Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Last night, Zhang Yong, whose online alias was ”Chaotianmen Dog,” staked out a hotel until three in the morning to get shots of a male celebrity cheating on his wife. He didn’t go home until he had iron-clad proof.

He hadn’t been asleep for long—still dreaming up ways to utterly ruin that scumbag’s reputation—when he heard a knock on the door.

For work, he rented a small, old, shabby one-bedroom apartment inside the Third Ring Road.

The old security door did a poor job of blocking sound. In the small apartment, his bed wasn’t far from the entrance. Between that and his already poor sleep from frequently pulling all-nighters, the knocking startled Zhang Yong awake instantly.

He fumbled for the phone under his pillow and squinted for a couple of seconds, letting his eyes adjust. When he saw it was only 7:20 AM, his anger immediately boiled over.

”Who is it?”

’So annoying, waking me up this early!’

’By modern standards, even if someone needed something, they should’ve called first. Who just shows up at your door unannounced?’

Annoyed, Zhang Yong climbed out of his bed, which was covered with a bamboo-tile cooling mat. He rubbed the imprints from the mat on his left cheek and pulled on a white T-shirt that had yellowed with age. Then, with a pivot, he smoothly slid his feet into a pair of flip-flops so worn-out that only half the sole remained.

He stood up, stuck his left hand into his wrinkly beach shorts to scratch an itch on his butt, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his right. Sporting newly permed brown curls and his trademark dark circles, Zhang Yong shuffled to the door.

His face was pale and plain, but that didn’t stop him from opening the door briskly.

CREAK~

The security door, already rusting at the edges, swung open.

Besides his landlady, the only people who knew his address were his buddies.

His landlady was a woman in her sixties, and he often went to the bathhouse with his buddies. As far as he was concerned, putting on a T-shirt was the greatest courtesy he could extend as a civilized human being.

But when he pulled the door open, he was met by a group of men in black standing outside. Every one of them was in a suit, their faces were stern, and their eyes were boring into him.

Instantly, Zhang Yong felt as if he’d been targeted by a pack of large predators.

’Weren’t they afraid of the heat in the middle of summer?’

Zhang Yong’s mind raced with a jumble of thoughts, but his legs started to tremble uncontrollably.

He was wearing shorts, and in his extreme fear, adrenaline surged through him. The muscles on his skinny calves contracted, and a layer of goosebumps immediately broke out across his skin.

As the goosebumps rose, the fine hairs on his legs all stood on end.

’His fuzzy legs looked surprisingly unique, actually.’

He heard a soft chuckle and tilted his head slightly. There, standing among the men in black, was a young man who stood out like a crane among chickens.

A white shirt, black trousers, a deep blue tie, and sapphire cufflinks. When the door opened, the man looked up and smiled—a smile that radiated nobility, elegance, and wealth...

A series of simple, direct words flooded into the mind of the not-so-well-educated Zhang Yong. It was as if someone had suddenly installed a new, energy-efficient lightbulb in the old stairwell, instantly illuminating the entire space.

’Your presence illuminates my humble home.’ The phrase suddenly popped into his head.

’He’d probably never forget this moment for the rest of his life,’ he thought.

”Chaotianmen Dog?”

Sang Yuan offered a chillingly pleasant smile.

Zhang Yong’s heart hammered in his chest. Snapping back to his senses, he immediately tried to slam the door shut.

Unfortunately, while a domineering CEO might act like a cute and mischievous husky when chasing his wife, in any other situation, he instantly transforms into the Big Bad Wolf.

The bodyguards he’d brought along weren’t just for decoration.

The man by the door shot him a look, grabbed the handle, and gave it a gentle push. The door, much like a maiden’s heart, seemed sturdy but was, in fact, incredibly fragile.

That familiar-looking CEO was like the scumbag who shatters a maiden’s heart—his lips curved upward at a precise 33-degree angle, revealing a cold smile, completely unconcerned with Zhang Yong’s pathetic and vulnerable state.

”I have a small matter I’d like to discuss with Mr. Zhang. I trust this is a convenient time?”

Working in this line of business, Zhang Yong had long been prepared for people to come settling scores. He had mentally braced himself for it.

’This is a society governed by law. Who’s afraid of who?’

However, in the face of these competent bodyguards, his mental fortitude was like a child’s tiny hands trying to stop their mother from taking away their red envelope money—so fragile, so powerless.

And so, just like a child, he followed his instincts and chose to cry.

’Please, sirs, have a little mercy. Don’t be too rough with me~’

”WAHHHHH! It’s convenient! Any time is convenient! I don’t want to sleep at all, I’m not hungry at all, I’m not one...” He trailed off before he could say *bit afraid.*

Zhang Yong was only five-foot-five. Due to poor nutrition as a child, he had the small build common in the Sichuan and Chongqing region. Though his round face was pale and pudgy, his body was scrawny. So when he plopped right down on the floor and started wailing, he looked especially pitiful.