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

The office of the Performance Department at Taipei Film Academy was filled with the aroma of soy milk and steamed buns, as a group of teachers chatted and ate breakfast in a lively atmosphere.

"Wow, it's quite lively here!"

Wang Chunzi, who was promoted to head of the performing arts department last year, walked in and greeted everyone with a smile.

Hello everyone, Happy New Year!

Good morning, Director Wang!

"Teacher Wang is here!"

The teachers responded one after another, but their eyes were involuntarily drawn to the figure behind him.

Shen Mo followed Wang Chunzi in and smiled as he looked at the room full of familiar teachers.

Hello everyone, Happy New Year!

The office fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even greater commotion.

"Oh ho! Who do we have here!"

Hu Aiming, the teacher who taught Shen Mo's lines, pushed up his glasses and was the first to laugh out loud.

"Isn't this our big star and boss?"

"What strong wind blew you here?"

The acting teacher, Liu Zhongzhe, was even more direct. He immediately slapped Shen Mo on the shoulder with considerable force, but his face was full of smiles.

"You brat, you still remember to come back and visit? Where's Li Yitong? Didn't she come with you?"

This was the person who used to tease him and Li Yitong the most.

A female teacher who looked unfamiliar with Shen Mo curiously sized him up and whispered to Wang Chunzi.

"Director Wang, is this Shen Mo, the prized student you always talk about?"

"I look more energetic in person than on TV, no wonder I'm so popular."

Wang Chunzi felt a surge of pride and pulled Shen Mo over to introduce them.

"Ms. Xu Qian, this is Shen Mo. Shen Mo, this is Ms. Xu Qian, the class teacher of this year's performance department."

"And this is...?"

Shen Mo smiled and turned to the side, gently leading Tian Xiwei, who had been quietly following behind him, to the front.

"Teacher Wang, Teacher Xu, and other teachers, this is my little sister, Tian Xiwei."

Tian Xiwei quickly and obediently bowed: "Hello, teachers."

Liu Zhongzhe squinted at it, then slapped his thigh.

"No wonder she looks familiar! We were just talking about her, the star art student of this year's exam, Fang Duoduo from 'A Little Reunion,' right? She also had a cameo in the movie 'My Old Classmate.'"

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow, speaking with a hint of surprise.

"Teacher Liu, are you so well-informed? Even our little bit of Xiao Tian's fame has reached you?"

Don't give me that!

Hu Aiming smiled and gave him a vague nod.

"You only come here when you need something."

"You brought your sister here specifically to familiarize yourself with the place, as if you were afraid we wouldn't know?"

His tone was teasing, yet it conveyed a sense of warmth.

"Don't worry, with her wit and charm in 'A Little Reunion,' passing the preliminary exam will be a piece of cake for her."

"Besides, the movie you two starred in is about to be released, right?"

"Take My Brother Away? If I remember correctly, that's the name. Your marketing and promotions are everywhere online lately, it's hard not to know about them."

Shen Mo took Hu Aiming's hand and shook it, his smile sincere.

"We really have to thank our teachers for always caring about us good-for-nothing students."

"You can't hide even the slightest sound."

"Now that the teachers all know..."

He put his arm around Tian Xiwei's shoulder and led her closer to the teachers.

"Then I'd like to formally recommend Tian Xiwei. She's a hard-working and talented young talent."

"The movie we're working on together, 'Take My Brother Away,' is a lighthearted and heartwarming story about siblings. We hope all the teachers will bring their families to support us and give us your feedback on our performances."

After he finished speaking, he gently patted Tian Xiwei's back.

Tian Xi understood, and bowed again earnestly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Thank you all for your attention and encouragement!

"Alright, don't be nervous."

Shen Mo gently ruffled her hair.

"Go to the front and get a number to line up. Do your best on the exam. Call me when you're done, and I'll come pick you up."

Tian Xi nodded vigorously, bowed to the teachers again, and then jogged away from the office.

"Are you relieved now?"

Wang Chunzi looked at Shen Mo, chuckled, and shook her head.

Shen Mo touched his nose, a smile revealing that he had been seen through.

"I'm relieved, thank you, teacher."

