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

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With the Magnolia Awards ceremony approaching on June 10th, Tomato TV hosted a cocktail party in Shanghai, inviting some industry insiders to network.

As the hit drama "Nirvana in Fire" aired on Hunan TV last year, Shen Mo and Li Lin naturally received invitations.

The reception was held in the top-floor banquet hall of a long-established hotel on the Bund in Shanghai, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Huangpu River.

When Shen Mo and Li Lin entered, the hall was filled with the sounds of clinking glasses and people from the same circle exchanging pleasantries in small groups.

The moment the revolving door of the banquet hall opened, a young producer standing next to the reception desk who was on the phone saw the two people. His hand holding the phone paused for a moment, and he hastily finished saying, "Mr. Zhang, let's talk later." His eyes followed the two people who came in through the door and he forgot to look away.

Several agents were standing next to the champagne tower. One of the women nudged her colleague with her elbow and gestured towards the door with her chin. The colleague turned around, her wine glass frozen in mid-air.

Gradually, the groups of three or five who were chatting turned their heads away, and more eyes were turned to the two people at the door. The sounds of their greetings also unconsciously decreased.

Shen Mo was wearing a navy blue custom-made suit today. He wasn't wearing a tie at the collar of his white shirt, and the top button was undone, revealing a small patch of skin just below his Adam's apple.

Li Lin's hand was on his arm. She was wearing a smoky gray satin mini skirt with a minimalist style. It had a diagonal pleat at the waist, which outlined her figure from waist to hips. Above her collarbone was a smoky gray satin ribbon necklace with a freshwater pearl in the center. The warm luster of the pearl perfectly neutralized the coolness of the whole outfit.

The two of them stood there, looking more like the entire banquet hall was waiting for them than like they were there to attend a banquet.

Deng Chao was chatting enthusiastically with several producers from Tomato TV when he glanced at the doorway out of the corner of his eye and stopped talking. He raised his champagne glass towards the door and grinned from afar. Chen He, standing next to Deng Chao, also raised his glass.

Yang Mi was talking to Liu Shishi while holding Liu Kaiwei's arm. When she saw Shen Mo, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up, and she took a step to walk over, but she quickly stopped.

She saw that Wang Qing, the deputy director of Tomato TV, and Chen Min, the director of film purchasing, had put down their cups and were walking towards the door.

"Excuse me, everyone."

Excuse me for a moment.

Wang Qing and Chen Min nodded and smiled at the people surrounding them, placed their wine glasses on the waiter's tray, and went to greet Shen Mo.

The group of people surrounding the two of them hadn't even realized what was happening when they turned to look at the doorway and understood.

Wang Qing walked up to Shen Mo, and before he even stood still, his hand had already reached out.

"Mr. Shen has finally arrived! It's an honor to have you here!"

He held Shen Mo's hand with his right hand and placed his left hand on top, gently patting the back of Shen Mo's hand twice.

He was genuinely worried that Shen Mo wouldn't come, after all, Shen Mo had been misled in previous Magnolia Awards.

"My Love from the Star" and "The Journey of Flower" were both broadcast on Tomato TV a few years ago, but they didn't achieve much success at the Magnolia Awards.

On the one hand, Mohen was in a weak position at the time. On the other hand, it was also because Mohen and Hunan TV, Tomato's biggest rival, were at odds. He was not worried that Mohen would not cooperate with Tomato.

However, this situation changed last year after Hunan TV decisively replaced the director of the film acquisition department.

The currently popular TV series "My Sunshine" is airing on Hunan TV, and the wildly popular slow-paced variety show "Back to Field" is also being broadcast on Hunan TV.

Therefore, he had no choice but to be anxious.

Chen Min smiled and reached out to shake hands with Li Lin lightly. Then she looked Li Lin up and down at her dress and said sincerely.

"You look so beautiful in this outfit, Ms. Li looks gorgeous tonight."

Li Qin smiled and said, "Director Chen looks quite good in this outfit too."

As she spoke, she withdrew her hand and took Shen Mo's arm back.

The four exchanged pleasantries as they walked inside, with people nodding, smiling, or raising their glasses in greeting along the way.

