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

May 20th.

This date isn't marked on the calendar, but in the hearts of young people, it has long been imbued with a special meaning.

Couples carrying flowers were everywhere on the streets, and pink posters were plastered all over the shop windows. Even the air was filled with a sweet smell.

Today, Happy Valley was packed with people, like a pot of boiling dumplings. Even before reaching the entrance, you could see a sea of ​​heads moving around the turnstiles.

Li Ran held Liu Haocun's hand as they slowly walked through the crowd.

Both of them were disguised. He wore a black baseball cap with the brim pulled low, almost covering half of his face, and a dark gray mask perched on his nose, revealing only his eyes.

Liu Haocun wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a beige fisherman's hat with the brim hanging down loosely, covering most of his face.

She wore an oversized denim jacket, loosely draped over her body, a stark contrast to her usual polished appearance in front of the camera.

At first glance, they look like an ordinary couple.

Liu Haocun waved the ticket in his hand, his eyes crinkling into crescents, and even through his glasses, you could see his doe-like eyes shining brightly.

"How about we go ride the roller coaster first?"

Li Ran turned to look at her, his eyes under the brim of his hat carrying a hint of a smile: "I'm fine with anything, just don't be a coward when the time comes."

"Who do you think you are?" Liu Haocun glared at him, then pulled him to the right.

She ran so fast that her fisherman's hat was almost blown off by the wind. She quickly freed one hand to hold the top of the hat down, but she didn't stop running.

Li Ran stumbled slightly as she pulled him along before he caught up.

The high-speed car track is suspended high in the air, shimmering with a silvery-gray light in the sunlight, like a sleeping steel dragon.

Screams echoed from afar, one after another, a mixture of fear and excitement emanating from the plunging train.

……

When the roller coaster plunged down from its highest point, Liu Haocun's screams almost pierced Li Ran's eardrums.

Her hands gripped the safety bar tightly, but her eyes were wide open and she refused to close them.

Li Ran was amused by her mixture of fear and excitement, but the laughter was quickly swallowed back by the wind.

The train rushed through the last curve and slowly glided back to the starting station.

The moment the safety bar popped up, Liu Haocun turned to look at him, his face flushed and his eyes shining as if he had just accomplished something great.

"Let's play again!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with the tireless joy of a child at an amusement park.

Li Ran reached out and straightened her fisherman's hat, which had been askew, and then pulled her hair out from under the bar. "Okay, let's play one more time."

After getting off the roller coaster for the second time, Liu Haocun's legs felt a little weak.

She took a few steps while holding onto Li Ran's arm, still trying to convince herself that she had just lost her balance. Li Ran didn't call her out on it, but pulled his hand out of hers and put his arm around her shoulder instead, letting her lean on him as they walked.

The two wandered aimlessly through the park.

When she passed by a ring toss stall, she insisted on trying it. She spent thirty yuan to get ten rings, but she didn't get a single one.

Finally, Li Ran helped her put on a small, palm-sized plush rabbit, which was ugly-cute, and she held it in her arms, refusing to let go.

As the sun rose higher, more and more people appeared in the park.

The air was filled with the sweet aroma of popcorn and the smoky scent of grilled sausages. In the distance, someone was blowing bubbles, and the transparent bubbles floated in the sunlight, refracting a rainbow of colors.

Liu Haocun stuffed the ugly rabbit into Li Ran's arms and ran off to buy two cotton candies, one pink and one blue.

She handed him the blue one, took a bite of the pink one herself, and the marshmallow melted at the corner of her mouth, leaving a small piece of sugar stuck to it.

"Is it sweet?" she asked him with a smile.

Li Ran took a bite of the one in his hand and nodded.

She suddenly leaned over and took a bite of the blue marshmallow on the corner of his mouth, then stepped back, tilted her head to look at him, and smiled with her eyes crinkling.

"It tastes even sweeter this way..."

Li Ran looked at the pink sugar stain that hadn't been wiped off the corner of her mouth and reached out to wipe it away with his thumb.

