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

Huayu: Starting from Retirement, Sweeping Across the Domestic Entertainment Industry - From the free reading app "Renren Bookstore". Search "Renren Bookstore" on Baidu to download and install the Android app. Read the latest chapters of Huayu: Starting from Retirement, Sweeping Across the Domestic Entertainment Industry anytime!

On June 22nd, the summer heat in Xiamen was already like a sauna.

When the last scene was filmed and the director yelled "Cut," Li Ran was still standing in the shot, waiting for the "Cut!" before slowly walking out.

Staff members surrounded him, some handing him flowers, others patting him on the shoulder and saying, "Congratulations on wrapping up filming."

He smiled and accepted it. It was a bunch of sunflowers, the flower heads were large and golden, and they were dazzling in the afternoon sun against his white T-shirt.

The crew set up a small tent next to the film set and put up a banner that read "Happy wrap-up for Li Ran".

The producer said a few polite words, thanking this person and that person, and finally said, "I wish Li Ran a bright future."

Li Ran stood in the middle of the crowd, holding the bouquet of sunflowers, and smiled at the camera.

When the flash went off, he suddenly remembered that this was the sixth film he had finished shooting.

Before he knew it, he had adapted to the life of an actor.

That evening, in Li Ran's room.

Zhang Ruonan sat cross-legged on the bed, holding the remote control in her hand. The TV was on, but no one was watching it.

Li Ran leaned against the headboard. He had just finished showering, and his hair was still wet. He was only wearing a pair of shorts, with his upper body exposed, revealing his well-defined muscles.

"When are you going back to Beijing?" Zhang Ruonan turned to look at him and asked casually.

Li Ran thought about it.

"My flight is the day after tomorrow morning." He paused, then added, "I also have to attend my own funeral tomorrow."

Zhang Ruonan frowned and threw the remote control in her hand at him.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Who attends their own funeral?"

She sat up straight and looked at him seriously. "Hurry up, spit twice to get rid of the bad luck."

Li Ran was amused by her serious expression and explained, "It's like a character's funeral."

"That won't do either, hurry up." Zhang Ruonan's tone left no room for argument, like a teacher ordering a disobedient student.

Helpless, Li Ran tilted his head and symbolically spat twice onto the floor. The action was perfunctory, but the attitude was upright.

Zhang Ruonan was finally satisfied, her brows relaxed, but she still wouldn't let it go, "Don't say such unlucky things again."

Looking at her worried expression, Li Ran smiled faintly, reached out and pulled her close, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Okay, sister-in-law."

Zhang Ruonan struggled in his arms for a moment, but couldn't break free.

"Who's your wife?" Her voice came out muffled from her chest, with a hint of reproach.

Li Ran looked down at her. She was looking up, her eyes were bright, and her lips were slightly pouting, as if she was angry or acting coquettishly.

"Aren't you one?" His voice was gentle. "What, are you denying it now? I've wasted my time winning you over."

Zhang Ruonan snorted coldly, the "humph" coming from her nose with a hint of annoyance.

"You seem to have quite a few wives," she said, counting on her fingers with a hint of sarcasm. "Seven. Can you manage to keep them all?"

Li Ran smiled and pulled her closer to him.

"I can raise all twelve of them."

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp pain shot through his lower back.

Zhang Ruonan pinched the flesh on his side with her fingers, twisting it half a circle with precise force and tricky placement.

"Is this never going to end?" Her voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth, with a hint of gritted teeth and a smile.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch... Sister, I was wrong, let go quickly." Li Ran leaned to the side, grimacing as she tried to cover her hand, but dared not pry it open too hard.

Zhang Ruonan released her grip, snorted coldly, and leaned back into his arms. Li Ran looked down at the red mark on his waist, hissed, and didn't dare to complain.

"Little brat," her voice softened, tracing circles on his chest with her finger, "Was I the first person you ever actively pursued?"

Li Ran thought for a moment, nodded, and replied, "That's true, but if I don't pursue you, shouldn't you pursue me?"

Zhang Ruonan didn't speak; she thought back to that day, May 520th...

