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

Chapter 227 Irritable Xiao Tian

Zhou Ye sighed softly, "I don't know either."

A brief silence fell over both ends of the phone call.

It wasn't the kind of awkward silence where there was nothing to say; it was the kind of quiet where everyone had their own thoughts on their minds and didn't know where to begin.

"Did Li Ran say anything else?" Hu Lianxin's voice came through the receiver, a little softer than before, as if she were testing the waters.

Zhou Ye shook his head, then, remembering that the other person couldn't see him, added, "What could he say? He just said he wanted me to play the role of the 'green tea bitch,' and nothing else."

Hu Lianxin remained silent for a few seconds, as if processing the information or organizing her next words.

"It seems that Li Ran did not tell anyone else about Liu Haocun's pregnancy."

Zhou Ye thought about it and agreed with her.

"That should be the case; right now, it should only be the two of us who know."

She paused, then added, "He didn't even tell Tian Xiwei."

Hu Lianxin's tone became serious, and she slowed down her speech.

"The main problem is that we don't know what Li Ran is thinking. You know, having a child is..."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Ye interrupted her.

"Li Ran won't be like you think." Zhou Ye's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and unwavering.

She caught the unfinished sentence in Hu Lianxin's words—what it meant for them, her "girlfriends," to have a child.

A change in status, a shift in focus, or even being abandoned.

These thoughts did cross her mind, but she didn't think of them that way.

She knew who Li Ran was.

He's a womanizer, he's greedy, he wants everything, but there's one thing she knows better than anyone: he's not the kind of person who would give up one person for another.

He wouldn't push them all away just because Liu Haocun is pregnant.

He will not.

Hu Lianxin was silent for a moment after hearing what she said, and then her voice softened.

"All right."

There was silence for a few seconds on both ends of the phone.

"So what do we need to do now?" Hu Lianxin's question was like a pebble thrown into deep water.

She didn't know what to do, and neither did Zhou Ye.

Zhou Ye remained silent.

Hu Lianxin's tentative voice rang out again, this time with a hint of caution, "Should we tell Stitch about this—"

Zhou Ye tilted his head and thought for a moment.

This suggestion isn't without merit. Tian Xiwei is currently the one who's ahead of the curve among them; she's met the parents, changed how she addresses them, and even received her grandmother's bracelet. She has the right to know, and she will find out sooner or later.

Moreover, once Tian Xiwei finds out, given her personality, she will definitely go to Li Ran.

Then they will be able to understand Li Ran's attitude towards this matter.

But the problem is, who should say this?

This is not a good thing —

Zhou Ye's lips curled into a mischievous smile, and he said slyly, "Okay, you go and tell them."

Hu Lianxin was stunned for a moment.

"Why didn't you go and say it?"

Zhou Ye pursed her lips, thinking to herself: No way, do you still think my sister is a stupid dog? Anyone who talks about this will get scolded, and she's not going to risk that.

Her tone was so self-assured that it didn't sound like she was discussing it.

"Since you suggested it, of course you went."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a very soft sigh from Hu Lianxin, as if she had resigned herself to her fate.

"Okay, I'll go talk to them."

Zhou Ye gave a soft "hmm".

The two fell into a brief silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Coconut," Hu Lianxin suddenly called to her.

"Um?

'

"You just said that Li Ran wouldn't push us away." She paused, as if confirming something, "Do you really think so?"

"He won't. I know him."

Hu Lianxin did not ask any further questions.

The cast and crew of "Qingqing's Daily Life".

Bai Jingting stood next to the monitor, holding the newly released notice, his brows slightly furrowed.

The scenes originally belonging to Tian Xiwei on the call sheet were crossed out and replaced with scenes between him and supporting actors.

He's not one to meddle, but changing the script at this point is indeed unusual—the scene to be filmed tomorrow requires a consistent emotional flow, and with the female lead absent, he feels it's a waste to act alone against thin air.

He found the director and asked him about it.

"Xiaotian had something come up and took a day off."

Bai Jingting nodded. "Okay, then I'll go prepare for the next match."

Why did you suddenly take leave?

On the other hand, the crew of the TV series "Glory".

The lights on set were still on, and the assistant director behind the monitor was gesturing to the cinematographer about the next shot.

-

Li Ran had just come out of the training room, still in her costume.

He took the water from Xiao Chen, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and his gaze inadvertently swept towards the rest area—then he stopped.

Tian Xiwei stood there, wearing a black knitted dress, her expression indifferent and without a trace of a smile.

She stood there, surrounded by staff coming and going, the noise blending together, but there seemed to be an invisible barrier around her, no one approached, and no one dared to approach.

