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

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Tian Xiwei carefully placed the remaining tiramisu aside, rearranged her posture, took a deep breath, and tried to assume a standard horse stance.

Her reflection in the mirror swayed slightly, and her knees weren't at the correct angle.

"The center of gravity is too far forward."

Shen Mo's voice rang out from the side, "Imagine a small lead weight hanging from your butt, sinking down, with your toes gripping the ground."

Tian Xiwei adjusted as instructed, her brows furrowing again with focus, and her dimples appearing as she pursed her lips tightly.

She tried to feel it, but her body still swayed a little.

Shen Mo watched for a while, then suddenly stood up, walked behind Tian Xiwei, and half-squatted down.

When Tian Xiwei saw him approaching in the mirror, her body tensed up instinctively for a moment.

"relax."

Shen Mo's voice was right behind her ear, carrying a warm breath.

His hand gently pressed on the back of her waist.

"Here, your hips should be straight, not twisted."

The palm of my hand felt scorching hot through the thin T-shirt.

Shen Mo used his other hand to support the outside of her slightly trembling calf.

"Lower it a little bit more here, hold it steady."

Tian Xiwei adjusted the frame little by little according to his instructions. Although her thighs soon began to ache and tremble, the frame looked much better.

"Yes, keep it up."

Shen Mo stepped back half a step, still crouching slightly behind her, his arms outstretched to protect her in case she lost her balance and fell.

"Breathe, don't hold your breath. If you hold your breath until your face turns red and your neck becomes swollen, your breathing will become disordered, and your strength will dissipate."

Tian Xiwei quickly adjusted her breathing and maintained this position for about a minute. Tian Xiwei's legs trembled more and more violently, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Okay, stand up slowly, don't do it suddenly."

Shen Mo reached under Tian Xiwei's arm, caught her swaying body, and helped her to her feet.

"That's how martial arts training works."

He helped her slowly walk to the sofa and let her sit down to rest.

"But if you persevere, you'll see changes soon."

Tian Xi slumped on the sofa, panting heavily, watching Shen Mo walk back, take the box of tiramisu and mineral water she hadn't finished, and hand them to her.

"Let's replenish our energy."

She took a few sips of water, then scooped out a small spoonful of cake. The sweetness and cool water relieved her thirst and fatigue.

She turned her head to look at Shen Mo, who had sat down next to her again. He picked up the guitar she had just tossed aside and strummed it a few times. The off-key melody was surprisingly pleasant to listen to.

"Brother Mo," she suddenly said, her voice still a little breathless.

"Why did you learn martial arts in the past?"

Shen Mo's fingers paused on the strings, as if he were reminiscing.

"To beat up your sister Xue!"

At this point, he laughed unrestrainedly, his smile full of self-deprecating humor about his younger self.

"When we were little, she bullied me a lot because she developed faster than me and was taller than me."

Tian Xiwei curled up her knees and hugged them, resting her chin on her knees, and looked at him with wide eyes and an incredulous tilt of her head.

"Did you get beaten up later?"

Her tone was full of eagerness.

He turned to look at her. "What do you think?"

"Forehead……"

Tian Xiwei's words were stuck in her throat. The image of Li Yitong's thin body flashed in her mind, and even she, a junior high school student, could hardly suppress it.

Then look at Shen Mo beside her, who looks like he could be lifted up with one hand.

She couldn't imagine what it would be like if Xuejie were bullied by him.

That must be really exciting!

Shen Mo looked at her lifeless eyes and the slow, disdainful curve of her lips, and couldn't help but laugh.

His fingertips traced the strings, producing a deep hum that drew her attention back.

"Learning martial arts is very boring."

"But I think you can definitely stick with it and learn very well."

His voice was soft, and his gaze was fixed on the deep twilight outside the window, as if he had traveled through time.

There seemed to be a girl there, wearing shorts and a white T-shirt, with a high ponytail, standing behind me, imitating my martial arts practice moves every time I got up early.

At that time, Tian Xiwei was already a rising starlet who attracted much attention.

One day, she suddenly developed a strong interest in Shen Mo's early morning martial arts practice and kept pestering him to let her learn.

By then, she had shed most of her youthful naiveté, and her eyes radiated the confidence that came with her career success.

But when she got into position and practiced the few basic movements he casually taught her step by step, she was so focused and persistent.

He remembered the glistening sweat on her forehead, the slight pout of her lips when she turned around awkwardly, the puffing up of her right cheek, and the dimple that appeared and disappeared.

Exactly the same as now.

She was so tired that her legs trembled, and she held onto the barre to catch her breath, but when he turned to look at her, she immediately raised her face and gave a bright, yet slightly defiant, smile.

"Brother Mo, look! Isn't my practice much better now?"

He nodded with a smile, but was somewhat surprised.

Surprisingly, she actually managed to stick with it, even if it was just squeezing out an hour or two each week.

Later, he asked her why she suddenly became so interested in martial arts.

"Because I don't understand business negotiations, and you're not interested in my acting."

I want to spend more time with you!

"Aren't you tired? You finally got a break and a vacation."

"Being with you makes me feel relaxed and happy."

He sensed the earnestness and clumsy concern hidden within her voice, and from that moment on, he truly accepted the girl and stopped treating her as a mere charade.

"Brother Mo?"

A clear, slightly questioning voice abruptly pulled him back from his faded memories.

