The meal lasted an hour at most. Neither of them drank alcohol; they simply ate some food. Despite Xu Ruyan ordering a variety of dishes when they arrived, the quantity wasn't actually very large. She ate very little, and most of it ended up in Chu Tian's stomach.

Through this meal, Chu Tian finally got a clear understanding of his little sister-in-law's temperament. To be honest, his initial impression of her as a demure lady was purely his own wishful thinking, and his subsequent guess of her having a fiery temper was also somewhat biased.

Overall, Xu Ruyan was the kind of girl who was carefree and not overly sensitive. Her temper wasn't terrible—more like what people would call having a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She absolutely refused to be verbally slighted, often leaving people doubting their life choices with her retorts, and her temper could be a bit fierce and impulsive. But to say she was a bad person was far from the truth. On the contrary, at her core, she was actually very polite and kind-hearted.

The most direct proof was how she handled the crew member who caused her injury: she didn't pursue the matter. Instead, she specifically inquired about his condition afterward and even spoke up for him.

After the meal, they exchanged contact information, and that was more or less the end of it. Originally, Chu Tian intended to drive her back, but when they reached the school gates, Xu Ruyan firmly refused to let him enter. She claimed it was to protect her reputation, saying that if he entered, things would become difficult to explain, and various rumors would undoubtedly start flying around.

Chu Tian thought about it and realized that was indeed the case during his own university days. Especially for a girl as attractive as Xu Ruyan, every move was watched by those with ulterior motives. Today she was seen getting out of a certain car; tomorrow, she might be spotted at the entrance of some hotel. Any such occurrence would be prime material for rumors. Sometimes, just innocently taking a ride in a premium car, as long as the vehicle was of a higher class, could spark all sorts of gossip, as if people couldn't wait to slander her to the bone. After all, jealousy and envy are inherent human flaws, and such things will always exist in every corner of the world.

Realizing this, Chu Tian didn't insist. Since they were already at the school gates, safety wasn't a major concern, but it was still better to be cautious going forward. He hadn't even fully understood the previous issue yet; adding a new wave of rumors would just make things worse and be counterproductive.

After saying goodbye to Xu Ruyan, Chu Tian first called Xu Qingqiu to explain the situation. The recording on her end hadn't finished; there was still more to do that evening, and she wouldn't be back at the hotel until around ten o'clock. Xu Qingqiu wanted to return that night, but Chu Tian calmed her down. There was no emergency, and after a hard day, there was no need for her to overexert herself.

After finishing the call, he didn't head home but instead drove to the company. He had been away for so long that it felt necessary to check in.

"Hmm? Why are you all still working overtime so late?"

As soon as he arrived at the company, he noticed the office was brightly lit. Chu Tian even checked the time—it was already past eight, well beyond normal working hours. Yet, at least half of the employees were still in the office, working away.

"President Chu? You're back from your business trip?" the receptionist asked.

"Ah... yes! Why are you all still here? Is there something important going on that you have to work so late?"

Confronted with the phrase "business trip" from the receptionist, Chu Tian felt a pang of guilt for some reason. The business trip was real, but it was someone else's; he had simply tagged along for a romantic interlude, and he felt genuinely a bit embarrassed at that moment.

"Oh, it's like this, President Chu," the receptionist explained. "We just finalized some collaborations today. Post-production is working on videos, and the marketing team is discussing partnership plans. You can ask President Hou for specifics; he's in his office."

"Alright, you carry on. If there's nothing urgent, head home early. Working overtime isn't good for your health," Chu Tian said.

"Thank you, President Chu! I love you! You're the best today!" she exclaimed.

He thought with a smirk, Getting a break and still laying it on thick.

After nodding to the receptionist, he turned and headed straight for Hou Yichuan's office.

"Old Hou, busy?" Chu Tian asked as he walked in.

"Hm? You're back already?" Hou Yichuan looked up. "Didn't you say you had things to do? Where's your confidante? Didn't she come back with you?"

Chu Tian rolled his eyes. "What do you take me for? This is the company, not my home!"

He hadn't overly concealed the fact that he was dating, merely revealing a little. As for who it was, he hadn't said yet. It wasn't that he couldn't tell Hou Yichuan, but he worried that Hou might feel obligated to make concessions in his work. If matters involved Xu Qingqiu, he didn't want Hou overthinking things and pulling strings for her behind the scenes. That would go against his own intentions and wouldn't be what Xu Qingqiu wanted either.

"Heh, what's the difference between here and your home anyway..." Hou Yichuan retorted with a sly grin, though Chu Tian pretended not to hear the teasing.

"So, has anything happened these past few days?" Chu Tian asked, getting down to business.

When the conversation turned to business, the atmosphere became much more serious.

"Actually, yes, there have been a few things," Hou Yichuan replied, picking up a tablet beside him. He opened a spreadsheet and began to report item by item:

"The first thing is about the advertisements. After you told me your plan, I immediately put the word out. We've already finalized deals with two companies. The contracts have been signed, and post-production is currently rushing to add product placements and ad graphics according to your specifications. It's expected to go live with the next installment. You'll need to take a look later to see if there are any problems."

"The related marketing plans are also almost complete. The main framework is set; only the finer details need to be filled in. The team is working overtime on it, and it's expected to launch as early as tomorrow."

Chu Tian had already heard about these from the receptionist, so he nodded, indicating his understanding.

"The new variety show collaboration with Lemon TV has also entered the preparation stage. Director Hu Zhenglun has already assembled his team, and the initial funding is in place. They are currently selecting guests and expect to start filming as early as next month."

"Wei Liangxiao's variety show has encountered some difficulties, mainly scheduling issues. There are currently two proposals: one domestic and one international. He hasn't decided which to use yet. Furthermore, he still needs to scout locations first, so it will probably take a while."

Chu Tian was just learning these two pieces of news. He hadn't expected Hu Zhenglun and Lemon TV to make such quick progress; it hadn't been many days, and they had already reached the implementation phase—quite fast.

It seemed Hu Zhenglun was truly treating this as his path to fulfilling his dream; he must have poured a lot of effort into it.

As for Wei Liangxiao, Chu Tian had anticipated these kinds of problems. A variety show wasn't something that could be planned out with a simple discussion in an office. They needed to determine where to film, why choose a specific location, and what made that place stand out. All of this required meticulous on-site surveys and confirmations for several potential spots. Then, based on these locations, they had to visit each one to inspect it and assess if the local culture and environment were suitable for filming. They had to avoid situations where the production team might be driven away or inadvertently offend local customs due to ignorance. All these things had to be prepared in advance. For travel-focused shows like *Divas Hit the Road*, the sheer number of locations means even more potential issues, making them relatively more complicated.

However, this wasn't something he needed to worry about. The professionals would handle it, so Chu Tian simply nodded without offering much advice.

"Anything else?"

"Then there's Cao Zheng—Old Cao. Post-production for his project is almost finished. He's asking when the second season can begin, as the actors are getting anxious."

Cao Zheng? *iPartment*? It had been a while; Chu Tian had almost forgotten about it.

"Has a broadcast platform for the series been chosen yet?"

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