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

Three days before the holiday, Mohen Capital had already deserted its offices.

Shen Mo waved his hand and gave all employees a holiday, allowing them to avoid the Spring Festival travel rush and return home to reunite with their families.

The airport in Beijing was still bustling with people, but compared to the massive Spring Festival travel rush that would begin in a few days, it was relatively "relaxed".

After passing through security, I arrived at the departure hall. There was still some time before boarding.

Bai Mengyan stood not far away, watching Shen Mo and Li Yitong who were about to part ways. She tried her best to maintain a bright smile, but the reluctance in her eyes still showed.

She waved her hand restrainedly, trying to keep her voice light and cheerful.

"Mr. Shen, Mr. Li, have a safe journey! Happy New Year! See you after the New Year!"

Shen Mo nodded slightly to her, his tone as calm as ever: "Okay, go back now. Be careful on the road."

In contrast, Tian Xiwei was much more direct.

She rushed over like a cannonball, burying herself in Shen Mo's arms and tightly hugging his waist.

She tilted her little face up, her big eyes instantly filled with tears, her little mouth was pouting so much it could hold an oil bottle, and her voice had a strong nasal tone.

"Brother Mo... I don't want to be separated from you and Sister Tongtong... Please come back soon..."

Shen Mo was knocked back half a step by her, smiled helplessly, gently rubbed her hair with his large hand, and softened his voice.

"Okay, it'll only be a few days. Be a good girl at home."

Tian Xiwei reluctantly let go of him, turned around and threw herself into Li Yitong's arms, hugging her tightly and muttering softly.

"Sister Tongtong, I'll miss you..."

It wasn't until the announcement urging passengers to board that Tian Xiwei reluctantly headed towards her boarding gate to join the queue.

Bai Mengyan glanced back one last time, her gaze lingering briefly on Shen Mo, before resolutely turning around and disappearing into the queue.

As he watched the two figures disappear around the corner of the boarding bridge, Shen Mo felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.

He looked down and met Li Yitong's smiling crescent-shaped eyes.

At this moment, her face no longer held any of the poise and composure she displayed in front of others; instead, it showed a sly, slightly smug, relaxed expression.

"Hey," she said in a low voice, with a hint of coquetry.

"The little light bulbs are finally gone!"

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly jumped up without warning, skillfully wrapped her arms around Shen Mo's neck, and clung to him like a koala, her long legs hooking around his waist.

Shen Mo was taken aback by her sudden "attack" at first, and then almost instinctively reached out and steadily supported her to prevent her from falling.

He frowned slightly, startled.

"Yukiko, be careful! How old are you? Don't be so reckless!"

There was little blame in his tone; rather, it was more of indulgence.

Li Yitong didn't care; she rested her chin on Shen Mo's shoulder.

Her cheek pressed against his slightly cool neck, her warm breath brushed against his earlobe, and her voice carried a languid air of triumph.

"I don't care, just hug me for a while... consider it compensation for my hard work as the 'king of the kids' these past few days."

Feeling the real weight and warmth in his arms, and smelling the familiar fragrance in her hair, Shen Mo's tense nerves finally relaxed completely.

He tightened his arms, holding her more securely in his embrace, ignoring the occasional curious glances cast around them.

The hustle and bustle of the waiting hall seemed to fade away at this moment, and outside the huge glass windows, planes were taking off and landing.

Shen Mo turned his head, his lips almost touching her ear, and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, with a faint smile.

Hold me tight.

The domestic arrivals hall of Jinan International Airport was bustling with people waiting to pick up their loved ones.

Shen's father, Shen Qiang, and Shen's mother, Zhou Hui, along with Li's father, Li Yuan, and Li's mother, Wang Qin, stood side by side, chatting familiarly.

The topics were nothing more than children, New Year's goods, and complimenting each other on their good complexion; the atmosphere was as harmonious as that of a family.

When those two familiar and outstanding figures finally appeared at the exit, Zhou Hui's eyes lit up, and she almost instantly locked onto Li Yitong, who was a few steps away.

"Minor Snow!"

She completely ignored her own son, her face beaming with a smile comparable to that of someone seeing their long-lost daughter.

He opened his arms and jogged to meet her, pulling Li Yitong, who had just come out, into a tight embrace so strong that Li Yitong swayed slightly.

"Oh my, my little Xue is finally back! I missed you so much!"

Zhou Hui hugged Li Yitong and tenderly stroked her back.

"You look thinner again? Did Shen Mo not take good care of you?"

Left out in the cold, Shen Mo watched his mother's unwavering "favoritism" over the decades.

A helpless expression appeared on his face, and he didn't even bother to raise his eyebrows.

Enveloped by Zhou Hui's enthusiasm, Li Yitong's face immediately broke into an overly sweet smile, her crescent-shaped eyes narrowed into slits, and her small mouth seemed to be coated with honey, she went all out.

