Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Ni Bingyan figured Sister Wei would be replying soon, so she took a quick walk and headed home.

Sure enough, when she got home, there was a missed call.

She had also replied on WeChat: [I’ve never dealt with him either, but his company is signed with Huanyue, and Huanyue has always been our rival. Don’t worry just yet. I’ll ask our PR department first and then get back to you.]

’When it comes to the dirt on a rival’s cash cow, our own PR department probably knows more than their company does.’

After all, Han Feifan’s studio was only affiliated with Huanyue. He had his own team managing his daily affairs, so there were many things the parent company wasn’t even aware of.

[Okay, thank you, Sister Wei. He really screwed over my cousin, and she’s the only cousin I have. I can’t just turn a blind eye. Please, you have to help me look into this.]

Generally speaking, when entertainment companies dig up dirt on their rivals, they don’t release it. After all, their own artists aren’t exactly squeaky clean. If everyone started backstabbing each other, the game would be over. It’s better to save the dirt as a bargaining chip for a critical moment, where it can have a much greater impact.

Sister Wei sent an "ok" sticker in reply. Ni Bingyan sighed, sat down on the sofa, and casually put on a movie.

The movie, *Chasing*, was a Korean film series. The endless headshots and stylish kills were incredibly thrilling. The crisp, fluid fight scenes—whether empty-handed, with blades, in gunfights, or during motorcycle chases—always got the adrenaline pumping.

She had watched the first movie a while back and still remembered the feeling of wanting more, so today she put on the second one.

But her mind was restless today. As she watched, she couldn’t stop thinking about all the messy business going on. She couldn’t get into the movie or feel that satisfying thrill. The fast-paced scenes only made her feel more agitated.

She opened Weibo. Li Yi hadn’t said a word. With no resistance at all, she had been completely taken down by netizens. Her career was most likely over.

Zhang Wen Hong, on the other hand, was still putting up a desperate struggle, riding the recent buzz from the Huabiao Awards. He claimed he wasn’t that kind of person and that he would sue those spreading rumors. But an hour ago, the victim’s parents had posted a photo of the court summons.

They were willing to risk their own child’s reputation to pursue a rape lawsuit against him. It was a clear-cut case now.

Thinking of that colleague, who always played police officers and had such a righteous-looking face, made Ni Bingyan feel sick. She felt like she was going to throw up the noodles she had just eaten.

It had to be said, the pressure in this industry was immense, and there were indeed many people who resorted to crooked ways. But Ni Bingyan had a strong moral compass. She couldn’t bring herself to do such things, nor could she stand to see others do them.

Unfortunately, she was just a minor actress. No matter how much she disliked it, she couldn’t control what others did. She could only control herself.

When in a bad mood, what’s the cure for sorrow?

Shopping, of course. Lots and lots of shopping.

She was a woman of action. The moment the idea struck, she packed her bag, got in her car, and drove off.

It was almost four by the time she got into the city. Wasting no time, she went straight to her favorite brand-name stores and picked out a pile of clothes. After dropping them off in her car, she remembered the platform boots she’d been wanting and headed to another mall to continue her spree.

After buying the boots, she saw some beautiful bedding and bought two four-piece sets.

Her drab-looking Volkswagen might be inconspicuous, but it could hold a ton. Driving a car like this out on a day when her desire to shop was bursting at the seams was pure joy!

As before, she dropped the shopping bags in her car. Then, thinking that she hadn’t gotten any new vases in a long time, she went and bought some.

After loading up the vases, she went to get gas. On the way, she heard a radio broadcast about an art exhibition. Seeing the address was nearby, she went to check it out on a whim, and ended up spending over twenty thousand yuan on several fresh, charming paintings.

There was something truly captivating about these one-of-a-kind items. While still on the road, she was already fantasizing about which wall to hang each painting on.

She always bought things that caught her eye, and now that she had achieved financial freedom, she was even more decisive. In just an hour, she had filled her car to the brim.

’This feeling of just sweeping up everything is the best!’

’It makes all the hard work of earning money feel meaningful.’

Her heart was now filled with happiness and joy, her earlier agitation completely swept away!

’My cousin is an adult; she has to be responsible for her own actions. As her older cousin, all I can do is my best. There’s no need to worry so much.’

’What other people do is none of my business. I just need to live my own life well. It’s not worth getting upset over.’

The art gallery was in the west side of the city. By the time she finished buying the paintings, it was already past five. She drove leisurely toward the east side, planning to grab dinner there before heading home, since it was on the way.

As she was passing the CCTV Headquarters—the "Big Underpants" building—she saw a large, bustling crowd gathered in the distance.

Ni Bingyan was in a great mood, humming a song as she drove. Seeing a commotion she could watch, her curiosity was piqued. She immediately found a place to park and headed straight for the crowd.

