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

Chapter 341 All in and the Price

"It seems you've accepted this gift, Brother Mo."

Liu Haocun stood on tiptoe and kissed her.

Shen Mo put down the ice water in his hand, stretched out his long arm, placed his palm on her slender waist, and with a little force, lifted her up towards himself.

Her lips slowly parted, and she looked at Shen Mo with wide, sincere eyes.

Shen Mo lowered his head and pressed it against her forehead.

"Accepting gifts comes at a price."

Liu Haocun tightened his grip on Shen Mo's arm and leaned in to kiss her again.

"What will the price be?"

Her skin had a faint pinkish hue, and her large eyes were misty, making her look pitiful.

Shen Mo chuckled lightly, "The price is that you'll be branded with my mark for the rest of your life. Once that happens, you won't be able to escape."

"That's great."

Liu Haocun tilted his head back and leaned closer to Shen Mo's breath, their noses touching as he gently caressed him.

"I'm not afraid of being branded, what I'm afraid of is—you're not even willing to leave me a mark."

"And," she paused.

He tilted his head, a hint of sincerity flashing in his eyes.

"From now on, I will never film kissing scenes, not even using a body double."

"I am only yours!"

Shen Mo's pupils suddenly contracted.

It's perfectly normal for actors to film kissing scenes and intimate scenes. Even if they don't want to film them, actresses like Li Yitong, Tian Xiwei, and Bai Lu will use body doubles.

But to reject these outright is tantamount to cutting off a large part of one's future.

This girl has gambled her entire future on it.

"Cunzi, you're playing with fire."

"Brother Mo—are you afraid of getting burned?"

Liu Haocun withdrew his hand from around his neck and trembled as he unbuttoned the last button on his shirt.

The pajamas slipped down her shoulders and piled up at her ankles.

Shen Mo no longer hesitated, reached out and cupped the back of her head, then lowered his head and kissed her.

This kiss was devoid of any pity; it was an invasion, a mark, and a response to her sacrifices.

Liu Haocun let out a soft sob, his body going limp like a puddle of water.

Her naivety crumbled under Shen Mo's expert advances, yet she clung tightly to his neck, refusing to let go.

She had waited too long for this day.

The rain outside got even heavier.

The next morning, Zhou Ye woke up early.

The main problem was that she didn't sleep well last night. She dreamt that the box of chocolates she was going to give to Shen Mo turned into a monster and chased her all over the place.

As usual, she stood in front of Liu Haocun's door with two light dark circles under her eyes.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

"Cunzi? Liu Haocun! Time to get to work!"

Zhou Ye shouted loudly, but after a long while, no one opened the door.

"Stop knocking, she took the day off."

A lazy voice came from next door.

Zhou Ye turned his head sharply and saw Bai Lu leaning against the door frame.

Bai Lu was dressed in a smart casual outfit, with a car key dangling from her hand.

"Taking leave? She's the lead actress, what kind of leave is she asking for? She didn't mention it at dinner last night, why is she suddenly taking leave today—"

Zhou Ye's voice stopped abruptly, and her eyes darted around rapidly at that moment.

"My voice is hoarse, and I'm not feeling well."

Bai Lu walked over and gave Zhou Ye a meaningful look. "Rainy nights in this foggy city are the easiest way to catch a cold."

"Let's go, Yezi. I'll take you to the film set and explain things to the director for Cunzi while I'm at it."

Bai Lu didn't give Zhou Ye a chance to refuse and grabbed her arm.

As Zhou Ye was dragged toward the elevator, the unease in his heart grew wildly like weeds.

Is your voice hoarse? Are you feeling unwell?

The two words together are practically a suggestive word that makes one blush.

Zhou Ye felt extremely frustrated all day.

Even while filming, she could feel a constant, ever-present gaze.

As soon as she leaves the stage, Bai Lu will invariably hand her a bottle of water and then sit down next to her with a smile.

He claimed to be accompanying her, but in Zhou Ye's eyes, it was clearly guarding her.

