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

Domestic Arrivals Hall, Terminal 3, Beijing Capital International Airport.

A girl wearing a white down jacket and a fluffy cartoon scarf was struggling to drag a suitcase that was almost half her height out of the passage.

It was Tian Xiwei, brimming with the youthful vigor unique to her age, her big eyes curiously looking around.

"Sister Yue!"

Upon spotting the figure waiting at the arrivals gate, Tian Xiwei immediately released the handle of her suitcase.

She rushed over like a small cannonball and plunged headfirst into her cousin Zhang Yue's arms.

"Oh, our Xiaotian has finally arrived! Are you tired from the journey?"

Zhang Yue smiled and caught her, then ruffled her hair.

Zhang Yue is the daughter of Tian Xiwei's aunt. She works in Beijing and lives alone.

"Not tired at all! I'm full of energy!"

Tian Xiwei lifted her head from her embrace, her eyes sparkling. She turned back, grabbed her suitcase, and followed Zhang Yue outside.

On her way home, Tian Xi leaned against the taxi window, watching the winter scenery of the north rushing past, so different from the foggy city.

Everything seemed so new and attractive.

Then she turned to Zhang Yue and chattered away about her plans: tomorrow to the Temple of Heaven, the day after tomorrow to the Forbidden City, and the day after that to…

"Xiaotian, I have to work and won't have much time to spend with you. These tourist attractions are still quite safe."

"But you have to promise your sister you won't go to any unfamiliar places outside of these areas!"

"Otherwise, if I get lost, I'll be beaten to death!"

Tian Xiwei immediately raised three fingers.

"Sister, I promise! I absolutely won't run around!"

Seeing her so well-behaved and adorable appearance, Zhang Yue was still a little worried, but she thought that although Tian Xiwei was young, she was always sensible and shouldn't cause any trouble.

"Okay, I believe you."

Zhang Yue helped her tidy up her bangs that had been messed up by the wind.

"But the capital is so big, and you don't know anyone here, so I'm still a little worried."

"Call me anytime if you need anything, or send me a text message."

"You must bring your phone when you go out, understand?"

"I heard you! Thank you, Sister Yue! Sister Yue is the best!"

Her heart was beating a little fast, not because she had come to the capital.

Instead, it was here that she wanted to see "Brother Mo".

[Brother Mo... I'm here. This time, I'm not just passing by.]

Her lips couldn't help but curve upwards, forming a smile that was both expectant and nervous.

When they arrived at her cousin's house, Tian Xiwei sweetly praised the small apartment and took the initiative to help tidy it up, behaving extremely well-behavedly.

The next day, watching Zhang Yue walk out and the door close.

Tian Xiwei jumped half a meter high in an instant.

She quickly ran into the room and took out a well-preserved piece of stiff paper from a hidden compartment in her small backpack.

That was the business card Shen Mo had left for her.

"Ink Trace Capital, Shen Mo".

She gently traced the words with her fingers.

The image of him appearing like a god to rescue her from that day in the foggy city flashed through her mind.

Tall, handsome, with a pleasant voice, he seems aloof but actually cares deeply about her...

She took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind.

I opened my phone, stared at the QQ chat box for a long time, and hesitated, wondering whether or not to send a message.

Then open the dial pad, or make a call directly?

After much hesitation, I still didn't dial the phone number on the business card.

[It seems too abrupt to attack directly!]

She bit her nails in frustration, glancing at the address at the bottom of the business card.

Finally, he picked up his phone, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and made up his mind to open the door and leave.

When she arrived at the subway station, Tian Xiwei stared at the subway map on the wall for a long time, but still couldn't find an address similar to the one on the business card.

My mind went blank. Was this what they meant by dying before even getting started?

Feeling the meager amount of pocket money in her pocket, Tian Xi reluctantly pulled out a red bill.

Looks like I'll have to take a taxi.

……

In the reception area of ​​Inkmark Capital, Olivia, the receptionist, had been noticing that young girl for a long time.

She was wrapped in a thick white down jacket and wandered around the area three or four times, each time her gaze fell on the front desk, she hesitated to speak.

"Excuse me, who are you looking for?" Olivia asked gently for the third time.

The girl clutched the hem of her clothes, her lips moved, but she didn't say anything.

Just then, the glass door slid open silently, and Li Yitong walked in, wearing high-heeled ankle boots, the hem of her cashmere coat tracing a clean arc.

Her gaze swept across the front desk and then settled on that petite figure.

Their steps suddenly stopped, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

The dimples from when she smiled and smeared cream on her face on her birthday overlapped with the chubby baby face in front of me.

Just a few days ago, they said they had no competitors, so how come they've suddenly appeared in front of me now?

Li Yitong suddenly felt like cursing the heavens.

Before Olivia could explain, she raised her hand: "I know her."

Tian Xi looked up at the sound and met a pair of crescent-shaped eyes that were rippling with emotion.

"Sister, you're so pretty."

She blurted it out, then blinked in confusion.

Do you know me?

Li Yitong gazed into those pure eyes, and she remembered the girl who liked to hug her waist and whisper "Xue~" in her ear.

A look of relief and tenderness spread across her lips.

"Your name is Tian Xiwei, right?"

"It's too cold here."

Li Yitong naturally took the backpack with the rabbit doll hanging on her shoulder.

"Would you like some drinks?"

She took a bottle of peach oolong tea from the beverage cabinet next to the front desk.

"Sister, how did you know I like this drink?"

Li Yitong smiled slightly at Tian Xi and led her through the office area.

An employee, holding documents, respectfully called out "General Manager Li," and Tian Xiwei followed closely behind, quietly tugging at her sleeve.

"Is your sister a manager here?"

I guess so.

Li Yitong pushed open the door to the lounge and placed her backpack on the sofa.

Watching the girl sit down, her legs spread apart like a little boy's, was exactly the same posture she adopted years later when she nestled in Shen Mo's sofa waiting for the script.

When Tian Xiwei peeked at the door for the third time, Li Yitong sat down next to her.

"He has something to do today." He said in a very soft voice.

"They probably won't come."

Tian Xiwei's finger froze in mid-air, her eyelashes trembled rapidly, and a sense of disappointment and dejection surfaced in her eyes.

The familiar gaze sent a dull ache through Li Yitong's heart, like snowflakes falling on old scars.

The disappointment almost overflowed from Tian Xiwei, and her small shoulders slumped slightly.

Her eyes, which had just been sparkling with starlight, were now covered with a layer of moisture.

"Ah... how could this be..."

A familiar expression, an undisguised sense of loss.

Like a tiny needle, it precisely pierced the softest corner of Li Yitong's heart.

On the day she announced her birthday with Shen Mo, Li Yitong also saw herself with a similar look in the mirror.

The next moment, Li Yitong took a deep breath and suppressed the sour feeling.

She is not herself.

The girl in front of me is just a naive young girl who fell in love with me after I saved her life.

In this life, everything is different.