Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

”Seriously! What is wrong with these people? They’ve got all this energy, but instead of using it for something productive, they pour it all into these dirty tricks!”

Wei Shuojie angrily twisted the cap back on her water bottle. Then she pulled out her lipstick, continuing her rant as she meticulously touched up her makeup.

”Promotional resources are limited, but they spend all day buying trending topics so everyone can ’feel sorry for their precious idol.’ If you ask me, their idol doesn’t need any pity. It’s his boss we should all feel sorry for!”

Having won the award, Wei Shuojie was beaming. Her face was practically numb from smiling so much on the way home. She immediately had the PR department go all out promoting their newly minted Huabiao Film Queen, and she didn’t miss the chance to drag everyone who’d ever crossed her through the mud.

First on her list was Old Luo, who had just tried to pull a fast one on them that very evening.

Ni Bingyan could only think that it was a good thing only she and Duanmu Li were in the car. If even a whisper of this got out, they’d have enemies determined to fight them to the bitter end.

”It’s the end of the year, and the PR team has to meet their KPIs, you know! They just keep recycling the same few topics over and over. They finally have something fresh to work with, so cut them some slack!”

The work of everyone on Ni Bingyan’s team revolved around her. When her career was going well, everyone’s spirits were high. Tonight, even the usually quiet Duanmu Li was in the mood for a joke.

She might not say much usually, but when she decided to roast someone, her words always cut right to the heart of the matter.

Ni Bingyan, busy replying to messages on her phone, knew exactly who they were talking about and couldn’t help but sigh.

”That agent, Luo, is a piece of work, but Hu Zhenning himself is actually a decent guy. Besides, it’s not like he gets to decide his own career path. We should stop making fun of him. Can we do that, at least for the sake of the 8,888-yuan red envelope he sent?”

The congratulatory red envelope had arrived right after the awards ceremony ended.

It’s hard to badmouth someone after accepting their gift. Ni Bingyan didn’t want to speak ill of him, and she didn’t want her team to, either.

”Oh? He actually sent you a red envelope?”

Wei Shuojie had been there when Hu Zhenning promised to send one, but she had assumed he was just kidding.

”He sure did!”

Alright, if he was going to be classy about it, they couldn’t be anything less.

So, the two of them dropped the subject.

The awards ceremony ended very late, so everyone sent their congratulations via text instead of calling and disturbing her.

Ni Bingyan spent the entire ride home replying to messages. After sending a few replies of her own and delegating some work, Wei Shuojie started scrolling through Weibo.

As she scrolled, she suddenly erupted in anger.

”Is this Zhao Yingying completely braindead? It’s been years, and she’s still pulling the same old trick! Instead of focusing on her acting, she’s always trying to ’outshine’ this actress or that one. She doesn’t have a single respectable film to her name—she’s nothing but a red carpet poser! And look, now she’s trying to leech off our fame! The absolute nerve! A thirty-five-year-old hag trying to ’outshine’ our beautiful twenty-five-year-old ingénue?”

Zhao Yingying’s real name was Zhao Ying, and she was known for being incredibly pretentious.

Once, during the filming of a variety show, she had whimpered coquettishly at a male idol in his early twenties, which led to his fans absolutely savaging her online. Ever since, she’d been stuck with the nickname ”Zhao Yingying.”

”Why is she targeting me tonight?”

Being ”outshone” for the first time was a novel experience for Ni Bingyan.

”What do you think?”

Wei Shuojie rolled her eyes.

The gesture said it all: ’Do you even have to ask?’

”This kind of tactic—tearing someone down to build yourself up—is a dime a dozen. You can’t let it get to you.”

Ni Bingyan figured it out. ’I just won an award tonight, so I’m trending. It’s only natural that someone would try to ride my coattails.’

Wei Shuojie ignored her, already sending a voice message to someone with a vicious tone.

”Is it time for your Zhao Yingying to get her fillers topped up? If she doesn’t stop this blind clout-chasing, I’ll post the photos of her bone-shaving and breast implant surgeries online!”

Everyone moved in the same circles. Who didn’t have dirt on whom?

And Wei Shuojie was extremely well-informed.

