Huayu: Starting from retirement, sweeping across the domestic entertainment industry

Dusk had completely fallen.

Cheng Xiao picked up the bottle of sake, waved it at Li Ran, and said with a sly smile, "Want some? This sake is pretty good."

Li Ran had just put a piece of salmon in his mouth when he heard this, swallowed it, and was about to nod...

"Xiao Xiao".

Long Ying spoke up, her tone not harsh, but with a hint of elder's concern, "Li Ran can't drink alcohol; he'll pass out as soon as he touches it."

Cheng Xiao paused for a moment, then looked at Li Ran with a hint of curiosity in his eyes: "Is that so? Never mind then, I didn't expect you couldn't drink."

Li Ran glanced at her cousin, feeling somewhat helpless.

He does indeed have a history of passing out after just a sip of alcohol...

In the first few years after I transmigrated, my body was weak, and even a glass of beer would make my face turn red for a long time.

But isn't the system adding points now?

However, he naturally wouldn't say these things.

"It's alright now," he explained, his tone tinged with a hint of helplessness at his cousin's overprotective nature. "She won't have an allergic reaction anymore."

Long Ying looked at him, her eyes clearly saying, "I don't believe it."

Li Ran was too lazy to explain anymore. He simply reached out and took the bottle of sake, poured himself a small half-cup, and then took a sip.

The amber-colored liquid slid down my throat, carrying a faint aroma of rice and a subtle sweetness.

He put down his wine glass and looked at Long Ying.

Long Ying stared at his face for a few seconds... He didn't blush, he didn't sweat, and his expression remained normal.

She then looked away, gave a soft hum, and said nothing more.

Cheng Xiao watched this scene from the side and couldn't help but laugh.

She spoke softly, "Li Ran, this cup is mine..."

Li Ran's expression stiffened for a moment, then he smiled and said, "It's okay, I don't mind."

Cheng Xiao chuckled at his words and, not minding, picked up the cup next to him and poured herself a glass. "Want one?"

Li Ran picked up his wine glass and gently clinked it against hers.

They each took a sip.

Cheng Xiao put down his wine glass and suddenly sighed, "It's so good to have a cousin, she takes care of you and protects you."

Li Ran glanced at Long Ying and smiled, "It's pretty good, but sometimes you worry too much."

Long Ying rolled her eyes at him and didn't reply.

……

After finishing their meal, the three of them left the Japanese restaurant.

The night breeze carried the warmth of early summer, feeling pleasant on my face. The alley was very quiet, and although a few passersby occasionally walked by, none of them noticed who was standing there.

Li Ran looked at Cheng Xiao and asked, "Where are you going? I'll take you home first."

Cheng Xiao waved his hand with a smile, "No need, I've called the driver. He should be here soon. You can go back now."

Li Ran didn't insist, and nodded: "Then goodbye."

"goodbye."

Cheng Xiao looked at him, then suddenly remembered something and added, "Let's play games together sometime."

Li Ran paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay."

He turned and got into the car, with Long Ying following behind.

The car slowly drove out of the alley and disappeared into the night.

……

Cheng Xiao stood there, watching the taillights of the black van disappear around the corner before turning her gaze away.

The assistant leaned over, her face beaming with barely suppressed excitement: "Sister Cheng Xiao, what's Teacher Li Ran like in private?"

Cheng Xiao turned to look at her, a hint of teasing in his eyes: "It's pretty good, quite interesting. Why are you asking so many questions?"

The assistant chuckled twice, rubbing his hands a little sheepishly, "Um... I'm not a fan of Teacher Li Ran! I've been following him since his professional gaming days!"

She paused, then looked at Cheng Xiao expectantly. "By the way, Sister Cheng Xiao, where's the autographed photo you asked me for?"

Cheng Xiao's smile froze for a second.

She opened her mouth, then gave an awkward laugh: "Um... I was so busy chatting that I forgot."

