Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

The red carpet event had delayed her for a while, and since *Ni Bingyan’s World Travel* had already started airing, Ni Bingyan had to hurry up and finish filming the remaining eight episodes.

Once the New Year was over, filming for *Zui Sheng Building* would begin.

Mou Sanyang was notoriously strict. No matter how big the star, no one dared to film another project concurrently with one of his. Once you joined the cast, it was impossible to get time off unless it was a dire emergency.

Therefore, the variety show had to be filmed before the New Year.

To meet this deadline, Ni Bingyan nearly tore her hair out coming up with themes for the remaining episodes.

The fourth episode was titled ”Come Home Often.”

Over those three days, she brought along some carefully selected ”friends from the industry” to tour the Ni Family Manor, visit the restaurant’s kitchen, watch the heated finals of the village soccer cup, and even appear as a guest star on the set of *Chef King Competition* Season 2—dubbed the tastiest variety show ever—where she managed to score a free meal.

All in all, it was pretty fun.

The fifth episode’s theme was ”A Gift from the Ancestors.”

She traveled to Guizhou Province to explore the local intangible cultural heritage that fascinated her.

She saw Fengxiang Dyeing and the traditional stilted houses, then went in search of other unique items like Miao silver jewelry and clothing.

Feeling inspired, she not only dyed her own fabric to make a skirt but also had some fun dressing up with the local artisans, filming a short video with them to post online.

Because the traditional Miao attire she wore in the video looked so striking, it sparked a trend, with people from various other ethnic groups ”joining the battle” online.

For a time, the entire internet was swept up in an ”ethnic fashion craze” that burned hot for a while before finally dying down.

Ni Bingyan was so swamped she could only catch up on sleep while traveling. Naturally, she had no time to browse the internet. She only heard a few passing mentions of it from her team and didn’t pay it much mind.

After leaving Guizhou Province, since it wasn’t far, she simply took the film crew to a neighboring province for the sixth episode to visit her maternal grandparents and her uncle’s family.

This episode was titled ”The Sweetness in Life.”

This theme had a double meaning: first, sugar is the source of sweetness, and the Lu Family had been running a sugar factory for a long time. Second, spending time with her family made her life feel sweet.

It was the middle of the sugarcane harvest. Bundles of cane were brought in from the fields to be sent to the factory for processing, so her uncle’s family was busy every day.

Upon arriving at her uncle’s house, she didn’t put on any airs.

That night, after a lively reunion dinner and chatting with all her various aunts and relatives, she changed into work clothes first thing the next morning and followed her uncle and aunt out to the fields.

The vast sugarcane fields seemed endless, with purplish-red stalks standing in neat, straight rows. The process of cutting them down, bundling them, and loading them onto trucks for the factory didn’t require much skill, but it was grueling physical labor.

Ni Bingyan’s job was simply to help with driving the delivery truck. Workers handled the loading and unloading, but by the end of the day, her back was still aching.

Her aunt had already gone home to get dinner started. Seeing that her uncle wanted to check on the factory before heading back, a question suddenly popped into Ni Bingyan’s mind:

”Uncle, you’re a big boss, after all. Aren’t you afraid people will laugh at you for spending all day in the fields doing farm work?”

Lu Zigang was a master of witty retorts. When he heard her question, he immediately fired back:

”Who’s laughing at me? Hardworking people are too busy with their own lives to laugh at others. And anyone who *does* have the time to laugh at me is probably worse off than I am, so why would I care what they think?”

Seeing her at a loss for words, her uncle looked triumphant.

”From your great-grandfather’s time, Lu’s Sugar Factory has always operated this way.

”I’m out in the sugarcane fields every day, and all the folks around here know it. I’m not just putting on an act because you’re here with your camera crew.

”Think about it. If I don’t go into the fields myself, how will I know if the cane is any good?

”Our factory only uses the best sugarcane. It’s just like how your dad insists on picking his own ingredients. The quality of the raw materials determines the quality of the final product. When you run your business with integrity, what is there for anyone to laugh at?

”You’ve been with me all day. Did you see a single person laugh at me?”

Ni Bingyan sighed. Rubbing her aching back and dragging her feet, she followed behind him, carefully placing her feet in his footprints.

”I’m sorry, Uncle. I didn’t mean it like that. I just wanted to ask... aren’t you tired?”

Lu Zigang laughed. ”How could I be tired? Having you with me today has given me energy for anything!”

