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

Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps it was destiny.

Just as Shen Mo had been standing there for what seemed like three or four hours, and the noise on campus gradually subsided and the school fell into the tranquility of lunch break, the small side door next to the tightly closed school gate creaked open.

A slender figure stepped out.

Even though they were wearing baggy, unstyled blue and white school uniforms.

Even though pigtails replaced the familiar long, flowing hair, her face still retained a touch of childishness.

But Shen Mo recognized her at a glance.

Tian Xiwei.

Beneath those signature, slightly thick bangs was skin as white as snow, but her nose was bright red, clearly indicating she had a cold.

She was holding a note in her hand, having just finished talking to the security guard; she must have asked for leave to come out for a medical appointment.

The moment I saw her.

All the chaotic thoughts in Shen Mo's mind strangely and instantly calmed down.

Li Yitong, who had been closely watching Shen Mo, immediately noticed the change in his aura.

It's a kind of relaxation that comes from the inside out, a relaxation that comes after tension.

She followed his gaze and immediately saw that...

In another time and space, there is a girl who is often disrespectful, loves to tease herself, and always likes to call herself "Xue~" in a sweet, drawn-out tone.

However, an unexpected change occurred.

Tian Xiwei had only walked a few steps out of the school gate when four more girls, also holding leave slips, emerged from behind her.

They handed over the note and quickly caught up with Tian Xiwei, but they weren't friendly companions.

They charged ahead recklessly, deliberately bumping into Tian Xiwei hard with their shoulders each time they passed by.

Then he let out a malicious, loud laugh and walked away.

Tian Xiwei staggered from the impact, her lips pressed tightly together, and she glared at them fiercely.

Without saying a word, he silently rubbed his sore shoulder and continued walking forward.

Shen Mo's brows furrowed instantly, and his eyes sharpened, but he restrained himself and did not step forward.

He simply took a step and silently followed Tian Xiwei a dozen meters behind.

Further away, at a distance of thirty or forty meters, Li Yitong silently stepped forward, following the two figures, one in front and one behind.

Her feelings were complex and hard to describe; she felt both heartache and joy for Tian Xiwei, and understanding for Shen Mo.

There was also a faint, almost imperceptible, bittersweet feeling that even I didn't want to delve into.

Seven or eight minutes later, Tian Xiwei turned into a narrow alley that was four or five meters wide.

The alley is lined with old residential buildings, quiet and deserted, with hardly any pedestrians in sight, except for the clinic sign hanging not far away that stands out.

Just as Tian Xiwei was about to reach the clinic entrance.

The four girls who had already run far away suddenly emerged from a side road next to the clinic, clearly waiting there to ambush them.

Seeing Tian Xiwei alone, they all revealed malicious smiles and quickly surrounded her.

Suddenly blocked by four people, Tian Xiwei was clearly intimidated by the sudden sense of oppression and subconsciously retreated.

His back slammed into a concrete utility pole in the middle of the alley with a thud, leaving him nowhere to retreat.

From a distance, it was impossible to hear exactly what they were saying, but their aggressive demeanor was clearly evident.

One of the tall girls, with a mocking look on her face, suddenly raised her hand, as if to slap Tian Xiwei across the face!

Shen Mo immediately spotted Tian Xiwei, who was surrounded in the middle, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the force.

He knew that Tian Xiwei was outwardly gentle but inwardly strong, and never easily admitted defeat.

Faced with this situation, she would most likely choose to fight back, even if it's like throwing an egg against a rock, she would still fight the other party.

But how could he just stand by and watch this happen?

Just as the slap was about to land—

"Stop! What are you doing?!"

A low growl filled with anger, delivered in the slightly stiff but clear Chongqing dialect that Tian Xiwei had once taught him, reverberated through the quiet alley.

Shen Mo's tall figure rushed forward in a few strides. His face was cold and his eyes were sharp as knives. He exuded an undeniable sense of pressure from an adult male.

The four girls were startled by the sudden reprimand and the tall man rushing towards them.