The assistant's expectation gradually faded, eventually turning into a slightly disappointed expression, her lips pursed slightly.

"Okay then..." she said softly, her tone tinged with grievance, "Sister Cheng Xiao, you must help me get it next time."

Seeing her like that, Cheng Xiao couldn't help but laugh and reached out to pat her head: "Alright, alright, next time you see him, you can ask him for it yourself."

The assistant's eyes widened: "Huh? I wouldn't dare!"

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Cheng Xiao said matter-of-factly, "Li Ran is quite gentle. He's your idol, why are you afraid?"

The assistant thought for a moment, then muttered softly, "Then...then you'll come with me next time..."

Cheng Xiao smiled and shook his head, then said nothing more.

Recalling the scene of Li Ran drinking from his own glass just now, it was clearly intentional.

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly...

Li Ran is practically perfect, except he has a lot of scandals, and it's hard to tell which ones are true and which ones are false.

……

At the same time, Li Ran's car was driving on the main road of the Third Ring Road.

The night view outside the window rushed past, neon lights flashing in the darkness into a blurry river of light.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Long Ying suddenly spoke, her tone slightly probing: "She just wanted to invite you to dinner?"

Li Ran was leaning back in his chair, resting with his eyes closed. Hearing this, he opened his eyes, glanced at her, and couldn't help but smile.

"Sis, weren't you with them the whole time? They probably just wanted to get to know each other."

Long Ying was silent for two seconds, then nodded.

This kind of thing is perfectly normal in the entertainment industry.

Today we're shooting for a magazine, tomorrow we'll have dinner together, the day after tomorrow we'll add each other on WeChat... who knows, we might end up working together on some film or TV show next time.

Having more friends means having more options; everyone understands this principle.

She stopped worrying about it, took her phone out of her bag, swiped it a couple of times, and then handed it to Li Ran.

"Take a look at this video first."

Li Ran took the phone and looked down at the screen.

The video was taken from a hidden camera angle; the footage is a bit shaky and the lighting is dim, but you can still make out the general outline...

A boy carried a girl on his back and spun her around under a streetlamp. The girl was clinging to the boy's back, laughing happily. The boy spun her around several times, and finally the two ran forward together.

The footage was surprisingly well-shot: the dim streetlights, the elongated shadows, and the two people's cheerful backs created a wonderful atmosphere, like the end credits of a youth movie.

But Li Ran recognized him at a glance.

The boy was himself, and the girl was Liu Haocun.

He frowned slightly and looked at Long Ying: "Sister, where did this come from?"

Long Ying rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "It's the one I secretly took of you last time, Liu Dachui, that I sent over."

Li Ran was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

Liu Dachui is a well-known paparazzi in the industry. Last time, when fans came to pick him up at the airport, they followed him to take pictures, but he managed to shake them off.

They also used their connections to get him banned across all platforms.

Li Ran asked, "What does he mean? Does he want money?"

Long Ying shook her head: "I hope you will be lenient, but my aunt asked me to ask you what you think."

Li Ran remained silent for a few seconds, several thoughts flashing through his mind.

These paparazzi, to put it nicely, are "freelance photographers," but to put it bluntly, they make a living by photographing celebrities' private lives.

If you offend them, you might be retaliated against by being stalked and filmed one day, which would be incredibly annoying. But if you pay them, it's like admitting to the relationship shown in the video, which would only cause more trouble later.

He thought for a moment and said, "Let's let him off this time! Let him delete the negatives, and he probably won't dare to follow me anymore."

Long Ying nodded: "It's best not to offend this kind of person if you can avoid it. You're just afraid that they'll become desperate and wait outside your door every day."

She paused, sighed, and looked at Li Ran, her tone tinged with disappointment: "It's mainly your fault. If you had a proper relationship, the exposure wouldn't have mattered, and we wouldn't be afraid. But you..."

Li Ran interrupted her with an awkward laugh: "Alright, sis, I know."

Long Ying glared at him, but didn't say anything more.

