Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

After half a month of laying low, the matter finally began to die down.

The scenes in Lao Gua Village were finished on schedule, a milestone victory for the film crew.

On the night before their departure, the weather was perfect, with a bright moon and just a few stars. Producer Zhao was in a great mood and, with a grand wave of his hand, approved the logistics team’s request to prepare a barbecue party. Everyone immediately burst into cheers!

Most of the film crew were young people, so they were incredibly enthusiastic about such a lively event. After eating potatoes for half a month, the mere thought of barbecue made their mouths water.

When the people sent down the mountain for supplies returned, everyone rushed forward to help without waiting for assignments. Chopping vegetables, washing produce, and skewering food, they crammed into the small courtyard.

Many hands make light work; everything was ready before dark.

The younger crowd, finding the village lacking in excitement, moved their tents to the top of the terraced fields behind it. They planned to eat skewers and drink beer under the grayish-blue night sky and the full, bright moon.

After eating and drinking their fill, they would pitch their tents and fall asleep under the stars, breathing in the fragrance of the ripening millet.

How romantic!

How lively!

While the older folks preferred peace and quiet and chose not to join in, every single one of the younger crew members responded with enthusiasm.

With enthusiastic invitations from her acquaintances Peng Huan and Luo Tiantian, and with the increasingly familiar Hu Zhenning promising to perform a song and dance, Ni Bingyan unhesitatingly followed the group up the mountain.

By the time they finished setting up their tents, the honey-glazed chicken wings at the grill were ready. A familiar makeup artist shouted for them to hurry over, or they’d all be gone.

Ni Bingyan wasn’t a fan of alcohol, so when she saw the others start drinking, she took over grilling duties.

On a midsummer night, the mountain air was much cooler than in the city. Ni Bingyan wore a long-sleeved sun shirt over her T-shirt. While others were being eaten alive by mosquitoes, she calmly pulled out a small bottle of mosquito repellent and sprayed herself from head to toe.

”Aha! You actually brought the good stuff! Hand it over, quick!”

Hu Zhenning ran over, dramatically slapping his arms. With lightning speed, he snatched the repellent and sprayed himself furiously.

Ni Bingyan wasn’t annoyed. She just swatted him aside with a cattail fan. ”Don’t get that on my barbecue!”

Hu Zhenning laughed and hopped back two steps, shouting, ”Sister Bingbing, save me a couple of non-spicy chicken feet!” Then he held out his arm for a girl from his management team to see.

”Quick, quick! Before the mosquito bites fade, take a picture for my Weibo!”

His exaggerated expression and urgent tone were hilarious.

The girl from his team was so exasperated she chased after him, scolding him.

After the incident with the live-streamed potato sale, Ni Bingyan realized just how terrifying Hu Zhenning’s popularity was and had initially kept a respectful distance. But upon getting to know him, she discovered he was a complete goofball.

Teasing his team members was a daily occurrence, and bickering with his anti-fans was even more common. He was the resident comedian of the film crew.

’In Ni Bingyan’s opinion, aside from his acting—which really had a lot of room for improvement—he didn’t seem to have any major flaws.’

Seeing him clowning around, a group of girls ran over, deliberately getting close to him as they tried to snatch the repellent.

He didn’t get annoyed, just laughed and jumped back, shouting in the clumsy local dialect Ni Bingyan had taught him, ”Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me! I won’t take responsibility!” This sent the girls into fits of laughter, and the group playfully ran off into the distance.

’Faced with this overwhelming wave of hormones, this old soul felt not a single ripple in her heart. In fact, she just wanted another grilled chicken foot.’

After a tiring day and a lively evening, everyone crawled into their tents. Before long, the sound of snoring filled the air.

They had all talked about enjoying the view, but in the end, it seemed Ni Bingyan was the only one taking it seriously.

The view from the summit was vast and open. Nearby, terraced fields of millet cascaded down the slopes. In the distance, an occasional small tree peeked out from the edges of the paddies. A grayish-blue veil enveloped the night, making the moon itself seem hazy.

’Space forms the cosmos, and time marks the ages. In the roaring torrent of time, how insignificant a single person is!’

’The time we have is so precious; it must not be wasted on meaningless things.’

’So many people don’t know how to live a life free of regret.’

Having already lived two lives, Ni Bingyan was very clear about what she wanted.

She silently made plans in her mind. It seemed that with every ounce of effort she put forth, her fear of time’s passage lessened in equal measure.

After rinsing her mouth with mouthwash and applying a face mask, Ni Bingyan lay flat in her single-person tent, gazing up at the sky through the mesh panel on top.

