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

Chapter 339 No agreement, no willingness, no approval

The noise from the pool gradually subsided, and the three of them changed into comfortable loungewear.

Inside the restaurant, the exquisite lunch exuded an enticing aroma, but Li Yitong and Tian Xiwei's minds were clearly not on the food at the moment.

Li Yitong placed three neatly bound proposals next to the dining table, her beautiful crescent-shaped eyes curving slightly, revealing an undeniable air of strategic brilliance.

"Aren't these 'peach pants' teaming up to blockade us just trying to strangle us?"

Li Yitong took a sip of red wine and thought about the news circulating online recently.

The three families targeting Mohen and Shen Mo are also targeting her.

She may not have Shen Mo's business acumen, but when it comes to creating hit works for the entertainment industry, she has it all figured out.

"Then we'll start with their weakest segment, variety shows, and crush them."

She lightly tapped the first document with her finger.

"I've prepared some variety show proposals for you, the first one being 'Who's the Murderer'."

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow and glanced at the proposal.

He didn't expect that Li Yitong would be giving him advice during breaks from filming.

Li Yitong explained in a clear and crisp voice.

"The current traffic market is too superficial; audiences have had enough of watching people act crazy and silly."

"This work makes the audience watch the show with their brains, and even repeatedly analyze the clips to find clues before suddenly realizing the truth."

"In the current variety show market, there is no such program yet. If it is released, it should be enough to shock the entire market."

Even if you didn't watch this variety show in your past life, you probably saw it trending on social media.

Tian Xiwei bit her chopsticks and couldn't help but mutter softly.

"Sister Tong, why don't you just spoil him? Wouldn't it be better to let him handle it himself?"

She recalled that on the set of "Soulmate," Li Yitong didn't rest during breaks in filming; instead, she frantically recalled every detail of the variety show while looking at her laptop.

Li Yitong smiled and said, "Tian'er, stop being stubborn. These project proposals might not have been so perfect without your help in recalling them."

Tian Xi pouted slightly, said nothing more, and continued eating her meal.

Li Yitong turned to look at Shen Mo and continued speaking.

"These kinds of power struggles between celebrities, with their feigned ignorance and displays of intelligence, can easily make it to the top of trending searches."

Shen Mo nodded. "There should be plenty of celebrities willing to participate in order to demonstrate their intelligence, so there should be a lot of buzz."

Li Yitong paused, then continued, "It's just—"

"The set design costs will probably be quite high, since if the set isn't well-constructed, the audience won't feel much connection to the story."

Shen Mo smiled and said, "Money is not a problem. As long as we seize the market, it will be worth it even if the 70 billion given to Cai Huaijun is spent."

Tian Xiwei's lips twitched slightly. "70 billion! You're really generous."

Shen Mo smiled and reached out to remove a grain of rice from Tian Xiwei's lips.

"Of all the things I've accomplished in my life, I'm not sure about anything else, but I've got a lot of money."

Tian Xi rolled her eyes at him and said, "Tch."

Li Yitong pulled out the second project proposal, which had the title "Great Escape from the Escape Room".

"This is the second variety show project."

"Besides brainpower, we can also give young people some adrenaline."

Upon seeing the name, Shen Mo immediately understood and nodded.

"Indeed, the offline escape room market has been growing rapidly in the past two years, and there is definitely potential for variety shows to do this."

Li Yitong hummed in agreement and then continued.

"However, due to cost limitations, players in offline escape rooms generally cannot experience truly large-scale scenes."

"But we, Mohen, have a film industry background. Like Detective Ming, we directly use movie-level sets to shoot variety shows, creating real-life horror movies and making the show more like a horror experience."

"In that case, this show becomes the sharpest weapon to tear away the disguises of celebrities."

Li Yitong glanced at Tian Xiwei and teased her.

"For example, our sweet and adorable girl—"

She reached out and pinched Tian Xiwei's cheek.

"In the show, he's an ironclad warrior who can tear apart NPCs with his bare hands, while those young actors who usually portray themselves as tough guys are so scared that they kneel down and beg for mercy. This kind of contrast is so endearing that it will drive the audience crazy."

Tian Xi's pretty face flushed slightly as she recalled the scene from her previous life on a female talent show, where she held Li Yitong's hand and protected her.

However, although the scenes in the show looked scary, they didn't really have any impact on me.

However, in stark contrast to her own behavior, she recalled that Xu Kai and Peng Yuchang were so frightened by the show's slightly scary elements that they knelt down on the spot, but they gained quite a few fans because of it.

"This kind of persona reshaping is definitely more appealing to fans than acting."

Li Yitong nodded and took out the third document, "Chinese Restaurant".

"The show that sent celebrities to foreign countries to start from scratch and conquer foreigners with Chinese food was a huge hit back then."

Shen Mo smiled and said, "Of course, the audience will feel a sense of satisfaction and national pride, which is a natural source of viewership."

He put down his chopsticks and moved the documents aside.

"Let's eat first, or Tian'er will eat it all!"