"Sister Bai, aren't you busy today?" Zhou Ye asked tentatively.

Bai Lu leisurely flipped through the magazine in her hand, without even lifting her eyelids.

"Brother Mo has several billion-dollar business deals to discuss today, let me give you a good run errand."

"What's wrong? Are you feeling pressured by my presence?"

Zhou Ye gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Liu Haocun did not appear, nor did Shen Mo.

Director Zeng didn't even overreact to Liu Haocun's request for leave.

"Liu Chacha————"

Zhou Ye's hand holding the script trembled slightly.

"Did you really manage to steal it, you little slut?"

The film crew wrapped up at 8 p.m.

Bai Lu escorted Zhou Ye back to her room, and only after watching her close the door did she turn and walk towards Shen Mo's executive suite.

"drop."

As soon as the door opened, a rich aroma of food wafted out.

Bai Lu pushed open the door and entered, but upon seeing the scene inside, she froze in place.

In the sofa area, Shen Mo was leaning back in his chair, with only two buttons on his shirt, looking utterly lazy.

Meanwhile, Liu Haocun, that girl, was sitting casually on Shen Mo's lap.

She was wearing a shirt that was clearly a size too big, the hem of which just covered her upper thighs, revealing a pair of beautifully shaped long legs. There were also a few red marks on her ankles, which looked particularly glaring against her fair skin.

She wrapped her arms around Shen Mo's waist and pressed her whole body against his chest.

Shen Mo was holding a bowl of congee and was picking up a small piece of tender beef, preparing to eat it.

"Brother Mo, I want more."

Liu Haocun opened her mouth, her big eyes blinking rapidly. Her voice was indeed hoarse, but that didn't stop her from speaking in a coquettish tone.

Shen Mo turned the chopsticks and fed it to Liu Haocun.

"Cunzi, that's enough!"

Bai Lu tossed her bag aside, crossed her arms, and spoke with a sour tone.

"Aren't you done being lovey-dovey yet? I've been keeping an eye on Zhou Ye for you the whole time, from last night until now!"

"We didn't let her bother you at all."

Liu Haocun wasn't embarrassed when he heard Bai Lu's voice; he just buried his head in Shen Mo's neck and chuckled.

"Thank you, Sister Mengyan. I'll help you next time too."

"Help me? How can you help? What can you do to help?" Bai Lu was amused and annoyed.

Shen Mo raised his head, looked at Bai Lu's travel-worn appearance, and smiled.

He picked up another piece of meat and held it to Bai Lu's mouth.

"Alright, have some meat to cool down."

Bai Lu was stunned for a moment. Looking at Shen Mo's smiling eyes, half of the grievance in her heart instantly dissipated.

She opened her mouth, bit into the piece of meat, and chewed fiercely, talking as she chewed.

"That's more like it."

"Brother Mo, I'm hungry too! I want to eat!"

As she spoke, Bai Lu squeezed right next to Shen Mo.

"Cunzi, move over there, I want this spot too."

Liu Haocun grinned, raised his face, made a face at Bai Lu, and then actually made some space.

Shen Mo felt the tightness of being embraced on both sides and shook his head helplessly.

He was feeding the little fox in his arms while also taking care of his assistant beside him.

The atmosphere in the room didn't become awkward because of the extra person; instead, it gained a strange balance.

"Cunzi, do you need any help?" Bai Lu suddenly asked, her eyes sparkling.

Liu Haocun was so shocked by Bai Lu's words that her mouth dropped open, and her pretty face instantly turned red.

"This...this won't be necessary!"

"Hmph!" Bai Lu snorted lightly, "And I even helped you."

"Be careful not to eat alone, you'll overeat!"

"No, not at all." Liu Haocun smiled and shook his head. "Brother Mo cares about me a lot."

"Scumbag." Bai Lu muttered, then snuggled closer to Shen Mo.

July 11, 8:30 PM.

Simultaneous broadcast on Mohen Video and Tomato TV, "Love O2O" officially kicked off.

