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

Let reading always be a chapter faster than others.

On the third day of my visit to the set, it was just dawn, and the world outside the window was still shrouded in a misty white snow.

Bai Mengyan was dazed for a few seconds before slowly opening her eyes.

She immediately felt a steady arm around her waist and a warm, solid chest behind her.

The beautiful memories of last night instantly returned, making her cheeks slightly flushed.

But reason quickly prevailed; this was the film crew's hotel, and staff or other actors could appear in the corridor at any time.

I have to go to the film set today. If it's discovered that I came out of Shen Mo's room, then I'll be in big trouble.

Unlike yesterday, when she could wait until everyone else had gone to work before going out with Shen Mo, this time it was different.

She carefully held her breath and moved the arm that was across her waist away.

Shen Mo seemed to be sleeping soundly and was not awakened by her slight movements.

Bai Mengyan was secretly delighted, with a thrill of feeling guilty, and slowly slid out of his bed.

As her feet touched the cool carpet, she quickly picked up her pajamas that had fallen to the floor and put them on.

Looking back at Shen Mo, who was still fast asleep on the bed, her heart melted. She couldn't help but lean over and lightly and quickly place a farewell kiss on the corner of his lips.

Then, as if afraid of waking him, she tiptoed and sneaked to the door.

She pressed her ear to the door and listened carefully to the sounds outside; all was silent.

well.

Then she took a deep breath, gently turned the doorknob, opened the door just wide enough for her to squeeze through sideways, nimbly slipped out, and then closed the door with the lightest touch.

"Click".

The cold air sent a shiver down her spine and brought her completely awake.

She didn't dare to delay. She walked to her room door, which was just a few steps away, as quickly as possible, took out her room card, swiped it with a "beep," and quickly slipped inside.

Only when his back was against the closed door did he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

She raised her hand and touched her lips, which still seemed to retain his warmth, and couldn't help but lower her head and laugh.

Although it's a bit sneaky, this feeling... isn't so bad.

At the same time, the moment Bai Mengyan closed the door, Shen Mo, who should have been fast asleep, slowly opened his eyes.

He was already awake when she first tried to move his arm away.

He turned over, pulled the pillow on the blanket that still seemed to retain her faint fragrance a little closer, closed his eyes again, and continued this rare nap.

When Shen Mo was woken up by the doorbell, he picked up his phone and saw that it was already past ten o'clock.

He rubbed his forehead, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips.

This girl, you're off work so early? Don't you have any scenes to film today?

He casually grabbed a long white bathrobe from the hotel, loosely tied the belt, and then shuffled off in his slippers to open the door.

The door opened, but the lazy smile on Shen Mo's face instantly froze.

It wasn't Bai Mengyan outside the door.

Instead, it was Meng Ziyi, dressed exquisitely, but with puffed-out cheeks and eyes full of displeasure.

Meng Ziyi's gaze swept quickly over his open bathrobe collar and slightly disheveled hair, her brows furrowing even more as she muttered something under her breath.

"What...?"

After saying that, without waiting for Shen Mo's invitation, she squeezed past him and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Shen Mo was a little confused by her series of actions. Standing at the door, he watched as this uninvited young lady walked straight to the living room sofa, sat down angrily, crossed her arms, and looked like she was about to interrogate him.

What kind of show is this?

Shen Mo was puzzled, but basic politeness and respect prevented him from asking immediately.

He rubbed his still sleepy eyes, said "Wait a moment," and turned to go back to his bedroom.

A few minutes later, Shen Mo came out wearing a shirt and casual trousers.

But the messy hair on top, while adding a touch of casual home style, also makes him look a bit... adorable.

He walked over to the single sofa opposite Meng Ziyi and sat down, just about to speak.

Meng Ziyi, who had been trying to put on a serious face, couldn't help but twitch her lips when she saw his messy hair.

Then he burst out laughing, and the forced confidence he had just put on instantly deflated by half.

Seeing her smile, Shen Mo breathed a sigh of relief and helplessly reached out to scratch his hair.

"It's good that you're laughing. Tell me, who offended our beautiful Meng? Why are you so angry first thing in the morning?"

His tone was relaxed, with a hint of teasing.

