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

Inside the "Snow Lodge" by Houhai Lake, the evening sunlight shines through the newly hung moon-white window curtains, casting golden spots of light on the smooth wooden floor.

The carefully selected items were finally delivered today. Li Yitong rolled up her sleeves and directed the staff to put the last batch of tea sets, tables and chairs in place.

"Move this display shelf a little bit to the left, yes, just like that!"

She took two steps back, squinted one eye, and carefully examined the object to ensure the perfect angle.

Once everything was in place according to the blueprint in her mind, she clapped her hands in satisfaction and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Subconsciously, I raised my hand and wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand, but accidentally smeared some dust that had been on my hand onto the tip of my nose.

After seeing off the moving staff, she was finally all alone in the huge "Snow Lodge".

She looked around at the space that belonged entirely to her, a space where her dream was beginning to take shape, and a satisfied smile spread across her eyes.

She took out her phone to check the time, and the screen lit up, displaying a time that made her eyes widen instantly.

"Oh dear! It's almost this late!"

When she realized it was someone's birthday, she almost jumped up.

Without even taking the time to admire the finished product, Li Yitong rushed into the inner room and carefully picked up the cake gift box and presents that had been prepared in advance.

He quickly locked the door of "Snow Lodge" and ran towards home with a sense of urgency.

Shen Mo finished his day's work and returned to his home at Zaojun Temple.

Pushing open the door, the expected darkness did not appear; instead, there was a warm, flickering candlelight.

The living room curtains were drawn, and on the coffee table, an exquisite cake stood quietly, with number candles on it, their soft flames flickering gently.

The air was filled with a faint aroma of cream and a carefully arranged sense of warmth.

Li Yitong stood by the candlelight, a hint of smugness and barely concealed anticipation on her face. Her crescent-shaped eyes shone brightly in the candlelight.

The speck of dust on the tip of the nose, which hadn't been wiped off, looked even more playful in the warm yellow candlelight.

"Happy birthday, Shen Mo!" Her voice was clear and cheerful.

Shen Mo was indeed stunned.

He was so busy with project investments and various strategic plans that he almost forgot his own birthday.

Looking at everything before me, and at Li Yitong's face, which was exceptionally gentle and radiant in the candlelight, the softest part of my heart was deeply touched.

He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say. He just felt a warm current flowing from his heart to his limbs.

Li Yitong pulled him toward the cake with a smile.

"Quick, make a wish! I went out of my way to buy this; it has the most fruit, I guarantee it'll be delicious!"

Urged on by her, Shen Mo closed his eyes.

The candlelight shone through my eyelids, casting a warm red shadow.

At this moment, what flashed through his mind was not any grand ambition, but the bits and pieces of time he had spent with her since his rebirth.

The reunion under the ginkgo tree at the Beijing Dance Academy, the dance in "Snow Lodge," and the vibrant figures on set.

And this carefully prepared, small sense of ritual right before my eyes.

Make a wish and blow out the candles.

As the lights came on, Li Yitong magically produced a long, slender gift box, her face showing a hint of pride and anticipation.

"Here you go, my birthday present!"

Shen Mo smiled and took it, teasing her as he unpacked it.

"So grand? Let me see..."

"However, in my memory..."

He casually opened the box, took out the dark blue tie, and remarked, "Didn't you just have a birthday celebration...?"

Before he could utter the word "several months," his words were abruptly cut off by an invisible blade.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

That unintentional joke was like a key, unexpectedly opening a door he had deliberately kept tightly closed.

Behind the door was another girl who was also celebrating her birthday today. Her bright smile, though tinged with illness, flashed clearly in the autumn sun of the misty city.

Li Yitong tilted her head, preparing to receive his next teasing or praise.

But then he abruptly stopped speaking, and the fingers holding his tie tightened slightly.

His eyes momentarily lost focus, but it was fleeting, and he regained his clarity.

But she still keenly noticed that brief pause and a subtle, almost imperceptible change.

She blinked in confusion at first, and then a piece of information about another girl that she had deliberately ignored suddenly popped into her mind.

Tian Xiwei and Shen Mo share the same birthday.

The light in the crescent moon's eyes dimmed almost imperceptibly for a moment, and my heart felt as if it had been gently pricked by a tiny needle, a slight, aching pain rising within me.

Even though he never mentioned it, even though he was right beside her at that moment.

That girl's existence will still occupy a special corner in his heart, and will pop up to remind him of her in these unexpected moments.

But she quickly lowered her eyes, and when she looked up again, her face was once again adorned with that slightly arrogant and spoiled expression.

It was as if nothing had happened, as if no one had noticed anything.

She even deliberately wrinkled her nose, breaking the subtle silence with an exaggerated tone.

"Hey! Shen Mo! What do you mean? You're complaining that I send you gifts too often? Then give them back!"

As she spoke, she made a move to snatch the tie from his hand.

Her reaction was so natural that it perfectly concealed that brief moment.

Shen Mo immediately followed suit, raising his arm to dodge her "snatching," perfectly covering up his earlier lapse in composure.

