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

On the evening of the 18th, the plane broke through the clouds, and Beijing was already in sight.

Li Ran sat by the window, gazing at the night view, slightly lost in thought...

His cousin, Long Ying, sat next to him, looking down at her schedule, her brows furrowed slightly as if she were reviewing some important document.

After a long pause, she raised her head and spoke in an unquestionable tone: "Don't cause any trouble when we take graduation photos tomorrow, understand?"

Li Ran looked away and glanced at her.

"Keep your distance from Zhang Jingyi and Zhou Ye, don't get too close," Long Ying emphasized again.

Li Ran nodded, her tone perfunctory: "Alright, I know, sis, you're really long-winded."

Long Ying glared at him, her gaze mirroring his mother's. She continued, "There's still the 20th. You and Liu Hao can just stay home and celebrate your birthdays. Don't go out partying."

Li Ran smiled helplessly: "Sis, did you forget about the coconuts?"

Long Ying paused. Of course she hadn't forgotten, but she deliberately didn't mention it.

She paused for two seconds before explaining, "I've already asked Hu Lianxin about Zhou Ye. She's going back to record 'Peach Blossom Village' after her graduation photos are taken. Don't cause trouble..."

"Okay, I got it, sis." Li Ran interrupted her.

But he didn't say "I won't go"...

He simply said he understood.

Long Ying looked at his profile; the light from the window flickered on his face, making it impossible to discern his expression.

Just as she was about to look away, Li Ran suddenly spoke up again: "Sis, let's change the return flight to the early morning of the 21st."

Long Ying was taken aback: "What do you want to do?"

She looked at him strangely, her face full of confusion.

Li Ran didn't answer immediately. He looked at the lights outside the window that were getting closer and closer, and remained silent for a long time.

The plane began its descent, and I felt a slight pressure on my eardrums as the roar of the engines gradually became sharper.

"I still want to go celebrate Coconut's birthday." He finally spoke, his voice very soft, as if he were talking to himself.

He paused for a moment: "I promised her last year that I would spend every year with her from now on."

Long Ying opened her mouth, as if to say something.

But Li Ran didn't give her a chance.

"Actually, the person I owe the most to is Coconut."

His tone was calm, as if stating a fact he had long understood: "So I don't want to lie to her, it's not a big deal."

Long Ying looked at Li Ran, her cousin who was two years younger than her. He was usually joking around, and she rarely saw him talk about something so seriously.

She knew some things about him and Zhou Ye from their university days...

She sighed. "Fine... whatever you want."

The plane landed, its tires scraping the runway with a muffled thud.

The lights outside the window are no longer a single, continuous area, but have become tangible, touchable lights...

Li Ran unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up. Long Ying followed behind him, still rambling on and on about something, but he couldn't listen anymore.

He was thinking about how he had set off fireworks for Coconut on the Ferris wheel last year on her birthday…

When Li Ran returned to the apartment, she didn't go home but went straight to Zhang Jingyi's place.

He opened the door and went inside. All the lights in the living room were off, with only a faint light shining in from the window.

The bedroom door was ajar, letting in a small patch of warm yellow light.

He pushed the door open and went in; Zhang Jingyi was indeed still awake.

She leaned against the headboard, holding her phone up to her eyes, the screen's light reflecting softly on her face.

Hearing the noise, she looked up and her eyes immediately curved into a smile.

"Brother Li Ran, you're back."

Li Ran walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed: "Why aren't you asleep yet? Didn't I tell you not to wait for me?"

Zhang Jingyi shook her head: "It's okay, I'm not sleepy yet."

Li Ran lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead. Her skin was warm and carried a faint scent of shower gel.

"I'm going to take a shower first."

Zhang Jingyi nodded, her gaze following his retreating figure to the doorway before returning to her phone.

After Li Ran finished showering, he lay down next to her and leaned over to glance at her screen...

In a WeChat mini-program game, colorful little squares are falling down.

"What's so fun about this?" he asked.

Zhang Jingyi tapped her finger a few times, deleting another line, her tone carrying a hint of satisfaction: "That was so relaxing, you wouldn't understand."

Li Ran glanced at the time; it was past midnight.

"Alright, let's go to sleep. We have to take graduation photos tomorrow."

Zhang Jingyi completed another level, then put down her phone, snuggled closer to him, and found a comfortable position.

Li Ran closed his eyes, preparing to fall asleep.

"Brother Li Ran".

"Um?"

"Do you like Sister Ruonan?"

Li Ran opened his eyes.

