Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

”As long as you do your job—and do it well—I’m actually very easy to talk to.”

At the end of the day’s shoot, the director stood on the steps with a megaphone, speaking earnestly.

”You all call me Old Monster Mou behind my back, and I don’t mind. You can even call me little Yang for all I care! It doesn’t matter! I only have one demand: you must take this film seriously!”

The film had been shooting for a week, and all sorts of problems had started to pop up.

One moment, there was a problem with the props—something was either missing or broken. The next, an actor wasn’t prepared, and the feeling was all wrong when the cameras started rolling. Then the wardrobe and accessories weren’t managed properly, with a bead falling off here and a thread coming loose there. Even more outrageous, the set was robbed last night...

The stolen items weren’t particularly valuable, just some handmade antique-style trinkets. But they were very important because they were set dressing for the female lead’s room.

Director Mou didn’t shoot in chronological order, so if these trinkets were replaced midway through, the final cut of the film might have a scene like this—

Everyone is drinking tea and chatting, and suddenly the trinkets next to them all vanish. Then, a little later in the story, their invisibility spell wears off and they reappear.

Wouldn’t that turn it into a supernatural event?

This was a historical espionage film, not a supernatural thriller.

But it would take time for the props department to create an identical set of new ones.

After production starts, a film crew burns through money every day. How could they afford to wait?

If the props team had discovered the problem before today’s first scene, Director Mou might not have been so furious.

But as it happened, they had already done one NG for the first scene. Mou Sanyang kept saying something felt off, and it was only when Ni Bingyan asked where the pen rest on the desk had gone that someone finally realized many of the small trinkets in the room were missing.

Faced with something like this, even Producer Zhao, who was usually as placid as the Buddha Maitreya, couldn’t manage a smile.

This showed that there were serious problems with the crew’s management.

It was a large production, and with more people came more problems. Some oversights were inevitable, but a blunder this big was rare, even for him.

He was a well-known producer, after all. For things to go so wrong on his watch was, frankly, a disgrace.

The crew called the police, who arrived quickly. They not only conducted a detailed crime scene investigation but also took statements from the crew members.

The whole ordeal wasted the better part of the day.

After the police left, Mou Sanyang suppressed his temper and shot one more scene, but the result was still unsatisfactory. Frustrated, he called it a day.

The crew had been on pins and needles all day. Seeing him on the verge of exploding, they were both scared and relieved.

No matter how big his temper tantrum, it was better for him to let it all out than to keep it bottled up.

”A joke! This is a complete joke! I’ve been in this industry for most of my life, and this is the first time something like this has happened on one of my sets!”

Mou Sanyang sighed, said no more, and started to walk away without even glancing at Producer Zhao.

Producer Zhao’s face was grim. He didn’t say much either, just, ”Each department needs to break down responsibilities further, ideally assigning them to specific individuals. Whichever area has a problem, I’ll hold the person in charge accountable. Especially the security department. If this happens again, I’ll have no choice but to say I’m sorry! That’s all for today. Dismissed!”

’Say I’m sorry? That means he’s going to replace people.’

They had finally landed a major project like this. If they messed it up, their boss would kill them!

The head of security repeatedly thumped his chest, promising there would be no more problems.

As for how effective that would be, they would just have to wait and see.

The most crucial thing was that the director and producer now seemed to be on bad terms because of this incident...

Ni Bingyan, dressed in her historical costume with her hair in an updo, was slouched on a chaise longue by the window.

Her elbow rested on the windowsill, her chin nestled in the crook of her arm. Seeing that everyone in the courtyard had left, she sighed, stood up, and put on the cloak Duanmu Li handed her.

”Sigh, I’m so drained. Let’s go eat first. After that, we’ll head back to the inn and rest. Who knows what tomorrow will bring!”

She was scheduled for three consecutive scenes today, but since the trinkets in her character’s room were stolen, filming had to be halted, and they had other actors shoot first.

Her preparations went to waste, while the others who weren’t ready were forced to step in on short notice. Under Mou Sanyang’s strict demands, they naturally had one NG after another.

