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

"Old Tian!"

Li Yitong suddenly stood up, her face filled with shock.

She quickly stepped forward and sat down next to Tian Xiwei, then put her arm around her.

Tian Xiwei slowly turned her head, glanced at Li Yitong's increasingly tight grip on her, and slowly raised her eyes to look into her eyes.

"Is it really you, Old Tian?!"

Li Yitong's voice trembled slightly, a mixture of surprise and unease.

"Ouch...that hurts!"

After Tian Xi cried out in pain, she burst out laughing.

"Haha, Brother Mo, Sister Tong, isn't my eye sharp? I learned it from my dream self!"

She quickly withdrew her hand from Shen Mo's and started to pull Li Yitong away.

"Sister Tong, it hurts! You're hurting me! Let go!"

Tian Xiwei's sudden change of expression startled Li Yitong.

Only then did she realize how much force she had used to hold Tian Xiwei's hand.

She quickly released her hand and gently massaged Tian Xiwei a few times.

Suddenly remembering something, he raised his head and stared intently at Tian Xiwei's face, trying to discern something.

After staring for a while, her brows furrowed into a deep frown, and then she suddenly slapped Tian Xiwei on the butt.

"Ah! Li Xue, what are you doing?!"

Tian Xiwei had just shouted out loud when she noticed that Li Yitong was frowning and staring at her without any change in expression, which made her feel a little guilty.

"Haha, what a strange feeling!"

Feeling flustered by the stares, Tian Xiwei awkwardly touched her face.

"Sister Tongtong, is there dust on my face?"

Why are you staring at me?

Seeing that Li Yitong did not reply, she secretly glanced at Shen Mo, her lips pursed in a deep pout.

Why did Brother Mo and Sister Tong's expressions suddenly change?

Did I say something I shouldn't have?

We just talked about a dream we had last night.

Shen Mo suddenly let out a long sigh, his heart sinking.

Just now, Tian Xiwei's look.

He almost thought she had really come back!

Tian Xiwei glanced at Li Yitong furtively again, then wrapped her arm around her and leaned in close.

"Sister Kiritong~"

"Sister Xue~"

"Snow~"

Familiar names, familiar faces, familiar gestures.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that familiar gaze.

Li Yitong breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Tian Xiwei's face, reached out and gently touched it, giving it a pinch.

"You..."

Although Tian Xiwei didn't know what was wrong with them, she didn't want to think about it too much.

He just chuckled, revealing a set of bright white teeth and clearly visible dimples on his face.

"But this dream was really fun!"

"How about we go to karaoke later?"

"Sister Tongtong will sing 'Red Sun,' and I'll sing 'Super Star.' Brother Mo... Brother Mo, what are you going to sing?"

Shen Mo looked into her expectant eyes and shook his head.

I don't sing much.

Tian Xi raised her chin slightly.

"That won't do!"

"Brother Mo, your voice is so beautiful, you must be a great singer! I definitely have to try it later!"

"it is good."

Shen Mo responded and picked up the teapot to refill the three people's cups with tea.

"Let's eat first, the food is getting cold."

"Yes, yes, let's eat first."

Tian Xiwei quickly echoed, she had been hungry all day, so she quickly let go of Li Yitong's arm and picked up her chopsticks.

Li Yitong tried to calm the turmoil and complex emotions in her heart, moved her bowl and chopsticks over, and simply didn't sit back down.

She picked up a piece of sushi and put it in Tian Xiwei's bowl.

"Eat more, it's your birthday today."

"Thank you, Sister Tongtong!"

Tian Xiwei happily accepted the feeding and continued to enjoy the delicious food.

She had no idea what kind of turmoil her words had stirred in the other two people.

During the rest of the meal, both Li Yitong and Shen Mo seemed somewhat distracted.

Only Tian Xiwei remained immersed in the joy of her birthday, savoring the delicious food and sharing more trivial matters from school.

After finishing her meal, Li Yitong took out a cake.

The delicate cream and fruit cake is decorated with candles bearing the numbers "17" and "24".

The lights were turned off, and candles were lit, their warm light illuminating the faces of the three people.

"Make a wish," Li Yitong said softly.

Tian Xiwei clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, her expression earnest and devout, with a satisfied smile on her lips.

A few seconds later, she opened her eyes, waited for Shen Mo to open his eyes as well, then puffed out her cheeks and blew out all the candles in one breath.

The lights came back on.

"What did you wish for?" Li Yitong asked.

