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

The next morning, the winter sun had not yet completely dispelled the chill.

The door to the president's office at Mohen Capital was suddenly pushed open a crack with a loud bang.

Shen Mo was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the bustling traffic below while sipping the black coffee that his secretary Rebecca had just brought in.

Hearing the sound, he frowned and turned around, only to see Bai Mengyan squeezing in, panting.

She still didn't dress up much today; her hair was casually tied in a bun, with a few unruly strands sticking out by her ears.

Her face was flushed from running, and there was a bit of dust on the tip of her nose from somewhere.

What's most eye-catching is the large stack of all sorts of breakfast bags she's carrying.

Warm steam still condensed on the transparent plastic bag, emanating a smoky aroma mixed with grease and carbohydrates that seemed out of place in this austere office.

"Mr. Shen! Good morning!"

Bai Mengyan slammed the huge pile of things onto Shen Mo's desk with a thud, making the pen next to her jump.

Shen Mo's fingers, which were holding the coffee cup, paused as he looked at the pile of things on the table.

A paper package printed with "Old Beijing Jianbing Guozi", a bag of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and even a bottle of unidentified liquid that looked like douzhi (fermented mung bean juice)...

His brows furrowed involuntarily.

"So, you've brought the breakfast stalls upstairs?"

His voice clearly conveyed a sense of helplessness.

"yes!"

Bai Mengyan didn't notice anything unusual in his tone at all; instead, she straightened her chest.

"Rebecca said you only drink black coffee and don't eat breakfast! How can that be! It'll ruin your stomach!"

As she spoke, she hurriedly began to unpack the package, her movements rough and clumsy, the oil paper tearing loudly.

"I bought one of everything that looked delicious! You should try some!"

"This jianbing guozi has two eggs and a sausage!"

"These xiaolongbao are said to be super juicy! And this one too..."

She pointed to the bowl of soy milk, recommending it with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"I heard it's quite nutritious, but the taste is a bit strong..."

The rich, mixed aroma of food instantly filled the entire office, completely overpowering the original faint scent of coffee and wood.

Shen Mo felt a throbbing in his temples.

He looked at the girl in front of him, whose eyes were burning, whose hair was slightly messy, whose nose was covered in ash, yet whose whole being exuded a strong signal that "I care about you".

The words "take it" that were on the tip of my tongue remained unspoken.

He silently put down his coffee cup.

Seeing that he didn't object, Bai Mengyan became even bolder and pushed the opened jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) in front of him, the oil paper almost rubbing against his suit sleeve.

"Eat it while it's hot! Which one do you like? Tell me, and I'll buy from that store again tomorrow!"

Her tone was so natural, as if it were a matter of course.

Shen Mo looked into her pure and innocent eyes.

Looking down at the messy yet steaming food on the table, he felt a strange sense of being forced into this care, leaving him somewhat disoriented.

He didn't say anything in the end, but silently reached out and picked up the jianbing guozi.

Bai Mengyan watched him take the first bite, her big eyes wide open and unblinking.

"How is it? How is it? Does it suit your taste?"

Shen Mo chewed slowly and deliberately, without answering immediately.

Half a minute later, under Bai Mengyan's expectant gaze, he gave an almost inaudible "hmm".

This simple syllable made Bai Mengyan smile instantly, sweeter than if she had eaten honey.

She watched with satisfaction as Shen Mo began to devour the breakfast that clashed drastically with her elite image, her mind racing with calculations.

[Great! Looks like he likes jianbing guozi! I'll buy that tomorrow!]

Unbeknownst to her, as she excitedly tidied up the remaining breakfast, Shen Mo's gaze lingered briefly on her messy hair.

There was a hint of warmth in his eyes that he himself was unaware of.

After breakfast, the atmosphere in the largest conference room of Mohen Capital was somewhat tense.

Seated on either side of the long table were the core planning team of the Running Man project, as well as two senior variety show directors that Chen Zhixi had invited from outside.

The whiteboard was covered with dense writing, listing various character labels.

"The Wisdom Master", "The King of Strength", "The Group's Darling", "The Traitor"...

"We believe that there must be clear functional distinctions and dramatic conflicts among the regular guests..."

A planner wearing black-rimmed glasses was speaking eloquently.

