Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Sang Yuan rushed home, told the housekeeper to divide the things in the trunk into two portions and pack them up, then went upstairs to take a lightning-fast shower.

He’d been on the road all day and didn’t smell his best. He had to look sharp to see the woman he admired.

Sang Yuan changed into some casual clothes and was spraying cologne on his wrist when his mother walked in.

"What are you in such a rush for? You’re not doing any real work, just busying yourself with nonsense all day. I haven’t seen you for days. When I ran into that young lady this morning, I had to lie and say you were on a business trip."

The past few days had driven her mad with anxiety.

Ni Bingyan was an actress on the rise with a tight schedule, always flying off somewhere. She was finally home for a while, yet her own son had vanished. He was completely dropping the ball.

This was the perfect time to use his proximity to his advantage, to seize the opportunity and make a good impression. But the main player wasn’t even showing up. What was the use of her, the prospective mother-in-law, bumping into the girl every day?

’Could she really court the girl for him? Arranged marriages by parents and matchmakers are a thing of the past.’

"Heh heh, I just ran into her at the gate. She invited me over for dinner! Didn’t her dad give me a bunch of stuff when I visited Rongcheng City? I was thinking of sharing some with her."

The last time she’d invited him for a meal, he’d been so happy he couldn’t sleep. Afterward, Mrs. Sang had run into Ni Bingyan on her morning run and, after a little probing, discovered the truth. It turned out her son had cleverly maneuvered his way into the invitation; the girl was making food for herself, felt awkward eating alone, and had just casually asked him to join.

Knowing her son’s progress wasn’t as promising as she’d thought, Mrs. Sang’s excitement had faded. But now, hearing he was invited over for a meal again, a smile returned to her face.

’She knew this invitation was probably another one of her son’s schemes, but at least he knew how to pursue a girl now. That was much better than before, when all he cared about was work!’

"Go on, go on. Even a determined woman can’t resist a persistent suitor. The more you show up, the more she’ll get used to having you around."

"Don’t you worry!"

Sang Yuan didn’t want his mom constantly hovering over his love life, so he explained, "This trip to Rongcheng City was to learn cooking from her dad and build a rapport with him. You know she’s not easy to woo, so starting with her father is a faster approach. I’ve learned several signature dishes, and with Grandfather’s birthday the day after tomorrow, I plan to make you proud. What do you think?"

His grandfather had four daughters. Sang Yuan’s three aunts and their husbands were all in politics, while only his parents were in business.

The sisters truly had a good relationship and would help each other out when trouble arose. But the three younger aunts were definitely closer to each other, and his mom, the eldest sister, always felt a bit left out.

In truth, you couldn’t entirely blame the aunts.

The four sisters worked in different fields, so they didn’t have much in common to talk about.

His three aunts’ families were always discussing which civil service exams their kids should take or how the parents could get a promotion. His family, on the other hand, was always focused on this month’s sales growth and whether next month’s new product development was on schedule. Their conversations never really lined up.

Furthermore, his family was wealthy. His three aunts’ families were all in the public sector; they couldn’t risk being rich, and they couldn’t get rich on a fixed salary anyway. The difference in their quality of life was night and day.

So, it was only natural that Mrs. Sang felt excluded.

Mrs. Sang understood all this, but the situation still genuinely upset her.

That’s why she loved to compete with her sisters when it came to their children.

’In terms of careers, one was in business, the others in politics; one had money, the others had power—there was no way to compare them directly. But children were all raised the same way. They all had to study and get jobs. That was something you could compare, right?’

His sister was rather laid-back, never vying to be the best but also never finishing last. He, on the other hand, always managed to make his mother proud.

Sure enough, at the mention of this, Mrs. Sang immediately forgot her previous worries.

"Excellent! We need to change things up! Every year you give your grandparents a big red envelope, and your aunts always say you’re not being thoughtful. Let’s see what they have to say this year!"

Having successfully changed the subject, Sang Yuan quickly placated his mother and turned to leave.

He arrived at the door of Number 32 and glanced at his watch. Not even twenty minutes had passed since they’d parted.

But when he walked in, Ni Bingyan had already finished cooking.

"Come in, come in, it’s fresh."

After washing his hands and sitting down at the table, he saw that besides eight palm-sized crucian carp in a cold dressing, she had also stir-fried some tender lettuce. There wasn’t enough time to cook rice, so she had made two plates of pasta.

"I forgot to ask earlier what kind of flavors you like. It’s already made this time, so just make do. You can tell me in advance next time."

"I’m not picky. Your cooking is so good, I could probably eat two of these and still want more."

Hearing this, Ni Bingyan laughed and didn’t press the issue, but during the meal, she quietly observed what he ate the most of.

