Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

”Girlfriend! Don’t forget we’re leaving at six tomorrow! I’ll come pick you up!”

”Got it! Boyfriend!”

Ni Bingyan answered irritably, though she wasn’t being coy.

The two goofs were shouting at each other through the courtyard gate, which opened onto the sidewalk. And while the blazing sun kept the old folks from wandering about, there was no stopping the kids on summer vacation!

Some children, craving popsicles and ice cream, took the opportunity to sneak out and buy some while the adults were inside. Right then, a few familiar kids were standing outside Ni Bingyan’s courtyard wall, lined up and licking their ice cream cones.

The weather was so hot that the ice cream was melting fast. They stood rooted to the spot, too busy licking to even speak. The two goofs, lost in their excitement, completely missed the little tykes in the corner.

”Woah! I think I’ve discovered an incredible secret!”

Su Zhenzhen of the Su Family was the oldest at eleven. She was at that age where she was just beginning to understand romance, so after witnessing that scene, she knew exactly what was going on.

”I think I discovered it too!”

”Didn’t Grandma say Uncle Sang was having trouble finding a girlfriend and it was driving Grandma Sang crazy?”

”Say, if we go find Grandma Sang right now and tell her about this, do you think she’ll treat us to ice cream?”

”Hey, I want a milk-flavored one. The chocolate one I just had was kind of bitter.”

”I want a strawberry one...”

After a quick huddle, the children finished off their cones in a few bites and sprinted toward the activity room!

The old ladies had an event today and were in the middle of rehearsing a performance!

The little tykes burst in, and the blast of cold air from the activity room made them all shiver!

Instantly, the old ladies forgot all about their dancing. They all grabbed towels to wipe the sweat from their children.

”Oh, for heaven’s sake, you little rascal! How many times have I told you? You can’t blast the AC when you’re covered in sweat. You’ll catch a cold!”

”Goodness, what have you been eating? Look at your messy little mouth!”

”Where’s your grandpa? Wasn’t he supposed to be watching you? Did you sneak a few more ice cream bars? Fishing, fishing, that’s all he thinks about! Going fishing in this heat! How many fish can he possibly eat?!”

...

Watching her old friends hugging and scolding their children, Shui Sulan was filled with envy.

Everyone else was surrounded by their children and grandchildren, but her own lap was empty.

’She *did* finally have a grandson, didn’t she?’

’When he was little, she was busy with work and barely got to watch him. By the time she retired? He was already grown up.’

’Now, forget him hanging around her and cuddling on her lap every day. His life was nothing but classes and tutoring, and she was lucky to see him a few times a year.’

’It was all her son’s fault for being so useless!’

It was a pairing that even the most dedicated fans would find impossible to ship.

Heck, they weren’t even as sweet as the Wen Gu pairing!

She was still lost in thought when she heard Su Zhenzhen shouting, ”Grandma Sang! Grandma Sang! We just discovered a huge secret!”

”Huh? Zhenzhen, what is it?”

”Uncle Sang finally has a girlfriend! They’re going on a date tomorrow! Leaving at six!”

”Sister Ni got super shy and chased Uncle Sang out with this huge broom!”

”Uncle Sang was laughing so happily! I’m even scared of dusters, but Uncle Sang is so brave! He wasn’t scared of that big broom at all!”

...

The children all chattered at once—the oldest was eleven, the youngest just three and a half. When Shui Sulan finally pieced together what was happening, she shot to her feet, her face beaming with joy!

Granny Liao quickly pushed her back down.

”Calm down! Calm down, Su Lan! Don’t do something rash and mess it all up!”

Everyone was about to say something, but when they saw all the children listening with ears pricked, they quickly shooed them out. ”Go on, go on! Scurry on home now!”

The children went out, but couldn’t resist peeking back in through the doorway.

They didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the sight of a row of little heads poking through the doorway.

Well, this wouldn’t do. Someone stood up:

”You all keep chatting. I’m going to take this bunch home. The complex is right next to the lake—you all have some nerve letting them run around on their own like this.”

”Grandma, Grandma, I want Sister Zhenzhen to come with!”

The youngest one had clearly only been allowed out because they were with the older kids. The others were old enough to know basic safety rules. Besides, the complex was covered in security cameras and had guards on patrol twenty-four hours a day, so no one was overly concerned.

Still, on a day this hot, it was better to be safe than sorry. It was more secure to send them home where they could be supervised.

The children were led away, all of them reluctant to leave. Seeing them glance back at her repeatedly, Shui Sulan knew exactly what they wanted.

”Thank you so much, children! Grandma Sang will be sure to send you all a thank-you gift later!”

”What are you gonna give us? I want ice cream!”

”Me too, me too!”

”I want strawberry flavor!”

...

’At this point, never mind a little ice cream—she’d consider just about any request they made!’