When I saw his Weibo posts and his posts with Liu Haocun, I felt incredibly jealous, but I had to pretend to be nonchalant.

She had indeed thought about it many times; if he didn't speak up, she would probably find a suitable opportunity to casually mention it.

But she won't admit it.

"No," she retorted stubbornly, "how could I possibly pursue you?"

Li Ran looked down at her; she was staring at her fingers, her little thoughts written all over her face.

He smiled, not calling him out. "Actually, whether I take the initiative or not isn't important. What's important is that my initiative is effective. If you don't have feelings for me, my initiative will be useless."

Zhang Ruonan nodded, then suddenly remembered something, looked up, and her expression changed from gentle to interrogative.

"And what about Meng Ziyi?" she asked, her tone indifferent, but her eyes were full of scrutiny.

Li Ran's smile froze for a moment before quickly returning to normal, but Zhang Ruonan had already caught that moment.

He chuckled awkwardly, "I didn't take the initiative."

"But you accepted it passively." Zhang Ruonan's voice wasn't loud, but each word was enunciated clearly, "and you even paid for it with your body..."

"Sister," Li Ran interrupted her, her tone pleading, "I've found that you've become even more unreasonable since we've been together."

Zhang Ruonan remained silent.

She sat up, bracing herself on the bed with both hands, looking down at him. Li Ran felt a little uneasy under her gaze.

She suddenly reached out and pushed him down onto the bed. Li Ran's head hit the pillow. It didn't hurt, but he was stunned for a moment.

Zhang Ruonan straddled him, her hands braced against his chest, looking down at him.

Her hair was down, hanging on both sides of her face, enclosing the two faces in a small space.

She looked into his eyes and said, word by word, "Now, what I said makes sense."

Li Ran looked at her serious expression and suddenly smiled.

He reached out and tucked her loose hair behind her ear, his fingertips touching her earlobe. She flinched slightly but didn't pull away.

"Fine, you're in charge tonight."

……

The atmosphere on set the next day was different from usual.

Everyone spoke in hushed tones, and even the movement of props was much quieter than usual.

This scene is the most important climax of the entire movie...

After the male protagonist passed away, the female protagonist, who suffers from amnesia, was dragged to the funeral by her best friend.

In front of the monitor, Director Xue sat upright, his hands folded on his knees, staring intently at the screen.

Li Ran stood next to her, hands in her pockets, also watching that small scene.

In the footage, Zhang Ruonan is wearing a black dress and standing in front of the mourning hall.

Her face was expressionless, her eyes empty, like a stagnant pool. Wang Churan, who played her best friend, was already sobbing softly beside her. She didn't turn her head to look at her, but just stared at the photo on the wall, at the boy in the photo who was smiling brightly.

That was someone she didn't remember; she shouldn't know him.

But her tears just flowed down, one drop, two drops, silently rolling down her cheeks and dripping onto the floor in front of her feet.

Her lips were trembling, but she didn't cry out. Her body was shaking, as if something was tearing her apart from the inside.

She clearly didn't remember him, but her heart knew.

Even though she had no memory of this boyfriend who had been with her for two years, the heart-wrenching pain vividly reminded her that she had lost the most important person in her life forever.

It turns out that love can truly be etched into your bones; even if your brain forgets, your heart will remember.

Director Xue did not call "cut," and no one spoke in front of the monitor.

Looking at Zhang Ruonan's face on the screen, Li Ran felt a pang of sadness in his heart. The sadness on that face was so real that something inside him was tugged at.

"Cut." Director Xue's voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.

Zhang Ruonan was still squatting there, not moving, her shoulders were still trembling, and tears were still flowing.

Staff members surrounded her, offering tissues and water, but she didn't accept any of them.

She just squatted there, head down, staring at the floor, as if she had truly lost something.

Li Ran walked over, slowly squatted down, and gently put his arm around her shoulder.

Her body was still trembling, and he could feel her fingers gripping the hem of his clothes tightly, as if she were truly afraid he would leave.

"It's alright," he whispered reassuringly. "It was just acting..."

