Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

”Hehe, good morning, Sister Wei! Guess what I’m doing?”

On the other end of the video call, Ni Bingyan was holding her phone up high. Only her upper body was visible, and you couldn’t see what was in front of her.

She was wrapped in a thick, white scarf, her face rosy and glowing, and her eyes sparkled with cheer. Wei Shuojie couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh and just sighed helplessly.

”Playing innocent after you’ve made a mistake... even my five-year-old son grew out of that.”

”Hahaha! I’m having lotus root and pig’s trotter soup. Let me tell you, Sister Wei, the best delicacies are hidden in the dirtiest places. If I didn’t go dig them up, how would you get to eat such amazing lotus root? Look at this! It’s so tender, starchy, and fragrant. Here, I’ll eat some for you!”

Seeing her actually pick up a piece and take a big bite, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s as she chewed and chewed.

To maintain her figure, Sister Wei had only eaten a small bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. On such a cold day, the sight of this steaming hot lotus root and pig’s trotter soup made her mouth water uncontrollably, much to her annoyance.

”Alright, that’s enough! I have work to do. You’re on vacation, so just take a vacation. Can you please not cause trouble?”

”I’m really not causing trouble, Sister Wei~~ I just dug up a few lotus roots from my family’s pond. Toil is glorious, Sister Wei~ I don’t even know what they find so funny.”

Wei Shuojie hadn’t wanted to scold her in front of outsiders, but seeing her so unrepentant and refusing to admit her mistake, she finally lost her temper.

”Even if you’re working, don’t forget to wash your face! Look at you, your face is covered in mud. Did you lose your footing and fall in? You look like a sow rolling around in a pigsty! For God’s sake! Your fans are here for your looks! Your looks, you know? What if you lose followers? I post on Weibo for you every day, working my butt off to get you those followers. If I’d known you were going to waste them like this, I would have just bought you bot followers instead! Look at your muddy face, what the hell do you look like? The last time I saw a mess like that, it was on a mischievous five-year-old! You’re 25! Please! Can’t you carry the burden of being an idol with a little more dignity?”

Everyone in the office was covering their mouths, trying to stifle their laughter. PFFFT. Wei Shuojie, not wanting to be the butt of their jokes, started to walk out. But the whole group stopped working, grabbed their mugs, and followed her, pretending they were all going to get water.

Sister Wei gave up, walked back, and let them spectate.

”I just checked. I gained 1.5 million followers overnight.”

Everyone fell silent in unison. Ni Bingyan’s voice was a little loud, and those standing close enough heard her, which only made them want to laugh even more.

Wei Shuojie was speechless. Seeing everyone’s faces turn red from holding in their laughter, she was about to hang up the call.

”One should not forget the lotus root digger when eating the lotus root. The people laughing at me must have twisted values; we shouldn’t pay them any mind. I already sent you several freshly dug lotus roots overnight. You can wash them and make soup later! Remember to add a handful of peanuts, the red-skinned kind. They’re delicious! Here, listen to me drink—SLURP SLURP SLURP...”

After downing the bowl of soup, she let out a loud burp.

Wei Shuojie changed her position, and the wall was no longer in the background. Ni Bingyan, with her sharp eyes, spotted cubicles and was horrified. ”Sis, where are you right now?”

Even through the phone, you could hear the dazed confusion in her soft, lilting tone.

”Where do you think I am? I’m in the PR department dealing with the mess you and your ’mud doll’ stunt have caused! How long do you plan to stay on the trending list? Do you want to be laughed to death and turned into a meme?”

After roaring out her sentence, Wei Shuojie realized the other end had already chickened out and hung up.

”Argh, I’m so furious! Does she want to be a lunatic instead of a goddess? Is she planning to pivot to comedy? She’s usually so serious, but when she decides to be mischievous, she goes completely wild! Ugh!”

Someone handed her a glass of water. She took a sip and finally calmed down.

”Alright, let’s change our approach. It’s winter, and lotus roots can’t be harvested by machine. The diggers have to endure the cold every day to get them, and don’t they all end up covered in mud just like this? Digging for lotus root is hard work. By experiencing it firsthand, one can appreciate it more when eating it. People who love life should learn from her. Anyone laughing at her just has twisted values.”

”Um, Sis, but she really does look hilarious! Even actual lotus root diggers don’t get *that* muddy!”

”Aiya, just spin it in that direction, understand? Pay attention to the fine details; don’t leave any traces. Ugh, I’m worrying myself to death. My heart feels like it’s been chopped into dumpling filling.”

”Sister Bingbing is so lucky to be signed with you.”

Seeing her distressed expression, a colleague she was familiar with offered a compliment.

”I’m lucky to have signed her, too! Not to mention how a good laugh like this from time to time can make you feel ten years younger. And speaking of those lotus roots that are on their way, I’ll have to make some soup myself tomorrow. She hyped them up so much, I really want to taste just how delicious the lotus roots from a master chef’s private stash can be.”

