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

In September, as night fell in Gansu, the Hundred Flowers Awards red carpet was being laid out.

The flashes of cameras and lenses transformed the area into a silvery sea.

The cheers of the onlookers grew louder and louder, all craning their necks in anticipation of their idol's arrival.

As a black limousine slowly came to a stop at the starting point of the red carpet, the commotion gradually subsided, and people began to speculate about who would be appearing.

The car door opened, and Shen Mo appeared.

The quiet red carpet suddenly erupted in fervent screams and gasps.

He wore a custom-made black Armani tuxedo with a peak lapel, which perfectly accentuated his tall and slender figure with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

The dress was not overly decorated, with only a simple diamond brooch at the neckline, exuding understated luxury and prestige.

His hair was combed back, revealing his forehead, deep-set eyes, and still clearly defined jawline.

Compared to his debut when he won the Best Actor award, Shen Mo now exudes a more restrained yet more imposing aura.

It's not just the aura of a celebrity, but also the air of a powerful figure who controls capital and strategizes.

He stood by the car, turned slightly to the side, and extended his hand in a gentlemanly manner.

A slender, fair hand wearing a matching diamond bracelet gently rested on his palm.

Li Yitong gracefully stepped out of the car, instantly brightening up the red carpet.

She wore a one-of-a-kind vintage Saint Laurent gown from 1984, featuring a black velvet strapless bodice paired with a gold jacquard A-line skirt. The 24K gold thread embroidery shimmered under the lights, and the pearl embellishments at the neckline were exquisite and dazzling.

She loosely tied her hair up, revealing her beautiful, slender neck and well-defined collarbones, with a few stray strands falling down, adding a touch of languid charm.

Her makeup was light and natural, highlighting her signature crescent-shaped eyes. At this moment, her eyes sparkled with both girlish liveliness and a touch of mature composure and confidence.

Shen Mo's arm was slightly bent, and Li Yitong naturally slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, and the two stood side by side.

She instantly became the undisputed focus of the entire event.

"Shen Mo! Shen Mo!"

"Tongtong! Look here! Ah—!"

"Oh my god! They walked the red carpet together!"

"Oh my god, my favorite ship is real! Ahh, I'm dying!"

The fans at the scene went almost crazy, waving their arms frantically with light sticks and banners, and shouting their names at the top of their lungs.

The flashes went off wildly, almost swallowing the two figures in a sea of ​​light.

The comments section of the live stream was even more heated.

"Holy crap! Shen Mo's aura is amazing!"

"Li Yitong is so beautiful! This dress suits her perfectly; she exudes elegance and poise!"

"I could ship them walking the red carpet side by side for a million years! That's what true, evenly matched love looks like! Mohen and his sister are a perfect match!"

However, more questions soon emerged.

"Didn't Shen Mo have no nominated works? Why is he here? Just showing up because of his reputation?"

"Li Yitong nominated for Best Supporting Actress for 'Silent Witness'? The movie's box office was so-so, how could she possibly win an award?"

"Her performance in 'Silent Witness' was truly a breakthrough; her transformation was very successful. Why shouldn't she win? Her acting skills are undeniable."

"Tch, isn't it all thanks to Shen Mo and Mohen's resources that she's being heavily promoted? Without the popularity of 'My Love from the Star' and 'The Journey of Flower,' who would even know her?"

However, the counterattack immediately followed the next second.

"Upstairs Village has internet access? Shen Mo was the Best Actor at the previous Hundred Flowers Awards, and he was invited to present the award to the new Best Actor this year!"

"It's perfectly normal for Shen Mo to present the award; his industry standing and influence are undeniable. He's also helping Li Yitong get some recognition. What's wrong with that?"

"Li Yitong graduated from Beijing Dance Academy. The popularity of 'My Love from the Star' and 'The Journey of Flower' was due to her starring roles. Now, she has broken through with her acting skills in 'Silent Witness' and won an award. So what?"

