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

Good books are never stopped being updated, waiting for you to appreciate them.

Weibo crashed less than ten minutes after Shen Mo was taken away.

It's not an exaggeration, it really crashed. The page froze, refresh failed, countless people flooded in at the same time, and the server crashed directly.

The technicians frantically worked to fix it for five minutes, but by the time the page was restored, the trending topics list had completely changed.

#ShenMoArrested#

#ShenMoInsiderTrading#

#The Ink Marks Are Gone#

The top three trending topics are all about Shen Mo!

Clicking in reveals a deluge of marketing accounts frantically publishing almost identical copy; anyone with a discerning eye can immediately tell that someone is directing an online army to manipulate public opinion.

But does it matter? No, it doesn't!

The important thing now is that Shen Mozhen has been taken away!

More importantly, colleagues in the industry finally saw an opportunity to openly kick someone when they're down.

[Exclusive! Top influencer Shen Mo suspected of insider trading, taken away by the China Securities Regulatory Commission for investigation!]

From "Billionaire CEO" to "Prisoner": The Rollercoaster Life of Shen Mo!

Is the Ink Trace Group about to collapse completely? Insiders reveal: the problem is more serious than imagined.

In the comments section, those who were cursing Tian Xiwei just a few hours ago now swarmed in as if they had found new prey.

Discussions about the topic are surging by hundreds of thousands of views per minute.

[Hahaha! I knew Shen Mo wasn't a good person! Now it's confirmed!]

[The entire company, from top to bottom, is rotten! Meng Ziyi, Liu Haocun, Tian Xiwei, Shen Mo—they all have problems!]

Where are those who praise Shen Mo? Come out and show yourselves!

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has come to his door; how could they possibly wrong him? There must be something wrong!

[Top influencer? More like a tumor!]

But another voice is still stubbornly resisting.

As a top male celebrity, Shen Mo naturally has a large number of fans, and these "ink fans" are unwilling and unable to believe it.

With the strength of their fan base, they fought against attacks from almost every intruder from the outside world.

[Where's the evidence? The person was just taken away to cooperate with the investigation, and wasn't even handcuffed, yet you've already convicted him?]

[You're all celebrating without even investigating anything properly, are you even human?]

They tried desperately to control the comments, to explain, and to defend their Mo Ge.

But ultimately, two fists can't fight four hands, and these voices were quickly drowned out by the bigger wave.

[Oh ho, still have the energy to resist? Those who idolize their idols are all a bunch of mentally unstable people!]

Do you think they'd arrest someone without evidence? What a joke! It's a tragedy that so many people like this kind of person!

[Wait for the truth! I believe in Shen Mo!]

[InkHen hasn't issued an announcement yet, why are you all in such a hurry?]

Desperate for an answer, countless fans and onlookers flooded the comment section of Mohen Media's official Weibo account.

[Please issue a statement! What exactly happened to Brother Mo?]

Your boss got arrested, and you didn't know? Are you playing dead?

Give me an explanation! Or I'll unfollow!

[Your artists are getting into trouble one after another, and now the boss is in trouble too. Is there any hope for this company?]

At the same time, the phone hotlines of all Mohen's companies were completely overwhelmed with calls, and employees in various business departments were busy answering one call after another, with no time to catch their breath.

"Hello, this is Mohen Media... We are not able to disclose any information at this time..."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhao is not available for an interview at the moment..."

"Which media outlet are you from? Please leave your contact information..."

I hung up one call, and another one rang.

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

Wang Zhonglei leaned back on the sofa, watching the constantly refreshing trending topics on his phone screen, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

The office door was pushed open, and Feng Xiaogang strode in, his face showing a rare look of delight.

"Mr. Wang!" He walked over to the sofa and plopped down. "You really sent him in?"

Wang Zhonglei raised his glass with a smile, "This is just the beginning, nothing more."

Feng Xiaogang paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Wow, Mr. Wang, that's impressive!"