She was used to going to bed early, but having stayed up past her usual bedtime, she now found herself unable to sleep.

The smell of the barbecue slowly faded, replaced by the faint, warm, earthy scent that tickled her nose.

At this moment, she felt exceptionally at peace.

’I don’t want to work out, and I don’t want to study. I just want to lie here for a while.’

’I have enough wealth not to worry about my next meal, a career with a bright future, a loving family, and good friends. Most importantly, there’s no troublesome man in my life to ruin things!’

’A perfect life like this... before, it was something I could only dream of.’

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, the phone beside her started to vibrate gently.

She had her phone set to reject unknown numbers, so her contacts were either family or work-related. A call at this hour definitely meant it was urgent!

Realizing this, Ni Bingyan immediately sat up. As she answered the call, she saw the caller ID.

It was Chen Zhiwen, the director of her next film, *Breakup*.

Chen Zhiwen was a tall, thin man with a serious and proper demeanor. He favored traditional long gowns and round prescription glasses, giving him the air of a scholar from the Republican Era.

Most people were intimidated upon first meeting him, assuming he was strict. But after a few interactions, they would realize he was actually a soft-hearted, detail-oriented person.

Appearances aside, the man was actually quite endearing, and Ni Bingyan had a very good impression of him.

”Director Chen, it’s so late. Is something wrong?”

In the middle of the night, neither was in the mood for pleasantries, so Ni Bingyan got straight to the point.

Chen Zhiwen’s brow was furrowed, and he was exhaling one smoke ring after another. When the call connected, he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. ”Sigh...”

Ni Bingyan was sharp; just from his tone, she could tell he was deeply troubled. Suspecting he needed her for something, she immediately asked:

”What’s wrong? Are you in some kind of trouble?”

Only then did Chen Zhiwen speak, and his first words were, ”Young lady, did you offend someone recently?”

’Offended someone?’

’Looks like someone’s trying to mess with me.’

’Is it about the next movie?’

Her career was on the line; she had to be cautious.

Ni Bingyan lowered her voice. ”How could that be? Director, even though we haven’t worked together much, you must have some idea of my personality. I’m not aggressively competitive or narrow-minded. I don’t ambitiously step on others to get ahead, and I’m not rude. How could I have possibly offended someone?”

That was exactly what Chen Zhiwen couldn’t figure out either, which was why he had agonized over it before finally making the call.

”The producer came to discuss things with me today. He said he feels your temperament doesn’t quite match the character, Shen Bingyi, and he wants to replace you.”

It was a bolt from the blue.

Ni Bingyan was stunned by the sudden news and didn’t speak for a moment.

She had landed the role thanks to a recommendation from Xu Liangyu and Director Chen’s own judgment, without having to go through a public audition.

’Logically speaking, if the producer, the project’s Sugar Daddy, wasn’t satisfied, he had every right to replace her. But the producer himself had signed her contract. So what was this drama all about now?’

’Not only had she been free of scandals lately, she’d even earned a good reputation. Had the producer lost his mind?’

’This is completely outrageous!’

”But hasn’t the contract already been signed? How can my temperament not be a good match now? You’re a veteran director; could your judgment have been that off? Isn’t it possible there’s been some kind of misunderstanding?”

[So, didn’t you personally choose me for this role?]

[I have no beef with the producer, yet you say *I’m* the one who offended someone? He’s obviously got a problem with *you*, so why are you calling me?]

[Go confront him!]

[What problem is a phone call to me going to solve?]

[Don’t you always have the final say on the lead roles in your movies? Even the company’s president doesn’t interfere, so how can a producer just sway your decision?]

[Are you kidding me?]

Wincing as if from a toothache, Chen Zhiwen stubbed out his cigarette and said helplessly, ”That’s why I’m calling you!”

[If I’d really agreed to replace you, why would I be calling you now? I’d just have the legal department notify you of the contract termination and handle the compensation, right?]

He understood what she was thinking, and she, in turn, instantly understood his unspoken words.

’He was calling to find out who exactly she might have offended, and to gauge whether it was worth the trouble to keep her.’

’So it really isn’t a conflict between him and the producer.’

”You’re asking me, but I wanted to ask you! I’ve been stuck in the mountains for half a month, where would I offend anyone? I haven’t offended anyone in the past, either!”

Ni Bingyan irritably ripped off her face mask.

’It wasn’t that she looked down on this body’s original owner, but with her predecessor’s zen-like indifference, none of the other starlets who debuted in her cohort had ever considered her a rival, let alone anyone more established.’

Chen Zhiwen lit another cigarette, took two quick puffs, and then said hesitantly, ”In that case... have you ever offended President Wang?”