Prior to this, the show had been generating a lot of buzz for over a month.

The news that Shen Mo would personally play Xiao Nai was itself the biggest bombshell in the Chinese entertainment industry in terms of traffic.

The viewership ratings soared from the very beginning of the television season, from 1.2% to 1.5% to 1.8%.

When Xiao Nai appeared in the library wearing a white shirt halfway through the first episode, the viewership rating immediately exceeded 2%!

The entire internet is buzzing.

Meanwhile, in the office building of Tencent Video, Sun Zhonghuai stared intently at the data backend of "So Young".

0.61%.

This is the answer sheet that "So Young" has delivered.

Sun Zhonghuai also knew that it would be difficult for Yang Le and Chen Yao to compete with Shen Mo and Bai Lu, who had huge fan bases.

So from the very beginning of their advertising, their main focus was on piggybacking.

Regardless of online polls for the most handsome school heartthrob or the most beautiful "white moonlight" of the summer season, Yang Le and Chen Yao were still relentlessly paired up in interviews.

The goal is simply to generate buzz.

Although he had anticipated that "So Young" would not be as good as "Love O2O",

"How could the difference be so huge?" Sun Zhonghuai's face turned ashen.

"Mr. Sun————"

"The audience feedback is that 'So Young' is too bitter, and they don't want to watch it."

The secretary lowered his head and reported nervously.

"As for 'Love O2O,' it's all sweetness, pure sweetness."

After all, just the sight of Shen Mo's face was enough to make any girl in the country swoon.

In a suite at the Fog City Hotel.

Bai Lu held her iPad, looking at the uniform trending topics on Weibo.

#Love O2O#

#ShenMoXiaoNaiBenNai#

#BaiLuBeiWeiWei#

She laughed so hard her back teeth were showing.

"Brother Mo! It's exploded! It really exploded!"

Bai Lu, wearing a silk nightgown, jumped onto the sofa without regard for Liu Haocun's presence and pointed at the live chat.

"Look, they all say I must have saved the galaxy for you to spoil me so much in the drama!"

Shen Mo leaned back in his chair, swirling a half-empty glass of red wine in his hand.

"This is only the first day."

Shen Mo took a sip of his wine and chuckled, "Is the whole place already full?"

"When has your brother Mo ever fought such a boring battle?"

"Moreover, Sun Bihuai hasn't even made a move yet."

"Do you think he'll just stand by and watch Tencent Video flop this summer?"

Liu Haocun sat obediently next to Shen Mo, stretching out her fair little feet and rubbing them against Shen Mo's feet, occasionally playfully pinching them.

Upon hearing this, Bai Lu paused in her actions and softly uttered a sound.

"Brother Mo, what preparations do we need to make?"

After all, this was her first collaboration with Shen Mo, and she didn't want any accidents to happen.

Shen Mo chuckled and reached out to ruffle Liu Haocun's long hair.

"Let's deal with whatever comes our way."

""

Liu Haocun raised his head, a bright smile on his face, but then he pursed his lips.

"Brother Mo, if you like rubbing, rub it a little longer."

"In a few days, I'll get a buzz cut."

"You'll be in deep trouble then."

Shen Mo looked into her eyes.

"Does it hurt your heart?"

"It hurts," Liu Haocun shook his head, "but making the movie is the most important thing. I can't let my own heartache ruin the presentation of the film."

"This film requires my buzz cut."

Shen Mo tenderly pulled her head close and let her rest it against his chest.

"I'll never find you a role that requires you to cut your hair again."

One o'clock in the morning.

A popular entertainment influencer on Weibo with 50,000 followers suddenly released a major teaser.

[See you Monday, August 12th! A top-tier male celebrity was caught spending the night with two rising actresses – was it a "one-man-two-woman" situation or a three-person murder mystery game? Pictures don't lie!]

Although the accompanying picture was blurry, some netizens were still able to recognize it at a glance as a five-star hotel in Chongqing.

