Chapter 364 - 297: The Rat Race

Ni Bingyan had specifically learned the art of organization, so she packed her luggage quickly and well.

Wei Shuojie had only made two phone calls when she saw Ni Bingyan emerge, shouldering a backpack and pushing three suitcases.

Her hair was tied back, she had changed her clothes, and her shoes were on.

A closer look at her face revealed she had even put on some light makeup.

Although she had gone to bed late, she was in high spirits and had slept in until she woke naturally. Ni Bingyan was in top form. With her makeup done, she was practically a walking Little Fairy, and Wei Shuojie couldn’t help but stare for a few extra moments.

"I’m ready. I can leave whenever."

Noticing Wei Shuojie staring at her face, Ni Bingyan self-consciously brushed back her hair.

"There might be media waiting to ambush us when we deplane, so I put on some makeup. Otherwise, people might think I did something wrong and have a guilty conscience!"

This whole thing was a completely undeserved disaster.

But every cloud has a silver lining. Without all this messy business, she might have had to wait several more years to win this award. Since it wasn’t a perfect victory, there was no need to dwell on the negatives.

’After all, you can’t have it both ways. If I hogged all the good fortune, how would anyone else survive!’

Many airport "candid" shots of female celebrities are actually staged by their own teams, with master photo editors on standby to make them look absolutely flawless.

But now that she was embroiled in a scandal, she couldn’t expect everyone to capture her good side.

To be cynical, some people might even deliberately shoot her from the most unflattering "death angles" just to make her look bad.

Thinking of this, Ni Bingyan went into full battle mode. She not only did her makeup but also carefully chose a new outfit. The result was incredibly fashionable and beautiful.

No exaggeration, even in a crowd of celebrities, anyone who wasn’t blind would spot her immediately.

"That was fast?"

Wei Shuojie raised her wrist, only to remember she had rushed over and hadn’t put on her watch. She pulled out her phone to check the time, her gaze toward Ni Bingyan one of utter astonishment.

In all her years in the industry, she had worked with countless artists. From what she knew, most of them had very poor life skills and needed to hire multiple assistants.

Someone like Ni Bingyan, who only needed one assistant—an assistant who even had the energy to double as a driver—was practically a unicorn.

Any other agent who landed an artist this competent at work and in life would probably wake up laughing in their sleep. Wei Shuojie, however, was a little worried.

She was afraid Bingyan would accidentally work herself to death.

This reminded her of the time Ni Guangli had taken her out clubbing and for crayfish...

’Oh, well. Best to be content with what you have!’

"I organize things I’m not using as I go. When it’s time to pack, I already have a mental inventory. If you follow a set order, you won’t miss anything, and that’s why it’s so fast."

Many people have messy habits, leaving things wherever they please and never being able to find them when needed. Ni Bingyan wasn’t like that. She was always methodical and tidy, and with her knack for organization, packing was naturally a breeze.

They were busy and had no time for idle chat.

Having arranged most of what she needed to, Wei Shuojie closed her laptop, grabbed her phone, and stood up, motioning for Bingyan to follow.

"The crowd downstairs has dispersed, but we can’t be sure there aren’t a few extremists still hiding around. Don’t go off by yourself. Come with me to my room while I pack. We’ll have a reliable security escort to the airport later, so don’t worry."

Ni Bingyan had already packed her valuables in her backpack, so when Sister Wei stood up, she immediately followed.

As expected of a five-star hotel, the management was excellent. Being close to the Taipei Arena, they often hosted celebrities and were very experienced in handling such situations.

Stepping out of the room, they saw security guards posted at both ends of the hallway. The guards smiled and greeted them as they emerged.

The two of them nodded and entered the adjacent room.

Sister Wei didn’t have much luggage, and a lot of it was personal items, so Ni Bingyan didn’t feel it was her place to help. Instead, she sat on a chair and chatted with her.

"The hotel security seems pretty good. Things aren’t that dire, are they?"

