Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

The Big Mountain production team returned to Beijing to film their indoor scenes. The set was at a film studio in the East Suburb, only about a twenty-minute drive from Ni Bingyan’s house.

When she had work, she could clock in at the set like an office worker. If the production coordinator informed her she wasn’t needed for the day’s shoot, she could stay home, do some fishing, and tend to her vegetable garden.

At first, this pace felt incredibly comfortable. After all, she had just returned from over a month of filming in the mountains without a single day off, which had been exhausting.

But soon enough, she found herself hoping her manager would work her magic and find some new job opportunities for her.

After all, she was only filming one movie. If she coordinated with the production team to shoot her scenes consecutively, she could free up quite a bit of time.

For an artist in their prime, especially a big star, getting a good night’s sleep was a luxury. Unless the director was top-tier, the production formidable, and the pay generous, they wouldn’t have the audacity to demand an actor stay on set indefinitely, completely at the production’s beck and call.

She was the female lead, after all. Not juggling multiple projects and only taking on side jobs within her contract’s limits to maintain her popularity was already considered very professional.

Wei Shuojie was indeed reliable, just as you’d expect from the former top actress’s manager.

Within two days, she had secured a cover shoot for a supplementary issue of *Beauty*, one of the top five women’s magazines, as well as two variety show appearances.

”One variety show is about celebrity refrigerators—it’s a food talk show. It’ll let fans get to know you better through your fridge, and you can show off your cooking skills a little. The other is a food-themed variety show where celebrities compete against professional chefs in a cooking PK. It’s another chance to showcase your culinary talent. That ’chef’ label you have is really popular right now, so this is the perfect time to really hammer it home. Phew, let me grab a glass of water first. I’ve been running all over the place today.”

They had already discussed it over the phone. Once Ni Bingyan agreed, Wei Shuojie signed the contracts. This time, she brought them over and was here to go over the details of the jobs.

”That’s a cup I bought specially for you. It’s just been sterilized.”

Ni Bingyan was in the middle of chopping vegetables with a rhythmic CLINK, CLANK, CHOP. Seeing that she wanted a drink, she jutted her chin, gesturing for her to help herself.

Wei Shuojie put down the contracts, took the cup, and filled it with warm water from the dispenser, tilting her head back to drink.

Seeing this, Ni Bingyan was quite touched. ”You’re so thoughtful. Both of these variety shows are perfect for me. I just wish you’d called before coming over, then I could have prepared a big meal for you! Now you’ll just have to make do with a simple dinner with me.”

Her manager must have run her legs off finding these suitable opportunities. For her, whipping up a feast was easy, but even the most skilled cook can’t make a meal without ingredients, and her pantry was a bit bare.

”I knew when you’d wrap up filming, so I estimated the time and came over. I was planning to take you out to eat after we talked business, but who knew you’d already be halfway through making dinner? To be honest, I’m running around all day, so I rarely get to eat a home-cooked meal. And one this delicious is even rarer!”

These days, few female celebrities cooked even when they were on vacation at home, let alone after a long day of work.

Who would have expected it?

They hadn’t known each other for very long, and she felt a bit embarrassed always coming over to freeload a meal.

”To stay in shape, you have to be really careful about your diet. It’s hard to find anything palatable outside. It takes less than an hour to cook when I get back, and it’s a good way to clear my head.”

Once you enter the acting profession, maintaining your figure becomes a lifelong mission. You can never be too careful.

’As expected of my self-disciplined darling Bingbing!’

’An artist who doesn’t need her manager to worry about her is basically a godsend!’

Wei Shuojie nodded in satisfaction. She refilled her cup and started chatting casually while taking small sips.

”You have a point, but it must be tiring. Why not hire an auntie to cook for you?”

”I’m barely home for more than a few days a year. What kind of auntie would take a job like that!”

Ni Bingyan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

It wasn’t that she lacked the money, but she certainly didn’t lack common sense!

’The boss is out there working hard while the auntie stays home in the air-conditioned villa, collecting a salary and eating gourmet meals? That can’t be right.’

Besides, she was a good cook and didn’t find it a hassle at all.

”That’s true. Is there anything else to do? Let me help.”

Putting down her cup, Wei Shuojie rolled up her sleeves and came closer.

Ni Bingyan had already finished chopping the vegetables.

A stir-fry of diced carrots, celtuce, ham, and corn kernels, and another dish of blanched broccoli stir-fried with shrimp.

”Sister Wei, go out to the yard and pull up a couple of heads of lettuce. I don’t think there’s enough food, so I’ll make a stir-fried lettuce with oyster sauce.”

She heated oil in the wok, tossed in some garlic slices, and the diced vegetables went in with a loud SIZZLE. At the same time, the rice cooker went DING—the brown rice was ready.

