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

Chapter 351 The Mist Theater is now online.

While the promotion of ice cream cone short videos was in full swing, Mohen Video also made a high-profile announcement of the establishment of the Mist Theater.

Mohen Video stated that this will be the first sophisticated suspense drama brand on a domestic video platform.

The news immediately drew attention from the entire industry.

But when Mohen Video released the first installment of the Mist Theater, Goose, Peach, and others breathed a sigh of relief, and a burst of ridicule even erupted on the internet.

"Day and Night? Twin detectives? The concept is good, but the male lead is actually Pan Yueming?!"

"How blindly confident is Shen Mo? He actually used him to be the first salvo taker?"

"Pan Yueming's divorce case a few years ago caused quite a stir. Although he was eventually exonerated, his reputation was ruined. He hasn't been in the public eye for years, and now he's as fat as a steamed bun. Can he really act well?"

For a time, the internet was filled with doubts and pessimism about "Day and Night".

Of course, this pessimism and skepticism is also fueled by some rivals deliberately hiring online trolls.

The malicious hashtag #MistTheaterCollapsesBeforeItRuns# has appeared on Weibo's trending topics.

There were also quite a few onlookers who were eager to see Shen Mo, the undefeated godfather of the Chinese entertainment industry, suffer his first Waterloo.

The main reason is that he has had too smooth a life. From his debut until now, none of his film and television works have ever failed, and he has rarely even had a regular broadcast.

However, Mohen didn't care at all and even helped to fuel the fire.

After all, trending topics with negative connotations also generate traffic. As long as more people become aware of the Mist Theater brand, that's enough.

Ultimately, the broadcast's success will depend on the quality of the series.

Quality is the thing Shen Mo is least worried about.

Actually, when they were just starting out, Shen Mo originally wanted to promote people from his own company.

But Chen Zhixi, looking conflicted, recommended someone: Pan Yueming.

"He's a good friend of mine. I know his reputation isn't great right now, and I know using him is extremely risky, but his acting skills are definitely top-notch!"

"His career has been ruined for the past few years because of that incident, and he hasn't been able to get any acting roles."

I want to help him.

Shen Mo said he would consider it. On the one hand, Pan Yueming did indeed pose a certain risk, and on the other hand, Pan Yueming was not an employee of their company.

As a businessman, he has never been inclined to gamble on human nature or sympathy in strategic projects for company development.

But Chen Zhixi was also a smart person. She did not choose to pester Mohen, but went directly to Mohen's real cabinet chief, Li Yitong.

Within the Ink Trace organization, there is a deeply hidden unspoken rule: in casting and script selection, Li Yitong's say is, to some extent, even greater than Shen Mo's.

Nobody knows why.

But as long as it's someone Li Yitong chose against all odds, or a newcomer she specifically named to promote.

In the future, they have all proven to be outrageously suitable, with a 100% success rate.

Shen Mo blindly trusted her advice.

As Li Yitong looked at the documents Chen Zhixi handed her, memories of her past life flooded back into her mind.

In 2017, Pan Yueming played four different roles in "Day and Night," delivering a textbook-level performance that propelled the web series to a score of over 9.0.

They pulled off an incredible comeback against all odds!

Li Yitong looked at Chen Zhixi and smiled, "Sister Zhixi, I'll help you with this."

That night, on the bed in the master bedroom, Li Yitong pressed herself against Shen Mo's chest afterward, her slender fingers gently tracing circles on his collarbone.

"Let's use Pan Yueming for A Mo, the male lead in 'Day and Night'."

Li Yitong tilted her head back, her crescent-shaped eyes curving upwards.

Shen Mo stroked her smooth, long hair with his large hand and raised an eyebrow.

"He was the lead actor in the original film? And he did very well?"

"Yes! It's a drama with both excellent reviews and high viewership ratings."

Li Yitong nodded.

"How come you didn't pay any attention to such a popular drama from your past life?!"

Shen Mo smiled.

"I don't even like men! It's enough that I care about you all!"

Li Yitong gave a light hum and continued speaking.

"His case has actually been reversed long ago. The law has proven that he was wronged. It's just that the public is slow to react, and many people don't care or even bother to know."

"He lost his endorsements and media exposure as a result, and you could say he's at the lowest point in his life right now."

"Having not received any acting roles for several years, I imagine they were filled with resentment and bitterness, which perfectly matches the oppressive feeling of the Guan brothers, the male lead, living in the alternation of darkness and daylight!"

She leaned forward and pecked Shen Mo on the lips.

"Most importantly, when a person is about to drown, whoever pulls him out of the water is his greatest benefactor."