The car continued driving forward, the neon lights outside the window flickering intermittently.

After a while, Long Ying spoke again, her tone softening and carrying a hint of admonition: "Be more careful when you go out in the future. This time, they took the initiative to send the video over; who knows what kind of shocking revelation they might pull next time."

"If we expose it without any regard for the consequences, you'll be the one who suffers."

Li Ran nodded, leaned back in his seat, and looked out the window at the rapidly receding night view.

Images from the video flashed through his mind... the dim streetlights, the elongated shadows, and Liu Haocun lying on his back, laughing happily.

He slightly curled the corners of his mouth up, then quickly suppressed it.

"Okay, sis."

Long Ying glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

……

The next day, Li Ran completed another day of filming.

The solo cover of "Men's Style" has a much more rugged style than yesterday's duo cover.

The photographer made him change into several outfits, from casual suits to sportswear, from cool and aloof to relaxed, which took a whole day.

When Li Ran finished work, he felt his face was almost frozen.

Changing clothes back and forth made him feel more tired than filming all day.

It was already dark when I got back to the apartment.

Zhou Ye and Hu Lianxin went back to participate in the recording of "Peach Blossom Village" today, and the two also took Ta Xue with them.

Zhang Jingyi and Liu Haocun also moved into the community.

Li Ran opened the door and entered the room; the light in the entryway was on.

"You're back?" Liu Haocun poked his head out from the kitchen, glanced at him, and then went back to continue working.

Li Ran changed into slippers and went inside, where she saw two figures washing vegetables around the sink in the kitchen.

Liu Haocun was wearing a loose beige sweatshirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and he was washing shiitake mushrooms one by one.

Wang Churan stood beside her, his long black hair cascading down, as he bent down and carefully picked spinach.

The stove was covered with ingredients...

"That's quite a feast." Li Ran walked over and leaned against the kitchen doorway.

Wang Churan looked up at him, a slight smile on her lips: "Of course, it doesn't matter who prepared it."

Li Ran smiled, glanced around, and didn't see the other two people.

"Where's Jingyi?" he asked.

Liu Haocun didn't turn his head and continued washing the vegetables: "I went to buy meat rolls with Zhang Ruonan. We only have these vegetables at home, not enough meat."

Li Ran nodded, watching the two of them busy by the pool, and casually said, "Then you two go ahead and wash."

Wang Churan paused in her actions, turned to look at him, and narrowed her eyes slightly: "So you're just waiting to eat, huh?"

Li Ran leaned against the doorframe with a self-righteous expression, "What else? What's wrong with me enjoying myself? Isn't the point of having a girlfriend to enjoy yourself?"

Looking at his shameless behavior, Wang Churan couldn't help but purse her lips and roll her eyes at him in annoyance.

She put down the spinach in her hand, wiped her hands, and then, imitating the mannerisms of the concubines in period dramas, bowed slightly and asked in a high-pitched voice, "So... which concubine's palace does Your Majesty intend to visit tonight?"

Li Ran was amused by her unexpected performance.

He continued her line of thought, looking quite serious, and even stroked his chin: "Let's talk about it tonight. I'm also quite troubled."

Liu Haocun listened to the two of them singing and acting, and his hands moved faster while washing vegetables. He thought to himself: They really like acting!

Just then, the door lock clicked.

Zhang Jingyi and Zhang Ruonan pushed open the door and came in, both carrying things in their hands.

Zhang Jingyi carried two large boxes of meat rolls, while Zhang Ruonan held a large bag of drinks, both looking a bit strained.

"I bought it!" Zhang Jingyi waved the meat roll in her hand, her tone light and cheerful.

Zhang Ruonan followed behind, put the drink on the coffee table, and let out a long sigh: "I'm exhausted, this drink is too heavy."

Wang Churan glanced at Zhang Ruonan, who was tidying up in the living room, then suddenly leaned close to Li Ran's ear and whispered, "Your Highness, when are you planning to favor me?"

