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

After a satisfying meal, the cups and plates were cleared away and replaced with tea and fruit.

While her parents were still chatting in the living room about their experiences over the past year, Li Yitong couldn't sit still any longer.

She tugged at Shen Mo's sleeve, a sly glint in her crescent-shaped eyes.

Sneaking into Shen Mo's room, Li Yitong went straight to the bottom shelf of the bookcase against the wall, a place she knew exactly where to go.

He precisely pulled out a thick, old photo album with a faded cover.

Although she hadn't been to this room for over a decade, she still managed to find the location of the hidden photo album.

Clutching the photo album, she scurried to the edge of the bed like a little mouse that had just stolen some oil.

He patted the spot next to him, signaling Shen Mo to come over and "enjoy it together".

Shen Mo walked over slowly with his hands in his pockets, but instead of sitting down, he leaned against the desk.

Li Yitong snorted and eagerly flipped through the photo album.

The first page features a photo of two naked dolls sitting in a bathtub.

"Pfft... Hahaha!"

Li Yitong pointed to the little boy in the photo with a wrinkled face, clearly trying to avoid the water, and laughed so hard she almost fell over.

"Shen Mo, look at you! You've always looked so bitter and resentful since you were little! Did you know back then that I would bully you later?"

Shen Mo glanced at the photo, his face expressionless.

"That picture is of you pushing me into the bathtub."

"Really? I don't remember."

Li Yitong pretended to be clueless and turned to the next page with a grin.

What followed was practically Li Yitong's "solo rant session".

"Wow! This picture! You were in first grade, performing as a tree, and your face was painted all green!"

"Haha, it looks like a walking bitter gourd!"

"And this one too! I pinned him to the ground and tickled him, and he laughed so hard snot bubbles came out of his nose!"

"Mr. Shen, do you still care about your current elite image?"

"Oh my, this one is the most classic!"

"You were learning to ride a bike in third grade, and you fell flat on your face. Look at your pitiful little eyes!"

As she watched, she made unrestrained comments and mocked, her silvery laughter filling the entire room.

Behind almost every "embarrassing" photo, her figure is almost always present.

He is either the "culprit" or an "accomplice".

Shen Mo leaned against her, quietly listening to her chatter.

His gaze swept over himself in the photo, finally settling on the girl in front of him who was laughing without any regard for her image.

Those past experiences of being "bullied" by her are now enveloped by her laughter, fermenting into a warm sweetness.

When Li Yitong flipped to a photo of the two of them graduating from elementary school, she forcibly hooked her arm around Shen Mo's neck and forced him to make funny faces with her.

She suddenly stopped and gently touched Shen Mo's face in the photo with her finger.

Her laughter gradually subsided, her lips still curved, but her tone softened, carrying a subtle sense of longing.

"Shen Mo, look, before university, it seems like we were always together."

Just then, Shen Mo moved.

He stopped leaning against the desk and walked to the bedside, sitting down next to Li Yitong.

The mattress dipped slightly, and he reached out, wrapped his arm around her back, and very naturally pulled her into his embrace.

Li Yitong was taken aback at first, but then she relaxed.

She leaned against his firm, warm chest, even adjusting to a more comfortable position.

The thick photo album was spread out between their legs, which were close together.

Shen Mo gently rested his chin on the top of her head, his gaze falling on the yellowed photos, the fragrance of her hair lingering around his nose.

His arms were around her, bringing a sense of security and comfort.

"Hmm. So, this photo album is proof that you've bullied me since I was a child."

There was no blame in his tone, only an acceptance that had been tempered by time.

Li Yitong felt the warmth of his embrace and listened to his steady heartbeat.

The arrogant rant I had just been feeling had vanished without a trace, replaced by a deep and tender sense of happiness.

She closed the photo album, placed her free hand over his hand that was wrapped around her waist, and intertwined her fingertips with his.

"Of course."

She whispered, her voice muffled in his arms, filled with unwavering certainty and dependence.

"You can't get away with this for the rest of your life."

……

On a crisp winter morning in Jinan, the thin mist had not yet dissipated, and a light snowfall the previous night had adorned the eaves and treetops with silver edges.

Shen Mo pushed open the door, a cashmere scarf casually draped around his neck, a keychain still between his teeth.

He mumbled into the phone as he slipped his arms into the sleeves of his coat.

"I'm going to the fireworks market."

His voice was hoarse and languid, as if he had just woken up.

