Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

You always hear people talking about how some celebrity has incredible fashion resources!

So, what exactly are fashion resources?

To a certain extent, they’re the most direct reflection of a celebrity’s commercial value.

With the exception of unambitious actors who don’t care about their billing and will take any role, all aspiring celebrities are chasing after greater commercial value.

Because often, if you don’t have enough commercial value, you’ll be ruthlessly replaced.

Want to play the female lead? You might as well go to sleep—you can have anything you want in your dreams.

Ni Bingyan understood all of this, which was the main reason she wanted to sign with a capable agent.

She didn’t chase clout, but if she wanted to land better roles, she had to increase her commercial value.

It wasn’t that she was underestimating herself. She could probably scrape by and find acting jobs on her own, but securing fashion resources was out of the question.

As Ni Bingyan understood it, fashion resources fell into three main categories.

First, endorsements.

Second, magazine covers.

Third, the apparel worn for public appearances.

Having multiple endorsements from top-tier luxury brands, especially global ones, meant you were at the pinnacle of the industry.

Businesspeople are masters of wordplay: Global Spokesperson, Asia-Pacific Spokesperson, Greater China Spokesperson, Full-Line Spokesperson, Sub-Line Spokesperson, Spokesperson, Brand Ambassador, Friend of the Brand...

Phew~

It was no wonder, for a country that accounted for a third of global luxury sales, that the brands were willing to go to such great lengths.

Forget outsiders—even industry insiders were sometimes left baffled and needed a long time to adapt to the new rules.

As for magazine covers, there were the industry’s ”Big Five” women’s publications: *Beauty*, *OG*, *BAZA*, *ELLE*, and *Fashion*. If you could land a cover on all of them—a ”grand slam”—you were an undisputed A-lister.

Anything else, fans wouldn’t even give a second glance.

Then there was the matter of what you wore to events. What clothes? What accessories?

Was it one of the five ”blue-blood” brands, one of the eight ”red-blood” brands, or a so-called ”lesser blue-blood” brand?

Was it an exclusive custom piece, haute couture, or ready-to-wear?

Was it from an upcoming season, the current season, or even a past season?

If a celebrity who didn’t have the status tried to punch above their weight by forcing themselves into a current-season haute couture piece, they would be absolutely torn to shreds by fans online.

You’re not worthy!

Give me a break! Don’t you know your own place?

When she heard she’d be shooting the cover for a supplemental issue of *Beauty*, Ni Bingyan could hardly believe it!

”Me, shooting the October cover? Is that really okay?”

That was what she had asked Wei Shuojie.

When it came to cover shoots, the month of the issue was also a big deal.

Putting aside other factors, ”Golden September, Silver October” was a concept even many ordinary people were familiar with.

September was the month for anniversary issues for many magazines, as well as when brands launched their autumn/winter collections. To boost sales, brands would launch massive advertising campaigns, and October would ride the coattails of that boom.

These two months also featured the fashion weeks for the upcoming spring/summer season, making them the fashion world’s equivalent of New Year’s.

Celebrities would fight tooth and nail for these two covers. How could it possibly be her turn?

’My very first cover shoot is for the October issue? Even if it’s a supplemental, it’s still a supplement for *Beauty*, one of the Big Five!’

These supplemental issues were like the ”youth edition” of a smartphone or the diffusion line of a luxury brand, all aimed at a younger market.

’Aren’t those covers normally reserved for viral, high-traffic celebrities?’

Wei Shuojie just smiled and glanced at her, as if looking at an adorable, clueless puppy who had been acting quietly for five years but still hadn’t truly broken into the industry.

”Who do you think gets to be on a magazine cover?”

Ni Bingyan replied, ”Well, you have to be able to drive sales... it depends on your online traffic, right...?”

She had no illusions about her own level of online popularity.

’If a celebrity has no online following, they can’t drive sales. The magazine’s revenue takes a hit, so of course they wouldn’t be in demand!’

Wei Shuojie was clearly displeased with this lack of confidence. ”Getting on a magazine cover isn’t just about whether your fans will rush to buy it. It’s also about your fashion sense and your influence! A magazine isn’t a brand that only cares about sales figures! Expanding their own influence and shaping their brand identity is their lifeblood! You’re an actress who can play the female lead in a movie! How are you not worthy of a supplemental cover for *Beauty*?”

Wei Shuojie was particularly agitated, rattling on and on.

She thought about how she’d recently contacted old acquaintances to scrounge up some resources, only to be told that her Bingbing was a ”potato seller” and that they didn’t dare take the risk. It made her seethe with anger!

Thank goodness for Chief Editor Sang, who had been so accommodating. Not only had she agreed to provide an opportunity, but she had offered a cover right off the bat, far exceeding her expectations.

If she didn’t know that the two of them had never crossed paths, she would have suspected Chief Editor Sang was Ni Bingyan’s relative.