CHAPTER 422: CHAPTER 289: SHOULD WE MAKE ANOTHER TV DRAMA?

Seeing Xu Ruyan’s interest in "iPartment," Chu Tian nodded knowingly.

"Alright, since you want to go, then go and have a look. But let’s get this straight, there definitely won’t be a role for you. This visit is mostly for learning."

He had just finished speaking when he received an eye roll from Xu Ruyan.

"I know, President Chu, don’t worry. I’m not clueless. Besides, I hate those who get in through the back door the most. I’ve already had a role snatched away by someone like that before, so of course, I won’t do that."

"That’s fine then."

Chu Tian hadn’t expected Xu Ruyan to have such experiences, but he wasn’t surprised at all.

In this circle, it was commonplace for people to be pushed out every day. Sometimes, it was even normal to replace someone halfway through a shoot. It wasn’t just domestically; even in Hollywood, such occurrences were common where capital was king and actors were merely pawns.

But no matter what, Chu Tian wouldn’t allow such things to happen on his watch.

The cycle of the dragon-slaying youth eventually becoming the evil dragon was a recurring theme.

For now, at least, Chu Tian had no intention of becoming an evil dragon himself. He wanted to handle things better and hoped his future self would stay true to his original aspirations.

After all, she was his sister-in-law. There wasn’t much else to discuss with her. After giving her some instructions, he ended the conversation.

He arranged for someone to take Xu Ruyan to handle the paperwork and coordinate her subsequent integration into the production team. Afterward, Chu Tian went alone to Hou Yichuan’s office and found a place to sit.

Hou Yichuan was originally focused on his work, head down, when Chu Tian entered. Hou Yichuan saw him, but being accustomed to Chu Tian’s ways, he simply nodded and said nothing more.

Hou Yichuan initially thought Chu Tian had come to discuss something. After a while, however, something occurred to him. Looking up, he found Chu Tian still sitting on the sofa, lost in thought.

That was a rare sight. When had President Chu ever been so pensive?

"Hey, President Chu, what are you up to? Depressed after chatting with your sister-in-law? Did you come here to mope?"

Chu Tian frowned and glanced at him, too lazy to even respond.

"Oh? So pensive? Acting all melancholy with me is useless. Shouldn’t you be putting on that act for your superstar girlfriend?"

Seeing Hou Yichuan’s talk getting more outlandish by the minute, Chu Tian shot him a direct eye-roll.

"Why are you so annoying? I’m trying to think."

"If you want to think, go to your own office. Why come here?"

"..."

Hearing this, Chu Tian was dumbfounded. He opened his mouth but couldn’t think of a response.

Was he supposed to say it was just a habit? Come to think of it, aside from handling some documents, the place he spent the most time in at the company was indeed Hou Yichuan’s office. Had he walked in here out of habit this time because he was too focused on his thoughts?

Seeing his constipated expression, Hou Yichuan’s mind whirred, and he seemed to realize something.

"Then... how about I let you have my office?"

Hmm, Chu Tian’s office was the largest, wasn’t it? If they really switched, his own office might become a bit more spacious.

Hou Yichuan’s idea was rather appealing, but unfortunately, Chu Tian wasn’t about to indulge him.

"Get lost. Still dreaming? I came to ask you something."

"Oh? What is it? Tell me."

Hou Yichuan perched on his desk, a teasing smile playing on his lips, eager to see what excuse Chu Tian could concoct.

And wouldn’t you know it, Chu Tian’s mind was working incredibly fast at that moment. After all, this was a matter of pride. What man would let that slide?

"It’s serious. Actually, it’s about Xu Ruyan..."

Chu Tian relayed the content of his previous conversation with Xu Ruyan to Hou Yichuan.

"You see, this is the situation. Her sister entrusted Xu Ruyan to me. Placing her in another production midway doesn’t align with what I had in mind. But we can’t really let her just hang around with the crew on set for several months, can we? So I was thinking, why don’t we start another project? Maybe shoot a film or a TV drama?"

Hou Yichuan had assumed Chu Tian was just making excuses, so he never imagined he genuinely had a problem to discuss. And right off the bat, Chu Tian had presented him with a major challenge.

HISS. Hou Yichuan drew a sharp breath. This matter... this was not going to be easy. According to his own plans, the company had no immediate intention of starting new projects, even though Chu Tian had just mentioned reviewing their finances to kick off a few more. But no matter how quickly they moved, progressing from research to project initiation wasn’t something that could happen instantly. Yet now, the boss clearly wanted to secure a role for his sister-in-law quickly, preferably within one of their own company’s projects. Although Chu Tian was phrasing it as a question for his opinion, since the boss had spoken, an employee’s first reaction should be to find a solution, not to refuse. But how could he solve this? It wasn’t that they couldn’t start a project; the problem was, whatever the project, they needed someone to head it, right? Variety shows? Wei Liangxiao was already nearly driven mad juggling two of them. A TV drama? Cao Zheng’s team was nearing the end of season two, but seasons three and four were also due to start soon. A movie? And Wei Chuan? Though the company financed his project, as a seasoned director, Wei Chuan had significant say. For a newcomer like Xu Ruyan, securing a role wouldn’t be easy. Moreover, while that film project had been initiated, it was a major undertaking with substantial investment and would likely require a lengthy preparation period—hardly a solution for their immediate needs. Beyond these, there were no other options. Not for lack of projects, but for lack of available people.

Now Hou Yichuan finally understood why Chu Tian had been relentlessly urging him to expand the team. He hadn’t expected those words to prove so prescient, so soon.