Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

The film *Breakup* was an investment from her own agency. The production team was from the company, and most of the main cast were also their own artists.

Ni Bingyan arrived at the film set with Duanmu Li. That night, after settling in, there was a welcome dinner. The main cast, director, producer, and other important figures all sat at one table. A quick glance around revealed all familiar faces.

Before the food even arrived, the producer, President Wang, began to speak. ”The company has really shelled out this time. We’ve rented RVs for all you main actors. You’ll be living on set. Whoever’s on a break can go to their RV to sleep, and whoever’s up for a scene, gets to work. Considering post-production and all the year-end events, if you can wrap this up in a month and a half, I’ll personally make sure you all get a huge bonus at the end of the year!”

’Right. Calling a commission rebate a ’huge bonus.’ Such a classic capitalist move.’

’But he’s a boss at my own company. What else can I do?’

’For the sake of future opportunities, even if I don’t suck up to him, I can’t openly defy him!’

’It’s just like last time, when he helped Bai Jian try to screw me over. I almost lost this role. Now that it’s in the past, I have no choice but to pretend nothing ever happened.’

’We’re sitting at the same table for dinner, and I still have to smile, greet him, and call out, ”Hello, President Wang”?’

’Well, at least I get to live in an RV. Eating, drinking, and everything else will be convenient. I won’t have to suffer too much.’

Ni Bingyan had no expectations for the bonus. A tangible benefit like an RV, on the other hand, was much more reliable.

She was already mulling over the possibility of asking her dad to recommend someone to cook for her for two months.

The RV had a built-in stove, so it would be a piece of cake for an experienced chef to cook for three people.

”Our artists are all consummate actors and extremely dedicated. I don’t think it will be a problem, right? Susu? Right? Dawei? And Bingyan, what do you think?”

The director, Chen Zhiwen, wore round glasses. He was tall and thin, with a very serious and proper demeanor.

Perhaps it was genuinely cold enough to be wearing a long gown, as he had on thermal underwear beneath it, and the gown itself was the padded cotton type.

He scanned the table, pinching a salt-and-pepper peanut between his fingertips. With a CRACK, he crushed the shell, which was surprisingly intimidating.

Ni Bingyan glanced at her two senior colleagues and said nothing.

’The topic was so intense right from the start; there was no way I was going to jump in.’

’We’re all from the same company. If I really wanted to be difficult, as long as I didn’t cross any lines, Chen Zhiwen couldn’t do much about it. But there was no reason for me to be the first to stick my neck out.’

The female lead was Luo Susu, who had a sweet and adorable image. She had been acting in TV dramas since her debut. In recent years, thanks to her unique ”baozi” face, decent acting skills, and a hardworking attitude, she had steamrolled her way through the industry, solidifying her status as an A-list actress.

She was thirty-two this year, and her desire to transition to different roles was probably so strong that she had recently lost a significant amount of weight. The baby fat on her cheeks was almost gone, and the sharp lines of her face were beginning to emerge.

When she heard the director’s question, she simply smiled, picked up her glass of water, and took a sip. It was as if she had agreed, and yet, as if she hadn’t.

The male lead was Zhou Dawei. He had won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor two years ago, so his acting was beyond question. It was just that he’d had a string of bad luck these past two years. Two of his films were never released, and a TV series he starred in was pulled from streaming because the female lead was caught evading taxes. If he didn’t make his presence felt again soon, he was at risk of losing his place in the industry.

This was why he had deigned to star in a popcorn flick like this.

This kind of movie didn’t demand much in terms of acting, had a short filming schedule, made good money, and always garnered a decent amount of attention.

Once he had that attention, it would be easier for him to land better scripts.

It fit his current needs perfectly.

He had a rather freewheeling personality with a bit of a roguish air about him. Not all the dishes had arrived yet, but he had already downed half a glass of liquor.

For now, his tolerance seemed quite high, but there was no telling what he was like when he was drunk.

Unlike Luo Susu, he didn’t beat around the bush. He answered directly, ”That depends on how the director shoots and how the coordinator schedules things. If filming goes smoothly and all the departments are well-coordinated, of course we’ll wrap up early. We actors are here to cooperate with the production. When the time comes, Director Chen, however you direct, that’s how I’ll act! Whatever the coordinator arranges, that’s what I’ll do!”

President Wang then said, ”Making a special commercial film for Valentine’s Day is an old company tradition. The schedule is tight and the task is demanding, so our coordinator is naturally the best at managing things. Old Chen is also an experienced director. I’m confident that if you all work together, you’ll do an excellent job.”

The coordinator was still working through the night to prepare for the start of filming and wasn’t present, so the pressure shifted back to Chen Zhiwen.

