Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Demon Suppression Tower was slated for a National Day release. With post-production and special effects, the whole process would take at least half a year. This meant the movie had to be filmed within three months, making the schedule incredibly tight.

Under these circumstances, the crew began filming in Ji Province on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year.

During the holiday, Ni Bingyan’s days at home were filled with either delicious food, watching her dad and his senior apprentices play mahjong, drink tea, and shoot the breeze, or going shopping and seeing movies with her sisters-in-law, and playing ringleader to all the kids.

It was fun for the first few days, but any longer than that and she started to feel restless.

It was true: a working stiff’s one true love is work. Rest for too long, and you start to feel uneasy.

With filming set to begin on the tenth, she was so eager that she left home on the eighth.

"Before I left, I checked the weather forecast. Back home, the winter jasmine was already blooming, but here it was still around thirty below zero. It scared me half to death! I packed a military greatcoat, thick padded boots, all kinds of thermal underwear, and a ton of heat packs—ended up checking four huge suitcases! And now that I’m here... this is it?"

Ni Bingyan, her cheeks rosy, sat on the heated kang wearing just a long-sleeved base layer. She stared, grinning, at the iron pot of stewed goose before her.

’I ate so much meat over the holiday, I was craving some vegetables. The potatoes in this stew look so golden... They must be perfectly fluffy and tender. I bet they’re amazing!’

"Haha! Is this your first time in the Northeast? Don’t mind the cold outside. As long as you’re indoors, it’s much warmer than it is down south! If the cold in the south is a magic attack, our northern cold is a physical attack—as long as you bundle up, it can’t get through to you!"

The male lead, Huang Ge, sat across from her. To say his looks weren’t particularly striking would be putting it mildly.

But he had a great personality, high emotional intelligence, and fantastic acting skills, so he was a huge hit with audiences. He had greeted her warmly the moment they met.

Though Ni Bingyan had only been there for half a day, she was already getting along great with him.

There were four of them at the table now: besides the two of them, there was also the second female lead, Su Tong, and the director, Luo Guangkun.

Su Tong was glamorous and beautiful, with a straightforward, magnanimous personality that made her easy to get along with.

She had just gotten divorced, and since her daughter was only six months old and still nursing, she had brought the baby with her to the set.

A nanny was helping her with the baby, but they had just run out of diapers, so the nanny had gone to the car to get more.

She didn’t shy away from talking about her ex-husband, cursing openly. "That son of a bitch! Cheating on me with some other woman! I kicked him to the curb. From now on, I’m living my best life with my daughter. He can stew in his own regret!"

As she spoke, she ate while turning to gaze at her chubby little daughter sleeping soundly nearby, the very picture of a woman who needed nothing else in the world.

Luo Guangkun was considered a fairly young director. He had just turned forty, and though he was a big, burly man, he possessed the soul of an artist.

He had high standards for his filming locations. Another director might have just shot everything in a studio and relied on post-production, but not him. He insisted on dragging his crew all over the country.

In his words, a forest has a forest’s unique essence. No matter how realistic special effects get, how can they compare to the real thing? A desert has its own unique dryness. If you aren’t physically there, no amount of acting skill can make up for the lack of environmental influence.

A fan can’t replicate a natural breeze, and studio lights can never match the sun.

Filmmaking is a craft, but more importantly, it’s an art.

A craft is about technique, but art is about feeling. If the feeling isn’t there, something will always seem to be missing.

Some directors focus on the vibe an actor gives off and are extremely picky about casting. Others prioritize the final edit, insisting on cutting the film themselves. Then there are those who are fastidious about the filming environment and costumes—and that was Luo Guangkun to a T.

To achieve the perfect shot, he was even willing to slash the logistics budget.

Some in the industry nicknamed him the "Tour Guide," since working on his films meant traveling all over the place. Others called him "Luo the Skinner," because the food and accommodations on his sets were notoriously awful.

Undeniably, however, his most famous nickname was "Luo Ten-Billion."

There weren’t many directors in the industry who had genuinely broken ten billion at the box office, especially not one so young. If he kept his drive, he could keep making films for many years to come.

Because he was a master at raking in cash and his films were always blockbusters, investors had immense faith in him.

Case in point? Just as the film was being greenlit, he secured another major investment.

Thanks to that huge sum of money, they could shoot in comfort this time. ’No need for everyone to rough it and live on scraps,’ she thought. ’This is great!’

"It’s not my first time visiting, I’ve just never been here during this season before," Ni Bingyan explained, a little embarrassed.

’Coming here right after the New Year... this really is a first for me in two lifetimes.’

She had finally seen it for herself: a world of ice and snow outside, yet warm as spring inside—so warm you couldn’t even keep a sweater on.

With the baby sleeping nearby, everyone instinctively kept their voices down, and no one was smoking or drinking.

The four of them were the first members of the main cast and crew to arrive, so it was only natural to share a meal. Goose was a rich, nourishing dish, perfect for a winter meal. A steaming hot pot like this was incredibly comforting.

"You can laugh all you want now," Director Luo threatened with a sinister grin when he saw her smiling. "Once we start shooting, you’ll be crying just as hard."

’Shooting outdoors in this weather,’ he thought. ’Now that’s going to be intense!’

’The director can bundle up, but the lead actress has to look good on camera. She can’t just pile on the layers.’

Ni Bingyan feigned a look of terror and shrank back. "I’ve heard there are certain directors who just love calling for retakes. *Hiss*—Director Luo, you wouldn’t happen to be one of them, would you?"

Luo Guangkun just snorted. "Whether or not we have retakes doesn’t depend on how high my standards are. It depends on how well-prepared you actors are! Su Tong, am I right?"

Su Tong chuckled. "We’re all professionals here. Of course we take our work seriously! We’re famous for our dedication. Just you wait and see tomorrow!"

Luo Guangkun laughed. "Then I’ll be looking forward to it!"

「On the day of the commencement ceremony」

Everyone was present—not just the cast and crew, but all the behind-the-scenes personnel as well, and that of course included the investor, Sang Yuan.

Out of respect for his RMB, the producer had given Sang Yuan a nominal title on the production team. It allowed him to visit the set and audit the books whenever he pleased, but it came with no actual responsibilities.

This was the first time she and Sang Yuan had seen each other since she had gone to his home to apologize.

Ni Bingyan felt a little awkward, but she feigned nonchalance and greeted him.

Sang Yuan, for his part, acted as if he didn’t notice her evasiveness or discomfort. He simply smiled and made small talk. "How was the holiday? It looks like you were home for a while. Is your father doing well? I heard him mention he’s planning to build a venue and work with a TV station on a food show this year?"

’You seem to know more about my family’s business than I do...’

Ni Bingyan griped internally but kept a smile on her face. "That’s right! That’s just my dad for you. He refuses to act his age. I don’t know where he gets all these ideas."

’A good son-in-law has to help him brainstorm, right?’

’My future father-in-law is a brilliant man; his career should be a long and prosperous one!’

’If he isn’t busy, he’ll spend all his time messing with his son-in-law, and my quest to win his daughter over will be a long and arduous one!’

’I originally planned to win over her father first, but who knew the old man would be so crafty? All he does is make trouble for me.’