Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

The mother-in-law, her eyes red and swollen from crying, went up to shield her daughter-in-law, speaking deferentially to the girl’s mother.

’No matter how upset she is,’ the mother-in-law thought, ’she’ll feel a little better when she sees me.’

The mother-in-law had meant to be comforting, but her words made the widow’s mother explode with rage.

”What do you mean, ’at least my daughter is still alive’? Was it my fault your son died?”

”No, no, my dear, you’ve misunderstood. That’s not what I meant at all. Xiaoqin is still pregnant. Please, don’t get worked up. Let’s sit down and talk things over calmly, okay? I know how much you’re hurting...”

The moment the child was mentioned, the mother’s anger flared.

”A child? Hah! Are you delusional?! You make having this baby sound so simple. It’s a child, not a side of roast pork! How could she just give birth and then wash her hands of it?”

”With this child, how is she supposed to start a new life?”

”Who’s going to raise it? Don’t tell me you will! You’re old. How long can you keep that up?”

”Does your family have a throne that needs an heir? You want to sacrifice my daughter’s life just to continue your bloodline? Have you no shame?”

”Absolutely not! I don’t care what anyone says! I’d rather she hate me for the rest of her life than have her come to me crying one day, asking, ’Mom, why didn’t you stop me?’”

After her tirade, she looked at the other mother, with whom she’d always gotten along so well. The woman stared back, her eyes brimming with tears. In just the few days since they had last seen each other, streaks of white had appeared at her temples, and she no longer had her usual radiant glow. They held each other’s gaze for a long time before the widow’s mother finally softened. ”I can’t just stand by and watch my daughter suffer.”

”We would never let her suffer. We’ll respect her wishes! If she doesn’t want this... this child... his father and I... we won’t have any objection either.”

”My dear, if you can... can say that, then I have nothing more to add. I’ll take her home for now. She’s too devastated to handle this. Everything else... SIGH... we can talk about it after... you know. It’ll just be a few days.”

”Okay! Then I’ll leave Xiaoqin in your care for a while. She just needs to come back for the funeral in two days to pay her last respects.”

”Of course.”

The two mothers embraced, sobbing.

Honestly, if the mother-in-law had been even the slightest bit short-tempered, the situation wouldn’t have de-escalated so quickly.

”Cut!”

For once, Li Yiru didn’t yell at anyone. She just sniffled and called the cut.

Next came adjusting the cameras and lighting for a few more takes.

Building on their earlier success, the rest of the shoot went extremely smoothly.

The hardest part was for the actors who had to cry.

To keep their eyes red and swollen, they had to work themselves up into a heartbreaking cry before each take. During breaks, worried they wouldn’t be able to hit the right emotional notes, they’d cry some more in preparation. After a few NGs, they felt like they were going to cry themselves blind.

After finishing the scene and grabbing a quick dinner, as the sunset painted the sky, the actress playing the wife removed her prosthetic belly. She then picked up a swaddled bundle, getting a feel for it.

Once she had reset her emotions, she transformed into a mother whose child had been born, a woman slowly emerging from the grief of her husband’s death.

”My love, you can rest easy. Our child is healthy, and I promise I’ll raise them well.”

Holding the baby, she looked up, her gaze traveling past the pine and cypress trees to the sky awash in the evening glow. The camera zoomed in for a close-up on her eyes, which were still faintly red—they had been puffy earlier, but were now just right after dinner.

Just as weary birds were returning to their nests, a flock of wild geese flew overhead.

The scene was stunningly beautiful, bringing to mind the line from a classic poem: ”I think of my beloved who will not return, and raise my head to gaze at the soaring geese.”

Han Su and the forensic doctor, who were taking a stroll after getting off work, happened to see this. They couldn’t help but exchange a smile.

The forensic doctor said, ”See? It’s not all cold and bleak here.”

Han Su replied, ”You’re right. There’s warmth here, too.”

With the third story arc finished, the first episode was set to premiere simultaneously on the Star Network the next day.

After working for more than half a month straight, the production crew mercifully granted everyone a day off. Ni Bingyan could finally go home.

It was early June, and the weather was growing hotter. As Ni Bingyan walked out of the funeral home gates, she exuded an icy, unapproachable aura. She wore a flowing black halter-neck jumpsuit, oversized sunglasses, and high heels.

”Oh? What a coincidence!”

From a car parked on the roadside, Sang Yuan rolled down his window and smiled at her.

Ni Bingyan was speechless. She just got right into the car.

”Let’s go. And don’t bother with the lame excuses.”

’No matter how ”on the way” it was, how could his route just happen to pass by the funeral home six times in twenty days?’

Ever since their blind date, Sang Yuan had started openly pursuing her.

Ni Bingyan had never imagined someone would go to such great lengths just for a chance to woo her.

Filming this drama had left her feeling genuinely depressed. Following her therapist’s advice, she was trying to find the sweeter things in life, and so she had mustered the courage to tacitly accept his advances.