His sister had passed away young, and he had always treated his niece like his own daughter. They rarely got to see each other throughout the year. He was overjoyed that she had come and that she didn’t have any celebrity airs about her, willing to accompany him into the fields. It was tiring, but it made him happy.

His words made Ni Bingyan laugh heartily.

”I couldn’t help it. I’ve been so busy with work the last couple of years. I finally managed to make a trip out here, and I still had to film the show while I was at it. Sigh! I feel like I’ve caused you all so much trouble!”

”You’re all grown up now. You can’t just stay at home all day like you did when you were little. It’s good to be busy. You can video call when you’re free and come home when you have time. What’s not to like? If you really did nothing but hang around the house, I’d probably have to kick you out after a few days.”

”Hahaha!”

”Don’t laugh! You don’t get it. I guarantee your dad thinks the exact same way. If our children aren’t capable, we could give them mountains of gold and silver, and they wouldn’t be able to hold onto it. We elders have to pass on eventually. Only when we know you have the ability to live well on your own can we truly be at ease.”

The two of them walked and talked under the dim yellow streetlights, their shadows stretching out long behind them.

The next day, she went with her cousin to the sugar factory.

She learned about the entire process, from the sugarcane entering the warehouse to the finished candies being packaged and boxed.

’It was her uncle’s factory, after all. If she showed people the clean and tidy workshops, wouldn’t consumers feel more confident about their candy?’

Many people have never been to a factory, let alone know where sugar even comes from. They would only go to this much trouble for their own niece; if it had been anyone else, the Lu Family wouldn’t have bothered.

On the third day, Ni Bingyan had planned to act as her cousin’s secretary and accompany him to a business meeting, but her uncle shooed her back.

”I know you’re just trying to help, but if I really wanted to use your fame to drive sales, I would’ve asked you to be our spokesperson years ago. And think about it—our factory’s production capacity is limited. We already have more orders than we can fill based on quality and reputation alone. Why would we need you to endorse us? That’s like using a cannon to shoot a mosquito. Totally unnecessary!”

Lu Zigang shook his head and handed her two vouchers for a medical check-up. ”You still have some time. Why don’t you take your grandparents for a physical? We haven’t been able to convince them, but they’ll listen to you. You should take them!”

Ni Bingyan couldn’t argue, so she did as her uncle asked.

Ni Bingyan had so little vacation time this year that her only chance to visit home and see relatives was while filming the show. The entire extended family knew this.

This time, her uncle’s family did their best to overcome their awkwardness around the cameras and treated her just like they always did. When it was time for her to leave, even after her car had started, the family was still standing at the door to see her off.

Her uncle, especially reluctant to see her go, even ran up and stuffed a bag of toffee through her car window.

”This is the toffee your cousin was working on last year. He’s perfected it this year. Take some with you. If you ever get too busy and forget to eat, have one for your blood sugar.”

Ni Bingyan felt just as reluctant to leave. She hugged the bag of candy, her eyes brimming with tears.

Finally, worried she would miss her flight, she had no choice but to leave.

At the next intersection, her cousin, Lu Xun, was helping his wife out of a car. He flagged her down.

”Sis! I’m going to be a dad!!”

Lu Xun excitedly waved a lab report in his hand, standing on the side of the road with his mouth wide open, laughing with his head thrown back. From inside the car, Ni Bingyan could see all the way to his trembling tonsils.

His wife hadn’t been feeling well that morning, so Lu Xun had taken her to the hospital. Unexpectedly, the results showed she was pregnant!

Realizing her cousin hadn’t had time to go home first and had waited here specifically to share the good news with her, Ni Bingyan ignored her tear-blurred eyes and leaned out the window.

”That’s wonderful! Have you picked out a name yet? Oh my gosh, I’m going to be an aunt! I have to get the baby a longevity lock!”

”No rush for that, the baby isn’t due until next year! So when are *you* getting married? You should have kids while you’re still young! It’s dangerous for older mothers, you know! Hahaha! When are you going to catch up with us?”

Her happiness evaporated instantly.

”Go on, get out of here! Bye-bye now~ I’m not talking to you anymore!”

Her cousin’s wife, a little shy in front of the camera, just smiled at her. As the car was about to pull away, she quietly told Bingyan to be sure to visit more often when she had time.

Even after the car had crossed the bridge and was slowly making its way onto the highway, Ni Bingyan was still buzzing with excitement.

”Here, everyone, have some candy! Celebration candy! Let’s all share in the good fortune! Hahaha!”

It was perfect timing, since she had a bag of candy right in her lap!

As for that person who was tearing up just a moment ago? It was like she never existed.