Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Producer Zhao was from Chaozhou. His full name was Zhao Fulun. He was portly and greeted everyone with a smile, which made him seem exceptionally sincere and easy to get along with.

Ni Bingyan had dealt with him before. She knew that while he was indeed loyal, he was also genuinely petty toward those who crossed him.

He wasn’t particularly tall, so to show respect, Ni Bingyan deliberately wore flat shoes to meet him.

As she reached the outside of the pavilion and heard him say she was just in time for tea, Ni Bingyan laughed.

”Uncle Zhao, you know I don’t know the first thing about tea. I’m afraid your fine tea is going to be wasted on me again today.”

Back when they were filming *Children of the Mountains*, Lao Gua Village was deep in the mountains with no paved roads. After getting out of the car, they still had a long walk ahead. Yet, besides his personal luggage, Producer Zhao had insisted on carrying a complete tea set up the mountain.

The director, Deng Yu, knew him well. He saw him drenched in sweat, his shirt soaked through and sticking to his back, still clutching that ridiculously heavy tea set.

What was even more incredible was that when they took a break, he sat on an earthen ridge with the tea set cradled in his arms, refusing to let go for dear life.

Unable to watch any longer, Deng Yu told him the conditions were too harsh and that he shouldn’t have brought all that stuff. But Producer Zhao’s reply nearly made him keel over from anger!

”I didn’t even bring my red clay stove and charcoal! I’m already making a huge sacrifice by using an electric kettle!”

To this day, Ni Bingyan still remembered his expression.

He had been panting and out of breath, yet he’d pushed himself to retort, all self-righteous as if he were proclaiming some universal truth.

Someone with less luggage tried to curry favor with him, offering to carry the heavy tea set. But he was afraid they’d drop and break it, so he insisted on carrying it himself, exhausting himself like a dog, all the way up the mountain.

After that, they spent over a month in the mountains, and Ni Bingyan saw him brew tea every single day without fail.

The small, white porcelain teacups were as thin and translucent as paper. They were round and chubby, exceptionally cute. It was amusing to watch him hold them so carefully in his fleshy, dimpled hands.

At first, Director Deng Yu was the only one on the entire film crew who got to drink his tea.

But after Ni Bingyan helped the county sell potatoes for free and earned his approval, he not only offered to introduce his daughter to her but also started inviting her for tea the very next day.

It was summer at the time, and Ni Bingyan had a heavy filming schedule. She could drink tons of water every day and still feel thirsty. So when she was invited, despite finding the cup tiny, she dutifully drank it all.

Unfortunately, her method was all wrong. She was so thirsty she picked up the cup and downed it in one gulp.

At that moment, the fat on Producer Zhao’s face quivered. He looked like he wanted to say something but ultimately held his tongue.

Much later, after they had become good friends, Zhao Fulun told her he had almost sprayed a mouthful of tea leaves right in her face.

Because, to welcome her that day, he had specially brewed a fine tea that he could only buy in small quantities each year—a tea he himself was usually reluctant to drink.

But alas, it was like casting pearls before swine. He had encountered someone who didn’t understand tea and just chugged it like an ox.

Ni Bingyan never pretended to know what she didn’t, so she just laughed out loud. He didn’t blame her. Instead, with high emotional intelligence, he told her, ”If you were good at everything, how would anyone else survive?”

Speaking of which, Zhao Fulun truly loved and understood tea.

For his birthday last year, Ni Bingyan spent a small fortune on a box of Tieguanyin tea for him. But he only had to open the lid and take a sniff to know she didn’t understand tea.

”Aiya! Don’t buy me tea anymore. You spent so much money just to get cheated with an inferior product passed off as a good one. When I think about you getting scammed out of that much money, my heart aches so much I can’t even sleep!”

Most Chaoshan people are frugal. Even after leaving his hometown and working hard for decades, he still held onto this traditional virtue and was proud of it, no matter the occasion.

This trait actually complemented his profession perfectly.

His greatest skill was achieving big things with a small budget, meticulously calculating every expense and making sure every penny was well-spent.

Any film he was in charge of was guaranteed to be of high quality.

Aside from the occasional complaints from the crew about the terrible food or the less-than-luxurious accommodations, there were no major issues.

Seeing that she had spent a fortune and still hadn’t gotten the quality tea she paid for, Zhao Fulun felt a double heartache!

Anyone else might have found him hard to please, but Ni Bingyan knew he was treating her like one of his own, which was why he couldn’t help but be frugal on her behalf.

So for his birthday this year, Ni Bingyan asked her dad to help her buy a high-quality gongfu tea set. When she gave it to him, she made a point of telling him how much she’d spent.

He immediately beamed, a look of ”You hit the jackpot!” on his face. His eyes were sparkling, and he looked even happier than Ni Bingyan herself.

A penny saved is a penny earned. This logic, common among people from Guangdong Province, was actually quite easy to understand.

”After suffering a few more times, they’ll get used to it. Hahaha! Is this your Wangcai?”

He wasn’t offended by Ni Bingyan’s comment about her wasting his fine tea.