She didn't flinch, she just blinked, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

Li Ran withdrew his hand and said, "Let's go, let's go take a look over there."

They walked along the main road deeper into the park, and when they passed an ice cream stall, Liu Haocun couldn't walk any further.

Li Ran was taking out his phone to scan a QR code when he caught a glimpse of two girls looking in his direction.

He subconsciously pulled his hat brim down a little.

The two girls were probably in their early twenties. One of them was holding a phone, pointing it directly in their direction, as if she was filming something.

Her gaze lingered on Liu Haocun for a moment, then shifted to Li Ran.

At that moment, Li Ran and she made eye contact...

Li Ran could feel that gaze becoming more focused.

"ah!!!"

"It's Li Ran! It's really Li Ran..."

The girl didn't finish her sentence.

Li Ran lowered his voice and said, "Sorry, you've mistaken me for someone else..."

He grabbed Liu Haocun and jogged away.

Li Ran lowered his voice and said, "Sorry, you've mistaken me for someone else..."

He grabbed Liu Haocun and jogged away.

Liu Haocun stumbled as he was pulled, and the cotton candy in his hand almost fell to the ground.

Li Ran subconsciously glanced back... The two girls had already started walking, and the expression on the face of the one holding the phone changed from hesitation to excitement, her mouth open as if she was about to shout something.

"Run!"

He pulled Liu Haocun along, quickening his pace, and then dragged her into a side road.

The two walked through the crowd like two fish swimming upstream. Li Ran ran very fast, holding Liu Haocun's hand tightly the whole time.

The brim of Liu Haocun's fisherman's hat was lifted by the wind, but she didn't bother to put it down, only caring about running forward with Li Ran.

There was no tension or fear on her face, but rather a sweet smile.

Li Ran led her into a narrower alley, lined with souvenir shops, where there were far fewer tourists than on the main road.

Reaching the end of the path, she pulled him into a souvenir shop.

Li Ran pulled her behind the innermost shelf before slowly looking at her...

Liu Haocun's face was flushed from running, a thin layer of sweat was on the tip of his nose, his glasses were askew, his fisherman's hat had been lost sometime ago, and his hair was disheveled and draped haphazardly over his shoulders.

She looked at Li Ran, smiled happily, and slowly said, "So exciting! Even more exciting than a roller coaster..."

Li Ran straightened the mask that she had pulled askew, and reached out to help her tuck her stray hairs behind her ears.

He said somewhat helplessly, "Alright, stop laughing, I've been recognized..."

Liu Haocun rolled his eyes at him, but a smug look appeared on his face as he said, "How great! A top male celebrity, taking a mystery woman to an amusement park on May 20th."

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, "Let's not play around today. A lot of people will probably come looking for us later..."

Liu Haocun knew the gravity of the situation and nodded, "It's alright, I had a lot of fun today."

Li Ran fell into deep thought. He was sure he had been recognized, but Liu Haocun probably hadn't...

Thinking of this, he looked at Liu Haocun and slowly said, "Cunzi, wait here for a while, I'll have the new assistant come in to pick you up."

Liu Haocun understood what he meant and nodded. "Then be careful..."

Li Ran slowly walked outside, saying, "Don't worry, they can't catch me."

……

When Li Ran got back to the car, Liu Haocun had already come out.

Liu Haocun, seeing that he seemed completely unaffected, slowly asked, "Weren't you discovered?"

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, "I was covered for by a few buddies."

"Dude? What buddy?" she asked, puzzled.

"Not long after we separated, two veteran e-sports fans spotted me and helped me escape," Li Ran explained simply.

He slowly asked, "And you?"

Liu Haocun shook his head. "My assistant and I aren't that conspicuous. When we came out, some people even asked us if we had seen you."

Li Ran smiled and said, "It's a good thing Xiao Chen isn't here today. If the fans recognize Xiao Chen, they'll recognize you too."

Suddenly remembering something, Liu Haocun asked, "By the way, where did Xiao Chen go?"

Li Ran thought for a moment and didn't hide anything, "Today is not only your birthday, but also Coconut's birthday..."

