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

If you could only read one urban novel in your life, it would probably be "The Shura Field of Chinese Entertainment: All the Young Actresses Want to Climb to the Top".

On September 6th, from the moment Li Yitong opened her eyes in the morning, she didn't think about going to the company. It wasn't the weekend, but simply because it was her birthday, she gave herself a day off.

Moreover, although Shen Mo had gone out to discuss projects, she knew that Shen Mo would definitely come back.

Because across both lifetimes, except for the years he was abroad, he never missed a single one of her birthdays, not even once.

So today, she felt perfectly justified in staying in bed, setting the air conditioner to 20 degrees Celsius, and then wrapped herself tightly in the blankets.

Li Rou Rou bounced around on her bed, chasing her outstretched arm and thrashing about.

This little Maltese was a birthday gift from Shen Mo in 2012, and it looks exactly like the one that accompanied her in her previous life.

Now, three years have passed, and Li Rou Rou has grown from a little puppy into a slightly larger puppy. This little thing can only grow this big at most.

However, it remains adorably silly.

"Come on, come on, I can't catch you, I can't catch you..."

Li Yitong waved her hand in the air, watching Li Rou Rou thrash around following her hand, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter.

Li Rou Rou was so anxious that she kept whimpering and kicking her short legs as fast as she could, but she just couldn't reach that hand.

"Idiot, lunge to the left! To the left!"

Li Rou Rou couldn't understand, but it had its own ideas, so it pounced on the right like a tiger, and then crashed headfirst into thin air.

Li Yitong laughed so hard that tears almost came out.

Just then, the door slammed shut.

Li Yitong's hand suddenly froze in mid-air. She pricked up her ears and vaguely heard a familiar voice. The corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up.

Before it could react, Li Rou Rou bumped its head into its mother's arm, then looked up with a blank expression, staring at its mother with its wet eyes.

Why are you done playing? I haven't had enough fun yet!

Li Yitong glanced at it, then picked it up with one hand and put it under the bed. "Your dad's back. This bed isn't where you should be now."

Li Rou Rou was put on the ground and looked up at its mother with a bewildered expression.

Weren't we just having a good time? How come you suddenly turned on me like that?

Before it could figure it out, Li Yitong quickly pulled her arms back under the covers, tightened the blankets, and closed her eyes.

Pretending to be asleep is a skill she's honed since childhood.

As the footsteps drew closer, steady and composed, with a rhythm she knew all too well, they stopped beside her bed.

Then there was a rustling sound, as if something had been put down.

The scent of roses, along with a faint aroma of milk tea, wafted into her nose.

She almost opened her eyes, but thankfully she held them back. Now it was time to test her acting skills; after all, she had won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Shen Mo stared at her face for a long time, a faint smile appearing on his lips. He felt a strange sensation at his feet, and when he looked down, he saw Li Rou Rou circling around his feet.

He bent down, picked up the little creature, and quietly left the bedroom, taking it to its little home in the living room before closing the door.

"Little one, you can stay here today."

Li Yitong secretly opened her eyes a crack in the bedroom and saw Shen Mo's back. She couldn't help but smile.

They were acting suspiciously; they clearly had ill intentions.

The footsteps sounded again, getting closer and closer. She quickly closed her eyes again, and then she felt the mattress sink slightly as he sat down beside her.

He was looking at her; she could feel his gaze on her face.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly. No, she had to hold back; she was a professional actress.

Then she heard Shen Mo suddenly laugh, and the next second, the blanket was abruptly pulled off.

"Ah—!" Li Yitong finally couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Before she could react, a warm body rushed over and pulled her into its arms.

"Pretending to be asleep?" Shen Mo's voice rang in her ear, tinged with amusement. "Your eyelashes are fluttering like butterfly wings, and you're still pretending?"

Li Yitong struggled a couple of times while he held her, but couldn't break free, so she gave up, buried her face in his chest, and mumbled, "Who's faking it? I just woke up!"