"I don't recall ever doing anything to you lately, have I?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Ziyi's expression, which had just calmed down, darkened again.

She jumped up from the sofa, put her hands on her hips, stared wide-eyed at Shen Mo, and raised her voice.

"So you do know you haven't contacted me lately!"

"What's the date today?" she asked aggressively.

Shen Mo was taken aback by her question and subconsciously replied, "December 23rd."

"Do you know what day December 5th is?!"

Shen Mo was taken aback by her question and subconsciously replied, "December 23rd."

"Do you know what day December 5th is?!"

Meng Ziyi took a step closer, almost shouting it out.

Seeing his complete inability to remember, Meng Ziyi completely lost it; her grievances and anger instantly overwhelmed her reason.

Her lips were pursed so high they could hold an oil bottle, her eyes instantly reddened, her voice choked with sobs, and two lines of tears rolled down her cheeks without warning.

"My birthday!"

She cried out, her voice trembling with sobs, and tears streamed down her face even more.

"December 5th is my birthday!"

"You attended all of their birthdays."

She sobbed, becoming more and more heartbroken as she spoke.

"It's just me! You haven't even made a single phone call or sent a single message!"

"Brother Mo, do you still remember me?"

"I'm the number one fan you personally recruited all the way to Kunming!"

Shen Mo was completely stunned.

Looking at Meng Ziyi, who was crying her eyes out, his heart sank.

Yes, December 5th is Meng Ziyi's birthday, her eighteenth birthday.

During that period, he was fully preparing for the release of "Lost in Thailand", the preparation of "The Journey of Flower", and the No. 1 Private Equity Fund, and was so busy that he had no time to spare.

I've completely forgotten about it.

Shen Mo suddenly recalled her bright, adoring, and expectant eyes in Chuncheng, and the trust she placed in her when she signed the contract without hesitation. Then she looked at the girl in front of her with tears of heartache.

A strong sense of guilt welled up inside me.

"Ziyi, I..."

He opened his mouth, but found that any explanation seemed pale and powerless at this moment.

Neglect is negligence, and this feeling of being ignored is probably more hurtful to her than any scolding.

Although Meng Ziyi usually seems like a carefree and easygoing person, people with this kind of personality are the ones who feel the most distressed in this situation.

What's more, he was her "idol".

[So, without realizing it, I've attracted the attention of another girl?]

I did notice Bai Mengyan's forceful intrusion into my daily life, but when did Meng Ziyi do it?

However, even setting aside her feelings, he could never bring himself to be ruthless towards these sweet and affectionate girls who had feelings for him.

Otherwise, Bai Mengyan wouldn't be so unscrupulous, especially since the person in front of her is crying her eyes out.

Meng Ziyi's sobs gradually subsided, but her shoulders were still trembling slightly.

She raised her tear-filled eyes to look at Shen Mo, her gaze filled with complex pain and accusation.

"Yesterday...yesterday on set, I overheard Director Wang casually mention that you came to visit the set the day before yesterday and stayed at this hotel..."

Her voice was heavily nasal and intermittent.

"I was so happy then... Brother Mo!"

"I thought... I thought you were finally done with work and came to see me specially to celebrate my belated birthday!"

Her tears welled up again.

"I've thought about how to be 'angry' and how to wait for you to coax me countless times!"

"I've even prepared the words of forgiveness!"

"If you just say one thing, even just 'Ziyi, happy birthday, I forgot,' I won't blame you..."

Her voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"But I've been waiting all day!"

"I waited from morning until night after getting my makeup done! And you never showed up!"

"Until that evening... when I returned to my room that night, I saw it through the window..."

She choked up and could barely speak. She took several deep breaths before finally managing to point towards the next room, her tears finally flowing freely.

"I saw you and her! You and Bai Mengyan! Coming back from outside together!"

"That's when I realized you came to the film set not to see me at all!"

"And then...and then last night..."

Her face turned deathly pale instantly, and her body trembled slightly from the memory. Her voice was low, almost a whisper, yet filled with excruciating pain.

"I heard...I heard some sounds...coming from your room!"

"Brother Mo!"

Her voice trailed off, "My room is right next to your bedroom..."