As much as he loved tea, friends were still more important to him, even a dummy who didn’t know a thing about it.

As he spoke, he had already picked up the clay kettle to rinse the pot and cups, preparing to add the tea leaves.

”Yes! This is my Wangcai.”

Wangcai was quite a large dog by now. Because of the cold, his long, pale-gold fur draped smoothly over his body. He looked exceptionally beautiful, walking so elegantly by Ni Bingyan’s side.

He seemed happy to be in a new place, but he was very well-behaved. He just stood by his owner’s feet, tilting his head and looking around curiously, not running or sniffing around wildly.

”He was so cute and fluffy in the photo album, and now he’s just beautiful. Heh, he’s all grown up.”

After a brief chat about the dog, Producer Zhao noticed Yin Jing standing nearby, smiling gently but not saying a word. Realizing the two probably didn’t know each other personally, he made an introduction.

”Come, this is our male lead, Yin Jing. Yin Jing, this is our female lead, Ni Bingyan.”

Yin Jing was very handsome. He had the refined, noble air of an ancient aristocrat’s son, and his appearance in costume was indeed otherworldly. That was why he primarily acted in historical dramas.

That’s how it was with public figures. Both knew who the other was, but they hadn’t necessarily interacted privately. When you had someone who wasn’t skilled at socializing, you needed a third person to connect them so they could get acquainted.

”Hello!”

Ni Bingyan led her dog into the pavilion and saw Yin Jing bundled up in a long, thick down jacket, cradling a gray-and-black tabby cat in his arms.

The cat was asleep, a limp little bundle that looked like a natural hand-warmer, making Ni Bingyan quite envious.

The tabby was adorable, with ”white gloves,” ”white socks,” and a ”white bib.” Half of its face was white, too.

Its fur was glossy and smooth; clearly, its owner loved it very much.

”Hello! It’s a bit cold today. Come on in and sit down!”

As he spoke, he stood up, still holding the cat, and made room for her.

The small, octagonal pavilion was named ”Mingxiang Pavilion” and was where Zhao Fulun drank tea with his guests.

To the right was a medium-sized, root-carved tea table. Aside from the two steps at the entrance, the other seven sides were lined with carved benches.

Because it was winter, the seats were covered with custom-made, soft cushions of brown brocade, which looked very inviting.

Zhao Fulun was at the tea table brewing his gongfu tea. Yin Jing was sitting on the left, and his invitation for her to enter was to keep her from standing in the cold wind at the entrance.

Ni Bingyan didn’t stand on ceremony and walked right in, leading her dog.

”Have the others not arrived yet?”

Wangcai often spent time with Shui Sulan’s cat, so he didn’t bristle at the sight of this one.

Yin Jing’s cat was also used to following him to film sets year-round, so it was very calm upon seeing a dog.

So the two of them, one holding a dog and the other a cat, started making small talk.

Today’s gathering wasn’t large. Producer Zhao had only invited the male and female leads, the director, the screenwriter, the martial arts director, and the artistic consultant—seven people in total.

”I probably live pretty close by, so I got here a little earlier. The others are most likely still on their way.”

Yin Jing was a very gentle person. He spoke at a calm, measured pace, yet you wouldn’t find him slow.

”I heard the investment in costumes, makeup, and props is very high for this project. I’m looking forward to seeing the results.”

”They specifically invited Teacher Guan Zhiqing. I’m looking forward to the results, too!”

After exchanging a few more words, Ni Bingyan noticed a quirk of Yin Jing’s: if you brought up a topic, he would respond, but if you didn’t take the initiative, he’d remain silent.

’He’s so passive. You’d need to be a social butterfly on steroids to get along with him long-term.’

Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but steal another glance at him.

’No wonder his friends are all married with kids while he’s shown no signs of settling down, making his fans more anxious than the Emperor himself. They’re constantly trying to ship him with someone...’

’A guy like that... I bet even Wang Qiye couldn’t charm him.’

But he noticed immediately and turned his head to ask, ”What’s wrong?”

It was their first meeting, so it obviously wasn’t appropriate to discuss such a personal topic. But Zhao Fulun, who was clearly on very good terms with him, didn’t wait for Ni Bingyan to invent an excuse and just called her out directly:

”She must think you’re a total mute! So quiet you wouldn’t make a peep if someone hit you with a stick! I told you ages ago, when you’re chatting with people, would it kill you to come up with a topic? Look at her! It’s her first time meeting you and she has no idea what to talk about. She’s about to go bald from trying to think of conversation starters.”

Ni Bingyan covered her face with her hands.

’Is it really okay to be this direct?’

’Help me!’

’This is so awkward!’

But Yin Jing just chuckled happily. ”This is just my personality. It’s not that I dislike you, Miss Ni. Please don’t mind it.”

Ni Bingyan quickly waved her hands. ”Not at all! Everyone has a different personality. You’re perfectly fine the way you are!”

”Alright, alright! You two will be spending every day together for half a year starting next year, so you’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other! Come, come, drink some tea first!”

It turned out that while they were talking, he had finished brewing the tea.