Liu Zhongzhe grabbed a xiaolongbao that hadn't been touched yet and handed it over.

"Have you eaten yet? Want to grab a bite? We'll have a tough day."

Shen Mo accepted the steamed bun without ceremony.

"Then I won't be polite. Thank you all for your hard work today."

"It's the same every year!"

Hu Aiming took a sip of soy milk and talked as she ate.

"Actually, you really don't need to make this special trip. We've already laid out the list of which celebrity art students are taking the exam each year."

"If we don't compete, our old friends from the Central Academy of Drama and the Shanghai Theatre Academy are eagerly waiting."

"We were just discussing whether this young lady would choose our Beijing Film Academy."

Shen Mo pulled up a chair and sat down, naturally joining the teachers at their breakfast table.

"Do the teachers think so highly of Xiaotian?"

"How could it not look good?"

Liu Zhongzhe took a bite of the steamed bun and spoke as he ate.

"Which year isn't a star candidate with performance experience, an existing audience, and a great image and temperament highly sought after?"

"Students like this don't come around every year."

"Like Gulnazar and Zhou Dongyu from the class of 11, and Meng Ziyi from the class of 13."

"Oh right, Meng Ziyi is also from your Mohen, right?" He looked at Shen Mo.

"Yes, Teacher Liu has a really good memory."

Shen Mo nodded and turned to the new homeroom teacher, Xu Qian.

"However, Ziyi is currently filming and has taken leave from school. She will come back to focus on her studies once she finishes filming."

Xu Qian asked with interest, "What movie are you filming? Is it convenient to tell me?"

Xu Qian asked with interest, "What movie are you filming? Is it convenient to tell me?"

"There's nothing inconvenient about it, filming is almost finished."

Shen Mo's tone was very ordinary.

"I play the female lead in Stephen Chow's new movie, The Mermaid."

"Pfft—cough cough!"

Liu Zhongzhe almost spat out his soy milk, Hu Aiming choked and coughed, and Wang Chunzi and Xu Qian also showed surprise.

"Good lad!"

After recovering, Liu Zhongzhe slapped Shen Mo on the back again, this time with more force than before.

"A Stephen Chow movie! And the female lead! You're really something! Stephen Chow has such a sharp eye for casting!"

In front of his mentors, Shen Mo revealed a rare mix of shyness and pride from his student days, chuckling to himself.

"It's because Ziyi worked hard and was also lucky."

"We also arranged a TV series produced by the company for her, which may take several more months."

"However, I promise that I will give her enough time to go back to school and study diligently, and she will not fall behind in her studies."

Wang Chunzi smiled and waved her hand.

"The acting department is different from other majors. At Beijing Film Academy, we value practical experience. Filming is also an important part of our learning."

"As long as the final exam is passed, it proves that the major has not been neglected, and the school supports students to go out and gain experience."

During our casual conversation, we learned that the exam was approaching.

The teachers tidied up and prepared to head to the examination hall.

After watching the teachers leave, Shen Mo also turned and left.

He knew that with Tian Xiwei's qualifications and prior experience, there was no need to worry about the preliminary exam.

But he still came.

He might be able to let go of others, but he always wanted to do more for Tian Xiwei, even if it was just to show his face, it would make him feel more at ease.

As soon as I stepped into the corridor, I ran into Huang Lei, who was carrying a notebook and a thermos.

"Oh, Shen Mo?"

Huang Lei paused, quite surprised.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Teacher Huang!"

Shen Mo greeted him with a smile, and judging from his posture and direction, he knew that he was probably one of the examiners.

"Send your daughter to take the exam."

"My daughter?"

Huang Lei was taken aback, then saw the teasing smile in Shen Mo's eyes and suddenly realized what was going on.

"Duoduo? That Xiwei? Is she taking the exam today too?"

Shen Mo nodded: "Yes, it was just taken in."

"With Teacher Huang here, this is quite a prestigious panel of examiners. Teacher Huang, you'll have to take good care of your daughter."

Huang Lei chuckled, then deliberately put on a stern face.

"Special treatment? We must be extremely strict in our oversight!"

"I want to see if this girl's acting skills have improved in the past two years."

