Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

"Our Bingbing has a face that can be both edgy and sweet. And her height—OMG! She’s 169cm even barefoot! She can pull off any look, no problem! This is going to be tough. It’s hard for me to find a direction right off the bat."

Inside Daolin Studio, Chen Daolin, a man in his forties, walked circles around Ni Bingyan, his fingers held delicately in the air.

That one simple sentence was enough to make Ni Bingyan’s heart bloom with joy, as if she were truly some unparalleled, once-in-a-lifetime beauty.

In reality, she wasn’t dressed up at all. She wore a black turtleneck sweater, skinny jeans, and disposable slippers she had changed into after her height measurement. Add to that the bare face Chen Daolin had requested beforehand—even a goddess’s looks would be diminished.

’As expected of a stylist who works with A-list actresses,’ she thought. ’He’s such a sweet-talker.’

"Dorien, stop with the nonsense. Let’s get down to business!"

Wei Shuojie reminded him, exasperated.

When she and Chen Daolin first met, he was just a freelance makeup artist struggling to find work, hustling between film crews. His success today was largely thanks to Wei Shuojie’s support.

Wei Shuojie wasn’t the type to expect repayment for her favors, which was why the two had maintained a great relationship over the years.

Normally, Chen Daolin wouldn’t even see an actress of Ni Bingyan’s status. The only reason she was standing here today was because of Wei Shuojie’s influence.

This was why so many people dreamed of signing with a good agent; the resources they provided were simply beyond what a smaller agent could offer.

"Aiya! You’re as boring as ever! Fine, fine! Time is tight and the task is great, so let’s go pick out the battle gown!"

Chen Daolin was less than 1.6 meters tall, with a thin waist, thin legs, and thin arms—his entire frame was slender. Yet, he had a penchant for tight shirts and pants. When he twisted his waist with his fingers held delicately in the air, he looked just like a wriggling eel.

It was rude to randomly judge someone’s appearance. Ni Bingyan always preferred to focus on people’s strengths while overlooking their weaknesses. Right now, for instance, she thought Chen Daolin’s sense of color coordination was absolutely incredible!

’Look at his accessories—they match his outfit so well!’

"Hey, what’s this child staring at me for?"

He had been subjected to all sorts of scornful gazes since he was young. Even now, people often looked at him with prejudice, calling him gay, a sissy, saying he wasn’t like a real man. But who would have known that his daughter was already eight years old?

He was gentle and kind, did the laundry and cooking at home, and could even braid his daughter’s hair. Out in the world, he earned heaps of money and never messed around. Wasn’t that a million times better than those so-called "real men"?

But knowing that himself was one thing; being sized up admiringly by a great beauty like Ni Bingyan was another.

’She’s got good taste, I’ll give her that!’

"I think your ring goes perfectly with your clothes, and your shoes, hair, necklace... I can’t quite put my finger on what’s so good about it, but when it’s all put together, it just looks amazing. I couldn’t help but look a few more times."

Ni Bingyan didn’t know him well. After they exchanged greetings, she had obediently stayed by Sister Wei’s side.

She was counting on Chen Daolin to be her stylist, so she didn’t want to offend him. Fearing he might misunderstand, she decided to voice her thoughts.

Her words were unassumingly sincere. Chen Daolin just chuckled and led them to the clothing showroom.

But Ni Bingyan noticed he had stopped holding his fingers in that delicate pose, and the way he spoke was a little different from when they first met.

’Hmm, what an interesting person!’ she thought.

"This pink tiered dress has a lovely color. Paired with big, natural curls and pink-toned makeup, it could create a sweet princess look..."

"Too juvenile. It doesn’t show off her poise."

"This gray minidress brings out her poise and makes her legs look long. Bingbing has beautiful legs, it would be good to show them off..."

"No need. Our Bingbing doesn’t rely on her legs to make a living."

’In this freezing weather, what if she ruins her knees? What will she do when she’s older?!’

"This starry night dress is gorgeous! She’ll look ethereal in it!"

"Oh no, no, no! Dorien, the red carpet is at night. If the lighting on site is bad, this gray dress will be a disaster!"

Wei Shuojie was experienced and had a great eye. Ni Bingyan just needed to stand by her side and be a mannequin.

No matter how picky she was, Chen Daolin didn’t get angry. Instead, he pulled out one gown after another that would suit Ni Bingyan and let her choose.

