Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

A daughter really is the best at warming your heart.

Ni Guangli was so moved he couldn’t sit still. He grabbed a basket and went straight into the yard to pick some fruit.

The blueberries and raspberries were at the peak of their season. Since Ni Bingyan had been coming home frequently these past few days, people felt too shy to come and pick them. She, on the other hand, had been too busy. As a result, the fruit was left hanging on the branches, and much of it was now perfectly ripe.

”This is all organic produce we grew ourselves. It’d be a shame to let it spoil. You’re so incredibly busy, you don’t have time to deal with it. I might as well stay an extra day and make you some jam. Later, I’ll go buy some beef and make you a couple of jars of beef chili sauce. When you’re swamped, it’ll be delicious mixed with noodles or rice. Do you want some mushroom sauce too? The bamboo shoots aren’t great this season, or I could have added some of those...”

Seeing that her father couldn’t stay idle and was already making plans, Ni Bingyan didn’t object. She just followed behind him to lend a hand.

”Dad, is there anything you want?”

Faced with a father who thought of her in every little thing, Ni Bingyan felt her conscience would keep her awake at night if she didn’t do something for him in return.

”I just want you to be happy!”

Ni Guangli was busy and said it casually, without giving it much thought.

Tears instantly streamed down Ni Bingyan’s face.

She had only ever heard such heart-piercing words in movie scenes; she never imagined someone would say them to her in real life.

Hearing her sniffle, Ni Guangli turned and looked at her with an amused smile. ”I’m 67 years old. Our family has been chefs for generations. We never even had to suffer during the hard times. I’ve eaten everything, worn everything, and seen everything. Other than your happiness, what else is there for me to care about?”

That evening, her father was in the kitchen cooking beef while Ni Bingyan was in the study, reading her script.

Her recent gloominess had all been caused by her overthinking things.

Now, hearing her father’s casual words, she suddenly felt as if she had been enlightened.

’Other people’s joys and sorrows shouldn’t have been affecting me.’

’I have my own life to live. Why was I always dwelling on things that had nothing to do with me?’

’The world is full of misfortune, but that doesn’t mean I can’t build my own little happy life.’

The gloom that had plagued her for days was instantly cured by the warmth of her father’s love.

When she returned to reading the script for the urban romance, she could finally feel its sweetness again.

The next day, when Ni Bingyan arrived on set, she could still feel the lingering, fond smile on her face.

The actor playing the male lead, Gu Feng, was the young star Bai Jing. Just as Ni Bingyan arrived, he happened to be getting out of his car.

His legs were so long and straight. Standing there, he looked just like a tall, proud poplar tree.

You had to hand it to the director; he clearly understood urban romance dramas. He had even considered the height difference between the leads during casting.

There was a 12-centimeter difference between them, which would make any scene of them holding hands, hugging, or kissing look absolutely picturesque.

”Hey! Junior!”

Bai Jing was tall, handsome, and had an elegant, scholarly air about him. As soon as he saw her, he walked over with a smile.

They had attended the same university and even had the same major. Bai Jing was just two years her senior, so it was perfectly natural for him to call her his junior.

When the group chat for the main cast and crew of Rainy Days with an Umbrella was first created, they had greeted each other, and once Bai Jing found out, he had started calling her that.

You can’t be rude to a friendly face, so Ni Bingyan quickly got out of her car to shake his hand.

”Long time no see, Senior!”

As they shook hands, staff members from both sides immediately whipped out their cameras and started taking photos.

To capture an angle that made them both look taller and slimmer, Brother Biao actually dropped into a split, leaning back with his camera.

A shot taken from that angle could make anyone’s legs look a mile long; you’d be embarrassed to leave the house if they didn’t.

The entertainment industry is full of all kinds of hidden talents; you should never underestimate anyone.

’Who would have thought that Brother Biao had a background in dance?’

Ni Bingyan sighed, and Bai Jing sighed as well.

Clearly, neither of them enjoyed this kind of publicity stunt, but it couldn’t be helped. Fans loved to see all the little behind-the-scenes clips and Easter eggs. To capture moments the audience would find interesting, someone would be recording them from the moment they set foot on the lot.