"Just woke up?" Shen Mo raised an eyebrow. "Someone who just woke up has such a wide smile on their face!"

"I...I dreamt about delicious food!"

"Oh? What delicious food did you dream about?"

"I dreamt that..." Li Yitong's eyes darted around, "I dreamt that someone brought me milk tea, a super large cup, the kind filled with pearls."

Shen Mo chuckled and gave her a light peck on the lips. "Hey, we really are on the same wavelength. Look what's on the bedside table."

Li Yitong paused for a moment, then peeked out from his arms and looked at the bedside table.

A bouquet of flowers, with gradient blue, pink and white roses, arranged in a pleasingly irregular pattern, is incredibly beautiful.

Next to it is a huge cup of milk tea. Through the transparent cup, you can see that it is full of pearls.

"You bought me this again?"

Shen Mo leaned against the headboard, looking at her like that, his smile deepening. "Don't you like it? What birthday don't you drink this?"

Li Yitong hugged the warm milk tea and snuggled back into his arms. Her little mouth was pouting high. "But if I drink just one cup, I'll gain three pounds!"

However, she still inserted the straw, took a big gulp, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction, like a kitten smelling catnip.

"Delicious!"

Seeing her enjoying herself, Shen Mo reached out and put his arm around her waist. "Drink slowly, no one will take it from you."

Li Yitong leaned against him, holding her milk tea, sipping it slowly while drawing circles on his chest with her hand.

Shen Mo looked down at the mischievous hand on his chest, a slight smile playing on his lips. "What are you drawing?"

Li Yitong didn't look up, continuing to draw, her voice muffled: "Draw circles."

Why are you drawing circles?

"I curse you." Li Yitong finally raised her head, her crescent-shaped eyes filled with cunning: "I curse you to be drawn in circles by me again in your next life."

Shen Mo paused for a moment, then laughed. He reached out and pinched her nose, gently shaking it: "So, is it a curse or a blessing?"

Li Yitong's nose was pinched, and her voice was nasal: "Of course it's a curse! You'll be surrounded by circles drawn on you for the rest of your life, how miserable would that be!"

"Terrible?" Shen Mo suddenly released his grip, rolled over, and stood up. "Then I want it to be even more miserable!"

Li Yitong let out a muffled groan, her face flushing red. She turned her face away and muttered softly, "Smooth talker..."

"It's clearly...it's clearly me who's suffering..."

Even as she said this, the smile on her lips was impossible to suppress.

"Zhang Wuji's mother is right, the more beautiful a woman is, the more wicked she is."

"You wicked woman!"

"You're clearly enjoying yourself to the extreme!"

"It was clearly me who put in the effort and energy."

Li Yitong blushed and smiled gently. She held the milk tea in both hands and presented it to Shen Mo.

"Would you like a sip?"

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow, then lowered his head, put the straw in his mouth, and sucked hard on the milk tea she was holding.

Li Yitong watched him drink her milk tea, her pretty face turned even redder, and her heart skipped a beat.

After sipping his milk tea for a while, a soft and chewy tapioca pearl bounced in Shen Mo's mouth. He smacked his lips and looked up to meet Li Yitong's eyes.

"Mmm, it really tastes good. No wonder you like the pearls in your milk tea so much."

Lying in Shen Mo's warm embrace, drinking warm milk tea and tapioca pearls, she felt waves of tingling sensation surge through her brain.

At that moment, she felt incredibly happy. Even when she heard Shen Mo's teasing laughter, she just rolled her eyes at him.

That eye roll carried an unusual allure and charm, making Shen Mo unable to resist leaning in and kissing it.

Sudden--

Li Yitong subconsciously raised her long, fair neck and slightly opened her mouth.

"Oops, be gentle, you're going to spill the milk tea..."

"I told you to be gentle...slow down..."

"what……"

Li Yitong blushed and slapped Shen Mo's chest.

"It's all your fault! The milk tea is spilled, and the sheets are all wet!"