Shen Mo was slightly taken aback, and a sudden, discordant sound came from the strings at his fingertips.

He turned his head and met Tian Xiwei's large eyes, which were very close to his own.

She had recovered somewhat and was leaning closer to examine him curiously, her long eyelashes almost brushing against his face.

"What are you thinking about?"

She blinked and pointed out the window.

"It's completely dark, and you're still looking out the window. Is there a UFO outside?"

Looking at her lively and expressive face, the lingering melancholy in Shen Mo's eyes caused by memories quickly faded away.

The stubborn figure from his past life, sweating profusely in the morning light, gradually overlapped with the girl before him.

"It's nothing," he said, putting down his guitar with a hint of teasing in his voice.

"I was just thinking, if our little Tian'er learns martial arts well in the future, will he be able to protect me?"

"Right, our Boss Tian!"

She proudly raised her chin, her little mouth pouting high.

"That's right! From now on, Brother Mo, you'll be under my protection!"

Shen Mo was amused by her reaction. He reached out, but this time he didn't ruffle her hair. Instead, he bent his fingers and gently rubbed her puffed-up cheeks with his knuckles. The touch was soft and warm.

"Then I'll eagerly await it."

Tian Xiwei felt ticklish from his rubbing, shrank her neck, grabbed his mischievous wrist, and rolled her eyes.

"Once I've mastered martial arts, I'll help you fulfill your wish!"

"What wish?" Shen Mo asked, puzzled.

Tian Xi chuckled and whispered in Shen Mo's ear.

"I'll beat up Sister Xue for you!"

"Pfft—"

Shen Mo couldn't help but burst out laughing, the smile spreading from the corners of his mouth to the depths of his eyes, as countless scenes flashed through his mind.

Tian Xiwei was unhappy that Li Yitong's fingers were longer than hers, so she photoshopped her fingers in a group photo. This led to her being ridiculed by fans all over the internet. Enraged, she grabbed Li Yitong's hand tightly with her own fingers and shook it wildly. Li Yitong, who was much weaker than her, felt as if her hands were under anesthesia from being shaken so hard.

Seeing Li Yitong chatting happily with Sister Meng at the party, oblivious to her sitting next to her, she came back and pinned Li Yitong to the bed, tickling her wildly until Li Yitong could barely breathe.

On her birthday night, during a cream fight with multiple people, Xuejie, who was being pelted with cake by several others, retaliated. By the end, it was impossible to tell who had more cake on their faces...

It seems that... in his memory, there were indeed many instances of Tian Xiwei "bullying" Li Yitong.

"You..."

Shen Mo smiled and shook his head, then gently squeezed her warm wrist with his fingers, following the way she was holding it.

"If your sister Xue hears you say that, see how she deals with you."

He deliberately emphasized the word "deal with" in a meaningful way, and sure enough, he saw Tian Xi shrink her neck slightly, a hint of fear flashing in her big eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an even stronger fighting spirit.

She released his wrists, put her hands on her hips, and tried to puff out her small chest.

"So what if I heard you! I'm not afraid! Once I've mastered my divine skills..."

Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly lowered her voice, leaning closer with an excited air, as if sharing a secret.

"Brother Mo, let me tell you, I actually think Sister Xue is just a paper tiger!"

"Don't let her seemingly impressive appearance fool you; she's actually quite weak!"

"And another thing! She's easy to coax when she's being bullied!"

"I've never seen her angry."

"Last time I accidentally broke her lipstick, I hugged her arm and rubbed against her a couple of times, saying 'Sister Tongtong, I was wrong' a couple of times."

"She stopped being angry and even comforted me instead, hehe."

She spoke with great enthusiasm, her little expressions were incredibly vivid.

Looking at her quirky and smug expression, Shen Mo couldn't help but laugh along.

"Does your sister Xue know how easy she is to bully?"

Shen Mo teased her, leaning back slightly and looking into her bright eyes.

"From now on, whenever your Sister Xue bullies me, I'll have to rely on our 'Hero Tian' to get revenge for me!"

"Of course!"

Tian Xiwei's tail was practically pointing to the sky, and her little chin was held even higher.

"If Sister Xue ever bullies you again, I'll definitely..."

"I'll be the first to run!"

Seeing Shen Mo's puzzled and shocked expression, Tian Xiwei burst into laughter.

"I definitely can't beat Sister Xue right now!"

"But don't worry, Brother Mo, I'll definitely be on your side!"

"When I grow taller than Sister Xue, I'll definitely beat her up for you!"

She waved her weak fist, her face full of conviction, her lips trembling wildly as she almost couldn't hold back her laughter.

Shen Mo's heart melted as he watched her try so hard to appear fierce, which only made her look more adorable.

"Okay, I've got it."

He nodded seriously, his tone smiling, and responded with a teasing remark.

"I'll call your sister Xue when I get back and tell her that Tian Xiwei is going to beat her up."

Tian Xiwei's smile froze instantly, and her dimples disappeared.

"No way, Brother Mo!"

"Help! That's going to kill me!"

"How could you bear to do this to your adorable Xiaotian?"

She pretended to cry her heart out, but not a single tear fell from her eyes; instead, her face was filled with a smile.

She knew her brother Mo was just trying to make her happy, so why would she care?

At that moment, she felt warm and light inside, as if her heart was filled with sweet cotton candy.

I no longer worry about the fatigue and progress of training, nor do I feel anxious about comparing myself to others.