"If she regresses, see what I'll say to her."

"Of course," Shen Mo replied with an unchanged smile.

"Then, Teacher Huang, please go ahead with your work."

"After the exams are over, I'd like to talk to you about something. Would that be a convenient time?"

A glint flashed in Huang Lei's eyes as he keenly caught something.

Shen Mo came to see me personally, so it must be about something important.

He nodded and readily agreed.

"Okay, I'll contact you after the exam. I'll give you a call then."

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

When Tian Xiwei arrived at the teaching building, she was met with a sea of ​​heads.

After signing in, receiving her number, and clutching the slip of paper that determined her order for the day, she quietly walked to a quiet corner and pulled her baseball cap down a little.

"Look! Isn't that Tian Xiwei?"

"Which one? The one who acted in 'A Little Reunion'?"

"Yes, Fang Duoduo! She's so fair-skinned and big!"

"Is her movie with Shen Mo coming out soon? It's all about GG (game over)."

"Yes, it's called 'Take My Brother Away'! My QQ is flooded with their pop-up ads. I'm so envious. While we're still fighting tooth and nail to get in, they're already acting alongside top stars."

"With her qualifications, is the art college entrance exam just a formality for her?"

"That's not necessarily true. Acting and taking exams are two different things. What if you get nervous and underperform?"

A murmur of quiet, dense discussion lingered in the air.

Envy, curiosity, scrutiny, and even a hint of barely perceptible sourness—Tian Xiwei paid no heed.

She simply pulled her hat brim down a little further, but her heart remained unmoved.

At this moment, what kept replaying in her mind was the scene when Shen Mo put his arm around her shoulder and introduced her to the teachers at the Beijing Film Academy.

The warmth of his hands, the self-righteous protectiveness in his tone, and the teachers' scrutinizing gazes...

A gentle sweetness and sense of peace welled up from the bottom of her heart, silently dispelling the slight tension she felt due to the art exam.

With Brother Mo around, she felt like she had nothing to fear.

As for the art exam itself?

She was even less worried.

During this period, under the guidance of the company's performance teacher, she worked hard on everything from reciting lines and physical performance to improvisation.

She didn't want to fail the exam; that would not only be a loss of face for herself, but also for Mohen and Mo-ge.

Thinking about this, she even felt a little eager to try it out.

It would be amazing to get first place.

"Hello, let me introduce myself. My name is Li Mingde."

A man's voice rang out in front of me.

Tian Xiwei pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked up.

A boy who had put some thought into his appearance stood in front of me, his hand outstretched, a self-satisfied, cheerful smile on his face.

She frowned slightly, her gaze quickly sweeping over his hands before returning to his face.

"Hello, Tian Xiwei."

She nodded, her voice indifferent, and showed no intention of raising her hand, which was resting at her side.

She has no interest, no need, and no desire to shake hands with a stranger.

"Tsk, got rejected, huh? This guy was just going around shaking hands with pretty girls."

"Exactly, he gets all worked up when people are even slightly polite to him."

"Do you think Tian Xiwei will shake hands with him too?"

"However, Tian Xiwei was quite direct; she didn't even lift a finger."

"Otherwise what? Do I have to be so polite with you? We're not even that close."

"Exactly, have you ever seen a celebrity casually shake hands with someone?"

The whispers around her drifted into her ears, but Tian Xiwei pretended not to hear them.

Li Mingde's smile froze for a moment, and he awkwardly withdrew his hand, touching the back of his neck.

"I saw you were here all alone, so I thought I'd come over and say hello, and make friends."

"oh."

Tian Xi responded with a soft sound, indicating that she had heard.

Her gaze passed over him, she tilted her head slightly, and casually glanced at the other candidates who were reciting their lines not far away, clearly having no intention of speaking to them.

Li Mingde stood there, seemingly wanting to find something to talk about, but Tian Xiwei's "do not disturb" aura made him open his mouth, but in the end he swallowed his words and awkwardly turned away.

Tian Xiwei quietly breathed a sigh of relief and refocused her attention on her preparations.

He touched the cold admission ticket in his pocket and silently went over the lines of the self-selected segment in his mind one last time.

