Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

The major industry crackdown had its effect—even the wildest celebrities didn’t dare to act out.

So this episode of the variety show was filmed with perfunctory obedience, like an old man dutifully attending to his wife in the middle of the night—everyone went their separate ways the moment it was over.

Three of the regular cast members had been replaced for this episode, and Ni Bingyan was just a guest star for a single recording. The cast members barely knew each other, so after the cameras stopped rolling, they simply exchanged polite goodbyes and went their separate ways.

It was a simple truth everyone learned as a child: when the weather turns bad, you hurry home.

The industry was in a state of panic, and everyone had more or less the same idea. ’Finish the work on hand, head home to lie low, and wait for this whole thing to blow over before coming out again!’

Duanmu Li was officially on vacation and wouldn’t return to work until after the New Year for the promotional tour of *Breakup*. Ni Bingyan’s flight was half an hour later, so she and her companion saw Duanmu Li off first.

After seeing her off, it was nearly time for the two sisters to board. They strolled over to their gate just in time.

The Lu Family lived on the outskirts of a small town called Songxi, located in Guisheng Province. According to their family records, they had fled to this area to escape the chaos of war at the end of the Song Dynasty and had lived here for over seven hundred years.

Today, Lu was a prominent surname in Songxi. Especially around the Lu Family’s home, you could run into just about anyone and find they were related in some way.

The flight was just over an hour. They boarded shortly after eight and, despite the rest of the journey, arrived home before noon.

As soon as they got out of the car, laden with bags, people passing by their front door began to greet them.

”Yaoyao! Why are you home from your break so late this year?”

”Yaoyao! Your mother was just talking about you yesterday!”

”Yaoyao! Where’ve you been slacking off? The sugarcane harvest is already over and you’re just now getting back!”

”Yaoyao! Who’s this with you?”

...

”Oh! Isn’t this Bingbing? I haven’t seen you in ages! You’re getting prettier and prettier!”

Finally hearing a ”Bingbing” amidst the chorus of ”Yaoyao,” Ni Bingyan immediately launched into a smooth sequence of smiling, waving, and greeting. ”Oh! Where are you coming from?”

Guisheng is a multi-ethnic province with a very complex local dialect. The body’s previous owner had lived here since she was young, so she could understand it, even if she couldn’t speak it well.

But that didn’t stop her from communicating.

”Just got off my shift at the sugar factory!”

The woman replied, then heard someone calling her and quickly waved goodbye. ”My son’s getting out of school, I have to go home and cook! I’ll come over to your family’s place to chat another day!”

Here, the term ”kinsfolk” can refer to someone from the same hometown or be used between relatives of the same generation. This woman was clearly family, because Yaoyao addressed her as a Cousin-Aunt.

”Alright! Take care now!”

Ni Bingyan’s mind was now filled with thoughts of her grandparents, her uncle and aunt, and her male cousin. ’Will they think I’ve changed too much?’

Her anxieties were too complex to put into words. She and her cousin quickly pulled their suitcases inside.

The Lu Family’s courtyard was huge. Being in the south, it was a riot of colorful blossoms even in winter, a beautiful sight.

Over a decade ago, a short circuit had caused a fire that burned down half of the old Lu family home. Her grandfather had simply torn down what was left and rebuilt it from scratch.

Even though his wife had passed away long ago, when Ni Guangli heard that such a disaster had befallen his in-laws, he had rushed over to help. He not only introduced them to an architect he knew but also contributed his own money and labor, helping his father-in-law and brother-in-law rebuild. All in all, he spent over two months there before returning to Rongcheng City.

In the twenty-odd years since the Ni and Lu families had been joined by marriage, Ni Guangli had done countless things for his in-laws.

In return, the Lu Family, grateful for their son-in-law’s sincerity, repaid his kindness in full.

This much was clear from the way her aunt treated her like her own daughter.

They had been chatting at the entrance for some time, and the commotion was heard from the courtyard. As they rounded a clump of green bamboo, they saw their grandmother standing under the eaves, from which hung braids of garlic. She patted the dust from her apron, set down a round, flat wicker basket, and rose to her feet.

”Oh! Why didn’t you call ahead before coming back? I thought you wouldn’t be here for another two days.”