Li Ran turned his head to look at her, his face saying, "What are you talking about?"

"What kind of blunt truth are you spouting?"

Wang Churan blinked, looking completely innocent, but the teasing in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"Don't you know whether I'm lying or not?"

She whispered, a hint of mischief in her voice, "Do you want me to help you?"

Li Ran chuckled and lowered her voice in response, "What, are you planning to push me from behind?"

Liu Haocun couldn't stand it anymore; how could these two be having such an inappropriate conversation?

"Li Ran! Get out of here!" she couldn't help but shout, her tone tinged with embarrassment and annoyance. "Don't stand there in the way!"

Li Ran turned to look at her, his face completely innocent: "What's wrong with me?"

Liu Haocun glared at him, but didn't know how to respond.

She knew, of course, that Li Ran was usually a scoundrel, but she really didn't expect that Li Ran and Wang Churan would chat so...so blatantly in private.

She could accept it if it was just the two of them talking, but now there were other people around, and it sounded weird.

Wang Churan couldn't help but laugh when he saw her embarrassed and annoyed expression.

She walked over, leaned close to Liu Haocun's ear, and whispered, "Seriously? You're already shy after only a short while? Haven't you talked about these things with Li Ran before?"

Liu Haocun pursed his lips and muttered softly, "It's fine when the two of them are talking, but now it sounds weird..."

Wang Churan looked at her bright red ears, smiled and shook his head, and said nothing more.

This little green tea b*tch can even get shy!

In the kitchen, the sound of water gushing as vegetables were washed could be heard, mixed with the two people's hushed conversation.

In the living room, Li Ran had already gone over to help Zhang Jingyi and Zhang Ruonan set up the electric cooker.

Place the electric cooker in the center of the dining table, pour in the chili oil base, add water, plug it in, and press the switch.

Soon, the pot began to bubble and simmer, and a rich aroma filled the air.

Zhang Jingyi opened the boxes of meat rolls one by one and arranged them neatly on a plate.

Zhang Ruonan poured the drinks into glasses, added ice, and placed them at everyone's seats.

"Is it almost done?" Li Ran looked at the table full of ingredients and then looked towards the kitchen.

Liu Haocun came out carrying washed shiitake mushrooms and enoki mushrooms, while Wang Churan followed behind carrying spinach and lettuce.

The two placed the dishes on the table and found seats to sit down.

Five people sat around the dining table, the hot pot bubbling and steaming. The night outside the window was deep, but the room was warm and cozy.

Li Ran picked up his chopsticks, tapped them lightly on the table, and cleared his throat: "Shall we begin?"

"Let's eat!" Zhang Ruonan was the first to respond, her chopsticks already reaching for the beef roll.

Zhang Jingyi smiled at her and said, "Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."

"That's not necessarily true."

With her mouth full of meat, Zhang Ruonan mumbled, "When Li Ran was around, we had to fight over everything."

Li Ran chuckled: "When have I ever tried to take it from you?"

Zhang Ruonan swallowed the meat and looked at him seriously: "You don't snatch it, but you eat a lot."

Wang Churan was laughing so hard she was shaking.

Liu Haocun silently picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and put it into Li Ran's bowl without saying anything.

Wang Churan also picked up the grilled pork belly and placed it on Li Ran's plate.

Li Ran looked down at the overflowing food in his bowl, then looked up at the people on either side of him, and finally looked at Zhang Ruonan across from him.

Zhang Ruonan had a look of amusement on her face, her chopsticks hanging in mid-air, and she had even forgotten to eat.

"What are you looking at?" Li Ran asked her.

Zhang Ruonan blinked and said seriously, "I'm watching the Emperor dine. He even has people serving him while he eats."

Liu Haocun burst out laughing.

Li Ran ignored Zhang Ruonan's comment and pretended not to hear it.

He picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks, dipped it in the hot pot, and then casually looked at Liu Haocun next to him.

"Are you going to film 'The Four Seas' next month?"