He picked up another glass of wine from the table and clinked it against Wang Zhonglei's. "This one's for you! And for Shen Mo too. Let him stay inside and rest!"

The two drank it all in one gulp, and then laughed at the same time.

Wang Zhonglei put down his wine glass, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Now's the time to reconnect with old friends and get moving!"

Feng Xiaogang raised an eyebrow, looking curious.

"Is there more to this?"

"Of course!"

Ten minutes later, a luxury brand that had been rumored to have been in contact with Shen Mo seeking an endorsement quickly issued a statement to clarify the situation.

Regarding the online rumors that our company had contact with Mr. Shen Mo, our company takes this matter very seriously. The following is a notarized statement: any contact with Mr. Shen Mo is completely unfounded. We do not believe or spread rumors.

Then came the second, and the third.

A fashion magazine: [Notice Regarding the Delayed Printing of Mr. Shen Mo's Cover for the October Issue]

A movie marketing account revealed: [It is reported that a certain S+ level movie project originally approached Shen Mo to play the male lead, but the actor has now been replaced.]

[A producer of a period drama revealed: We never considered Shen Mo; our actor has already been cast.]

[Shen Mo has been excluded from all four film projects currently under discussion]

Wu Fanfan was so happy in her home that she jumped up and down on the spot, shouting, "Get my wine out! Today is a day to celebrate!"

After having a drink with my studio assistant, I still wasn't satisfied, so I took a picture with my phone and posted it on Weibo.

After having a drink with my studio assistant, I still wasn't satisfied, so I took a picture with my phone and posted it on Weibo.

Today is a day to celebrate!

The accompanying picture shows an open bottle of champagne and a wine glass.

Someone in the comments section asked: "Brother Fan, what are we celebrating?"

He replied: "[Celebrating landing a role! My future looks bright!]"

Yu Zheng laughed wildly in the office, repeatedly shouting "Good!", which startled the staff in the next office.

Li Yifeng, who was filming on set, saw the news and immediately gave a fist pump in a gesture of encouragement, saying, "Yeah! You've finally got this day!"

Then, she silently opened Weibo, found Shen Mo's name in her following list, hovered her finger over the words "unfollow" for a second, and then clicked it.

At the same time, Wen Zhang did the same thing.

In the investor group of Mohen Fund, the message has been refreshed to 999+.

I heard Shen Mo was arrested? Is it true?

Seriously, it's trending at number one, it's gone viral.

[Holy crap! What happens to the money I invested?]

Redeem your funds now! They'll be gone if you wait!

How do I redeem my account? Does anyone know the process?

[On the Inkmark Fund website, click on the redemption application.]

I tried, but I can't submit it! It says it's not within the redeemable period.

[Damn it, I can't redeem it. Are they doing this on purpose?]

[It's intentional! It's definitely intentional! They're trying to delay our redemption! They want us to be buried with them!]

[Damn it, I'm going to their company tomorrow and they have to redeem my money! Anyone else want to go with me?]

[Me! Count me in!]

[+1!]

[+10086!]

On various investment platforms, similar comments are flooding the discussion forums.

"Inkmark Fund is about to collapse!"

"Shen Mo has been arrested, can we still get the money back?"

"Run! If you're too late, you'll become the lambs to the slaughter!"

"I told you long ago that the Inkmark Foundation had problems, but you wouldn't believe me!"

"Trust Shen Mo? If you trust him, you've already lost!"

"If you don't redeem my money, I'll go to your company building tomorrow and put up banners. Nobody will get away with this!"

Panic spread like a virus, from one person's phone to another, from one group to a hundred groups.

Those who once had unwavering faith in Shen Mo are now trying their fastest to recoup their investment.

Even though they know it's a breach of contract and they might not be able to get it back.

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

Li Yitong sat in Shen Mo's office, looking at the constantly refreshing messages on her phone screen.

One by one, it felt like being cut by a dull knife, and my heart gradually became numb.

So this is what the experience of this location is like?