Shen Mo grabbed Li Yitong's slender waist and pinned her down.

"Alright, since the Empress has made her decision, I will resolutely carry it out!"

"Mr. Shen—I'm so sorry, it's all because of me."

One hour before the release of "Day and Night".

Pan Yueming stood in front of Shen Mo and lowered his head.

The almost unanimous skepticism and ridicule he now faces online make him feel extremely guilty towards Chen Zhixi, who recommended him, and Shen Mo, who used him.

"It's not your turn to apologize!"

Shen Mo helped him up and looked into his eyes.

"Although you were recommended by Zhixi, it was my decision to hire you."

Are you questioning my judgment, or are you questioning your own acting skills?

Pan Yueming was taken aback.

"I----"

Shen Mo smiled.

"Take a look at this."

He pointed to the real-time charts displayed on the large screen by the InkSign Big Data Monitoring Center.

"In the past 48 hours, there have been 14 negative trending topics related to you, which involved more than 3,000 marketing accounts and online trolls."

"You think this is a disaster."

Shen Mo gave a cold laugh.

"But I don't think so!"

"In my eyes, this is free publicity traffic delivered to our doorstep!"

"The more they hype this topic, the easier it will be to uncover the truth about what happened to you a few years ago."

"You've already won; netizens just don't know or care."

"Once they dig up your secrets."

"Your reputation is no longer an issue, so only ————"

"Is this drama of any good quality or not?"

"At this point, the public's curiosity about 'Day and Night' was piqued."

"At the same time, the more you're attacked and the lower your expectations are, the better the final result will be, and the more terrifying the dramatic backlash will be!"

He reached out and patted Pan Yueming on the shoulder.

"The internet has no memory, but the eyes of the audience are not blind."

"You just need to tell me whether your acting skills and efforts are worthy of our trust in you."

Pan Yueming nodded heavily.

A slight smile appeared on Shen Mo's lips.

"That's fine then!"

"Let's smash those faces of those scumbags sitting behind computers, all they do is type!"

In that instant, the unparalleled leadership charisma emanating from Shen Mo caused Chen Zhixi and Pan Yueming's blood to boil!

Pan Yueming gritted his teeth, and the worry in his eyes vanished instantly.

I'll spend the rest of my life working for this boss!

Six p.m.

The first four episodes of "Day and Night" premiered on Mohen Video!

The rival's haters, entertainment reporters, and thousands of casual viewers who had been waiting in front of their computers to watch the joke all clicked play almost at the same time.

In the dark and cramped scene of the dismemberment case, a pair of bloodstained eyes flashed by.

The television screen was showing news of a family massacre, and then the scene switched to a long shot that lasted for several minutes.

The onlookers, the cold police tape, the police and forensic doctors investigating and collecting evidence.

A car stopped, and Guan Hongfeng, dressed in a black overcoat, walked into the scene.

The high-end feel of this blockbuster film is overwhelming!

"Holy crap? This picture quality—this camera work, is this really a domestic web series?!"

"This movie has such a high-quality production value!"

Guan Hongfeng, the former captain of the Changfeng Detachment, has a hideous scar on his profile and sharp, cold eyes.

In the next shot, it's the same face, and they haven't even changed their clothes.

But the moment the curtains were drawn back and sunlight streamed in, his gaze suddenly became frivolous and indifferent!

The core concept of the alternation of day and night was fully revealed in just fifteen minutes of the story.

The older brother, Guan Hongfeng, suffers from severe nyctophobia and is unable to go out at night.

The younger brother, Guan Hongyu, is wanted by the entire city for the heinous crime of wiping out his family.

To uncover the truth, the two brothers share a single identity: the older brother investigates cases during the day, while the younger brother goes to war at night.

At that moment, everyone on the internet who had been ready to criticize Pan Yueming for gaining weight froze on their keyboards.

Because Pan Yueming on screen displayed an almost supernatural acting style!

It completely separates the calm and brooding older brother from the roguish and unrestrained younger brother!

One person played four roles, and each performance had subtle differences, which caused an uproar on the entire internet!

Huge explosion!

Within two hours of its release, the negative trending topic was completely swept away by countless genuine viewers.

Instead, one truly viral trending topic after another appeared.

#One actor plays four roles in Day and Night# (Breaking news)

#Pan Yueming's God-Level Transformation-Style Acting Skills# (Second on the trending topics list)

#Guan Hongfeng and Guan Hongyu are so confusing# (Breaking News)

#TheMistTheaterShinesWithChineseLiterarySuspense# (4th on the trending topics list)

Douban experienced server lag that night due to an overwhelming influx of ratings.