I spilled half of my milk tea, and the empty cup is now lying on the bed with the straw still sticking out.

Seeing the wicked smile on Shen Mo's face, she angrily wanted to slap him again, but as soon as she raised her hand, Shen Mo grabbed it and pressed her palm against his face.

Li Yitong was suddenly stunned. His hand was warm, pressed against the back of her hand, and he placed her palm on his cheek.

She could feel the warmth of his face, and the stubble peeking out on his chin, which made her palms itch.

"You..." she stammered, her face flushed and her voice trembling slightly, "What...?"

Shen Mo looked at her, his gaze incredibly gentle, "I just wanted to see you."

Li Yitong's heart was pounding even faster. She lowered her eyes, not daring to meet his gaze. The sheets were already wet, and she was afraid that if she looked at him a few more times, the cup she was holding for milk tea would break.

But she didn't pull her hand away, letting him hold it down. After a while, she whispered, "You need to shave your beard."

Shen Mo's eyes darted around, and he chuckled, "Shall we shave together?"

Li Yitong looked up, her eyes wide: "Me? Where do I have a beard? Look how clean my face is..."

She suddenly remembered something, her voice abruptly softened, and her face instantly turned bright red, almost as if it were bleeding.

Shen Mo's mischievous smile remained, and upon seeing Li Yitong's expression, he instantly understood that she knew what he meant.

"Together?"

"Shen Mo, you bastard! You pervert!"

Shen Mo laughed heartily, then released her hand and, with great confidence and strength, lifted her up and pulled her into his arms.

Li Yitong struggled a couple of times but couldn't break free, so she simply gave up and buried her burning face in his chest.

His heartbeat was right beside her ear, steady and strong, but the rhythm was getting faster and faster. She slowly closed her eyes, bit her lip tightly, and drowned in this boundless love.

After playing around on the bed for a while, Shen Mo carried Li Yitong, who was still on the bed, into the bathroom.

In the bathtub, white foam filled the entire surface of the water. Li Yitong had a large white headscarf wrapped around her head, and everything below her neck was hidden in the foam underwater.

Shen Mo stood in front of a mirror not far away, slowly shaving with a razor in hand.

Li Yitong looked at the figure, opened her mouth several times, and finally made a barely audible sound.

"Amo".

"If you really want to..."

"Then, let's shave..."

After saying that, Li Yitong turned her head to look in the opposite direction.

Shen Mo paused slightly as he shaved his beard. He turned to look at Li Yitong in surprise, only to find that she was not making eye contact with him at all. Her little face was red again, whether from the steam in the bathtub or from shyness.

Shen Mo chuckled, took apart the razor in his hand, cleaned it, replaced the blade with a brand new one, and slowly walked over.

……

The two figures in the bathroom fussed around for over an hour before finally coming out of the bath.

There was no way he could resist Gong Baiwan's beauty.

Li Yitong sat quietly in front of the dressing table, while Shen Mo stood behind her with a hairdryer, lifting her hair.

"When did you get back? Didn't you say the financing negotiations would take several days?"

"I came back after the talks were over. Huang Zheng was very agreeable. Once the papers were signed, there was nothing else to do."

Li Yitong said "Oh," and then asked, "How much did you invest in Pinduoduo?"

"At a valuation of $1000 million, I took a 15% stake."

Li Yitong silently did the math, then gasped, "You've made tens of billions again?"

Shen Mo paused for a second, then smiled: "I guess so!"

Li Yitong shook her head and clicked her tongue, "Compared to this, my filmmaking really isn't up to par!"

Shen Mo looked at her, a meaningful look in his eyes. "As long as you're happy? Isn't the purpose of me making money to make us happy?"

Li Yitong pouted, "Since I can't compete in making money, I'll just win more awards! At least in terms of reputation, we should be on par!"

Shen Mo's movements while blow-drying her hair were very gentle, but her words were extremely firm: "Then you'd better win more awards."