His face regained its usual gentle, indulgent smile, and his tone returned to its usual teasing.

"There's no reason to take back a gift that's already been given."

"This gift was picked up for me by my sister Li. Her face was covered in graffiti, like a big tabby cat."

He reached out and placed his palm on Li Yitong's face, carefully wiping the dust off her nose with his thumb, cleverly changing the subject.

"It's very beautiful, I like it very much."

Li Yitong's cheeks flushed slightly, she gave a soft hum, and raised her chin slightly.

"That's more like it! From now on, every time you tie it, you'll have to think of me!"

Shen Mo looked down at her crescent-shaped eyes, watching her try to maintain a bright smile that seemed to say "everything is normal".

The subtle ripples in my heart caused by thinking of others were covered by a deeper sense of emotion and a hint of barely perceptible guilt.

He flicked her nose lightly with his finger. "Okay, how about you tie it for me from now on?"

"Dream on! I'm not doing that, I'm going to sleep until I naturally wake up!"

Amidst their banter, the sensitive topic of another name, which had been briefly touched upon earlier, was tacitly moved on by the two of them.

However, behind Li Yitong's smile, a slight sour feeling quietly settled in.

Deep in Shen Mo's moved heart, the silent sigh seemed even heavier than before.

After eating the cake and taking a shower, Shen Mo lay on the bed.

As the noise and warmth faded, in the darkness, the memories that had been deliberately suppressed surged back into my heart like a tide, clearer than before.

He finally couldn't resist, took out his phone, unlocked it, and the cold light from the screen illuminated his somewhat complex face.

He clicked on the QQ account he had just added not long ago, whose profile picture was a cartoon character.

The cursor blinked in the input box for a long time before I finally typed a few words.

"Happy birthday."

Almost the instant the message was sent, a reply popped up.

"Thank you, Brother Mo!"

The title "Brother Mo" made Shen Mo feel momentarily dazed.

From the day she saw her name on her business card in Chongqing, that's what she called herself.

Although this is only our first meeting in this life, this title transcends time and space.

The image of the girl from his past life, who nestled beside him and called him "Brother Mo" in a sweet, drawn-out voice, overlapped perfectly with his own.

Even if we were to be reborn, some things seem to have already been destined.

His phone vibrated again, pulling him back to reality.

How did you know my birthday? (^▽^)

Shen Mo subconsciously wanted to reply with "Your Moments...", but his finger paused and he immediately deleted it.

He typed again: "Your QQ space still has photos of you eating cake."

On the other side of the screen, Tian Xiwei, who was hiding under the covers and chatting by the light of her phone, blushed instantly when she saw this reply, and her heart inexplicably raced.

He... he actually looked at my social media profile? And he even noticed the photos I posted?

A feeling of being specially noticed, mixed with shyness and secret joy, bubbled up like bubbles.

Although they had only met once, she always felt a sense of familiarity with him and was not at all averse to communicating with him.

She bit her lip, her big eyes darting around in the darkness, and a bold yet cunning idea popped into her head.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard:

"Um... can I have a birthday present? (✧ω✧)"

Shen Mo chuckled. As expected, she was still that unpredictable little girl.

"What gift?"

Tian Xiwei looked at the reply and a smug, mischievous smile spread across her face, just like a cat that had stolen some dried fish.

"I'll remember this! I'll tell you later! (￣▽￣)~*"

Shen Mo shook his head helplessly. This skill of whetting people's appetites was something he hadn't learned by a teacher.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Shen Mo realized that it was almost midnight.

"It's getting late. You have school tomorrow, so get some rest."

"Tomorrow's Saturday! I can sleep in! (～￣▽￣)～"

Tian Xiwei immediately retorted, "It's not easy for Brother Mo to take the initiative to chat with me, I don't want to go to sleep so early!"

The words conveyed a lingering reluctance to end the conversation.

Shen Mo could almost picture her pouting, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the screen.

I deliberately tried to scare her: "At your age, if you stay up all night, those dark spots on your face won't go away. Your face will be covered in them, and you won't be pretty anymore. What will you do then?"

"Huh??? Is it really going to happen? Σ(°△°|||)︴"

Tian Xiwei was clearly startled, and then sent a pitiful emoji.

"If I don't look good anymore, will you still chat with me?"

Shen Mo could almost picture her wrinkling her nose and looking worried, so he replied deliberately.

"No! So go to bed early."

Will do.

He silently answered in his mind, his voice so soft that only he could hear it.

It always will. No matter what happens.

Sure enough, they immediately got angry.

"Ugh!!! You're looking down on me! You're such a looks-obsessed person! (╥╯^╰╥)"

"Going to sleep now! Talk to you next time! Goodnight, Mo-ge!"

Looking at this string of emotionally charged words and emoticons, Shen Mo couldn't help but chuckle softly. He gently stroked the screen with his fingertips before finally replying.

"Okay, goodnight, Xiaotian."

He paused for a moment, then added the blessing he hadn't been able to say in person.

Happy birthday, Oda.