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

In a private room at a private club located on the Third Ring Road in Beijing.

Wang Zhonglei held a cigar in his hand, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

He turned his head to look at Feng Xiaogang across from him, raised his glass and said, "Xiaogang, that was a pretty clever move of yours."

Feng Xiaogang held his wine glass, his smile subtle, but a hint of smugness shone in his eyes.

"It's because this kid is too high-profile."

He took a sip of his drink and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"A few months ago, they released a movie that grossed 1 billion yuan, 'Take My Brother Away,' and now they want to make another movie, 'Goodbye Mr. Loser,' and they also want to make two girls famous at the same time."

He paused, a hint of disdain in his voice, "It's not that easy."

Wang Zhonglei sat to the side, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.

"Praising one while belittling the other, this tactic is indeed effective. Don't they want to promote Bai Lu and Meng Ziyi? Then let them fight each other first."

"It doesn't necessarily have to turn into a fight."

Feng Xiaogang put down his wine glass, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"We can just fight it out in the public opinion arena. What do the audience like to see? They like to see comparisons and tearing each other apart. One person is praised to the heavens, and the other is trampled into the mud. We don't need to get involved ourselves; those marketing accounts will pounce on them on their own."

"Moreover, he needs to let outsiders know that he, Mohen, can't make everyone popular. In fact, there are internal competitions, conflicts, and backstabbing among them."

Wang Zhongjun nodded repeatedly, "I suggest you also discuss the film's direction."

A glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Promoting materialism and encouraging people to get rich through plagiarism—these are just some of the evil practices that will get them into serious trouble."

"Audiences don't care what the movie is actually about. Once the label is on you, it's not so easy to remove it."

Wang Zhonglei laughed and replied, "Now that Huayi is gone, we're all relieved. Now we'll cause him some trouble and watch him frantically struggle. I find it quite amusing."

Feng Xiaogang waved his hand, his tone tinged with caution.

"I was trying to put him in a bad light, but on the other hand, I didn't want him to get in the way of my 'Mr. Six' project this year."

"Furthermore, we cannot let our guard down. This kid has a lot of influence now, and he has connections with major capital firms."

Wang Zhonglei shook his head and took a deep drag on his cigar.

"It's okay, you focus on your 'Mr. Six' and let us play along with him."

"If he can't even withstand this little bit of public opinion storm, then things will be even easier in the future."

Wang Zhongjun raised his glass, "We've done a lot of research on their artists, Mohen, lately, so we can spend some time with them."

"If he can hold on..."

He paused, his tone becoming more meaningful, "Then let's continue with the next work."

Feng Xiaogang didn't reply, but simply picked up his wine glass and gently touched it to Wang Zhonglei's.

"Come on, let's drink."

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Even after a night, the comments section of that trending topic was still a huge mess.

Some say Meng Ziyi is just a pretty face, others say her pool scene was the only highlight of the entire film, still others say the marketing campaign for Mohen was a disaster, and still others say she doesn't deserve to be compared to Bai Lu at all.

Meng Ziyi's fans are still trying, but their voices are as faint as a candle flame in a storm.

Correspondingly, Bai Lu's popularity is soaring, with her Weibo followers increasing by two million overnight.

Early in the morning, Bai Lu directly entered the password for Meng Ziyi's front door and pushed open the bedroom door with a "bang".

"Get up! Sister Meng!"

"Get up! There's a big meal waiting for you!"

"A wealthy family is treating us to a meal!"

The sudden noise startled Meng Ziyi awake. When she saw the large face in front of her, she shrank back in shock.

"Hehe, you're awake!"

"Don't stay in bed if you're awake! Get up!"

"It's already 2 PM!"

"Brother Mo said he's treating us to dinner today to celebrate the huge success of our first movie!"

Although she opened her eyes, Meng Ziyi's mind was still hazy.

The scene from last night seemed to be right before her eyes; the comforting atmosphere and the warm embrace made her feel completely intoxicated.

She wrapped the air-conditioning blanket around herself, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her little tongue was still gently gliding over her lips, as if savoring something.

She shrank back a little; the air conditioning temperature was still a bit too low for her so early in the morning.

When Bai Lu saw her action, her eyes lit up, she grinned mischievously, and reached under the covers with both hands.

"ah!"

The sudden chill instantly turned Meng Ziyi's brain on.

The main problem is that it won't work if it's not turned on; there's a pair of wicked hands causing trouble.

"Haku Mengken!"

"Don't go too far!"

There... there... Brother Mo hasn't even touched it yet!

Meng Ziyi finally pulled her two fair arms out from under the covers and retaliated against Bai Lu, who was laughing heartily.

