Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Sang Yuan was rushing to catch up with his wife; he had no patience for him.

Channeling the prowess of a top athlete, he soon left Jiang Sheng—a man of arts and literature—in his dust.

”AHHH!!! Stop right there!”

The loser’s impotent rage was simply delightful.

A smile on his face, Sang Yuan hurried to the dining hall. Ni Bingyan had already gotten her food and was sitting in a corner, deep in an animated discussion with Wei Shuojie.

”I really think I should try taking on an action role. The ethereal, fairy-like kind where I fly all over the place! I’d attract hordes of fans just for my looks. At that point, forget your ’small goal’—we could probably achieve two ’small goals’~”

A woman of action can’t just have an idea. The moment one pops into her head, she has to put it into practice.

Wei Shuojie knew her all too well by now. Hearing her suggestion, she quickly tried to shut it down.

”Action roles are too demanding. It’s only worth it if you find an amazing script, preferably a film that could win awards. Otherwise, the effort won’t match the payoff. Next year, after you finish filming *Demon Suppression Tower*, you have another TV series lined up, so you don’t have the time right now. And what about that Qing palace drama from Luo Susu’s side? You’ve had the script for ages. Do you want to take it or not? If not, just be decisive about it. We aren’t short on offers and have plenty of options. Speaking of which, I just got a new script I haven’t sent you yet. I think it’s excellent.”

Wei Shuojie opened the email app on her phone as she ate. She found *Soul Ferryman* and forwarded it to Ni Bingyan.

Wuxia movies were out of favor right now. Unless it was an exceptionally good one, there was no point in taking the role.

Wei Shuojie didn’t want her to get carried away and accept that kind of role.

It would be a waste of time. After all that hard work filming, it might not even recoup its investment.

She certainly didn’t want her artist to be labeled ”box office poison.”

Investors weren’t philanthropists. Who was going to hire an actor who couldn’t carry a movie at the box office?

She was planning charity work and mulling over endorsement deals, all to raise Ni Bingyan’s commercial value and get her access to better film and television resources. If things went that way, wouldn’t it all be for nothing?

Xianxia, on the other hand, would be acceptable.

Xianxia had been popular these past few years, and it was an easy way to boost public recognition.

But the risk with Xianxia dramas was terrible costumes, makeup, and props. They’d have to take their time finding a good production team. That couldn’t be rushed.

What was right in front of her was naturally more important than something still out of reach.

Ni Bingyan immediately abandoned the thought of doing an action movie and opened her email to download the script.

Just as she was about to take a closer look, she saw Sang Yuan approaching with a bowl of mixed noodles.

”Mind if I join you? It’s a little crowded today.”

He glanced at the women walking around, a look of unease all over him.

Ni Bingyan figured his old habit was flaring up. ’It’s not the first time we’ve eaten together,’ she thought, and gestured for him to sit.

’Speaking of which, I was pretty rude just now, running off without so much as a word.’

Ni Bingyan said sheepishly, ”Some people were arguing back there, so it felt wrong to stick around. I totally didn’t run away because I saw you coming, I swear!”

Sister Wei hadn’t told her why they’d left, so she’d come up with her own explanation.

’He didn’t even bring up his feud with Jiang Sheng. How thoughtful of him!’

Wei Shuojie barely resisted the urge to facepalm. Sang Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. ”Yeah, it’s pretty awkward running into a young couple having a fight. By the way, I heard a while back that the Jiang and Bai Families were planning a marriage alliance. Any idea when the wedding is?”

’So quick to sow discord. The man was smooth.’

”Hey, haven’t you heard? The wedding’s off! From what Miss Bai said, she’s not impressed with him at all!”

’Such gleeful gossiping!’

’My wife is so cute.’

Sang Yuan’s smile grew even wider.

’She never considered Jiang Sheng an ex, but only I know the real story. Wei Shuojie, for instance, is probably thinking this is a classic case of love turned to hate, and that Bingyan can’t stand to see her ex doing well.’

’The more I think about it, the funnier it gets.’

Seeing his happy expression, Ni Bingyan assumed she’d guessed right.

’It’s true! You get a special kind of joy from seeing your enemies suffer!’

Sang Yuan sat diagonally across from Ni Bingyan. He’d take a bite of his noodles, then a glance at his wife, feeling utterly content.

Wei Shuojie: ”...”

’This guy’s acting skills... they’re a billion times better than his mother’s.’

’If he ever goes bankrupt, I should sign him. He might even have a shot at becoming a critically acclaimed actor.’

’Go on, keep up the act!’

’I’d like to see if you can keep this up for a lifetime!’

’I’ll just sit back and wait for the day your little act comes crashing down!’

