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

Chapter 228 So what if she's pregnant!

After the examination, Liu Haocun was taken back to Li Ran's hometown by Li's mother.

It's called my hometown, but it's not really a village in the strict sense. It's the manor at the foot of the mountain where I took Xiaotian home for the Chinese New Year last time. It has white walls and black tiles, nestled against the mountain and by the water.

The old lady lived here for most of her life, and the old man moved back after he retired, saying that the city was too noisy and it was not as quiet as here.

After discussing it, the elders all felt that this place was the most suitable for Liu Haocun to rest and recuperate. It was private, had fresh air, and was far away from the noise of Hengdian and the long-range lenses of paparazzi. In addition, it would be convenient for the old lady to take care of him since she was at home.

When the old man learned of this, he remained silent for a long time.

He sat in a wicker chair in the courtyard, holding a teacup in his hand. The tea had gone cold, but he neither drank it nor put it down.

The old lady was picking vegetables nearby. She glanced at him but didn't say anything.

After a long pause, the old man finally spoke, his voice not loud, but with a heavy weight in it: "This child is outrageous."

It's not that he dislikes Liu Haocun.

He had seen the girl's photo and heard Li's mother mention her, saying she was the one who acted in Zhang Yimou's movies, very pretty, and well-behaved.

He was angry at Li Ran.

In the eyes of this older generation, premarital pregnancy is ultimately the man's responsibility.

If you get a girl pregnant, you should arrange the marriage as soon as possible and marry her in a grand and respectable way, instead of leaving her pregnant and stuck in her hometown, without any proper status or legitimacy.

To put it nicely, this behavior is immature; to put it bluntly, it's irresponsible.

Besides, the girl Li Ran brought home last time wasn't this one.

He was furious when he learned from Li's mother that Li Ran had several girlfriends.

That evening, Li Ran's phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID, his heart skipped a beat, and answered. He was immediately met with a barrage of scolding.

The old man's voice wasn't loud, but every word he uttered was like a nail piercing through the receiver, leaving him unable to reply.

He didn't argue or interrupt; he just listened, occasionally humming in agreement to show he was still there.

After hanging up the phone, he stared at the ceiling for a long time.

The old man was right to scold him; he was indeed inconsiderate.

Some things can't be accomplished by simply saying "I will take responsibility"; you have to do things and let people see it.

Despite his scolding, the old man doted on Liu Haocun.

The next day, they had the old lady personally stew chicken soup, and the two of them took it to her room, telling her to take good care of herself and not to think too much.

Liu Haocun was flattered and quickly stood up to take the bowl. He hissed from the heat, but still smiled and took a sip, saying, "Grandpa and Grandma, it's delicious."

The old man's stern face relaxed a little, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

He sat down next to her, asked about her family situation, and inquired about her health. Finally, he said, "If Li Ran does anything wrong, tell Grandpa, and Grandpa will scold him."

Liu Haocun smiled and nodded, feeling a warm feeling in his heart.

That evening, after taking a shower, Liu Haocun nestled on the edge of his bed and picked up his phone to make a video call to Li Ran.

The screen lit up, and Li Ran's face appeared on the screen. The background was the white walls of the hotel. Her hair was a little messy, and she looked like she had just removed her makeup.

He saw her, a slight smile playing on his lips, and asked, "How was your day?"

Liu Haocun didn't answer, he just looked at him and chuckled foolishly.

"What, did Grandpa scold you?" Her doe eyes narrowed, with a hint of smug smugness.

Li Ran sighed helplessly, "That's right. This is the first time this old man has ever scolded me, you know? It's the first time in my life."

He admitted to being a bit of a womanizer, but he wasn't irresponsible, was he?

He didn't let his own mother make money by livestreaming his child; he didn't ignore it. He did everything he was supposed to do and made all the necessary arrangements.

But the old man didn't care about any of that; he only cared about the results.

The result was that the young woman became pregnant out of wedlock.

Liu Haocun pouted, his doe-like eyes filled with smugness.

"Serves you right."

Li Ran looked at her smug expression and did not refute her.

He was complaining to her, but not really complaining; he just wanted to cheer her up.

He recently searched online for a lot of information about pregnancy emotions and learned that pregnant women's emotions fluctuate greatly and they need to be comforted more.

He said these things not to elicit her sympathy, but to make her laugh.

Are you happy staying in your hometown?

Liu Haocun nodded, pulled the blanket up to cover his chin.

"I'm happy, but I don't have to do anything, which makes me feel a little bored." She paused, her brows furrowing slightly. "Grandma has kept all the cats locked up, so I can only watch them from outside and can't touch them."

Li Ran listened as she chattered on about the interesting things that had happened in the past few days—the old lady's orange cat had gotten fatter again, and the old lady had nagged the old man for a full ten minutes because he had drunk a little too much wine today.

Her tone was light and cheerful, she would occasionally laugh out loud, and occasionally wrinkle her nose, her expressions as rich as a storyteller.

Li Ran listened quietly, nodding occasionally and humming in response, without interrupting her.

