Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Chapter 31: Chapter 28: A Melon Too Big for One Person

Somehow, Jiang Sheng had handled it. Bai Jian never bothered her again, and the talk of replacing her on the set of *Breakup* simply fizzled out.

Jiang Sheng did call, but since it was from an unknown number, her phone blocked it automatically. Ni Bingyan pretended she hadn’t seen it and didn’t call him back.

’An ex should act like they’re dead. Why is he trying to make his presence known?’

In her opinion, people who could still be friends after a breakup were either secretly hoping to get back together or had never been deeply in love in the first place.

After all, how many people who loved someone they couldn’t have were truly magnanimous enough not to hold a grudge?

If he hadn’t caused her trouble by failing to properly handle his relationships, she wouldn’t have asked for his help even when she was in a bind.

Besides, strictly speaking, he was the original owner’s ex-boyfriend. He had absolutely nothing to do with her.

Chen Zhiwen called the next day, telling her to focus on preparing to join the cast and not let irrelevant people affect her performance.

Ni Bingyan, of course, didn’t go into detail with him. She just said that she was consistently making time to prepare and told him not to worry.

With her friend Xu Liangyu vouching for her, and knowing Ni Bingyan was dedicated and professional, Chen Zhiwen had no reason to worry.

With the pest gone, life immediately became much smoother.

After leaving Lao Gua Village, the next scenes to be filmed were mainly about Liang Hongying leading the villagers to prosperity, so the sets were no longer in a fixed location.

Sometimes they had to go into the mountains to shoot at the mushroom farm, the orchard, or the vegetable gardens. Other times they had to go to a starch processing plant in the suburbs. Most of the time, the scenes involved her helping the villagers solve various problems—down-to-earth, yet full of warmth.

The scenes weren’t difficult to act, but capturing that vibrant, aspiring spirit was another matter entirely!

Ni Bingyan worked hard, and Director Deng was happy to guide her, so that problem was quickly resolved. But then, a new one appeared.

Hu Zhenning had gotten his start as an idol. Even in plain clothes, he had a trendy vibe that he just couldn’t hide.

In the film, he also played a rich heir who falls for the female lead. In the process of pursuing her, he gradually comes to understand what a good relationship should be, which changes his outlook on life. He becomes proactive and hardworking, eventually winning her acceptance.

The female lead, however, was a simple and ambitious woman from the mountains. When the two of them stood together, they were a handsome man and a beautiful woman, but they just didn’t have any on-screen chemistry.

Trying to capture the desired feeling, Director Deng was tearing his hair out!

They had to do take after take. Hu Zhenning’s acting showed no signs of improvement, and after a few too many NGs, he’d have a mental breakdown and just give up. It made Ni Bingyan so anxious that she had to drink eight cans of herbal tea a day just to keep a stress-induced cold sore from erupting on her lip.

’So why did they have to give her a male love interest?’

’Wouldn’t a purely female-led film have been fine?’

’The bond with her grandmother was enough to draw tears from the audience, wasn’t it?’

’Who watches a movie like this expecting to see some sweet, fluffy romance?’

Ni Bingyan couldn’t understand it, but she didn’t dare say anything. Voicing that thought would definitely offend Hu Zhenning.

No one would be happy to be told they were superfluous, after all!

’Damn arthouse films. Exploring familial bonds is one thing, but did it really have to explore romantic love, too? Did the subtext really need to be this deep?’

"Sigh..."

"Sigh..."

That afternoon marked another day of mental breakdowns.

It was August, and a large fan whirred in the break area. The poor male and female leads were sprawled side by side on lounge chairs, sighing away.

While their spirits lay shattered on the floor, leaving them to mope like two listless lumps in the corner, the director managed to pull himself together and go film the supporting actors’ scenes. ’As expected of a director. He’s a total pro!’

"Sister Bingbing, I’m sorry!"

Hu Zhenning had eight assistants who kept his life comfortable. But recently, because he was constantly causing NGs, the crew often had to work overtime, and every department had something to say about it.

His team knew how to handle things, though. They frequently treated everyone to drinks and ice cream—perfect for beating the heat. Since you can’t bad-mouth someone after accepting their gifts, people went easy on him, which made his life a lot easier.

Just then, someone brought over some chilled pumpkin and mung bean soup. Hu Zhenning took a cup and immediately passed it to Ni Bingyan beside him.

Ni Bingyan was lying back in the chair reserved for the female lead, her script covering her face as she took a quick nap. Hearing Hu Zhenning call her, she immediately sat up.

"This isn’t your fault, so what are you apologizing for?"

