Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

”This is my unruly daughter, Wei Shuojie. She’s a talent agent.”

”This is your Aunt Shui. She and I grew up in the same residential compound, and we were classmates all the way through high school. But she’s usually busy with work, so you haven’t met her many times.”

Once they met, the gentle Mrs. Wei took Wei Shuojie’s hand and made the introductions.

Her mother said they hadn’t met many times, but in truth, Wei Shuojie had no memory of her whatsoever.

Mrs. Wei seemed mild-tempered, but she was actually very strong-willed. Back then, she had insisted on marrying Mr. Wei, who worked at a film studio. She said he was responsible, cultured, and had a great zest for life, and that marrying him would surely lead to happiness. As a result, she was met with opposition from her entire family.

Her maternal grandfather’s family was all in politics, and they had hoped Mrs. Wei would find someone with a secure government job. If it weren’t for Mrs. Wei’s persistence, the marriage certainly would not have happened.

Mr. Wei had a bit of a scholar’s pride. He loved and respected Mrs. Wei, but he disliked her arrogant relatives who looked down on everyone. So, his relationship with her maternal family wasn’t very close. Aside from visiting for major holidays, he rarely paid them a visit.

As a child, Wei Shuojie had loved going to her maternal grandfather’s house. But once she got older and understood things better, she realized her grandfather’s family favored boys over girls. Slowly, she lost interest in going.

So it was no wonder she didn’t know which side of the family this Aunt Shui was from.

”I remember seeing you when you were little. I can’t believe that in the blink of an eye, you’ve become so outstanding and capable.”

Aunt Shui beamed when she saw her. Her praise made Wei Shuojie unconsciously straighten her back; a single compliment from this woman felt like something to be proud of for a long time.

Having navigated the entertainment industry, Wei Shuojie had seen countless beauties, but this was the first time she had met someone with such a commanding presence.

From her aura, one could tell she must have held a high-ranking position for many years.

People in the entertainment industry know better than anyone what connections mean.

Without bothering to wonder what this woman really wanted with her, Wei Shuojie was already extending her hand with a broad smile. ”Hello, Aunt Shui! Please, just call me Xiao Wei.”

The two shook hands, and the group casually strolled into the mall.

And when they said shopping, they meant it.

The two older women started at a silk shop, where they bought scarves and a double-sided embroidered screen ornament. Next, they visited a custom shoe store to order a pair of shoes for year-end family visits. After leaving the shoe shop, they spotted a jade store with new arrivals and went inside to buy some bracelets they fancied. Once the bracelets were purchased, they also picked up a handsomely tailored cashmere coat.

They shopped without any real purpose, wandering wherever their feet took them and buying whatever caught their eye.

’Did they really just ask me here to go shopping?’

They each paid for their own purchases by unspoken agreement. When she offered to pay for her mother, not only did Mrs. Wei refuse, but she also smugly waved her own card around. ”Hmph, my husband gives me plenty. I still have a lot left to spend this month!”

Wei Shuojie: ”...”

’As if I don’t have a husband myself.’

’Fine. My husband is on a fixed salary; he really can’t compete with my dad’s earnings.’

But the stubborn Sister Wei never backed down. ”My husband works for the government, and he gives every cent of his salary to me. Can your husband say the same? Hmph!”

”I’m going to tell your dad you’re making me mad again!”

”You’re my real mom, not my stepmom. I’m not afraid of you tattling.”

The mother-daughter dynamic was quite amusing, and Aunt Shui chuckled as they went.

Wei Shuojie carried her and her mother’s bags, while Aunt Shui was followed by a woman with a low ponytail who never left her side. One look at this person and you could tell she was a trained fighter; her eyes constantly scanned her surroundings. She was a world apart from the for-show bodyguards celebrities hired for events.

”Oh, it’s almost twelve. Let’s find a place to eat, shall we? Speaking of which, my daughter just messaged me. She happens to be nearby. If you don’t mind, we could ask her to join us.”

After an offer like that, who would say they minded?

Wei Shuojie’s mind was racing—’Here it comes... here it comes...’

’When a total stranger asks you to go shopping, they’re bound to bring up the real reason afterward, right?’

Aunt Shui hadn’t insisted on paying for them, which meant it probably wasn’t a big deal, so Wei Shuojie wasn’t too worried. ”The more the merrier! We should definitely have her join us.”

Right then and there, Aunt Shui called her daughter.

The three of them, along with the bodyguard, entered a private room at the restaurant. They had been seated for less than ten minutes when someone knocked on the door.

Wei Shuojie looked up and saw a waiter showing a familiar person in.

”Chief Editor Sang?”

Aunt Shui looked even more surprised than she did. ”Oh? You two know each other?”

Wei Shuojie: ”...”

’You’ve got some acting chops, Auntie, but only some.’

Not to brag, but she had a knack for judging an actor’s skill, and she was rarely wrong.

Sang Mu laughed heartily, thanked the waiter, and sat down opposite Wei Shuojie.

”Alright, what did you all really want with me? I’ve been playing dumb while shopping for half the day, and my curiosity is killing me!”

Wei Shuojie was quite familiar with Chief Editor Sang, and there wasn’t much of an age gap between them, so she could speak much more casually.

Fearing the others would feel awkward, Mrs. Wei patted her daughter’s thigh reproachfully and chided, ”I already told you it was nothing important. Your Aunt Shui is retired now and occasionally asks your mom out shopping and to see you at the same time. You’re the one with the overactive imagination, always thinking up nonsense.”