He knew that what she needed was not a lecture or comfort, but someone willing to listen to her.

Liu Haocun talked for a long time, until the night outside the window was as dark as ink, then he glanced at the time and suddenly realized that he had been talking for almost an hour.

She smiled sheepishly: "Okay, I'm not chatting with you anymore, goodnight."

Li Ran nodded, a slight smile curving his lips.

Goodnight, baby.

Liu Haocun narrowed his eyes. "Which treasure are you talking about?"

Li Ran thought for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "The big one is a baby. The little one is a brat."

Liu Haocun snorted, "You're the rabbit."

Li Ran shook his head helplessly.

Indeed, women are fickle creatures, and pregnant women are even more so.

One second they're being affectionate with you, the next they can turn on you and refuse to acknowledge you.

But he felt that she was good just the way she was.

Liu Haocun and Li Ran had just ended their call, and the screen went dark for only a few seconds when there was a knock on the door.

After knocking twice, the door was pushed open, and Liu's mother walked in, wearing a simple house dress.

After she came to Changsha, she never went back.

Liu Hao put his phone away and moved further into the bed.

"Mom, why aren't you resting yet?" Her voice still carried the laughter she had when she was talking to Li Ran.

Liu's mother sat down on the edge of the bed, reached out and took the phone that Liu had placed next to her pillow, and placed it face down on the bedside table.

-

She looked at Liu Haocun with a complex, indescribable feeling in her eyes; there was heartache, relief, worry, and above all, a sense of "my daughter has finally grown up."

"Why are you still playing on your phone? It's bad for the baby." Her tone was deliberately stern.

Liu Haocun didn't take it seriously, reached out and took the phone back, glanced at the time, and then closed it again.

"Mom, what era are we living in? Why do you still believe in this stuff? Playing on your phone and computer is fine." Her tone was light, with a hint of teasing that she thought, "You're out of touch."

Liu's mother did not respond to this.

She reached out and tucked the stray hairs that were hanging in front of Liu Haocun's forehead behind her ear, her fingertips gliding lightly across her earlobe.

She looked at her daughter's face—fair, young, and with a touch of baby fat.

She remembered Liu Haocun when he was a child, with two little braids, stretching his legs in the dance classroom, crying from the pain but refusing to stop.

At that time, she knew that her daughter had a stubborn streak and would not give up until she achieved her goal.

Now that stubbornness is being used in other areas.

Liu's mother's gaze fell on Liu Haocun's lower abdomen, which was still flat, but she knew that a new life was growing there.

She suddenly realized that Liu Haocun's decision to get pregnant was absolutely the right one.

If it's a son, then everything will be perfect.

It wasn't because she was in a hurry to become a grandmother, but because she knew that in a family like Li Ran's, children were the real entry ticket.

Love can be experienced, and feelings can be cultivated, but blood ties are unique and irreplaceable.

She looked away, then at Liu Haocun's face, a slight smile playing on her lips. She didn't say those words aloud; there was no need.

Some truths will come to her gradually on her own.

In fact, it wasn't just Liu's mother who thought this way.

Tian Xiwei thought the same thing in Hengdian.

When she first heard the news from Hu Lianxin, she was quite angry.

But she didn't dare tell her parents about it—she didn't know how to bring it up.

Should she say, "Mom, Li Ran's other girlfriend is pregnant"? The very wording of that statement was so absurd that she couldn't bring herself to say it.

She picked up her phone, scrolled to Li Yitong's chat window, hesitated for a moment, and typed: "Sister Tong, are you asleep?"

A reply came quickly: "Nothing, what's wrong?"

She made the call directly, briefly explained the situation, without embellishment or complaints, just stating the facts plainly.

Li Yitong fell silent after hearing this.

"So what if she's pregnant! It's not like she gave birth to a son—"

"Xiaotian, listen to me. Liu Haocun made a brilliant move. But it's not like there's no chance to turn things around. Right now, she's just pregnant, and it's still uncertain whether it's a boy or a girl. Instead of getting angry with Li Ran, why don't you take a gamble—"

Tian Xiwei held her phone, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Li Yitong was a few years older than her and had a deeper understanding of issues.

She wasn't teaching her to fight, but reminding her that some things, if you don't fight for them, you'll really lose them.

It's not that Li Ran will leave her, but that his position in this family will change.

She may not care about titles or status, but she cannot disregard the future position of her children.

She took the next day off and went to see Li Ran—she had to get pregnant.

Zhou Ye and Hu Lianxin, who were the first to receive the news, never considered this possibility.

After hanging up Li Ran's call, Zhou Ye just felt sad.

Hu Lianxin was simply afraid that Li Ran would abandon her because of this.

Ultimately, the two of them still had the mindset of little girls and didn't connect this matter to themselves.

It's not that they're not smart enough, it's that their hearts haven't yet learned to calculate.

Li Ran's time on the set of "Glory" passed quickly.

Living a life of routine between the training room, film set, and hotel, Li Ran gradually rediscovered the focus he had when he was a professional gamer.