Tian Xi shook her head mysteriously.

"Keep it a little mysterious."

But she then added.

I'll just name one.

"I hope so!"

"I hope the three of us can stay this close."

Li Yitong's heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something.

She looked into Tian Xi's slightly bright eyes and gently hugged her.

"Yes."

She whispered in Tian Xiwei's ear.

"We will always be this good."

Tian Xi was slightly taken aback, then happily hugged Li Yitong back.

"Um!"

When it came time to cut the cake, Tian Xiwei insisted on cutting it herself. She carefully divided the cake into three pieces, giving the largest piece to Shen Mo.

"Brother Mo is a boy, he should eat more!"

The second largest prize went to Li Yitong.

"Sister Xue, eat!"

Keep the smallest piece for yourself.

"I'm on a diet!"

Li Yitong was amused by her and stretched out her slender finger, dipped it in a little cream, and smeared it directly on her nose.

"Why are you trying to lose weight? You're still growing."

"Why are you trying to lose weight? You're still growing."

"But I still need to control it. I have to take the entrance exam for Beijing Film Academy in two months. How can I not control it?"

Tian Xi stuck out her little tongue, carefully scooped a spoonful of cake into her mouth, and squinted her eyes and tilted her head back in satisfaction.

"So delicious..."

Looking at her, the last trace of tension in Shen Mo's eyes finally dissipated.

The three of them ate cake and chatted, and the atmosphere in the private room became warm and cozy again.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened.

After dinner, Shen Mo drove Tian Xiwei to her apartment building.

She firmly rejected her idea of ​​going to karaoke, since she had to go to class the next day.

Before Tian Xiwei got out of the car, she suddenly jumped up from the back seat, grabbed Shen Mo's neck from behind, and pressed her face against his.

"Thank you, Brother Mo! I'm so incredibly happy today!"

Her voice, muffled on Shen Mo's shoulder, was filled with sincere gratitude.

Shen Mo froze for a moment, then raised his hand and gently patted her hand.

Happy birthday, Xiaotian.

"Yes, happy birthday, Brother Mo."

Tian Xi loosened her grip on him and then hugged Li Yitong in the passenger seat.

"Thank you too, Sister Tongtong! Love you all!"

"Go upstairs quickly and get some rest," Li Yitong said softly.

"Okay! Goodbye, Sister Tongtong! Goodbye, Brother Mo!"

Tian Xi waved her hand and skipped inside with her schoolbag on her back.

Just as she was about to turn and disappear into the darkness.

An urgent voice suddenly rang out.

"Little Old Tian!"

Tian Xiwei suddenly stopped and turned around, gripping the straps of her backpack with both hands, frowning and looking at her with a bewildered expression.

"Sister Tongtong, are you calling me?"

Li Yitong pursed her lips, shook her head, and said with a smile.

"It's alright, go inside."

"Remember to study hard. If you get into Beijing Film Academy, Sister Tong will help you with acting."

Tian Xi nodded slightly, a beautiful smile spreading across her face, and then walked inside step by step, turning back to look at herself.

Shen Mo only started the car again after her figure disappeared around the corner.

Silence fell over the carriage.

After driving for a few minutes, Li Yitong finally couldn't help but speak, her voice trembling and hollow.

"Shen Mo...that dream..."

"I remember," Shen Mo interrupted her.

Li Yitong gasped.

"How could this happen?"

"How could she dream...dream about a scene from her past life?"

"So specific? Clothes, songs, even things I've said..."

Shen Mo tightened his grip on the steering wheel: "I don't know."

"Could it be that she also has memories of her past life?" Li Yitong murmured.

"No, that's impossible. If she were, she wouldn't act like this..."

"Was it really just a dream?"

Li Yitong muttered to herself.

"A dream with an astonishingly coincidental element."

"But this is such a coincidence!"

Li Yitong stared blankly ahead.

"They all match! How could this be a coincidence?"

Shen Mo remained silent for a long time, so long that Li Yitong thought he wouldn't answer.

The car drove smoothly through the night, the shadows of the streetlights gliding past the windows.

Finally, he slowly spoke.

"Perhaps... it's not just the two of us who will come back."

Li Yitong was stunned.

She turned to look at Shen Mo; the lines of the man's profile appeared particularly resolute in the dim light.

"You mean...?"

"It's just a guess," Shen Mo interrupted her.

"Don't overthink it. No matter what, whether it's Little Tian or Old Tian, ​​she's still Tian Xiwei, and that's enough."