Zhang Jingyi was staring intently into his eyes, which shone brightly in the dim light. There was no questioning in them; she was simply waiting quietly for an answer.

"Why do you ask that?" Li Ran asked slowly.

Zhang Jingyi snorted: "Your lack of answer means you admit it."

Li Ran was silent for a second.

Having spent so much time together, the women had long since figured out his personality... His lack of denial was essentially an admission.

"You had feelings for me from the beginning, didn't you? I told you that before."

He paused for a moment, then explained, "After spending more time with her, I found that I actually quite enjoyed bickering with her..."

Zhang Jingyi extended a finger and gently covered his mouth with it.

"Alright, why are you explaining so much?"

She smiled faintly, a smile that held no blame, only understanding: "Wang Churan is absolutely right. You're the kind of person who, after spending a lot of time with a pretty girl, just wants her."

Li Ran opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then felt that anything he said would be just sophistry.

Zhang Jingyi continued, "Actually, I noticed it from the beginning, but at that time, Sister Ruonan was quite disgusted with you, so I didn't take it seriously."

She thought for a moment, then her tone became somewhat subtle: "But now, the way she chats with me on WeChat is getting stranger and stranger."

Li Ran asked, "What's strange?"

"Now they keep asking me about your past, and they're even asking about my relationships with other people..."

Zhang Jingyi paused, as if organizing her thoughts, "I feel like what Wang Churan said, she wants to join."

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, "Aren't you jealous?"

Zhang Jingyi looked at him with a mixture of helplessness, amusement, and something else she couldn't quite explain.

She said with a disdainful look, "Brother, what good does it do me to be jealous?"

Li Ran was speechless after hearing her words.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" he said sheepishly.

Zhang Jingyi ignored his banter and calmly analyzed, "Ruonan must be very conflicted right now, torn between me, her good friend, and you..."

Li Ran suddenly asked, "Jingyi, why do you always bring Zhang Ruonan with you?"

Zhang Jingyi pursed her lips: "In the first few times, I did bring her along, but after the Weibo Night, it was Zhang Ruonan who contacted me."

She paused for a moment, then said, "That's when I felt something was wrong."

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly and didn't continue the topic.

He reached out and pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders.

"Alright, let's go to sleep."

Zhang Jingyi hummed in agreement and snuggled back into his arms.

This time I really closed my eyes, and the room became quiet, with only the slight hum of the air conditioner.

Li Ran stared at the ceiling, thinking about what she had just said.

Zhang Ruonan was struggling with... what was she struggling with?

Is it a dilemma of whether or not to like a jerk, or a dilemma of whether or not to betray a good friend?

he does not know.

The person in my arms gradually calmed down.

He glanced down and saw that Zhang Jingyi was already asleep, her eyelashes drooping gently, and a slight smile on her lips.

……

In late May, the sun in Beijing already carried the heat of early summer.

The campus of Beijing Film Academy is filled with students wearing graduation gowns.

On the lawn in front of the teaching building, at the bottom of the library steps, and along the tree-lined path by the playground, groups of people gathered in twos and threes, their laughter loud and their camera shutters clicking incessantly.

Today is the day to take graduation photos.

Last year, due to the pandemic, that year's graduation photos couldn't be taken. This year, the school specially arranged a make-up photo shoot, bringing together the graduates of 2020 and 2021, fulfilling everyone's wish.

Li Ran was wearing a white shirt with a black academic gown over it. The sleeves were a bit long, so he casually rolled them up.

Holding the graduation cap in his hand, the tassels on the brim drooped down, swaying gently in the wind.

"Brother Ran! Over here!" Wang Junkai saw him and waved from afar.

Wang Junkai and Zhang Jingyi are students in the same year at Beijing Film Academy, but they are not in the same class.

Li Ran smiled and walked over.

Along the way, people kept greeting him... some he knew, some he didn't, some from the same year, and some from a year or two below him.

He responded to each person's request, occasionally stopping to take a photo with them or sign an autograph.

When he reached the administration building, he saw Zhou Ye standing at the bottom of the steps, talking to several girls.

The graduation gown was a little too big for her, so she held onto the collar to keep it from slipping down. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail, revealing a section of her fair nape.

Sunlight shone on her face, and she smiled, her eyes crinkling, as she talked to the person next to her.

Just as Li Ran walked over, Zhou Ye turned his head.

Their eyes met briefly in the air.

"You're here?"

"Mm." Li Ran stood next to her.

For die-hard fans of Peach Blossom Jasmine, the latest chapter of "Hua Yu: Starting from Retirement, Sweeping Through the Domestic Entertainment Industry" has been released!

