Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

The heating had been on full blast last night, so Wei Shuojie drank a lot of water first thing in the morning. She had just arrived at the studio when she had to make a run for the restroom.

Who knew such a short delay could cause so much trouble? By the time she’d dried her hands, found a place to sit, applied her hand cream, and habitually opened Weibo to search for "Ni Bingyan," she was greeted by the trending topic: #NiBingyanSecretlyMarried#.

The fans were in a frenzy, discussing it with such conviction you’d think it was actually true.

Wei Shuojie scrolled through quickly and was amazed to find hardly any haters. They were all sending their blessings. It was a miracle!

For a second, she wondered if she’d traveled a few years into the future—to a time when those two had been in a long, sweet relationship, amassed a huge following of shippers, officially announced their marriage, and received unanimous blessings.

The hottest post on the topic came with a picture. She tapped it open and saw a familiar venue. Wei Shuojie’s neck went CRACK-CRACK-CRACK as she swiveled her head. A moment later, she and Sang Yuan made eye contact from across the crowd.

Sang Yuan smiled and waved at her. Then Shui Sulan, along with Sang Mu, also saw her and waved hello.

’So—how did all five members of the Sang family end up here?’

Wei Shuojie smiled and waved back politely, all while screaming in her head.

’AAAAAAH! This woman is so much trouble!’

’This is seriously messing with my head!’

’I’m going to schedule so much work for you! I absolutely cannot let you stay idle, AAAAAAH!’

The moment she gets a day off, she starts stirring up trouble. Today, she’s sneaking onto a CCTV show. Tomorrow, it’s a rumored romance. The day after, she’s supposedly secretly married. And the most infuriating part is that the last two are completely fake news!

Wei Shuojie considered herself a woman of the world, but even she was struggling to keep up with this pace.

It wasn’t that the situation was too big to handle, but that these things always happened without warning, making them impossible to guard against! It constantly threw her work schedule into chaos.

’Good thing I’m only 45, and this year’s physical was clean.’

Otherwise, I’d never survive this life of constant surprises!

Shui Sulan was an elder, after all, so Wei Shuojie gave a polite response. Once she lowered her hand, her heart sank. Following the angle of the photos she’d seen, her gaze fell upon a short man in a backwards baseball cap, huddled in a corner and tapping at his phone.

Sure enough, she looked down at her phone and refreshed. The paparazzi who broke the story, Big Dog, had posted again: [Your man Big Dog here, continuing to bring you the scoop. 9 HD pics attached.]

Comments instantly flooded the post:

[Well damn! I’m speechless! Isn’t that Bingbing’s agent? She’s that chummy with his family? Don’t even try to tell me they’re not an item! /crying-laughing]

[Wow, I never knew Sister Wei could smile so sweetly!]

[Then why aren’t they sitting together?]

[Am I the only one wondering what Bingbing is doing? Looks like she’s filming some kind of show?]

[I know, I know! My aunt went to the CCTV open auditions a few days ago and ran into someone who looked just like Bingbing. My aunt knows I’m a fan, so she took a picture for me. You guys, take a look, is this her?]

[LMAO! She just loves to get in on the action, doesn’t she! Look at that signature grab! I can only imagine the trauma for the poor grandpa she’s got a hold of!]

[Whoa! Isn’t that my grandpa? I just called him to ask. Haha, he said it was the last day of auditions, and the staff were about to pack up. He was rushing to finish his questionnaire and got super flustered when someone started tugging on him, so he just grabbed an extra form and gave it to her.]

[The algorithm is amazing! The truth comes out so fast!]

[Am I the only one thinking that Bingbing can just show up to watch the fun and still overcome all the hurdles to land a spot on a CCTV show?]

[Why is she so different from other female stars? She’s truly one of a kind.]

[Can anyone tell me what show this is? I’m waiting for the name.]

[My aunt works at CCTV. I just asked her. The show is called the *Chinese Poetry Conference*. The studio schedule is tight; they’re even working overtime during the holidays to film.]

[Ladies, are we getting off topic? Weren’t we talking about Bingbing being secretly married?]

[What’s there to even discuss? She gets along so well with her "mother-in-law." There’s nothing to worry about.]

[Getting married at her age is a little early, but it’s not totally unacceptable...]

...

Wei Shuojie wanted to scream "holy cow" herself!

’This paparazzi is brazenly stirring up trouble right under my nose!’

Just as she was about to get up and nab him, the studio lights dimmed. The recording had begun.

Wei Shuojie was relatively close by and had kept her eyes fixed on the corner. Soon enough, she saw security guards silently creep up behind the paparazzi, clamp a hand over his mouth, and drag him away.

This was a pre-recorded show, not a live broadcast. The production team would never let him get away with leaking on-set photos before the air date.

The CCTV production teams were all seasoned veterans; they always had someone monitoring the internet.

To maintain confidentiality, everyone at a variety show taping has to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Ordinary audience members aren’t allowed to bring their phones in. They are also legally forbidden from posting any spoilers online between the taping and the broadcast date.

The paparazzi had snuck in his phone. The Sang family, thanks to their status, received special treatment from the crew—they were simply reminded of the confidentiality rules instead of having their phones confiscated. Wei Shuojie, on the other hand, had a staff pass.

As the recording began, Wei Shuojie kept refreshing her phone. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the paparazzi deleted the two posts with the photos and issued a public apology. The comment section was a sea of jeers and mocking memes.

’I wonder if he got fined,’ she thought.

"See how the Yellow River’s waters move out of heaven, / Rushing to the sea, never to return..."

On stage, a legendary voice actor began reciting the poem. Wei Shuojie gritted her teeth and, shielding her phone, sent a text to Sang Yuan: [How did you guys get here?]

Sang Yuan, equally discreet, saw the message. He covered his hands with his scarf and replied smugly: [Bingbing gave me the tickets. Invited us to watch in person.]

Wei Shuojie: [The topic is already blowing up again. What’s the plan this time? Netizens are all saying you’re secretly married. When Bingbing finishes filming and sees she’s trending, what do you think her reaction will be?]

Sang Yuan’s smile vanished. He replied with a grave expression: [She’ll probably show up at my house with a gift to apologize, saying that netizens love making things up and that she’s terribly sorry for dragging my family into this.]

Wei Shuojie was speechless.

’She had to admit, Sang Yuan really understood her. That was exactly her personality.’

When she didn’t reply, Sang Yuan sent another message: [Sister Wei, you can’t hide a crush. From now on, whenever we’re spotted together, the paparazzi will jump on it. Let’s just leave it be. No need to issue a special clarification. If we don’t make a big deal out of it, Bingbing won’t either. She’ll just assume the paparazzi are making baseless pairings again.]

’That was true.’

Any time a female star worked with a male star, there was a risk of romance rumors. Any man she got close to in her personal life could become the subject of a fabricated scandal. Clarifying every single rumor would be exhausting.

’I’ll see what Ni Bingyan thinks when this is over.’

Having made up her mind, Wei Shuojie started to focus on the show.

On stage, the five challengers were competing in the "Individual Chase" round, taking turns answering questions to advance. Among the hundred-person contestant panel, Ni Bingyan sat in a corner, completely absorbed in hitting the buzzer, her focus more intense than Wei Shuojie had ever seen.

She furtively snapped a photo and sent it to Sang Yuan: [You’re right! You really can’t hide what you love. When Bingbing filmed other shows, she was always just in professional mode. But this is a show she genuinely likes. Look at her now—her eyes are practically glowing. She looks like she wants to crawl inside the buzzer!]

Sang Yuan felt personally attacked.

’Was that a dig at me?’