Three hours later, the scores were released.

9.2 points!

It ranks among the top domestic dramas!

Online comments went completely wild: "I hereby announce! I apologize to Mr. Pan Yueming!"

"One person playing four roles: the older brother, the younger brother, the younger brother pretending to be the older brother, and the older brother pretending to be the younger brother—what god-level acting skills! I can even easily tell them apart!"

"This isn't a steamed bun, it's the Mount Everest of acting skills among Chinese-language male actors!!"

"Absolutely incredible! The way the older brother looked at his younger brother at the end of episode 3 sent chills down my spine!"

"This can't possibly be acted by the same person, can it? Does Pan Yueming really have a twin brother?!"

"Twins aren't enough, we need quadruplets!"

"The current crop of popular but poorly edited dramas are like kindergarten children playing house compared to 'Day and Night'."

"You can always, always trust Mohen Shenmo's judgment! The Mist Theater is awesome!!"

"Any product from Inkmark is guaranteed to be of the highest quality!"

On Zhihu, more than 300 technically-driven articles analyzing Pan Yueming's acting skills appeared overnight.

A question titled "How to distinguish Guan Hongfeng and Guan Hongyu from micro-expressions" was viewed more than ten million times in just one day.

Bilibili's parody and film editing sections were especially enthusiastic, with a frenzy of activity taking place.

The content creators worked through the night to edit together a series of nested clips of Pan Yueming's scenes in the play, allowing viewers to guess who was who, and the number of views easily surpassed one million.

Even the African lungfish named "Tiger" that Guan Hongfeng kept in the fish tank in the show became a hot search term on Taobao overnight!

Compared to the netizens' jubilation, those who had previously hired online trolls to quell the online attacks were pale-faced.

They couldn't stop Shen Mo and Mohen again!

In the backend of Mohen Video, the growth curve of new members has almost become a straight line.

Just after 12 o'clock, Mohen announced the new membership poster – 100 million!

From its launch at 6 PM to midnight, it gained 1 million new members in just 6 hours.

Shen Mo directly slapped those ugly faces eight hundred times from a distance, leaving them bloody and mangled!

The next morning.

Inside the president's office of Mohen.

Shen Mo sat upright in the large boss's chair, with Li Yitong, dressed in a long dress, refilling his cup of hot tea beside him.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

A knock came at the door.

The door opened, and Chen Zhixi and Pan Yueming walked in side by side.

The two of them, who had been tired and anxious, were now full of energy.

His Weibo followers increased by 100 million overnight last night, and he has seen a bright future for his resurgence.

As soon as he entered the door, Pan Yueming's lips trembled uncontrollably, and two streams of hot tears slid down his cheeks.

He stepped forward and, with a whoosh, bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.

Chen Zhixi glanced at it, took a deep breath, and then smiled.

"President Shen! President Li!"

"In my life, I've lived for over forty years, experiencing both immense fame and fortune, as well as being scorned and reviled by the entire world!"

"During that period, I hid in my rented room like a dog, and even when I went out to buy groceries, I had to wear a mask."

"Those people in the industry who used to call me 'brother' now treat me like I'm a plague!"

"It's thanks to Mohen, Mr. Shen and Mr. Li, that I had another chance!"

"This kindness is greater than the heavens!"

Li Yitong patted Shen Mo on the shoulder and gestured with her chin toward Pan Yueming.

Shen Mo smiled, got up from the chair, walked slowly forward, took his arm, and helped him up.

Pan Yueming looked up at Shen Mo, his eyes bloodshot.

"Mr. Shen, from now on, if you need anything, just say the word. If I, Pan Yueming, stammer even once, then—"

""

"Ouch! Ouch!"

Shen Mo interrupted him.

"Once you join Inkmark, you're one of us."

"No need to say so much among family!"

"Day and Night is just the beginning."

Shen Mo reached out and straightened Pan Yueming's slightly disheveled collar.

"Since you trust Mohen and trust me, I will give you my full support."

"In the next five years, we will have Lao Gui's 'The Untouchable', Zi Jinchen's 'The Hidden Corner', and 'The Silent Truth'."

"I'll pile all the top-tier crime and suspense scripts in the entire Chinese-language film and television industry right in front of you!"

"I'm going to make you the undisputed god of suspense films in the entire Chinese-language film and television industry!"

Pan Yueming nodded heavily, then took two steps back and bowed again at a ninety-degree angle.

Li Yitong looked at the scene before her, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears.

Her eyes were filled with pride and tenderness as she looked at Shen Mo.