Zhou Yun said, "But for someone like you, who’s already at the pinnacle of the supermodel industry, you shouldn’t have to worry about being phased out, right? Or do you still encounter the problems you mentioned earlier?"

Wen Xi: "More or less, these problems are unavoidable. It’s just that I have more opportunities and resources to help myself try different jobs and have more choices than other models."

"Hmm." Zhou Yun nodded, "But I think the entire environment is changing now. In the past, older models rarely received attention, but now, with the development of social media and the internet, and more women having independent awareness and economic influence, the entertainment and fashion blogs I follow often feature mature models from abroad. They’re not very active on the runway but remain active in the fashion field, starting their own companies, doing social media, or pursuing other jobs."

"Yes, our overall career longevity has increased, and our choices have expanded." Wen Xi nodded, "But this is actually the result of the era and industry development dividends, not a very orderly structure, and nobody knows how it will evolve in the future."

"Actually, actors face similar issues. Like our industry, we inevitably face these uncertainties." Zhou Yun said, "Our career longevity depends on whether there are audiences or viewers; it’s not purely a technical job that only you can do. So there’s nothing we can do unless we leave this industry and pursue a job we can do long-term." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Wow, speaking of which, everyone in this room has essentially benefited from the industry’s and society’s dividends." Gu Huaichun waved a hand, "If others knew we were worrying about the industry’s uncertainties, they’d just think we’re a group of high-paid people who are annoying, greedy, and ungrateful."

"I don’t really agree with that view." Zhou Yun said, "Earning a lot doesn’t mean you lose the right to consider the pros and cons of your job. ’Let them eat cake’ is arrogant and ignorant, but it’s a different story."

"I know, I’m just saying—" Gu Huaichun paused before continuing, "Let’s put it this way: even if we stop working, what we’ve earned now is enough for us to live comfortably for the rest of our lives. I’m not saying we shouldn’t think about or complain about work; sometimes I feel that if I earned a little less, I could complain about this industry more comfortably."

Yin Zhou said, "That’s because you’ve reached the most lucrative position in this industry, but as for me, I can honestly say I haven’t earned much. Even at my peak, I didn’t make much money. Frankly speaking, this industry does bring huge profits to artists, but it’s not decided by you. If you feel uneasy about earning this money, you can always do more charity."

"I didn’t expect you’d feel uncomfortable about earning too much money," Jiang Yicheng said, somewhat surprised. "You’re truly the most naive group I’ve ever seen. In my industry, no one feels uneasy about earning too much; they only feel uneasy about not earning enough. You neither stole nor robbed, nor did you violate the law and public morals. The market sets the price, and you earn that price, so why be uneasy?"

"That’s true, but I can understand what Gu Huaichun is saying." Zhou Yun said, "Sometimes we feel we don’t deserve to earn so much money; it seems that what we’ve gained has far exceeded what we’ve put in."

"If you put it like that, I won’t deny it, but that’s the characteristic of this industry. You’re earning money from everyone, unlike us, who have different audiences for different industries; your audience is everyone. You have the ability to get others to pay for you, which is the economic reality. No advertiser would pay you exorbitant advertising fees unless they were getting something in return." Jiang Yicheng said, "I think you should be less worried about your high earnings and more focused on establishing a compensation mechanism. If the products you endorse have problems, you, as endorsers, should also bear some responsibility. Of course, the product issues aren’t related to you, but the widespread impact of these problems is something you definitely contributed to."

"Wow, do you guys always discuss such deep topics? Have you started reflecting to this extent?" Wu Zhengguang, arriving late, was shocked to hear their discussion.