Her body was still trembling uncontrollably.

Wang Churan stood to the side, also wiping away tears.

Her role today was equally important, and she was completely immersed in the character.

Li Ransong opened Zhang Ruonan's mouth and walked back to Director Xue's side.

Director Xue, have you finished filming today's scenes?

Xue Xiaolu nodded, her gaze still fixed on the monitor, as if reliving the scene from just now.

"Filming is finished. This is the only scene we'll be doing today. Ruonan and Churan both acted very well." Her voice carried a hint of emotion.

"Then I'll take them out for a walk to clear their heads," Li Ran said slowly.

Director Xue glanced at him, then at Zhang Ruonan and Wang Churan who were still standing there, and nodded. "Go on! Although you've finished filming, they still have more to shoot. It's good for them to relax and get back into character. It's a big no-no for actors to be unable to get out of character."

"Don't worry, director." After saying that, Li Ran turned around and walked towards the two girls.

Li Ran found a car and drove them to the seaside.

The scenery outside the car window changed from buildings to trees, then from trees to the sea, becoming increasingly remote and quiet.

Finally, we stopped at the end of a dirt road. In front of us was a largely undeveloped beach, with no tourists or vendors, only the waves lapping against the sand.

Whoosh...whoosh...

The rhythm was as slow as a lullaby.

The three people got out of the car and walked aimlessly along the coastline.

Wang Churan and Zhang Ruonan walked hand in hand in front, with Li Ran following behind at a distance.

Unknowingly, we arrived at a rocky area.

Black rocks rise from the beach, sculpted by the waves for countless years, their surfaces pitted and uneven, with dark green seaweed growing in their crevices.

Wang Churan turned and glanced at Li Ran. "Help me up."

Li Ran walked over, helped her up first, and then looked at Zhang Ruonan.

She nodded, and Li Ran took her hand and helped her up as well. Finally, he pushed himself up and climbed up.

The rock is large with a flat top, large enough for three people to sit comfortably.

Li Ran sat in the middle, with Wang Churan on her left and Zhang Ruonan on her right.

The three people faced the sea, and none of them spoke.

After a long while, Zhang Ruonan turned her head and looked at Li Ran.

Her eyes were still red, with tear stains still clinging to her eyelashes. The sea breeze had ruffled her hair, with a few strands sticking to her cheeks, but she didn't brush them away.

"Li Ran," her voice was soft, half-dispersed by the sea breeze, "let's not separate, okay?"

Li Ran looked at her and smiled. The smile was faint, but genuine.

"We will not separate."

She moved closer to him, bringing her face closer.

She didn't speak, but simply tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and her eyelashes trembled slightly.

He lowered his head and kissed her.

The sea breeze passed between the two of them, blowing her hair onto his face, which tickled him a little. He didn't flinch or stop.

She reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, running her fingers through his hair to pull him closer.

Wang Churan sat beside him, watching this scene, and was no longer sad.

She rolled her eyes, so big and round they looked like they were going to pop out.

But those two people can't see it at all, so who is she showing it to?

The waves continued to lap against the rocks, one after another, like a slow, impatient countdown.

She waited and waited, but the two people showed no sign of separating.

She couldn't stand it any longer and gently nudged Li Ran's shoulder.

Li Ran turned around in surprise, her lips still red, her expression somewhat bewildered.

Wang Churan pouted, her lips so pursed they could hold an oil bottle.

"I want one too..." she said slowly, her voice carrying a hint of coquettishness at the end.

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly as he looked at her aggrieved yet stubborn expression.

He reached out and cupped the back of her head, then kissed her.

Her lips were a little cool from the sea breeze, but they warmed up quickly.

Zhang Ruonan watched from the side, not rolling her eyes, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

She turned her head and looked at the sea in the distance.

The sun began to sink, dyeing half the sky orange-red, and the sea was covered with a layer of broken gold, so dazzling that it hurt the eyes.

……

The following afternoon, Li Ran returned to the capital.

As I pushed open the apartment door, a familiar aroma of meat wafted out.

