Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Ni Bingyan had originally planned to tour Paris with Alan Casso, completing the filming for the third episode of *Ni Bingyan’s World Travel*.

But she hadn’t expected to run into Sang Yuan, who had finished his work early and had a two-day vacation.

Given such a coincidence, and since Sang Yuan didn’t mind being on camera, it was only natural for them to travel together.

It was just that after Sang Yuan joined them, Alan no longer wanted to be a third wheel.

He was already very busy and preoccupied with revising his script. He had only taken the time to travel with Ni Bingyan because she was alone and he felt obligated to be a good host.

Now that she had company—and her boyfriend, at that—Alan was quite direct:

”Young people these days are always going on about public displays of affection. Traveling with you two, I’d feel incredibly awkward as a single guy, so you should just go by yourselves! Here’s a guide my assistant put together; you can use it for reference. To be honest, I can’t wait to get my script filmed.”

Alan was completely frank. He metaphorically kicked over their bowl of ”dog food,” then coolly returned to his studio to dive back into his creative work.

Ni Bingyan’s skin was thick from years of experience, so she wasn’t bothered in the slightest. She took the guide Alan had prepared and went off on her trip with Sang Yuan.

Sang Yuan was more than happy to follow her arrangements. He agreed to meet up with Alan again later and followed Ni Bingyan without looking back.

When the episode aired and the audience saw Sang Yuan on screen, they were bound to be thrilled.

Shipping them on a normal day was one thing, but Sang Yuan was an industry outsider, so the two rarely had opportunities to appear together in public. Now, fans could enjoy their sweet moments up close on the show. ’It’s a dream come true!’

Countless people were curious about how the two of them interacted in private.

Judged by conventional standards, Sang Yuan undoubtedly held a higher social status in the public eye.

Many who knew about Ni Bingyan’s breakup with Jiang Sheng sniped behind her back. ’She tried so hard to curry favor with Jiang Sheng back then and still couldn’t marry into a wealthy family. Who knows how much she has to grovel for this new one!’

But as it turned out, Sang Yuan doted on Ni Bingyan, treating her like the most precious thing in the world. He was not only polite and well-mannered, but also humorous. Crucially, he wasn’t the least bit chauvinistic and knew how to respect others.

”When this episode airs, it’s going to completely blind all the haters!”

Anticipating the inevitable trending topics, the production team was ecstatic. They added more creative flair to their filming, capturing the couple in an exceptionally beautiful and romantic light.

Thanks to Sang Yuan’s surprise appearance, the Iron Triangle practically shadowed the couple’s every move throughout the Paris trip.

’Shipping a couple up close is seriously addictive!’

Song Fuling and Wang Xi probably never imagined that Pei Jin, that outwardly respectable scoundrel, had secretly tipped off Little Sang and kept it from everyone, including them.

They genuinely believed Ni Bingyan and Sang Yuan had met by chance, which made the experience entirely different for them.

Three episodes of the show had already been filmed, and the air date for the first was fast approaching. Ni Bingyan needed to return to Beijing for a period of deportment training to prepare for *Zui Sheng Building*.

At the same time, she also had to make a trip to Taiwan to attend the Jinma Award ceremony, as she had been nominated for Best Actress for her brilliant performance playing two roles in *Demon Suppression Tower*.

Then, come December, major fashion galas hosted by various magazines and events like Weibo Night would arrive one after another.

She probably wouldn’t have any vacation time before the New Year.

As for filming the variety show, she would have to work very hard to squeeze it into her schedule.

The dance teacher had been discharged from the hospital and was resting at home. After returning to Beijing, Ni Bingyan went to visit her first.

”Let me see how your dancing has been coming along.”

The teacher, who was in a wheelchair, greeted her warmly. Seeing Ni Bingyan stop after eating just two grapes, a sign of her self-discipline, the teacher nodded in satisfaction and led her to the practice room.

Ni Bingyan immediately took off her sweater and started warming up.

When she saw that Ni Bingyan was wearing soft practice clothes underneath, clearly having come prepared, the dance teacher nodded in satisfaction once more before putting on the music for her.

With dance, there’s a saying: miss one day of practice, and you’ll know; miss three, and the audience will know.

The moment Ni Bingyan started to dance, the teacher knew she had been practicing diligently even without being watched, which made her even more satisfied.

When the piece ended, Ni Bingyan’s stamina was so good that she was only slightly out of breath, with not even a few drops of sweat on her brow.

