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

Just as Shen Mo put his phone back in his pocket, the secretariat's internal line lit up.

"President Shen, Chen Jun has arrived."

"Let him in."

The door was pushed open, and Chen Jun, holding a stack of documents, was clearly brimming with barely suppressed excitement. However, he immediately composed himself upon entering and stood properly.

"Mr. Shen, I'd like to report on the progress."

Shen Mo raised his chin, gesturing for him to sit, and then got up to pour himself a glass of water.

"Speak up, judging from your expression, it can't be bad news."

Chen Jun coughed and took out the first document.

"The first thing is that the investment in Kaixin Twist has been finalized."

"10% equity stake, based on the valuation we agreed upon, while retaining the content synergy and priority cooperation clauses for artists."

As he said this, he couldn't help but add a sentence.

"There was actually a lot of internal debate on their end. They were originally only willing to offer 5%, but it was the collaboration on adapting the stage play IP into a film that finally got them to agree."

Shen Mo smiled and gestured for him to continue.

"They are willing to transfer the film adaptation rights of their stage play IP to Mohen at a low price, but they require that it be a co-production and that their Mahua FunAge actors be given priority."

"After discussing it with Mr. Chen from the film company, I agreed to their request."

Shen Mo hummed in agreement, offering no further comment.

"Next item."

Chen Jun turned the page, his tone noticeably more cautious.

"A galloping steed."

"The 5% equity stake has been transferred through a special purpose vehicle."

"Instead of a direct merger and acquisition, it was done under the guise of 'introducing strategic investment to bail out existing shareholders.'"

Shen Mo tapped his finger lightly on the side of the cup.

"Is debt isolation completely in place?"

"I did it."

Chen Jun immediately replied, "We will completely sever all responsibilities related to past projects. We will only bind the content library, production team, and distribution channels, and we will not take on past debts."

He paused, then added.

"Their morale is very low."

"Several producers have already contacted us privately, wanting to work on projects independently."

Shen Mo raised his eyes, his tone calm.

"Don't rush to recruit people."

"Let them run wild for a while."

"What we need now is an entry point, not a burden."

Chen Jun felt a chill run down his spine and immediately made a note of it.

"clear."

"The third thing."

He took a deep breath, "Little Mi's D-Wheel."

This time, he spoke steadily, but with noticeably more weight.

"Xiao Mi's D round has officially begun."

"The first round of meetings just concluded this morning."

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow.

Chen Jun continued, "We will continue to invest, while making it clear that Mohen will not compete for controlling stake or join the board of directors; we only want a strategic seat and the right to bind our content ecosystem."

Shen Mo leaned back in his chair. "You did the right thing. Money isn't the key; position is."

He turned his gaze back to Chen Jun.

"You've worked hard. Get a good night's sleep when you get home tonight."

"I'll be even busier in the coming period."

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

Outside the practice room, Shen Mo turned around carrying a paper bag.

Before I even reached the door, I heard a slightly annoyed sigh coming from inside, mixed with a few off-key guitar strums.

He pushed open the door, his movements very slow.

In the corner of the practice room, Tian Xiwei sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning against a large floor-length mirror.

She didn't wear her hair in a high ponytail as usual; her long hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, with a few strands sticking to her smooth forehead and cheeks with fine sweat.

A wooden guitar lay casually across his lap, his brows furrowed slightly, and his right cheek unconsciously bulged out a little, revealing his signature dimple when he strained.

On the floor next to them were a few sheets of sheet music and a half-opened pack of cookies.

Hearing the door open, she looked up, and her big eyes lit up the moment she saw Shen Mo.

She subconsciously tried to force a bright smile, her lips curving upwards with effort, but the smile betrayed obvious strain and exhaustion.

"Brother Mo?"

She tried to maintain her usual cheerful tone, but her voice trailed off, sounding weak and listless.

"Shouldn't you be in a meeting? What are you doing here?"

Shen Mo's gaze lingered on her tired face for a moment, then swept over the barely touched biscuits on the ground.

If this girl were in a good mood, this bag of cookies would have been empty long ago.

He walked over, casually placed the paper bag next to her, and then sat down cross-legged beside her.

Their shoulders touched lightly, and through the thin fabric of their clothes, they could feel each other's warmth.

He shook the paper bag. "I passed by downstairs and saw that the dessert shop had only two pieces of tiramisu left."

Tian Xiwei sniffed, and her forced spirit was finally replaced by genuine joy.

She put down her guitar and eagerly opened the paper bag, instantly releasing a rich aroma of coffee liqueur and cocoa.

"Brother Mo, you actually knew I liked this restaurant!"

She eagerly tore one open, scooped out a large bite with her small fork, and put it in her mouth, squinting her eyes in satisfaction as she chewed with her cheeks bulging.

The slight irritability and fatigue seemed to be temporarily suppressed by the happiness brought by the dessert.

Shen Mo turned his head to look at her, his gaze sweeping over her temples damp with sweat. He naturally reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Tian Xi stiffened slightly, her long eyelashes trembled, but she did not dodge, letting his fingers brush against her slightly warm skin.

"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."

He spoke casually, withdrawing his hand, "Did you get 'tortured' by the dance teacher again today?"

Tian Xi swallowed the cake in her mouth, then scooped up another spoonful and mumbled something.