Li Yitong opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

She leaned back in her chair, watching the night view rushing past the window. Her mind kept replaying the radiant expression on Tian Xiwei's face when she described her dream, and her smile that night in her past life.

What does this dream mean?

Silence fell over the carriage once again.

Only the low rumble of the engine and the occasional honking of horns from outside the window accompanied the two as they drove through the night, each lost in their own thoughts.

Meanwhile, at this moment, Tian Xiwei was at home.

After washing up, the girl lay on her small bed. She remembered the dream she had just mentioned and couldn't help but laugh again.

It looks fun, I want to play it.

If it were possible in real life, going to karaoke with Sister Tongtong and Brother Mo would probably be a lot of fun.

As she thought about it, she slowly closed her eyes and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

On the other side, Shen Mo's car drove into the underground parking garage and turned off the engine.

After the engine stopped humming, the car fell into an almost frozen silence.

Li Yitong's fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her knitted cardigan.

Shen Mo didn't move either, his hands still on the steering wheel, his eyes lowered.

Silence swelled in the small space, and you could almost hear the rhythm of each other's breathing.

Finally, Li Yitong spoke first.

"Let's go up."

Shen Mo hummed in agreement, and the two of them got out of the car one after the other and entered the elevator.

Back in the living room, Li Yitong went straight to the sofa and sat down, feeling somewhat exhausted.

She is very confused right now.

Shen Mo walked up to Li Yitong, squatted down, and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

Li Yitong raised her head, her eyes wide open, filled with shock, confusion, and something else...

Shen Mo understood; it was the same almost absurd hope that he had in mind.

Li Yitong grabbed his arm, her fingertips turning white from the force.

"That scene, those details..."

There were only three of us present at the time.

"Xiaotian could know unless..."

Shen Mo picked up where she left off and sat down next to her.

The moment those words were spoken, a strange silence filled the space between them.

Li Yitong suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"She's back too..."

As Shen Mo listened to her rambling, a sense of relief and joy suddenly welled up within him, but what followed was an even heavier sense of guilt and unease.

"If she comes back too."

Li Yitong's crescent-shaped eyes curved as she turned to look at Shen Mo.

"Then we have one more person with whom we can completely understand each other."

"You can chat, joke, and use memes to your heart's content."

"very nice."

But then, her brows furrowed again.

"But if she's back, why... why does she look completely different?"

"Her attitude towards us, the way she speaks, is exactly like that of 17-year-old Tian'er!"

This was also Shen Mo's biggest question.

He frowned, trying to sort out his chaotic thoughts.

"There are two possibilities," he said slowly.

"First, her memory hasn't fully returned. It's probably just fragments, flashing by occasionally like that dream."

He paused for a long time, so long that Li Yitong couldn't help but ask him.

"What's the second one?"

Shen Mo took a deep breath.

"Secondly, perhaps her not returning was truly just a coincidence across time and space."

As Li Yitong processed this hypothesis, she suddenly remembered something and her body stiffened.

"I'd rather believe it's the first one."

a long time.

"That……"

"If it's the first scenario, if her memories gradually return, and one day she might even remember everything..."

Her voice suddenly trembled.

Will she remember... will she remember your engagement?

These words were like a cold dagger, piercing through the joy that Tian Xiwei might return.

Shen Mo closed his eyes.

"Once this drama wraps up, I'll go back... and marry Brother Mo!"

The images came rushing in.

Silence engulfed them like a tide, and a heavy sense of guilt pressed down on them.

To make up for the regrets of their past life, and to avoid missing each other again, they chose each other in this life.

But if Tian Xiwei also came back, she really didn't know how she would face that old Tian.

"We..." Shen Mo looked into her eyes and began to speak.

"We didn't know she would come back, we just..."

"I made the choice I made in the present moment."

"But this is not fair to her." Li Yitong shook her head, tears finally streaming down her face.

"Besides, Old Tian's fiery temper isn't something you can easily get past..."

"So what do you want to do?" Shen Mo looked at her, his eyes filled with the same complexity and entanglement.

"Leave you? Go back to her?"

Are you willing to accept this? Are you willing to let her accept it?

"So what should we do?"

Li Yitong leaned helplessly on Shen Mo's shoulder.

"Pretend you know nothing? And continue this relationship?"

"But if she is really slowly regaining her memory, then what we're doing is deceiving her?"

She'll find out sooner or later.

Shen Mo pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back.

Let's take it one step at a time.

