Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

”That educational website is one thing. I’ve been using it for over a year, and it works really well, no scams or anything. But this reading pen... isn’t it a bit much?”

”’Point where you don’t know’... Shouldn’t a cute little girl be the one endorsing that?”

Not long after takeoff, everyone around was in high spirits, chatting and eating.

Ni Bingyan leaned close to Wei Shuojie’s ear and whispered a complaint.

It wasn’t as if she’d never seen a more bizarre offer—after all, someone had once asked her to endorse a tractor.

She was just bored and looking for something to talk about.

To be honest, after so many years in the business, this was her first time experiencing such a massive spectacle.

A long motorcade, swarms of security guards, and the anti-fans tailing them, shouting nonstop...

If it weren’t for the escort from the authorities, the anti-fans’ cars would have nearly rammed them.

The journey from the hotel to the airport was nerve-wracking. It had only been an hour, but it felt like a year.

The plane finally took off without incident, but Ni Bingyan felt that if she didn’t say something, she’d never be able to ease her nerves.

Wei Shuojie knew exactly which offer she was talking about.

”Parents are a child’s best teachers. Think about it: if a mother says this learning device works well, then it must really work well, right?”

”Loves to learn” and ”cultured” have long been part of Ni Bingyan’s public image. There’s nothing wrong with her taking this endorsement.

The key is that this kind of endorsement can significantly boost her public recognition with very little risk.

Being unmarried and childless, Ni Bingyan felt the endorsement wasn’t a good fit.

Even if she took it, they’d have to at least change the script to cast her as an older sister or something similar.

But after hearing Sister Wei’s explanation, she felt it did make some sense.

”Then what’s the deal with this health supplement? I never take this kind of stuff. Why would they want me to endorse it?”

”They think you’re smart!”

Wei Shuojie said without looking up from her book.

”Health supplements are too risky. It’s best not to take the offer.”

”I haven’t had time to screen them yet. I just made a quick list, so naturally it includes all sorts of things.”

Wei Shuojie’s reply was perfectly self-assured.

Normally, she would screen the offers before showing them to her because there were fewer of them, and she had the time.

This time, after she won Best Actress at the Golden Horse Awards, a flood of offers came in. On top of that, she had to urgently deal with that whole Lin Zhiyuan affair, so naturally, she had no time.

”And this game endorsement... I don’t even like to play games. What were they thinking, asking me to be their spokesperson?”

Seeing that Ni Bingyan looked like she’d burst if she didn’t get her complaints out, Wei Shuojie held up the book in her hand and glanced around.

”Don’t interrupt my studying. We can talk about this when we get back.”

In that case, Ni Bingyan simply closed her laptop and pulled out her vocabulary book.

”I’ll leave the professional matters to a professional like you! If you showed me these because I was too tense and you wanted me to relax, well, you succeeded. I’m not the least bit nervous anymore.”

Wei Shuojie was engrossed in her book and didn’t say a word.

Ni Bingyan didn’t bother her.

After a moment, she couldn’t resist the urge to talk and poked Wei Shuojie’s arm.

”Sister Wei, you have to actually speak to learn a foreign language. Just reading won’t cut it! How about it? Want to practice speaking with me?”

With a helpless glance, Wei Shuojie sighed. ”Alright... I suppose so...”

’This kid really hasn’t been through much. She’s never seen a real spectacle. This time she was genuinely terrified.’

They read for a while, chatted a bit, had a snack, and took a nap. Then, just as Ni Bingyan was pulling out her makeup bag for a touch-up, the cabin announcement chimed, informing them they were about to land.

They had a lot of luggage. Duanmu Li and Brother Biao each pushed a suitcase for her, the ones containing her gowns, which weren’t too heavy.

Wei Shuojie walked ahead, pushing her own luggage, while Ni Bingyan was in the middle, pulling a suitcase with her personal belongings.

She’d expected a large crowd at the airport to greet her, but she hadn’t expected it to be this massive.

A dense sea of people surged toward her the moment she appeared, making it nearly impossible to take a single step.

Fortunately, Sister Wei had come prepared. A large number of security personnel and airport staff formed a human chain, shouting ”Don’t push!” as they held back the surging crowd.

They could have taken the VIP exit to avoid the hassle, but Sister Wei had insisted against it. Their win was legitimate, she’d said. Taking the VIP exit would only make people say they had something to hide.

This was also a good opportunity to set the record straight.

Finding a venue that was both crowded and suitable for making a statement wasn’t easy. They couldn’t exactly hold a full-blown press conference for something so trivial.

”Miss Ni, we heard there were some shady dealings behind your award. Is that true?”

A tall, well-built male reporter stuck his microphone over the human wall to block her path. Ni Bingyan feigned a helpless stop and answered with theatrical surprise.

”How could that be? The entire process was transparent and verifiable. Where would all this ’shady dealing’ come from? If outsiders were to slander me, I could just say they’re jealous. But it’s not right for our own people to be saying this!”

’This had to be cleared up. I wonder if Sister Wei arranged for this reporter.’