The girls nearby glanced at the two of them, smiled knowingly, and then made an excuse to disperse.

Zhou Ye watched their retreating figures, a slight smile playing on his lips. She turned to look at Li Ran: "Where's Zhang Jingyi? Didn't she come with you?"

"She should be over there in the teaching building, with her class." Li Ran glanced in the direction of the teaching building.

The phone vibrated as soon as I finished speaking.

He took out his phone and saw a message from Zhang Jingyi: "Ran-ge, where are you guys? I've finished filming here."

Li Ran typed with his head down: [In front of the administration building.]

Coming right away.

……

When Zhang Jingyi appeared, she was holding a bouquet of flowers.

Pink baby's breath, interspersed with a few white daisies, is wrapped in light blue paper and tied with a beige ribbon.

She was wearing an academic gown, but no cap; it was tucked under her arm. Her hair was loose and blowing in the wind, with a few strands clinging to her cheeks.

She jogged over, her shoes making a light tapping sound on the stone pavement.

"Brother Ran! Sister Zhou Ye!" She ran up to the two of them, slightly out of breath, with a smile on her face.

Zhou Ye looked at the flowers in her hand and raised an eyebrow: "Oh, who sent them?"

Zhang Jingyi looked down at the bouquet in her arms and smiled, "I bought it myself. Graduation always needs to have some kind of ceremony."

As she spoke, she pulled a daisy from the bouquet and handed it to Zhou Ye: "Here you go."

As she spoke, she pulled a daisy from the bouquet and handed it to Zhou Ye: "Here you go."

Zhou Ye paused for a moment, then took it: "What for?"

"It looks good."

Zhang Jingyi said confidently, "It's better to hold it while taking pictures than to just stand there."

Zhou Ye looked down at the daisy; its white petals and pale yellow stamens were small but vibrant.

She tucked it into the buttonhole of her graduation gown, then looked up at Zhang Jingyi: "Like this?"

Zhang Jingyi nodded, then took out another one and handed it to Li Ran.

Li Ran took the flowers, looked at them in her hand, and then looked at Zhang Jingyi.

"Just one?" he asked.

Zhang Jingyi glared at him: "How many do you want?"

Li Ran smiled, said nothing, and pinned the flower to his breast pocket. The white daisies stood out conspicuously between his white shirt and black academic gown.

"Is that enough?"

Seeing his expression, Zhang Jingyi couldn't help but smile, but she quickly suppressed it and turned to Zhou Ye: "Coconut, shall we take the photos first?"

Zhou Ye nodded: "Let's go."

Li Ran watched the two figures leave, surprised that things had turned out quite harmoniously today.

Indeed, both of them have very good personalities. Zhang Jingyi is gentle and kind, and as far as I can remember, she only had some friction with Xiaotian.

As for coconuts, as long as you don't provoke them, they're willing to greet you with a smile.

However, this is all because of Li Ran, and their fans are currently arguing fiercely online...

The influence of two prominent actresses behind them is also evident.

The three of them walked around the campus and found a few suitable spots for taking photos.

The first stop is the steps in front of the library.

This is a classic spot for graduation photos at the Beijing Film Academy. People take photos here almost every year. There are gray stone steps, the arched doors of the library behind them, and green plants climbing all over the walls on both sides.

Zhang Jingyi stood in the middle, holding a bouquet of flowers, smiling at the camera, while Li Ran and Zhou Ye stood on either side, each holding a daisy.

"Come closer..."

The junior student taking their photos peeked out from behind the viewfinder. "Yeah, closer! Ran-ge, move a little to the left... Okay! Don't move!"

The shutter clicked several times.

The junior looked at the photo and nodded in satisfaction: "Great! One more!"

The second stop was the tree-lined path beside the playground.

Two rows of tall plane trees, their branches intertwined, formed a green archway overhead. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering golden light across the ground.

Zhang Jingyi walked ahead, turning back to look at the camera. The wind ruffled her hair and the hem of her graduation gown, and the bouquet in her hand swayed at her waist.

Li Ran and Zhou Ye walked side by side behind, their shadows stretched long by the sunlight, overlapping on the stone path.

"This one is better!"

The junior student, holding up his camera, snapped photos and exclaimed, "It's really great!"

The third stop was the rooftop of the teaching building.

The group climbed three flights of stairs, pushed open the rusty iron door, and suddenly their view opened up.

The entire campus is laid out before you...