He was changing his shoes in the entryway when he heard the sound of a spatula stirring in the kitchen, as well as Tian Xiwei humming a song. She was off-key, but she was humming very earnestly.

Tian Xiwei peeked out from the kitchen doorway, a spoon in her hand. When she saw him, her eyes crinkled into a sweet smile.

"You're back? I made you some pig's trotter soup."

Li Ran casually tossed her bag onto the sofa and went into the kitchen.

A pot of pig's trotter soup was simmering on the stove. The milky white soup was bubbling away, and the pig's trotters were stewed until they were so tender that the meat was almost falling off the bone.

He walked behind Tian Xiwei, gently wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder.

It had been more than two months since they last met. The last time they met was on the set of "The Sword and the Brocade." On the day she finished filming, she kissed him in the RV and left.

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

"It smells so good," he said softly.

Tian Xiwei turned her head to the side, still holding the spatula in her hand, with soup dripping down.

"It'll be ready soon." She thought he was referring to the soup.

"I'm talking about your body," Li Ran's voice muffled in the crook of her shoulder.

Tian Xiwei paused for a moment, then smiled.

She turned her head and kissed him on the cheek; his lips were soft.

"Stop messing around, it'll be ready soon." She tried to break free, but couldn't, so he held her and continued stirring the soup in the pot.

After dinner, the two of them snuggled up on the sofa and played video games.

Tian Xiwei sat cross-legged, holding her phone up to her eyes, her fingers flying across the screen.

Li Ran was standing next to her, controlling a character named Parachute Steel Gun who had been ambushed from behind and was already dead, staring at her screen.

Tien Hsi-wei was powerless against a full-strength team, and the words "Keep it up, victory next time" appeared on the screen.

She pursed her lips, exited the interface, and looked at Li Ran, asking, "Why didn't you act in 'Qingqing's Daily Life'?"

Li Ran leaned back on the sofa, her hands behind her head. "I have other plans. I'll gradually reduce the frequency of taking on idol drama roles in the future."

Tian Xiwei asked with some surprise, "You're thinking about changing careers so early?"

Li Ran nodded. "Let's take it slow for now. Besides, I'm quite prolific. I've only been in the industry for a little over a year, and I've already filmed six dramas."

Tian Xiwei complained, "It's only because of you. If it were someone else, they would probably stay in the comfort zone of idol dramas for a few more years."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Should I also turn down 'Qingqing's Daily Life'? After all, Tao wants the two of us to collaborate."

Li Ran shook her head and said directly, "The character Li Wei is very likable, and she suits you very well."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Qingqing's Daily Life is still a pretty good resource for you right now. With 'Canglan Jue' in the first half of next year and 'Qingqing's Daily Life' in the second half, you should be able to stabilize your fan base."

Tian Xiwei nodded and said seriously, "Compared to Xiao Lanhua, I do like the character Li Wei more. It feels like it was destined for me."

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly but didn't say anything.

Of course he knew that in her previous life, Tian Xiwei only truly came into the public eye because of the role of Li Wei.

The show "So Cute Us" introduced her to the audience, but it was Li Wei who truly made her a household name.

After Deng Lun, a huge cash cow, collapsed, the company urgently needed a new face, so it began to promote her.

He couldn't tell her these things, but he could help her make arrangements.

Tian Xiwei tossed her phone aside and snuggled closer to him.

"You seem to have high hopes for 'The Legend of the Azure Orchid'?"

Li Ran nodded.

"Although 'The Legend of Canglan' is only at an A+ level, ancient romance dramas are a popular genre after all."

He spoke casually, but Tian Xiwei knew that he rarely misjudged what he thought was good.

Based on his memories from his previous life, Li Ran knew that "The Legend of Canglan" would become a hit drama. Although it might not become a nationwide hit like "Running Wild," it would at least be a drama where everyone ascended to immortality.

Unlike Tien Hsi-wei's later work, "Chasing Jade," which was widely ridiculed for its "boiled fish" style.

Foundation General was not only ridiculed, but his subsequent resources did not improve significantly. Yet he still managed to beat "Raging Storm"!