This was the first time she had sat in this position properly, and the first time she realized how heavy Shen Mo's burden was.

She turned off her phone, closed her eyes, and leaned back in her chair.

The office was so quiet that she could hear her own heartbeat.

"Bang...bang...bang..." One bang, another bang.

She opened her eyes and looked at the empty office. Shen Mo usually sat here, reading documents, making phone calls, holding meetings, scolding people, and laughing.

Now that she was all alone, she shrank back, trying to feel his lingering warmth on the back of the chair.

This is Shen Mo's chair. She has never sat in it before, or rather, Shen Mo has never let her sit in it.

It wasn't for any other reason than that she didn't want to sit.

Because she had told him, "I only want to act; you take care of the company's affairs."

He laughed and said, "Okay, you take care of looking beautiful, and I'll take care of being tired."

But now, she has to sit down.

Li Yitong took a deep breath, sat up straight, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed the internal line.

"Rebecca".

"Mr. Li?"

This title made Li Yitong pause for a second.

For the first time, she felt the weight of those two words: "President Li".

She pursed her lips. "Help me contact the heads of all the companies and arrange a meeting in the main conference room. Everyone must attend."

"Okay, Mr. Li."

After hanging up the phone, Li Yitong stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the city outside. The sunlight was dazzling.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, her lips pressed into a straight line.

Shen Mo, you said you would be alright.

Don't lie to me. I'll keep watch for you for a while, but you have to come back soon. You know I can't stay for long.

……

When Li Yitong entered the conference room, everyone had already arrived.

Yang Tianzhen, Chen Zhixi, Zhao Feng, Zhong Lifang, Chen Jing, Chen Jun, Lin Wei, Zhou Wanqing...

Eight people, eight faces, each with a different expression: some solemn, some anxious, some exhausted.

Li Yitong stood at the head of the table, but instead of sitting down, she took out a document from her bag and placed it on the table.

"From this moment forward, I will assume the role of interim chairman."

That was Shen Mo's shareholding agreement, written in black and white, stamped in red, and signed.

No one present took a look at it, and there was no doubt about the authenticity of the document.

Yang Tianzhen was the first to speak, "President Li, what are your instructions?"

Li Yitong glanced at her, "Now, everyone, please talk about the specifics of the projects you are responsible for."

She paused for a moment, then said, "One at a time."

"If it can be solved on the spot, then solve it; if it can't be solved, I'll figure something out."

There was a two-second silence in the conference room before Lin Wei spoke first.

"The public relations department."

"We've already tried to suppress the trending topics, but their online trolls are too aggressive; they keep taking one down only to have it pop up again."

"The whole internet is talking about Mr. Shen's arrest, and public opinion is completely out of control."

Li Yitong nodded.

"Keep the pressure on. Contact Cao Guowei directly and tell him that President Shen is definitely not in trouble. Don't ruin your relationship for a little bit of publicity."

Lin Wei paused for a moment, then nodded.

"clear."

Li Yitong pursed her lips and made a decision.

"Publicly disclosing my holding of shares on behalf of others and acting as interim chairman, and explaining that Mr. Shen's assistance in the investigation will not affect the group's development in any way."

"Okay, I understand."

The second person to speak was Zhao Feng, who said, "The public opinion around the fund is in an uproar; the investors are all demanding redemptions."

"Someone is already organizing to come downstairs at the company tomorrow to put up banners."

Li Yitong looked at him, a hint of ruthlessness in her eyes.

"Open the redemption channel and let them withdraw."

Zhao Feng was stunned. "President Li?"

"I said, let them retreat." Li Yitong's voice was calm. "Those who don't trust Mohen can leave now. We at Mohen don't need untrustworthy allies."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"Those who withdraw today will all be blacklisted, and will be prohibited from participating in any of Mohen's future projects."

Zhao Feng was silent for two seconds, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face.

"However, if the redemption amount is too large, it will affect our own investments."