Liu Haocun was eating a fish ball with his head down when he heard this. He paused for a moment, looked up at him, and saw that he still had half a fish ball in his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a hamster.

She chewed quickly and swallowed, nodding, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

"When will you turn it on?" Li Ran asked again.

Liu Haocun thought for a moment, then rolled his eyes upwards, his expression somewhat adorable: "Hmm... mid-June, I think it's around the 16th? I need to go back and check the contract."

Li Ran nodded, didn't ask any further questions, just said "Oh," and continued eating her meat.

Liu Haocun looked at him, somewhat puzzled, and tilted his head: "Why are you asking this?"

"It's nothing, just asking casually." Li Ran didn't even look up, his tone very casual.

Liu Haocun stared at him for two seconds, but couldn't figure out what was going on, so he gave up and continued eating his own food.

Wang Churan watched this scene from the side, a slight smile playing on her lips. He didn't say anything, but his eyes conveyed a sense of "I understand".

Little Green Tea and Little Tablet share the same birthday, which must be a dilemma for Li Ran.

Zhang Jingyi ate her food quietly, occasionally glancing up at Li Ran before looking down and continuing to eat.

Zhang Ruonan didn't think much of it, busy scooping meat from the pot with her chopsticks, muttering, "Where did the meatballs I cooked go? Li Ran, did you eat them...?"

Li Ran looked up at her in surprise: "No, sis, which eye of yours saw me put the meatball in your mouth?"

Zhang Ruonan pointed at his bowl with her chopsticks, "What's in your bowl? Isn't it meatballs?"

Zhang Jingyi stuck out her tongue shyly and looked at Zhang Ruonan, saying, "Sister Ruonan, that was for Li Ran."

Zhang Ruonan pouted, cooked a few more meatballs, and muttered, "Even if I don't eat, I'm almost full from all this PDA. You guys keep picking at this and that."

Li Ran retorted, "Even though you're full, I haven't seen you stop eating."

"No, why don't you join in too?" Wang Churan said casually from the side.

The other four all turned to look at her.

Zhang Ruonan looked at her and said, "Wang Churan, what nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly be interested in a scumbag like Li Ran?"

Li Ran immediately objected, "Sis, whether I'm a jerk or not, I didn't scumbag you!"

"You want to cheat on me? I'm not happy about it!" Zhang Ruonan retorted.

Seeing this, Zhang Jingyi quickly advised, "Alright, let's eat. Chu Ran was just joking."

Wang Churan smiled but didn't explain anything, though she wasn't joking.

Zhang Jingyi suddenly remembered something and looked at Li Ran, asking, "By the way, Brother Li Ran, are you also taking graduation photos?"

Li Ran nodded. "Yes, together with your class."

Zhang Jingyi nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Li Ran fell into deep thought.

The graduation photos will be taken on the 19th, and filming for "Even If This Love Disappears" will start on the 16th, so he will definitely have to take leave to come back.

Not only for taking graduation photos, but May 20th is also Liu Haocun and Zhou Ye's birthday.

Zhou Ye should have been recording "Peach Blossom Village" at that time, but he would definitely have taken leave to take graduation photos.

Liu Haocun hadn't joined the crew yet at that time.

This put him in a bit of a predicament.

His mind raced, but his hands never stopped picking up food.

Wang Churan suddenly leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "What are you thinking about? Your chopsticks are already sticking into the spicy broth."

Li Ran looked down and, sure enough, his chopsticks were reaching into the hot oil pot, but his bowl was already piled high with food.

He awkwardly withdrew his hand and put the piece of meat back on the plate.

"Nothing, just thinking about something."

Wang Churan gave him a meaningful look, but didn't ask any more questions; instead, her smile deepened.

The hot pot continued to bubble and steam.

Five people sat in a circle, their chopsticks scooping food from the pot. Occasionally they would argue over the same piece of tripe, or occasionally they would pass each other food. The atmosphere was lively and warm.