Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

”I have very high expectations for this movie. We need box office success, and we need critical acclaim!”

If anyone else had said that, people would have thought them boastful, even arrogant.

But the person speaking was Mou Sanyang.

In that case, his words weren’t just a boast, but a directive, setting the course for the entire team’s hard work for the better part of the next year.

The man truly had a strange temperament. He’d been silent the whole time, but as soon as everyone was present, he began speaking before Yuan Sian could even take a seat.

No pointless chatter, just straight to laying out demands and setting goals.

Classic Mou Style.

’Come to think of it, working with someone like him is actually pretty straightforward,’ she thought.

’He’s serious about his work and tells you exactly what he wants, clearly and concisely. All you have to do is meet his standards; you don’t have to worry about anything else.’

His demands might be exacting, and actors who’d worked with him before often complained bitterly, but Ni Bingyan was confident she could meet them.

’Maybe I can even use this opportunity to hone my acting and achieve a real breakthrough.’

’He’s an experienced director, after all. He would never make impossible demands that an actor couldn’t meet.’

’Working a little harder every day than the day before... The thought alone is exciting!’

’On top of that, he wouldn’t waste your time with idle chit-chat, nor would he get up to the sort of things some directors are fond of after the day’s shoot is over.’

’The only thing in his world is his movie.’

’He might be an oddball, but he’s a true filmmaker.’

’No wonder the company arranged such a grueling casting process for the role of Princess Jiuli.’

Honestly, Ni Bingyan even found herself secretly praying, ’I hope I get to work with directors like this on all my future films. It would make work so much less stressful!’

”Old Mou is right. That’s my thinking as well.”

Producer Zhao said this with a chuckle, then beckoned to Yuan Sian and his apprentice—who had just changed and entered the pavilion—to have some tea.

He looked like a classic people-pleaser, always quick to agree with others on work matters. But you’d be mistaken to think he was just some jovial, simple-minded figurehead with no ideas of his own.

On many occasions, Ni Bingyan had coolly observed how, despite always seeming to agree with everyone, he would subtly guide the conversation, bit by bit, until it shifted to where he could achieve his objective.

’Her life experience had taught her that while an open threat is frightening, a smiling tiger is the one you truly can’t afford to underestimate.’

Yuan Sian was also from Chaoshan, a fellow townsman and old friend of Producer Zhao, and he was just as passionate about tea.

The master and his apprentice had jogged over, working up a sweat. They had gone inside to wash up and change into warm clothes before coming out to the pavilion.

After hearing the others’ declarations, he first took a blissful sip of tea, then gave Producer Zhao a thumbs-up and praised, ”Great tea!” before slapping his thigh and pledging:

”We’ve worked together many times, so you know how I operate. When I take on a job, I give it my all to make it the absolute best. Don’t you worry. You can leave all the martial arts choreography to my Yuan Family Team!”

The main purpose of today’s meeting was for everyone to get acquainted and to get a clear picture of the work ahead.

The director wanted a declaration of commitment to kick things off, much like a pep rally before a battle. Ni Bingyan was not one to miss her cue.

After seeing Yu Danqing and Wu Shinan nod their assurances and briefly report on their progress, Ni Bingyan spoke up as well:

”I’ve been training my posture and practicing my dancing. In any case, I will cooperate fully with the production’s requirements and strive to meet Director Mou’s standards. If there’s ever a time I fall short, I ask all the seniors here to be strict with me and push me to do better. Let’s all work hard together to create a true classic!”

Yin Jing waited until everyone else had spoken before chiming in, ”Miss Ni is right. I feel the same way.”

At the time, Ni Bingyan had no idea that this man of few words would be repeating that exact phrase for a long, long time to come.

’To be fair, compared to actors who get caught in scandals that get their projects pulled, or who are completely unprofessional during filming—relying on body doubles, getting digitally inserted into scenes, or reciting numbers instead of their lines—his little quirk was nothing.’