"I'll look at these things slowly later."

Tian Xiwei suddenly looked up, her almond-shaped eyes wide, staring intently at Shen Mo.

"I'm not a pig."

"But you're a pig butcher!" Li Yitong suddenly retorted, "I'll slaughter pigs to support you!"

After saying that, he and Shen Mo exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

Tian Xiwei turned her head and glared at Li Yitong, then took the twice-cooked pork in front of her and placed it in front of herself.

"Stop eating me! Keep talking if you want!"

This is a famous scene from the trailer of the TV series "Chasing Jade" in Tian Xiwei's previous life. However, before the series even aired, the three characters had already been reborn.

Li Yitong's smile faded, and she looked at Shen Mo.

"I think these programs can be arranged as soon as possible."

"Recently, 'Running Man,' 'Go Fighting!,' and 'Back to Field' have all premiered on our platform."

"Once these shows finish, those three shows can seamlessly take over, preventing the viewership from being diverted."

Li Yitong added, "In this way, Mohen Video's daily active users will be invincible."

Shen Mo smiled and took her slender, long hand.

"Don't worry, I definitely won't let your hard work go to waste."

With his other hand, he grabbed Tian Xiwei's chubby little hand.

"And yours too."

Tian Xiwei flung the bowl away and continued eating the twice-cooked pork.

"What does this have to do with me? I didn't create the project; I just offered a few suggestions at most."

As three people who have returned from the brink of rebirth, they are well aware of the significance of these three variety shows and have complete confidence in the help they receive from Mohen Video.

Even so, Tian Xiwei still felt a pang of jealousy.

She was reborn a little late; it seemed that the two of them had already taken care of most of the good projects.

She didn't want to steal it for herself; it's just that doing so would make her rebirth seem useless.

Although she said she wanted to keep things clear with Shen Mo, she also wanted to do her part in dealing with the recent attacks on Shen Mo.

After all, how dare you bully my fiancé? You underestimate me, the one who was reborn!

She puffed out her cheeks, looking like an angry little hamster.

Shen Mo chuckled as he looked at her adorable appearance and ruffled her hair with his large hand.

Tian Xi squinted comfortably, then suddenly realized what was happening and glared at Shen Mo.

Li Yitong tugged at her arm, "Alright, hurry up and eat!"

Inside the office, Cai Huaijun looked at the three proposals, still warm from the ink, and his breathing became heavy.

As a veteran variety show personality who came from Hunan TV, he immediately recognized the destructive power of this content.

"Mr. Shen—when did you come up with these plans?"

Cai Huaijun looked up, his eyes filled with awe.

"Once these three variety shows are launched, Inkwave Video won't just be a platform; it will be defining the future of entertainment!"

"Stop sighing, Mr. Cai."

Shen Mo leaned back in the boss's chair and smiled.

"This is not my achievement. If you want to thank someone, thank Ms. Li. She is the chief planner."

"You've brought the centaurs with you."

"I've also given you the variety show planning proposal."

"Whether we can win a major victory next depends on you."

Shen Mo reached out and tapped the table.

"remember!"

"What we want to create is not a variety show for entertainment, but a powerful tool to delve into the lives of users."

"Who's the Murderer targets urban white-collar workers and highly educated students, Escape Room targets Generation Z who seek excitement and love adventure, while Chinese Restaurant wins the favor of all age groups."

"Users will notice when these three variety shows are released one after another on Mohen Video."

"They no longer need to download other apps, because the entertainment here is sufficient!"

The Mohen Video headquarters, the tiered conference hall on the top floor.

On the huge circular screen, the summer movie schedules of the three platforms, Tencent Video, iQiyi, and Tencent Video, are currently being displayed.

Those brightly colored signs were like barbed wire, trying to completely lock the Mohen Video on the isolated island.

Shen Mo stood in the center of the stage, his back ramrod straight.

Below the stage were Cai Huaijun and dozens of elite soldiers who had followed from Malanshan, their eyes burning with fervor.

"Everyone!"

Shen Mo's voice echoed throughout the spacious hall.

"When we were in Malanshan, people said you were just cogs in an assembly line, so letting you go wasn't a big deal."

"They believe that without that platform, we are nothing!"

"Serves him right for being unknown."

"But I know that what you're lacking is just an opportunity."

He suddenly swung his hand and slammed the proposal he was holding onto the podium.

"Now, take a look at the plans you've received!"

"This is a top-tier variety show concept that's poised to revolutionize the industry and set a new trend!"

"The opportunity is already on the table. I'm giving you unlimited budget and absolute freedom."

"Do you dare give me back the courage to go head-to-head with industry giants, and the confidence to show my former employer what's what!"

Shen Mo suddenly raised his voice, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping across the entire room.

"Tell me, are you ready?"

"Ready!"

Dozens of people shouted in unison, as if they wanted to lift the ceiling of the conference hall.

"Kiwifruit, relying on its strong financial backing, wants to join forces to blacklist us. Will you agree to that?"

"No way!"