It wasn't until they sat down on a separate sofa inside the venue that Wang Qing began to discuss the key points.

"Nirvana in Fire aired on Tomato TV last year, and its ratings and word-of-mouth were the benchmark for the year."

He beckoned to the waiter, who took down two glasses of champagne and handed them to Shen Mo and Li Lin, before he and Chen Min each picked up a glass.

"Mr. Shen, I must toast you first."

Wang Qing raised his wine glass to eyebrow level and gave it a subtle nod to Shen Mo.

"Nirvana in Fire aired on Dragon TV last year, and its ratings and word-of-mouth were the benchmark of the year. It was lucky that I was able to come across such a drama during my tenure."

"It's a favor that you allowed this show to air on Dragon TV."

He paused, but instead of putting down his glass, he raised it up slightly.

"Thank you for your support, Mr. Shen."

Shen Mo raised his wine glass and gently clinked it against Wang Qing's. Wang Qing then moved his glass down slightly, making it a little lower than Shen Mo's.

"Wang Tai, you're too kind. The success of 'Nirvana in Fire' today is largely due to the promotion and scheduling efforts of Tomato TV."

Wang Qing put down the empty cup, sat forward a bit, rested his arms on his knees, and interlaced his fingers.

"Mr. Shen, I'm not beating around the bush today."

He lowered his voice, even though there was no one else around.

"I know very well how much effort your team put into the 'Nirvana in Fire' project, from its inception to its broadcast."

"Moreover, if you count on your fingers, several of the top-rated dramas on Tomato TV in recent years are owned by the Tomato family."

Shen Mo listened to him without interrupting, while Li Qin quietly twirled the champagne glass in his hand beside him.

Wang Qing leaned back on the sofa, his tone shifting from solemn to tinged with a self-deprecating smile.

"To be honest, I feel quite embarrassed if you don't bring up the previous Magnolia Awards."

"I've been nominated for the Mohen Actors Award every year, but I'm always the runner-up. As the deputy director, I can't really play a big role in this regard."

"Moreover, the relationships involved are complex, and the pie is only so big. I believe Mr. Shen understands the difficulty of winning the award better than I do."

"but!"

Wang Qing's voice suddenly rose a little, "I looked into it this time, and the feedback from the judging panel for 'Nirvana in Fire' was quite positive."

The wording was very standard; everyone present understood the implied meaning behind the phrase "the feedback was very positive."

Shen Mo still had a faint smile on his face, "Then I must thank the judges for their recognition."

Wang Qing didn't speak directly, and he also gave ambiguous laughs, waiting for Wang Qing to bring up what he really wanted to say.

As expected, Wang Qing didn't keep him waiting too long. He leaned a little closer and said, "President Shen, let me be frank with you. Last year, 'Nirvana in Fire' was a one-man show on Hunan TV. Your Mei Changsu was an indispensable judge."

"Moreover, given our cooperative relationship with Inkmark, I believe the judges will definitely take it seriously."

We can't afford to ignore this.

After Hunan TV changed its director of the film acquisition department, Mohen's communication with them became noticeably more frequent.

In the past two months, the hit drama "My Sunshine" and the phenomenal variety show "Back to Field" have both been trending on the internet over a hundred times and were both launched on Hunan TV. The combined popularity of these two shows has almost pushed Hunan TV's new member acquisition data to a record high.

Looking at the data, Wang Qing couldn't help but weigh the options.

Moreover, tomatoes have the Magnolia Award, and mangoes have the Golden Eagle Award.

Hunan TV's influence in the Golden Eagle Awards judging system is well-known.

If Mango TV uses Golden Eagle Awards nominations or even wins as leverage to secure more exclusive drama and variety show collaborations with Mohen, it's not just a matter of losing a few projects for Tomato TV; it's a shift in the overall strategic focus of its core partners.

"Wang Tai, the cooperation between platforms and producers is based on long-term trust."

Shen Mo looked at Wang Qing, his tone calm and measured with sincerity.

"We were already very satisfied with the broadcast results of 'Nirvana in Fire' last year."