Although no names were mentioned, the comment section exploded instantly.

"City of Fog? Shen Mo just visited the set of 'Better Days'!"

"Two young actresses? Bai Lu and who else? Zhou Ye or Liu Haocun?"

"Is Xiao Nai's character, which was just established, about to collapse?"

On Tencent Video, Sun Huai looked at the photo and finally a smile appeared on his face that he hadn't seen for many days.

Sun Bihuai gave his hand a light instruction.

"That paparazzi from Lianwu bought out that clear photo of Bai Lu and Liu Haocun entering Shen Mo's room one after the other. Tomorrow at nine o'clock, I'm going to make the reputation of 'Love O2O' plummet to the bottom!"

In this industry, whether a drama is good or not is secondary; the stability of the character's persona is the key.

If your public image collapses, no matter how good the show is, your fans will feel nauseous.

At the same time, Lin Wei called Shen Mo.

"Mr. Shen, the other party is very polite," they said, offering 10,000 yuan per piece, asking if we were willing to buy out the photo.

Shen Mo leaned back on the sofa, his right hand lightly stroking Liu Haocun's long hair.

The little girl was exhausted from all the fussing and was now snuggled in his arms, fast asleep.

Meanwhile, Bai Lu was excitedly watching the full episode of "Love O2O" on her tablet, completely unaware of the impending storm.

"Buyout? Why would we need a buyout?"

A carefree smile curved Shen Mo's lips.

"You should remind that paparazzi that the 'ten thousand bushels' is too little, and tell him to ask Sun Bihuai for ten million more."

"By the way, tell him to help me boost the popularity of 'Love O2O' when it's released. There will be plenty of opportunities to earn money from this in the future."

"Mr. Shen, what's wrong—"

Lin Wei was clearly stunned on the other end of the phone. She was used to the industry's practice of silencing people and suppressing their opinions, but this was the first time she had heard of Le pushing their own scandal into the hands of their rivals.

Shen Mo smiled calmly, "I'll keep Sun Bihuai company."

At three o'clock in the morning, Lin Wei sent back a message, and Sun Bihuai nodded.

The paparazzo was completely stunned by Shen Mo's "collusion with the enemy" operation. He asked Lin Wei for a private account in a trembling manner, expressing his "gratitude" to President Shen for his guidance.

Shen Mo replied simply: "No need for thanks. If you really mean it, just donate to the Mohen Charity Foundation."

This foundation was established by Li Yitong two years ago, and every year tens of millions of yuan are injected into it in her and Shen Mo's names.

The accounts are completely transparent, and the whereabouts of every penny are clearly displayed online.

The next morning, a personal donation of three million was quietly added to the Inkmark Charity Foundation's account.

Meanwhile, the account that had been teasing the event yesterday dropped the bombshell during Weibo's peak traffic time in the morning.

[Is Xiao Nai's "god-like" persona crumbling? Shen Mo, Bai Lu, and Liu Haocun returned to a hotel suite together late at night and didn't leave until the early hours of the next morning!]

The three photos show Shen Mo, Bai Lu, and Liu Haocun pushing open the same door together to enter, and then exiting one after another.

The time information in the photos is also very clear: the three entered the same room around 11 p.m. and left around 6 a.m.

The meaning of this is truly thought-provoking.

The Weibo backend crashed instantly, and the bullet screen of the "Love O2O" drama was flooded with crazy "collapse" and ridicule.

"Shen Mo! You scumbag! Give me back Xiao Nai!"

"One dragon playing with two phoenixes? You really know how to play games, Mr. Shen!"

"Bai Lu, Liu Haocun, you two are really something, willing to throw away all shame to climb the social ladder?"

Public opinion, fueled by the online trolls hired by Sun Bihuai, was burning fiercely against Shen Mo.

Sitting in the Tencent office, Sun Bihuai looked at the overwhelming negative comments online and finally let out the most relaxed smile he had in a month.

"That ten million was worth it!"

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

If you're passing by, feel free to give your child a monthly pass!