On the other end of the phone, Li Yitong was still nestled in the soft blankets, with only her messy hair and half of her sleepy face showing.

"Don't buy those detonators."

She muttered to herself, gesturing unconsciously at the air.

"When I was a kid, you almost knocked my window glass off with that thing."

A soft chuckle came from Shen Mo through the receiver.

"Okay, pick some that are both safe and good-looking."

He paused, then added, "When I get back, we'll build a snowman together."

"No way!"

Li Yitong buried her face in the pillow, her voice muffled.

"I need to go to the supermarket."

"Are you going to buy groceries?" Shen Mo raised an eyebrow.

"What else can I do?" she sighed plaintively.

"My mom and your mom were waiting outside my bedroom door early this morning. They looked like they were about to pull off the covers and grab me."

"That does sound dangerous." Shen Mo finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Good luck. If you encounter any elderly women trying to snatch up discounted eggs, remember to protect yourself."

"Ah~~"

All that came through the receiver was Li Yitong's long, desperate moan.

……

The supermarket was bustling with people more than in previous years.

Li Yitong pushed the shopping cart, following closely behind Shen's mother and Li's mother.

The two mothers walked side by side ahead, skillfully selecting New Year's goods while chatting warmly.

"Xiaoxue, take a few more packs of these sausages, Xiaomo loves them."

"Look how fat this carp is, we absolutely have to steam one for our New Year's Eve dinner."

"We also need to prepare rice cakes, lotus root cakes, and radishes. The soup for our family's New Year's Eve dinner is all about being refreshing and sweet."

Li Yitong followed behind, unable to get a word in edgewise.

She held her woolen hat, which was about to slip off, with one hand, and secretly took out a piece of candy from her pocket with the other and put it in her mouth.

"Mom, Aunt Zhou, you can decide," she said vaguely.

"I'm just an assistant, I can do anything."

Zhou Hui turned her head, the smile lines at the corners of her eyes smoothing out.

"You little rascal, you're the star of the show! It's a rare occasion that you and Xiao Mo are spending the New Year together at our house this year, so Auntie has to make sure you get all the arrangements are right."

Li Yitong's ears burned, but she still forced herself to keep quiet.

"What do you mean 'together'? He's not mine..."

Before she could finish speaking, the two mothers exchanged a knowing glance, and she immediately pretended to be completely distracted by the oranges on the nearby shelf.

"These oranges are really orange." She picked one up, pretending to be serious.

Mrs. Shen smiled and chimed in, "Oranges are good when they're brightly colored, but sometimes a little sourness makes them even more delicious."

Li's mother nodded in agreement: "Just like judging a person, you can't just look at whether they're sweet on the surface."

Li Yitong looked up at the sky speechlessly: "Are you two talking about Chengzi, or about me?"

In the fireworks market, Shen Mo stopped in front of an old stall.

The stall owner, wearing thick cotton gloves, was carefully wrapping the samples in plastic bags.

"This year's new arrivals are showering down like golden rain; it's absolutely beautiful!"

Do you have blue ones?

Shen Mo's gaze swept over the dazzling array of packaging boxes. "Give me a box."

[Yukiko likes blue.]

He picked out two more boxes of combination fireworks, and then casually grabbed a few slender "Little Fairy" sparklers.

When Shen Mo returned to the apartment building with several large boxes of fireworks, a round, chubby snowman had already been erected in the courtyard.

Li Yitong was squatting in the snow, wrapped in a thick scarf, making snowballs with her bare hands, her fingertips red from the cold.

He walked over, reached out and pulled her woolen hat back up, covering her slightly cool ears.

"Chef Li, what are you doing playing in the snow? Have you prepared all the dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner?"

"This is an artistic creation."

Li Yitong tilted her head back, her nose red from the cold, but her eyes sparkled.

"Anyway, I'm just an assistant, so it's okay for me to slip away for a while."

"Oh?" Shen Mo chuckled, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his muscular forearms.

"Then I'll help you build something nice."

"Don't I look good?" She tilted her head, a sly glint in her eyes.

"She looks beautiful," he readily agreed, squatting down to be at her eye level.

"What's its name?"

"you guess?"

Shen Mo gazed at her face, which was red from the cold but still beaming with smiles.

"Call him 'Little Dwarf'?"

Li Yitong paused slightly, her eyes curving into a gentle smile.

"And what about yours?"

He suddenly leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her cool earlobe, his voice low and chuckled.

"Then mine will be called, Little Fatty."