Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

”Chief Editor Wang from Starlight Publishing House?”

When Ni Guangli received the call from the publishing house, he assumed they were calling to ask him to publish a book. Before the other party could finish, he rejected them outright:

”I’ve already published many cookbooks, and I have no plans to release a new one at the moment.”

As the heir to a culinary dynasty and the head chef of one of the country’s top private kitchens, it was normal for publishing houses to approach him about writing a book. He turned down several such offers every year.

For one, he already had a preferred publisher who always gave him the best terms. For another, he was busy planning a new show and managing his social media, leaving him with no time to spare.

Since he had neither the time nor the intention to work with them, a clean and direct rejection was actually the more considerate option.

After all, the chief editor had called him personally, which showed they were quite sincere. He wouldn’t deliberately string them along with a vague answer.

The person on the other end of the line sounded a little embarrassed but pressed on with a forced laugh and an explanation:

”Um, Mr. Ni, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not calling to invite you to publish a work, but to ask for your help. We’d like you to persuade your daughter, Miss Ni. We are truly very sincere...”

Hearing that they weren’t after him, but were trying to go through him to discuss publishing with his daughter, Ni Guangli immediately became wary.

”My daughter is still young. She has no experience, no technical skill. What kind of book could she possibly publish?”

’Don’t tell me this publisher is just trying to cash in on my daughter’s fame, are they?’

’My daughter said no, so they came to me to lobby on their behalf. I’m not some clueless, vain father who doesn’t know any better.’

’Her career is on the rise, and our family doesn’t need the money. It’s not worth tarnishing her reputation for a bit of spare change.’

Sensing the rejection in his tone, Chief Editor Wang quickly explained:

”Mr. Ni, please hear me out. Here’s the situation. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Miss Ni’s traditional Chinese paintings are of a very high caliber. From what I know, one of her pieces was in an art exhibition and sold for the high price of 120,000 yuan. Plus, she often posts about her calligraphy and painting on Weibo, and many people are interested in her work. Since she’s no longer selling her paintings, we thought that if she published an art album, it would surely be very popular.”

”If she doesn’t agree, she must have her reasons. In matters like this, I generally respect my child’s decision.”

He wasn’t about to give a definitive answer based solely on the word of an outsider.

”Sigh, we contacted her agent, and her agent said the reason Miss Ni refused is that she feels she’s not good enough. I mean, come on, if her work isn’t considered good, what hope is there for anyone else?”

”Wait, did you just say her painting was in an exhibition and sold for 120,000?”

”Would I lie about that? It wasn’t widely reported online, but many people in our circle know about it. How about this? Add me on WeChat, and I’ll send you photos from the exhibition. I happened to see it during the May Day holiday and took some pictures, haha!”

Chief Editor Wang thought to himself, ’Good thing I came prepared and asked Miss Wei for materials in advance. Otherwise, this wily old fox would’ve been hard to persuade.’

After hanging up, the two immediately added each other on WeChat.

Ni Guangli received the photos, zoomed in, and examined them again and again, nodding as he looked.

The Ni family was one of considerable means, with quite a few antiques and classical paintings in their collection. While most people could only drool over pictures online, he had been educated from a young age with the real things. He had a discerning eye and could naturally see where his daughter’s strengths lay.

Personal hobbies are private matters, and his daughter had been living independently for many years. Even as her father, all he knew was that she enjoyed painting; he had no idea her skill had reached such a high level.

Art is subjective—beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To those who love it, it’s priceless; to those who don’t, it’s worthless. As long as there are admirers, no one cares how old the artist is, nor will they question whether she’s qualified to publish an art album.

The so-called ”cashing in on fans” only applies when the vast majority of society thinks something is worthless and that anyone who buys it is an idiot.

Even a layman could tell that his daughter’s paintings were good.

At worst, they could just sell the art album for a lower price. It wouldn’t be anything like a cash grab.

With his mind at ease, Ni Guangli was now interested in Chief Editor Wang’s proposal. ”Oh? Why don’t you tell me the details?”

’Since my daughter is so impressive, publishing an art album for her is way more exciting than publishing another book for myself. This could work!’

Chief Editor Wang detailed the publishing house’s plan to him. Ni Guangli could feel their sincerity, but he didn’t agree to anything, only saying that he would ask his daughter for her opinion before ending the conversation.