Sang Yuan had wanted to take this chance to show off his own skills, but he’d arrived a little too late.

’There will be plenty of time in the future,’ so he didn’t feel any regret.

The two of them ate their meal, talking and laughing.

Ni Bingyan loved fish but was afraid of getting a bone stuck in her throat, so she didn’t talk much. Consequently, it was mostly Sang Yuan telling her stories about her father.

He knew from his past life that she was exceptionally filial and deeply cared for her father. Having been away from home for so long, she was happy to listen to him talk about her dad.

After the meal, before Ni Bingyan could even get up, Sang Yuan skillfully cleared the dishes and went to wash them.

Seeing how efficiently he worked, Ni Bingyan didn’t argue with him. Instead, she picked up a cloth and started wiping down the kitchen, talking about matters related to *Demon Suppression Tower* as she cleaned.

"We’re going to the Northeast for location shooting right after the new year. The snow won’t have melted yet, so it’ll definitely be cold. I’m planning to buy another military greatcoat."

"It’s definitely cold there. You can’t be too prepared. The quality of those greatcoats you buy outside can be inconsistent. I’ll ask my brother-in-law to get one for you later. Oh, and you should pay attention to your shoes. Get a pair with thick soles, or your feet will freeze."

Ni Bingyan had been to the Northeast before and already knew this, but she was still happy to be cared for.

Time flew by as they worked together, and when it was time to part, both felt a little reluctant for it to end.

Sang Yuan went home and started catching up on the work he’d fallen behind on.

Ni Bingyan, as usual, studied her script at home, then watched a movie and did half an hour of yoga before bed.

The fulfilling day passed by in a flash.

「The next day.」

Ni Bingyan continued her preparations for the red carpet, while Sang Yuan’s family was getting ready to celebrate his grandfather’s birthday.

The Shui family patriarch was a retired senior official. Worried that people would use his birthday as an excuse to give him gifts, he had a tradition of celebrating at home every year, with his family cooking for close relatives.

In previous years, it was always the four daughters in the kitchen. This year, Sang Yuan went all out. He arrived at his grandfather’s house early in the morning, put on an apron, rolled up his sleeves, and marched into the kitchen. He declared that his mother was getting older and he couldn’t bear to see her work so hard, so he would be "fighting" in her place this year.

He had originally planned to show off his skills for Ni Bingyan but hadn’t succeeded. This time, he finally got his chance to shine.

As the most handsome young man of both the Shui and Sang families, Sang Yuan was actually cooking himself. All the friends and relatives were incredibly excited!

Mrs. Sang was beaming with pride all day.

Unfortunately, no one had much faith in Sang Yuan’s culinary skills.

When the dishes were served, everyone saw that they looked surprisingly good and wanted to be the first to try them.

After the old man raised his glass, smiled, and announced the start of the meal, everyone’s chopsticks reached for the stunning-looking honeycomb corn.

It wasn’t that the large family was uncultured and had never eaten this dish before; it was that it’s a dish most people can’t make at home.

Sang Yuan had always been a smooth-talker. He didn’t call his honeycomb corn "honeycomb corn." Instead, he gave it a new name: "Hall of Gold and Jade."

The name was auspicious, and everyone praised it. But his youngest aunt’s son just had to be a contrarian. "Cousin, cousin, I know this dish! In restaurants, it’s called honeycomb corn. Why’d you change the name?"

Sang Yuan lifted his chin smugly and said, "Look. Doesn’t the white sugar look like jade? And isn’t the corn glistening gold? So, isn’t it a ’Hall of Gold and Jade’?"

The whole family burst into laughter, the atmosphere festive and joyous.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the housekeepers came to clear the table. The whole family, young and old, gathered together to chat while cracking melon seeds and watching TV.

Sang Yuan had made the old man happy today. His grandfather was already proud of his grandson on a normal day, but today he was especially fond of him and insisted that Sang Yuan sit beside him and chat.

The old man was seventy-nine this year, but his eyes were sharp, his hearing was fine, and he was full of vigor. As he watched TV, he commented, "This actor’s skills are excellent, his performance is so profound. That one’s gaze is too frivolous, you can tell he’s not a dependable person..."

Sang Yuan seized the opportunity to sigh. "The entertainment industry today is full of all sorts of shady characters. Grandfather, why aren’t the higher-ups doing anything to clean it up? Speaking of which, I ran into something a while back that really ticked me off!"

"Oh? What was it?"

Don’t be fooled by the old man’s age; he was very much up-to-date with trends. Every day, he’d put on his reading glasses and go online to read the news.

"It wasn’t anything major, just really disgusting."