Everyone wore a serious expression. Mou Sanyang seemed satisfied with this and fell silent once more.

’This meeting is so awkward it’s making my skin crawl.’

’Everyone seemed perfectly normal when we were talking business!’

’Even the screenwriter with social anxiety was lucid and articulate. How is it that when it’s time for small talk, nobody knows what to say?’

Aside from Producer Zhao, Ni Bingyan didn’t know anyone else well, and she wasn’t enough of an extrovert to force conversation out of thin air. All she could do was hug Wangcai and stroke his fur.

Ni Bingyan had a feeling that if this meeting dragged on any longer, Yin Jing would pet his cat bald.

Fortunately, Producer Zhao finished his tea, and as the aroma faded, his social graces seemed to slowly return.

”It’s getting cold out here in the pavilion, and there isn’t much of a view in the winter anyway. We’ve been sitting long enough, let’s head inside! I’ve invited an authentic Chaoshan chef over today to make hot pot. We’ve got genuine Chaoshan yellow cattle, shipped here live and butchered on-site. I just took a look—the meat is still twitching!”

Seeing him chuckle and rub his hands in eager anticipation, Ni Bingyan knew. He’d had his fill of tea, and now he was craving meat.

’A man whose only vices are a love for food and drink—who doesn’t gamble, cheat, or do drugs, who talks about his wife and daughter all day, and is a great earner. He might not be tall or handsome, but his family must be happy, right?’

Glancing at the tea set in the pavilion and recalling his oft-repeated motto, ”Life is all about two things: eating and drinking,” Ni Bingyan quietly took hold of Wangcai and followed them inside.

There was a deluxe dog crate inside. Ni Bingyan opened the door and could shut Wangcai in. The Zhao Family’s housekeeper even thoughtfully brought over some kibble and canned food.

Once the dog was settled, everyone took their seats on the sofa again, to the rhythmic sound of beef being pounded into meatballs in the kitchen.

Ni Bingyan had just taken a seat when she noticed Yin Jing to her left, still holding his cat, and Wu Shinan to her right, still with her little hedgehog in tow. She glanced over at Wangcai, who was mournfully eating his canned food, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

”Haha, why don’t you bring your Wangcai out, too? Look at us all having fun out here while he’s all by himself. The poor thing.”

Yu Danqing, sitting opposite her, caught her guilty expression, glanced at the golden retriever, and burst out laughing.

The atmosphere suddenly lightened.

Ni Bingyan quickly waved her hands. ”We should focus on work. I’ll take him for a walk in the park later.”

Seeing her response, no one else pressed the matter.

Producer Zhao then began asking about the progress on all fronts.

Wu Shinan reported that the script had been finished for a while, and she would be on set with the crew to make any necessary on-the-fly revisions.

Yu Danqing said the costumes and props were more or less ready; only the makeup still needed to be fine-tuned to each actor’s specific features.

Then, Producer Zhao mentioned that the assistant casting director was still busy, with a few supporting roles yet to be filled. He asked everyone to keep an eye out for any suitable candidates they could recommend.

’Ni Bingyan knew this was his way of showing respect to the team leads, offering up some of the less critical roles as a way to curry favor.’

Since even Yin Jing didn’t say anything, she certainly kept quiet.

’She didn’t have any friends or family who needed a leg up in the industry, so there was no point in getting involved and potentially causing trouble.’

As they went through the agenda item by item, Ni Bingyan mostly remained silent, listening to the bigwigs deliberate.

’Even though she was the female lead, she knew that to the production as a whole, she was just a slightly larger cog in the machine.’

’With an easygoing director, she might be able to get her scenes changed or even expanded. But with Mou Sanyang, that was absolutely out of the question. It was better to just be well-behaved and stay in his good graces.’

The work discussion was less captivating than the aroma wafting from the kitchen.

’Sigh, I’m getting a little hungry!’