She slowly covered her ears, sat back on the sofa, and stared blankly at Shen Mo.

"At that moment... my world almost collapsed!"

"I always thought... I always thought you and Sister Tong were a couple, I always thought I just had no chance..."

"I even wondered if I would have a chance if you two broke up..."

She looked up at Shen Mo, tears streaming down her face, her eyes filled with deep disappointment.

"But I never expected... I never expected you to be this kind of person!"

"Scumbag!"

"Having Tong-jie isn't enough for you, you also have to provoke Meng-yan!"

"Sister Tong is my sister! She's my sister too!"

"How could you... how could you do this!"

Standing in this room filled with the scent of another woman, and confirming his complete forgetfulness of her birthday, all her pent-up resentment, grievances, disappointment, and heartbreak erupted like a volcano.

She stopped suppressing her emotions and let herself cry out loud, tears streaming down her face like beads from a broken string.

She was no longer the spoiled little princess, but more like a child abandoned by the whole world, whose beliefs had collapsed, and all her pretense and strength were shattered at this moment.

"Brother Mo... how could you do this to me... how could you..."

For the first time, he found himself feeling helpless and burdened with guilt when facing Meng Ziyi.

Inside the room, only Meng Ziyi's suppressed, heartbreaking sobs could be heard.

Watching Meng Ziyi curled up on the ground, her thin shoulders trembling as she cried, her broken sobs pierced Shen Mo's heart like fine needles.

He couldn't let her keep crying like that.

Without further hesitation, he strode forward, bent down, slipped one hand under her knees and the other around her back, and with a little effort, lifted her up in a princess carry.

Startled by this sudden action, Meng Ziyi stopped crying and instinctively struggled to get up, shouting angrily through her sobs.

"Let go of me! You scumbag! Don't touch me!"

Her fists pounded his chest weakly, more like an emotional outburst.

Shen Mo sat down on the sofa with her in his arms, letting her hit him, but still didn't let go of her.

Instead, he adjusted his posture, letting her sit sideways on his lap, encircling her in his arms in an almost imprisoning yet protective manner.

"Let go... let go..."

Meng Ziyi was still struggling, his shirt smeared with tears and snot.

Gradually, her strength diminished.

Perhaps she had cried for too long and exhausted herself, or perhaps the embrace was too familiar and too tempting, but her struggling movements gradually turned into a powerless push.

Finally, the hands that had been used to beat him fell limply to his sides and instead grabbed his shirt.

She buried her burning face in the crook of his neck and stopped making a sound.

His body was still trembling slightly from sobbing, and warm tears continued to soak his clothes, sticking to his skin and bringing a damp, cool touch.

Shen Mo didn't speak, but simply released one arm and gently patted her back.

His chin gently rested against the top of her head, and he could smell the faint fragrance of her hair mixed with the salty taste of her tears.

The room fell completely silent, with only the faint sound of the central air conditioning running and the gradually calming sobs of the girl in my arms.

After an unknown amount of time, Meng Ziyi's tense body finally relaxed completely, and she leaned softly against his chest.

She raised her head, her eyes swollen like peaches, her nose red, and spoke softly with a heavy nasal tone and a hint of resentment, breaking the silence.

"You...you're not allowed to forget my birthday again."

It was less a request and more a humble plea choked with sobs.

Looking at the disheveled yet still charming little face in his arms, Shen Mo's heart softened, and he nodded solemnly.

"besides……"

She sniffed, her eyes flickered, and her voice became even softer.

"I want to celebrate my birthday again... I want my gifts to be better than theirs..."

Meng Ziyi's little bit of arrogance and competitive spirit stubbornly resurfaced at this moment.

Shen Mo nodded again.

Having received these two promises, Meng Ziyi seemed to have finally found some comfort and a way out.

She buried her face back in his arms, snuggling closer to find a more comfortable spot, and mumbled something softly, her voice heavy with weariness.

"...I hate you."

However, the tone had long lost its initial anger, and instead sounded like a coquettish complaint.

Shen Mo gave a soft "hmm," tightened his embrace, and continued to pat her back intermittently.

He felt her breathing become even and deep, as if she had cried herself to sleep, and she fell into a deep sleep in his arms.