"It's not a dance class... Mr. Yang said we'll definitely be filming period action movies in the future, so he found us a martial arts instructor."

As she spoke, her shoulders slumped slightly, revealing a rare hint of frustration.

"I feel so stupid, I haven't made much progress after studying for several days."

"Is that stupid?"

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow, took out another box of tiramisu from the paper bag, unwrapped it, but didn't eat it; he just held it in his hand and played with it.

"When I was young, it took me more than half a year to learn martial arts and I was just getting the basics down."

"According to your logic, if I can't learn something in a few days, then I'm considered stupid. Should I just go back to school and start over?"

Tian Xiwei was amused by his words and burst out laughing, almost choking. She lightly punched his arm with her fist and glared at him.

"That's different!"

"Didn't you end up doing very well in your studies?"

She was too embarrassed to say that she had dreamed about him practicing martial arts, and it felt so real, as if she had actually seen him.

After laughing, she seemed to relax a bit, and the smile on her lips slowly faded.

He unconsciously poked at the soft cake with a small fork, his voice lowering.

"I'm not afraid of hardship."

"Brother Mo... I'm just a little panicked."

She looked up, her large, wet eyes gazing at Shen Mo, his image reflected in them, veiled by a layer of moisture.

"Sister Mengyan went to film Running Man, Sister Ziyi passed the art exam and her online popularity soared, Sister Dilraba went to film Ancient Sword, and Chu Ran also went to film the movie Northern Love..."

"Everyone seems to be running forward, running really fast."

She sniffed, her voice even softer, with a barely perceptible tremor.

"Only I... seem to have been left behind."

"Training, training, and more training."

"But now, I can't even do well in training."

The tone was soft, yet it struck Shen Mo's heart with tremendous force.

Shen Mo gently pushed the intact box of tiramisu in his hand in front of her.

"Take another bite."

Tian Xi was slightly taken aback, but still obediently did as she was told, scooping out another spoonful and putting it into her mouth.

Shen Mo then continued speaking, his voice carrying a hint of reminiscence.

"Little Tian'er."

I learned martial arts when I was a child.

"The only progress in the first six months was that we became more stable."

"My movements weren't pretty, and I wasn't very strong, but my master never let me change the routine."

"Later he told me not to rush."

"Because laying a solid foundation is the most important thing."

He turned to face her, his gaze gentle and focused.

You should know about Haocun's family situation.

"If I really want her to earn money and pay off her debts quickly, there are plenty of ways."

"But why not?"

"As for Chu Ran, she is just a minor supporting character, but she is just right and won't take up much time."

"This doesn't mean we're letting her focus on acting right now."

"Why were the steps that Reba, Mengyan, and Ziyi are taking arranged the way they are now?"

"It's not a matter of them being fast and you being slow."

"It's about the order."

His voice slowed, carrying a reassuring certainty.

"What you need to do now is not to chase after them."

"It's about making sure you take this step steadily."

"When it's your turn to start, I don't want you to feel insecure because your basic skills aren't good enough."

Tian Xi stared at him blankly, her eyes gradually reddening.

She sniffed, her voice thick with nasal congestion, and asked softly, revealing the deepest unease in her heart.

"What if... I am really slow? What if I am much slower than them?"

Shen Mo looked at her reddened eyes and cautious gaze, and suddenly smiled.

"Then go slower."

He answered without hesitation, his voice soft yet firm.

"I'm not afraid of you being slow, I'm afraid of you being impatient."

Tian Xiwei finally couldn't hold back her tears, and large drops rolled down her cheeks.

She quickly lowered her head and haphazardly cut the cake with her fork, dividing it into neat little pieces, as if this would help her sort out her chaotic mood.

After a long while, she finally raised her head again, her eyes and nose red, her voice incredibly soft, filled with complete dependence and a hint of uncertain probing.

"Brother Mo, what if one day you feel that you've spent so much time on me, waited so long... only to find out in the end that I wasn't worth it?"

Shen Mo stopped moving.

His gentle expression froze for a moment, then he reached out and flicked her smooth forehead lightly.

"Ouch!"

Tian Xi covered her forehead, glaring at him with teary eyes.

"Such words."

Shen Mo withdrew his hand, his voice filled with unprecedented seriousness, each word clearly imprinted into her heart.

"The word 'not worth it' should not have come out of your mouth."

"I know your value better than anyone else."

"You just need to trust me, and trust yourself."

Tian Xiwei's tears flowed even more fiercely. She nodded vigorously, unable to speak, only able to whimper like a small animal.

Shen Mo sighed and reached out to wipe away the tears on her cheeks.

"Okay, if you keep crying, the cake will get too salty."

Tian Xiwei stopped crying and started laughing. Her crying and laughing at the same time made her look a little comical, but incredibly vivid.

She grabbed a tissue from the side and wiped her face haphazardly, took a deep breath, and straightened her back.

She grabbed a tissue from the side and wiped her face haphazardly, took a deep breath, and straightened her back.

"Then I'll keep practicing!"

The voice still had a nasal quality, but it was infused with renewed strength.

"Um."

Shen Mo nodded, leaned back against the mirror, casually bent his long legs, and struck a pose as if he was ready to stay for a long time.

"I'll watch you practice."

"I can't speak for other aspects, but when it comes to martial arts, I, your brother Mo, have some authority to speak on that."