Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Chapter 53: Chapter 49: Defenses Broken

After filming the variety show, Mango TV treated them to dinner. After the meal, another top-tier star, Song Huating, had other work and needed to leave that night. Wei Shuojie led Ni Bingyan over to say goodbye.

His agent came up and greeted her with a smile. Even though the two had never crossed paths before, she was as warm as if they were old acquaintances.

"Bingbing, you’re even prettier in person than on TV! Keep it up, you have a bright future! I have high hopes for you!"

Poverty in a bustling city goes unnoticed, while wealth in the deep mountains attracts distant relatives.

The same principle applied in the entertainment industry.

As long as you were famous enough, you’d find friends everywhere.

She believed that if she kept working this hard, she would meet more and more people like this in the future.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard Wei Shuojie whisper to her, "Most people don’t know this, but she’s my cousin, Gao Linghui. Just call her Sister Gao."

’Okay, so I was being shallow.’

Feeling a little embarrassed, Ni Bingyan extended her hand and shook Gao Linghui’s. "Sister Gao, you flatter me. I’ll definitely work hard and try to climb even higher."

Wei Shuojie was very satisfied with her attitude. She nodded, then made another introduction. "This is the artist she manages, Song Huating. You two already met while recording the show. Just call him Brother Song. It’s all thanks to his help this time; you need to thank him properly!"

’Okay, so titles in the entertainment industry really are a yardstick. From Teacher Song to Brother Song, we’ve gotten a lot closer.’

If Song Huating hadn’t agreed to postpone the recording by a day, her nearly two hundred thousand yuan fee would have been gone.

Ni Bingyan was deeply touched. She quickly pressed her palms together and bowed, thanking him with utmost sincerity, "It’s all thanks to Brother Song’s help! You’re a lifesaver, a true Bodhisattva!"

Song Huating, who was wearing a baseball cap and had already put on his mask, took it off and smiled at her. "It was nothing. If my wife found out I recorded a variety show with her junior sister and didn’t even look out for her a little, she’d definitely be angry."

Wei Shuojie promptly chimed in, "Brother Song’s wife, An Xin, is also with our company. You see her around a lot. Her two little rascals are adorable, too. You’ll know what I mean when you see them."

Then, afraid that Song Huating might get the wrong impression of Ni Bingyan, she added with a laugh, "This kid is endearingly clueless and doesn’t always pick up on these things. If I hadn’t told her, she never would have known you two had this connection, haha! You two, you’re truly the epitome of ’keeping a low profile personally, but a high profile in your work’ in our industry!"

Ni Bingyan quickly laughed along, "Then I’ll gladly accept this favor from my senior sister’s husband, haha!"

’Alright, "Brother Song" has evolved again. The relationship just got one step closer.’

’I’m actually pretty good at this networking stuff.’

Song Huating was also very socially adept. Not only did he not brush her off, but he even offered a few sincere compliments before explaining that he had another variety show to get to early in the morning and that they would talk again later.

Gao Linghui also waved goodbye, adding, "I’ll drop by to see my aunt next week if I have time," before leaving with Song Huating.

After they left, Ni Bingyan followed Wei Shuojie into the production team’s car back to the hotel.

Tomorrow, they had to go to Mango TV for an interview with January Talk and a cover shoot. After that, she still had to go with Wei Shuojie to meet some friends, so they would have to stay at the hotel for a few more days.

When the two arrived at the hotel, Ni Bingyan was exhausted. She entered her room and was about to shut the door and go straight to sleep, but Wei Shuojie followed her in.

"Tomorrow’s interview is very important, so you have to be on your best behavior. I’ll send you a document tomorrow morning with some of the potential traps they might set, and I’ll teach you how to answer. I won’t send it tonight; I’m worried it might keep you up. If you encounter any unexpected tricky questions, don’t worry. I’ll be right by your side to prompt you if needed."

Ni Bingyan knew many people had suffered terrible consequences for saying the wrong thing, so she certainly wasn’t going to take this lightly. After all, she had never dealt with this magazine before and couldn’t guarantee the host would be completely benevolent.

"Don’t worry, Sister Wei. I’ll be careful."

When it came to work, she never gave anything less than her all.

The two of them stood motionless in the entryway.

Ni Bingyan was dying to sleep but didn’t have the heart to kick her out, so she resorted to empty pleasantries. "Thanks for taking such good care of me, Sister Wei. I feel so much more secure with you around."

