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

On the morning of June 9, 2011, the main auditorium of the Beijing Dance Academy was packed with people.

The stage curtain was tightly closed, and the preparation room backstage was in complete chaos, with people checking props, touching up makeup, and chanting prayers with their eyes closed.

The first two rows below the stage were occupied by either teachers who were there to review the graduation performances or by college leaders, while the back rows were filled with the relatives and friends of the graduating students, all waiting quietly.

Shen Mo found a seat in the relatives and friends area of ​​the 2007 class of the Folk Dance Department, and quietly waited for the show to begin.

In order to clearly record this part of her history that will be unearthed by fans more than ten years later, Shen Mo specially rented a set of high-definition equipment from the digital mall.

The Canon 5D Mark II and the 70-200mm f/2 lens are designed to clearly document one's embarrassing past.

When she first entered university, Shen Mo thought she was majoring in folk dance performance.

Then I searched the performance classroom for a long time, but I still couldn't find Yukiko.

It wasn't until Li Yitong appeared behind him and slapped him on the back of the head that he remembered he was a student majoring in folk dance performance.

Because it was a teaching major, during the summer of 2010, when I returned to Jinan, I dragged Shen Mo along to find a kindergarten internship so that I could experience being a kindergarten teacher.

About thirty minutes into the show, Shen Mo finally spotted her on stage.

As the stage lights gradually dimmed, a spotlight enveloped three figures dressed in deep red, and Shen Mo's eyes were instantly drawn to her.

As the music with its distinctive Shandong flavor began, Li Yitong lightly touched the ground with her toes, and with a clean and crisp twist of her waist and steps, her body instantly formed a highly resilient S-shaped posture.

Her movements were no longer a mechanical reproduction of the choreography in her memory, but were infused with a soul.

Her more than ten years in the entertainment industry have given her a deep-seated understanding of "expressiveness".

Her gaze wasn't vacantly fixed on the distance; instead, it moved with the movements of her arms, sometimes lowering her eyes shyly, sometimes raising her eyebrows defiantly, perfectly capturing the straightforwardness and charm of a girl from Shandong.

Then comes a classic falling step, with the body leaning back until it is almost parallel to the ground, relying entirely on the toes of one leg to grip the ground tightly.

A faint gasp came from the audience.

Yet, amidst her extreme balance, a carefree smile curved her lips.

No damage!

This body is light, full of explosive power, and every joint is as obedient as the most precise instrument.

The pain that had troubled her for years seemed to have never existed at this moment.

This feeling of breaking free from all constraints and purely controlling her body was so exhilarating that she almost wanted to scream.

The red silk sash drew a full and joyful arc in the air.

She wasn't performing a folk dance; she was simply a girl dancing joyfully from the bottom of her heart in the fields.

Every shrug and every exhale is filled with the vibrant energy of life.

In the final standing meditation and drumming section, she stretched out her arms with wide, expansive movements, her muscular arms outlining smooth lines under the lights.

Sweat dripped down her forehead, but she grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.

Her laughter was pure and unrestrained, her crescent-shaped eyes brimming with the joy of rediscovering a treasure and a burning vitality.

As the drumbeat subsided, the pose was finalized.

She was breathing slightly heavily, her chest rising and falling.

Shen Mo operated the camera in his hand. In the lens, she was obviously much fatter than he remembered in 2025, and she was really cute with her round and chubby figure.

In her past life, she enjoyed acting more than dancing.

Dancing caused her injuries. Once, she did a somersault and fell directly from the air, resulting in fractures in her toes and spine. Doctors advised her to stop dancing altogether.

For her, dance injuries are purely physical pain, with pain in every part of her body. In contrast, the hardships of acting are more about the psychological pressure she has to endure.

She told Shen Mo, "I haven't experienced any particular pain as an actress; I've always found myself enjoying it."

Shen Mo asked her, "If there were parallel universes, which time period would you want to return to?"

She said, "If it were a parallel universe, I would want to go back to the moment I decided to become an actress."

"Because at that moment, I was finally free from dancing. I know I don't enjoy dancing, but I really enjoy being an actor."

"The process of growth is a process of trial and error and correction. If you try something and it doesn't work, then try something else."

What if you don't become an actor?

"Hmm~, if I hadn't become an actor, I'd probably be farming at home, hahaha, living a very ordinary life."

"I don't know, but I definitely won't dance anymore."

Although that was her answer, Shen Mo, who grew up with Li Yitong, knew that she didn't dislike dancing; she was just injured.

If you don't like dancing, why would you start learning dance at the age of ten and persist until you graduate from university?

If you don't like dancing, how can you have the energy, perseverance, and ability to get into the top dance academy in China, the Beijing Dance Academy?

However, she is very happy now.

Although the camera was dozens of meters away and the details were unclear, Shen Mo knew from her movements and expressions that she, like himself, had experienced physical improvement and enhancement.

No wonder she mastered the dance moves so perfectly and danced so joyfully in just twenty days.

Because, perhaps, the uninjured version of her is the one who loves dancing the most.

As the curtain closed, slowly concealing all the bowing students, the graduation show came to an end.

Outside the auditorium, along the path where crabapple blossoms bloom in spring.

He would wait for her under a ginkgo tree that rustled in the wind every time he came to see her.

Shen Mo leaned against a tree, looking down as he replayed the video he had just recorded, a faint smile on his face.

"Shen Mo!"

A familiar voice came from behind him, and Shen Mo looked up in that direction.

"Is it you?"

Just a few meters away, still in her performance costume and carrying a backpack full of luggage, Li Yitong stood there.

Tears welled up in her eyes, her voice trembled slightly, but the veins on her neck betrayed her gritted teeth and feigned composure.

Shen Mo turned off the camera, adjusted the shoulder strap and moved it to his back, then strode over.

She opened her arms wide, smiled, and asked, "Want a hug?"

Upon hearing those three words, Li Yitong's eyes instantly reddened, and a string of crystal tears welled up uncontrollably.

Before the accident, in the elevator, the last three words I said to him were "Give me a hug!"

Li Yitong's lips trembled slightly as she bit her lower lip hard.

The next second, she suddenly swung her backpack and slammed it hard into Shen Mo's chest.

"Use you as a cushion? Who wants you to be a cushion!"

Her voice was choked with sobs, and each blow she struck was delivered with tremendous force.

"Why...why is it always like this...?"

The backpack fell to the ground, raising a fine dust cloud.

Without a word, Shen Mo pulled her into his arms, letting her fists rain down on his chest.

"Do you know...?"

Her voice gradually faded, turning into intermittent sobs.

"I thought I'd never see you again..."

Shen Mo gently stroked the back of her head with his hand, while his other hand rhythmically patted her back.

He could clearly feel her slender shoulder blades trembling slightly in his palm.

"Don't cry," he teased softly, "my shirt is practically your canvas now."

She deliberately rubbed her head against his chest, then landed a light but firm punch on his chest.

"Shut up."

Her voice was muffled.

"Let me hold you a little longer."