”Bingbing! Bingbing! Congratulations on your win!”

Relying on strength in numbers, a group of fans at the back of the crowd held up light-up signs and cheered in unison. Ni Bingyan raised her hand and waved enthusiastically, shouting her thanks.

”Thank you! Thank you! Thank you all for coming to welcome me! It’s crowded here, so please be careful!”

”Miss Ni, what are your next work plans?”

”Brother Biao will post updates about my schedule on his Weibo! Remember to follow him!”

”Miss Ni, there’s a rumor that Zhen Yiyi’s award was revoked because she solicited a prostitute, which is why it was given to you at the last minute. Is that true?”

”I’m not clear on other people’s affairs! I don’t know her!”

She completely sidestepped the question about the award.

’What did some random rumor have to do with her?’

’Her performance in the film was there for everyone to see. She hadn’t relied on connections to win the award; she’d always done things by the book! She lived her life with a clear conscience and had nothing to be ashamed of!’

After a difficult trek through the crowd, having answered most of the pressing questions, Ni Bingyan let out a long sigh of relief as the throng began to thin.

But before she could relax, a round-faced woman with a ponytail rushed over excitedly and thrust an open plastic bag into her arms.

”Bingbao! Mama loves you!”

It was a ”mama fan,” giving her a gift.

The bag was opaque, but through the opening, she could see a stack of printed material inside—she couldn’t tell if it was an art book or just a regular book.

’She must have known what I like and prepared this specially.’

Before she could get a better look, other fans began stuffing bouquets, small pastries, and plush toys into her arms.

”You’re all too kind! Thank you, everyone! I appreciate the sentiment! Please don’t give me any expensive gifts! Bingyan thanks you all!”

One shouldn’t accept rewards one hasn’t earned. Ni Bingyan had always been strict about the kinds of gifts she would accept, a fact her fans were well aware of.

The fans who had waited so patiently just to give her gifts were all die-hards, so they rushed to explain.

”I grew these flowers myself! It took half a year! You weren’t here for the first bloom, so this is the very last bouquet! Sister Bingbing! I love you!”

The tall, handsome boy in round glasses blushed furiously, but he still managed to bravely speak his mind.

”Oh my! Flowers with so much meaning should be given to your girlfriend!”

As someone in a relationship, Ni Bingyan was very careful about these things and immediately tried to hand the bouquet of pink and purple roses back.

The people around them started to whoop and tease. The boy’s neck turned red as he waved his hands, refusing to take them back.

”Oh! I’m only fourteen! I don’t have a girlfriend!”

Before anyone could react, he tossed out, ”Sister Bingbing, you have to keep studying hard and making progress every day, too!” then called for his mom and ran off.

’So he came here with his mom to see his idol.’

Ni Bingyan was tall, and in her high heels, she could see the mother and son clearly just by standing on her tiptoes.

The round face, the ponytail...

Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but glance down at the plastic bag in her arms.

’So, it really was a mother and son duo. That’s a rare sight.’

’In most families, if a kid was this into an idol, his mother would probably threaten to break his legs. For her to actually join him, their family must have a very relaxed atmosphere.’

Ni Bingyan felt a pang of envy. Holding the gifts from the mother and son, her heart felt warm.

”I made these cookies myself! They’re the low-sugar version, so you don’t have to worry about gaining weight!”

”I made this toy myself, too! Every single stitch is filled with love!”

...

Everyone had a very convincing reason. Soon, Ni Bingyan’s arms were overflowing, and she had to get Sister Wei and the other two to help. By the time they reached the car, even the trunk wasn’t big enough for all the gifts.

In the end, between all the gifts and their luggage, it took a convoy of three cars just to get her home.

Sang Yuan was already waiting for her. The moment she walked in, he pulled her into a big hug.

”I told you I wanted to pick you up, but you insisted I shouldn’t.”

Ni Bingyan laughed. ”There’s too much heat on me right now; things need to cool down. If you had shown up, it would have been absolute chaos.”

Seeing her holding a bouquet, Sang Yuan was glad he’d come prepared. He quickly grabbed a bouquet of fiery red roses he’d placed by a planter.

But Ni Bingyan didn’t reach for them.

”Can you carry this one inside for me?”

Ni Bingyan walked inside first to look for a vase.

Sang Yuan followed behind her, grumbling jealously, ”Who was it? Who sends another man’s girlfriend roses? Hmph!”

Ni Bingyan deliberately teased him. ”Oh, you know. Someone who worked hard for half a year to grow them, picked them by hand, wrapped them up, and brought them all this way. A gesture like that is truly precious.”

”Oh...”

’Just as I thought,’ he mused. ’Anyone who dares to try and steal someone else’s girl must be a ruthless character!’

’It’s just spending half a year growing flowers...’

Before he could get lost in thought, Ni Bingyan burst out laughing. ”He’s fourteen. He came to the airport with his mother.”

’Speaking of which, that lovely mother gave me a gift, too!’

At that thought, Ni Bingyan hurriedly looked for the bag.