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

When Bai Mengyan returned to her dormitory with the notebook bearing Shen Mo's handwriting and warmth, she practically floated in.

A face full of happiness and joy, eyes brimming with anticipation, lips curling into an uncontrollable smile, feet bouncing and spinning.

She could still vividly recall her kiss with Shen Mo.

"I'm back!"

A figure suddenly jumped out from the side, carrying a hint of deliberately suppressed excitement; it was Meng Ziyi.

She stood with her hands behind her back, looking at Bai Mengyan with curiosity, who was completely different from when she left.

Bai Mengyan was still immersed in her own emotions and didn't pay much attention to her abnormality, only grunting "hmm".

He instinctively hugged the notebook in his arms tighter, a smile he couldn't hide on his face.

Meng Ziyi leaned closer to her and sniffed keenly.

"Huh? You smell like food. Have you had dinner?"

"Didn't we agree to grab something to eat together while you waited for me?"

Her tone carried a hint of doubt, but before Bai Mengyan could answer, her gaze was precisely fixed on the notebook that Bai Mengyan was holding like a treasure.

"What is this?" Meng Ziyi asked curiously, reaching out to take it.

Bai Mengyan instinctively dodged, a hint of panic flashing across her face, which quickly turned into a smug look tinged with secret joy.

"No...it's nothing."

Her attempt to cover up her secret instantly ignited Meng Ziyi's curiosity.

Meng Ziyi narrowed his eyes and fired off a barrage of questions.

"Something's not right! You're acting strange!"

"And this notebook, who gave it to you?"

"Wow! Bai Mengyan! You're not in a relationship, are you?!"

Bai Mengyan wasn't one to keep things to herself, and when Meng Ziyi pressed her for answers, coupled with the joy she felt she really needed to share, she was even more upset.

With her eyes darting around and her cheeks flushed, she stammered.

"Well, Brother Mo, he knew it was my birthday today, so he took me out for a meal..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, but the words "Brother Mo" clearly reached Meng Ziyi's ears.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Meng Ziyi's smile froze instantly, her eyes widening as if she had heard something unbelievable.

She suddenly stretched out her hand from behind her back, holding a beautifully packaged little cake!

"White, Dream, Research!"

Meng Ziyi's voice suddenly rose, filled with disbelief, grievance, and anger.

"You've gone too far!"

She held up the small cake so high it almost poked Bai Mengyan's nose.

"I even bought a cake and am waiting for you in your dorm! I wanted to give you a proper birthday celebration!"

"You, you actually, you actually celebrated your birthday and had dinner with Brother Mo?!"

Her cheeks puffed up with anger, her chest heaving, as she pointed at the notebook in Bai Mengyan's arms.

"Why didn't you call me?! This notebook, was it a gift from Brother Mo too?!"

"Ugh! Why should I?! I'm all alone in the dorm waiting for you."

The huge sense of disappointment and the feeling of being "betrayed" made Meng Ziyi instantly lose her temper.

She thought that no one would be with Bai Mengyan on her birthday, and as the only person by her side, she had to take good care of her.

As it turned out, the person who had already celebrated their birthday with others had finished the "special meal" and even received a gift that made her so happy!

Most importantly, even though I'm a fan of Brother Mo, Brother Mo didn't call me.

Bai Mengyan was startled by her reaction. When she saw the small cake that was clearly carefully prepared, she felt a wave of guilt.

"Sister Meng, I... I didn't know you bought a cake. Brother Mo just called me at the last minute, and I don't know what happened in the past..."

"Couldn't you have told me? Don't you want to check your phone? I've called you so many times, and you haven't answered a single question!"

Meng Ziyi felt both wronged and jealous, thinking that Shen Mo actually remembered Bai Mengyan's birthday, celebrated it separately for her, and even gave her a gift...

This "special treatment" made her feel like a bottle of vinegar had been spilled, sour and bubbling with bitterness.

"Bai Mengyan, you're not being fair! You're prioritizing your boyfriend over your friends!"

[Shen Mo, you're not human! How could you treat your fans like this!]

She stomped her foot in anger, put the small cake on the table, turned around and wanted to go back to her room, her back view revealing a strong sense of disappointment and dissatisfaction.

"Sister Meng! Sister Meng, don't be angry!"

Bai Mengyan panicked completely and rushed forward to grab her, no longer caring about hiding her feelings, and hurriedly explained.

"It's not what you think! Brother Mo contacted me mainly because of this!"

