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

This was Liu Junjie's first time taking on a production with such a huge investment scale. He was so excited that he couldn't sleep well for several nights.

He assembled his core team at a record-breaking speed.

The team put in a lot of effort, and after intensive site visits, heated discussions and countless rounds of comparisons, they finally made a final decision.

The story of "My Love from the Star" is set in Shanghai, a cosmopolitan city where modernity and tradition intertwine.

As the producer of the production team, Li Yitong immediately packed her bags and flew to Shanghai after the confirmation.

When Li Yitong arrived in Shanghai, the city was shrouded in a hazy morning mist.

She walked out of the airport alone, dragging her suitcase, and refused the company's arrangement to pick her up and take her to the hotel to rest. Instead, she took a taxi directly to the first location scouting site.

"Mr. Li, would you like to take a break?" Chen Zhixi asked with concern over the phone.

"No need, we'll meet at No. 18 Bund."

Li Yitong watched the street scene outside the window rush past, thinking, "I need to check the building's lighting before the morning rush hour."

When Chen Zhixi arrived, Li Yitong was standing on a stone step.

Holding the viewfinder, the morning breeze ruffled her hair as she sometimes crouched down to adjust the angle, and sometimes quickly jotted notes in her notebook.

"This angle offers a panoramic view of Lujiazui."

Without turning her head, Li Yitong said, "But we need to apply for an aerial photography permit. Zhixi, go and check what procedures are required."

"Okay. But Mr. Li, shouldn't location scouting be done by the directors?"

Chen Zhixi was suspicious, wondering if this Mr. Li might be trying to show off on purpose.

She might not be able to hold on for more than a few days and end up in a hotel. After all, when she was in the capital, the thing she did most often was lie on the sofa in President Shen's office and play on her tablet.

Li Yitong smiled knowingly. She knew what Chen Zhixi was thinking; after all, it was indeed strange for a lazy person to suddenly start working.

But I'm just lazy, not bad at it.

"For this story, I was the chief literary planner who led the writing team. No one knows better than me which scenes are appropriate."

Chen Zhixi did not refute, but still remained skeptical.

However, Li Yitong didn't give her much time to have doubts. She turned around and led her into the coffee shop behind her, spread out the thick venue information, and turned to the first page.

"Zhi hope, sit down and talk."

"Let's get straight to the point. How are the talks going regarding the sky bridge near the Shanghai World Financial Center in Lujiazui?"

Chen Zhixi was slightly taken aback, then quickly replied.

"The other party is asking for a very high price, and they only offer nighttime shooting hours, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m."

"no."

Li Yitong was resolute.

"What I want is Lujiazui at dusk, the moment when all the lights of the houses come on."

"That was the key scene where the male lead first realized how important the female lead was to him."

Her fingertip touched the documents, her eyes firm and serious.

"Let's continue the discussion. We can increase the budget and promise to highlight their landmark image in the advertising."

Chen Zhixi nodded, opened his notebook to take notes, and couldn't help but glance at Li Yitong.

This girl, who was much younger than him, was completely different from the girl who usually acted coquettishly around Shen Mo.

……

In the living room of the hotel suite, Li Yitong stared intently at the storyboard sketches covering an entire wall and the newly printed budget details.

The coffee beside her had long since gone cold, but she was completely unaware.

This is the scene that Chen Zhixi saw when he came in carrying a stack of new venue reply documents.

Li Yitong was wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans, her hair was loosely tied up, and her bare face showed a hint of fatigue, but her eyes were surprisingly bright.

"Mr. Li, the Shanghai World Financial Center has responded."

Chen Zhixi handed over the documents, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible excitement.

"They agreed in principle to our request to film at dusk, but the conditions were more stringent than we expected."

Li Yitong quickly flipped through the documents, her brows furrowing slightly before relaxing.

"The price will increase by another 10%, and we will handle security and cleaning ourselves. We promise to acknowledge the organization in bold gold lettering at the end of the video..."

"Okay, agree to it."

She closed the file with a swift and efficient motion.

"Tell Director Liu that we can start refining the storyboards for the aerial corridor scene."

"Okay." Chen Zhixi nodded and handed over another copy.

"This is the list of all old villas in Shanghai with special staircase structures that you requested to be investigated yesterday."

