Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

She had started learning to paint as a child simply because she saw her cousin doing it and found it fascinating. However, as she continued, she switched to oil painting with her future career in mind.

For many artists, if they don’t achieve some measure of success, the most prestigious art exhibition they’ll ever be a part of is likely their own school’s graduation show.

Even for professionals in the field, it wasn’t easy to get an invitation to exhibit from a well-known institution.

For her cousin, an amateur, to receive an invitation was something worth bragging about, regardless of the organizer’s prestige.

When Lu Yao heard the news, she felt a pang of jealousy, but that feeling was quickly replaced by genuine happiness for her cousin.

’That’s my sister for you!’

"Anyway, it’s an art gallery over there. Do you want to go or not?"

Jiangnan had been a cultural hub since ancient times, home to countless scholars and poets. Naturally, it had plenty of art galleries as well.

Ni Bingyan didn’t want to waste time on small talk; she wanted to set off immediately.

"Of course I’m going! I’ll buy a ticket right now!"

"Okay, let me check what the earliest ticket I can get on my end is."

The sisters didn’t waste time talking. After buying their tickets and hastily packing their bags, they each headed out.

Lu Yao was a little farther from the airport, and her flight was about twenty minutes longer, so Ni Bingyan arrived first and had to wait for over half an hour.

Lu Yao had been mulling over the situation the entire trip and had a bellyful of questions, but just as she grabbed her cousin’s hand, her stomach rumbled loudly.

"Let’s go, let’s go! Let’s find a place to eat first, then I’ll tell you everything."

The airport was full of places to eat. Besides being expensive, there wasn’t much to complain about.

The two of them randomly picked a fast-food place and went inside.

"Heh heh, this airline’s food is notoriously bad. I checked the time and figured we’d land right around mealtime, so I just skipped it."

Lu Yao explained sheepishly after they found a quiet corner to sit down.

"I didn’t eat either. Let’s order and make it quick!"

Ni Bingyan’s mind was completely occupied by the art exhibition. If her cousin hadn’t been hungry, she probably would have gone straight to the gallery on an empty stomach.

They each ordered a bowl of ramen. The waiter brought it to them quickly, along with a complimentary side of tasty shredded seaweed.

Once they were about halfway through their meal and noticed the restaurant was nearly empty, Lu Yao finally started asking her questions.

Ni Bingyan didn’t hide anything and explained the whole story from the beginning.

"You joined a hobbyist group and ended up selling several paintings?"

’I’ve been studying oil painting for so many years, and I still have to rely on luck just to get a single commission. What kind of freak is my cousin? She just paints in her spare time, and people are spending that much money on her work!’

’And her cousin’s luck is insane. She joins some random group, and it turns out to be a good one. It’s enough to drive an unlucky soul like me crazy.’

"Later, some people even asked me to paint on fans for them—a painting on one side and calligraphy on the other. It was so much fun! I felt bad charging too much for small pieces like that, so if they offered a symbolic price like 888 or 666, I’d agree."

Lu Yao was so envious she could have cried.

’She desperately wanted to say, "Cousin, you really should go check the market rates!"’

But thinking that it sounded like she was looking down on her cousin, she kept her mouth shut.

After all, she hadn’t seen her cousin’s paintings in years, so she wasn’t entirely sure what her skill level was.

"Do the people who buy your paintings know who you are?"

Still feeling a bit unconvinced, Lu Yao thought, ’If they’re buying because of my cousin’s fame, then those prices are nothing special.’

"I used my real name at first, but it’s not exactly a unique name, so they probably thought it was just someone with the same name. I started using an alias after that."

She rarely posted on social media, so if she occasionally changed her screen name, even friends who forgot to add a contact note for her would cautiously ask who she was.

Since the people who bought her paintings had only added her online, they naturally had no way of guessing her identity.

"And then?"

"You know how I was super busy for a while? During that time, I had to join the cast for a new shoot, film commercials, and promote my movie. I was dead tired, so I naturally had no time for my art hobby. When I finally got back to the film set and went online, I discovered that someone had contacted me through one of my clients. They said a cultural center was organizing a painting and calligraphy exhibition and wanted to invite me because they felt my work had a very unique style."

Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but smile as she recalled the moment.

’How cool was that! Someone thought her work was great and invited her to an exhibition without even knowing who she was!’

"So I agreed. I asked if the exhibition had a theme, and he said any traditional Chinese painting would do. I sent him photos of my work to choose from, and he said my little animals and various fruits were especially vibrant and full of spirit, so he picked two pieces. I figured, ’Even if it’s a scam, who cares? What if it’s real?’ But it turned out they were super professional. They actually sent someone all the way to the Northeast to sign a contract with me and pick up the paintings."

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