Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

”Come on, let’s take turns lying inside and get a taste of death. The only way to overcome fear is to face it head-on.”

May 12th. An auspicious day for travel and for burials.

The main cast and crew of *Soul Ferryman* gathered quietly at the suburban Guozigou Funeral Home.

The director, Li Yiru, was thirty-two years old and a second-generation director.

She had connections, dreams, and talent—in short, a willful newcomer with the triple threat, so to speak.

So, she dared to film subjects others wouldn’t touch.

Not only did she dare to film it, she dared to sell it. The crucial part was, before filming had even started, the broadcasting rights were already sold. It made you want to give her a thumbs-up and say—”You’re amazing, girl!”

This series would be broadcast while still in production. Twenty days after filming began, around when they were shooting the sixth episode and post-production for the first was complete, it would premiere on two Star Network platforms. This was a first in China.

At first, Ni Bingyan thought this approach was very risky, but after meeting Li Yiru, she knew no further explanation was needed. This was exactly the kind of thing she would do.

Li Yiru had long, straight black hair, fair skin, and beautiful features. She was tall, with a gentle and quiet demeanor like a well-behaved good girl. But to today’s gathering, she arrived on a heavy-duty motorcycle.

The wheels were caked with mud. Who knew how many detours she had to take outside the city to ride that beast here.

The moment Ni Bingyan saw her, with her cool leather jacket, leather pants, and high ponytail, even though her features weren’t the ”queenly” type, the one word that stuck in her mind was ’badass’.

And sure enough, subsequent events proved this point.

After a brief tour of the funeral home, Li Yiru led them to the set, opened a door, pointed at the coffins on the floor, and decisively chose one to lie down in.

Lying down herself wasn’t enough; she then beckoned the female lead, Ni Bingyan, the male lead, Gao Junhui, and the others to follow suit.

A farewell ceremony was being held in the mourning hall nearby, and from the partitioned-off filming area, everyone could hear the earth-shattering sounds of weeping.

Now, seeing the coffins before them, everyone’s scalp tingled with unease.

Reading the script was one thing. But with filming about to start, discovering the location was a real funeral home, being faced with several coffins that may or may not have been used, and now being told to lie in them—that was another matter entirely.

In China, matters of death and burial have been taboo since ancient times. By extension, people working in this profession were often looked down upon. It was hard enough for ordinary people to face death, let alone experience it!

At the very least, everyone present was resistant, both in mind and body.

”Don’t be afraid. These coffins are all new, custom-made props. Smell them, they still have the scent of fresh wood! Come on, get in and feel it for yourselves!”

The coffins in the funeral home weren’t the same style as traditional burial coffins, which should have lessened the psychological pressure, but everyone remained standing still.

It was like striking a match for the first time as a child; out of fear of the fire, you couldn’t bring yourself to perform the simple act of striking.

The relationship between a coffin and death is like that between a match and fire.

Striking a match creates fire, and a coffin is used only after death.

People fear fire, but they fear death even more.

So, it was perfectly normal that their fear of death made them unable to perform the simple act of ”lying down.”

But Ni Bingyan was different.

She was a transmigrator.

As far as she was concerned, she had already died once.

Knowing they hadn’t been used by anyone else and she didn’t have to worry about the risk of germs or viruses, she immediately stopped hesitating.

”Hmm, this is a bit tricky! This series of ours...”

Just as Li Yiru was about to persuade them further, she saw Ni Bingyan walk up to a coffin without any warning and lie down without a moment’s hesitation.

Seeing her lying inside with her eyes closed, her breathing even, everyone couldn’t help but hold their breath. A moment ago, the director had climbed in, laughing and talking. But she had done it quietly, and the moment she was in, she closed her eyes, playing the part of the deceased. She really had some nerve!

Ni Bingyan lay inside with her eyes closed. Everything was quiet around her; she could only hear the slow, long sound of her own breathing.

In a daze, it felt as if her soul had detached from her heavy body, spiraling inside the wooden container, ascending until it vanished into the heavens.

She thought she could hear the sound of her own blood flowing, and before she knew it, she began to think about her past life.