Li Ran didn't put down the water bottle in his hand; he twisted the cap and looked at her.

Why did she come? His mind raced, wondering if she already knew.

That shouldn't be the case. He told his mom not to tell her yet, and to handle it herself when the time was right.

But she still came, and so quickly, which means she already knew.

Who said that? Coconut?

No, Coconut probably isn't that kind of person.

As he walked toward her, the surrounding staff, like fallen leaves blown by the wind, unconsciously made way for him.

Li Ran approached and stopped in front of her.

"What brings you here today?" He tried to keep his tone relaxed.

Tian Xiwei looked at him, her large eyes devoid of emotion.

It wasn't anger, it wasn't resentment, it wasn't disappointment; it was nothing at all.

That emptiness is more unsettling than any other emotion.

Her lips twitched, curving into a smile, but it wasn't a smile; it was more like someone who was used to smiling making an expression that didn't require any emotion.

"Just came to see you. See if you're as cheerful as someone who's having a happy occasion."

She spoke very slowly, enunciating each word clearly, as if reciting a line of dialogue devoid of emotion.

Li Ran's heart sank.

He was certain she already knew.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but when he met those empty eyes, he found himself unable to say anything.

"You knew all along?"

Tian Xiwei nodded, the movement so light that it was almost imperceptible.

"You should start filming first, we'll talk tonight."

After she finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the rest area without looking back.

She walked slowly, but each step was steady, as if she were walking on a path she already knew how to take.

Li Ran stood there, watching her back. The bottle was slightly deformed from his grip, and the plastic made a soft cracking sound.

He suddenly remembered a saying: "The real chill is not from loud arguments, but from growing increasingly silent."

It's not that I don't care anymore, it's that I know arguing is useless, making a scene is useless, and crying is useless.

After finishing a day of filming, on the way back to the hotel, Li Ran thought Tian Xiwei would continue to remain silent.

Just now on set, she waited for him in the rest area for three hours without saying a word or checking her phone.

Every time he looked over during halftime, she maintained the same posture, her gaze fixed on him, neither looking away nor urging him on.

That silence was more unsettling than any interrogation.

The car interior wasn't very spacious, and the air conditioning blew in, carrying a faint scent of gardenias—her personal fragrance.

Li Ran sat down, and as soon as he sat down next to her, a familiar, precise, and tingling pain shot through his side.

Tian Xiwei's chubby little hands had somehow climbed up to him, pinching the soft flesh of his waist with two fingers and twisting it halfway around, not too hard, not too soft.

The force was just right; it wasn't venting anger, but a warning.

I don't want you to feel pain, I just want you to know that I'm angry.

"Ouch, that hurts—let go of my hand—" Li Ran leaned to the side, grimacing as he reached out to cover her hand.

Tian Xiwei snorted coldly, and instead of loosening her grip, she increased the force of her attack.

Her face was tense, her lips pressed into a line, but her big eyes held not anger, but grievance.

"It's good that it hurts. Have you forgotten what you promised me?" Her voice wasn't loud, but the anger in it was clear.

Li Ran pretended to be stupid, turned his head to look at her, and looked as innocent as a cat that had stolen a fish but refused to admit it.

"What did I promise you?" His tone was nonchalant, carrying a roguish air of "I don't remember, tell me."

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiwei increased the pressure on her fingers, causing Li Ran to gasp and lean towards the car door, almost touching the window.

Her big eyes stared at him, as if they said, "You're still pretending."

"Have you forgotten what you said when you went home for Chinese New Year?"

Li Ran certainly remembered.

When she returned to her hometown for the Chinese New Year, her grandmother took her hand and put the jade bracelet on her wrist. Her face turned red and her eyes shone brightly, like a ripe peach.

That night, she lay in his arms and asked him when they wanted to have children. He said, "Next year or the year after."

He also promised to have a child with her first.

Of course he knew that too.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Tian Xiwei walked ahead of the other girls to meet their parents, changed her address, and wore her grandmother's bracelet.

But the child is the most important thing. Didn't you see that Liu Haocun overtook the others as soon as she got pregnant?

In the eyes of the elders at home, a daughter-in-law who carries the blood of the Li family carries more weight than any change of address.

"It's my decision, isn't it?" he said helplessly, as the soft flesh around his waist was pinched again.

"Don't you know you should use an umbrella when it rains?" Tian Xiwei glared at him angrily. "Don't give me any excuses."

Both of them knew what she meant by "holding an umbrella".

Li Ran awkwardly touched his nose.

