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

Without disturbing too many people, Shen Mo returned to the film and television base where the "The Journey of Flower" crew was located as quietly as he had left.

He changed into Bai Zihua's elegant white robe, his hair was meticulously tied up, and he wore a cold forehead ornament.

In an instant, he transformed from a shrewd and calculating strategist into the aloof and detached immortal he once was.

In front of the camera, Shen Mo quickly got into character.

Whether it was the seemingly indifferent yet subtly turbulent emotional entanglement when acting opposite Li Yitong, or the solo performance showcasing Bai Zihua's inner struggles and perseverance, he executed each scene with precision and nuance.

His professional acting skills allowed the filming schedule, which had been slightly affected by his brief absence, to catch up at an astonishing speed.

"CUT! Great! That's a pass!"

Lin Yufen looked at the close-up of Shen Mo's eyes on the monitor and couldn't help but whisper a compliment to the assistant director next to her.

"He was away for a few days, but his condition was not affected at all. He truly deserves to be called the Best Actor at the Hundred Flowers Awards."

During halftime, Li Yitong walked over with a bottle of water and handed it to him naturally, her eyes filled with concern and a hint of barely perceptible inquiry.

"Has everything been taken care of over there?"

She was referring to Didi and its financing.

Shen Mo took the water, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and nodded.

"Well, that's all for now."

Li Yitong didn't ask any more questions. She just looked at his slightly tired but bright-eyed profile and said softly.

"That's good. Focus on filming."

When filming wrapped up in the evening, the day's reshoots were actually completed beyond the target. Shen Mo removed her makeup, changed back into her own clothes, and walked out of the dressing room.

Sitting in the car on the way back to the hotel, the neon lights outside the window were flashing, creating a more festive atmosphere than usual. A Christmas tree had been erected in the hotel lobby.

As soon as you open the door, you are greeted by warm light and the aroma of food.

Li Yitong, who had finished work early, was kneeling on the carpet in the living room of the suite. Several exquisite takeout meals were laid out on the small table in front of her, and a bottle of red wine was open next to her.

She heard the door open, looked up, and a bright, warm smile immediately bloomed on her face, her crescent-shaped eyes crinkling.

"You're back? Merry Christmas Eve!"

"Merry Christmas Eve."

Looking at her, Shen Mo felt the slight weariness from a long day of work dissipate with her warmth, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

He took off his coat, walked over, and naturally pulled her into his arms, placing a light kiss on the top of her head.

"Just some random food, okay?"

Li Yitong leaned against him, looked up at him, and spoke with a hint of coquetry in her voice.

"very good."

Shen Mo sat down next to her, his gaze sweeping over the food, all of which were his preferred flavors.

He picked up his wine glass and gently clinked it against hers.

"Thank you for your hard work, Yukiko."

The two ate and chatted, mostly about today's filming, script details, and interesting things that happened on set.

However, the observant Li Yitong still keenly noticed that Shen Mo was acting differently than usual.

She had felt this way before, on several occasions in her past life, when she deliberately called to interrupt his social engagements!

But she didn't ask.

Is it Didi? Or someone else?

She simply reached out and gently covered the back of his hand when he was distracted and unconsciously touched the side of the wine glass.

Shen Mo paused, then looked up at her.

Li Yitong smiled slightly at him, said nothing, and simply picked up the wine bottle and poured him a little more wine.

She trusted him; if he wanted to tell her, he would.

If he doesn't want to for the time being, then she won't ask.

This thoughtfulness and tacit understanding warmed Shen Mo's heart and made him feel... guilty, even more than a direct question.

He took her hand in his own, tightening his grip slightly.

"Yukiko."

He called her softly.

"Um?"

She looked up, her eyes clear.

"It's nothing."

Shen Mo looked at her, but in the end, he swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth and gave a faint smile.

"I just wanted to say, I love you."

Li Yitong looked into his eyes and seemed to understand something.

She smiled, withdrew her hand, picked up a small dessert, and offered it to his lips.

"Loving me isn't just about words; try this, it's pretty good."

The sweet taste melted on Shen Mo's tongue, slightly diluting the complex bitterness in his heart.

