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

Happy 18th birthday, Bai Mengyan.

Bai Mengyan suddenly stood up, walked around the table, and rushed into Shen Mo's arms, hugging him tightly just like that day in Seoul.

Shen Mo was slightly taken aback, then gently patted her back, his tone carrying a familiar teasing tone.

"I already said that last time!"

"If you run into my arms crying again, I'll have to charge you!"

Bai Mengyan knew that Shen Mo was referring to the time when Seoul "picked her up".

Smelling this familiar scent and feeling this warm embrace, it's as if the scene of Shen Mo, the handsome god standing in front of me amidst falling snowflakes and backlighting, reappears before my eyes.

She looked up. Her eyes were filled with determination, her large eyes seeming to draw Shen Mo into them.

Before he could react, she suddenly leaned forward and kissed his lips, the kiss lasting only briefly.

Before Shen Mo could speak, she reached out and covered his mouth.

"Use this to pay!"

Just as Shen Mo was about to speak, she moved closer again. This time, he reached out and cupped her face, stopping just inches away.

The girl's breath brushed against his fingertips, carrying a youthful determination.

"Brother Mo, I'm eighteen today! I'm an adult now!"

She pulled his hand away and kissed him again.

Shen Mo could feel the warmth on her lips, and also the girl's stubbornness; a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

This time he didn't dodge, but gently supported the back of her neck, turning the tear-stained kiss into a solemn response.

He could taste the saltiness of her tears and feel the girl's pounding heartbeat.

After a long while, Bai Mengyan curled up back into Shen Mo's arms, like a cat that had found its home.

Her cheek pressed against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, she spoke softly after a long while.

"Brother Mo, do you know what I was thinking when I first met you?"

Her fingers unconsciously circled the buttons on his shirt.

"When I was crying in front of SM, I felt that my future was bleak, the goal I had worked hard for for several years was shattered, and I felt abandoned by the world."

Her voice gradually became choked with sobs.

"Until you appeared with an umbrella, sheltering me from the wind and snow."

"At that moment, I felt like the world wasn't real. I thought I was dreaming, and my dream man had come to comfort me."

"You came, bought me hot coffee, warmed my body, and gave me a new direction, giving me new motivation."

"Later, when I returned to China with you, I was afraid every day that it was all a dream."

Her arms tightened involuntarily. "That's why I desperately want to stay by your side, whether it's as an assistant or anything else, I'm just afraid that I'll suddenly wake up from this dream and find that it's all fake."

She tilted her head back, her eyes shining brightly under the light.

Call it love at first sight, or lust at first sight, whatever.

"Anyway, my heart races when I see you, I unconsciously and secretly remember your favorite coffee flavor, and I feel a pang of jealousy when you're close to Sister Tongtong..."

"I understand, this feeling isn't gratitude."

"I know this is wrong," she said, burying her burning face in his chest.

"I know about you and Sister Tongtong... but I can't control myself."

"Every time you ruffle my hair, every time you indulge my misbehavior, I feel like I'm falling for you little by little."

Her voice gradually became firm, "Only after receiving this notebook today did I truly understand."

"I don't want to miss out, and I don't want to hesitate. I want to be bold and impulsive this time!"

"Perhaps for you, you are cultivating an idol; but for me, you are accompanying a girl named Bai Mengyan as she grows up."

She suddenly sat up, cupped his face in her hands, and gazed intently at him.

Even if this feeling is untimely, I still want to speak out.

"I'm no longer the little girl who cried in the snow, nor am I the one who watched you quietly run away from Quancheng Elementary School."

"I want to be by your side. I will try my best to keep up with you and become someone you can be proud of."

After saying these words, she seemed to have used up all her courage, and leaned softly back into his arms, muttering softly.

"Anyway...anyway, I'm an adult now, and I have the right to like someone..."

Shen Mo listened quietly to the girl in his arms' trembling voice as she confessed her love, feeling her tense body and hot breath.

When she uttered that last declaration, which was both childlike and resolute, a complex light flashed in his eyes.

He gently lifted her face and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips.

"Silly boy."

This is where dreams begin, and where dreams come true.