They spent over half an hour selecting, the two of them still murmuring back and forth. Ni Bingyan grew bored of waiting, and her gaze couldn’t help but drift to the other clothes.

The moment her attention wandered, Chen Daolin smiled and patted her arm. "These are all off-season haute couture. You can come back and look at these in a couple of years, dear."

For a celebrity to wear something on the red carpet that didn’t match her status was practically asking to be flamed online.

’Chen Daolin really has high emotional intelligence.’

Ni Bingyan understood his gentle warning and couldn’t help but blush a little.

During the Spring/Summer Fashion Week, she had been filming in the mountains and didn’t have time to attend any shows. She didn’t know which ones were off-season; she just thought they were pretty and took a longer look.

"Haha, so thin-skinned! What are we going to do with you!"

Chen Daolin chuckled at her warmly, his tone like that of a family elder.

"Hey? Can she wear this one?"

Wei Shuojie had found a dress from somewhere—pure white satin that seemed to shimmer under the lights.

"This one? This was released during last year’s Fashion Week. The designer was pursuing an aesthetic and only made it in one size. A lot of people wanted to wear it this year, but unfortunately, their figures weren’t right for it. They couldn’t even squeeze into it. If Bingbing wants to wear it, she can give it a try."

"Oh? Is there something special about it?"

"The cut is very demanding on one’s figure. You have to be tall and thin, but you can’t be flat-chested or have no butt. Seriously, you can’t wear it if you’re even a little bit bigger. A single ounce of extra fat would make it look ugly. The waist is especially tricky—the unique cinched structure requires a tiny waist. Many people can’t even get the zipper up. And another thing, most people wouldn’t have the guts to wear this dress on the red carpet. If you’re not confident enough, even the slightest hint of timidity will make it look tawdry. No celebrity would dare take that risk!"

Clearly, Chen Daolin had a vivid memory of this dress to have kept it even after it was out of season.

As he spoke, Wei Shuojie had already taken the dress down. Holding it in her hands, she immediately understood.

The front had a cut-out design that looked modest, revealing nothing but the arms, but the entire back was completely open.

"Want to try it on?"

They had looked at so many dresses before, but Wei Shuojie had never once asked her to try one on. She clearly hadn’t been impressed by any of them.

This white dress looked quite plain, but Sister Wei’s eye was incredibly sharp, and she had vast experience helping artists navigate the red carpet. Ni Bingyan trusted her completely.

She immediately took the dress and went into the fitting room.

It had to be said, Wei Shuojie truly was the woman who had accompanied Sun Lizhi to conquer the Oscars.

When Ni Bingyan came out in the dress and slowly walked to the mirror, even Chen Daolin couldn’t help but applaud.

’This figure... it’s absolutely perfect!’

"An inch more and she’d be too heavy, an inch less and she’d be too thin. She was curvy in all the right places, and that slender waist... Tsk tsk!"

"Perfect!"

Having received his approval, Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

’After searching for so long, we finally found one I’m happy with.’

Seeing Chen Daolin circling her again, Ni Bingyan felt a little uncomfortable, but Wei Shuojie made a "shushing" gesture, signaling for her to stay quiet.

A moment later, Chen Daolin dashed out and returned with a sketchbook from somewhere, then began drawing rapidly with a charcoal pencil.

"Take a look. How does this work?"

Ni Bingyan leaned in for a look. The figure in the drawing was not only wearing the dress she had on but was also styled with matching jewelry, a specific hairstyle, and chosen shoes.

"With diamonds? The dress is satin. Won’t that be too flashy?"

"I’d love to put her in imperial jade, but do you think that’s appropriate?"

For a Weibo Night event, there really was no need to spare no expense.

Wei Shuojie nodded. Diamonds it was, then. Diamonds would be easier to borrow, anyway.

"Does the necklace have to be this shape?"

"The neckline is too square. It needs a visual contrast to be interesting..."

While the two of them discussed borrowing jewelry in low voices, Ni Bingyan quickly changed out of the dress.

’In the middle of winter, my turtleneck sweater is so much warmer!’

Thinking about walking the red carpet in a backless dress in below-freezing temperatures, she already felt a preemptive chill.

Just choosing the dress took this long. They still had to do a makeup trial later. She was afraid they wouldn’t even be finished by tonight.

Sigh!

If it weren’t for the chance of winning an award, she really wouldn’t want to go to these red carpet things.