Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

Chapter 62: Chapter 58: Star Chef PK

Demon Suppression Tower told the story of the Little Deer Demon, Lu Lingling.

The satisfaction of her revenge, interspersed with sweet memories of her innocent past, was a veritable tearjerker.

"You humans taught me the great principles of how to be a decent person, but in the end, you yourselves weren’t decent. Isn’t that strange?"

"Forget it, forget it. A kindness is a kindness, and a debt of hatred is a debt of hatred. I can’t be unreasonable. Hurry up and come here so I can get my revenge first!"

"You think I’m beautiful? This is just a shell. My heart is filthy! For example, look—I’m going to bully you mercilessly right now!"

...

Compared to traditional novels, web novels might lack intellectual depth, but their pacing was on a whole other level.

Especially this author. She was so good at it~

For Ni Bingyan, the most direct manifestation of this was her inability to resist starting the next Chapter as soon as she finished one, and then the next, and the one after that.

Thankfully, she wasn’t reading it as it was being serialized, or she’d definitely want to crawl through the internet cable and strangle the author.

’This thing is terrifying!’

A glance at the wall clock showed it was already past one in the morning, startling Ni Bingyan so much she patted her chest.

’If I keep staying up this late every day, is my face going to be ruined?!’

She quickly tossed aside the first volume she’d finished, her left hand gripping her right one tightly as she dove under the covers and lay down.

She absolutely would not unwrap the second volume!

Not even if her right hand had a mind of its own!

In the pitch-black bedroom, only the TICK-TOCK of the wall clock could be heard.

Time seemed to pass so slowly tonight, and her mind felt exceptionally clear.

Usually, after lying down like this for half an hour, she would have been fast asleep. But now, her mind couldn’t stop racing.

’Sigh, poor Lu Lingling. She used to be such a pure and kind little demon! Only scum worse than pigs and dogs could have done those things to her! They deserved what was coming to them.’

’Speaking of which, how did Ling’er get locked in the Demon Suppression Tower back then?’

’Her sorcery was so powerful, those old Taoist priests shouldn’t have been able to handle her.’

’Knowing this author’s usual tricks, there’s no way they didn’t plant some foreshadowing.’

’If I think about the details carefully, what did I miss?’

It felt like little ants were crawling all over her heart...

"Argh! I hate this!!"

Ni Bingyan sat up, quickly applied a face mask, and only then did she reach for the second volume.

"This damn author is the worst! PTOOEY!!!"

’Whatever, whatever, it’s just this once. I’ll just treat it as pulling an all-nighter.’

Grumbling, Ni Bingyan tore the plastic wrap off the book and, as she opened the first page, managed to convince herself.

Time ticked by, bit by bit.

All was silent, save for the sound of the clock hands moving and the rustle of pages turning.

"Yawn~"

Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but let out a yawn.

"Ugh, those bastards, they’re so inhuman! Ugh! She has to fight back! Teach them a harsh lesson! Oh, come on, how is it over again?!"

At five in the morning, Ni Bingyan muttered to herself as she turned to the last page.

Well, if she wanted to know how Lu Lingling would strike back at those who had tormented her, she’d have to open the third volume.

"Waaaah..."

The dried-out face mask floated down with a final act of defiance as Ni Bingyan flopped onto her comforter, feeling the urge to cry.

This was just too torturous!

Resigned to her fate, she took out the third volume and unwrapped it. This time, she fell asleep clutching the book before she could finish.

When she woke up, it was already three in the afternoon.

She was incredibly hungry, so she went downstairs and cooked a bowl of noodles.

Even while cooking, she couldn’t bear to put the book down. She kept reading as she tossed the noodles into the pot, and if she hadn’t reacted in time, they would have ended up outside the pot entirely.

By the time she finished the third book, night had fallen again.

The grand finale was an absolute tearjerker. Ni Bingyan cried so much she had to keep wiping her eyes, and it took her a long while to recover.

’No wonder it’s so popular!’

The satisfying parts were incredibly gratifying, and the sentimental parts could move even someone with a heart of stone. She was cute, sharp-tongued, tsundere, and coolly alluring... almost everyone could find something to like about Lu Lingling.

’If I could play Lu Lingling, I’d definitely get a huge boost in popularity next year!’

After finishing the novel, she started writing a character biography, carefully contemplating each of the heroine’s transformations.

Shedding her reader persona, Ni Bingyan switched into actor mode and began to analyze the film.

Doing something with passion is, without a doubt, a joyous experience.

And when you’re happy, time flies fastest.

Before she knew it, the day to leave for Hang City had arrived.

Star Chef PK was a very famous program on Blueberry Channel.

Each episode invited three celebrities to form a "Star Team" and compete in a culinary battle against a top chef, giving it the feel of three stooges versus a genius.

Of course, the celebrities could never be better cooks than the professional chef. The show’s main appeal was in promoting China’s rich culinary culture and showcasing the celebrities’ amusing struggles as they tried their hardest but still couldn’t defeat the chef.

The celebrities who appeared on this show all had at least some cooking skills.

In a country where everyone is a foodie, a celebrity who can cook has a definite advantage.

With the foundational skills from the original owner of her body, Ni Bingyan wasn’t the least bit nervous.

This variety show wouldn’t be difficult. Not only did she think so, but Sister Wei did as well.

So this time, Duanmu Li was accompanying her.

She had originally been worried that without an agent to lead the way, she’d be completely lost. To her surprise, Sister Li was very familiar with Blueberry Channel; she even greeted a staff member they passed in the hallway.

"Xiao Li, you’re with Sister Bingbing now?"

"Yep, Brother Wang."

"Oh? Long time no see, Xiao Li."

"Long time no see, Sister Chen."

...

