Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Ni Bingyan had finished filming her scenes for *Soul Ferryman* for the week, wrapping up at three in the afternoon and heading into the city.

Her follow-up appointment with her therapist was scheduled for this afternoon.

The doctor’s surname was Xu, and her given name was Lan. Doctor Xu was a returning expert at this top-tier Class A Grade 3 hospital. Many seniors in the entertainment industry sought her out for their psychological issues, as she was highly experienced in this field. Wei Shuojie had to pull a lot of strings just to get Ni Bingyan an appointment with her.

Doctor Xu, who was over sixty, was quite at ease with her own aging.

Her face bore naturally formed wrinkles, and the silver threads in her hair were undyed, but the vitality in her eyes was no less than that of a young person.

Seeing Ni Bingyan walk in with her arms hanging limply, sighing uncontrollably the moment she sat down, devoid of any spirited, upright posture, Xu Lan couldn’t help but offer a gentle smile. ”You’re here. Have you been busy lately?”

Therapy sessions were time-consuming. When Doctor Xu was in, she saw a maximum of five patients a day, so she remembered the basic details of each one.

This warm greeting right at the start was usually enough to mostly dispel a patient’s anxiety.

”The modern romance I’m starring in started filming this week. The other show, the one that’s being filmed and broadcast simultaneously, also premiered last weekend. The reception has been pretty good.”

”It’s good for young people to be busy! It’s better than having nothing to do. By the way, how have you been feeling lately?”

”I feel so tired every day. I have no energy for anything, and I always feel like crying. I’ve also been making a lot of mistakes on set these past two days...”

Ni Bingyan began to ramble, occasionally pausing mid-sentence to think.

Doctor Xu didn’t rush her, only interjecting at key moments to guide her to continue.

Ni Bingyan spoke for a full half-hour before she finally stopped.

She spoke of her confusion, her anger, and everything she couldn’t make sense of.

She had tried to make peace with the world, reading many philosophy books, but the more she read and the more she thought, the more confused she became.

Doctor Xu didn’t study philosophy, but that didn’t stop her from seeing the root of Ni Bingyan’s problem.

”Don’t worry. You’re just under too much work-related stress, and your mind can’t stop overthinking. There are no organic lesions, so there’s no need to be overly anxious.”

After listening to her, Doctor Xu gave some appropriate advice, scheduled the next follow-up, and began to pack up for the day.

Doctor Xu was a really good listener. After pouring her heart out, Ni Bingyan felt much better.

Because she had wrapped up late, she had also arrived at the hospital a little late. Doctor Xu had waited for her, so by the time the session ended, it was already well past the doctor’s usual time to leave.

Not wanting to bother her any further, Ni Bingyan put on her sunglasses and mask and left the hospital.

Her condition wasn’t too severe yet; she just needed regular follow-up appointments to prevent it from worsening.

In Doctor Xu’s experience, once Ni Bingyan finished filming *Soul Ferryman*, she would quickly recover from the emotional impact of the role.

But right now, her mood was consistently pessimistic, and she was skeptical about that.

Back home, she saw a note on the dining table that her dad had left. Ni Bingyan picked it up, read it, then carefully put it away before heading to the kitchen to open the fridge.

The fridge was already stocked with several jars of various jams.

She scooped out a spoonful of raspberry jam and mixed a cup of fruit tea. But as she drank, tears began to fall uncontrollably.

’This tea is undrinkable now.’ The moment she took a sip, she started thinking of her dad. ’It’s hopeless.’

’If I really were to drop all my work and go home to live off my dad, I’d probably just hate myself even more.’

She decided to follow her doctor’s advice and get closer to nature. Grabbing a wicker basket from the shelf, she went out into the yard.

Another batch of berries had ripened on the bushes in recent days, and she picked what amounted to at least two pounds.

She didn’t want to see any neighbors and just wanted to stay cooped up at home, so she sat under the eaves with the wicker basket, eating sporadically as she watched the sky slowly darken.

She ate until eight o’clock. When she reached into the basket and felt nothing, Ni Bingyan suddenly realized she had eaten that much fruit in one sitting!

’Fruit might taste sweet and sour, but that doesn’t mean it’s low in sugar.’

’If I keep eating like this and don’t work out, I can kiss my defined abs goodbye!’

Ni Bingyan sighed and headed to her home gym.

After a good, long walk on the treadmill, she got off, dripping with sweat, more than half an hour later.

Just as she was about to go upstairs to shower and sleep, the front gate’s doorbell rang.

”Who is it?”

She really didn’t feel like dealing with anyone, but someone showing up this late must have a reason. The security guard hadn’t called, which meant it was either someone she knew or a neighbor from the community. She couldn’t just ignore it.