The dance teacher’s satisfaction was so abundant it practically overflowed, tinged with a hint of regret:

”If you focused solely on dancing, you could definitely become a famous dance artist. You’re so talented and willing to work hard. There aren’t many young people like you anymore.”

Ni Bingyan thought to herself, ’Not long ago, someone else was saying I’d make a good painter and tried to talk me into holding an art exhibition!’

’I can’t take all this praise seriously.’

Humility, after all, is always a good quality.

”It’s hard enough to do one thing well in a lifetime! I prefer acting to dancing. Besides, I know you’re only praising me so generously because you like me. I wouldn’t dare actually think of myself as some kind of genius!”

”You’ve always been so modest, so I won’t argue with you. It’s not like you’re going to change careers anyway. Here, have some water and wet your throat.”

The teacher didn’t press the issue. Before Ni Bingyan left, she just reminded her to practice diligently and to either record a video for her every few days or find time to meet in person, to prevent her form from slipping during practice.

Ni Bingyan agreed. After having lunch at her dance teacher’s home, she headed to the agency for her scheduled deportment training.

”What the director wants is a state of ’elegant seduction.’ It needs to be refined, yet alluring; high-class, yet sufficiently tempting. You understand what I mean, right?”

The deportment coach was a man in his thirties. He didn’t look effeminate and dressed quite normally, but when he gave a demonstration, Ni Bingyan’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

You had to hand it to him; he clearly had the skills to make a living in this profession.

”How did you even do that? That was incredible!”

Praise from a beautiful woman always carried extra weight.

The deportment coach immediately lost his composure and burst out laughing.

There, now he seemed more like a young man.

”Don’t try to sweet-talk me into laughing. I’m a professional...”

”Unless you can’t hold it in!” Ni Bingyan quipped.

”Shh, no more witty remarks. Let’s get down to business. I’ll teach you properly, and you practice hard. We need you to master the essence of this as quickly as possible so you can go and be absolutely stunning on the red carpet.”

If she couldn’t meet the director’s requirements, the film would have to take priority.

The deportment coach was a veteran employee who held shares in the agency, so he took the career of their resident cash cow very seriously.

For a top-tier beauty like Ni Bingyan, the end-of-year season was her time to shine and bring glory to the agency. Sister Wei had even started preparing various gowns half a year in advance, which just went to show how much the agency valued her.

He naturally hoped Ni Bingyan could handle both—the training and the red carpets—and excel at each.

The two had rarely interacted before, and their initial banter was just to create a more relaxed atmosphere. Once that was achieved, Ni Bingyan cut the idle chatter and began to practice as he instructed.

”Your eyes should look innocent and your expression proper, but your body language has to exude charm. Get it? You’ve had deportment training—you’re upright, poised, and elegant, which is great—but this character requires you to be not so proper. Understand?”

Ni Bingyan had read the script so many times it was practically falling apart. She knew that Jiuli was originally a carefree, noble princess who, after her kingdom fell, was forced into the world of courtesans to plot her revenge.

”Her allure is a means to an end! It’s for revenge, something she learned to do! But her nobility and elegance are ingrained in her very bones, a product of her birth and upbringing.

”Alright, start swaying!

”Angles, watch your angles! If you sway like a water snake, that’s not elegant seduction, that’s just being brazen! It instantly becomes cheap and vulgar! That’s not it!

”Restraint! Control it! It has to be sufficiently refined! But not too prim and proper!

”Be provocative! Let loose! Sway!”

That subtle, profound feeling was incredibly difficult to grasp.

The thought that after mastering this, she still had to learn a whole separate set of court etiquette for the drama—which would require pure, unadulterated nobility—made even an ultimate try-hard like Ni Bingyan’s scalp tingle with dread.

Seeing that she just couldn’t grasp the feeling, the deportment coach was on the verge of a breakdown, running a hand through his hair one moment and slapping his thigh the next.

Ni Bingyan scratched her head and sighed, figuring it must just come down to natural talent.

She had always been a prim and proper person, ever since she was a child. To portray that kind of innate seductiveness without coming across as vulgar was genuinely difficult for her.

’It’s probably even harder than the mental shift Princess Jiuli had to make after being forced into the life of a courtesan!’

”This isn’t going to work! I have to think of something! Come on, Little Ice Candy! Let’s...”

Ni Bingyan was drinking water, and before he could finish, she heard the three words ”Little Ice Candy” and promptly sprayed it everywhere.

”What did you just call me?”