She shoved the notebook she was holding into Meng Ziyi's hands.

"It's because of work! Yes, it's about a new show! He asked me to prepare in advance!"

Meng Ziyi pouted angrily, glanced at the notebook Bai Mengyan handed her, and sobbed twice.

"What, what kind of job! It's all just an excuse!"

Then, with some skepticism, he took the notebook and casually flipped to a page.

When she saw Shen Mo's familiar handwriting, the detailed program plans, and even the analysis about Bai Mengyan, her anger subsided slightly, but her jealousy remained undiminished.

"Work, can't you include me in meals to discuss work?"

She pouted and muttered softly, but her tone had softened.

Seeing that her attitude had softened, Bai Mengyan quickly grabbed her arm and shook it, with a hint of coquetry in her voice.

"Oh dear, Sister Meng, I was wrong, I was wrong!"

"I'll definitely call you next time! I absolutely will!"

"Look, I'm back to eat cake with you! The cake you bought is definitely the best!"

She pulled Meng Ziyi to the table and took the initiative to open the cake box.

"Come on, let's light the candles and make a wish! My gift can only be complete with Sister Meng here!"

Looking at her ingratiating smile and glancing at the notebook, Meng Ziyi's anger subsided considerably, but she still couldn't hold back her words.

"Hmph! At least you still have some conscience! But this isn't over yet, you have to treat me to a good meal as compensation!"

"You dare to abandon me again next time? Just you wait!"

"I won't do it again!" Bai Mengyan shook her head repeatedly, then hugged Meng Ziyi's arm tightly and pressed herself against it.

"Sister Meng, just tell me what you want to eat, and I'll definitely treat you! Without the slightest hesitation!"

Meng Ziyi tilted her head arrogantly, "Hmph! That's more like it."

I accompanied Bai Mengyan as she finished the sweet cream cake, and listened to her rambling on and on about every word Shen Mo said when he gave her the notebook.

Seeing the light in her eyes, Meng Ziyi outwardly laughed and agreed, but the displeasure in her heart grew bigger and bigger like a snowball.

Back in her bedroom, she closed the door, shutting out Bai Mengyan's still excited humming outside. Meng Ziyi's smile instantly vanished.

She threw herself onto the soft bed, hugged her pillow, and felt a pang of sadness.

Bai Mengyan, that girl, forgets her friends when she sees a pretty face. She was won over by Mo Ge with a meal and an old notebook, completely forgetting who was waiting in the dorm to celebrate her birthday!

Okay, she could barely understand that, after all, that was Shen Mo!

If it were her, she'd probably be just as confused.

but!

Where is Shen Mo?!

He only remembered Bai Mengyan and completely forgot that Meng Ziyi was also at the company at the time!

He personally visited her in Kunming to sign the contract!

She was the only one of the five actresses on the set of "My Love from the Star" to receive personal acting guidance from him (a title she gave herself)!

How could he forget her?

I am still his fan, one of his "own people"!

He knows!

Why aren't you inviting me to meals?!

Why should I?!

The more I thought about it, the more wronged and angry I felt. A nameless anger mixed with a strong sense of loss rushed straight to my head.

In a moment of impulse, she grabbed her phone from the bedside table and quickly tapped the pinned WeChat chat window labeled "Brother Shen Mo".

The record still shows that when she politely thanked him after her cameo appearance wrapped up, he didn't reply.

In a moment of impulsiveness, she disregarded all consideration for wording and restraint, and typed furiously, sending out a message filled with venting her anger.

"I'm angry!"

Not satisfied, she sent five more emojis, which were made from her usual glaring and pouting selfies, with captions like "I'm angry!", "Soothe me!", and "Super fierce!"

The notification sounded indicating successful delivery, but no reply was received for a long time.

Meng Ziyi gradually calmed down. Looking at the abrupt sentence on the screen and the string of emojis, she felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, instantly sobering her up.

Good heavens!

What did I do?!

I actually sent Shen Mo this?!

Isn't this just the usual tactic she uses to whine and beg with her parents or best friend?

How could she have been so foolish as to use her brain on Shen Mo?!

He's President Shen!

He's Shen Mo, the one who can silence everyone on set with his cold face and who no one dares to contradict in company meetings!

It was Shen Mo, the one she secretly admired, the one she had to muster up the courage to call out "brother" a few more times!

It's over, it's over, it's over!

Will he think I'm being strange?

Will you think I'm being unreasonable?