"As for the Magnolia Award—" He paused, glancing sideways at Li Qin.

"To be honest, neither Li Qin nor I had any expectations."

"After all, there was a major drama like 'The Legend of Mi Yue' last year, and Sun Li's performance is something we should learn from."

Upon hearing this, Wang Qing's expression froze for a moment.

In its previous life, the TV series "The Legend of Mi Yue" broadcast on Tomato TV surpassed "Nirvana in Fire" in viewership ratings and almost swept the Magnolia Awards.

However, because "Nirvana in Fire" was produced by Mohen in this life, the broadcast time of the show purchased by Tomato TV changed compared to the previous life. "The Legend of Mi Yue" was not broadcast on Tomato TV, but was instead purchased by Beijing TV.

The change in the platform meant that although "The Legend of Mi Yue" performed well, it was still not as good as "Nirvana in Fire" starring Shen Mo.

The reason why "The Legend of Mi Yue" was able to sweep all the major Magnolia Awards in its previous life was not only because it was broadcast on Tomato TV, but also because the lead actress Sun Li was one of the core figures in the Shanghai circle.

However, the TV station broadcasting "The Legend of Mi Yue" in this life has changed, which greatly reduces the chances of it winning awards. Now, Shen Mo is bringing this up in front of Wang Qing in order to eliminate this other influencing factor.

Wang Qing could certainly understand Shen Mo's subtext.

Shen Mo said that neither he nor Li Lin had any expectations; on the contrary, he wanted to be both the Best Actor and Best Actress.

"Mr. Shen is too modest."

Wang Qing's tone shifted from its previous urgency to a more composed and steady tone.

"The Legend of Mi Yue is a great show, and Sun Li's performance is indeed solid."

"But this year, the judging panel will still consider the presentation effect of the works themselves."

"During its broadcast on Tomato TV, 'Nirvana in Fire' achieved a peak viewership rating of over 4, garnered over 10 billion views across the internet, and maintained a stable rating of over 9 on Douban. I believe the judges could not ignore these figures."

"As for Li Lin's portrayal of Nihuang, the competition was equally fierce, but several members of the judging panel privately mentioned to me that her performance as Nihuang was superb!"

The implication of this statement goes a step further than the previous statement that "the feedback was very positive."

Shen Mo's lips curled up slightly as he picked up his wine glass, and Wang Qing smiled and clinked his glass with his.

"Wang Tai is very kind."

"Tomato TV contributed a lot to the production of 'Nirvana in Fire,' so I feel like we're all one family."

"We're all family, so let's not be formal. Mohen has a few projects waiting to be broadcast. If you don't mind, Mr. Wang, we can collaborate on more projects."

Wang Qing was waiting for these words, so he immediately raised his glass and gently touched it to Shen Mo's.

"Okay, I'll keep your words in mind for now. I'll keep an eye on Bai Yulan for you."

Chen Min, who hadn't said much until now, took a folder from her bag and presented it to Shen Mo.

This is the prime-time programming schedule for Tomato TV next year, with several key slots highlighted in yellow.

"Mr. Shen, this is the station's schedule for this year. We've reserved the key slots for you. When are you free? Let's sit down and discuss the details."

Shen Mo glanced at the broadcast schedule and smiled slightly.

"Director Chen is still as efficient as ever."

He glanced at Li Qin, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, before turning back to look at Wang Qing.

"By the way, Wang Tai, the post-production of 'Love O2O,' which I starred in with Bai Lu, is almost finished."

"I think this show's tone is best suited for Dragon TV. It would be even better if it could air during the summer vacation."

Wang Qing's eyes lit up. He turned his head and glanced at the broadcast schedule, exchanging a look with Chen Min.

"Mr. Shen, you're right. We've reserved the prime summer movie season for you."

The four of them clinked glasses for the last time, then stood up, and Li Qin took his arm again.

Seeing Wang Qing and Chen Min leave Shen Mo's side, Yang Mi took Liu Kaiwei's arm, and Liu Shishi followed her up.

Yang Mi wore a dark blue long dress today, and her complexion has improved a lot since joining Chenxi.

