Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Sang Yuan studied from morning till night, grinding for two straight days. He finally managed to learn those two dishes well enough that they looked the part.

When he heard Ni Guangli say, "You’ve grasped the key points of this dish," tears nearly welled up in his eyes.

Honestly, if he hadn’t been afraid that his future father-in-law would get a bad impression of him after finding out the truth, he would have bolted during his twenty-third attempt at making honeycomb corn.

He had no idea what kind of masochist had invented this dish. It looked so simple, but when he tried to make it, there was always a problem with one step or another.

"Sigh, I have to say, Little Sang, you have a real talent for cooking. If time weren’t so tight and you didn’t have such a big company to run, I’d really want to teach you a few of my signature tricks!"

At the airport, Ni Guangli held Sang Yuan’s hand with a wide smile, his words exceptionally generous.

Even if Sang Yuan went bankrupt, he could still go back and inherit Jiacheng Electronics. He would never become a chef in this lifetime, so Ni Guangli didn’t hold anything back from him.

"It’s the end of the year, and there’s still a lot to handle at the company. Once I have some free time, I’ll come and learn from you again, Uncle Ni. Thank you so much for everything this time!"

"Don’t mention it! We’re friends despite the age gap now. If you ever need my help with anything, just ask!"

’He’s a major client, after all. Got to maintain the relationship!’

"Same here! If you ever need anything, Uncle, don’t hesitate to call me!"

The two said their reluctant goodbyes. Sang Yuan boarded the plane, filled with anticipation of getting closer to his wife when he got back. Meanwhile, as Ni Guangli sat in the car on his way home, he felt increasingly disgruntled.

Everyone raises children, but look at other people’s sons! So considerate!

And what about his own sweet, caring daughter?

When she was little, all she ever did was cook him undercooked rice.

Now that her cooking skills are decent, she’s too busy to even be seen.

Hmph!

Mr. Ni was not happy, so he immediately called his daughter to complain.

"Sweetie, I feel like you’re just going through the motions with me more and more. All year round, forget holidays, you don’t even do anything for my birthday."

Getting a sudden call, and being blamed right off the bat, Ni Bingyan was completely baffled. "Dad, isn’t your birthday in April? That’s still more than four months away!"

Ni Guangli was choked with frustration. ’How can this child be so dense?’

Was he the kind of person to pester his child for birthday presents?

"Sigh, a young man came to me recently to learn how to cook. He said his parents worked hard to raise him, and he wanted to personally cook a few dishes for them for New Year’s Eve dinner. He was so diligent about learning!"

Well, mystery solved. He was jealous! Totally salty!

Ni Bingyan was speechless.

If she were actually a bad daughter, that would be one thing, but she felt she was pretty good, wasn’t she? How could he be so dissatisfied just because someone else’s son was a little thoughtful?

Everyone has their own way of being a good child to their parents. If they were constantly being compared to others, there’d be no time for them to do anything else.

"Dad, tell me, when have I ever come home and not cooked for you? Are my cooking skills worse than his?"

"Well, it’s not that you don’t cook, or that your skills are bad."

"Okay, then let me ask you this. When I earned money and offered to give it to you, didn’t you say I didn’t earn enough and tell me to keep it myself?"

"Well... I suppose that’s true."

"And another thing! Whenever I have a break, I come home to be with you. I even turn down invitations to travel with my friends. I call and video chat you regularly, but you always say you’re busy. You say you’ll call me back in a bit, but you always forget. Am I wrong about that?"

’So is the daughter unfilial, or is the father just impossible to please?’

Ni Guangli was rendered speechless by her questions.

’Looks like I really was being too dramatic this time, huh!’

"Dad, for you to suddenly say I’m not a good daughter really hurts my feelings! Let me just ask you, how do you want me to be? I’ll do it exactly your way! How about that?"

The question made Ni Guangli’s face flush red.

Noticing that even his burly driver was giving him a strange look, Ni Guangli tried to force an explanation.

"You don’t understand. This young man runs a huge company. You could say he’s swamped with work every day, yet he still has this kind of filial piety. It’s truly remarkable!"

Her father was starting to back down, and Ni Bingyan immediately went on the offensive.

"So it’s a huge deal if a successful person shows a little bit of consideration? Are you envious that someone else’s son is capable, or that he’s filial? I know you think I’m not good enough, but saying it like that is so hurtful. I’m already trying my best..."

Hearing his daughter break down in aggrieved tears, Ni Guangli felt a little aggrieved himself. "It’s not that I think you’re not good enough, I don’t know why either! I just feel... jealous!"

They say old people become like children, and the older one gets, the more childish they become.

Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but find it funny, but she kept up her tearful act and asked him pitifully,

"So which company’s boss is it that you’re praising to the high heavens? Tell me, who is he? I should learn from the best, right? Maybe then you won’t be picking on me all day long!"

"He really is just that outstanding! Don’t you believe me? A while ago, he placed two orders with me. One was sent to an orphanage as New Year’s gifts for the kids, and the other was for his company’s employees as a bonus. He’s truly capable and kind-hearted."

"Giving employees bonuses is just basic capitalist practice, isn’t it? He just wants them to work their butts off for him! Hmph! Besides, I do charity work too! I donated five hundred thousand to build a school a while back. Did I tell anyone about it? Bragging all day long... doing good deeds isn’t about talking!"

"He’s not the one bragging! I say a few words to you and suddenly it’s ’bragging all day long’?"

"Stop bragging, stop bragging! Just tell me, what’s his company called? I want to see just who it is that’s made my old man find fault with me all day, calling me up just to chew me out whenever he thinks of it."

"His name is Sang Yuan, the boss of Yuan Yan Venture Capital..."

Before he could say more, Ni Bingyan cut him off in surprise. "What did you say? Sang Yuan? When did you meet him?"

Hearing his daughter’s words, the sharp-as-a-tack Ni Guangli immediately narrowed his eyes.

He remembered Sang Yuan deliberately getting him drunk the first time to coax him into arranging a blind date, and then he remembered him coming to learn to cook the second time, only learning numbing and spicy dishes...

And repeatedly giving him business...

’Nothing stands up to scrutiny!’

His own daughter had never mentioned this person to him.

’Is this a one-sided crush from that Sang fellow, or have the two of them been secretly together all this time, hiding it from me?’

His mind started turning, and Ni Guangli began to casually interrogate her.

"We’re business partners! You have no idea how well our products are selling! Speaking of which, how do you two know each other?"

"The apartment I bought is in the same complex as his family’s! We’d see each other all the time, so we just got to know each other gradually!"

"Oh? He’s that old and still living with his parents?"

"No! I ran into his mom a while ago, and she said she hasn’t been feeling well recently. Her son is a good son, so he was worried and temporarily moved back in to be with her for a bit."

"Oh, no wonder he came looking for me, to learn to cook for his mother. He really is an incredibly filial son!"

’I’ve lived for over sixty years, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard of someone making Spicy Stir-fried Double Crispies, Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chilies, and Spicy Rabbit for their chronically ill mother. That little bastard! If he wanted to be my son-in-law, he should’ve just said so! Now that I know what a scheming boy you are, there’s no way in hell I’m letting this happen!’

Despite thinking this, he knew he had to respect his daughter’s opinion in the end. Ni Guangli spoke as if the thought had just occurred to him.

"I see he’s tall, handsome, and successful. Hey, I almost set you two up on a blind date!"

"HAHAHAHA, Dad, you love to joke around~"

Lately, her dad had been possessed, constantly telling her this young man was nice, that young man was decent, and asking if she was interested in going on a blind date.

She was used to it.

"What’s there to joke about? He’s only four years older than you, and his qualifications are top-notch in every way. Tell me, isn’t he the kind of son-in-law you couldn’t find even if you searched with a lantern?"

Seeing her dad was genuinely tempted, Ni Bingyan quickly and earnestly tried to persuade him. "Dad, snap out of it! It’s not that he’s not good, the problem is he’s *too* good. I’m not worthy of him! Marriage is about being on equal footing, about being well-matched. Two people need to have similar standing for it to last. If one is too strong and the other is too weak, it won’t work out! You get it? I know that in your heart, I’m perfect, but you have to consider the reality of the situation, right? It’s not that I’m putting myself down; the facts are right there. You can’t just pretend not to see them!"

Hearing this, it sounded like he, the old father, was the one being impulsive. Ni Guangli was speechless.

When he didn’t say anything, Ni Bingyan pressed on. "I’m still so young, and you’re healthy. There’s really no rush to get married. Right now, I want to focus on my career."

After hearing her words, Ni Guangli suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

’If I were powerful enough, my daughter wouldn’t have such low self-esteem.’

Sigh!

’I should just focus on my own business! Making money is what’s important.’

"Dad? Why aren’t you saying anything?"

"It’s nothing. I just think you make a lot of sense. For the next few years, let’s just be a father-daughter duo that focuses on our careers! When we’re successful, we’ll have the confidence to find a good son-in-law!"

"Exactly! It’s great that you think that way, Dad! A person needs to have ambition! By the way, Dad, I’ve been nominated for the Huabiao Film Queen award. Don’t forget to watch the live broadcast."

Knowing her dad wouldn’t be arranging any more blind dates, Ni Bingyan let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Okay. My daughter really is amazing."

"Of course, of course, hahaha."