After a chaotic scene, Meng Ziyi sat on the bed with messy hair, glaring angrily at Bai Lu sitting not far away.

"Go wash up, I'll wait for you."

As Meng Ziyi's close friend, she had been following the public opinion situation from last night until this morning.

She couldn't control the online arguments and comparisons, but she didn't want to lose this good friend.

Actually, when she came in, she could smell the strong smell of alcohol in the bedroom, and she knew that Sister Meng probably hadn't been feeling well last night.

That's why she tried to lift her spirits with a bunch of crazy play and frolicking, and it seems to have worked well.

At least, although she was glaring at him angrily, she had a smile on her lips.

I, Bai Mengyan, am truly a genius!

At 5 p.m., in a private restaurant near the China World Trade Center.

Upon hearing that there was a free feast to be had, Tian Xiwei, Liu Haocun, and Wang Churan immediately took a taxi and followed.

As soon as Shen Mo opened the door to the private room, Tian Xiwei rushed in, bypassing him and throwing herself at Meng Ziyi.

"Sister Meng! I missed you so much!"

Meng Ziyi was knocked backward by the bump and shoved her face away in annoyance.

"Didn't you see me at the company last week?"

"That's different!" Tian Xiwei said confidently.

"Your movie hadn't even been released yet! Now you're a big-screen star!"

Meng Ziyi's lips twitched: "The second female lead."

"The second female lead is also a female celebrity!"

Wang Churan, who was standing next to him, scoffed and muttered under his breath with a wicked grin.

"You just played the female lead in 'Take My Brother Away,' what's there to be envious of?"

Tian Xiwei immediately turned and glared at her: "That's different! That's a low-budget youth film! This is a big-budget comedy! They're different genres!"

"What's the difference? They're all movies."

"Wang Churan, are you here to cause trouble today?!"

The two were about to start fighting when Liu Haocun quickly stepped in to break them up.

"Stop arguing, stop arguing, today is a celebration..."

"What are we celebrating? Celebrating Meng Jie being trending on social media for being criticized?"

The air suddenly became quiet.

Liu Haocun's hand, which was trying to break up the fight, froze in mid-air. Tian Xi stared wide-eyed, stunned in place. Even Bai Lu, who had just picked up her teacup, paused.

Wang Churan was stunned, and then her face turned red instantly.

"I...I didn't mean that..."

She stammered, which was uncharacteristic of her, "I'm...that..."

Meng Ziyi looked at her and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Alright, alright," she waved her hand, her tone quite relaxed.

"I know you didn't do it on purpose. And what you said isn't wrong, I did get trending on social media for all the wrong reasons."

"Sister Meng..."

Tian Xi looked at her cautiously, "Are you...are you alright?"

"What could possibly be wrong with me?"

Meng Ziyi picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of pork rib.

"Let them scold us, it won't hurt us."

"Moreover, many people want to trend on social media, but they can't."

She spoke casually, but the people present had all known her for some time, and they could still detect a hint of resentment in her words.

Liu Haocun spoke softly, "Sister Ziyi, you acted really well."

Meng Ziyi paused in her chewing of the ribs.

"What's so good about it?" she asked directly, without any attempt at subtlety.

Liu Haocun was taken aback, then thought about it seriously.

"Exactly, I feel that your portrayal of Qiuya is very good, not as superficial as they say."

Meng Ziyi gave Liu Haocun a deep look, smiled slightly at her, and then lowered her eyes again.

Tian Xiwei nodded frantically beside her, "Yes, yes, yes! I think so too! And that pool scene of yours was really beautiful! I'm so tempted to go there too!"

"That's the scene that got criticized and trended on social media." Meng Ziyi glanced at her sideways.

"That's because those people don't know how to appreciate it!" Tian Xiwei said confidently, hands on her hips.

"She's beautiful! Our Sister Meng is beautiful! Meng Da is gorgeous! Even if you let them be as naturally beautiful as lotuses emerging from the water, they might not dare to! They're just envious and jealous!"

Wang Churan whispered a comment from the side.

"Exactly! How can you call it selling sex appeal! That scene didn't even show as much skin as the beach scene..."

She was halfway through her sentence when she realized everyone was staring at her, and her voice trailed off.

Wang Churan felt uncomfortable under their gaze, turned her face away, and spoke in a stiff voice.

"What are you looking at? I'm just telling the truth. Those who are criticizing it didn't understand the movie at all."

Meng Ziyi paused for a few seconds, then laughed.

"Chu Ran, are you really here to praise me today?"

"Of course!" Wang Churan proudly raised her chin. "Our Sister Meng is so wonderful, those people are just talking nonsense!"

Bai Lu, who was watching the drama unfold, was amused. Shen Mo pushed her aside and forced her into a seat.

