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

Li Yitong sat cross-legged on the sofa in Shen Mo's office, flipping through the list of potential artists compiled by Wang Siyu while drinking juice through a straw.

Suddenly remembering something, she looked up at Shen Mo, who was reviewing documents.

"Hey, Shen Mo, we've gathered pretty much all the basic information about those young actors and actresses in our previous plan. Shouldn't we make our move?"

"Why don't we set up a dedicated brokerage firm to operate this? We can't keep being affiliated with Mohen Capital all the time; it looks out of place."

Shen Mo looked up from the documents and saw her smug look, as if she had finally thought of something important. A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

He put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and watched her with a leisurely air.

"You only think of reminding me now?" His tone was clearly mocking.

"General Manager Li, by the time you remind us, it's too late."

Li Yitong was taken aback, blinking her crescent-shaped eyes: "Huh?"

"About a month ago," Shen Mo slowly revealed the answer.

"All the formalities for the 'Ink Trace Media' agency have been completed."

"The basic legal, financial, and administrative staff have all been recruited, and the company is ready to start operations at any time."

"You Shen Mo! You actually kept this from me!" Li Yitong instantly bristled, grabbing a cushion next to her as if to throw it at him.

"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and sign them back!"

"What's the rush?" Shen Mo chuckled and raised his hand in a gesture of deflection.

"The company's framework is set up, but it still lacks a leader to steer it."

"We can't have you, as the 'strategic advisor,' or Wang Siyu, directly manage the artists, can we?"

"We need a true professional."

He picked up the internal phone and pressed a button.

"Wanqing, bring in the final evaluation report of the candidate for the head of the brokerage firm recommended by the headhunter."

Soon, Zhou Wanqing came in with several beautifully bound documents, handed them to Shen Mo, and nodded to Li Yitong.

Shen Mo spread the documents out on the coffee table and pushed them towards Li Yitong, who was curiously leaning over.

"The headhunter recommended several candidates, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. After several rounds of background checks and initial contact, we are currently focusing on two."

Shen Mo pointed to the names and brief introductions on the report with his finger.

"The first one is Chang Jihong."

"A senior figure in the industry with extensive connections and strong resource control. He is particularly adept at managing actors' long-term career planning and development, and has a steady and reliable style."

He paused.

"The downside is that it may lean more towards traditional film and television routes, and its thinking on the idolization and fan economy of the new generation may not be broad enough."

"Second place, Yang Tianzhen."

Shen Mo's finger moved to another document, which showed a photo of a woman with sharp eyes and an air of shrewdness and competence.

"Young, decisive, resourceful, and extremely skilled in artist positioning, topic creation, and crisis management. He has a unique understanding of emerging media and strong execution capabilities in fan management."

Looking at Yang Tianzhen's ambitious photo, Li Yitong nodded subconsciously. She knew this person; he was a master of marketing and hype.

Shen Mo continued his analysis.

"Her strength is that she can quickly gain an advantage and create buzz."

"However, the potential risk is that the style is relatively radical, and sometimes too much emphasis is placed on 'persona' and topics, which may not be conducive to the long-term development of the artist's acting skills and the accumulation of reputation."

He looked at Li Yitong and tossed the choice to her.

"One seeks stability, the other seeks speed."

"What kind of leader do you think 'Ink Trace Media' needs most?"

Li Yitong bit her lip, carefully examining the two documents, her crescent-shaped eyes gleaming with thoughtful consideration.

This first key selection largely determines the future development path of the artists in the Ink Trace Group.

Li Yitong pointed at Yang Tianzhen's information, looked up, and had a question in her eyes.

"How about... we let her test the waters? Let's build up some momentum first!"

"As for developing acting skills... we'll hone them gradually through the scripts!"

Her tone carried a hint of eager excitement.

"Oh, right, could you sign this?"

Li Yitong took the documents from Shen Mo and looked at him with surprise.

"20% of Inkmark Media's shares? To me?"

After saying that, his smiling face instantly turned serious, and his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

"Shen Mo, what do you mean? Explain yourself! You really want to draw a clear line between us?"

Shen Mo slapped her on the bottom, then pulled her into his arms.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Take the shares you're entitled to, otherwise your position as General Manager Li won't be legitimate."

"Besides, without your prophecy, Inkmark Media would be nothing."

"Besides, if something happens to me, at least I still have your 20% stake as a trump card, right?"

Li Yitong quickly covered his mouth, "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! What nonsense are you talking about? What problem could there be?"

However, she didn't refuse again.

As for Yang Tianzhen, the conditions were almost the same as those for recruiting Chen Zhixi. Shen Mo offered 10% of the shares to poach this famous agent.

Then, 9% was reserved for equity incentives, and Mohen Capital held the remaining 61%. At this point, Mohen's cultural and entertainment sector layout framework was basically formed.

In November, the plane tree leaves on the Shanghai Theatre Academy campus have turned yellow and fallen, carrying the chill of early winter.

The first thing Mohen Media did after officially starting operations was to target the potential artists on Li Yitong's list.

To demonstrate the importance attached to Dilraba Dilmurat, a future top star, Yang Tianzhen, who had just taken office as the general manager of Mohen Media, personally led the recruitment process, accompanied by Shen Mo.

Li Yitong, on the other hand, was simply curious and wanted to see what Dilraba looked like when she was young, so she followed along.

Not long after the three of them entered the campus, Shen Mo keenly sensed that something was amiss in the atmosphere around them.

Students passing by turned their heads and stared intently at him.

Immediately, whispers spread like ripples, and more and more people stopped to watch, some even taking out their phones.

"That's... Wang Xiaojian?"

"It really is Shen Mo!"

Wow! He's even more handsome than in the movies!

"Can I get an autograph?"

A crowd began to slowly gather, filled with excitement and curiosity, and there was a subtle tendency for them to converge.

This was the first time Shen Mo had ever truly felt the impact of the popularity brought about by the explosive success of "Love is Not Blind" offline and in a non-work setting.

He was slightly taken aback, somewhat caught off guard.

Just as the crowd began to stir and before they had fully surrounded her, the experienced Li Yitong immediately realized what was happening.

She had experienced this scene far too many times in her past life.

Almost reflexively, he quickly pulled a prepared black mask from his handbag and put it on in a swift motion.

At the same time, he quietly took a half step back, lowered his head slightly, and hid himself to the side and behind Shen Mo and Yang Tianzhen, his hands unconsciously clutching the folder in his arms.

She perfectly played the role of a low-key, inconspicuous assistant, successfully avoiding the cameras of those who were looking around and about to take pictures.

The scene gradually became chaotic and noisy as people recognized Shen Mo.

Yang Tianzhen, who had just joined the company, was instantly activated by her professional instincts.

Her eyes sharpened, and her shrewd and capable aura was fully unleashed. She quickly stepped forward and cleverly blocked Shen Mo's side.

Thank you everyone for liking Shen Mo!

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of control, and she wore a professional, friendly smile.

"However, we are at the school today to handle some personal matters, so we don't want to disturb you. Please keep order and be careful!"

As she spoke, she used her arm to gently push aside the crowd that was getting too close, her sharp eyes sweeping over several students who were trying to squeeze to the front to take photos, the invisible pressure making them pause.

She spoke fluently, her attitude both kind and firm, and she quickly stabilized the situation in just a few words.