Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Post-production for Rainy Days with an Umbrella wasn’t complicated. Not long after filming wrapped, the air date was set.

Once the air date was set, all sorts of promotional activities began to roll out quickly.

As an urban romance drama, the promotional focus was naturally on the romantic developments between the male and female leads.

Before the premiere, the official account would occasionally release a trailer or behind-the-scenes footage. After the premiere, they started clipping exciting scenes from the show to stir up debate.

The more fiercely people argued, the more attention the show got. The more attention it got, the higher the ratings would be.

As the plot developed, the ”WenGu” CP of Wen Qing and Gu Feng started to blow up all over the internet.

After that, it was only natural for their CP fans to appear.

Sister Wei was in charge of managing Ni Bingyan’s official account, so she didn’t need to handle any of the promotions herself.

What she needed to do was join the other main cast members to appear on various shows.

Ni Bingyan had already had two movies released. As the first and second female lead, she had been on the full promotional tours and had appeared on almost every major show in the country. So now, promoting a new TV drama, she wasn’t the least bit nervous.

Anyway, most shows had a script. If there were any tricky questions, she could discuss them with Brother Biao and Sister Wei in advance. For her, appearing on shows was like just going to have fun.

On this day, the cast came to Mango TV to participate in Happy Planet, a veteran show that had been on the air for over twenty years.

The first part of the show followed the schedule. Ni Bingyan was very uninhibited during the games, so the on-screen effect should be quite good.

But halfway through the show, one of the female hosts suddenly asked her with a gossipy air:

”Hey! Bingyan! Is there really something going on between you and Bai Jing? I’ve been shipping your CP lately, and I’m really getting into it! I wish you two would actually get together!”

This was a question that wasn’t on the script.

Ni Bingyan just assumed it was for the sake of the show’s entertainment value and that they had intentionally not told her.

Her relationship with Bai Jing was completely platonic, so being suddenly asked such a question didn’t make her the least bit flustered.

”Bai Jing and I are very good friends in real life, but Gu Feng and Wen Qing are super sweet in the drama Rainy Days with an Umbrella! Friends who haven’t watched it yet, be sure to tune in on time! Every night at eight on Mango TV, Rainy Days with an Umbrella will be waiting for you!”

It was very likely for an actress to encounter this question during promotions after filming a romance drama.

Ni Bingyan was long prepared. She answered with great composure and even raised her arms to form a heart shape over her head.

Today, she was wearing pink-toned makeup, her hair was in a bun, and she wore a white dress with ruffled edges, revealing a pair of well-proportioned, snow-white, pencil-straight legs. When she made the heart gesture, the studio audience immediately erupted in screams!

The move gave off a powerful ”Watch the show for me—I’m super sweet!” vibe.

The desired effect for the show had been achieved, and the topic should have ended there. But the female host wouldn’t give up and asked again:

”Our Bingbing is so beautiful and talented, I wonder what standards she has for a partner?”

Seeing Ni Bingyan just smile without answering, she pointed her microphone at the audience below the stage:

”I believe that whether it’s here in the studio or in front of the TV, there must be many friends in the audience who also want to know the answer to this question. I’ll be generous and act as their mouthpiece! HAHAHA!”

’So that’s another way to use the phrase ”be generous,”’ Ni Bingyan thought, feeling like she’d learned something new.

But since she’d pushed the point this far, it would be awkward not to answer.

Another, more senior male host saw that things were getting awkward and wanted to smooth things over, but unfortunately, Ni Bingyan was quicker and had already started to answer:

”First of all, he must have a sense of responsibility. Both to his family and to society.”

As soon as she said this, the male host also became interested. ”And then?”

”And then, of course, we have to be compatible. We need to have things to talk about, common interests and hobbies, shared life goals, and so on. That’s the only way it can last!”

She spoke so earnestly that everyone could feel her sincerity.

Even the previous lighthearted, playful atmosphere turned serious.

