all, the company had recently made quite a bit of money, and he wasn't some famous director. A company like this, not short on funds and with high-quality scripts—only a fool would leave. So, his attentiveness when facing the big boss was entirely understandable.

"Who is this?"

"Oh, this is my friend. You don't need to worry about her, and don't spread the word. Just pretend you don't know."

Cao Zheng glanced at Xu Qingqiu, who was thoroughly disguised, and nodded knowingly, though his expression remained neutral.

"We need to change the set here. Let's talk outside."

When they went outside, Cao Zheng called someone over. That person quickly hurried off, and after some instructions were relayed—though Chu Tian couldn't hear what was said—the crew members sprang into action.

It wasn't so much changing a scene as it was moving to a different set, albeit a small one. The crew had rented two large soundstages, and inside, they had constructed several rooms according to the script and sketches. These included a living room, several bedrooms, a downstairs bar, and other sets. This was Chu Tian's first time seeing the interior sets.

"President Chu," Cao Zheng said, "only the last scene is left. This one is relatively short, and if nothing goes wrong, it can be filmed quickly."

Chu Tian nodded but didn't follow Cao Zheng to the busy room. Instead, he pulled him aside and said, "Don't go there yet. Show us some of the other sets first."

"Oh, sure, no problem! This way, please. The set we just finished filming on was the living room of 3601. This here is 3602." Cao Zheng explained, "Entering 3602 here, you have the living room. To the left is the restroom and Sekiya's room, and opposite that is Ziqiao and the others' apartment."

As Cao Zheng walked, he introduced the sets. It was Chu Tian's first time seeing the actual iPartment sets. Even though it was a different world, that sense of familiarity came flooding back instantly.

Xu Qingqiu hadn't spoken a word since they entered, just quietly following. Only when no one else was around did she finally ask, "Are these all the sets for your show?"

"Pretty much," Chu Tian replied. "The show is mainly a sitcom, so it's basically concentrated in these few rooms."

"That's quite convenient," Xu Qingqiu commented. "At least you don't have to run all over the place."

While Chu Tian and Xu Qingqiu were chatting, Cao Zheng felt it wasn't appropriate to interrupt, so he just accompanied them from behind. Noticing this, Chu Tian quickly said, "Director Cao, please go ahead with your work. We'll just look around by ourselves and find you later."

"How could I do that? I'm not busy right now, it's no trouble at all," Cao Zheng replied.

"Really, Director Cao. We'll just look around ourselves. There's no need for you to accompany us."

Once Cao Zheng was sure he really wasn't needed, he quickly figured they probably found his presence awkward, so he didn't insist further. They probably think I'm in the way.

"Alright then, I'll go check on things over there," he said.

Luckily, Chu Tian didn't know what Cao Zheng was thinking, or he would have been utterly speechless. I just saw a somewhat familiar scene and was feeling a bit nostalgic, Chu Tian thought. Plus, I didn't want to waste his time. It felt awkward to have a director of his stature trailing behind us.

Unexpectedly, Cao Zheng misinterpreted this. Thinking he was seen as a bother and a third wheel, he quickly left and even told others not to disturb them unless necessary.

Chu Tian and Xu Qingqiu hadn't noticed anything unusual. Seeing Cao Zheng leave, they both instinctively breathed a sigh of relief and then exchanged smiles.

"Hahaha, were you nervous too?" Chu Tian teased.

"Not exactly nervous," Xu Qingqiu replied, "just a bit uncomfortable. After all, he is the director, and he was constantly with us. That naturally drew the crew's attention, and it just felt too awkward."

After a few lighthearted remarks, they both relaxed considerably.

Since Xu Qingqiu hadn't seen iPartment, Chu Tian couldn't explain much about the sets, so they just took a quick look around and then left.

Just as they walked out of the soundstage, they saw a few actors chatting animatedly under an awning nearby. Chu Tian had seen them filming inside earlier but hadn't spotted them since. It seemed they had moved over from another area. Cao Zheng, meanwhile, was busy directing work back inside the soundstage.

"President... President Chu..."

The actor playing Sekiya was the first to spot Chu Tian. Since Chu Tian had met several of the actors during his last visit, they recognized him.

Hearing the voice, the others also looked over. Upon seeing Chu Tian, they immediately quieted down, standing up politely to greet him.

"No need to be so nervous. Just relax," Chu Tian said. "Are any of you in the next scene?"

"No, we've wrapped up our parts," one of them replied. "The next scene involves Ziqiao, Meijia, and Wanyu. It's the final one."

Most of them were young, recent graduates with little experience. To make filming smoother, they generally used their character names on set. Unsure if she was worried Chu Tian might misunderstand or for some other reason, Jiang Nan, the actress playing Hu Yifei, gave him a lengthy explanation all at once.

Chu Tian didn't mind. He led Xu Qingqiu over to introduce her. They're all actors signed with my company, technically stars, so it's fine for them to get acquainted. I'll just give them a reminder later about discretion.

"These are the actors for this show, and they're also signed with our company," he first explained to Xu Qingqiu. Seeing her nod, he then turned to the others. "This is Singer Xu Qingqiu, my friend. You should recognize her. Please, introduce yourselves."

But when he finished speaking, the actors didn't react at all.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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