Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Wei Shuojie was in the middle of a meeting with a brand representative nearby. When she got the call that Ni Bingyan had been attacked, she arrived faster than the police.

The weather was cold, and a thick, quilted curtain, printed with an image of a steaming bowl of ramen, hung over the noodle shop’s entrance to keep out the draft. Wei Shuojie frantically pushed it aside, only to find Ni Bingyan sitting near the heater, sipping soup from a bowl bigger than her head.

She had gotten so warm from the food that she’d taken off her coat, leaving her in just a soft turtleneck sweater. The diamond necklace around her neck was dazzlingly bright.

”Where’s Xiao Li?”

Knowing Ni Bingyan had to watch her weight, the owner had been very considerate, giving her only a few strands of noodles but plenty of toppings like vegetables, large shrimp, and a braised egg.

The broth was rich and savory. Downing a large, hot bowl of it on a winter night like this... ah, it was pure bliss!

At the sound of Wei Shuojie’s voice, Ni Bingyan put down her bowl, sheepishly covered her mouth, and let out a quiet burp.

Wei Shuojie’s expression soured. She was about to snap something like, ’Are you trying to blow up like a balloon?’ but held her tongue, remembering this was a woman whose self-discipline was almost inhuman.

”Sister Li went to the restroom.”

”So, what exactly happened?”

She had just seen Tao Fei at the entrance, and now she was asking after Duanmu Li, clearly displeased that Ni Bingyan had been left by herself.

If something else had happened, there would have been no one to help.

After all, an incident like this had just occurred.

’Just a trip to the restroom, though. That’s forgivable.’

”Sister Fei questioned him briefly. He’s just an anti-fan. He refuses to give any details, and it’s not like we can torture him for answers. Anyway, the police will be here soon.”

”Got it. Leave the professional work to the professionals.”

This was a phrase Ni Bingyan often had on the tip of her tongue, so hearing Sister Wei say it made her chuckle.

”Sister Wei, you’re here! Oh, my, it’s so late. Sorry to trouble you! Would you like a bowl of noodles?”

Hearing her voice, the owner poked his head out from behind the blue curtain leading to the kitchen, his expression full of enthusiasm.

Wei Shuojie’s brow twitched. She glanced from the shop owner to Ni Bingyan.

Aside from being a little timid, the owner could read the room. He saw her expression and knew exactly what she was thinking.

”Hehe, surprised, aren’t you? I’m one of her ’Popsicles,’ too. Haha! A die-hard fan, you know? I even invested in that recent travel variety show of hers, hehe!”

”Oh? You’re in the Iron Triangle fan club?”

’I had no idea.’

Ni Bingyan, who was wiping her mouth and applying lipstick, was so surprised she nearly smeared it.

”You know it!”

The owner cheerfully grabbed a white towel, dried his hands, and turned to Wei Shuojie. ”We’re all on the same team here. A bowl of noodles for you, on the house!”

Wei Shuojie’s expression softened instantly. ”That’s not necessary, but thank you! I’ve already had dinner. If I eat again now, I’ll have trouble sleeping.”

From years of building her career with irregular meals and late nights, Wei Shuojie’s digestive system had always been a bit weak, so she rarely ate late at night.

The owner didn’t insist. He let the curtain fall and went back to the kitchen to get busy.

Although the shop was still empty of dine-in customers, he had just gotten two delivery orders. The driver would be arriving soon, so he had to hurry up and get the food cooked and packaged.

The shop was small. During the day, his family of four ran it, but at night, after his parents, wife, and child went home to rest, he couldn’t bear to give up the evening’s business and would stay open alone until dawn.

Fortunately, with a production studio and an internet cafe nearby, he wasn’t short on customers.

Once the owner was gone, Wei Shuojie pulled up a chair and sat down.

She had barely settled into her seat before she let out a long sigh, her shoulders slumping.

Ni Bingyan had been exhausted lately, and Wei Shuojie was no different.

All those endorsement deals required several rounds of negotiation to finalize. Wang Biao was skilled in business development and could handle some of it, but she was still the one doing most of the legwork.

Ni Bingyan felt terrible for having troubled her so late at night.

”It’s not that late, and this place isn’t exactly remote. I wasn’t even by myself. I just never expected someone to be so extreme.”

Ni Bingyan twisted the cap back on her lipstick, dropped it into her bag, and gestured toward a large river stone lying amid a pile of shattered glass nearby. She let out a sigh of her own.

”There are security cameras everywhere these days. If he’d actually managed to hurt me, he wouldn’t have gotten away. I have no idea what he was thinking. It’s like his brain just up and left home.”

”Anti-fans are inherently irrational. Think about it. Would anyone with a shred of sense or decency become an anti-fan in the first place?”