"Mr. Shen, it's been a long time."

Her tone was more formal and polite than usual, but her eyes were full of the relaxed ease that only old acquaintances have.

Shen Mo smiled slightly, waved, and when he saw Liu Kaiwei next to Yang Mi, the corner of his mouth twitched very slightly.

"Honey, you're doing great! How's your stay at Dawn?"

"Thanks to President Shen, Chenxi is doing quite well! It would be even better if President Shen could take better care of her."

Shen Mo picked up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter's tray.

"I have a project called 'Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms' that I'm planning to start. If you don't mind, Honey, you can give it a try."

Yang Mi's eyes lit up instantly. She knew very well how popular the copyright of the drama "Eternal Love" was. Hua Ce and Tang Ren had spent a lot of money to contact the author to buy it, only to find that the copyright was in the hands of Mo Hen. Even so, Hua Ce was still unwilling to give up and consulted Mo Hen every year about whether he was interested in co-producing the project.

Yang Mi also picked up a glass of champagne and gently clinked it against Shen Mo's glass. "Of course I'm willing. I'm too happy to complain."

"Eternal Love" is a typical ancient costume idol drama that can make money and make people famous, but it has almost no hope of winning awards.

At present, Mohen has produced enough hit dramas, but relatively few awards. Therefore, in the future plans, Shen Mo and Li Yitong and other actresses will focus on award-winning projects.

Popular dramas are used to promote a new generation of young actresses, such as Wang Churan, Liu Haocun, Zhang Ruonan, and Zhou Ye.

However, it is still quite difficult for them to carry a drama on their own. The fact that Yang Mi starred in "Eternal Love" is a good opportunity for them to help each other out.

Wang Churan plays Bai Fengjiu, who can be both quirky and dignified. It would be natural for her to star in the sequel, "Eternal Love of Dream".

Another female character in this drama, Su Jin, is the woman who steals Su Su's eyes. Although she doesn't have many scenes, she is a highlight character and could be played by Zhang Ruonan.

After taking a sip of his drink, Shen Mo continued, "Also, I think we could have some of the supporting roles in this film played by Sister Mi's team. After all, they came to Chenxi with Sister Mi, so they should see some benefits, right?"

Yang Mi's smile widened. "Then I'll thank President Shen on behalf of Zhang Bingbing and Gao Weiguang."

"We're all family now, no need to be so polite!"

Upon hearing Shen Mo's words, Yang Mi couldn't help but glance at Li Lin, who was arm in arm with him, and the images of Li Yitong and Tian Xiwei flashed through her mind.

She turned to look back at Shen Mo and met his teasing eyes, which made her feel embarrassed.

"Now that we're all family, Mr. Shen can rest assured about our vote."

Yang Mi was referring to Liu Kaiwei, who was one of the judges for the TV drama category at this year's Magnolia Awards. Besides him, the judges included Qin Hailu, Ju Jue Liang, and Zhang Yongchen. The chairman of the judging panel was Zhang Guoli.

"Sister Honey, do you really have a better choice than 'Nirvana in Fire'?"

As for Liu Kaiwei, who is next to Yang Mi, although he knows that he will cheat on her in the future and that the two will divorce, since it has not happened yet, Shen Mo can't say anything.

Moreover, given his own relationship situation, he doesn't have much credibility to interfere in other people's affairs.

However, since Yang Mi has completely sided with him, he can offer her some assistance when the time comes.

This cocktail party was ostensibly for networking, but in reality, it provided opportunities for public relations and project collaborations for people within the industry.

After parting ways with Yang Mi and the others, Shen Mo and his companion met with the other judges.

The others are fine. Zhang Guoli was originally from the Beijing entertainment circle, but he has now joined Leshi and become one of the celebrity shareholders.

Under Boss Jia's brainwashing, the sluggish stock price of LeShi was also blamed on what Shen Mo had done to "Demon Girl" some time ago.

Given that his own interests were at stake, Shen Mo found it hard to believe that Zhang Guoli would make a choice that favored Mohen, so the outcome for Bai Yulan remained uncertain.

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