Li Yitong looked at him, "What is the current size of the fund? What is the potential redemption rate?"

"We just launched a new round of fundraising in June this year. The No. 1 Cultural and Entertainment Fund has a size of 12 billion yuan, and the No. 2 Technology and Internet Fund has a size of 18 billion yuan."

Zhao Feng pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "It's hard to say about the redemption ratio."

Upon hearing this number, Li Yitong instinctively clenched her fist at her side. "No matter how many people want to redeem their assets, open the redemption channel for them all."

"All of them?!" Zhao Feng was shocked. "If it's really all of them, the foundation will collapse."

A wicked smile suddenly appeared on Li Yitong's lips. "There's a fee for early redemption before the deadline, right? Is it written in the contract?"

"some!"

"Then charge the highest commission rate. Anyway, we won't be partners anymore, so we don't need to care about their feelings."

"As for the remaining shortfall after the redemption..."

Li Yitong paused, then slowly sat down, leaning back in the chair at the head of the conference room. Her two long, slender hands gripped the armrests tightly before slowly releasing them.

"I'll finish it!"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the entire conference room froze for a few seconds.

She can still afford two billion.

From the very beginning of the establishment of Mohen Company, Shen Mo gave her 20% of the shares in each subsidiary, and it has been developing for 4 years now.

Unlike Shen Mo, he didn't reinvest his profits into company development or stock market investments, even though she knew those stocks he bought would definitely rise.

But she just wanted to hold it in her hand, like a little mouse, because that made her feel safe.

The initial thought was, what if, by some unforeseen event, the butterfly effect, at least the funds I had could support the two of us for the rest of our happy lives, right?

However, it seems I can't wait until the second half of my life; I have to take it out now.

When the moment actually came, she still felt quite heartbroken.

Seeing Zhao Feng's shock, Li Yitong suddenly smiled.

"Mr. Zhao, you're confident you can make them regret it, and that you won't let me down, aren't you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng's eyes hardened. "President Li, they will definitely regret this, but Mohen Asset Management will certainly not let you down!"

Li Yitong nodded and looked at Chen Zhixi.

Looking at Li Yitong, who was exuding domineering confidence, Chen Zhixi subconsciously lowered his chin and lowered his head.

"As for the film industry, there is currently no significant impact on the projects being filmed, such as 'Ode to Joy,' 'The Lonely God,' and 'Mr. Donkey.'"

"However, according to feedback from the production manager, the crew members were a little affected by the news, but other than that, it did not affect filming."

"We just received news that the four film projects that were rumored to be in talks with us have all been suspended."

Li Yitong nodded, "Let's ignore those onlookers in the crew."

She paused, then said, "Tell them that we don't need to push forward the projects we're working on anymore, and they don't need to send us any more projects from their company."

Chen Zhixi was taken aback. "President Li?"

"Inkmark has no shortage of projects," Li Yitong said, looking at her. "I have plenty more projects in my head!"

Chen Zhixi was silent for two seconds, then nodded, "Okay."

"The drama 'Nirvana in Fire,' starring President Shen and Li Lin, was originally scheduled to air on Hunan TV tomorrow night. However, the purchasing manager from Hunan TV just called to say that 'Nirvana in Fire' will not be airing and will be replaced by 'Little Seven the Wonder Dog.' They also said that if President Shen's investigation results are true, they will demand compensation from us."

"Compensation? They really know how to ask for that," Li Yitong scoffed. "Have they forgotten who had their shows consistently outperformed by us, begging and pleading before they finally got this one on their TV station?"

"Give them a full refund!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned to Zhou Wanqing and said, "Wanqing, if they don't go online by the time stipulated in the contract, let the legal department sue them directly. They are in breach of contract first, and they have to compensate us."

"The matter of Shen Mo is still unresolved, so who can say that it's our fault that the film cannot be released?"

"The matter of Shen Mo is still unresolved, so who can say that it's our fault that the film cannot be released?"