It wasn’t the right place to discuss private matters, so after a brief exchange, they both found themselves yawning.

A moment later, Duanmu Li came out of the restroom, wiping her hands. She greeted Wei Shuojie, then said no more.

They had been working around the clock lately, and as Ni Bingyan’s only assistant, she was so exhausted she didn’t even bother going home, crashing at Ni Bingyan’s place every night instead.

She wasn’t talkative to begin with, and now she avoided speaking unless absolutely necessary.

”Why don’t you two head home first?” Wei Shuojie said. ”Tao Fei and I will go to the station to give a statement. The owner has security footage, so the evidence is ironclad. He won’t escape a charge of intentional assault. We’ll get a good lawyer and make sure he gets as much time as possible.”

Afraid Ni Bingyan might dwell on it, Wei Shuojie added, ”Nobodies don’t get anti-fans. This just means you’ve made it! Don’t let it get to you. Go home, get some sleep. You have the kickoff meeting with the core team of *Zui Sheng Building* first thing in the morning!”

Filming this movie was her most important project for the coming year, so Ni Bingyan didn’t argue. She said goodbye to the shop owner, gave a few instructions to Tao Fei, and left with Duanmu Li.

It was the middle of the night by the time she got home. She didn’t waste any time and went straight to bed.

When she woke up, she saw a message from Sister Wei on WeChat.

[The police interrogated him overnight. He’s a fan of Zhen Yiyi’s, came all the way from Taiwan Island. Apparently, he’s been a fan of hers since he was a little kid. He couldn’t accept Zhen Yiyi losing the Best Actress award, and then the scandal breaking about her being caught soliciting prostitutes. Their whole group of die-hard fans are convinced that we framed her.]

’Framing a competitor with dirty tricks just to win an award? What kind of villainess B-plot is this?’

’What kind of fans are these?’

’They should be screenwriters!’

’Zhen Yiyi’s fans sure have a high opinion of their idol.’

’The audacity!’

Tsk!

Perhaps feeling that text was too bland, she sent a voice message:

”These morons! They don’t even think! When was Zhen Yiyi caught soliciting prostitutes, and when was the awards ceremony? If I were really scheming that hard just to win an award, what kind of life would I be living?! Not even an Oscar would drive me to do something like that! And for that half-dead horse of an award? Is *she* even worth the effort?! Pah!”

Sister Wei had sent the message at 3:50 AM. Her voice was hoarse and she sounded extremely agitated. She must have been absolutely livid.

Ni Bingyan cracked an egg into a pan, covering it to steam-fry. While stretching one leg up against the kitchen sink, she replied to Wei Shuojie.

”If anti-fans were reasonable, they wouldn’t be anti-fans!”

She understood the logic perfectly. The anger was just a fleeting thing.

There was no point in saying more. It was time to focus on the work ahead.

With the matter now in the hands of their lawyer, Ni Bingyan didn’t give it another thought.

After eating half a sandwich and doing her customary thirty-minute workout, Ni Bingyan changed into a set of clothes for going out, applied some light makeup, and heard a car pull up.

Pushing aside the curtains on the second floor, she peeked out and saw it was Duanmu Li. She immediately went downstairs and headed out with Wangcai on his leash.

Today’s meeting wasn’t formal. It was just a chance for everyone to get acquainted, create a group chat, and go over the pre-production schedule.

To help break the ice, Producer Zhao had specifically mentioned that anyone with pets was welcome to bring them along.

The gathering was at one of his unused villas, which had a large yard. The director wanted everyone to build some rapport before filming began to ensure they would have good chemistry on set.

The male and female leads, the second male and female leads, and even the director and certain crew members were all aiming for awards with this project.

Even someone as busy as Ni Bingyan had cleared over half a year in her schedule, turning down all other projects. Needless to say, the others were just as dedicated.

Anyone who dared to drop the ball would be replaced instantly, so of course, no one was late.

When she arrived, a housekeeper came to greet her. She was led around a grove of cedar trees and onto a wide, open lawn.

Though the weather was cold and the grass had withered, it was still impeccably manicured.

On one side of the lawn stood a massive osmanthus tree, and beneath it, an elegant octagonal pavilion.

The male lead had arrived before her and was in the pavilion with Producer Zhao, gathered around a small stove to brew tea.

As she drew closer, she could see the glowing red of the silver-thread charcoal burning slowly in a small, red clay stove. The water in the earthenware kettle atop it was already bubbling.

”Bingyan, you’re here?”

Producer Zhao was an old acquaintance, and they were on excellent terms. He greeted her warmly and gestured for her to take a seat.

”Perfect timing. We’re just about to brew the tea.”