”That’s not easy to find.”

Bai Jing had been standing beside her listening the whole time, and only now did he sigh out this remark.

Ni Bingyan nodded. ”It’s not easy to find, but someone like that has to exist somewhere in this world. If I can’t be with him, then anyone else would just be settling. And I am unwilling to settle.”

The internet has a long memory. If she chose to lie in a situation like this, the probability of being exposed later was extremely high.

Ni Bingyan didn’t want to face that risk. Besides, this wasn’t something that couldn’t be said, so she simply told the honest truth.

”What if he never shows up? What then?”

Perfect matches like that are rare in this world!

It was already hard enough for a female celebrity to find a partner, and her standards were so high...

She wasn’t the only female artist present. By setting her standards so high, she made everyone else seem casual by comparison, so naturally, someone felt uncomfortable.

For example, Tang Li, the actress playing the second female lead who had subtly clashed with her on set, spoke up to find fault.

”Then I’ll just stay single! It’s not like I can’t live on my own!”

Sensing Tang Li’s ill intent, Ni Bingyan raised an eyebrow, and her tone hardened.

Seeing the atmosphere grow tense, the host quickly interjected with a smile, ”Is there a third condition?”

This drama was premiering on their own network. If the female lead and second female lead started fighting here, bringing negative publicity to the drama and affecting the ratings, the production team would definitely be criticized by the network executives. The host couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

Ni Bingyan also revealed a gentle smile. ”The third condition is, of course, that my father has to like him too.”

”HAHAHA, if your dad doesn’t like him, you’ll break up?”

The female host with the awkward laugh was trying to make her presence known again.

Ni Bingyan shook her head. ”If my dad doesn’t like him, I wouldn’t agree to be with him in the first place.”

’If we were never together, how could we break up?’

”If that’s the case, then your dad must have really liked Jiang Sheng, right? Why did you two break up?”

Tang Li had dated many boyfriends, and all of them had been exposed by the paparazzi. To her, Ni Bingyan’s words sounded particularly harsh.

She had cultivated a ”straightforward” persona and often spoke without thinking. Now that the drama was finished filming, she didn’t have to worry about being recast. Besides, a conflict between the two of them could actually increase the show’s buzz. Tang Li wasn’t about to hold back.

Ni Bingyan was already furious inside, but she kept a smile on her face. ”Sister Li, I think being an actress is a waste of your talent. You should be a reporter.”

She said ”reporter,” but everyone knew she meant ”paparazzi.”

Tang Li’s face turned red with anger. She turned her head and saw her agent below the stage, clenching their teeth with an expression that looked ready to kill. In the end, she suppressed her indignation and said no more.

Since she stopped causing trouble, Ni Bingyan didn’t say any more either.

What happened between her and Jiang Sheng was her private matter. If she didn’t want to talk about it, no one could force her.

’Truth be told, it wasn’t her doing, so she wasn’t in a position to bring it up.’

She had thought appearing on this show would be easy and pleasant, but she never expected something like this to happen. Ni Bingyan wished she could swallow Tang Li whole, but doing so would really damage her image.

As a Feng Shui Master, Ni Bingyan didn’t even go back to her hotel after the show. Since it was still early, she went directly to the nearby Kai Fu Temple, still wearing the outfit from the taping.

Once inside the temple, Ni Bingyan spent a large sum on incense money and very publicly requested an Amulet to ward off evil spirits.

Since she wasn’t wearing a mask or sunglasses, she was quickly recognized.

When fans asked for photos and autographs, she accepted all requests.

That very night, #NiBingyanKaiFuTempleAmulet started trending.

When the episode aired the following week, this incident was immediately brought up again.

Some said she was petty, while others said Tang Li was truly a vile person who brought bad luck wherever she went!

The internet erupted into a bloody war of words, but Ni Bingyan didn’t regret it one bit.

Ever since her debut, she had never stepped on others to climb up, but that didn’t mean just anyone could bully her!