Seeing how effortlessly Ni Bingyan handled everything, Wei Shuojie obediently went to the backyard. She pulled up two heads of lettuce, shook off the dirt, and rinsed them under the tap before bringing them inside to wash properly.

”This lettuce you’ve grown is amazing. It’s a shame I live in the city center. It’s hard to grow things in an apartment building.”

”I think it’s more that you’re too busy to bother with this stuff. I have plenty of lettuce. It’s homegrown with no pesticides, so take some with you when you leave. You can feel good about giving it to your kid.”

Wei Shuojie had a son who was thirteen and had just started middle school. As the two women became more familiar, Wei Shuojie would occasionally mention him. He was apparently a bit of a picky eater, requiring extra care with his diet.

”Okay.”

When it came to her son, she shamelessly accepted the offer.

As they spoke, the food was served. Both of them were starving, so they didn’t bother with conversation and just dug in.

After the meal, they loaded the pots and pans into the dishwasher. Ni Bingyan brewed a pot of hawthorn tea and led Wei Shuojie back to the living room to look over the contracts and continue their work discussion.

”If you want to leave a lasting impression on your fans, you need to give yourself a few labels. That way, whenever fans think of those things, they’ll think of you.”

Wei Shuojie was teaching her step-by-step, as if she were a rookie.

Ni Bingyan appreciated the gesture. ”I know what you mean. It’s about building a persona.”

Wei Shuojie snorted. ”We’re not doing something that low-brow. Look at those ’fitness goddesses’ who post tearful check-ins from the gym every day and show off their abs on Weibo. Then they get lazy for a few days, the abs disappear, and their team has to Photoshop them back on for public events. Just talking about it makes me feel exhausted for them!”

The sharp-tongued manager, tired from a long day but now well-fed, was on a roll with her complaints. Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but laugh out loud, nearly choking to death on her hawthorn tea.

Seeing her laugh, Wei Shuojie thought she didn’t believe her and continued.

”And then there’s the super popular ’foodie’ persona. You don’t need to be a genius to know that’s not reliable, right? What female celebrity isn’t afraid of gaining weight? Who would dare to actually stuff their face? It’s only because their fans see them through rose-colored glasses that they believe they can really eat and not get fat. They make a big show of eating deliciously, stuffing their cheeks like little squirrels, but the moment they’re out of sight, they run to the bathroom to stick their fingers down their throats. I’ve caught at least ten of them, all teary-eyed. Why put themselves through all that?”

”Okay, I get what you’re saying. If you’re not careful, a persona can trap you. It’s better to just stick on a few labels, like you said.”

Wei Shuojie nodded in satisfaction.

She had great confidence in Ni Bingyan’s future prospects, which was why she was focusing all her energy on planning for her and hadn’t signed any other artists. Naturally, she hoped Ni Bingyan would be sharp.

She’d had colleagues who were stuck with artists who, aside from being good-looking, were completely unteachable. You could try to teach them something until you were blue in the face and they still wouldn’t get it. The thought alone was terrifying.

Ni Bingyan was not someone who couldn’t recognize a good thing. A third-tier actress having exclusive access to a top manager who once handled an S-list star had caused a lot of sour grapes at the company recently. Only someone as broad-minded as her could ignore it all.

”For these two variety shows, just be aware of the situation. When you get there, they’ll give you a script. Just follow the script and cooperate. As long as your values aren’t questionable and you don’t cause any trouble, even if you don’t stand out, you won’t make any mistakes. The magazine cover, however, is something you need to pay special attention to...”

Wei Shuojie’s intentions were good and her advice was earnest. Ni Bingyan had never even played a second female lead before, let alone done a magazine cover shoot. The original owner of her body had been a slacker, so she had no memories of such things. She quickly found a notebook and jotted everything down, point by point.

Seeing her serious attitude, Wei Shuojie opened up even more, holding nothing back.

Right now, the two of them were in the same boat. Wei Shuojie needed Ni Bingyan to make a comeback, and Ni Bingyan needed her to soar to new heights. As a community of shared interests, the teacher gave her all, and the student studied diligently, afraid of missing a single detail.

”This magazine might just be a supplement to one of the big five, but listen, the editor-in-chief is the low-profile young lady of a major conglomerate. If you make a good impression, an endorsement deal might come your way.”

As she was leaving, Ni Bingyan walked her out. When they reached the courtyard gate, Wei Shuojie suddenly stopped and whispered this to her.

The young lady was extremely low-key. Wei Shuojie had only found out by chance because their husbands worked at the same company and she attended a family reception. Barely anyone in the industry knew. She hadn’t planned on telling Ni Bingyan, afraid the information would leak and she’d offend someone, but she decided to say it after a moment’s hesitation.

After a long day, her brain stuffed with practical advice from her manager, Ni Bingyan had been starting to feel drowsy. But those words jolted her wide awake.