Their respective managers were responsible for coordinating their work, publishing their schedules, and capturing all sorts of promotional material, so they naturally wouldn’t miss a photogenic moment between the handsome actor and the beautiful actress.

After a brief greeting, they each led their teams to the set.

This series had many indoor scenes, and the soundstage was located right at the film studio. By the time the two of them arrived, almost everyone else was already there.

The opening ceremony for Rainy Days with an Umbrella went very smoothly that day. The main cast and crew gathered for a lively but brief ceremony, and by eleven-thirty, it was already over.

Traditionally, they would film a couple of simple scenes in the afternoon to get off to a smooth start and bring good luck to the production. Everyone stayed for lunch on set to prepare.

Since it was the first day, the boxed lunches were quite lavish: sweet and sour pork ribs, mushrooms with stir-fried pork, and a braised chicken leg for everyone.

Ni Bingyan hadn’t known that Duanmu Li actually had a license to drive large vehicles, which meant she could drive the new RV. Now they wouldn’t have to hire a separate driver; they just needed to give Duanmu Li a raise.

Sister Li had already parked the RV in the designated spot for the female lead. They hadn’t hired a cook yet, so for now, they had to make do with the boxed lunches.

Ni Bingyan had just lifted the lid of her lunchbox and was about to break apart her disposable chopsticks when she saw Bai Jing open his window and wave to her.

Their RVs were parked next to each other, so if they both opened their windows, they could eat and chat.

Since they were filming an urban romance, the director had specifically instructed them to spend more time together and get to know each other better to make their romantic scenes more natural.

Bai Jing was being warm and proactive, so she couldn’t just ignore him. She quickly opened her window and waved back.

Both of them had several staff members with them, so it would have been inconvenient to cram into one vehicle. Chatting like this was a good way to build rapport without being so intimate as to make people uncomfortable. Ni Bingyan was fine with the arrangement, and Bai Jing seemed relaxed as well.

As the meal wound down, the conversation died out. The two didn’t know each other very well to begin with, and an awkward silence began to settle. ”Hey, Junior,” Bai Jing said, breaking the silence. ”Let me tell you a joke!”

Seeing the ”here we go again” look on the faces of his staff, Ni Bingyan’s interest was piqued. ”What joke?”

”So, a guy goes to a temple and asks a Zen master, ’I have a girlfriend. She’s a little on the ugly side, but her family is really rich. Should I marry her?’”

”He’s the one complaining? Is the girl even willing to marry him? He thinks she’s ugly but he’s after her family’s money? Tsk, tsk. What good is a guy with such a terrible character?”

Bai Jing: ”...”

It was the first time Bai Jing had ever met someone who analyzed the logic and moral integrity of a joke. He wasn’t quite used to it.

”Heh heh, go on! What happened next?”

Suddenly, Bai Jing felt that his favorite joke wasn’t funny anymore. Still, he wouldn’t commit the heinous crime of leaving a story hanging, so he delivered the punchline:

”The Zen master smiled and said, ’Go down the mountain and find a piece of paper that only has a front side, with no back. When you bring it to me, I’ll give you your answer.’ And then, not two days later—BAM!”

Bai Jing grinned and slapped the table, pointing dramatically at the empty surface as if something was there.

”Look here. What’s this?”

Ni Bingyan blinked. ”There’s nothing there.”

’Is he trying to pull an ’Emperor’s New Clothes’ on me?’

Bai Jing smiled, putting on his best heartthrob expression. ”Of course there is. This is a copy of today’s newspaper.”

Ni Bingyan: ”...”

Seeing her dumbfounded expression, Bai Jing couldn’t help but burst out laughing, his face lit up with a triumphant, goofy grin.

”Senior, I think I’ll have to call you Second Senior Brother from now on.”

’For a celebrity to casually mock the media like that... if word of this got out, it would definitely start a storm of gossip.’

’You don’t see many people that reckless.’

But he could be even goofier.

”Alright then, Sandy!”

The image of that burly, bearded man popped into Ni Bingyan’s head, and her expression soured instantly.