Zhang Jingyi leaned on the railing and looked down. There were several groups of students taking pictures on the playground, and their laughter could be faintly heard coming up from above.

"Actually, when I was a freshman, I thought about taking a picture here when I graduated." She suddenly spoke, her voice slightly carried away by the wind.

Li Ran stood next to her, following her gaze downwards: "Now that you've got the picture, how does it feel?"

Zhang Jingyi thought for a moment, then smiled: "It doesn't seem... that special."

Zhou Ye leaned against the railing on the other side, glanced at her upon hearing this, and said, "Isn't this how graduation always is? When you're here, you don't think much of it, but you start to miss it after you're gone."

Zhang Jingyi turned to look at her, paused for two seconds, and then nodded.

"Too."

The younger student raised his camera: "Come on, look over here..."

All three people looked at the camera at the same time.

It was very windy and the sun was shining brightly.

……

After taking the group photo, the junior tactfully stepped aside, looked down at the photos in his camera, and pretended not to exist.

The sun is just right, the breeze is not dry.

Zhang Jingyi leaned against the railing, looking down, lost in thought.

Zhou Ye stood next to Li Ran and watched his junior go downstairs. Only when the three of them were alone on the rooftop did he turn around.

She looked at Li Ran and asked, "When are you going back to the film set?"

Li Ran did not answer immediately.

He looked at the crowd still taking pictures on the playground in the distance and remained silent for a moment.

"My flight is tonight."

He paused, then turned to look at her. "I won't be able to celebrate your birthday with you this year."

Zhou Ye was stunned for a moment.

That expression was so fleeting, so brief, that you wouldn't even notice it if you weren't constantly looking at her...

Her lips paused slightly, a flicker of something crossed her eyes, but she quickly returned to normal.

"fine."

Zhou Ye, with a puppy-dog smile on his face, looked at him and replied, "Anyway, I have to go back to record 'Peach Blossom Village' this afternoon."

She spoke casually, but Li Ran could tell that beneath that lighthearted tone lay a hint of disappointment.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingyi turned her head and glanced at Li Ran.

Wasn't it a flight scheduled for the early morning of the 21st?

Zhang Jingyi continued to look at the crowd below, without saying anything.

She could roughly guess what Li Ran was thinking.

Surprise! Just like last year, but I don't know if Li Ran will be free to celebrate my birthday with me this year.

Her lips twitched slightly, whether in a smile or something else, it was hard to tell, but she quickly regained her composure.

Looking at her like this, Li Ran felt a moment of amusement. Coconut is still a little silly!

But that's what makes it interesting, isn't it...?

Like everyone else, I guessed it right away, which made me feel less of a connection.

……

Around 3 PM, Zhou Ye's assistant sent a message saying that the car had arrived at the school gate and it was time to go back and record.

Zhou Ye took off his academic robe, folded it, and put it in his bag.

She looked up at Li Ran, then at Zhang Jingyi.

"Then I'll be leaving first."

Li Ran nodded: "Be careful on the road."

Zhang Jingyi stood up from the steps, dusted off her skirt, and handed over the bouquet of flowers: "Coconut, this is for you."

Zhou Ye paused for a moment, looked down at the bunch of pink baby's breath, and then looked up at Zhang Jingyi.

"Why are you giving it to me? You bought it yourself."

Zhang Jingyi smiled and stuffed the bouquet into her hand: "I might not be able to make it to your birthday party, but I wish you a happy birthday in advance. Here, you can use it as a prop when taking pictures."

Zhou Ye looked at the flowers in his arms, remained silent for two seconds, and then smiled.

"Thanks," she said, looking down to smell the baby's breath. It didn't have much of a scent, but just looking at it made her feel good.

She turned and walked away with the bouquet in her arms, but after a few steps she looked back.

Li Ran and Zhang Jingyi were still standing in the same spot, one wearing a white shirt and the other wearing an academic gown. The sunlight shone on them, casting long shadows.

"Bye-bye." She waved.

"Bye-Bye."

As Zhou Ye approached the school gate, he glanced down at the flowers in his arms and suddenly felt that the sunlight seemed brighter today than yesterday.

This junior schoolgirl isn't so bad after all! She's way cuter than Stitch.

A black van was already waiting at the school gate.

Zhou Ye opened the car door and got in, carefully placing the bouquet on the seat next to him.

The car slowly started, drove out of the school gate, and merged into the traffic.

She took out her phone, intending to send a message to Li Ran.

I typed a few lines, then deleted them... I typed a few more lines, then deleted them again.

Finally, she turned off her phone screen and decided to call him again tomorrow.