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

Meeting room of the Content Center, Entertainment Investment Department, Inkstone Capital.

The air was filled with the smell of freshly printed ink, and a hint of coffee.

The table was packed with people sitting on both sides.

There were several pen holders that Chen Zhixi had acquired through his connections, and even more treasures that Li Yitong's "sharp" eyes had unearthed from the nooks and crannies, treasures that had yet to be discovered.

Before the meeting, Li Yitong clung to Shen Mo's arm and whispered to herself, her tone full of smugness.

"Just watch, the people in this room will be responsible for at least half of the original doujinshi that will become wildly popular in the next decade!"

Shen Mo sat in the main seat, his arm casually resting on the table.

His gaze swept around the room, finally landing on Li Yitong, who was twirling a pen with her head down on her left.

She wore a loose ponytail today, which made her look especially approachable.

Chen Zhixi, on the right, was dressed in a sharp suit.

"Everyone's here."

Shen Mo spoke, his voice low, as if he were chatting normally.

"This place will become the source of many stories from now on."

"Your pens are the very foundation upon which our ink works."

He paused, then looked at a rather quiet-looking woman sitting in the middle.

"Let me announce something first. From now on, the content center will be led by Sister Zhang Wei, who will also serve as the chief screenwriter."

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to Zhang Wei.

She's already quite well-known in the industry; "Du Lala's Promotion Diary" is her work.

Li Yitong knew perfectly well that this woman had tremendous potential for the future.

In the distant future, she will either lead or create a series of popular works such as "Legend of Lu Zhen", "A Little Reunion", "A Little Joy", "The Interpreter", "Fighter of the Destiny", "Dream of the Red Chamber", and "A Thought Through the Mountains", making her a true pillar of creative talent.

Fortunately, at this moment, she belongs to Mohen.

Zhang Wei adjusted her glasses, stood up, and smiled gently.

"Thank you for your trust, General Manager Shen, General Manager Li, and General Manager Chen. The pressure is considerable, but I will work hard with everyone to produce more excellent proposals and not let the company down."

Shen Mo nodded to her, gesturing for her to sit down. Then he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, to get closer to everyone.

"Working here, I can't guarantee anything else, but you'll definitely receive all the benefits you're entitled to, so you can write with peace of mind."

"Most importantly, feel free to unleash the good ideas in your head; don't hold back."

"In the next few months, we need to focus our efforts on a few projects."

He extended his index finger.

"First and foremost, 'My Love from the Star'."

"This project is being personally overseen by CEO Li, and he has some very creative ideas. We need to assemble a top-notch team to thoroughly refine the script."

"We don't play with leftovers; we play with something new."

Then he made a two-pointer.

"In sync, the 'A Little Reunion' and 'A Little Joy' series also need to be launched."

"These two scripts are realistic and down-to-earth, providing a good opportunity for our own young actors to practice and become familiar with their work."

"Just write about things around us, be as realistic as possible, and focus on highlighting the talent of the young actors."

"To put it bluntly, 'My Love from the Star' is our flagship project, it has to be a huge hit."

"The 'Little' series is our backyard; we need to nurture the seedlings to maturity."

"Dear teachers, whether our ink-printing can gain a foothold in this industry truly depends on whether you can produce any gems with your pens."

As soon as the task was assigned, everyone's eyes lit up, especially those who had been specially recruited by Li Yitong; they couldn't hide their eagerness to get started.

Li Yitong put down her pen, smiled, and replied in a clear, crisp voice.

"Sister Wei is very experienced, and Sister Zhixi is always unconventional. If you have any ideas or get stuck, you can talk to them anytime."

"You can come to me. Although I'm not good at writing, I can still give you some advice."

Seeing the brainstorming session about the content underway in the conference room, Shen Mo and Li Yitong simply withdrew, handing the pure creative environment back to them.

After discussing the content center, Shen Mo and Li Yitong went downstairs and entered the office of Yang Tianzhen, CEO of Mohen Media.

Yang Tianzhen was typing on the keyboard in front of the computer screen when he saw the two people come in. He immediately put on a professional and bright smile.

"President Shen, President Li, what brings you two here? Please have a seat."

Shen Mo and Li Yitong sat down on the sofa opposite her, getting straight to the point with a relaxed tone.

"Tianzhen, I have good news for you. It's all settled with Tian Xiwei; her parents have agreed to let her join us."

Yang Tianzhen paused in his hand holding the cup, and a genuine look of surprise instantly appeared on his face.