Taking the large cup with both hands, Ni Bingyan stuck a straw in and started drinking right away.

As the female lead, she wasn’t clueless about social etiquette. She treated the crew from time to time as well, just not as frequently as Hu Zhenning, so there was no need for formalities.

"Sigh... I wonder what the director is going to do."

The problem was as obvious as a louse on a bald man’s head. He had already given it his absolute all, but the director insisted the feeling just wasn’t right. There was nothing more he could do.

Most people in the arts have strong personalities.

Some directors care about the ’feeling,’ some love grand scenes, some are incredibly strict about costumes, makeup, and props, and still others love to nitpick every little detail...

You could say there are a thousand different demands for a thousand different directors. That’s just how it is.

As an actor, all you can do is try your best to cooperate. As long as you’ve done your part well, your conscience is clear.

Comfortably enjoying the fan and the soup, Hu Zhenning, ever the phone addict, pulled out his device and started scrolling away.

The weather here was incredibly dry, so keeping her skin hydrated was a constant priority.

Ni Bingyan wasn’t a fan of playing on her phone, so she opened up a new face mask and put it on. She popped in her earbuds, lay back down, and listened to international news while sipping her soup through the straw.

Getting into college but being unable to attend had always been a sore spot for her.

Her lack of a degree made her feel inferior, so she seized every spare moment to study.

She learned languages to make it easier to work abroad, though she rarely got such opportunities. She studied personal finance to keep from wasting her hard-earned money. She learned about scriptwriting to analyze scripts from a writer’s perspective and better delve into her characters. She even studied skills a director would need, like editing and lighting, to help with her on-set blocking and cooperate more effectively with the director...

She enjoyed learning a little bit about anything she found useful. She didn’t necessarily have to master it; just acquiring new knowledge brought her a deep sense of satisfaction.

Every day she felt she had wasted made her feel hollow inside.

At one point, she suspected she might have a psychological disorder and went to see a therapist.

After an evaluation, the doctor told her that she simply lacked a sense of security, which was why she desperately tried to ’arm’ herself. She just craved to become stronger.

This wasn’t a bad thing.

The specialist told her that as long as it didn’t become pathological, there was no need for psychological intervention.

She felt the doctor made sense, and she had lived that way for all these years.

Self-disciplined, ambitious, and proactive—to outsiders, she seemed like a weirdo, but to her, it was the most comfortable way to live.

After spending some time together, everyone on set knew what a ’boring’ person she was. The fun-loving types mostly left her alone, which allowed her to live a rather peaceful and orderly life.

So when Hu Zhenning suddenly jumped up beside her and, in a rare show of physical contact, nudged her, she sat bolt upright, so startled that her earbuds fell out.

"What’s wrong?"

The nearly-dry face mask on her face slid down to her chin. She blinked, her expression a little dazed.

Hu Zhenning’s eyes were wide as he shoved his phone in her face, looking absolutely ecstatic.

"This gossip is too juicy for one person to handle, Sister Bingbing! Quick, get up and dig in!"

"What melon? Where are there melons?"

Ni Bingyan breathed a sigh of relief. She thought something serious had happened.

It would be great to have some melon to eat on such a hot day!

The melons here in Ning Province were especially good; she wasn’t picky between watermelon or cantaloupe.

"You’re such a cavewoman! Grab your phone! Check Weibo! I’m talking about gossip! Not actual melons!"

They were talking about two completely different things!

He was about to lose his mind!

"Oh? Who’s in trouble now?"

The entertainment industry was a gossip factory. Today, someone’s having an affair; tomorrow, someone else is soliciting a prostitute. Mistresses and drug addicts were a dime a dozen. She’d seen so much of it that nothing was surprising anymore.

Seeing Ni Bingyan calmly lie back down with an expression that screamed, ’You kids just haven’t seen anything yet,’ Hu Zhenning grew terribly frustrated.

"It’s about your company’s top actress! Why else would I bother you? Gossiping with literally anyone else would be more interesting than gossiping with you!"

’He had a point.’

"What happened to her?"

Actresses at the same company often competed for resources. Although she and the top actress weren’t in the same league, after the incident with President Wang, she had started paying more attention to company matters. Otherwise, she might offend someone important without even realizing it.

But Hu Zhenning completely ignored her, getting engrossed in the trending topics list. As he read, he started commenting aloud.

"Whoa! This is insane!"

She already knew he was a veteran gossip hound, so Ni Bingyan didn’t bother him. She just pulled out her own phone, found the trending list, and clicked on it.

(⊙o⊙)...

Whoa~