"I also acquired a small platform called Xiaohongshu during this trip. It was valued at $5000 million, and I got a 10% share."

"I also invested in Paopao Mart, which was valued at 4 million RMB, and I took 10% of it."

These words reached Li Yitong's ears, and she was utterly shocked.

How come Shen Mo acquired these companies as easily as cutting melons and vegetables? I would like to invest myself, but I guess I wouldn't know what to say if I met these bosses.

This isn't something that can be achieved simply by saying, "I believe in you, I'm going to vote for you."

and!

Pinduoduo, in its previous life, was one of the three major players in the e-commerce field, alongside Taobao and JD.com.

Xiaomoushu, a top self-media platform that rose to prominence amidst the competition from Tencent and ByteDance.

Paopao Mart, a top-tier trend culture company that pioneered the blind box industry in its previous life.

Not to mention, there were also Xiaomi, Meituan, Toutiao, Mihoyo, Bilibili, Tencent...

She suddenly became a little sentimental, "Tell me, how much money will we have when we get old?"

Shen Mo thought for a moment: "It's probably impossible to count them all."

Li Yitong chuckled: "Can't count them all? Then they're just useless numbers!"

"It's just a number anyway," Shen Mo said. "You can't spend all the money you have. What's truly important..."

He suddenly stopped drying his hair and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"It's you."

Li Yitong paused for a moment, then her face slowly turned red. She turned her face away and muttered softly, "So cheesy..."

Shen Mo laughed, stood up, and reached out to roughly ruffle her hair. "It's your birthday today, so what's wrong with being a little cheesy?"

Li Yitong leaned back against him, a smile involuntarily spreading across her face.

"Amo".

"Um?"

What gift will you give me this year?

Shen Mo put the hairdryer aside, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Doesn't that milk tea count?"

"What kind of gift is that!" Li Yitong looked up and glared at him. "Milk tea is an annual staple, it doesn't count!"

Shen Mo's lips curled up slightly. "Okay, that doesn't count."

He took a small box and a document from his briefcase and handed them to her. Li Yitong's eyes lit up instantly.

"What is this?"

"Open it and take a look."

She took the box, opened it, and inside was a necklace with a thin chain, a pendant shaped like a four-pointed star, several diamonds set in the center, and a string of numbers below.

NO.900906, this number is her birthday.

Li Yitong stared at the necklace for a long time. It didn't seem to have anything special about it. It had diamonds, but they weren't big, and it had numbers, but they weren't surprising.

She would be disappointed if her birthday gift was just this, but she knew that Shen Mo would not let her down.

She raised her head and looked at Shen Mo with a puzzled expression.

Shen Mo smiled and handed the document in his hand to her.

[Certificate of Naming "Li Yitong Star"]

She suddenly raised her head, her eyes instantly reddening.

She knew how difficult it was to name a planet. In her previous life, many fans had bought so-called planet naming rights online to give to their idols. She was also interested at the time and thought about buying one herself.

However, you don't know until you check, and what you find is shocking.

The so-called planet naming rights sold online are all fake; planet naming rights are, in principle, not allowed to be sold.

The first step in naming an asteroid is to discover it. Once an observer first observes an asteroid on two consecutive nights, the result can be sent to the International Astronomical Union, and the asteroid will be given a provisional name.

If asteroid orbital data can be observed during the next four return cycles, the asteroid will be given a permanent international designation and published in the International Astronomical Bulletin.

Only after these steps have been completed can the discoverer submit a naming application.

The certificate in Li Yitong's hand now bears the official seal of the International Astronomical Union in the lower right corner, meaning that there is indeed a newly discovered star in the sky called "Li Yitong Star".

Shen Mo pointed to the planetary location information and planetary orbit data on the certificate, "Look, there's a Li Yitong in this location."

Li Yitong finally couldn't hold back her tears. She threw herself into Shen Mo's arms, buried her face in his chest, and her shoulders trembled.

Shen Mo gently patted her back. After a while, she looked up at him with red eyes and said, "Help me put it on."