He hasn't used an umbrella since that time with Zhang Jingyi.

It's not that I forgot, it's that I felt it wasn't necessary.

When he didn't want children, he never gave them a choice.

But that time with Liu Haocun, he made a promise and kept it seriously, without being perfunctory or backing out halfway.

He didn't allow Sister Meng or Sister Tong to have that possibility either.

It's not that he didn't want to, it's just that in those relationships, he never thought about "the future".

"I wouldn't use an umbrella even if it weren't for the two of us," he said matter-of-factly, as if stating a fact that didn't need to be argued.

He was telling the truth, but it sounded like sophistry.

Tian Xiwei was stunned for a moment.

"Then why did Cunzi have one but you didn't? Don't you look for the reasons within yourself?" Li Ran looked at her, his tone carrying a sense of "you also bear responsibility."

Tian Xiwei was so angry at his shameless words that she choked.

She opened her mouth, wanting to curse him, wanting to hit him, but she didn't. She just looked at him, at his smug expression, and suddenly laughed.

"Li Ran, I—"

That evening, Li Ran truly felt Tian Xiwei's anger.

It wasn't the kind of anger that involves throwing things, smashing phones, or making a scene; it was a different kind of anger—an anger that wanted to completely devour him.

Tian Xiwei seemed to be trying to drain him dry, but she overestimated her own fighting power and underestimated Li Ran's body, which had been enhanced by the system.

She was the first to be defeated, but she was still enjoying it and would continue fighting after a short rest.

She gripped his back, her nails digging into his flesh, each grip like a question, each grip like a confirmation that he was here, that he was mine, and that he couldn't leave.

The burning pain spread from my shoulder blade all the way down to my waist. I knew what it would look like without even looking. Tomorrow, there would probably be a few red marks, which would scab over in a few days, and then fall off in a few more days, as if nothing had happened.

To Li Ran's surprise, although Tian Xiwei was angry, she did not question him further.

It's not that she had nothing to say, but that she knew it would be pointless to say anything.

He's the kind of person who responds better to gentleness than force. The more you make a fuss, the more annoyed he gets; if you don't make a fuss, he feels guilty.

She knows him too well, even better than he knows himself.

So she only threw a few tantrums at the beginning, pinched his ear, put her hands on her hips, glared at him a few times, and then quieted down.

For the rest of the night, she kept asking, like a drowning person grasping at the last piece of driftwood.

She wasn't punishing him; she was confirming that she could still hold onto him.

The next morning.

When Li Ran opened his eyes, Tian Xiwei was already awake and sitting on the edge of the bed getting dressed.

Her movements were very gentle, as if she was afraid of waking him, but he had actually been awake for a while. He woke up the moment she rolled out of bed.

He didn't open his eyes, listening to the rustling sound of her dressing, listening to her bare feet stepping on the carpet to walk to the bathroom, listening to the faucet running for a while and then stopping.

He opened his eyes and saw that she had already come out of the bathroom, dressed neatly, with her hair tied up.

The two ate breakfast together. Tian Xiwei ate very quickly, as if she was in a hurry, but she chewed each bite very carefully.

She put down her chopsticks, looked at Li Ran, and the intensity and ruthlessness of the previous night were gone from her large eyes, replaced by a quiet...

It was calm and uneventful, as if nothing had happened.

"I'll come see you once a week from now on."

Her tone left no room for refusal: "Also, I bought you some things. Xiao Chen will bring them to you. Remember to eat them."

Li Ran was drinking porridge when he heard this and looked up, his face full of surprise.

"What is it?"

Tian Xiwei pouted, "Something that's good for your health."

Li Ran was stunned for a moment, then realized what it was, and smiled helplessly.

"No, do I need any more?" His tone carried an incredulous air, as if to say, "Aren't you underestimating me?"

His performance last night was so good that he could have handled Li Yitong even if he had been there, and might have even utterly annihilated both of them.

Why does she still think he needs supplements?

Tian Xiwei snorted coldly, dismissively saying, "Strong as you are, why is it that after so long, that little green tea is pregnant? Shouldn't you look for the reasons within yourself?"

After saying that, she stood up, picked up her phone and bag from the bedside table, walked to the door, and bent down to change her shoes.

Li Ran watched her retreating figure, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed his words back.

She has a point; he does need to reflect on his "allocation problem."

He nodded and said one word: "Okay."

Tian Xiwei changed her shoes, straightened up, and glanced back at him.

With a hint of satisfaction in her large eyes, as if to say "you know what's good for you," she opened the door, walked out, took two steps, then stopped without looking back.

Remember to take your medicine.