’If I really died before I transmigrated, who would have claimed my body?’

’I never got around to making a will. Who would inherit my estate? After struggling for over a decade, I’d at least saved up several million!’

’And... how did I die, anyway? It couldn’t have been sudden death from overwork, could it?’

’I wasn’t some workaholic. No, it couldn’t be.’

Lying in the coffin, she began to seriously contemplate the matter of death for the first time.

’This end... everyone has to face it sooner or later...’

’Some people die, yet they live on. Some people are alive, yet they are already dead. In this one life, what are we all rushing toward? What must be done so that when the end comes, there are no regrets?’

’If you achieve all your goals, will you be at peace? Will you still be afraid?’

’These thoughts were too philosophical. I feel like I lack the wisdom to answer such profound questions. Perhaps I’ll only find the answers when I’m truly on the verge of death!’

Just as her thoughts were wandering, a KACHA sounded from above her. Someone was taking a picture, and they hadn’t even bothered to turn off the shutter sound.

That was one thing, but after taking the photo, she very seriously asked the others, ”What do you think? When Snow White ate the poisoned apple and lay in her crystal coffin waiting for the prince to kiss her, did she look just like this? Hair as black as ebony, skin as white as snow, cheeks as red as apples...”

Everyone looked at each other, unable to hold it in any longer, and burst out laughing.

The atmosphere utterly ruined, Ni Bingyan opened her eyes and sat up in the coffin with a sigh.

”You’d better not laugh here. It’s an easy way to get beaten up.”

It was already getting hot in mid-May. It hadn’t rained for the past few days, the sun was blazing daily, and the temperature in Beijing was already approaching thirty degrees Celsius. Lying inside on a cushion, with no ventilation, and surrounded by people—how could her cheeks not be flushed red from the heat?

”Alright, alright, just getting a feel for it is enough. Come on out!”

Li Yiru reached out a hand, but Ni Bingyan didn’t take it and got up on her own.

During filming, they obviously wouldn’t have actual deceased people playing the parts; they would be extras who had received red envelopes for their trouble.

Once you got over that mental hurdle, it wasn’t so hard to accept.

Li Yiru bringing them here in advance to get familiar with the environment showed how thoughtful she was.

Seeing that Ni Bingyan had overcome her fear, the others took turns lying down to experience it for themselves. Afterward, they all agreed to head back to the city for a meal together.

Li Yiru still had to take the long way around to ride her motorcycle back, so she didn’t join them. She just said that they had plenty of time in the future, told them to bond, and that she would see them tomorrow at the official start of filming.

After the dinner with her new colleagues, Ni Bingyan returned home and went to bed according to her usual routine. But as soon as she turned off the lights, she was reminded of the feeling of lying in the pitch-black coffin. When she turned the lights back on, the sudden brightness jolted her wide awake, making it impossible to sleep.

Unsurprisingly, Ni Bingyan showed up on set the next day with dark circles under her eyes that even concealer couldn’t hide.

”Didn’t sleep well last night?”

The director asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow. Ni Bingyan’s eyes widened, and she retorted defiantly, ”How is that possible? I’m not some coward. I was just thinking that today’s scenes require me to look haggard, and what kind of makeup can look as authentic as this?”

Orcs are never slaves, and Ni Bingyan never admits defeat!

This display of lifelong stubbornness stunned everyone. Even Li Yiru couldn’t help but click her tongue in amusement.

”Alright then. In a little while, we’ll film the scene where Han Su performs an encoffinment on a deceased person by herself for the first time. I originally thought you were timid and would need more psychological preparation.”

Ni Bingyan: ”...”

’This is completely different from the scene on yesterday’s call sheet!’

”Weren’t we notified that we were filming the scene where Han Su is on her first night shift?”

”It was a last-minute decision. A job came in during the night shift!”

Ni Bingyan gritted her teeth and agreed. ”Fine! It makes the plot richer anyway!”

’Being stuck with such a whimsical director... I don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse.’

’The worst part was, the screenwriter spoiled her and had actually changed the script.’