Hearing this, Chen Zhiwen nodded in satisfaction. He said, ”I’m all set on my end. You all just need to do your parts,” and without even asking Ni Bingyan, he called for everyone to start eating.

’Well, it turns out he never intended to ask me in the first place.’

Ni Bingyan instantly understood.

’He was probably worried he couldn’t handle the award-winning actor and that the shoot would be difficult, which is why he brought it up.’

Chen Zhiwen was great at directing romance films, but none of the awards he’d won were as prestigious as the Golden Rooster for Best Actor. He had to lay down the law before filming began.

’Otherwise, if problems came up during production, who would have the final say?’

’Get it all settled in front of the producer now, so there wouldn’t be any trouble-making on set later.’

’Since they were all from the same company, having a clear understanding from the start would ensure they could work together without hard feelings.’

’No wonder Luo Susu kept quiet.’

’Lesson learned.’

Ni Bingyan lowered her head and drank her tea, treating herself as nothing more than a background character who was just there to eat.

After a few rounds of drinks and several courses, the atmosphere never cooled, thanks to the social butterfly, President Wang.

Since there were no outsiders, no one was pressuring anyone to drink. Ni Bingyan didn’t touch a drop, and the director and producer even praised her for being sensible, then immediately started teasing Zhou Dawei:

”Don’t get too drunk now! The first scene tomorrow is between you and Susu. If you can’t deliver your lines, you’ll be embarrassing that Best Actor title of yours!”

Zhou Dawei just laughed. ”This is nothing! I could be completely drunk and still nail my scene. After all these years, outsiders might not know me, but you guys do, don’t you?”

’With that kind of devil-may-care attitude, if he’d been born a little earlier, he could have played Ling Hu Chong.’

Ni Bingyan could only snark silently.

She didn’t know Zhou Dawei well enough to joke around with him.

As everyone chatted and laughed, someone asked why they had gone to all the trouble of filming in Shanghai this time.

As she got to know him better, Ni Bingyan discovered that Chen Zhiwen was actually very humorous, a stark contrast to his appearance.

For example, his reply was, ”We’ve been filming in Beijing for the past few years. It’s nice to have a change of scenery and give the audience in Shanghai a more immersive experience, don’t you think?”

It was an odd reason, and no one looked convinced.

Chen Zhiwen was very frank. ”Alright, I’ll come clean. My wife is pregnant with our second child, and her due date is at the end of the year. I needed to be closer to home. You all better have your red envelopes ready for me later!”

Everyone accepted this reason.

This also improved Ni Bingyan’s impression of him.

’Loving your wife and kids isn’t just about what you say; it’s about what you do.’

Having been in the industry for so long, Ni Bingyan knew that while there were many bad apples, there were also plenty of decent people just trying to live their lives.

During the dinner, Chen Zhiwen also spoke a little about his family situation.

His wife was from Shanghai. Since his own parents had passed away early and he was always busy, she had to stay with her own family for her postpartum confinement. He wasn’t at ease with that, so he applied to film on location in Shanghai.

Shanghai was already a popular filming location for urban movies, so shooting there was no different from shooting in Beijing.

Because the schedule was so tight, the main cast was required not to leave the set unless absolutely necessary.

Everyone belonged to the same company. If they worked together to make the pie bigger, everyone would get a larger slice. As a result, they were all much more dedicated than they would be when working for an outside company.

Of course, the company wasn’t short-changing them either. Their pay was a full fifteen percent above market rate, and it was a post-tax figure.

On the first day, Ni Bingyan’s impression of the team was excellent. Both Luo Susu and Zhou Dawei were very kind to her.

After all, the age difference was clear, and the three of them were on different career paths. With no current conflicts of interest, their interactions were naturally very harmonious.

The budget was ample this time, so the kick-off ceremony was a grand affair. Not only were many media outlets invited, but the offerings were also much more elaborate.

Compared to the ceremony for *Children of the Mountains*, which had simply involved dabbing the camera with rooster blood, this time there was not only a pig’s head but also a variety of fruits. On Zhou Dawei’s strong recommendation, they even offered two bottles of Maotai.

’Alright, no matter which deity decided to show up, they ought to be satisfied.’

Once the kick-off ceremony was over, filming officially began.

Thanks to the thorough preparations and the meticulous director who would patiently explain any issues that arose, the daily shooting schedule quickly fell into a regular rhythm.

Although Chen Zhiwen was as fussy as she had expected, he was also very reasonable and never threw a tantrum for no reason. For an actor, that was a huge blessing.

Ni Bingyan’s only point of dissatisfaction was probably the crew’s box lunches.

Having a stove at her disposal yet still having to eat box lunches was simply unbearable.

Finally, on the third day of filming, the cook her reliable dad had found arrived.