Shen Mo sat in the main seat, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.

These settings are sound, but they are copied verbatim and lack originality.

"Um... excuse me, may I say something?"

A slightly hesitant yet clear sound, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Bai Mengyan, the "temporary assistant" who was sitting in the corner and responsible for adding tea and water, raising her right hand at some point, with a posture as standard as a primary school student asking a question in class.

The planner's words were interrupted, and a hint of displeasure flashed across his face.

Rebecca watched in horror and quickly signaled to Bai Mengyan with her eyes to stop causing trouble.

Shen Mo's gaze also shifted over, filled with scrutiny and a hint of doubt.

Bai Mengyan shrank back under everyone's gaze, but the light in her eyes did not go out.

She lowered her hand, pointed to the whiteboard, and spoke with a hint of bluntness.

"Why...why do we have to decide in advance who's smart and who's stupid, who has to give way to whom? Isn't the point of playing games to see real reactions?"

She paused, as if organizing her thoughts, then gestured to indicate her name.

"Like me, I definitely can't outrun boys, so if I can't beat them, I'll just cheat and pull down their pants..."

"Oh no, I tugged at his sleeve! When I couldn't win an argument, I resorted to acting cute and unreasonable!"

"If I were playing with a mystery box, I'd scream my eyes out and jump right onto the back of the nearest person!"

As she spoke, she added vivid facial expressions and body language, as if she were actually there.

The meeting room fell silent as the planners exchanged bewildered glances.

Seeing that no one was reacting, Bai Mengyan became a little anxious and added, "Isn't this unexpected sense of realism what the audience is looking for?"

"What you pre-programmed can't compare to the fun of spontaneous reactions."

"It's just like when we joke around with friends, who assigns roles beforehand!"

Her words were rough, but the reasoning behind them was sound.

The two directors who had been invited saw their eyes light up, exchanged a glance, and nodded slightly.

Shen Mo remained silent, his gaze fixed on Bai Mengyan's flushed cheeks, which were red with excitement.

A few seconds later, he spoke slowly, his voice calm yet resolute.

"Planning team, reassess the direction."

"Abandon some stereotypical character traits and increase the weight of 'realistic reactions' and 'unpredictability'."

"On-site directors and screenwriters should increase their impromptu responses and contingency plans in this regard."

He didn't look at Bai Mengyan, but those words were undoubtedly the highest recognition of her intuition.

Bai Mengyan let out a long sigh of relief, patted her chest, and then belatedly realized how shy she was.

He quickly lowered his head, pretending to diligently take notes of the meeting, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upwards.

Meanwhile, the level of importance people placed on her quietly rose several notches.

As the year draws to a close, the reception area outside the president's office at Mohen Capital is almost entirely filled with all sorts of high-end gift boxes.

Rebecca, along with several members of the secretariat, had prepared the gifts according to the list provided by Li Yitong and was currently doing the final verification and packaging.

Bai Mengyan curiously leaned over, picked up a beautifully packaged tea gift box, looked at it, and smacked her lips.

"They all look the same. If you take them apart, you probably won't be able to tell who sent them."

Rebecca smiled helplessly.

"Assistant Bai, it's just business etiquette; the thought is what counts."

Bai Mengyan blinked, didn't say anything, and turned to run back to her small workstation.

After a while, she strolled back with a stack of colorful cards and a few colored pens.

"Rebecca, I'll pack it up for you!"

She sat down on her own and began to clumsily help.

Her packing skills were really not good; the ribbons were tied crookedly, and the edges of the wrapping paper were not perfectly attached.

However, she secretly slipped a small handwritten card into every gift box she handled.

The cards were made of the most ordinary colored paper, and the drawings on them were childlike. Some of them depicted a smiling sun with big teeth, while others depicted a chubby cartoon rabbit.

The accompanying text was simple and direct, with her childlike handwriting.

Happy New Year, teacher! May you eat and drink well, and always be smiling!

"Thank you for your patronage this year! Your assistant, Bai Mengyan, is secretly cheering you on!"

Rebecca saw this and wanted to stop her, but Bai Mengyan looked at her pitifully.

"Sis, just let me add a little something, it won't take up much space anyway..."

Rebecca glanced at the closed door to the CEO's office, sighed, and acquiesced.