The Entertainment Industry in Turmoil: Young Actresses All Want to Rise to the Top

Late at night, in the living room of a rented room in Zaojunmiao.

The documents were spread all over the floor. Li Yitong sat cross-legged in the middle, wearing a pair of non-prescription glasses on her nose to pretend to be a scholar. She held a pen in her hand and wrote and drew in a brand new notebook.

The title was boldly proclaimed as "Sister Li's Entertainment Industry Conquest Plan".

The reason she spent several hours so meticulously organizing this conquest plan was entirely due to the shock she experienced during the day.

During the day, she accompanied Shen Mo to meet the newly formed core team.

Chen Jun from the investment department answered questions fluently, reciting various data models.

Zhou Wanqing, from the legal risk control department, meticulously analyzed potential risks using rigorous logic.

Even the new public relations specialist, Lin Wei, could articulate her media strategy clearly and logically.

Li Yitong sat in the corner, watching Shen Mo, who was surrounded by people and exuding confidence.

An unprecedented feeling seized her.

A surge of determination to not be outdone welled up from the bottom of my heart.

She absolutely cannot be just a "mascot" who is promoted by capital.

"They're all working so hard for our future, how can I, Li Yitong, hold them back?"

Once the thought took hold, it was impossible to suppress it.

So as soon as she got home, she plunged into this sea of ​​information.

They vowed to bring out their unique and unparalleled "core competitiveness"—that entire memory of the future.

Shen Mo walked over carrying two glasses of water and couldn't help but chuckle when he saw her.

"Mr. Li, are you preparing for the IPO roadshow?"

"Stop interrupting!" Li Yitong said without looking up, poking the floor next to her with the end of her pen.

"Mr. Shen, please have a seat. We are now beginning the first closed-door strategic consultation meeting on entertainment for Inkstone Capital."

Shen Mo readily agreed and sat down, pushing the water glass in front of her.

Li Yitong cleared her throat, her small face feigning seriousness, but her crescent-shaped eyes betrayed her excitement.

"Based on this consultant's in-depth research over the past afternoon, we are now releasing Strategic Document No. 1!"

She opened her notebook and marked the first entry with three big exclamation marks.

"Primary target: 'Empresses in the Palace'!!!"

She looked up, her eyes sparkling.

"It seems this show has already started filming, so it might be a bit difficult to rush in and grab a share now. But! We can try to grab its exclusive online streaming rights!"

As she spoke, she excitedly slapped the floor.

"Trust me! Video streaming platforms are burning through cash right now. The online streaming rights for this show definitely won't be expensive, but once it airs next year... hehe, we'll be counting money until our hands cramp!"

Seeing her greedy look, Shen Mo's eyes softened with tenderness, and he nodded.

"Okay. Although I haven't watched 'Empresses in the Palace,' I've still heard of it. That's a very professional assessment. Anything else?"

"And these too!"

Li Yitong flipped through the pages rapidly, speaking as quickly as reciting a menu.

"Buy the film and television rights to novels like *Gu Jian Qi Tan*, *Hua Qian Gu*, *Nirvana in Fire*, and *Eternal Love* right now! It's like buying vegetables; if you wait, all that'll be left are rotten leaves!"

She wrinkled her nose, as if she could already see the face of her competitor.

Shen Mo was amused by her vivid analogy. "You really understand. I have almost no recollection of anything in the entertainment industry."

"Of course!" Li Yitong exclaimed even more enthusiastically, "Your sister Li hasn't been in the entertainment industry for nothing these past ten years."

She suddenly leaned closer to Shen Mo and whispered mysteriously, "Hey, there are still a few people left, we need to sign them quickly!"

"Who?"

"There's a girl named Zhao Liying. She played Qinggege in the TV series 'New My Fair Princess' that aired a couple of days ago. Her acting was superb, but her popularity is still just average. She'll only start to take off after she stars in Yu Zheng's 'Legend of Lu Zhen' in a couple of years. We can snatch her away before then."

"There's also Dilraba, who's probably still studying at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. She's an absolute beauty!"

"The others." She counted on her fingers, like a child who had discovered a treasure.

"And there are Bai Lu, Yang Zi, Li Qin, and Chen Duling, all born in the 90s."

"Meng Ziyi, Zhang Ruonan, and Wang Churan, all born in 95."

"And Xiaotian..."

At this point, Li Yitong glanced nervously at Shen Mo, but didn't notice anything unusual about his expression.

"Besides the actresses born in the 90s and 95s, there are many popular young male celebrities. I've listed them all here, so I won't read them out one by one."

Shen Mo looked at her slightly flushed cheeks, which were flushed with excitement, and smiled gently.

"Okay, whatever you say. We'll try to steal whatever we can."

"Hmm!" Li Yitong proudly raised her chin.

Then, as if remembering something, his brows furrowed habitually, revealing a worried expression.

"But... Shen Mo, isn't what we're doing considered stealing someone else's opportunity? It feels a bit like... cheating?"

"And if we sign too many contracts, won't we be competing with ourselves and not be able to distribute the resources evenly?"

Shen Mo was silent for a moment, then patted her head.

"The rules of a market economy are information asymmetry and resource allocation."

"The 'information' we possess is our core competitiveness. This isn't cheating, it's..."

He paused, then found the precise term: "strategic-level dimensional reduction attack."

He looked at her and continued, "And, from another perspective..."

"By having us manage these projects, we might be able to avoid some of the regrets that occurred in the past, resulting in better works and smoother career development for the artists. Isn't that a better arrangement?"

"Besides, it's not certain that we'll be able to sign them all."

Li Yitong was taken aback for a moment, then smiled broadly, her brows relaxing: "You're right!"

She was instantly filled with energy again.

After the discussion, she seemed a little tired. She leaned to the side, rested her head on Shen Mo's arm, and yawned.

"And then there are movies and variety shows... We definitely have to invest in 'Lost in Thailand,' and we can try to snag the rights to 'The Voice of China' and 'Running Man'..."

"Shen Mo, does this mean we'll be able to eat and drink like mad at every victory celebration banquet from now on?"

Her voice gradually softened, carrying a hint of coquetry.

Shen Mo felt the weight and warmth coming from his arm, and his body stiffened for a moment.

The image of his resolute departure in the elevator in his past life overlapped with the image of the girl who depended on him now, stirring up a complex mix of bitterness and pity in his heart.

He gave a soft "hmm," his voice so gentle he didn't even realize it.

"Not only will you be able to eat and drink well, but you'll also be able to play any role you want, without having to worry about anyone else's opinion."

The air gradually quieted down.

a long time……

Shen Mo looked down and found that she had fallen asleep leaning against him.

The notebook was still lying on her lap, the pen was loosely held in her hand, long eyelashes cast soft shadows under her eyelids, and there was a slight, satisfied smile on her lips.

Shen Mo smiled helplessly, his eyes full of affection.

He carefully took the pen and notebook from her hand, adjusted his posture to make her more comfortable.