Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

After all those questions, out of the hundred contestants who made it through the grueling audition rounds, only three got a perfect score. Naturally, the cameras would focus on them.

But with Ni Bingyan among them, who would care about the other two?

Right now, the audience only wanted to know one thing: how on earth did this woman get in here?

The atmosphere was impossible to liven up. After a brief and listless interaction, a helpless Miss Dong had no choice but to announce the person with the fastest time.

”Let’s welcome Ni Bingyan to the stage! She will face off against our contestant, Cao Yongji!”

Ni Bingyan quickly walked onto the stage, smiling and waving at the audience with natural grace.

”Ni Bingyan, what made you decide to join this show?”

Just as pork isn’t on a sheep’s menu, this kind of intellectual program usually isn’t on a celebrity’s radar.

For such a wildcard to suddenly show up—it wasn’t just the audience who found it strange; Miss Dong was a little curious herself.

Her question was definitely what most of the audience was thinking.

Hadn’t the previously boisterous studio fallen silent the moment she asked it?

”Actually, I was just passing by that day and saw some excitement over here...”

Ni Bingyan sighed sheepishly. ”Who would have thought that, by some strange twist of fate, I’d pass the audition?”

She was telling the truth, her expression completely genuine.

Seeing her deliver such a humblebrag in such a nonchalant tone, Miss Dong gave her a disapproving look and said:

”They say talent can’t be hidden, and today I’ve truly seen it for myself. By the way, Bingyan, you must study classical poetry often, right? I mean, look, out of everyone here today, you’re one of only three with a perfect score, and you were the fastest.”

”I’m not as good as you say. I’m just like many other poetry enthusiasts who enjoy reading it in their free time. I can’t claim to have any deep expertise. Compared to the scholars on the panel, I still have much to learn. As they say, diligence is the path up the mountain of knowledge, and hard work is the boat across the sea of learning!”

Ni Bingyan had never been one to show off, so her words were very modest.

Miss Dong looked at her again with that ”how can you be such a humblebragger” expression. ”Back in the day, the top students in my class used to say the same thing.”

Ni Bingyan covered her mouth and laughed. ”It seems Teacher Dong is quite familiar with this routine. Perhaps because you’ve said it so many times yourself over the years?”

A battle of wits!

The audience roared with laughter. Miss Dong pretended to be at a loss for words, which made the crowd applaud even more furiously.

A show full of just questions would be dull, but this kind of interaction between the host and a contestant was incredibly entertaining!

Miss Dong sighed. ”The director just told me we have a clip of Ni Bingyan’s audition. Does everyone want to see it?”

”Yes!”

The crowd roared in unison.

The video had already been edited. Seeing that the audience’s curiosity was piqued, it immediately began playing on the big screen.

In the clips that circulated online, the person filming was too far away to hear what she was saying. But the CCTV camera was right near her, and the sound quality was excellent.

The video started with a dusty car passing by.

As it drove past the audition site, the car’s window rolled down and it slowly decelerated. A moment later, it turned around and pulled into a nearby parking lot. Then, a slender figure in a hat and mask walked over from a distance.

After getting close to the crowd, she was seen standing on her tiptoes and grabbing an old man who was desperately reaching forward. In a loud, coarse voice, she asked, ”What’s goin’ on here? What’s all this?”

The audience immediately lost it.

Did she just let her true self fly free the moment she put on a mask?

”Hey! Let go of me! Me, me, me! Give me one of those! No, wait, give me two!”

”Take them, take them! Men and women shouldn’t be so familiar! Let go of me! They’re about to close up for the day, so hurry up and fill out the form!”

The old man’s voice was just as loud, and you could feel his exasperation even through the screen.

And so, Ni Bingyan found herself with a form and a pen in her hand.

Just by looking at the eyes visible above her mask, you could see the utter confusion in her bewildered gaze.

Next, she answered questions and filled out her basic information. It was safe to say she was pushed into the crowd in a total daze, and then pushed back out in the same state.

The edited video was only about a minute long. It didn’t even have the flashy, colorful subtitles you see on variety shows, but the comedic effect was off the charts!

The audience members were slapping their thighs with laughter.

So she really did get in by a complete fluke!

And she really did earn her spot with genuine skill!

Shui Sulan was even laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. She was now dabbing at them carefully with a handkerchief, afraid of smudging her eyeliner.

”I told you waterproof eyeliner was useful, but you insisted you were an ’Iron Lady’ and didn’t need that stuff. Didn’t see this coming, did you?”

Sang Mu couldn’t stop laughing either. Seeing his mom dabbing her tears while looking in a mirror with her pinky elegantly raised made his stomach hurt from laughing so hard!

Once the studio calmed down, Miss Dong turned to Cao Yongji. ”Cao Yongji, I noticed you covered your face and looked away the moment you saw Ni Bingyan. Do you two know each other?”

It had to be said, Miss Dong had a sharp eye and a knack for finding explosive moments.

With a figure like Ni Bingyan among the contestants, Chief Director Yan Zhen had already given her a heads-up. She was naturally prepared with a contingency plan for Ni Bingyan breaking through the ranks.

But she hadn’t expected this last-minute surprise—that Ni Bingyan actually knew the other finalist!

Cao Yongji looked embarrassed. He first greeted Ni Bingyan, calling out ”Miss Ni,” before sheepishly telling everyone:

”The villa I was talking about... I sold it to Miss Ni.”

Now, everyone understood.

”So, he was exaggerating earlier, wasn’t he?”

Miss Dong’s eyes went wide as she asked Ni Bingyan with feigned surprise.

Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but cover her face with her hand, turning to Cao Yongji to ask, ”Am I allowed to say?”

Another wave of laughter swept through the studio.

Cao Yongji’s face turned visibly red.

So young, after all!

”I call that appropriate artistic embellishment! While I may not have recited poetry for Miss Ni, I really have done it for other home sales since! Hey, Miss Ni, if you feel it’s unfair, why not buy another house from me? I promise I’ll recite several poems for you this time!”

”Hahaha! You’re scheming so loudly, they can hear you all the way in Argentina.”

”What do you mean by that?”

”Argentina is the country farthest away from China.”

Seeing the two of them starting to trade banter like a comedy duo, Miss Dong quickly cut in. ”You two can save the stand-up routine for later! We still have a championship match to get to!”

Ugh, but their banter was so much fun!

[We want to hear their comedy routine!]

But alas, this was an intellectual competition. No matter how entertaining the interaction, it was just a sideshow. The poetry battle was the main event.

”The final round is a speed round. After the question is announced, you will press the buzzer in front of you to answer. A correct answer earns one point. An incorrect answer gives a point to your opponent. Is that clear?”

The rules were simple and straightforward; there was nothing to misunderstand. The two of them nodded one after another, their eyes filled with fighting spirit as they looked at each other.