But the person on the other end was still holding out hope they could get away with it. A voice message quickly came back, full of excuses. ”Oh, Sister Wei! You’ve got it all wrong! It’s these unscrupulous media outlets making things up again! I’m getting our lawyer to issue a cease and desist letter right now. Don’t you worry, they’ll shut up soon enough!”

’We’re both thousand-year-old demons, so don’t you try pulling any of your ghost stories on me,’ Wei Shuojie thought.

When had a lawyer’s letter ever actually worked?

”You won’t cry until you see the coffin.”

Wei Shuojie snorted, found a photo in her cloud storage, and sent it over.

A moment later, a tearful voice message arrived: ”SOB... Sister Wei! Please, you’re a bigger person than me, don’t hold this against a nobody like me! I brought this humiliation on myself! I was wrong! Please, don’t stoop to my level!”

It was a message from Zhao Ying herself.

The woman certainly knew when to eat humble pie.

Witnessing this exchange, Ni Bingyan was utterly dumbfounded.

What an eye-opener!

”Sister Wei! You actually keep a stash of dirt on people? What’s in there? Let me see!”

Wei Shuojie didn’t try to hide it, pulling up her cloud drive for her to see.

Ni Bingyan leaned over and saw folders upon folders of dirt, all neatly categorized.

There was a folder for drug use, one for cheating, one for soliciting prostitutes, one for plastic surgery...

”How come there’s no folder for rape?”

Ni Bingyan asked offhandedly, earning a look from Wei Shuojie that said she thought Ni Bingyan was a complete idiot.

”Don’t you know that’s a crime? If I ever find out about something like that, I report it, obviously.”

Ni Bingyan silently gave her a thumbs-up.

”Alright, there’s nothing more to see. A lot of this stuff is useless even if you know it. It’s just good to be aware of what’s out there.”

Ni Bingyan pulled her gaze away and couldn’t help but marvel, ”I was so smart to sign with you. Otherwise, I would’ve been a total pushover today.”

What other agent would have such a massive arsenal of blackmail material?

Not having dirt on other people was like going into battle without ammunition.

Just now, for instance, all it took was a single photo to make the other party back down.

Wei Shuojie sighed and said in a serious tone, ”It’s my job to be a good fighter, but I can’t be by your side 24/7. You still need to be careful. A lot of people have their eyes on you right now, just waiting for you to slip up. Look, how long has it been? All the ghouls and goblins are already crawling out of the woodwork.”

Ni Bingyan obediently agreed.

The three of them fell silent for a moment. As they were getting close to home, Ni Bingyan quickly asked about her upcoming work schedule.

”The Spring Festival Gala is still over half a month away! Since I don’t have anything scheduled, does that mean I’m on vacation?”

”I’m planning to get you a public service announcement. It’s unpaid, but if it’s done well, it will be great for your reputation.”

Sensing she might be concerned, Wei Shuojie patiently explained:

”You’re in the spotlight right now, so it’s best to cut back on commercial activities to maintain your prestige. Focus on charity and public service to protect your image. As for scripts, let’s finish filming *Demon Suppression Tower* and *Soul Ferryman* first. Then, in the second half of next year, I plan to find you a solid, award-worthy project. We’re going for another trophy next year!”

”Sounds good! I have complete faith in you!”

After quickly settling her work schedule, their car was about to turn at an intersection when they saw several minivans parked up ahead. Dark camera lenses were panning back and forth from the windows.

”Is that the paparazzi? Are they here for me?”

Duanmu Li slowed the car down, and the two women in the back leaned against the window to look out.

Wei Shuojie frowned in thought for a moment before shaking her head. ”We’re still an intersection away from your complex. It doesn’t look like they’re here for you. Think, who lives nearby? Someone else might be in trouble. Be careful for the next few days. Don’t go out, and don’t let them get a picture of you.”

The last time the paparazzi were trying to get a shot of Mr. Wei, they ended up catching her in the frame, dragging her into a scandal.

That couldn’t be allowed to happen again.

She was dead tired today. Since she knew the commotion wasn’t about her, Ni Bingyan didn’t bother prying. She went home quietly, changed her clothes, took a shower, and went straight to bed.