This Christmas Eve, there was no snow, no grand ceremony, only simple food, warm lights, and two people who relied on each other and understood each other without words.

He reached out and pulled her closer into his arms, as if to lock in this warmth and tranquility.

That night, Shen Mo gave Li Yitong the greatest amount of love without words.

Li Yitong gritted her teeth and responded with her strongest physical condition after evolution.

That night, the battle was so fierce that even the main road was almost obliterated.

……

Once Li Yitong in his arms was breathing evenly and deeply asleep, Shen Mo carefully withdrew his slightly numb arm and tucked her in.

He picked up his phone from the bedside table; the screen had already flashed several times.

It's a Christmas Eve blessing developed by Tian Xiwei and Bai Meng.

Tian Xiwei sent a photo of herself holding an apple, her text brimming with energy.

[Brother Mo! Merry Christmas Eve! The snow in Beijing is so heavy, I love it!]

I dreamt about you and Tongtong last night. In the dream, I actually called out her full name, and I didn't get beaten up! Hehehe, it was so exciting to think about it after waking up!

[By the way, are you guys having fun on set? Did you sneak any treats? Chu Ran, Hao Cun, and I went for hot pot. It wasn't spicy enough, but it was still awesome!]

My professor even praised me for my recent progress today, but the physical training was a bit tiring; my legs felt like they weren't even mine anymore...

[Brother Mo, when are you going to wrap up filming and come back to Beijing? I miss you!]

【()】

……

The rambling messages kept flooding the screen, numbering twenty or thirty in total.

She shared her simple yet fulfilling Christmas Eve routine in great detail, revealing her inexhaustible energy and her undisguised closeness and dependence on Shen Mo.

Through the screen, Shen Mo seemed to see the girl skipping and jumping in the snow, her dimples shimmering when she smiled.

He could even picture her holding her phone, typing furiously while laughing out loud.

It was late at night, so he didn't reply much so as not to disturb her rest. He simply sent a message.

Merry Christmas Eve, Xiaotian.

When we get back, we'll take you to eat super spicy hot pot!

Bai Mengyan's message was much simpler: a picture of an apple.

[Brother Mo, I really want to eat apples with you tonight.]

A hint of guilt flashed in Shen Mo's eyes. On their first Christmas Eve together, he hadn't been able to stay with her.

He tapped his finger and replied with a pat-on-the-head emoji.

Bai Mengyan opened the chat box almost instantly. Looking at the provocative emoji, her tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and a small smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

But this was quickly overshadowed by a sense of melancholy.

She stared at the screen, her fingertips hovering over the keyboard, hesitating.

There's so much I want to say. I want to ask him if he's tired from filming today, I want to tell him that I just shared an apple with Sister Meng, and I want to ask him if he's missed her...

But the words that were typed were deleted and rewritten, written and deleted again.

In the end, she only replied with one sentence.

[Brother Mo, how's filming going on set?]

She carefully hid that longing beneath a casual greeting, her thoughtfulness almost heartbreaking.

She knew she couldn't act impulsively, especially knowing that he was with Li Yitong.

Receiving his prompt reply, even if it's just an emoji, was a small comfort to her on this lonely Christmas Eve.

She held her phone to her chest, as if she could draw a little of his lingering warmth from it.

Then I slowly curled up in the blanket, opened my eyes, looked at the lights outside the window, and felt a bittersweet feeling in my heart.

On the other side, Shen Mo felt a deeper sense of guilt as he looked at Bai Mengyan's restrained and considerate reply.

He was silent for a moment, then gave a brief reply.

[Everything went smoothly. Get some rest. Staying up late will affect your performance tomorrow and make the shoot less productive.]

[Goodnight, Mo Ge!]

Empty words of comfort are not as effective as concrete actions.

The principle of locking is based on my mood; I'll lock in every update of "The Shura Field of Chinese Entertainment: Young Actresses All Want to Rise to the Top".

He switched to the chat interface, found Rebecca's chat box, and sent a message.

Tomorrow morning, order a bouquet of flowers and a beautifully packaged bag of apples to deliver to Bai Mengyan on the set of "A Little Reunion." The card... will simply say, "Merry Christmas Eve."