In the end, the actors were on the verge of a breakdown, the director was fed up, and he simply called it a day so everyone could regroup.

Even though it wasn’t her fault, the stolen items were from the female lead’s room. Her inability to film was what forced the others to step in, and there was no telling what they were thinking.

’After all, besides the trinkets from her room, everything else was fine. Maybe she offended someone?’

The two of them walked out of today’s filming location onto a bluestone path. As they strolled slowly, it really felt a bit like they were people from ancient times.

The filming base was an ancient town. All entrances and exits were sealed off, with security guards on duty 24/7.

For accommodations, a few of the inns not currently being used for filming were assigned to the cast and crew. They had water, electricity, and internet, and everyone got a single room, which was quite comfortable.

Meals were served in a cafeteria. The production had generously hired several chefs, so everyone could eat nutritious, delicious, hot meals every day.

If someone wanted a stir-fried dish made to order, there was a cook for that too, but you had to pay for it yourself.

Ni Bingyan liked her life to be neat and orderly. When unexpected events disrupted her rhythm, she felt antsy and stifled. Arriving at the cafeteria, she wanted something spicy and numbing to perk herself up.

”Do you have shredded beef with ginger? Master Chen, I’ll have one of those. And please add extra Thai chilies.”

The standard cafeteria food wasn’t bad, but ordering a la carte was much more expensive than market price. Ni Bingyan rarely came here unless she had a specific craving.

”Ah, sorry, Miss Ni. We don’t have any Thai chilies.”

The cafeteria served over a hundred people on the crew, so it was impossible for them to stock every single ingredient.

Not many people could handle chilies that potent, and they were quite expensive. They usually weren’t stocked unless specifically requested.

”What kind of peppers do you have then? I want something spicy.”

”We have Hangzhou peppers.”

Hangzhou peppers had thick skins and weren’t very spicy. They were a variety Ni Bingyan didn’t particularly like, and she certainly didn’t want to eat them now.

Seeing the light practically fade from Ni Bingyan’s eyes, the chef felt a little bad.

”Miss Ni, you’re craving something spicy and numbing today, huh? The weather’s so dry; wouldn’t it be bad if you got a pimple and it affected filming? We have fresh shrimp today, which is a rare treat. How about I boil a plate for you? We can chop up a green pepper for the dipping sauce. It’ll be salty and a little spicy, also very delicious. What do you think?”

If an actress broke out, how could she film her scenes?

That’s why the logistics team was so thoughtful. The chefs they hired specialized in Huaiyang cuisine.

After eating Huaiyang food for nearly a month, Ni Bingyan felt like there was a fire smoldering in her heart today. She desperately craved a mouthful of something spicy and numbing.

She rolled up her sleeves decisively. ”How about I do it myself? I’ll pay the full price, but I’ll do the cooking. Is that okay?”

”Hey! You’re being too formal. Of course it’s okay!”

’I don’t have the right ingredients, and my skills aren’t suited for it. I can’t make what she wants, so if she’s willing to do it herself, I can’t very well stop her.’

When you’re away from home, everyone gets a craving for a taste of their hometown now and then.

The kitchen was fully stocked with spices like Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers. Ni Bingyan put on an apron and sleeve protectors, quickly cleaned and flash-fried the shrimp, then furiously minced a head of garlic with a satisfying THWACK-THWACK-THWACK. She heated the wok, added cool oil to stir-fry the aromatic base, tossed in the shrimp, and began to expertly flip the wok with a series of loud CLANGS.

In no time, a plate of fragrant, visually stunning, and vividly red spicy and numbing shrimp was ready.

”It’s eighty-eight yuan a plate. But since you made it yourself, just give me the cost price, sixty-eight is fine.”

Not expecting to save money by cooking it herself, Ni Bingyan took out her phone, scanned the code to pay, and was about to take her plate and leave.

But before she could even take off her apron and sleeve protectors, an acquaintance who recognized the smell came running over.

It was the makeup artist, Wang Qing.