Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Cooperating with law enforcement to combat crime is every citizen’s duty.

On this point, Ni Guangli and his young apprentice were in complete agreement.

After the long ordeal, once they discovered he was innocent, all the police officers politely apologized and thanked him for his contribution to the public.

A few of the younger officers even told him that his cooking videos were made with great care. They said that even as total beginners, they had managed to learn a couple of his dishes over the New Year and really impressed their families.

Ni Guangli was so embarrassed by their praise that he didn’t quite know what to say.

Besides, his entire detainment had followed proper procedure. No one had abused or insulted him; they had even made sure he ate and slept well.

They were just doing their jobs, all for the sake of a peaceful and prosperous country. When you got down to it, there was nothing to complain about.

His anger wasn’t directed at the hardworking police officers.

He had been interrogated all night, but besides questioning him, these officers had to interrogate other suspects. Before making an arrest, they had to do all kinds of prep work; they probably hadn’t even had time for a sip of water.

He had only gone through this once, but these officers lived this life year-round!

As a fellow Chinese, as someone under their protection, Ni Guangli felt he shouldn’t even harbor that tiny bit of resentment in his heart.

He just hated these wicked criminals!

Instead of living a decent life, they just had to traffic drugs.

A quick glance at the news was enough to see all the tragedies caused by drugs.

Stress is a part of life, and everyone has their low points. These insidious bastards prey on people when they’re at their most vulnerable.

Once you get hooked, it’s incredibly hard to get back on your feet.

This time was even worse. They had even dragged an innocent bystander like him into their mess. They were monsters!

Last night, staring at the white walls and the iron bed, he had sworn countless times that he would make those bastards pay!

Ni Guangli patted his daughter’s back, gratefully thanked Sang Yuan, then grabbed Shui Sulan’s hands and shook them, so moved he started calling her ”my dear in-law.”

As for his young apprentice, the usually strict master gave him a rare, big hug.

Then, before his young apprentice could get emotional enough to cry, he started shooing him away. ”You went to see someone off yesterday and ended up going off the grid yourself. I can only imagine the chaos at the restaurant! As the head chef, you missed your appointments, so you need to apologize properly to yesterday’s clients. It’s hard to explain what happened, so just tell them I was sick and you were at the hospital looking after me and couldn’t get away.”

The restaurant had more than one chef anyway, so it’s not like the place would fall apart without him. A sincere apology and some compensation would be enough for the regulars to understand.

Hu Sheng nodded and obediently left. Not long after, his Fifth Senior Brother, Wang Chunjiang, arrived, sporting a head of naturally curly hair.

His restaurant was the closest, and Ni Guangli didn’t want his daughter taking a taxi with her eyes all puffy from crying, so he’d called his apprentice to act as their driver.

Wang Chunjiang was a man of few words. He pulled up in a BMW that could fit exactly five people.

Shui Sulan thoughtfully took the front passenger seat, while Ni Bingyan and Sang Yuan sat on either side of Ni Guangli in the back, sandwiching him between them.

As they talked about the previous day’s events during the drive, Wang Chunjiang remained silent, but everyone could see him quietly wiping away tears.

”Sigh! You’re hopeless! A grown man, still a crybaby just like when you were little! Don’t worry, I won’t fly anymore, and I won’t go running all over the place, all right? I really can’t stand you being such a crybaby! Sigh!”

Wang Chunjiang calmly blew his nose, completely ignoring his grumpy master.

After dropping Shui Sulan off at a hotel, he turned the car into an alley not far away.

He found a parking spot and stopped. When Ni Bingyan looked up, she saw they were right across from the hospital’s side entrance.

Once the car was parked, Wang Chunjiang got out and opened the door. After Ni Bingyan stepped out, he squatted down and called to Ni Guangli, ”Master, come on. I’ll carry you.”

Ni Guangli didn’t marry until he was almost forty. Before Ni Bingyan was born, he had adopted six orphans. He raised each child with great care and dedication, treating them no differently than his own flesh and blood.

These children, in turn, did not disappoint him. Regardless of their individual personalities, they were all completely devoted to him.

Yesterday, Hu Shengneng had turned back mid-journey to find him. Today, Wang Chunjiang had come to pick him up at a moment’s notice and wouldn’t even let him walk now that they were at the hospital.

Feeling the warmth of human kindness once more, Ni Guangli’s eyes grew red.

He had been terrified when he learned he had almost boarded that doomed flight, but he maintained his manly pride in front of his daughter, not daring to show his fear.

Now, looking at Wang Chunjiang’s broad, sturdy back and then at his own thin, aging arms, Ni Guangli sighed.

He had to admit, he was really getting old.

The little crybaby who once felt as light as a feather on his back had grown into a big crybaby who could now carry him with ease.

Ni Guangli compliantly climbed onto his apprentice’s back, letting him carry him toward the hospital.