When Shen Mo opened Rebecca's chat window, a familiar avatar came into view, and another small face with a wronged and stubborn expression involuntarily appeared in his mind.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally opened the chat interface with Meng Ziyi, the contact he had saved as "Meng Da Piao Liang".

Merry Christmas Eve! Apples will arrive with the big doll.

The message was sent successfully.

Shen Mo waited for a few minutes, but the other side of the screen remained silent, with no "typing" message.

He wasn't surprised, so he put his phone on silent and placed it back on the bedside table.

He lay back down, pulling the sleeping Li Yitong into his arms again, feeling her warm body temperature and regular breathing. He closed his eyes, trying to dispel the chaotic images in his mind.

On the other end of the WeChat message, in the hotel room, Meng Ziyi was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees and wrapped in a blanket, looking at the newly popped-up message on her phone. The light from the screen illuminated her complex and indescribable expression.

She bit her lip, her finger hovering above the screen, motionless for a long time.

In the end, she simply turned off her phone screen, tucked it under her pillow, turned over, and covered her head with the blanket.

Some responses take time.

On this Christmas Eve, some slept soundly, while others were sleepless.

-----------------

The 2012 calendar quietly turned its last page.

"A Little Reunion," the first installment in Mohen Media's "Little Series," is scheduled to premiere on January 15th on both Hunan TV and Hunan TV, with Tencent acquiring the online streaming rights.

In the show "Happy Camp", Huang Lei and Tian Xiwei recreated a scene of a father-daughter argument, perfectly portraying the stubbornness and grievances of a teenage girl.

On the show "Day Day Up", Wang Churan and Liu Haocun interacted with the hosts in a natural and adorable way, and their impromptu performance on the spot won a standing ovation.

Among them, Huang Lei's cross-generational ideological clash with three girls about puppy love made the topic a trending topic on Weibo.

Mohen partnered with Tencent Video to create a customized integrated marketing plan for "A Little Reunion," covering all Tencent platforms and delivering targeted content through Toutiao.

At the same time, an H5 interface titled "Have you blocked your parents on WeChat Moments?" was launched, accurately addressing the pain points of parent-child relationships and triggering widespread sharing on WeChat Moments.

On the internet, hashtags such as #MyStarThreeLittleOnesOfficiallyDebut# and #MoHenNewDramaALittleReunion# began to trend.

Online promotion is in full swing, and offline efforts are being carried out equally vigorously.

Inkmark placed huge GG banners in the core business districts of first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, with Huang Lei's heartwarming poster with his three "daughters" attracting particular attention.

Subway stations and bus stops were also filled with stills from the TV series "A Little Reunion," and the line "Separation is for a better reunion" touched the hearts of countless passersby.

On January 15th, "A Little Reunion" premiered as scheduled on Blueberry and Mango TV's prime time slots, with simultaneous updates on Tencent Video.

On the night of its premiere, both channels achieved a viewership rating of over 1%, and Tencent Video garnered over 5000 million views on its first day. Related topics occupied three spots on Weibo's trending topics list.

Tian Xiwei's performance was the biggest surprise.

On Weibo, under the hashtag #TianXiWeiFangDuoDuo#, fans took screenshots of her wonderful moments.

"I cried during the scene where Duoduo cried under the covers after arguing with her mother! Her acting was so moving!"

"Her stubborn yet aggrieved little eyes are exactly like mine during my adolescence!"

Liu Haocun's portrayal of Jin Qinqin has also garnered significant recognition, especially for her nuanced and detailed depiction of the pressure and vulnerability beneath the spotlight of being "someone else's child."

Although Wang Churan had relatively few scenes, she captured Zhang Yueyue's cautious arrogance perfectly, and her stunning appearance as the school beauty attracted countless fans.

What's even more remarkable is that this drama successfully broke through the fan base and sparked widespread social discussion.

#A Little Reunion Is So Real#

Under the topic, countless ordinary viewers shared their feelings.

One mother commented: "Watching Hai Qing portray Tong Wenjie is like looking in a mirror. Her anxiety and reluctance are exactly what I feel."

