Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

You get used to anything after doing it a few times.

Even though Ni Bingyan had only walked the red carpet once before, she adapted incredibly quickly.

This time, for example, she felt right at home.

She wore a dark blue qipao with a subtle pattern woven from silver thread. She had a long, fluffy, white faux-fur shawl wrapped around her, and two white pearls that looked like little lightbulbs dangled from her ears. When she stepped out of the car and onto the red carpet, the lights hit her, creating a look that was magnificent and elegant, yet refreshingly tasteful.

As she walked, her earrings swayed gently. The movement of the shawl offered fleeting glimpses of her curvaceous figure, and in an instant, a sea of camera flashes erupted.

As a nominated film, the key cast and crew of *Children of the Mountains* were supposed to walk the red carpet together. However, the director had caught a cold the day before and didn’t want to freeze, while Producer Zhao was a low-key person who disliked such events. In the end, only Ni Bingyan and Hu Zhenning were left to walk together.

This time, she wasn’t among the first to walk the carpet. Instead, she was fifth from the end. She wasn’t sure if this was due to her nomination for the Best Actress award or a compromise to account for Hu Zhenning’s immense popularity.

Keeping about half an arm’s length from Hu Zhenning, Ni Bingyan glided down the red carpet like a refined lady who had time-traveled from the Republican era.

Hu Zhenning wore a three-piece suit in the same Republican-era style, complete with decorative silver-rimmed glasses.

You had to admit, standing together like that, they looked like a perfect match.

From the moment the two of them stepped onto the red carpet, the flashes were relentless. The air on both sides was filled with the CLICK-CLICK-CLICK of camera shutters.

The pair expertly struck poses as they made their way to the fan section, where they could hear shouts coming from behind the barricades.

”AHHH! You’re so handsome today!”

”Ningning! Look at me! Look at me!”

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Hu Zhenning’s fans were incredibly enthusiastic. They held their light-up signs, banners, and other fan merchandise high in the air, screaming nonstop as he drew near.

Walking the red carpet together, one of them swarmed by fans while the other was completely ignored, made Ni Bingyan feel a bit awkward.

’Should I keep walking, or should I go over with Hu Zhenning to greet his fans?’

Just then, she spotted a few girls standing next to Hu Zhenning’s fan section. They were holding snowflake-shaped fairy wands and waving at her.

”Bingbing!”

”Hey! We came just to see you!”

”Bingbing! Over here!”

She hadn’t realized that she’d already gained some die-hard fans—fans who were willing to brave the bitter cold and go to all this trouble just to see her.

A warmth spread through Ni Bingyan’s chest.

Seeing Hu Zhenning head over, she followed him.

”Hi, everyone! Aren’t you cold? Have you had dinner? What time did you get here?”

Ni Bingyan wasn’t sure what to say, so she just asked after their well-being.

Most of them weren’t holding professional cameras, but a variety of cell phones. When they saw her approach, they snapped picture after picture.

”Not cold, not cold! We bundled up.”

”We’ve eaten, we’ve eaten! There are actually a lot of places to eat nearby.”

”We got here at four!”

The tips of the girls’ noses were rosy from the cold. They tried to contain their excitement as they answered her questions in soft, gentle voices.

This group of fans were all young professionals who lived nearby and were, on average, a bit older than Hu Zhenning’s fans.

While the group over there was screaming nonstop, this one was speaking quietly.

”What made you all decide to come see me?”

Everyone only gets a limited amount of time on the red carpet, and lingering for too long would surely draw criticism. These fans knew that, so they didn’t ask for autographs or photos, content with just exchanging a few words.

”I came to see if you were really as beautiful in person.”

One girl, who was dressed very fashionably, was particularly blunt.

Ni Bingyan laughed. ”So, are you disappointed?”

”Not at all! It feels like freezing out here was worth it! Totally worth it!”

”Haha!”

Everyone found it amusing.

Seeing that the next person had already started down the carpet, Ni Bingyan looked over at Hu Zhenning.

It would be awkward for everyone if the person behind them caught up.

Having come from an idol background, Hu Zhenning was a pro at managing his fanbase. He handled these situations with ease, skillfully exchanging pleasantries with a few of the familiar fan leaders.

”It’s so cold today. Make sure you all get some milk tea to warm up before you leave.”

An assistant was already waiting nearby. As soon as he gave the word, the assistant began taking down the fans’ information.