Ni Bingyan followed behind them. Seeing the weary look in her father’s eyes, she couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks again.

Sang Yuan sighed helplessly and could only put an arm around her to help her keep up.

When the triage nurse saw them come in like that, her heart skipped a beat. But when she learned the man being carried only had a fever, she suppressed the urge to sigh and pointed them toward registration.

By the time they had registered, seen a doctor, completed the admission procedures, and gotten him on an IV drip, more than half an hour had passed.

Sang Yuan checked the time and was about to go buy breakfast when several of Ni Guangli’s other apprentices, having heard the news, began to arrive one after another with their families in tow.

They had all brought breakfast. Each family brought a little something, and there were three large thermoses of congee alone, leaving Ni Guangli torn between laughter and exasperation.

”I’m fine, now all of you hurry back to work. Wait until I’m home tomorrow, then you can come over for a proper get-together. Oh, I’m really exhausted today, don’t just stand here hovering around me.”

The senior apprentices obediently left. Their wives offered to take over so Ni Bingyan could get some sleep, but she was still too shaken and adamantly refused. They had no choice but to say they’d be back at noon before heading back to their own restaurants to work.

Being the proprietress wasn’t so easy these days.

When business was booming, even manning the register was hard work.

Only after everyone had left did Ni Guangli begin contacting his team to issue a public statement.

The statement was non-negotiable. His fans, Ni Bingyan’s fans, and countless casual followers had already started holding a virtual memorial service for him online.

Of course, the truth about the drug case couldn’t be mentioned. The statement could only say that he’d had an upset stomach right before boarding, which caused him to miss his flight, making him a lucky survivor by a twist of fate.

Compared to the truth of being arrested as a drug trafficker, this explanation was much better.

For one, it would prevent misunderstandings online and even give people a bit of a laugh. For another, it would help him avoid retaliation from the real criminals.

After all, those traffickers were extremely ruthless, and you could never round them all up.

With the online matter settled, he contacted his lawyer.

”Old Gao, do you know how to set up a charitable foundation? I need you to create one for me!”

Influenced by his daughter, he had been considering this for a while but had never settled on a specific cause to support.

Some foundations focused on heart disease, others on children with cleft lips, and still others on things like children’s literacy...

It seemed like every cause already had people working on it, and doing a great job, too.

But today, an idea had finally struck him.

The renowned full-service law firm had been serving him for decades. Lawyer Gao, whom he’d known since his youth, had long since transformed from a recent graduate of the Political and Legal University into a top partner at the firm. Hearing the request, he agreed without the slightest hesitation.

”What area are you thinking of focusing on, specifically?”

Lawyer Gao always spoke in a calm, assured manner that exuded a relaxed confidence, as if victory was already in hand.

Ni Guangli breathed a sigh of relief and began to explain his idea.

”I want to donate supplies and money to narcotics officers. If any of them are killed in the line of duty, I want to provide for their families—give stipends to their spouses, scholarships to their underage children, and support their parents in their old age. In short, I have only one goal: to ensure these officers’ needs are met and encourage them to catch every last user and dealer out there!”

He couldn’t do anything to the traffickers himself, but these good officers could arrest them and ensure they met their final judgment, which would achieve his goal all the same.

”If you target them so openly, won’t they get desperate and come after you?”

Lawyer Gao had been his friend for a long time. When handling his affairs, he didn’t just consider the outcome; he also looked out for him on a personal level.

”Evil can’t triumph over good! This world still belongs to the side of justice!”

Fine. The lawyer had no further objections and said he would get to drafting the relevant documents.

But after hanging up, he grabbed Sang Yuan’s hand. ”Yuanyuan, do you know any reliable bodyguard companies?”

The Ni family had once been merely well-off, but they had come into a great deal of money in recent years. They needed to learn a thing or two from people like Sang Yuan to know how to better protect themselves.

’And here I was, thinking he was really going to rely on righteous indignation alone,’ Ni Bingyan thought, unable to suppress a laugh.

Sang Yuan, ever the model son-in-law, managed to stifle his laughter and assured his future father-in-law with a perfectly straight face.

”Uncle, leave it to me. I’ll find you a couple of highly skilled guys to follow you wherever you go.”

Ni Guangli nodded, and didn’t bring up the matter again.

He was groggy, but his words were exceptionally clear. ”Just a brief brush with these criminals felt like I’d been through hell and back. What about the families they’ve destroyed? The lives they’ve ruined? How are those people supposed to get through the rest of their lives! Anyone with a shred of conscience couldn’t commit such evil!”

For Ni Bingyan, just seeing him alive and well was more than enough. As for what he wanted to do, she would let him follow his heart.

’So what if it’s five hundred million?’

’Besides, he earned that money himself. Anyway, in his own words, money is just paper. If you spend it, you can always earn more!’

’But there are some things that, if left undone, you’ll regret even on your deathbed.’