”Alright, haha! Speaking of which, even if there was something, it should be me asking Chief Editor Sang for a favor. Our Bingyan will need Chief Editor Sang’s continued support in the future!”

’Damn, if I had known she had this kind of connection to this ’young miss,’ it wouldn’t have been so hard to get on her good side.’

Wei Shuojie readily went with the flow. She stopped dwelling on their motives and seized the opportunity to pave the way for her artist.

”Are you talking about Ni Bingyan? Oh, I remember, you’re her agent. The cover shoot last time turned out great. I absolutely love her! She’s beautiful, very polite, patient, hardworking, and has an especially kind heart!”

Sang Mu knew what today’s mission was. Seeing the topic shift to Ni Bingyan, she immediately seized the opportunity and sang her praises, nearly praising her to the high heavens.

Aunt Shui had been smiling silently, but when the conversation turned to Ni Bingyan, her interest was piqued:

”Are you talking about the Ni Bingyan who played Chen Daying in *Qing Palace Sorrow* and the Eldest Sister in *Nine Heavens*? I love her too! Her acting is so good! There aren’t many outstanding young people like her anymore!”

Wei Shuojie barely managed to control the twitching at the corner of her eye.

’Can we please not bring up these two minor roles?’

’So, it turned out this mother-daughter duo was here for Ni Bingyan all along.’

She understood but didn’t say it out loud. Wei Shuojie played dumb and casually agreed, ”Yes, she really is a great kid. I’ll definitely have to introduce you two when there’s a chance.”

Just then, the food arrived. Wei Shuojie ate quietly, all the while pricking up her ears to listen to the other three chat.

Mrs. Wei was very curious about Ni Bingyan and asked Aunt Shui, ”What does this Ni Bingyan look like? Let me see if I’ve seen any of her TV shows.”

Aunt Shui seemed to know Ni Bingyan’s filmography by heart, rattling off titles for several minutes straight, her enthusiasm never waning.

Wei Shuojie kept pondering what this whole charade today was really about.

’They can’t be fangirling at their age, can they?’

It wasn’t until the mother-daughter pair had repeated ”I really like her” at least ten times that it suddenly dawned on her.

”Um, Aunt Shui, don’t you also have a son named Sang Yuan?”

Aunt Shui put on her fake-surprised face again. ”Oh my! Don’t tell me you two know each other as well?”

’Just yesterday, I sought out Sang Yuan to tell him they weren’t a good match, and now his mom and sister are here saying how much they like Ni Bingyan.’

’I have to say, a big shot is a big shot. Look at him, and then look at those useless guys who fight tooth and nail with their families over a female celebrity and still fail!’

’Comparisons are truly odious.’

Wei Shuojie gave a slight smile. ”Of course we know him. How could we not?”

’Let’s see what this mother-daughter duo is really up to. Is this affection genuine, or is it all an act?’

’If they were the duplicitous, honey-tongued type, believing them would only end up hurting Bingyan.’

’But if they’re sincere, if the whole family genuinely accepts Ni Bingyan, then I, as her agent, won’t stand in the way of my artist’s happiness anymore.’

’A healthy and beautiful romance is a plus for a celebrity’s career, after all!’

”Speaking of which, the reason I know your son is also because of Bingyan.”

She paused deliberately before continuing, ”Bingyan accepted a role in a drama, and your son specifically sought me out to connect him with the producer. He invested fifty million, just to ensure the crew would be provided with better living conditions. It’s actually quite funny; I’ve been in this business for so long, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a contract that specifies the standards for three meals a day and lodging in such detail.”

After speaking, she carefully observed the micro-expressions on the faces of the mother and daughter across from her.

’Generally speaking, when a mother finds out her son is giving his all for another woman, she’ll get jealous. The same goes for a sister with a significant age gap.’

’But what did she see?’

Aunt Shui’s eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands in delight. ”I never thought that boy was so clueless, but once he finally caught on, he’s this clever!”

Chief Editor Sang also had a fond, aunt-like smile. ”Hehe, that was beautifully done!”

Then they both asked her in unison, ”Was Bingbing especially moved?”

Wei Shuojie: ”...”

’Wasn’t that shocking enough for them?’ she thought.

Then, steeling her resolve, she added, ”I also heard yesterday that in order to handle a single deal for Bingyan, your son went so far as to register a whole asset management company and even flew to Shanghai just to sign the contract.”

’Note the ’went so far as’ and ’even... just to.’ I refuse to believe that doesn’t get under your skin.’

But the joy in the eyes of the two women opposite her only grew stronger!

”Wow! Isn’t this a scene straight out of a romance drama? That’s my son, all right! Was Bingbing very happy?”

”I never would have thought! He’s really got some moves!”

Chief Editor Sang even started daydreaming. ”At my brother’s pace, I’ll definitely be an aunt soon.”

Sang Yuan was a very reserved person and would never tell his mother or sister these things on his own. The people around him also wouldn’t dare go over his head to tattle to his family, so this was the first time the mother-daughter pair had heard about any of this.

Their son/brother was finally acting like a normal person!

They were so happy they could have cried!

Forget that Ni Bingyan was so wonderful; even if she were just average, as long as she came from a respectable family, they would have sincerely accepted her.

Wei Shuojie didn’t know all this. Right now, her mind was filled with nothing but admiration for Sang Yuan.

’Alright, you’re on another level. Someone I can’t afford to offend. I’ll go test the waters for you when I get back!’

’Does anyone really enjoy being the one to break up a happy couple?’