Zhou Wanqing was taken aback, then nodded, "Received!"

"Anyone else wanting to postpone?" Li Yitong asked Chen Zhixi.

In everyone's eyes, after promising expenses of one or two billion yuan, she seemed to not care much about these small sums of money.

In fact, in her view, the success of "Nirvana in Fire" was inevitable. Once Shen Mo came out and was exonerated, the show's popularity would only increase. At that time, Hunan TV would regret it.

"That's all. 'The Dead End,' which we co-produced with Tencent Pictures, is expected to be released next month. Mr. Sun from Tencent just called to confirm the publicity plan and didn't mention anything else."

"The variety show 'Go Fighting!' co-produced with Tomato TV will also air next week; however, Tomato TV has no intention of making any changes."

Li Yitong nodded, but before she could even look over, Yang Tianzhen spoke up.

"On the brokerage side, several new artists I signed in the first half of the year have submitted their contract termination requests."

"Who are they?" Li Yitong frowned.

"One Chen Xingxu, one Yu Shi, one Chen Muchi, and one Li Yunrui."

Upon hearing these names, Li Yitong suddenly laughed, "These few!"

"Let them go. We don't need to stop those who want to leave at this time."

A ruthless glint flashed in Li Yitong's eyes. "But! The penalty for breach of contract cannot be reduced by a single penny. Also, we need to pay close attention to who their next employer is. Once Shen Mo comes out, we'll find them one by one."

Yang Tianzhen nodded and continued, "Mr. Li, are you still attending the premiere of 'Monster Hunt' the day after tomorrow as scheduled?"

"Let's keep things as usual!" Li Yitong nodded. "How's the Tian Xiwei matter going?"

"We have contacted all of her classmates who were not directly involved. Twelve of them, along with her homeroom teacher, are willing to come forward and explain what happened under their real names. We are waiting for them to provide video evidence."

"Okay, once you've collected all the information, release it along with the announcement as soon as possible."

"On the animation side, 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' has been completed and is scheduled for release next week according to the film studio's plan. There haven't been any major issues so far."

Chen Jing nodded slightly at Li Yitong's gaze, "What's currently in production is 'Big Fish & Begonia,' produced by Coloroom Pictures."

"Mr. Wang from the fiber optic company called to inquire, and after we repeatedly assured him that it would not affect the production schedule, he stopped asking questions."

"There are no changes regarding the cinema chain at the moment." Zhong Lifang looked at Li Yitong. "Before President Shen left, he instructed that the expansion plan be suspended. What do you think?"

This was the arrangement Shen Mo gave her before he left, because he was unsure how long it would take to cooperate with the investigation. The cinema chain was Mohen's only major asset, so suspending expansion was the best option.

However, now that Li Yitong has taken over, she naturally needs to ask her about it.

Li Yitong nodded. "Let's proceed according to his plan."

After everyone had finished reporting, Li Yitong took a deep breath and remained silent for a few seconds.

She slowly stood up. "Everyone, I know that the online public opinion is very unfavorable to us right now."

Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it clearly.

"This is just the beginning. In the next few days, we may see more artists and more sectors be attacked."

"But if an endorsement is gone, you can find another one."

"The project fell through, but we can discuss it again."

"If an artist leaves, you can sign another one."

"If the investors run away, we can bring in more."

She paused, then clenched her fist and gently tapped it on the conference room table, making a soft sound.

"But as long as the ink stains remain, as long as we are all here, it's never over."

The meeting room was quiet.

Do you believe in Shen Mo?

Before anyone could speak, Li Yitong answered herself.

"I believe you!"

"I believe he'll be out soon."

"I believe he did not do those things that are rumored."

"After all, I believe you know his abilities best, and those methods are not worth him using."

She straightened up and her eyes swept over everyone present.

"What we need to do is to safeguard our core support for him before he gets out."

"I'll be in Shen Mo's office these next few days."

"If there are no other issues, please go about your business. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me."

"Meeting adjourned!"