Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Noticing her spacing out after getting in the car, Wei Shuojie glanced at the rearview mirror a few times before she finally couldn’t help but ask, ”What’s wrong?”

Ni Bingyan’s mind was in a turmoil. She figured Wei Shuojie was experienced in these matters—she and her husband had a great relationship. Plus, according to her contract, Ni Bingyan had to report any relationship issues to her anyway, so there was no need to keep it a secret. She decided to ask for her opinion.

”My dad set me up on a blind date again. With Sang Yuan.”

”What?”

Wei Shuojie was so stunned that she was afraid she’d get into an accident if she kept talking while driving. She immediately pulled the car over to the side of the road, found a spot to park, and then pressed,

”Who did you say?”

Seeing the car nearly drift onto the curb, Ni Bingyan jumped in fright!

”S-Sang Yuan! What’s the matter?”

’Was such a big reaction necessary? He’s single, I’m single, we’re both unattached. Besides, it’s just a blind date, not a wedding proposal!’

”How could your dad set the two of you up? Your family is in Rongcheng City, and his is in Beijing. One family is in the appliance business, the other is in food and beverage. He’s in finance, and you’re an actress. You’re from completely different worlds!”

So, Ni Bingyan told her everything Sang Yuan had done.

”He sent hot pot seasoning as New Year’s gifts to the financial elites at a venture capital firm, just to drum up business for your family? He went to your house to learn how to cook, specifically to cook for you? And he lied to trick your dad into going to the hospital for a check-up? And he actually found something wrong, but luckily it was caught early?”

Wei Shuojie was so shocked, her glasses nearly slid off her nose!

The last time she’d been this shocked was when Sang Yuan told her that, if possible, he wanted to get married before the end of the year!

’I have to say, Sang Yuan truly is a remarkable man to have built such a fortune!’

’Could an ordinary person even pull something like this off?’

’Not only did he win over me, her agent, but now he’s even got her father in his corner?’

”I know, right? To be honest, Sister Wei, I’m a little freaked out! Tell me, what’s so great about me? Why would he go to all this trouble to marry me?”

”Maybe... it was love at first sight?”

Even Wei Shuojie felt something was off.

”Love at first sight is just lust. No matter how beautiful a person is, you get tired of looking at them after a while. He’s not that shallow. It can’t be love at first sight.”

Ni Bingyan rejected the idea without a second thought.

She’d known Sang Yuan long enough to be sure he wasn’t that kind of person.

’If he were really just into beautiful women, with his status, couldn’t he find anyone he wanted?’

”Maybe you’re just his type?”

’Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You can’t put a price on what someone truly wants. To them, what they like is the best.’

’That would explain it, wouldn’t it?’

Ni Bingyan shook her head. ”A man like that wouldn’t choose a wife based on looks alone.”

’This is a formal introduction arranged through my dad. If he were only after my looks, dating would be enough. Why would he be talking about marriage?’

’It’s not like he’s ugly and in desperate need of improving the family gene pool.’

’Besides...’

”How could a family like his accept a daughter-in-law like me? I shouldn’t have agreed to my dad’s plan without knowing what his parents think. If things get awkward, my dad will lose so much face...”

’So many actresses dream of marrying into wealthy families, only to end up having a bunch of kids without ever being formally accepted. I don’t ever want to end up like that.’

’Dating is about two people, but marriage is about two families.’

’If his parents don’t accept me, it doesn’t matter how great our relationship is. It would all be for nothing.’

Besides, she only had a slight crush on Sang Yuan. It wasn’t worth demeaning herself for him.

’No matter how great a guy is, if being with him means facing an endless stream of problems, I’d rather just give up.’

’Wouldn’t I get a much higher return on investment by putting that energy into myself?’

’Feelings can be treacherous, and marriage isn’t always faithful, but my paycheck? That’s always on time!’

”No way, no way!”

Wei Shuojie couldn’t stand seeing her so lacking in confidence.

”Actually, my mom and Sang Yuan’s mom grew up in the same neighborhood. The last time his mom invited mine to go shopping, she insisted that my mom bring me along...”

When Ni Bingyan heard Wei Shuojie say that Sang Yuan’s mother and sister had repeatedly stressed, ”Oh, we just love her,” she felt goosebumps break out all over her skin.