It was the dead of winter, so everyone was wearing hats and masks. She didn’t look out of place as she squeezed in.

"What’s goin’ on here? What’s all this?"

She even deliberately lowered her voice when she asked, a true professional when it came to rubbernecking.

"Hurry, hurry! We’re about to close for the day! Anyone else who wants to participate, come to me and get a form!"

Someone at the front was shouting.

"Hey! Let go of me! Me, me, me! I’ll take one! Actually, give me two!"

She had grabbed an old man, intending to ask him what was going on, but the man was in a frantic hurry. He quickly grabbed two forms and shoved one into her hand.

"Here, take it! Men and women are supposed to keep their distance, so stop grabbing me! They’re about to close for the day. Hurry up, fill out the form, and hand it in!"

After saying his piece, he even shoved a pen at her.

Seeing everyone around her with their heads bowed, focused on filling out forms, Ni Bingyan quickly gripped the pen and went with the flow.

She unfolded the form and saw ten questions, all about her favorite subject: classical poetry.

’Hey! I know the answers to all of these!’

SWISH SWISH SWISH. In just a few moments, Ni Bingyan had finished all ten multiple-choice questions.

"Anyone who’s finished, come over here!"

The moment someone shouted, Ni Bingyan immediately handed in her form without a second thought.

After she handed it in, the person glanced at it, saw that she had answered everything correctly, and gave her a tablet, telling her to take a seat nearby and continue answering questions.

’Hey!’

’I’ve already made it to the second round!’

’I love this kind of game!’

Ni Bingyan rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

As she moved to the side, she finally noticed an event area next to them. There were a dozen or so tables and a canopy, set up like a wedding planning company trying to attract customers. Sprayed across the canopy were the words "Chinese Poetry Conference."

Before Ni Bingyan could get a closer look, an impatient person behind her gave her a gentle push, sending her right into the area.

"What are you gawking at? They’re about to close! It’s the last day of open auditions, so get a move on!"

The atmosphere was so intense. ’Besides,’ Ni Bingyan thought, ’who would be crazy enough to run a pyramid scheme right next to the CCTV building?’ Clutching the tablet, she walked inside.

This time, she was answering questions on the tablet, and it was timed. Each question flashed by quickly, and Ni Bingyan, afraid of missing anything, stared at the screen with total concentration.

One moment it would give the first line of a poem and ask for the next, the next it would give a poem’s title and ask for the author’s name, and then it would give a title and ask for the poet’s dynasty. The questions weren’t difficult; they were all common poems, and Ni Bingyan knew every single one.

As a total study fiend, Ni Bingyan had a habit of doing a few practice problems before bed, even when she was on set filming late into the night. It was the only way she could sleep soundly. She simply couldn’t stand the sight of an unanswered question—especially one she knew the answer to!

So, she dutifully curled up in a corner and focused wholeheartedly on answering the questions on the tablet.

By the time she snapped out of it, a young woman with a work ID hanging from her neck was standing in front of her, checking the number on Ni Bingyan’s tablet against some information on her own device.

"Number 666, a perfect score!"

’Woah!’

’A perfect score!’

’Now that’s what I love to hear!’

Ni Bingyan grinned, her eyes curving into crescents. She shot to her feet, grabbed the woman’s hand, and shook it excitedly. "I got a perfect score! What’s the prize?"

’What a happy day this has been!’

’I slept in this morning, had a blast shopping this afternoon, and just when I was about to head home, I stumbled upon a fun event like this!’

"Huh? What prize?"

Ni Bingyan had assumed it was some kind of promotional event and had asked about the prize out of habit. Seeing the woman’s blank expression, she became confused too. ’Don’t events give out prizes anymore?’

While she was still puzzled, someone else over there started waving a form and shouting, "Anyone else pass the open auditions? Come and register! We’re about to close!"

"Quick, quick, there’s another one here!"

The atmosphere was just too compelling. Ni Bingyan was led away and quickly filled out the information sheet.

It wasn’t an overly intrusive form, just basic information like name, ethnicity, height, education level, and phone number.

Ni Bingyan zipped through the form. A staff member collected it and gave her a number card.

"Everyone who passed the open auditions, be here at the station tomorrow at eight—eight o’clock, remember!—for the next round of competition! The winner gets a prize of one thousand yuan! One thousand yuan!"

’I have to win another round to get the prize money?’

For Ni Bingyan, the money wasn’t the most important thing.

She had always lacked confidence when it came to academics, so it was rare to find an activity where she could get a perfect score right off the bat. She really, really liked it!

Besides, she was free tomorrow anyway. On the drive home, Ni Bingyan made up her mind. She was coming back tomorrow!