Wei Shuojie was always methodical and composed when dealing with problems. Influenced by her calm demeanor, and upon seeing the heavy security presence in the hallway, Ni Bingyan’s sense of security soared, putting her in the mood for a casual chat.

’This isn’t some lawless age, and it’s not like we’re helpless drifters with no one to rely on.’

’In a society governed by law, being cautious should be enough. There was no need to be paranoid and see enemies behind every bush.’

Sister Wei was in the middle of folding a pair of charcoal-gray trousers. When she saw Bingyan with her arms draped over the back of the chair, feet swinging back and forth with a completely relaxed air, she immediately stopped what she was doing. Staring at her sternly, she rebuked her without hesitation:

"’Better safe than sorry!’ When you’re away from home, never entrust your safety to the good conscience of others! You need to understand that not everywhere has great security! Money is a trivial matter, but you can never be too careful when it comes to your safety! If something really happens, there are no do-overs!"

At her sharp words, Ni Bingyan’s mind instantly cleared.

’She had been having it easy for too long. Having just won an award, she was at a high point, proud and satisfied. It was easy to get complacent.’

’This was a dangerous mindset to have!’

"I’m sorry, Sister Wei. I’ll be more careful from now on."

’Many stars were steady on their way up the ladder, but once they reached the top, their egos would inflate, they’d lose their grounding, and then come crashing down.’

’Sometimes it was because they had no one to keep them in check, and other times it was because they refused to listen to advice.’

’If she wasn’t careful, she would eventually follow in their footsteps.’

’She was lucky to be working with Sister Wei.’

Realizing her mindset was wrong, Ni Bingyan immediately corrected her attitude and began to reflect on her behavior.

"It’s alright. Message Xiao Li and have them both come to my room to meet up."

"Okay."

Once everyone was ready, it wasn’t long before their transport arrived.

The car took them directly to the tarmac and onto the plane.

The group didn’t let out a collective sigh of relief until the plane was in the air.

Being surrounded by anti-fans was not a pleasant experience.

Ni Bingyan pulled out a pocket vocabulary book. Just as she was about to open it, she saw Wei Shuojie take out her laptop, place it on the tray table, and open it up.

"Winning this award was a hassle, but there’s no denying it’s raised your market value again. Here, take a look at the latest job offers. Pick out some that you like, and we’ll adjust your upcoming schedule accordingly."

Such adjustments were constantly being made to maximize opportunities, a process Ni Bingyan was long accustomed to.

The plane was rather full. They had left in such a hurry that they hadn’t been able to get first-class tickets, so Sister Wei spoke in a very low voice.

Ni Bingyan nodded, took the laptop, and began to review the offers quietly without a word.

When she saw a suitable offer, she would make a note next to it.

This was the work rhythm they were both accustomed to.

Sister Wei didn’t disturb her. Instead, she pulled out a French children’s storybook and began to read it intently.

After the last fashion week, she had signed up for a French class, starting from scratch, despite her busy schedule.

By studying in her spare moments, she had recently gotten to the point where she could understand simple texts.

’Ni Bingyan could chat and laugh eloquently with everyone, while she herself felt like an illiterate, unable to even get a word in.’

’The feeling was absolutely awful!’

’In the past, even Sun Lizhi, at the height of her fame, had been very dependent on her. Ni Bingyan was far more capable than Sun Lizhi and easier to manage, but up until that fashion week, Wei Shuojie had always felt that Bingyan couldn’t do without her either.’

’But that one fashion week completely changed her perspective.’

’There was always someone better out there. She used to think she was already working hard enough, that she was one of the best among her peers.’

’She had originally planned to retire in about ten years, thinking her skills were more than sufficient. But that trip made her realize she was far from good enough.’

Ni Bingyan was completely absorbed in her task. Her eyes were wide as she stared at an endorsement offer, finding it hard to believe. She hadn’t noticed what her agent was doing at all.