Shen Mo smiled and took the necklace, then put his hands behind her back. The cool chain rested on her neck, and the pendant landed perfectly on her collarbone.

Li Yitong glanced down, then looked up, her eyes crinkling into crescents. "Is it pretty?"

Shen Mo looked at her and said earnestly, "It's beautiful."

Li Yitong smiled with satisfaction, then suddenly remembered something, grabbed her phone, and said, "Wait, I need to take a picture."

She took a selfie in the mirror, then another one of the certificate, before opening her WeChat Moments and starting to type.

Shen Mo leaned over for a glance and saw that she was editing: [Birthday present: From today onwards, there's a planet in the sky called Li Yitong Star!]

Shen Mo bent down and rested his head on her shoulder, raising an eyebrow: "Are you publicly showing off your affection?"

Li Yitong didn't even look up: "What, is that not allowed?"

"Of course, whatever makes Sister Xue happy!"

Li Yitong posted on her WeChat Moments, then tossed her phone aside and snuggled back into his arms. "When did you start preparing?"

"Yeah, it was probably the day I gave you the succulent. I was thinking then, what should I get for your birthday next year?"

Shen Mo laughed as he spoke, saying that giving his girlfriend a birthday present has always been one of the most difficult and important things in the world.

"While you may not need the stars in the sky, things that are too simple won't do either."

"Then I thought, why not just send you a star? So I contacted several astronomical institutions to help me find a new star, but it wasn't until this third year that we found one."

A warm feeling welled up in her heart, and Li Yitong nestled in Shen Mo's arms, her crescent-shaped eyes beaming with joy.

"Oh, right." She suddenly remembered something, "Yang Xi from Hunan TV came to see me yesterday."

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow: "How did the talks go?"

"It's fine." Li Yitong briefly explained the situation, and finally mentioned "Pretty Li Huizhen".

Shen Mo paused for a second, then asked, "Who are you planning to give it to?"

Li Yitong thought for a moment and said, "I think we should give it to Dilraba."

Shen Mo looked at her: "Based on what you've said, shouldn't this situation be avoided?"

"What are you afraid of?" She looked up at him. "With you here, do you think you can let her be scolded like that?"

Shen Mo nodded. "That's true."

Li Yitong continued, "Moreover, there's nothing wrong with the drama itself. Dilraba's performance was also fine. The problem lies with the awards and with those who are criticizing it. But these..."

She paused, then said, "We can control it."

Shen Mo's lips curled up. "Then give it to Dilraba."

Li Yitong hummed in agreement, then leaned against him and stopped talking.

After a while, she suddenly spoke up: "Amo, thank you for coming back."

Shen Mo looked down at her and gently ruffled her hair. "Silly girl, it's your birthday, where else would I go if I didn't come back?"

Li Yitong didn't say anything, but just hugged him even tighter.

Li Rou Rou looked at this side pitifully from its little nest, whimpered softly a couple of times, and when it realized no one was paying attention to it, it had no choice but to lie down and bury its head in its paws.

Fine, you two can be all lovey-dovey, I'll go to sleep.

Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, falling on the bed and on them.

Li Rou Rou hummed twice in its little nest, but finding no one paying attention to it, it had no choice but to lie down and continue sleeping.

Li Yitong suddenly remembered something, looked up, and said, "Oh right, I want to go to Xue Lu today."

Shen Mo looked at her. "Would you like some tea?"

Li Yitong shook her head. "No, I just want to go and take a look. It's been a long time since I've been there, I wonder how it is now."

Shen Mo nodded. "Okay, let's go together."

Li Yitong's eyes lit up. "Shall we go now?"

Shen Mo glanced at her pajamas and laughed, "You're going to wear this?"

Li Yitong looked down at herself, then blushed and pushed him away. "Wait for me, I'm changing!"

She ran barefoot into the dressing room, leaving behind a trail of hurried footsteps.