”Just seeing you is enough to set our hearts on fire! We don’t need any milk tea.”

The fans laughed, waving the banners and light-up signs in their hands as they showered him with sweet words. Every time Hu Zhenning spoke, they couldn’t help but cup their faces in their hands and shriek.

’We can worry about milk tea after he goes inside. What’s the rush!’

Seeing that time was running out, Hu Zhenning turned to look at Ni Bingyan.

Ni Bingyan only had one assistant, and since the event was going to be long, she had already sent Duanmu Li home. Her manager, Sister Wei, was already inside the venue, so she had no way to treat this unexpected group of fans.

His fans were getting milk tea, but she had no arrangements for her own. Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment.

But to anyone looking to read into the situation, it seemed she was blushing under Hu Zhenning’s gaze.

Hu Zhenning, well aware of her reputation for being completely uninterested in romance, wouldn’t flatter himself. Besides, treating his own fans was a way to maintain their loyalty. Treating Ni Bingyan’s fans, however, would be like throwing her to the wolves, sparking unwanted rumors.

Under the circumstances, the best course of action was to leave.

Having worked together for so long, the two had developed a certain rapport. Hu Zhenning waved goodbye to his fans and started walking toward Ni Bingyan.

Seeing him approach, Ni Bingyan also bid a quick and clean farewell to her fans.

With their idols about to leave, the fans stopped pushing forward. They were all engrossed in their phones, looking at the photos they had just taken and sharing them with the people next to them.

Anyone who posted their photos in the fan group chat instantly became the star of the show.

Just then, someone pushed through the crowd, squeezing their way to the very front.

People grumbled casually but didn’t think much of it.

Hu Zhenning was currently facing Ni Bingyan, his back to the fans. As Ni Bingyan turned, she saw the person at the front pull the stopper from a glass bottle and swing their arm to throw its contents in their direction.

They were less than a meter away. The proximity was terrifying.

Ni Bingyan moved before she could think. She shoved Hu Zhenning out of the way, dropped into a squat, and dodged the spray of liquid.

To have made it past security, the glass bottle must have been small, and it didn’t contain much liquid.

Hu Zhenning had been sent sprawling to the ground. Annoyed, he was just pushing himself up when he saw it: behind Ni Bingyan, a palm-sized patch of the red carpet had corroded and turned pitch-black.

’Someone had hidden in the crowd of fans, trying to throw acid at him!’

The realization sent an icy chill through him. His gaze toward the fans was now filled with nothing but hurt and terror.

Ni Bingyan had seen the attacker’s face and knew the malice had been aimed at her, but Hu Zhenning had no idea.

Catching the acrid stench from behind her, Ni Bingyan couldn’t stop herself from trembling, but she knew the most important thing right now was to get away.

So, without waiting for Hu Zhenning to react, she shot to her feet and sprinted away. She didn’t wait for the host’s introduction or even sign the wall, simply bolting into the venue.

Only after Hu Zhenning got up and chased after her in long strides did a series of screams finally erupt from the crowd.

Security guards, realizing something was wrong, immediately rushed over to deal with the situation. They saw the crowd of fans had automatically parted, leaving a single girl with a round face and straight-across bangs standing alone, sobbing.

”It wasn’t for you! I didn’t mean to splash you, I didn’t—”

She had simply been afraid they would get too far away for her to reach them. In her panic, she had acted without regard for the fact that her own idol was standing right in the line of fire.

The first instinct of those around her was to back away. But when they heard her sobbing explanation, fury surged through them. They swarmed her, kicking and hitting her.

It took the security guards an immense amount of effort to rescue the fan from the mob.

Back when *Children of the Mountains* was first announced, the fan groups erupted the moment they learned their idol would be co-starring with Ni Bingyan, arguing over whether romance rumors would start between them.

Solo stans, couple shippers, and career-focused fans were at each other’s throats. You could say the fanbase had been fighting for as long as the movie had been filming, to the point that the fan club nearly fractured.

At the premiere, a fan even tried to start trouble by asking a pointed question about it, nearly putting Ni Bingyan in an impossible position.

For actors who started as idols, their fans would inevitably cause a scene no matter who their co-star was. Certain toxic solo stans wanted their idol to stay single forever. If he showed the slightest hint of intimacy with any female celebrity, they wanted her dead.

An acid attack like this was, in their minds, just a small punishment to teach a big lesson.