Ni Bingyan walked beside Duanmu Li with a constant smile. If someone greeted her, she would reply; if not, she just kept smiling.

Noticing her frequent glances, Duanmu Li couldn’t help but say with amusement, "I may not like to talk, but it’s not like I have a problem with my social skills."

Ni Bingyan was embarrassed. "I was just a little envious of how many people you know, I wasn’t thinking that..."

Duanmu Li thought she was genuinely disheartened and leaned in to whisper a word of comfort in her ear, "Brother Wei is from Hang City, so he often comes here to film shows."

[So if you come a few more times, you’ll get familiar with it too.]

If she hadn’t known her so well, she would have missed the underlying meaning.

Ni Bingyan linked her arm through Duanmu Li’s and leaned in to whisper back, "Then you’ll have to cover for me today. When we get to Chili TV, I’ll cover for you."

Most TV stations showed preferential treatment to local celebrities. Wei Hang often came to Blueberry TV, so even his assistant was familiar with the place. Ni Bingyan, on the other hand, was most familiar with Chili Channel.

Chili Channel had invited her to their Spring Festival Gala again this year. Towards the end of the year, she would have to rehearse a skit with her partner.

But that was still two or three months away, so there was no rush.

Filming for the show was scheduled to start at two in the afternoon. They had taken an early morning flight and, upon arriving in Hang City, went straight to the TV station instead of the hotel.

When they reached the makeup room, a staff member mentioned that the other two celebrity guests had already arrived. Without taking the time to ask who they were, Ni Bingyan quickly pushed the door open.

She had to get her makeup done quickly; it wouldn’t be good to hold everyone else up.

The door opened to reveal that someone was already seated in the women’s makeup room. It was her university classmate, Guo Tong.

Thinking the show would be a relaxed affair, Ni Bingyan hadn’t bothered to find out who the other two guests were in advance. She was quite happy to see Guo Tong.

Guo Tong had started out as a child star and spent most of her school years filming on location, so her relationship with her classmates was average at best. The only reason Ni Bingyan was on speaking terms with her was because they had been roommates.

There were four people in their dorm. Of the other two, one had returned to Shengjing after graduation to open a dance studio, and the other, a top student, had been accepted into a graduate program. Since she had no ambitions for the entertainment industry, she had passed her doctoral exams after graduating this year and was said to be aiming for a teaching position at the university.

Although her relationship with Guo Tong was the most distant among her three roommates, they were still, at the end of the day, acquaintances.

Guo Tong was petite and sweet-looking, and her voice was as delicate and melodious as a warbler’s. Upon seeing her, she greeted her warmly, "Bingbing, you’re here! It must have been a long trip. Come, sit down and rest."

There was a row of seats in the makeup room. Since Guo Tong had greeted her first, she felt it wouldn’t be right to sit too far away, so she chose the chair next to her.

"I slept the whole way, so I feel fine. You, on the other hand, arrived so early, Tongtong."

Judging by her exquisite makeup, which was already done up to the blush, she must have been here for at least an hour.

"I’m actually filming over by West Lake..."

Guo Tong tilted her face up slightly to let the makeup artist apply a berry-colored lip gloss, so she trailed off mid-sentence, as it was inconvenient to talk.

But Ni Bingyan understood.

"I took an early flight. Tickets are easier to buy lately."

When the makeup artist came over, Ni Bingyan handed her purse to Duanmu Li.

To save time, she had come all the way here without any makeup on, so after a simple cleansing, she was ready for her makeup application.

After her lip gloss was done, Guo Tong blew at her airy bangs. She unconsciously fiddled with her fluffy pigtails, admired her reflection for a moment, and then turned to look at Ni Bingyan with satisfaction.

She saw that Ni Bingyan’s cool-toned fair skin was practically glowing. The makeup artist had only applied a light layer of foundation, not even needing any concealer, and she already looked flawless.

Guo Tong couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. Thankfully, she had gone for a "cute" style today, so their looks wouldn’t clash. At least she could retain a bit of dignity.

Having been a child star, Guo Tong had started wearing makeup at a very young age, so her skin wasn’t in the best condition. The thought of filming a show with Ni Bingyan today had made her so anxious she could barely eat her lunch.

She had come so early precisely to get her makeup done perfectly, hoping to salvage the disadvantage her own looks presented.

It was no wonder she was so on guard; Ni Bingyan’s beauty was just that devastating.

Back in their school days, unless it was absolutely necessary, no one liked to take photos with her.

Seeing her nervousness, Ni Bingyan, who knew that Guo Tong had grown up on film sets and wasn’t a good cook, comforted her:

"It’s okay, don’t be nervous. Our cooking skills are no match for those top chefs anyway. We’ll divide the work later, and you can just leave anything you can’t do to me. At the very least, we’ll be able to make ourselves some dinner."

Very few celebrities came on this variety show to show off their culinary talents like she did. Most of the time, they were just there to crack jokes and liven up the atmosphere, so there was really no need to fret over poor cooking skills.

"Sigh, you know I’m a master of disastrous cooking. If my agent hadn’t insisted, I wouldn’t have dared to come. I’m just afraid of getting flamed by netizens. It feels like for the past two years, even breathing is a mistake."

"When I attend events, they say my hair and makeup are bad. If I wear a skirt, they say my legs are fat. If I show my collarbones, they say my collarbones aren’t pretty. It’s given me some serious appearance anxiety. I’m still young, but I’ve already secretly gotten hyaluronic acid injections twice."

Their relationship was merely that of acquaintances, not close enough for a heart-to-heart. Ni Bingyan didn’t want to dwell on the topic, so she changed the subject by asking about the other guest, "Who’s the other celebrity guest? Do you know, Tongtong?"