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

The echoes of the midnight bells seemed to still resonate in the air.

On the sofa, Shen Mo and Li Yitong remained tightly embracing, neither of them speaking.

They seemed still immersed in that sudden yet natural kiss, feeling each other's intense heartbeats slowly calm down.

Breaths mingled, and a new, intimate, and enchanting atmosphere filled the air.

Li Yitong buried her face in Shen Mo's chest, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat.

It felt like I was soaking in warm honey water, so sweet it was almost cloying, and so soft I didn't want to move.

Shen Mo gently rested his chin on the top of her head, his arm encircling her slender waist.

An unprecedented sense of groundedness and fulfillment filled his chest.

The tranquility and tenderness of this moment are more captivating than any boisterous celebration.

However, this tranquility was broken by the sudden flash of a mobile phone screen.

The screen of Shen Mo's phone, which was resting on the armrest of the sofa, suddenly lit up, appearing particularly glaring in the dimly lit room.

A preview of a new message is prominently displayed on the lock screen.

[Tian Xiwei: Brother Mo! Happy New Year!]

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Shen Mo's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Although Li Yitong had her head down, she clearly felt the subtle change in his heartbeat rhythm at that moment.

She slowly raised her head, her crescent-shaped eyes still glistening with lingering tears and a hazy afterglow from their intimacy.

His gaze first fell on Shen Mo's face, catching a fleeting complex expression in his eyes.

Immediately, her gaze fell on the lit-up phone screen.

"Brother Mo..."

Li Yitong uttered the name softly, her voice devoid of any emotion.

The last syllable was slightly drawn out, carrying a playful tone.

She raised her eyes and looked at Shen Mo again, a faint smile slowly curving her lips.

His eyes became clear and sharp, as if they could penetrate his appearance and reach his heart.

"The news... is quite timely."

Her tone was light and airy, gently soothing Shen Mo's somewhat chaotic thoughts.

Looking into her all-knowing eyes, Shen Mo knew that any attempt to conceal it was futile.

He sighed helplessly, but held her even tighter, as if afraid she would run away.

"Um."

He responded softly, offering no explanation, nor could he explain.

Looking at his slightly tense jawline, Li Yitong suddenly stretched out her index finger and poked his chest.

His tone carried a feigned dissatisfaction, but a hint of understanding and cunning lurked deep in his eyes.

"What's wrong, Mr. Shen? Are you... feeling guilty because you've been caught red-handed?"

Shen Mo caught her mischievous fingers, held them in his palm, and calmly looked back at her.

"I have nothing to hide."

He paused, his voice low and firm.

"I just feel that some of the coincidences are...unexpected."

The coincidence he referred to was both a coincidence in time and a coincidence in emotion.

Just as he had confirmed his feelings for the woman in his arms.

The girl, who represented another complicated past, re-entered his field of vision in this way.

Looking into his honest eyes, the little bit of resentment in Li Yitong's heart suddenly disappeared.

Of course she knew about Tian Xiwei's existence, and she also knew about Shen Mo's inner turmoil.

But at this moment, the lingering warmth of that kiss was still on her lips, and his strong arms were still wrapped around her—that was enough.

She pursed her lips and waved her hand dismissively, feigning magnanimity.

"Alright, alright, that girl has already sent you her blessings."

She leaned back into his arms, finding a more comfortable position, and lazily reminded him.

"Mr. Shen, it's impolite not to reply to messages, isn't it?"

"Especially on the first day of the new year."

Shen Mo looked down at Li Yitong in his arms, who seemed indifferent but was actually listening intently, and felt a surge of tenderness in his heart.

He picked up his phone, unlocked it, and opened the chat window.

Although Li Yitong remained still, she couldn't help but secretly glance at his screen out of the corner of her eye.

Shen Mo's fingers paused on the keyboard for a moment, then quickly typed a few words and clicked send.

[Shen Mo: Yes, Happy New Year]

Upon seeing this reply, the ambiguous smile on Li Yitong's lips finally transformed into a genuine, slightly smug smile.

Like a cat that has been stroked and pampered, she snuggled against him and closed her eyes contentedly.

"That's more like it..."

Shen Mo put down his phone, hugged the person in his arms even tighter, lowered his head and kissed the top of her head, suppressing all his surging thoughts back into his heart.

The first night of the new year flowed gently in a delicate and warm balance.

On the other side of the screen, the night in the foggy city was dotted with scattered fireworks.

Tian Xi sat cross-legged on her bed, wearing fluffy pajamas, holding a pillow in her arms, her eyes fixed on her phone screen.

On the screen, there was only Shen Mo's brief five-word reply.

[Yes, Happy New Year]

There was no "Xiaotian" she expected, no emoticons, and not even a period; it was dry and lifeless, like a task completed.

An inexplicable sense of loss, like tiny vines, quietly wrapped around her heart.

She felt pretty good when they chatted before. Although Mo Ge didn't talk much, he would joke with her and ask her to go to bed early.

Why are you so cold this time?

"Was I too noisy? Did I talk too much last time?"

"Is he in a bad mood today?"

"Or... is he with someone else and can't reply to my messages?"

The last thought was like a small thorn, gently pricking her and making her inexplicably uncomfortable.

She pouted and subconsciously poked at Shen Mo's QQ avatar on the screen with her fingertip.

That thing was like a deep, dark black, making it impossible to see anything clearly, just like him—something she couldn't quite figure out.

[It seems... something is about to slip away...]

A strange feeling spread through her heart, making her a little flustered and a little resentful.

A sense of emptiness washed over me, as if a feeling of unease and suffocation, a sense of something that belonged to me but was about to be lost, welled up inside me.

She is Tian Xiwei! How can she just sit and wait to die?

Even if a star wants to run away, we have to pull it out from behind the clouds!

His big eyes darted around a few times, and an idea instantly formed!

She jumped out of bed and ran out of the room in her slippers before she could even put them on properly.

She shouted loudly at her mother, who was watching TV in the living room, her voice deliberately amplified, carrying the coquettishness and expectation of a little girl.

"Mom! I've finished my final exams and I want to go visit my cousin in Beijing! When she's on vacation, can we come back together for Chinese New Year?"

She was making her own plans.

Going to the capital means I'll be closer to Brother Mo!

Surely we'll find a chance to meet?

At that time...

Hmph, I'd like to see why you're being so cold!

A young girl's thoughts are like fireworks that occasionally explode outside the window—bright, sudden, and filled with a reckless impulse.