"My dear CEO Shen, your efficiency is astonishing! We only discussed this plan two days ago, and you've already got it done so quickly?"

Curiosity took hold, and she unconsciously leaned forward.

"What is it about this young girl that makes you personally intervene and resolve the matter so quickly?"

Shen Mo picked up the water glass that Yang Tianzhen pushed towards him and took a sip.

"First impressions, potential, and... a bit of intuition."

He didn't elaborate, but skillfully changed the subject.

"Let's not talk about that. How about you? How's the list that Yitong compiled going?"

Li Yitong raised her head, her crescent-shaped eyes also asking questions. That list was one she had painstakingly selected based on her "memory".

Yang Tianzhen immediately suppressed her curiosity, switched to professional reporting mode, picked up a folder, and began her report in a clear and concise manner.

"Based on the list provided by Mr. Li, our talent scouts have already made initial contact with all of them."

"As for Xiaohua, the situation is... a mix of good and bad."

She flipped through the records.

"Chen Duling is currently a senior in high school, focusing all her efforts on preparing for the college entrance examination. Neither she nor her family has any intention of pursuing a career as an entertainer, so they declined the offer outright."

"Bai Mengyan, we couldn't find her at home or school. Her classmates said that she went to South Korea to participate in the trainee selection. We were too late."

"Meng Ziyi is currently a high school sophomore. She herself said she hasn't considered becoming an artist and needs to think about it. But..."

As Yang Tianzhen spoke, her tone became somewhat subtle. She looked up at Shen Mo with a hint of a smile.

"We've learned indirectly that she's a fan of yours, Mr. Shen, and that she fell in love with you because of Wang Xiaojian in 'Love is Not Blind.' Perhaps we could try to reach out to her from that angle?"

"Wang Churan's family is very supportive. They had already planned for her to attend the High School Affiliated to the Shanghai Theatre Academy, so the communication process went smoothly and the contract has been signed."

"Zhou Ye is only in the second year of junior high school. His parents are hesitant about him becoming an artist, feeling that he is too young. However, he seems to be interested, and we are continuing to communicate with him."

"Zhang Ruonan is a senior at a vocational high school in Yueqing. She feels she won't get into a good university, but she's unwilling to give up and wants to try her luck in the college entrance exam. I suggest waiting until after her college entrance exam in June before contacting her; the success rate might be higher then."

"Liu Haocun is a second-year junior high school student at the Affiliated High School of Beijing Dance Academy. He and his parents have agreed to sign the contract, but..."

Yang Tianzhen paused.

"They have some other ideas about the signing fee and hope to increase it further."

She turned the page and continued.

"Things are going much more smoothly for me."

"Li Xian has confirmed his participation and will come to the company tomorrow to formally sign the contract."

"The communication process with Zeng Shunxi, Zhang Linghe, Wang Hedi, and Wang Anyu went very smoothly, and they have all signed contracts without any unexpected issues."

Finally, she mentioned the poaching situation, and her tone became more serious.

"Yang Yang has made it clear that he has refused."

"She was indeed somewhat tempted by Li Qin."

"But she prefers to see tangible resources, and subtly indicated that she hopes to get one or two significant roles before discussing the next step."

After finishing his report, Yang Tianzhen closed the folder and looked at Shen Mo and Li Yitong, awaiting instructions.

Shen Mo tapped his fingers lightly on the sofa armrest, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.

"Since Meng Ziyi is one of my fans, I'll try to reach out to her and have the talent scouts there send me her basic information."

"Liu Haocun's family... will follow the standard procedures; no special exceptions will be made."

Then, suddenly remembering something, he said, "Have the people in front check if there's anything unusual about their family."

"Li Lin..." He glanced at Li Yitong.

"Let's talk to Zhixi and Zhang Wei later and see if there are any suitable roles for them in our existing projects, and we can give them an audition opportunity."

"But I need to make her understand that I can give her a chance, but whether she has the ability to seize it is up to her."

He stood up, his tone decisive.

"Now that the first batch of seeds has arrived, Tianzhen, let's get the training program, teachers, and partner schools finalized as soon as possible."

"I have prepared two big gift packages for these children, and I have specially developed two dramas, 'A Little Reunion' and 'A Little Joy,' so that these children can lay a solid foundation before filming begins."

"Understood, Mr. Shen!" Yang Tianzhen replied with great enthusiasm.

Li Yitong also stood up and winked at Yang Tianzhen.

"Thank you for your hard work, Sister Tianzhen. These are all future cash cows."