Their arrogant demeanor vanished instantly, and they exchanged a panicked glance, not daring to utter a single harsh word.

Like a startled rabbit, it took off running and disappeared at the other end of the alley.

In the alley, only Tian Xiwei, still shaken, remained, leaning against a telephone pole.

Shen Mo, who was standing a few steps away from her, was still breathing heavily.

Tian Xi raised her head slightly, her large, wet eyes filled with wariness and fear, looking at the strange man who had suddenly appeared and come to her rescue.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps above the alley, outlining his tall figure and striking profile.

Her heart was pounding like a drum, a mixture of the panic of surviving a disaster and an instinctive wariness of the stranger in front of her.

Shen Mo looked at her, at that incredibly familiar face that now seemed so unfamiliar and naive. A thousand words stuck in his throat, but in the end, he couldn't utter a single one.

At the alley entrance, Li Yitong stopped and stood there quietly, disappearing into the shadows of the corner.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Although Shen Mo tried his best to suppress his surging emotions and make his voice sound as calm as possible, a trace of concern that was not easily detected still leaked out.

He looked at her slightly reddened nose and her pale face, which was pale from fright, and his heart felt as if it were being wrapped with a thin thread, tightening slightly.

To everyone's surprise, the scene of being terrified and on the verge of tears that I had imagined did not occur.

Tian Xi blinked her big, wet eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, and stared at Shen Mo's tense face for a few seconds.

Sudden.

"Pfft!"

She laughed out of the blue without warning, and a shallow dimple appeared on her right cheek.

"Big brother, your dialect is so funny!"

Although her voice still had a slight nasal tone from a cold, it was exceptionally clear.

His tone was full of undisguised teasing, instantly shattering the tense and dangerous atmosphere from before.

With a heart as big as hers, even her WeChat signature is WarGreymon. How could mere bullying that hasn't caused her any real harm have a lasting impact on her?

With the danger over, her attention was immediately drawn to the overly handsome "big brother" in front of her, who spoke with a stuttering accent.

As for why he's called "big brother"?

Is it because you felt a sense of closeness at first sight?

Or it's simply because he's handsome!

Thinking this way, Tian Xiwei gave herself a mental pat on the back.

While teasing him, she also took the opportunity to look Shen Mo up and down, her gaze bold and direct, from his long, straight legs to his well-defined jawline.

They showed none of the shyness and restraint that a typical junior high school student would have when facing strangers.

"Thank you anyway!"

She smiled brightly, as if she hadn't been the one who had just been cornered.

Then, as if remembering something, she naturally raised her hand, put her five fingers together, and playfully flicked her fingertips outward near her temple.

A standard, slightly nonchalant, and incredibly cute kitten salute.

"Thank you for saving me!"

She spoke with a smile, using her unique, slightly smug tone.

This is probably her alternative interpretation of her "mature and sophisticated" personality.

After making this signature move, she didn't wait for Shen Mo's response before touching her school uniform pocket.

He pulled out a small packet of individually wrapped cookies and skillfully tore it open.

With a "crunch," his cheek swelled up slightly, like a hamster hoarding food.

He chewed while speaking indistinctly, his big eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Big brother, you're not from around here, are you? Are you looking for someone, or are you traveling?"

Her rapid change of mood caught Shen Mo off guard.

One second they're a poor little thing that needs rescuing, the next they've turned into a curious little thing.

This familiar yet unfamiliar, vibrant image overlapped with the girl in his memory who would collapse from exhaustion and fall asleep instantly on his shoulder, and who would bravely kiss him on her 28th birthday to announce her decision.

Yet they possess a purity and carefree spirit unique to their age, untouched by the ways of the world.

Shen Mo looked at her red nose, but her bright smile, and how she was eating cookies while looking him over, and he felt a mix of emotions.

He opened his mouth, but when he met her clear, curious gaze, it all turned into a silent sigh.

He simply nodded slightly in the end, and, avoiding the main point, switched back to standard Mandarin, saying, "Just passing by."