"The good resources they have are something they earned through their own hard work!"

"Which of Mohen's dramas isn't a hit? Li Yitong, as a core partner and actress, is indispensable in terms of both ability and vision."

"Looking forward to Tongtong winning the award! She deserves it!"

On the red carpet, Shen Mo and Li Yitong walked steadily, stopping occasionally to pose for photos with the media.

Shen Mo tilted his head slightly and whispered something in Li Yitong's ear. Li Yitong couldn't help but smile, her crescent-shaped eyes curving up, and she subconsciously punched his arm lightly.

The familiar intimacy and sweetness that flowed naturally drew excited screams from fans and even more frantic camera shutter clicks.

As I walked to the interview area in the middle of the red carpet, the host, Jing Wei, greeted me.

"Welcome Shen Mo, welcome Yi Tong! You two are truly dazzling tonight, you've dazzled us!"

Jingwei skillfully started the conversation.

"Shen Mo, as the winner of the Best Actor award at the previous Hundred Flowers Awards, how do you feel about returning this time as a presenter?"

Shen Mo took the microphone, a polite smile on his lips.

"I feel honored and deeply moved."

"The Hundred Flowers Awards are an award chosen by the audience through votes, so they carry a lot of weight."

"Witnessing the birth of a new Best Actor is both a joy and a responsibility for filmmakers."

"What about Yitong?"

Jing Wei then shifted the topic to Li Yitong.

"How about your Best Supporting Actress nomination for 'Silent Witness'? Are you nervous?"

Li Yitong held the microphone, revealing her signature crescent-shaped eyes.

"I'm so nervous, my palms are practically sweating."

As she spoke, she made a gesture of gently clenching her fist, which drew good-natured laughter from the audience.

"But mostly I feel happy and grateful."

"Being seen and recognized by the audience and judges for this role, the nomination itself is the greatest encouragement for me."

"More important than the result..."

She paused, glanced at Shen Mo beside her, and her smile deepened.

"I'm already very satisfied to be able to enjoy this evening with so many outstanding filmmakers."

"Looks like you have a very good mindset!"

Jing Wei smiled.

"So, Shen Mo, is there anything you want to say to Yi Tong? Or, could you make a prediction?"

Shen Mo's gaze calmly fell on Li Yitong, then turned to the camera.

"We can see from the movie that she put a lot of effort into this role and made a great breakthrough."

"As a fellow actor, I admire her hard work and performance."

"As the boss, the outcome is not important; we respect all results. But no matter what, she is someone I can be proud of."

Shen Mo's words, seemingly calm on the surface, contained profound meaning upon closer examination, instantly causing the comment section of the online live stream to erupt in excitement once again.

"Well said!" Jingwei concluded at the opportune moment.

"Thank you both again. Please move to the inner area. Best of luck to Yitong tonight!"

Shen Mo nodded slightly and once again gentlemanly stepped aside, indicating that Li Yitong should go first.

Li Yitong waved to the media and fans, leaving a bright smile, and then walked side by side with Shen Mo towards the inner venue.

The entrance of Shen Mo and Li Yitong in the inner rest area attracted the attention of countless people.

"This must be Shen Mo, the boss of Inkmark."

"You wouldn't believe it, he's so young but ruthless. He even took down Hua Yi."

"Shh, keep your voice down. The other big shot who took down Huayi is sitting right next to us."

Sun Zhonghuai stood up, straightened the wrinkles in his suit, nodded to Deng Chao and Huang Xiaoming, and the two of them also got up and followed him toward Shen Mo.

At the same time, two other groups of people also came over.

Xu Zheng, Wang Baoqiang, and Huang Bo from the "Lost in Thailand" film crew, along with Chen Zhixi from Mohen Pictures, who served as the producer.

No matter when or where, ( ) will always be your most loyal reading companion.

The production team of "Silent Witness" includes directors Fei Xing, Sun Honglei, Guo Fucheng, and Yu Nan.

