Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

”It’s a TV series called *Soul Ferryman*. Two episodes air every Saturday at 8 AM on Blueberry Channel. This week’s episodes are already out, but it’s also streaming on Star Network, so you can watch it online.”

Once Granny Liao heard Ni Bingyan had a new series to watch, she didn’t linger. After a quick goodbye, she hurried home.

After dropping Ni Bingyan off at her house, Sang Yuan went into the yard to pick fruit, saying he was getting some for his sister. Ni Bingyan paid him no mind and went to her study to work.

Noticing her phone nearby, she glanced at her unread messages and saw the notifications from the neighborhood homeowners’ group chat popping up nonstop.

She opened it and, sure enough, Granny Liao had told everyone about her new show premiering.

Watching movies and TV shows usually felt distant, with the characters far removed from one’s own life. But this was the first time an actor had moved into their neighborhood.

Seeing a familiar person look completely different in a drama was a unique experience.

It had been a while since there was any excitement in the community. When they heard Xiao Ni’s new series was out, they all wanted to be the first to see it.

Ni Bingyan swiped quickly through the unread messages with her finger, replied to the important ones, and then tossed her phone aside to focus on the script.

The more she read the script, the more anxious she became.

’It’s so hard to transition from the oppressive *Soul Ferryman* to the sweet *Rainy Days with an Umbrella*!’

Han Su was a calm, even cold, person who only showed her gentle side to the dead. Wen Qing, on the other hand, was a little sun—working hard, trying her best to shine brightly, with a positive and healthy mindset. Anyone who spent time with her could feel that vibrant, uplifting energy.

The two characters were polar opposites.

She had no idea why she’d let Sister Wei talk her into this, thinking that taking on a sweet role would help alleviate her feelings of depression and gloom.

’How am I supposed to act this out?’

Besides this challenge, she realized she was now facing a new one—compared to Sang Yuan, the male lead in this script was a total lightweight!

He wasn’t decisive, wasn’t particularly smart, and sometimes did things that made no sense. Plus, the actor cast for the role wasn’t her type...

’I feel absolutely no connection to the role.’

’How am I supposed to make this sweet?’

’If a romance drama isn’t sweet, isn’t it dead on arrival?’

Ni Bingyan rubbed her face in frustration and let out a deep sigh.

’Also, aren’t things like the kabedon wall-slam super awkward?’

’With my height, the male lead would have to stand on a stool to wall-slam me for the shot to look good, right?’

’Should I crouch? Or sit down?’

’This screenwriter isn’t very good. Their imagination is a little lacking.’

’Then again, a phenom like Sang Yuan is a being beyond anyone’s imagination...’

Without realizing it, Ni Bingyan found herself leaning against the windowsill, craning her neck to look downstairs.

She saw that the man who had been picking blueberries in the backyard had, at some point, moved to the front yard. When he saw her looking down, he immediately looked up at her.

”Hey! There were still a few late-ripening cherries left, so I picked them for you. It’s their first time bearing fruit, so you have to have a taste! And look at these apricots, they’re starting to turn yellow! They’ll be perfectly ripe in two weeks at most.”

Sang Yuan stood under the apricot tree with a bright smile. His skin was fair, his hair slightly wavy. In terms of looks alone, he was more striking than most male celebrities, but his refined air—cultivated in a wealthy family—and the confidence that came from his early success were things an actor could never replicate.

Sunlight dappled through the gaps in the leaves, scattering across his body. He looked just like the boy from a summer romance film, the kind you’d see for the first time in middle school, appearing amidst the chirping of cicadas and the shadows of trees.

’Oh no. It’s the feeling of my heart skipping a beat!’

Ni Bingyan immediately pulled her head back inside, clutching her heart with both hands as she stared blankly at the script in front of her.

Once her emotions settled, she placed her hands on the solid wood desk. Ni Bingyan sighed, her brows knitting together again.

’Filming is about to start. How can I possibly shoot a romance drama in this state of mind?’

”Bingyan! The weather’s nice today. Do you want to go for a walk?”

Just as she was deep in thought, she heard Sang Yuan calling her from downstairs.

’A walk to clear my head sounds like a good idea.’

Besides, Ni Bingyan glanced at her watch. It was almost noon. Sang Yuan had treated her to a meal yesterday, so it was the perfect time to treat him in return.

She really hated being indebted to people.

As she got up and passed her bedroom, she glanced down at her clothes. On a strange whim, she went back in and changed her outfit.

Sang Yuan was holding a small basket half-filled with blueberries and raspberries, garnished with a few green leaves, which looked quite lovely.

Seeing her come downstairs in a different outfit, Sang Yuan’s smile widened.

”If you’re free later, want to come with me to drop off some fruit for my sister?”

Sang Mu worked at a fashion magazine and had a lot of fashion resources at her disposal. Since Bingyan hadn’t made much progress on that front lately, visiting her more often was definitely a good idea.

Ni Bingyan understood this, but she refused directly. ”I have a lot to do this afternoon. I’ll have to come right back after we eat.”

She didn’t like mixing personal relationships with professional gain.

Her rejection made Sang Yuan realize his mistake, and he was instantly annoyed with himself.

”No problem. We can do it some other time when you’re free. Come on, let’s go eat! It’s your turn to treat today, so I’m going to make you splurge!”

If it were anyone else, they would probably be put off by a man being so calculating, but Ni Bingyan found it quite agreeable.

She liked the feeling of fairness.

Her lifelong competitive streak was no joke.

Ni Bingyan drove, with Sang Yuan in the passenger seat, but they got stuck at the neighborhood gate.

A long line of cars was ahead of them. A quick count revealed dozens of them.

”What’s going on?”

’I haven’t heard about any community events, have I?’

With more cars pulling up behind them, it wasn’t a good idea to get out and ask, so Ni Bingyan called Granny Liao.

After all, if anything was happening in the neighborhood, she was the one to ask.

”I miss my granddaughter. She has school and can’t visit, so we old folks are going to our son’s place to stay for a few days.”

”So everyone is missing their children?”

”Isn’t that right? In that show you’re in, the children are just so pitiful! Every child is a treasure to their family! You can’t love them enough, so how could something like that happen! If I don’t see my granddaughter today, I won’t be able to sleep tonight! Some people are also worried about their son and daughter-in-law having bad tempers or a rocky marriage. They’re afraid they might lose control during a fight and hurt the kids. How can they rest easy without going to check on them?”

She never would have imagined that a TV show could have such a huge impact.

She had to admit, the screenwriter was a bit of a troll, the director was a genius, and the post-production was amazing, but it couldn’t have had *that* much of an effect, could it?

Okay, for people who had kids and too much time on their hands, maybe it really could.

”Then why is the front gate blocked?”

”The Old Sun family’s car broke down right at the gate. Who knows how long it’s been since they drove that thing? They don’t bother taking it for maintenance, yet they just had to be first in line. Now look, we’re all stuck here because of them! It’s so infuriating, holding everyone up!”

’Alright, I shouldn’t have asked.’

After hanging up, she saw Sang Yuan looking thoughtful.

”What are you thinking about?”

”I was just thinking, you only have this one car. If it breaks down, you don’t have a backup. You should buy another one.”

”What’s the point of buying so many? It’s not like it’s a vintage car with collection value. It starts depreciating the moment you buy it. It’s not a good deal.”

Sang Yuan just remarked on how practical she was and didn’t say anything more. But the moment he turned around, he secretly called his future father-in-law behind Ni Bingyan’s back.