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

"Does he know you're coming to the capital?"

Upon hearing Li Yitong's question, Tian Xiwei suddenly raised her head, her eyes wide open.

Then, like a child caught doing something wrong, he shook his head rapidly, his voice growing softer and softer.

"No, I don't know... I didn't tell him."

"I... secretly found this place using the address on the business card."

Li Yitong sighed inwardly; this was the kind of thing this girl was capable of doing.

Brave, yet with a touch of reckless disregard.

"We came secretly..."

Li Yitong pretended to be deep in thought, lightly tapping her chin with her fingertips. Looking at Tian Xiwei's face, which suddenly tensed up, she suddenly smiled mischievously, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

"So, would you like to give him a surprise?"

"surprise?"

Tian Xiwei's eyes lit up instantly, and she leaned forward unconsciously, full of anticipation.

"May I?"

"certainly."

Li Yitong smiled like an evil big cat luring a little white rabbit.

"Although he's not coming here today, I know he'll be going somewhere later."

"and……"

She paused deliberately, keeping everyone in suspense, and only spoke slowly after seeing Tian Xi's slightly anxious expression.

"And that place is very interesting; you'll definitely like it."

"Would you like... me to show you around, and then, 'bump into' him?"

"Yes! I want to!"

Tian Xiwei almost jumped up and excitedly grabbed Li Yitong's hand.

She then shyly let go, her face turning bright red.

"Thank you, sister! You're so kind!"

Seeing her unreserved trust and joy, Li Yitong was filled with mixed emotions.

Was what I did right or wrong?

Should we push away potential threats, or take control before they blossom?

But no matter what, looking at this vibrant and happy girl in front of her, she couldn't harden her heart and ignore her.

"Let's go then."

Li Yitong stood up, extended her hand to her, and smiled gently.

"Since it's still early, I'll take you to a fun place, the Beijing Film Academy."

"Beijing Film Academy?" Tian Xiwei grasped her hand and asked curiously.

"Yeah, your brother Mo's school."

"It's also my 'territory'."

Li Yitong winked playfully and led her outside.

"There you'll find the best ice cream cones in the entire capital, and... lots of interesting stories about your brother Mo."

Sunlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, elongating the shadows of the two people standing side by side.

A slender, long-sleeved hand holds a tender, slightly cool hand.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the Nortel building.

Li Yitong wasn't wearing sunglasses; she simply pulled her scarf up a bit and naturally led Tian Xiwei out of the car.

The moment I stepped into the school gate, a feeling that was both familiar and unfamiliar washed over me.

Every tree and every building here has witnessed her and Shen Mo's youthful days.

That was a time without Tian Xiwei, a time that belonged only to "childhood sweethearts".

"Look over there."

Li Yitong pointed to a row of old red brick buildings not far away, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible nostalgia.

"Your brother Mo took classes there back then. He wasn't as composed as he is now."

"Once, I almost got into a fight with my senior classmate over a rehearsal room."

Tian Xi listened intently, her big eyes filled with curiosity, trying to piece together a picture of the young Shen Mo from Li Yitong's words.

"Brother Mo gets into fights?"

"It wasn't a fight, it was an argument, it was a 'theory'."

Li Yitong couldn't help but laugh and led her deeper into the campus.

"But he was already very impressive back then. Despite his young age, he had a whole set of logical arguments."

As they passed the playground, they saw students running, wrapped in thick clothes.

Passing by the library, I could see people inside engrossed in their studies through the glass windows.

Li Yitong acted like a competent tour guide, gently recounting every detail of the place.

Occasionally, a short story or two about Shen Mo will be interspersed.

He once stayed up all night memorizing scripts in this corner, and he once argued with the cafeteria lady at that window...

These are the trivial, everyday memories of the past.

It gradually filled in the thin and distant image of "Brother Mo" in Tian Xiwei's heart.

Her eyes lit up as she listened, and she would occasionally cover her mouth and giggle. Her dependence on and closeness to Li Yitong deepened without her realizing it.

"Sister, you and Brother Mo...have you known each other for a very long time?"

Tian Xiwei couldn't help but ask, her tone carrying a hint of envy that she herself didn't realize.

Li Yitong paused slightly, her gaze falling on a ginkgo tree not far away.

In a daze, she seemed to see again the scene of her reunion with Shen Mo under the tree that day.

"yes."

She answered softly, her voice as fleeting as a breeze.

"It's been a long time."

"So long ago...it feels like we've known each other since a past life."

She took Tian Xiwei to a well-known coffee shop on campus.

Just as she said, they sell delicious ice cream cones here, and even in winter, students come to buy them.

"Here, have a taste."

Li Yitong handed a cone decorated with strawberry crumbs to Tian Xiwei, and ordered a hot Americano for herself.

Tian Xi took a bite, and the cool, sweet taste made her squint her eyes in bliss.

"So delicious!"

Seeing her smile, Li Yitong's fingers tightened slightly as she held the coffee cup.

A sense of guilt welled up inside me.

She knew what she was doing.

She was using a gentle knife to slowly dissect the bond between herself and Shen Mo that had lasted for more than twenty years.

It silently tells the girl in front of him.

You see, I know everything about him and was a part of his entire youth.

That's a past you can never reach.

This act itself carries a hidden cruelty and scheming.

but!

When she saw Tian Xiwei eating ice cream, swinging her legs, simply happy with a sweet treat.

My guilt intensified.

"Little Tian'er."

Li Yitong put down her coffee cup, her tone becoming more serious.

"Why...why do you want to see Shen Mo so much? Is it just because he helped you once in Wudu?"

Tian Xiwei slowed down her licking of the ice cream, a hint of girlish shyness and persistence appearing on her face.

She lowered her head and poked at the melting ice cream with a spoon, her voice soft but clear.

"It's not just because of that time..."

"Brother Mo is doing well."

"I feel very safe when I talk to him."

"and……"

She looked up at Li Yitong, her eyes clear and brave.

"I always feel like I've known him for a long time."

"I felt a sense of familiarity when I first met him."

Li Yitong's heart skipped a beat.

She was certain that the girl in front of her was not the girl from her previous life; she had not returned like herself.

But why do I feel this way?

Is this attraction that transcends time and space what is called "fate"?

She was silent for a moment, then, as if she had made up her mind, she took out her phone and glanced at the time.

"Let's go."

She stood up, her smile returning to its relaxed and warm state.

"I'll take you to a place where we might 'bump into' each other."

"He's coming to a post-production company near the school this afternoon to discuss some things, and it's about time to wrap things up."

Tian Xiwei's eyes instantly lit up like searchlights, and she immediately jumped off the chair, nervously and expectantly grabbing Li Yitong's hand.

"Really? We can really 'bump into' each other?"

"Give it a try."

Li Yitong smiled and squeezed her slightly cool fingers, then led her outside.

"Remember, it's a 'chance encounter,' so act naturally and with a sense of surprise."

Li Yitong led the excited Tian Xiwei towards the direction where they were bound to meet Shen Mo.

She had no idea where this carefully planned "chance encounter" would lead the three of them.

But at least at this moment, looking at the girl beside her, she couldn't harden her heart.