"First, we need to determine whether she just had a bizarre dream by chance, or whether fragments of her past life are gradually surfacing."

"If it's the latter, how frequently do you dream?"

"And, the dream I had was merely being observed by Xiaotian."

"Or perhaps, if all the dreams come together, they will completely restore my memories."

"He'll become Old Tian directly."

"Or perhaps, the personalities of Old Tian and Little Tian are a blend of each other."

Li Yitong nodded in his arms.

"And then what? If we're sure she really is back..."

Shen Mo smiled slightly and looked at her with relief.

"If she really comes back."

"Then we can only face it bravely."

"You're not thinking of running away, are you?"

Li Yitong raised her head, her slightly reddened eyes narrowing into crescent moons again.

"Where do you want me to run off to?"

Shen Mo pursed his lips and gently kissed her cheek.

"I hope you don't run away."

Li Yitong was stunned, then suddenly reached out and patted him.

"You're not just thinking about having multiple wives, are you...?"

"Are you willing?"

Li Yitong spat at him in embarrassment and anger, "Get lost!"

Shen Mo smiled, hugged her tighter, and then changed the subject.

"You could say that our rebirth was due to an elevator accident."

"But Lao Tian wasn't in the elevator at the time."

Why would she...?

The rebirth of one or two people could be attributed to chance, but what does it truly mean if a third person is involved?

"I don't want to think about it too much, I'll just take it one step at a time."

"Now I'd like to ask you a question."

Li Yitong looked up at him.

"If the memories were to merge, you would prefer to see the loving but irritable Old Tian from your past life."

"Is it still this innocent and adorable little girl, who's always running around us, who's in charge?"

"I have no idea."

Shen Mo shook his head honestly.

"And you?"

"Of course I hope so—"

Li Yitong paused for a moment and pondered.

You belong to me alone.

"But are you willing?"

The atmosphere quieted down again.

Li Yitong suddenly spoke up: "Should we...test the waters?"

Shen Mo shook his head: "No, let nature take its course."

"After all, ma'am, you don't want some Tyrannosaurus Rex that might come back to add another charge to your name and beat you up, do you?"

"She dares!"

Li Yitong leaned back on his shoulder, though tired, her tone was anything but weak.

"I've enhanced my body now, so it's not certain who will beat whom."

"She shouldn't think she can manipulate me like she did in my past life."

Shen Mo gently rested his chin on the top of her head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

After all, who knows if Lao Tian'er will be strengthened when he comes back?

"But, it would be even better if they really came back!"

After an unknown amount of time, Li Yitong spoke softly.

"Shen Mo".

"Um?"

"If Old Tian really comes back..."

"Let's face this together, okay?"

Shen Mo looked down at her and found that Li Yitong was looking up, her eyes clear and firm.

"it is good."

"Let's face it together."

Li Yitong finally relaxed.

"After all, our being together wasn't just your decision."

A tired but genuine smile appeared on her face.

"Now, go take a shower and go to bed. You have work tomorrow."

"You go first, I'll tidy up."

Shen Mo said.

Li Yitong nodded, got up and walked towards the bedroom.

As she reached the door, she suddenly turned back.

"Shen Mo".

"What's wrong?"

"No matter what happens."

Li Yitong looked at him, her crescent-shaped eyes curving gently under the light.

"You were my choice. That will never change."

Shen Mo felt a warmth in his heart and nodded solemnly.

Li Yitong then went into the bedroom and closed the door.

In the living room, Shen Mo sat alone, poured himself another half glass of whiskey, and savored the aroma of the whiskey in the air.

We have to face it eventually.

But even if Lao Tian comes back, he probably won't bring a knife.

Shen Mo held the wine glass and swirled it for a long time before drinking it all in one gulp. He then stood up and turned off the living room lights.

He went into the bedroom, where Li Yitong had already finished washing up and was lying on her side with her back to the door, seemingly asleep.

Shen Mo tiptoed into the bathroom, washed up, and changed into her pajamas.

As he lay down on the bed, Li Yitong turned over to face him, her eyes slightly open in the dim light.

"Shen Mo," she whispered.

"Um?"

"Happy birthday."

Shen Mo was taken aback.

"Thanks."

He responded softly and reached out to pull Li Yitong into his arms.

Li Yitong found a comfortable spot on his chest.

"Whether in the past life or this life, you are always my Shen Mo."

"Good night."

Shen Mo placed a light kiss on her forehead.

"Good night."

"Go to sleep."