Shen Mo gathered up the sheets that had been soaked with milk tea, threw them into the washing machine, and decided to call a cleaning service after they were washed.

He leaned against the door of the dressing room, arms crossed, watching Li Yitong humming a song as she picked out clothes, occasionally forgetting the lyrics and skipping over them.

Li Yitong turned her head: "What are you laughing at?"

Shen Mo snapped out of his reverie: "It's nothing, I just think you're quite cute."

Li Yitong was taken aback for a moment. "You're not laughing at me for forgetting the lyrics while singing, are you?"

He leaned against the door of the dressing room, arms crossed, watching Li Yitong humming a song as she picked out clothes, occasionally forgetting the lyrics and skipping over them.

Li Yitong turned her head: "What are you laughing at?"

Shen Mo snapped out of his reverie: "It's nothing, I just think you're quite cute."

Li Yitong was taken aback for a moment. "You're not laughing at me for forgetting the lyrics while singing, are you?"

"Laugh?" Shen Mo scoffed. "This isn't the first time you've forgotten your lyrics. After all these years, do you think I don't know whether you can sing or not?"

She wrinkled her nose, turned her head back, and muttered something under her breath.

Suddenly, she turned her head. "Have you done something wrong outside?"

Shen Mo chuckled, "What wrong thing could I possibly do?"

"Who knows!" Li Yitong's voice carried a hint of coquettishness. "You men are all the same!"

Shen Mo strode up behind her and said, "If I had done something wrong, would I dare to come back and celebrate your birthday?"

Li Yitong looked at him in the mirror and smiled slightly. "That's true."

She picked out a beige dress, held it up for a couple of moments, then changed into a light blue one. "Which one looks better?"

Shen Mo looked at them carefully: "They all look good."

Li Yitong rolled her eyes. "That's such a perfunctory answer."

"I'm telling the truth." Shen Mo took the off-white dress from her hands. "This one, please."

Li Yitong took the clothes and looked at him: "You like this one?"

Shen Mo smiled slightly: "I like anything you wear, and I like it even if you don't wear it!"

"Pah! You're getting more and more of a scoundrel!" Li Yitong turned her face away, but her ears had already turned red.

"You can go out now, I need to change my clothes."

Shen Mo's smile deepened as he looked at her shy expression. "Alright, I'll go out."

He turned and walked out of the dressing room, closing the door behind him. Li Yitong stood in front of the mirror, looking at her bright red ears, and softly hummed.

This person is becoming more and more eloquent, and she quite likes him.

She changed into the off-white dress, twirled twice in front of the mirror, and nodded in satisfaction.

She opened the door and saw Shen Mo standing by the window, the sunlight shining on him and making his silhouette exceptionally clear.

She walked over and hugged him from behind.

Shen Mo paused for a moment, then smiled. "What's wrong?"

Li Yitong pressed her face against his back and said in a muffled voice, "It's nothing, I just wanted to hug you."

Shen Mo turned around, pulled her into his arms, and the two of them stood by the window, the sunlight shining on them, warm and cozy.

After many hardships, Li Rou Rou finally crawled out of her little nest, ran to their feet, looked up at them, and hummed softly.

Li Yitong looked down at it and smiled, "Let's go, let's take Rou Rou with us."

Shen Mo nodded, bent down and picked up Rou Rou. The little guy was so excited when he was picked up that he wagged his tail and stuck out his tongue to lick Shen Mo's face.

Shen Mo turned his head away, while Li Yitong laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

Shen Mo looked helplessly at the excited puppy in his arms. "Isn't it a little too enthusiastic?"

Li Yitong laughed until tears almost streamed down her face. "Isn't it better to be more enthusiastic? Look how much it likes you!"

Shen Mo sighed, put the meat down, letting it wander around his feet, then took Li Yitong's hand, "Let's go."

Li Yitong looked at the hand he was holding, a slight smile playing on her lips. She squeezed it tightly and then walked out the door.

Behind her, Li Rourou, with her short legs, caught up.