Sun Zhonghuai was the first to walk over and shake hands with Shen Mo, exchanging pleasantries.

"President Shen is a bit late. No wonder you were last year's Best Actor."

Shen Mo smiled in response.

"Mr. Sun, you flatter me. It was the organizers who wouldn't let me come out first."

He then turned his head and reached out to look at the two people beside Sun Zhonghuai.

"Long time no see, Brother Chao. Hello, Brother Xiaoming."

Deng Chao and Huang Xiaoming quickly stepped forward and gently grasped Shen Mo's hands before letting go.

Deng Chao never expected that when Shen Mo came to participate in Running Man last year...

I don't have any particular feelings about this artist who also serves as the company's boss, since there are quite a few artists who own their own companies.

Moreover, his company was indeed nearly destroyed under Huayi's attack.

Even though he won the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor, Deng Chao didn't care, since he had won the Best Actor title himself before.

Besides, he's too young, only in his early twenties, making it hard for anyone to take him seriously.

When the variety show was being filmed, they even treated him like a newcomer in the entertainment industry.

Now look what's happened! The entertainment industry giant and the leader of the Beijing entertainment circle that he once regarded has been directly brought down by him.

In the time since Huayi's downfall, the entertainment industry has thoroughly studied the tactics used by the three companies that joined forces with Mohen.

The more you learn about it, the more terrified you become.

However, at this moment, Deng Chao felt the same way as Huang Xiaoming regarding Shen Mo, in addition to a trace of fear and respect.

If it weren't for Shen Mo and his team's actions...

They probably won't have much of a chance to join the Tencent Pictures family.

Although Huayi is quite powerful, it is insignificant compared to the strength of Tencent.

Leaving aside Tencent itself, Penguin Pictures, in addition to owning the Penguin Video platform, has also perfectly taken over Huayi Brothers' production team and talent agency business.

Moreover, the current stage is the initial phase for Tencent Video and Tencent Pictures, which presents a great opportunity for the artists who have joined the company.

While the two were exchanging pleasantries with Shen Mo, Li Yitong also finished greeting Sun Honglei and the others, and then began to talk with Sun Zhonghuai.

"Congratulations in advance to Ms. Li on winning Best Supporting Actress today!"

Li Yitong covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "What is President Sun saying? We don't even know the outcome yet, and he's already opening champagne for me."

"If I don't get it later, Mr. Sun will have to compensate me."

Sun Honglei also chimed in.

"Others may not know, but don't I know?"

"Yitong, your hard work on set and your acting skills deserve this award. If anyone in the audience disagrees, I'll go and diss them for you."

Sun Zhonghuai smiled and waved his hand, "President Li, being too modest is not a good thing."

Sun Zhonghuai smiled and waved his hand, "President Li, being too modest is not a good thing."

"If you can't win this award, I'm afraid President Shen will cause a huge uproar in the media."

Li Yitong squinted her crescent-shaped eyes, but hadn't spoken yet.

Shen Mo shook his head and spoke.

"Mr. Sun, you're exaggerating. It's not as amazing as you say."

"Besides, this is just a small prize for Yitong."

"The real deal, the Best Actor award, will have to be decided by our seniors around us. Who will take home the trophy?"

At this point, Sun Zhonghuai followed Shen Mo's gaze and looked around.

Sun Honglei and Guo Fucheng from "Silent Witness", Deng Chao and Huang Xiaoming from "American Dreams in China", and Xu Zheng, Wang Baoqiang, and Huang Bo from "Lost in Thailand".

Tonight's Best Actor nominees had all unknowingly gathered around Shen Mo.

All that's missing is Tony Leung, who starred in "The Grandmaster," and the list of top contenders will be complete.

Li Yitong and Chen Zhixi were left to chat with the others, while Shen Mo and Sun Zhonghuai exchanged glances and slowly walked out of the crowd.