Will I... think I'm stupid?

Meng Ziyi frantically tried to long-press the message to recall it, her fingertips trembling slightly from the panic.

However, the cold "cannot be undone" message on the screen, like a final judgment, shattered her last hope.

It's been more than two minutes...

"Aaaaaahh ...

She let out a suppressed wail, buried her burning face deep into the pillow, and kicked her legs weakly a few times on the bed.

It's over! The company is dead!

She maintained a beautiful, cute, and reserved image in front of Shen Mo for so long!

It's all ruined!

She remained frozen in this ostrich pose for a few minutes, then couldn't help but quietly raise her head, hold her breath, and glance at her phone screen.

There has still been no new message response.

Did he see it?

Is he just too lazy to talk to me?

He probably thinks I'm a troublemaker...

With a mournful face, Meng Ziyi rolled over in despair, sprawling out in a wide, unrecognizable shape, staring blankly at the ceiling, letting out a desperate groan.

"Meng Ziyi...you're such an idiot...so stupid...ahhh!"

All she wishes she could turn back time now.

Or... or maybe Shen Mo's phone just ran out of battery and he didn't see this incredibly stupid message at all!

Shen Mo had just finished a phone call and opened WeChat to check his unread messages for the day.

Among a series of work reports from company employees, Meng Ziyi's name was prominently featured.

That abrupt "I'm angry!" selfie emoji is uniquely cute.

He paused for a moment, trying to guess the reason in his mind.

Considering it's Bai Mengyan's birthday today, could it be because she wasn't taken out to dinner? Did Bai Mengyan tell her what happened tonight?

However, judging from the message sent, he doesn't seem very angry. Could it be that he's envious of the birthday gift I gave Bai Mengyan?

However, after reading this message, he could almost picture her in her dorm room, looking both aggrieved and angry.

Her youthful naiveté and straightforwardness were completely different from the worldly sophistication he usually encountered.

It felt somewhat...new to him, and he even felt like laughing a little.

Shen Mo smiled slightly, his fingertips lingering on the screen for a moment. Instead of ignoring it, he replied with a hint of indulgence and teasing that even he himself didn't realize.

Shen Mo: ?

Shen Mo: What's wrong with Miss Meng? ( )

[Shen Mo: Are you upset that I didn't call you for dinner?]

He accurately hit the nail on the head regarding Meng Ziyi's feelings, and she replied almost instantly not long after the message was sent.

[Meng Ziyi: !!!]

Meng Ziyi: You saw it! ( )

Meng Ziyi: No... that... I... ( )

Even through the screen, Shen Mo could almost see her rambling, flustered expression, trying to explain but not knowing where to begin.

The smile in his eyes deepened as he continued typing.

[Shen Mo: The emojis are quite vivid and pretty.]

[Shen Mo: Saved. Send me a copy next time you have new selfie emojis.]

Meng Ziyi, on the other end of the phone, was still feeling regret for her stupidity and panic about whether he would hate her.

Seeing Shen Mo's completely unconventional and even somewhat mocking reply, he was completely dumbfounded.

He wasn't angry?

Didn't he think I was being unreasonable?

He... he was actually joking with me?

The stark contrast left her momentarily stunned, but the heavy weight in her heart finally lifted with a thud, followed by an indescribable surge of joy and excitement.

She held her phone, staring at those few lines of text over and over again, her cheeks involuntarily starting to burn, but this time not because of annoyance, but because of a strange sweetness.

He didn't seem as scary as I had imagined.

【Mencius's Art: ()】

[Meng Ziyi: You want to see my beautiful photos?!]

Meng Ziyi: Don't you also think my photos are beautiful? ( )

Seeing her quickly regain her energy and even begin to reply with narcissism, Shen Mo shook his head.

[Shen Mo: She's just a little girl, she hasn't grown up yet.]

Shen Mo: I just thought your memes were funny.

[Meng Ziyi: ???]

[Meng Ziyi: I'm already quite old, okay?! !!!]

[Meng Ziyi: And another thing! I'm not a comedian! I'm a gorgeous woman!]

Looking at Meng Ziyi's continuous stream of messages, Shen Mo smiled slightly, able to imagine how she would break down.

He then tossed his phone aside, stopped replying, and headed towards the bathroom.

Adjusting her mindset is enough.

That little girl is just a little girl, always thinking about how grown up she is, unlike your sister Tong, who can't wait to say she's 18 and still a child.