A father who is going through his child's adolescence remarked, "Huang Lei's portrayal of the father was so spot-on. I understand that feeling of helplessness so well—wanting to communicate with your child but not knowing how to start."

Many young viewers also commented, "This is a true reflection of my family!"

"Finally, there's a show that doesn't preach and truly understands what our kids are thinking."

Several education scholars and film critics also joined the discussion.

"The TV series 'A Little Reunion' accurately captures the multiple dilemmas faced by contemporary families in terms of educational anxiety, parent-child relationships, and choices regarding studying abroad. Its realistic significance far exceeds that of an ordinary family drama."

"The success of this drama lies in the fact that it does not simply distinguish between right and wrong, but rather delicately portrays the dilemmas and helplessness of each character, allowing the audience to see themselves or the people around them in the three families, six parents, and three children."

The comment section of Tencent Video is also unusually active.

Comments such as "Fang Duoduo is arguing with her mother again", "Poor Jin Qinqin", "Yueyue is so beautiful", and "Today is another day of feeling sorry for Fang Yuan and Tong Wenjie" are scrolling in real time.

In its second week of airing, "A Little Reunion" continued to rise in ratings, maintaining a stable rating of over 1.5% on both channels, and began its 11-day run to top the ratings charts.

In its first week of broadcast, the total number of online views exceeded 10 billion.

It received a high score of 8.5 on Douban and has been on Douban's list of popular TV series for two consecutive weeks.

Among them, "realistic plot", "good acting skills" and "educational topics that provoke thought" are frequently used tags.

GG collaborations are pouring in, with numerous educational institutions and home furnishing brands expressing interest in in-depth partnerships with the series.

Inside Mohen Media, everyone was immersed in the joy of their initial victory.

"Big star Tian, ​​I've seen you on so many variety shows lately."

"Our little Tian is incredibly amazing."

In the "The Journey of Flower" crew, Li Yitong was making a phone call in the lounge.

"Sister Tong, Sister Tong, I'm famous!!"

"Many of my former high school classmates have messaged me to praise me and ask for my autograph."

"My mother said that some reporters have come to our house."

On the other end of the phone, Tian Xi's clear, slightly smug laughter and chattering sharing could be faintly heard.

At the other end of the lounge, Shen Mo stood by the window, looking at the constantly updated good news on his phone: viewership ratings, online views, and social media buzz.

The smile on his face was impossible to hide, and Chen Zhixi's voice was reporting in sync through his earphones.

Shen Mo nodded slightly, "Zhi hope, 'A Little Reunion' has had a great start, even better than we expected."

"The positive market feedback proves that the positioning and quality of our 'Little Series' have completely won over the audience."

"The timing is perfect. Let's strike while the iron is hot and launch a full-scale promotional campaign for 'A Little Reunion'."

"Now, with the solid success of 'A Little Reunion,' we can negotiate the price of 'A Little Joy' with the platform."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of calm certainty.

"Let them decide for themselves how much sincerity they need to show."

Chen Zhixi smiled knowingly.

"Not only that," Shen Mo changed the subject, proposing an even more significant decision.

"While you're working on the 'A Little Reunion' project, you can start preparing for something even more important."

"It's time for Mohen Pictures to officially operate independently and be separated from the Mohen Capital system."

This decision was not made on a whim.

From its initial role as an entertainment investment department buying copyrights and recruiting screenwriters, to its current success in producing hits like "Love is Not Blind," "Beijing Love Story," "My Love from the Star," "Lost in Thailand," and now "A Little Reunion," and the upcoming "A Little Joy," Mohen has grown into an indispensable pillar in the industry.

The vast project pipeline, the surge in employees, and the complex business segments mean that continuing as a department under Inkstone Capital has already constrained its further development.

Moreover, Shen Mo clearly remembered that when he invited Chen Zhixi to join the company, the mission and promises he gave her were by no means limited to managing an investment department.

Now that we have grown strong enough, it's time.

Chen Zhixi was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, clearly processing this important decision, before her voice came through, tinged with excitement.

"I understand, Mr. Shen. I will begin preparations immediately."

Finally, just as I was about to hang up, a firm voice came from the other end.

"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Shen."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Mo looked out the window.

A new phase has begun.

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