She recalled her many ”chance” encounters with Aunt Shui, and the conversations they’d had replayed in her mind.

’Didn’t Aunt Shui always seem to be boasting about her son in front of me?’

’I don’t have a son, so a mother constantly saying things like that to me... it couldn’t possibly be because she was trying to one-up me, could it?’

Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but blush.

’I can’t believe his mother is also happy about us being together...’

The realization made her heart beat a little faster.

But that wasn’t all. Wei Shuojie figured that since they were on the topic and the two would most likely end up together, there was no need to hide certain things anymore. So, she spilled the beans.

”I noticed he was interested in you a while back—didn’t I tell you that several times? You kept saying it was nothing, so I went to his office. I told him that if he was just looking to fool around, he should find someone else and not mess with you. Dating is so risky for an actress, especially with a rich guy like him.”

”What did he say?”

Wei Shuojie patted her chest and smiled as she recalled what had happened...

”...First, he wrote me a check and said that if the paparazzi ever snapped photos of you two again, I should use that money for PR. Then he told me that, if possible, he hoped to get married before the end of the year. He also said he wouldn’t do a prenup, that you’d always get half of whatever he earned, and he even said...”

”Sister Wei, stop, please! Let’s just hurry to the airport! We’re going to miss our flight!”

Ni Bingyan’s heart was pounding with unease. She clutched her chest, not daring to hear another word.

’How were there so many things I didn’t know?’

’In this world, the only love that comes without reason is probably a parent’s love.’

’Some people are unlucky enough that even their parents don’t love them.’

’And I’ve never been one of the lucky ones.’

To this day, she still remembered a tattered piece of clothing she had carefully preserved. On its white lining, her name and date of birth were written in marker.

The director of the orphanage had told her that when they found her next to a trash can, she was wrapped in that very piece of clothing.

Sang Yuan’s baseless, profound affection terrified her. It made her skin crawl.

’He was willing to give me marriage, to give me half of his assets. Any other girl would probably feel incredibly secure and be overjoyed that such an outstanding man had chosen her. But to me, it all felt more like a set of shackles! Like some kind of trap I couldn’t see!’

’I’m perfectly fine on my own, living a comfortable life by my own means. Why should I take on so much pressure? Why should I accept such a terrifying person?’

At this thought, Ni Bingyan quickly sent a message to her dad: [Dad, let’s talk about the blind date after I’m done with work. I don’t have any time recently.]

Ni Guangli had just hung up the phone a moment ago and hadn’t yet had a chance to speak with Sang Yuan. When he received this message, his brow furrowed.

’This silly girl!’

’Is she backing out again?’

”What’s wrong now? I already told him! You’re making your old man lose face, you know!”

He wasn’t being truthful; he was trying to bluff his daughter.

Not expecting her dad to reply so quickly, Ni Bingyan discreetly converted the voice message to text. She got the gist of it, and after a moment’s hesitation, decided to tell him the truth:

[Dad, we haven’t even known each other that long. How can he suddenly have such deep feelings for me?]

And then there was the asset management. She had only found out later that Sang Yuan didn’t take on any other clients; he was focused solely on making money for her.

Suddenly, every aspect of her life was being infiltrated by this one person. Everyone around her was singing his praises, and everyone thought it was a great idea for them to be together. Ni Bingyan felt like a frog in slowly boiling water.

’When would the water start to boil?’

’And when would she meet her end?’

It was a good question, but unfortunately, she’d asked the wrong person.

How could Ni Guangli possibly think there was anything wrong with his own daughter?

”What single man wouldn’t want to marry you the moment he saw you? Our Bingbing is beautiful and talented, good-tempered and dutiful! There’s nothing about you that isn’t perfect! Our baby girl is perfect in every way!”

Ni Bingyan was speechless.

’Fathers all over the world probably see their daughters through a thousand-layer filter.’

’Oh well. When in doubt, it’s always best to wait and observe.’

She had so many projects to film, *Breakup* was about to be released, and the Jinxiang Awards were just around the corner. She also had to shoot new promotional materials for her various endorsements. She probably wouldn’t have time to rest until May Day. Why waste her energy worrying about this?

After learning about all the things that had happened behind her back, Ni Bingyan ultimately decided to lie low.