"We selected the items based on your criteria of 'having a vintage feel while also allowing good light transmission'."

Li Yitong took the list, quickly swiped her finger across it, and finally stopped at a place marked in red.

"This is 'Yi Lu' (逸庐)."

A hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.

"Its spiral staircase is made of cast iron with intricate carvings, and there are long windows on the side. When the sunlight shines in around three or four in the afternoon, it creates beautiful beams of light."

"The scene where the male lead uses his superpower to freeze the rain of flower petals for the female lead can be placed here."

Chen Zhixi looked at the supplementary instructions that detailed the angles of the light, and once again admired them.

Mr. Li's intuition about composition is frighteningly accurate.

However, the work of a producer goes far beyond artistic conception.

For the next half day, Li Yitong switched modes again, transforming into the most astute business negotiator and the most demanding financial director.

During a conference call with the head of the film and television base, the other party tried to raise the price, but Li Yitong's voice was gentle, yet her tone left no room for argument.

"Mr. Wang, we at Mohen are long-term partners, not one-off deals."

"After 'My Love from the Star,' we have at least three more S-level projects in the planning stages."

"If the base rent increases by more than five percent this time, I think we need to reassess our future cooperation intentions."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a conceding reply.

Then, faced with a budget overrun for visual effects shots, Li Yitong took a red pen and carefully checked each item one by one.

"The particle effects in this interstellar travel movie can be replaced by live-action shooting and post-production compositing, which can reduce the cost by 40%, and the difference in visual effect is not noticeable to the average person."

She looked up at her colleague in charge of the special effects budget, her eyes sharp.

"What we're aiming for is a blockbuster TV series, not an Oscar-winning visual effects film. We need to spend our money wisely."

Her powerful aura and clear logic made the special effects budget manager, who had originally wanted to argue, swallow his words and silently nod.

In the evening, Chen Zhixi walked in carrying a newly received expedited fee application from the equipment rental company.

Li Yitong was standing by the window, gazing at the Shanghai night view as the city lights began to illuminate the city.

She tilted her head slightly, her neck forming a graceful curve, her profile appearing somewhat thin in the glass, even revealing a hint of vulnerability.

Chen Zhixi paused, suddenly remembering that she had looked out the window in the same way when she was in the capital.

Then, the next second, he would curl up on the sofa, hug his tablet, and mutter, "I'm so tired, I don't want to move."

At that moment, Chen Zhixi almost thought that the familiar, languid Li Yitong had returned.

However, when Li Yitong turned around and her gaze fell on the documents in her hand, that vulnerability vanished instantly, replaced by absolute focus and composure.

Is it a problem with the drone equipment?

As she asked the question, she quickly walked back to the table, put on the invisible mask that belonged to "General Manager Li" again, and threw herself back into her endless work.

Late at night, Li Yitong finally saw off the last department head who was reporting on his work.

She rubbed her temples wearily, slumped into a chair, and barely wanted to move a finger.

The phone screen lit up; it was a message from Shen Mo.

"How's the progress? Don't overwork yourself."

Looking at those simple words, Li Yitong's lips unconsciously curved slightly, as if she could feel the concern from afar in the capital through the screen.

She picked up her phone, intending to call him and hear his voice, but after hesitating for a moment, she only replied with a few words.

"Everything is going well, don't worry."

Putting down her phone, she turned her attention back to the huge "My Love from the Star" project progress chart on the table.

The dense markings, arrows, and time markers on it resemble a massive battle map.

This is not only to prove myself, nor is it merely the groundbreaking work of Inkmark.

It's also for...

She could stand more naturally beside the man who had stepped into the spotlight and was becoming increasingly dazzling.

She took a deep breath, straightened her back again, and picked up another document awaiting review.

Outside the window, the neon lights of Shanghai never sleep.

In this room, Li Yitong's war has only just begun.

Although she appears to be a spoiled 22-year-old girl, she has the soul of a 30+ woman inside.

She makes it impossible for anyone to underestimate her.

With her professionalism, courage, and almost burning passion, she clearly told everyone.

Li Yitong is not just "President Li" by Shen Mo's side, nor is she just a newcomer with abundant resources who is heavily promoted by capital.

She is the core engine that enabled the future superstar "My Love from the Star" to take off smoothly.