"Auntie! You look so beautiful in that cheongsam today! The color makes you look so radiant!"

"You smell wonderful! Did you change your perfume? You have excellent taste!"

"Oh my, you look so young again! If we go out together, people will definitely think you're my older sister!"

This series of precise and targeted compliments hit Zhou Hui right where it hurt, making her overjoyed.

He hugged Li Yitong and laughed from ear to ear, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out.

"You're such a sweet talker! You know how to make me happy!"

On the other side, Wang Qin looked at her daughter who was nestled in someone else's mother's arms, her eyes filled with endless disappointment.

She glanced at Li Yitong, gave a soft snort, and then turned her gaze to Shen Mo, who had been "neglected," her face immediately displaying an incredibly loving smile.

She stepped forward, affectionately took Shen Mo's arm, looked him up and down, and reached out to pinch his strong arm muscles, her tone full of admiration and a certain kind of "regret".

"Xiao Mo is still so strong! Look at that physique, it's really great!"

She looked at Shen Mo's face again and praised him sincerely.

"He's getting more and more handsome, even more energetic than on TV! Sigh..."

She sighed heavily, complaining half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"I wish I had a son like you—tall, handsome, and successful! You're so much better than my heartless son who only knows how to make me angry!"

The "heartless little girl" Li Yitong, who was called out, peeked out from Zhou Hui's arms and made a face at her mother, earning a reproachful glare from Wang Qin.

The two middle-aged men, both abandoned by their wives, exchanged a knowing glance, seeing the same helplessness and amusement in each other's eyes.

They said nothing, but stepped forward at the same time, silently walking behind Shen Mo and Li Yitong, and naturally taking the slightly heavy suitcases from their hands.

"Dad, Uncle Li." Shen Mo finally had a chance to greet him.

"Uncle, Dad," Li Yitong called out sweetly.

Shen Qiang nodded and patted his son on the shoulder.

Li Yuan looked at his daughter with undisguised affection in his eyes and said gently.

"Are you tired from the journey? The car is right outside, let's talk when we get home."

Zhou Hui still clung to Li Yitong's arm, reluctant to let go, while Wang Qin pulled Shen Mo aside, asking him all sorts of questions. The two fathers followed behind, dragging their luggage.

A lively and warm atmosphere instantly filled this corner of the airport arrival hall.

The flavor of the New Year seems to have truly intensified from this moment on.

The connection between the Shen and Li families goes back two generations. Shen Mo and Li Yitong's grandfathers were close friends who grew up together, even wearing open-crotch pants, and later went through the baptism of war together.

The two old men made a pact that their next generation would become in-laws, but fate had other plans, and both families had sons.

The marriage didn't work out, so the agreement was passed down to the third generation.

So, after Li Yitong and Shen Mo were born one after the other, the two families practically became one family.

Every year during the Spring Festival, without fail, the family gathers together. This year, they have their New Year's Eve dinner at the Shen family's house, and next year they will have it at the Li family's house.

This tradition was never interrupted, even after Shen Qiang and Zhou Hui went south to Shenzhen to do business.

According to the schedule, this year's New Year's Eve dinner should have been at Li Yitong's house.

But for today's welcome banquet, Shen Qiang, under the pretext of "not having cooked for many years and wanting to show off his skills," insisted on taking over the hosting rights to his old house in the Quancheng Workers' New Village community.

Even so, when the lavish welcome banquet was set up on the Shen family's large round table.

The table was filled with dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted delicious. Nearly two-thirds of them were clearly tailored to one person's taste, almost all of which were Li Yitong's favorites.

Shen Mo picked up his chopsticks, his gaze sweeping across the table before finally settling on Li Yitong's face, who was standing beside him, picking up food while smiling like a cat that had just stolen some cream.

Li Yitong noticed his gaze, raised her chin triumphantly, and even deliberately stuck out her little tongue and quickly made a face, looking a little arrogant.

Seeing this, Zhou Hui immediately put the biggest shrimp in Li Yitong's bowl and gave her son a reproachful look.

"What are you looking at? Tongtong finally came back, of course I'm going to make her favorite food. As for you, just eat whatever you like."

Shen Qiang happily echoed his sentiment.

"That's right, as long as Tongtong likes to eat it. Xiao Mo, you can cook for yourself and have plenty to eat."

His tone was full of self-righteous "bias".

Looking at this scene, Wang Qin felt both amused and touched, and deliberately said to Li Yitong in a sour tone.

"Oh, look how smug you are!"

Li Yitong immediately retorted sweetly.

"Mom, your braised pork is the best in the world!"

"I just wanted to let you taste it first to see if Uncle Shen's cooking skills have deteriorated!"

One sentence made Wang Qin smile from ear to ear again.

Li Yuan and Shen Qiang, the two men, had already raised their glasses and clinked them together lightly.

"Yeah, it's going to be lively again this year."