”Ooooh~”

After a round of teasing, the crowd went back to work.

’No wonder she’s a gold-medal agent. Just look at those skills.’

Ni Bingyan had no idea about the commotion at the agency. Right now, she was so embarrassed she could dig a hole with her toes.

She’d known she was trending the moment she woke up. After all, she had Peng Huan by her side, whose first order of business upon waking was to scroll through Weibo.

Wei Shuojie was very particular about her image. Even if Bingyan was too busy for makeup, she demanded that she pay attention to her outfits and never leave the house looking sloppy.

After all, you could always wear a mask if you didn’t have makeup on, but a bad outfit was beyond saving.

Photoshop could save it, sure, but if someone snapped an unedited photo, the comparison would be worse than just posting the original. At least then she wouldn’t be mocked for having a million-dollar photo editor.

”Good thing I was smart yesterday and sent her some. Otherwise, I’d feel too guilty to try and smooth things over today.”

”So, because you sent her lotus roots, you can smooth things over with a clear conscience?”

”Well, not exactly.”

The two of them chatted as they quickly finished their breakfast.

”I bought a ticket for a three p.m. flight to the northwest. I have to head to the airport now, or I won’t make it.”

Ni Bingyan’s vacation was a week long. She had spent two days wandering around Hengdian, then another three days with Peng Huan, and still had the weekend free. Peng Huan, however, had to move on to her next film crew.

Her work schedule was even fuller than many actors’, so Ni Bingyan didn’t try to make her stay.

”I’ll take you then. I can do some shopping on the way. I haven’t bought anything in ages. If I earn money and don’t spend any of it, I lose all my motivation.”

Peng Huan didn’t refuse.

So Ni Bingyan drove out in her family’s car. After dropping off her friend and doing some shopping, it was almost six o’clock. She had just tossed her shopping bags into the trunk and was about to get in the car to head home when her dad suddenly called.

”Bingbing, how about you go on a blind date tonight?”

Her dad threw a straight ball, hitting her right in the face. Ni Bingyan froze for a second, then her voice shot up several octaves.

”What the heck? What kind of nonsense are you talking about, Dad?”

It was a good thing she hadn’t started the car yet. If she’d been on the road, wouldn’t she have skidded right into the curb with a SCREECH?

”The best way to forget one relationship is to start a new one. Just go and meet him. Think of it as making a new friend. If it works out, you can date. If not, then forget about it.”

In his opinion, the reason his daughter had been so badly deceived was that she hadn’t met enough men and didn’t know how to tell the good from the bad.

”I’m not going! I’m only 25, why the hell would I go on a blind date? You can arrange one for me when I’m 35!”

’That’s what she said, but inwardly she was thinking, ’I’ll just get IVF when I’m 34. By the time I’m 35, he’ll be busy with his grandkid and will definitely have forgotten all about this.’’

But Ni Guangli, ever so persistent, found another excuse.

”Aren’t you going to be on the Chili Channel’s New Year’s Gala, performing in that skit ’Blind Date’? You can think of this as getting some experience. See what a blind date is really like. That way you won’t do a bad job and get laughed at by our relatives and friends.”

”Laughed at? Me? Mess up a simple skit? As if!”

”Oh, just go! I’ve seen the young man’s photo. He’s very handsome.”

When she still wouldn’t give in, Ni Guangli couldn’t help but sigh. ”Ai, I’m already in my sixties. Who knows, I could drop dead any day now. When I think of you all alone, with no family by your side, I just... ai!”

Ni Guangli wasn’t lying; every word came from the heart.

But what he didn’t say was that his biggest worry wasn’t his daughter being lonely and helpless after he died, but that she couldn’t tell a good man from a bad one and would be deceived by another scumbag.

How many three-year periods does a girl get in her youth?

While he was still around, he wanted her to meet more people and gain some experience!

You could tell her ten thousand times what kind of men to avoid, and she still wouldn’t listen. She had to experience it for herself.

Ni Bingyan: ”...”

She didn’t quite understand her dad’s train of thought.

Just a few days ago he was saying he planned to work until he was eighty before retiring, and now he was playing the victim just to get her to go on a blind date.

’It’s just a blind date, right?’

’It’s just a cup of coffee.’

’If she said no, it’s not like he could force a boyfriend on her, could he?’

With that thought, her tone softened. ”I know you’re the person who loves me most in the world, Dad, and that you wouldn’t hurt me. You have your reasons, and I won’t press you for them. I can agree to go take a look, but I have to make it clear: whether it works out or not is my decision. Don’t force me to do anything I don’t want to.”

”What nonsense are you talking about now? When would I ever make you do something you don’t like? You’re a young person. Just think of it as broadening your horizons.”

’Could it be that my ’King of Singledom’ aura is finally too strong to hide?’

’How few men must he think I’ve met for him to use a phrase like ’broaden your horizons’!’