"Does Mr. Shen have any expectations for the Best Actor candidate?"

Sun Zhonghuai spoke first, voicing his curiosity.

After taking over the production rights to Huayi Brothers' film "Partners," he put a lot of effort into it.

After all, winning the Best Actor award would further boost Tencent Pictures' reputation and increase his influence within the company.

He wasn't worried about "Silent Witness" and "The Grandmaster".

The box office performance of "Silent Witness" was not good. Although box office and awards are not absolutely linked, box office is very important in the Hundred Flowers Awards, which are mainly based on public voting.

"The Grandmaster" is a film produced in Hong Kong, which naturally puts it at a slight disadvantage at the Hundred Flowers Awards.

The rest mainly depends on what Mohen produces: "Lost in Thailand" and Tencent's "American Dreams in China".

Therefore, he wanted to know Mohen's attitude, even though nothing could be changed now.

"Mr. Sun, don't worry, Mohen won't do anything to offend our allies."

Shen Mo smiled slightly and shook his head.

"Our focus shifted after you last talked to Zhixi about this."

"Besides, 'Lost in Thailand' is almost two years old, so it's not good enough for the Hundred Flowers Awards, a film festival that mainly uses popularity voting."

As soon as Shen Mo said this, Sun Zhonghuai could be heard to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Then I wish Mr. Li all the best in winning the award."

Sun Zhonghuai's words now sounded much more sincere than when he said them to Li Yitong earlier.

Now that Mohen has shifted its focus, it can't possibly be transferred to Sun Honglei, since he's not one of Mohen's people.

So, besides Li Yitong, who else could it be?

Moreover, she is also the co-founder of Mohen.

"Then I'd also like to wish Tencent Pictures good luck in winning its first Best Actor award."

Sun Zhonghuai nodded. As long as he could win the Best Actor award, it didn't matter to him who won it.

The two looked at each other and smiled simultaneously.

Li Yitong and the Best Actor nominees, who were chatting and gossiping nearby, were all drawn to the laughter and then turned back to the source of the sound.

Deng Chao and Huang Xiaoming exchanged a glance, both reading a knowing look in each other's eyes.

I just don't know who will win it.

On the other hand, the crew of "Silent Witness" had more complex feelings.

Director Fei Xing looked at Li Yitong, who was subtly surrounded by people, and felt a sense of nostalgia, as if they had been apart for three days.

He used to think of Li Yitong as a hardworking and popular actress, and at first he didn't really want to choose her, but her performance on set proved him wrong.

She portrayed the seemingly weak but actually extremely complex character with remarkable depth and nuance.

Her nomination, and even her win, were unexpected surprises for the original production team.

On the contrary, what surprised them was Li Yitong's current status in the industry, which she was demonstrating outside of the film crew.

She is the co-founder of Mohen, which in turn brought down the giant Huayi. Now, even internet mogul Sun Zhonghuai treats her with utmost respect.

No wonder a bunch of people were surrounding her.

The other artists, watching all this from afar and not daring to come forward, felt nothing but envy.

If Li Yitong wins this award, her status will be elevated once again.

Of course, many people were secretly rolling their eyes, thinking, "Isn't it all thanks to men? Anyone with Mohen's resources can become famous."

Fei Xing glanced at Sun Honglei and Guo Fucheng beside him, but his expression remained unchanged.

I was having a lively chat with Wang Baoqiang and Huang Bo, and these guys didn't seem to care much about the upcoming award competition.

Perhaps at their level, the wins and losses of the Hundred Flowers Awards no longer significantly affect their foundation.

Xu Zheng also didn't care much about the awards; he was currently whispering with Chen Zhixi about the filming of "Lost in Hong Kong."

At this moment, Li Yitong ended her chat with Sun Honglei and the others, and walked back to Shen Mo's side.

"That's about it, the red carpet is over, the staff over there are ushering us in to take our seats."

"Let's go."