By the time the meal was over, Wei Shuojie was likely the only one who felt uneasy.

”I have to go sign some charity contracts for agricultural aid soon. I’ll make a quick trip home, then it’s back to Shanghai for filming. I remember the conference agenda said you have a speech this afternoon, right? Break a leg!”

After negotiations between Sister Wei and the national poverty alleviation office, she would be authorizing the use of some of her photos for a dozen agricultural organizations in extremely impoverished regions. She would be their free charity spokesperson for a year.

Her picture would likely end up on the packaging for things like lamb legs, jujubes, potatoes, goji berries, tea seed oil, and honey, marked with a title like ”Poverty Alleviation Ambassador.”

Since a government agency was spearheading the project and it would provide real help to people, Ni Bingyan felt it was a great initiative.

”Mm, I’ll do my best.”

Sang Yuan gazed at her with incredible tenderness.

’My wife loves money, but she donates at least half of everything she earns.’

’She’s been doing charity work her whole life, yet she never boasts about it like other celebrities. She’s such a genuinely warm person!’

After saying goodbye to Sang Yuan, Ni Bingyan went with Wei Shuojie to sign the contracts as planned. Then she went home, packed a large suitcase of winter clothes, had dinner, and headed to the airport.

She arrived in Shanghai at only ten-thirty, much earlier than expected.

She spent the entire trip reading the *Soul Ferryman* script from Sister Wei, crying the whole time. By the time she reached the production set, her eyes were swollen shut.

It was a television series. The protagonist she was to play, Han Su, was a Funeral Master—one who gives the deceased their final dignity and sends them on their way to the next life.

A fascinating story.

She was a woman who was calm and rational with the living, yet held an extreme tenderness for the dead.

A contradictory, yet utterly captivating character.

The entire series was structured that way, a string of interconnected stories. It would also take an innovative approach, filming and broadcasting concurrently. The first episode would air just twenty days after shooting began, with two new episodes released each week.

This format placed high demands not only on the production crew but on the actors as well.

With limited time, there would be no room for repeated retakes. The actors had to be good.

Sister Wei had told her that the final cut of *Children of the Mountains* was ready. Producer Zhao and Director Deng had held a private screening for some friends. After seeing it, a producer who was currently preparing *Soul Ferryman* had taken a specific interest in her, requesting her by name for the role of Han Su.

”’The harder you work, the luckier you get.’ This show has a great hook and is very unique. I recommend you take it.”

Compared to this show, the Qing palace drama Luo Susu offered her really had nothing going for it.

There have been so many hit palace intrigue dramas already that audiences are sick of them. Crucially, the role they offered her was only the second female lead.

But *Soul Ferryman* was different.

Sister Wei said that with a good performance, the show had a real shot at winning awards. That was what Ni Bingyan cared about most right now, so upon hearing that, she was already halfway convinced.

The other half of her decision would depend on the script itself. Even with the famous Gong Sa as the screenwriter, she wouldn’t give her unconditional trust.

The screenplay wasn’t finished yet; so far, it only contained three storylines.

The first was about a young couple who struggled with infertility and finally had a son through IVF. But as the boy grew up, people kept saying he didn’t look like his father.

Over time, the man’s personality became twisted. During one argument, in a fit of rage, he picked up his son and threw him to his death. He then stabbed his wife and, in his anguish, jumped from their building.

The very first scene of the series would be Han Su preparing the body of the child, who looked as if he were only sleeping.

The second story was about an old woman who was incontinent at the moment of her death, leaving her lower body in a terrible state. Her children, however, were unwilling to clean her. They just waved their hands to fan away the smell and urged Han Su to hurry up and take care of it.

The very mother who had painstakingly raised her children, cleaning up all their filth, died, and now her children complained that *her* filth was too smelly.

Han Su couldn’t bear to let a mother pass on in such a state, so she cleaned the body over and over again until she felt at peace.

The third story: a newlywed husband was swept away during a flood rescue mission. When his body was recovered, it was swollen to three times its normal size. His new bride held him, pressing her cheek to his, and asked through her tears, ”Why didn’t you come back sooner? I left the light on for you every night, waiting to hear your knock at the door.”

’No wonder it’s called *Soul Ferryman*!’

It contained all the joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, love and hate, and suffering of the human world.

Ni Bingyan had a feeling that after she finished filming this show, she would need a long time to recover emotionally.

But she still picked up her phone, forced open her swollen eyelids, and sent a message to Wei Shuojie: [Sister Wei, you have to get this role for me!]

Without a doubt, it was an excellent script, one that held an irresistible appeal for an actor, even in its incomplete state.