But Wei Shuojie pretended not to get the hint. She still had something to say.

It was like a fishbone stuck in her throat—something she had to get out.

"His willingness to wait a day for you wasn’t just a favor to my cousin. I couldn’t very well cause a conflict between her and her artist, so I made a trade. I used one of our resources."

Wei Shuojie took a deep breath before finishing. "Chu Qiushan’s new film, Great Grandmaster, starts filming after the New Year. I’m setting up an audition for his wife for the female lead role."

So that was it.

’Ni Bingyan didn’t understand why she was telling her all this. Did she think I would credit someone else instead of her?’

’I’m not that clueless.’

"This was all thanks to your hard work, Sister Wei. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known how to handle it."

Though it just seemed like some mudslinging, if it wasn’t handled properly, her future prospects could be seriously affected. Having a reliable agent was a huge relief.

Seeing the utter confusion in her eyes, Wei Shuojie sighed, sat down, and broke it down for her.

"That couple both started out in television dramas. An Xin has already won the top three Best Actress awards for television twice over. Lately, she’s been thinking about transitioning to the film industry. But both of their acting ranges are rather limited, and their performance style has a heavy television drama feel. They turn their noses up at average films, but the top-tier productions are reluctant to cast them."

"Why? They’re both experienced, and their salary demands wouldn’t be too high while they’re trying to transition. They have national recognition, so their box office draw should be guaranteed."

’She had always thought it was only difficult for lesser-known actors, whose status wasn’t high enough to even get a foot in the door of the film world. For a talented and famous Best Actress from TV, shouldn’t breaking into movies be simple?’

"Do you think it’s easier to draw on a blank piece of paper or to change a finished painting into another one? Besides, having too much national recognition, being too relatable, isn’t necessarily a good thing. Most of the time, movies don’t need to be that relatable. It can take the audience out of the experience."

’Okay, now Ni Bingyan got it.’

’No wonder so many movie actors were successful in both film and television, while famous TV actors rarely succeeded in crossing over to film.’

’Still, no matter how hard it was, with their connections, getting an audition shouldn’t be that difficult, right?’

"Is it that Director Chu is difficult to approach? Is that why you had to be the one to arrange it?"

’From what she recalled, Director Chu had an excellent reputation in the industry. He had huge bags under his eyes and was balding a bit, which made him look intimidating, but he was actually very good-natured. You rarely heard stories of him blowing up on set.’

’Ni Bingyan couldn’t understand why her agent was sighing at her like this.’

’A movie by Director Chu! At my current level, I’d be lucky to snag the third female lead role. The main female lead was something I couldn’t even dare to dream of. What was there to sigh about?’

’She wasn’t one to fret over things that were never hers to begin with.’

’Sister Wei’s mental fortitude really isn’t up to par!’

Perhaps because she was so drowsy, her thoughts were written all over her face. Wei Shuojie, who had already been bottling things up, finally had her defenses shattered by that look!

She slapped her thigh, her usual composure gone. "Chu Qiushan is my uncle! The whole industry knows it! Why don’t YOU know?! This female lead role was originally tailor-made for Sun Lizhi! Do you have any idea?! I spent three years preparing for this! A film meant to sweep the awards! Three whole years! And now I have to hand it over to someone else! Do you realize?!! If your status were just a little higher! There would be at least one Best Actress award waiting for you in the next year or two! I’m dying of heartbreak here! You clueless idiot! ARGH! You’re going to be the death of me!"

Even though all she did was pull some strings to get An Xin an audition, for her, it meant completely abandoning the opportunity.

The more she spoke, the more heartbroken she became. She braced her hands on her knees and covered her eyes, her head hanging low. Her shoulders shook violently, but she remained silent.

’Maybe the Mango TV staff had been particularly good at encouraging drinks tonight. Sister Wei had drunk two large glasses of dry white wine, and it was probably getting to her head now?’

’She and Sun Lizhi had struggled together since they were young. After nearly twenty years, their bond was deep. Sun Lizhi had squandered all her efforts, so it was only normal for her to be upset.’

’Even if An Xin didn’t audition, Director Chu would definitely just pick another A-list actress. I’m still a long way from that level. Maybe Sister Wei is just getting impatient?’

’After all, she used to be the agent for a Triple Crown-winning actress, and now she’s only managing me. The drop-off is pretty big...’

Ni Bingyan did her best to make excuses for her, but tears still welled up in her bright, cat-like eyes.