"Alright, alright, everyone, sit down! All you do is flatter me!"

"I'm here to confess my feelings!"

Tian Xi put her arm around Meng Ziyi's shoulder, gently raised her chin, and then raised an eyebrow, making Meng Ziyi cover her mouth and burst into laughter.

Wang Churan and Liu Haocun also burst out laughing.

The atmosphere finally relaxed.

Everyone sat back down, and the girls chattered away, constantly comforting Meng Ziyi, keeping her smile on her face.

These girls... are quite good at comforting people.

But why is Shen Mo so quiet right now?

From the moment he entered until now, he has been sitting in the main seat, occasionally exchanging a few words with Bai Lu, occasionally being pulled aside by Tian Xiwei to ask her all sorts of questions, and occasionally glancing up at the two of them making a ruckus.

But he didn't say a single word to her alone. Could it be that what happened last night was just a dream?

Meng Ziyi looked up at him, but couldn't discern anything she wanted from his expression.

Then he silently lowered his eyes, his chopsticks unconsciously poking at the rice in his bowl.

"Sister Meng!"

Bai Lu's voice suddenly rang out, and Meng Ziyi slowly looked up.

"Check the trending topics on Weibo!"

Meng Ziyi pouted, picked up her phone, and opened it. A moment later, her eyes widened in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Liu Haocun, who was standing next to him, curiously peeked over.

Meng Ziyi put her phone on the table, and the screen showed the trending topics list on Weibo.

The hashtags #GoodbyeTrouble#, #BaiLuMaDongmei#, and #ShenTengXiaLuo# are still trending in the top few spots.

But right now, two trending topics are rapidly climbing up the ranks in the teens!

#Meng Ziyi is so beautiful#

#Qiuya is a good girl#

Clicking on it, the top of the page is a long article by a film critic.

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Everyone is praising Bai Lu's acting skills, but I want to praise Meng Ziyi's Qiu Ya—that "white moonlight" we once overlooked.

Qiuya is a good girl!

The vain and materialistic Qiuya in Charlotte's dream was a figment of his imagination.

Charlotte is vain and unfaithful in his marriage; he is merely projecting himself onto Qiuya in his dreams.

The real Qiuya is only seen in the opening and closing scenes.

Qiuya is a very good-tempered person. Whether it was Xia Luo revealing her early romance in front of her husband or Dongmei calling her husband "uncle," she did not get angry or embarrassed.

The explanation was quite natural: this is my husband.

After Xia Luo went on a drunken rampage and disrupted the wedding before running into the bathroom, did Qiu Ya chase Dong Mei away? Did she get angry and refuse to get married? No!

She held up the crowd and led her classmates to search for Xia Luo everywhere, and accompanied Dong Mei with everyone. Wasn't this friendship sincere enough?

After Xia Luo woke up from the dream, the couple reconciled, and Qiu Ya smiled with relief and clapped her hands in blessing.

Such a tolerant and generous girl, beautiful, intelligent, and gentle, deserves to be liked and to find happiness.

Some might say that Qiuya married a husband who doesn't look very good, and that she must have married him for money.

But if it really was about money and power, why didn't she choose Yuan Hua? His father was the district head, he was successful in his career, and he was handsome. Why wasn't he her marriage partner?

When Qiuya got married, Xia Luo and Dongmei were no longer young, which shows that she was also quite old.

If he's really just a rich guy who only cares about looks, why doesn't he find a younger, more attractive girl?

So is it possible that Qiuya, who is not young, met her current husband, who, although not good-looking, is gentle, cultured, and well-mannered, and thus they got married?

Charlotte judges people by their appearance, but Qiu Ya is different. Although her husband is not good-looking, he has a very generous heart.

For example, when his wife's junior high school classmate caused trouble at the wedding, he didn't say a single unpleasant word from beginning to end. Can you imagine how magnanimous he is?

Having talked about Qiuya, let me now talk about Mengziyi.

She presented Qiuya's deep-seated clarity in an extremely restrained way.

There were no dramatic expressions, no memorable lines, only subtle glances, micro-expressions, and delicate body postures.

The most difficult part of this kind of performance is that if you're not careful, you can be completely ignored by the audience.

But Meng Ziyi succeeded; she allowed Qiuya to radiate a gentle light even on the verge of being overlooked.

Even the Qiuya in the dream was portrayed with such depth, a materialistic, superficial, and stereotypical gold-digging school beauty that I almost thought Qiuya was really such a bad woman.

This is probably the most precious thing about Meng Ziyi as an actress: her performance as Qiu Ya is not overly dramatic, but her scenes can withstand close scrutiny.

Finally, I want to say that Meng Ziyi has a really good figure. I love this big Qiuya!

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