She spoke in a soft, gentle voice that held a fluid tenderness. Her hair, a mass of silver threads, was gathered into a low bun with a flat silver hairpin. Despite her age, her skin was fair and her complexion rosy.

Ni Bingyan looked like her mother, who in turn looked like her own mother. Standing face to face, the resemblance between grandmother and granddaughter was unmistakable.

”We knew we’d be home soon, so we wanted to give you a surprise!”

Ni Bingyan had just called out, ”Grandma,” when her cousin jumped out and made a playful face at her.

”Shoo, get out of the way. I don’t even want to look at you right now. I’ll settle the score with you later!”

The old woman lightly slapped her granddaughter’s arm, her words full of mock annoyance. But when she turned to her other granddaughter, her voice was once again nothing but gentle affection.

”If I’d known you were coming today, I would’ve worn my new clothes. The ones you sent me a while back—I was saving them to show you.”

The old woman was so kind and loving that Ni Bingyan felt an instant affection for her. She put down her suitcase and smilingly linked her arm with her grandmother’s.

”Even in these clothes, you’re the most beautiful grandma in the world to me. The next time I see pretty clothes, I’ll send you more!”

”Such a sweet talker! Quick, go on inside! Your aunt is cooking. Let her know you’re back so she doesn’t make too little food.”

”Okay!”

Ni Bingyan agreed and was about to drag her suitcase inside when she heard her cousin stomp her foot and whine from behind her. ”Now that you have my older cousin, you don’t even see me anymore, Grandma! Hmph!”

The old woman couldn’t hide the delight in her voice. ”Your cousin so rarely gets to visit, shouldn’t you be keeping her company? What are you doing standing here with me? She’s so busy with work, and we haven’t seen her in almost two years. I need to hurry inside and change my clothes.”

Seeing her grandmother hurry back into the house, Lu Yao picked up the wicker basket. ”Grandma! Are these the mung beans for the New Year’s *zongzi*? Should I put them away? If the dog jumps on them, they’ll spill all over the ground and be impossible to pick up!”

”Of course they are! I bought so many mung beans, but the ones we grow on our own field ridges are still the best.”

”Then I’d better put these away properly!”

Lu Yao didn’t wait for another reply, simply hugging the basket and running toward the kitchen, leaving her suitcase in the courtyard.

Ni Bingyan entered the house, rolled up her sleeves, and went into the kitchen. There, she found her aunt chopping chili peppers with an ecstatic expression, completely absorbed in an audiobook.

When she saw Bingyan enter, she frantically tried to turn off her phone. But her hands were wet, she lost her grip, and the phone slid right into the water vat beside her.

”...Li Fengxia had just reached the top of the stairs when she heard the patter of footsteps behind her. Turning her head, she saw her own granddaughter rushing after her...”

You had to hand it to the phone—its quality was incredible. It continued to play the audiobook from inside the water vat, broadcasting for a good long while before finally falling silent.

Ni Bingyan tried to hold it in, but she couldn’t help but burst out laughing. ”Hahaha! Auntie, what on earth are you doing?”

”I—I was just bored...”

Her eldest son was busy developing new products every day. Her father-in-law, despite his age, loved to take daily strolls through the sugarcane fields. Her husband was occupied with the factory’s business, and her mother-in-law enjoyed planting gourds and beans. With no other hobbies, she loved to read novels.

’Before, I had to strain my eyes, but now technology is so advanced I can just listen to them. Listening while I work is just the best!’

Seeing that Bingyan was still laughing, her aunt grew flustered. Forgetting her chopping, she grabbed Bingyan and swatted at her playfully. ”You think this is funny! Still laughing! You could at least help me fish it out! Go on, go on, hurry up and change the water in the vat!”

Though her words were harsh, she turned and went into the adjacent storeroom, returning a moment later with a cured ham.

”You should’ve told me you were coming. We don’t have any fancy dishes prepared, so we’ll have to make do with some of this ham.”

Seeing Lu Yao enter with the basket, she ordered her, ”Quick, put that down and peel some of those winter bamboo shoots in the corner!”

”Coming, coming!”

The three of them hadn’t even exchanged proper greetings, yet they naturally fell into their respective tasks. It was as if the girls hadn’t been away for months, but had just stepped out to buy a bottle of soy sauce.

Ni Bingyan loved this kind of family atmosphere.