In the previous life of "The Legend of Canglan", it was the one who made the Red Crane Emperor famous and also helped the little drama queen secure her position as the top-tier actress among the 95 most popular actresses.

This also made the foundation liquid a perennial contender for exploding popularity, which is truly unparalleled.

But now they've all been taken by Li Ran and Tian Xiwei.

……

That evening, Tian Xiwei nestled on the sofa scrolling through her phone. Her finger swiped a few times on Weibo's trending topics list before stopping.

The hashtag #EsportsCircleBoycotts《You Are Beautiful When You Smile》# is ranked third on the trending topics list, followed by the word "boiling".

Clicking in reveals a barrage of statements from LPL players and official club accounts, each one more stern and merciless than the last.

She turned to Li Ran beside her and asked, "Was this drama originally intended for you?"

Li Ran was also looking at the trending topics and nodded.

He leaned back on the sofa, relaxed, and slowly began to speak: "When I first started my career change, my aunt did recommend this drama to me. But I refused."

He paused, thought for a moment, and then added, "Xiao Hu joined later, playing the second female lead. However, the script was so outrageous that our Wajijiwa actors withdrew."

Tian Xiwei continued scrolling down, and the comment section was filled with insults, some cursing the screenwriter, some cursing the director, and some cursing the actors.

She frowned and watched for a while, her tone tinged with sympathy, "This actor is being criticized really badly."

Li Ran scoffed, the "scoff" coming from his nose with a hint of disdain, "It has little to do with the actors, it's mainly because the script written by the screenwriter is too outrageous."

He said in a flat tone, "The female lead is almost retired at this age. A genius girl? Esports players are generally quite young. They usually start training before they are even adults."

"And then there are those random streetball players and the like, but the gap between them and professional esports players is huge."

He paused, turned to look at Tian Xiwei, and smiled slightly.

"How many people actually succeed by saying 'If you're so good, then you do it'? Maybe you're a genius in casual games. But once you join a league and see me..."

He drawled out the word, a hint of boyishness in his smile, "You'll find that you're not even qualified to be my opponent."

Tian Xiwei pouted and glared at him.

"Alright, stop bragging. I know you're amazing, two world championships in three years." She said dismissively, but there was a smile in her eyes.

Li Ran leaned back on the sofa smugly, his hands behind his head.

"That's right. Genius is just the threshold to seeing me. Without seeing me, it's like a frog in a well looking up at the moon; seeing me is like a mayfly seeing the blue sky." He said this with a straight face, but his expression looked like he was joking.

Tian Xiwei looked at him, her eyes filled with reproach, but also with an undisguised smile.

She picked up her phone again, scrolled through the comments section, and suddenly said, "You esports fans are all asking you to speak up. Aren't you going to say something? Many LPL players have already expressed their opinions."

Li Ran shook his head, his playful expression vanishing. "Let's forget it! I don't want to profit from this tragedy. If I speak up, things will only get worse."

Tian Xiwei glanced at him but didn't reply immediately. After a while, she suddenly asked, "You're not doing this because of Cheng Xiao, are you?"

Li Ran frowned, looking completely bewildered.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Tian Xiwei snorted coldly, the "humph" coming from her nose with a slightly sour taste.

"Didn't you work with her on a magazine shoot and even have dinner together?"

Li Ran shook his head, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"What does this have to do with anything? We've only met once."

He paused, looking at her uneasy expression, and added, "I'm really not familiar with her."

Tian Xiwei stared at him for two seconds, as if trying to determine whether he was telling the truth.

"I hope so." Her voice lowered, carrying a hint of warning, "Don't become the next Zhang Ruonan."

Li Ran was taken aback. "How do you know everything?"

Tian Xiwei smiled mysteriously, a sly smile appearing in the light of the phone screen. "Then don't worry about it."

She didn't explain, and lowered her head again to scroll through her phone, as if she hadn't said anything at all.

Li Ran looked at her profile, wanted to say something, but swallowed it back.

He leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.

The hashtag is still trending, the discussion volume is still rising, new posts are popping up every minute, new viewpoints are being thrown in, and new arguments are starting.

……