Rather than dealing with irrelevant casual conversations, she was more looking forward to showcasing herself to Mo Ge's teachers in the exam hall later.

I will tell them openly and honestly that I, Tian Xiwei, can get first place without relying on back channels.

"Hi Xiwei, are you taking your exam today too?"

I heard approaching footsteps again and a man trying to strike up a conversation.

Tian Xi subconsciously frowned, the slight impatience of being disturbed just beginning to surface in her heart.

Looking up, I saw a familiar figure.

What came into view was a clean-cut and handsome face, which was now giving her a friendly yet shy smile.

Liu Haoran!

The slight aloofness on Tian Xiwei's face melted away instantly, and a bright smile appeared in her large almond-shaped eyes.

"Haoran? Hello! Are you also taking the exam this year?"

Her voice unconsciously became lighter and more cheerful.

"Yes, I just got here."

Liu Haoran nodded and naturally stood next to her. He had seen this empty corner and this lonely person when he first came over.

Upon recognizing Tian Xiwei, he instantly understood why no one had approached him.

However, he also breathed a sigh of relief, at least there was someone he knew there, so he wouldn't be like a clown being watched by others.

He is another signed artist of Mohen. He became a highly anticipated new generation actor with the hit movie "Detective Chinatown" during the Spring Festival. Like Tian Xiwei, he is a star candidate who has received much attention in this year's art exam.

However, Mohen trains male and female trainees are trained and managed separately. Although the two belong to the same company, they do not have many opportunities to meet or interact, and their interactions are limited to nodding acquaintances at company events and meetings.

"What a coincidence, I didn't expect to be in the same year as you."

Tian Xiwei's tone relaxed, carrying a sense of warmth as if she had found an acquaintance.

When facing Liu Haoran, who also came from the same ink-making background, she naturally let go of her aloofness and tension.

"Yes, I didn't expect that either."

Liu Haoran smiled.

"I saw you here alone over there, so I came over to say hello. How's everything going? Is everything ready?"

"It should be fine, right?"

Tian Xi nodded slightly, regaining her usual lively spirit.

"I prepared according to the instructions given by the teachers arranged by the company."

"And you? You came to take the exam right after 'Detective Chinatown' finished its theatrical run. Are you managing all that?"

"It's alright. I was preparing for exams before the film was released, and as soon as the promotional period ended, I quickly went into seclusion to catch up on my studies."

Liu Haoran scratched his head. "After all, exams are a big deal."

The two started chatting as if no one else was around, which immediately attracted more curious glances from those around them.

"Is that Liu Haoran?"

"Which one?"

"He was the male lead in 'Detective Chinatown,' the movie that grossed 1 billion yuan and was released on the first day of the Lunar New Year."

"Oh, it's him. I didn't expect him to be a candidate in this year's exams as well."

"No wonder, I was wondering who would dare to go and talk to Tian Xiwei. Just now, so many people saw that guy go up to chat her up and get rejected by her ugly face."

"But Liu Haoran actually knows Tian Xiwei?"

"They seem to be from the same company, both affiliated with Mohen!"

"Mohen? Shen Mo's company? Doesn't that mean they could potentially take the top two spots?"

"They have established works and fame, and they've actually acted before, so it's normal for them to get first or second place. How can we complete novices compare..."

The whispers drifted into their ears, but Tian Xiwei and Liu Haoran simply exchanged a smile and paid no attention.

Their shared company affiliation and somewhat similar circumstances quickly fostered a subtle resonance between them.

However, besides that, a sense of competition instantly welled up in my heart.

Looking back now, she instantly understood why her acting teacher had said during class that she might not get first place in the art exam.

It turns out that Liu Haoran was also taking the exam. His acting skills in "Detective Chinatown" made him a formidable competitor.

However, Tian Xiwei is fearless and determined to win first place.

She needed this first place to prove her ability to Shen Mo.

He also needs to prove to Li Yitong that her dance lessons and guidance were not in vain.

"Keep it up later."

Liu Haoran gave Tian Xiwei an encouraging gesture.

"The same to you!"

Tian Xi returned a bright smile, but her eyes were already full of fighting spirit and brilliance.