His deep voice was particularly clear in the empty room.

His thumb gently touched her cheek.

"On that snowy day in Seoul, I saw a girl squatting on the side of the street, crying like an abandoned kitten."

"Even in that disheveled state, there was a defiant light in your eyes when you looked up."

"Every time I see you working so hard in the practice room, it reminds me of myself back in college, desperately trying to get screen time on various film sets."

"Why do you think I tolerate you hanging around me all the time?"

Bai Mengyan stared at him blankly, her heart pounding like a drum.

I know how you feel.

Shen Mo's gaze was gentle and sincere. "But there are very complicated feelings and ties between me and Yi Tong. I cannot let her down."

Bai Mengyan's eyes gradually dimmed, her hands tightly clasped around his chest, unwilling to let go, and a trembling voice came out of her mouth.

"What if I don't fight for it? I just want to stay by your side..."

Shen Mo gently lifted her chin, his gaze sincere and focused.

"Saying this doesn't mean I'm rejecting your feelings."

"I just want you to think it through carefully and not make a decision based on a momentary impulse."

His knuckles brushed against her soft hair, his voice filled with an unprecedented seriousness.

"Bai Mengyan, if we meet again, will your feelings still be the same..."

He paused for a moment, looking into her expectant eyes.

"I will seriously consider whether there is another possibility between us."

Bai Mengyan's tears welled up again, but this time they were tears of joy.

She nodded vigorously, her voice choked with emotion yet resolute.

"I'll seriously consider it. But! Brother Mo, the fact that I like you can't be changed!"

At this moment, Shen Mo's defenses quietly crumbled.

The room fell silent, with only the sound of their intertwined breathing and the faint noise of the city outside the window.

Bai Mengyan still held Shen Mo's waist tightly, as if she wanted to firmly engrave this moment of warmth and promise into her heart.

After a while, Shen Mo gently patted her back, with a hint of indulgence that was barely perceptible.

"Okay, relax a bit. You haven't had dinner yet, aren't you hungry?"

Bai Mengyan reluctantly loosened her arms slightly, tilted her head back, her eyes and the tip of her nose were still red, but the corners of her mouth had already turned up in a satisfied smile.

"Hungry..." she whispered, with a hint of coquettishness.

Shen Mo chuckled, took her hand, adjusted her position, and sat down facing her at the dining table.

The food they had ordered earlier had gotten a little cold, but he still stayed with her and slowly finished this special birthday dinner.

Throughout the time, Bai Mengyan's gaze almost never left his face, and she would occasionally giggle like an idiot, as if she owned the whole world.

After we finished eating, it was already quite late.

"Let's go, I'll take you back to your dorm."

The car drove smoothly through the night streets.

Bai Mengyan sat next to Shen Mo, holding his arm and tilting her head to look intently at his profile, her heart filled with a huge, peaceful happiness.

She was no longer as anxious as she had been when she arrived, nor did she need to deliberately find topics to talk about. She simply enjoyed the tranquility of being alone and the reassuring feeling of having him by her side.

When they arrived at the dormitory building, the car slowly came to a stop, and Shen Mo turned to look at her.

"arrive."

Bai Mengyan pouted and nodded to indicate that she understood, but she did not get out of the car immediately.

She took a deep breath, turned her head, looked at him intently, and spoke earnestly.

"Brother Mo, thank you. I really enjoyed my 18th birthday today. I'll think about it carefully. I look forward to seeing you again next time."

Shen Mo looked at the rekindled, more determined light in her eyes and felt a slight stirring in his heart.

He nodded. "I know. Go on up, get some rest."

"Um!"

Bai Mengyan nodded vigorously and finally pushed open the car door.

Standing outside the car, she bent down, gave him a bright smile through the window, and waved vigorously.

"Goodbye, Brother Mo! Take care on your journey!"

Watching her lively figure disappear behind the dormitory building, turning back every few steps, Shen Mo leaned back in his chair and let out a soft breath.

Everything that happened tonight was indeed unexpected, but it didn't seem... unpleasant.

He waved his arm, and Wang Zheng started the car again, merging into the traffic.