Liu Haocun pursed his lips and interrupted him, "Alright, I know. Are you going to see Zhou Ye again tonight?"

Li Ran nodded.

Liu Haocun glanced at the time; it was already four in the afternoon. "Alright, go find her."

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, "I'll take you back first."

Liu Haocun nodded.

On the way back, she looked at the scenery outside the car window and slowly said, "Li Ran, I'm very happy today."

Li Ran smiled and handed Liu Hao a box, "Happy birthday, this is a gift for you."

Liu Haocun narrowed his doe-like eyes. "What is it?"

"Open it and take a look!" Li Ran said with a forced smile.

Liu Haocun opened the box, and inside was a string of jade rings. Her eyes lit up.

Li Ran explained with an awkward smile, "The jade rings symbolize that love never ends."

Liu Haocun snorted, carefully put the jade ring back into the box, and held it in his arms.

"I know, you don't need to explain it to me."

……

On May 20th, at 5 PM, the top spot on Weibo's trending topics list was firmly held by one particular hashtag.

#Li Ran and a mysterious woman visit Happy Valley together on May 520th#

Following it was a bright red "Explosion" character, which was particularly glaring on the phone screen.

The topic is getting millions of views per minute, and the discussion forum is buzzing.

The incident originated from a video that was less than twenty seconds long. The video quality was not high-definition and it was obviously taken casually with a mobile phone, with the camera shaky.

In the scene, a man in a black baseball cap is pulling a girl in a bucket hat through a crowd. The girl almost drops the cotton candy in her hand, but the man grabs her wrist and the two turn into a side road and disappear from the frame.

The video contains a girl's scream, which is the person filming shouting: "Li Ran! It's Li Ran!"

The moment the man turned around, although his hat brim was pulled low and his mask covered half his face, the outline of his eyebrows and eyes, as well as his figure and the way he walked, were magnified, compared and confirmed frame by frame by countless netizens.

It's Li Ran.

Fans discovered that Li Ran had just participated in a reshoot of her graduation photo at the Beijing Film Academy yesterday, and she was in Beijing at the time.

Today is May 520th, and everyone knows what this day means without saying a word.

The focus of the discussion quickly shifted to the mysterious woman.

She never showed her face; her fisherman's hat and long hair covered most of her features. Only a few frames captured her profile while she was running.

Her ponytail swayed behind her head as she ran.

The photo is not clear.

Netizens' imaginations began to run wild.

"It must be Zhou Ye!" This was the loudest voice.

Today happens to be Zhou Ye's birthday, and she and Li Ran took their graduation photo together at the Beijing Film Academy yesterday.

"No, it's Zhang Jingyi," another group immediately retorted.

What day is it today? It's 520! Couples should definitely spend it together.

Besides, Zhang Jingyi was originally Li Ran's official partner, and the incident of them holding hands at the Weibo Night event hasn't been long ago.

Zhang Jingyi is a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy this year!

"Isn't Zhou Ye filming Peach Blossom Village?" someone questioned.

"Can't you take leave to film a variety show? The filming location is in Beijing, what's wrong with being out for half a day?" someone immediately retorted.

Amidst the commotion, a voice, initially faint but growing clearer, rang out: "Why do I feel... like Liu Haocun?"

Below this comment, someone posted a comparison image.

The leg lines revealed while running in the video are superimposed on photos of Liu Haocun during the promotional tour for "Sending You a Little Red Flower," and the curvature of his calves and the height of his knees match almost perfectly.

And that fisherman's hat... Someone found out that Liu Haocun had worn the same style at the airport before, with an inconspicuous little label on the brim, exactly the same.

"Liu Haocun also has a birthday on May 520th," the netizen added at the end.

For a time, the three fan groups each held their own opinion, and none of them could convince the others.

Passersby brought small stools to watch, eating sunflower seeds and giving their opinions.

"Who cares who she is? Li Ran taking a girl to the amusement park on May 520th is sweet enough in itself."

"I just want to know, when he bought that cotton candy for someone, did he ever think it would become a trending topic today?"

……