"The penguins have issued an ultimatum demanding our surrender. Are you willing to do so?"

"I don't want to!"

"Mango Entertainment thinks you're dispensable, that it wouldn't make a difference if you left, since you're marginal figures. Do you agree?"

"I don't agree! I don't agree! I don't agree!"

The three roars were each louder than the last.

"Well done!"

Shen Mo gave a wicked smile.

"Then use these bullets I've prepared to shove them one by one into the foreheads of those arrogant bastards!"

Shen Mo suddenly raised his right thumb and then slammed it down onto the ground.

"Let them see clearly who really is the originator of this industry!"

At Shen Mo's command, under Cai Huaijun's leadership, the three most elite studios of Mohen Video were immediately put up for business in the conference hall.

There was no elaborate ribbon-cutting ceremony, only a simple and straightforward sign and a waiver of liability.

The Detective Studio, with He Zhen and He Shu as its core members, accepted the mission of "Who's the Murderer".

These two sisters were known on Hunan TV for their rigorous logic and unconventional approach.

In the studio's office, several thick books on criminal psychology and classic detective fiction were worn out from repeated readings, and the table was piled high with all sorts of architectural floor plans.

He Zhen stood in front of the projection screen, which was playing a video of her personally leading a team to conduct on-site surveys of an ancient castle in the suburbs.

The castle's dimly lit corridors, dusty wine cellars, and the teeth-grinding scraping sound of pushing open doors echoed through the sound system.

"Clues can't just be notes on the table."

He Zhen pounded on the table, giving the scriptwriting team a death order.

"President Shen said it has to be movie-quality."

"So for the first case, 'The Invitation of the Detective,' all the physical evidence must be in the environment."

"We need to hide a bloodstained family crest in a crack in the castle wall, and we need to set up a secret room in the bookshelf that can only be opened by three people working together."

Meanwhile, He Shu was frantically coordinating with the post-production team.

"The color tone of the visuals should match that of Sherlock Holmes, and the subtitle team should prepare real-time annotations of clues."

"Since President Shen has given us the highest priority in Mohen Video, what we need to do is not just a variety show, but an interactive movie that allows the audience to participate."

"Next Friday, the logic chain of the murder mystery game must be closed. If I can see through anyone's clue chain at a glance, then they need to go back and rewrite it!"

Box Studio, comprised of Chen Xiaoxu and Yan Ji, accepted the mission of creating "Escape Room".

Chen Xiaoxu is a well-known "madman" who is best at creating an extreme sense of oppression.

"Thirty million for set design? Not enough, I want fifty million!"

Compared to the calm demeanor of the detective, Chen Xiaoxu's studio is practically an underground base for a mad scientist.

The sounds of electric drills and metal clanging were incessant, and the air was filled with the smell of machine oil and rust.

"What I want is absolute truth!"

Chen Xiaoxu pointed at the scaled-down model, his eyes gleaming with fervent light.

"I want to dig out a biochemical laboratory with a circulating power supply under the chemical plant."

"The lighting should be flickering, and the air conditioning should be set to 16 degrees Celsius so that every pore of a celebrity who walks in will tighten out of fear the first second."

Yan Ji was researching "funny" ideas.

"I want to use hundreds of infrared cameras to capture every moment when the artists scream, kneel down, or even cry their hearts out."

"President Shen said this is called the contrast dividend."

"We want the audience to watch these top-tier celebrities suffer, and feel so satisfied they'll leave their souls!"

Tianhui Studio, with Wang Tian and Liu Lihui as its core members, took on the mission of hosting "Chinese Restaurant".

On Wang Tian's desk sits a detailed weather chart for Koh Chang, Thailand, and a compilation of local laws and regulations.

As the leader of "Chinese Restaurant", Wang Tian appeared more composed, but the fierceness in her words was not diminished at all.

"Since it's a cultural expedition, we've chosen Koh Chang, the most beautiful island in Thailand."

"We want to transform Chinese cuisine and the everyday life of China into a source of nostalgia and longing for the entire internet."

He looked at the studio members and emphasized.

"The Chinese Restaurant is not a vacation."

"What we want is the true humanity under the pressure of survival."

"The core of the workplace resonance that Mr. Shen mentioned lies in the scarcity of resources."

"We want to confiscate all the celebrities' personal funds and make them struggle from scratch in a foreign land."

Liu Lihui is busy contacting the camera crew.

"We need the most advanced photography equipment to shoot those dishes, and we want to capture the quality of every plate of fried rice in the documentary series 'A Bite of China'."

"We want to use the language of the camera to amplify every eye contact between the store manager and the employees."

Wang Tian added, "We want the audience to see that even in the picturesque Koh Chang, one cannot escape the hardships of running a business and the interpersonal struggles."

"We want to make this sense of realism an addictive hook."

"It makes audiences across the country willing to put aside all their social interactions just to see how these celebrities make a living in a foreign land."

"What we're going to steal isn't just young people's cell phones, but also all the TV remotes in Chinese households!"

As usual, I'm asking for your monthly votes!

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