Wang Junkai's top lane play became increasingly aggressive, Zhang Linghe's mid lane was as stable as a mountain, and Zhai Xiaowen and Hu Xianxu's bot lane coordination became more and more tacit. The scene of the five of them sitting in the training room shouting "Nice" at the screen sometimes made him feel as if he was not filming a movie, but actually playing a game.

During this period, Zhou Ye officially finished filming "Protecting the Heart".

When the last scene was filmed, she cried on set, not because she was sad, but because she couldn't bear to part with it.

The character that had been with her for several months, the costumes and props that had kept her company through countless days and nights, and the crew members who had gone from strangers to friends—all became a thing of the past the moment the director shouted, "Wrap up filming!"

She held the flowers and smiled sweetly in front of the camera, but after returning to the hotel, she sat alone on the edge of the bed for a long time.

呆。

Next, they will be filming a movie together, and at the same time, they will have time to resolve the recent issues. What will their future hold?

The next day, she packed her bags and moved into the "Glory" film crew.

Today is her third day on set, and she has already adjusted to the new role. She has memorized her lines perfectly and can even give feedback on her performance after the director yells "cut".

It was already dark when they finished work, and the two walked back to the hotel together.

The night breeze in Hengdian was cool, blowing up the fallen leaves by the roadside, which swirled and landed on the bluestone pavement.

Zhou Ye walked beside Li Ran, her ponytail swaying behind her head. Occasionally, she would turn her head to glance at him, a smile playing on her lips, as if she were thinking about something happy.

Li Ran is still the same Li Ran; nothing has changed the relationship between the two of them.

Back at the hotel, after entering the room, Zhou Ye looked at Tian Xiwei, who was sitting quietly on the sofa.

My good mood vanished instantly.

Zhou Ye raised his chin slightly as he looked at her.

"Isn't the crew of 'Qingqing's Daily Life' here?"

Tian Xiwei stood up, put her phone in her pocket, and gave a cold laugh.

"I'm here to see Li Ran, what's it to you?" Her voice wasn't loud, but the hostility in her tone was undisguised.

Zhou Ye looked at her, the corners of his mouth curving slightly. The smile wasn't friendly; it carried a knowing "Don't try to be tough in front of me" tone.

"Heh, so you only dare to argue with me. Now, do you dare to mess with that green tea bitch?"

Liu Haocun's pregnancy was the biggest hurdle in Tian Xiwei's heart, she knew.

Tian Xiwei knew that Zhou Ye was trying to provoke her.

It's not that she can't see it, it's that even if she could, it wouldn't matter.

Because she's right, she really doesn't dare to confront Liu Haocun now—not out of fear, but because she's in the wrong.

The baby in someone's belly is the biggest reason.

She took a deep breath, not wanting to get entangled with Zhou Ye any longer, and turned to look at Li Ran.

"We made a promise." Her tone softened, but not to him; she was referring to the agreement.

She comes once a week, and she won't break this rhythm.

Li Ran nodded, his tone carrying a hint of helpless compromise.

"Coconut, tonight—"

He had just begun to explain when Zhou Ye gave him no chance to finish.

She stiffened her neck and raised her voice by half an octave.

"I don't-

'

Li Ran looked at her, smiled helplessly, and said in a defiant manner, "Shall we go together?"

He spoke casually, but Tian Xiwei and Zhou Ye were both taken aback.

Tian Xiwei tilted her head and thought for a moment.

Her purpose in coming here was very clear: she was here to "find Li Ran".

But she would indeed have to work hard for quite a while on her own, and there was no guarantee of success. Li Ran's physical condition was as good as an ox's; the previous times, she had to fight for half a day by herself.

If Liu Haocun can get pregnant, why can't she?

In that case, wouldn't it be more likely to succeed if Zhou Ye weakened him first, and then she followed up with damage?

She looked at Zhou Ye, a half-smile curving her lips.

"Okay." She paused, her tone light and airy, "I just don't know what Little Tablet thinks."

Zhou Ye's face flushed red.

She wasn't completely clueless; of course she knew what they were talking about.

These words, spoken by Tian Xiwei, carried a provocative tone and a "dare you?" challenge.

She opened her mouth, wanting to call her "shameless," but swallowed the words back.

Because Tian Xiwei was looking at her, and those big eyes seemed to say, "You dare not."

Li Ran hadn't expected Tian Xiwei to agree.

He just said it casually to ease the tension, but he didn't expect her to actually agree.

He looked at her, then at Zhou Ye, and suddenly felt that this scene was more exciting than any scene he had ever filmed.

Tian Xiwei took half a step forward, getting closer to Zhou Ye, her tone becoming even more provocative.

"What, you don't dare?" She tilted her head, deliberately dragging out the last syllable.

Zhou Ye was provoked by her and stiffened his neck, raising his voice by half an octave, but his voice was clearly lacking in confidence.

"What wouldn't I dare to do!"

Zhou Ye spoke with a strong tone, but her flushed cheeks betrayed her inner nervousness.