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

Chapter 237 So, are we breaking up?

The following afternoon, Li Ran boarded a flight to Shanghai.

Changsha gradually shrank into a blurry jigsaw puzzle below the wing, with the Xiang River meandering through it like a thin ribbon. His house was naturally out of sight, but he still glanced at it a few more times in that direction.

He recalled his conversation with his grandfather and realized that perhaps he really needed to reconsider, and that he didn't seem to like his current life in the entertainment industry.

A system is just a system; it's merely an aid. There's nothing to regret in one's own life. Doing what you want to do is the most important thing.

I went into professional gaming without hesitation and didn't care what other people thought.

How did we end up being controlled by a system?

Zhang Ruonan did not leave with him.

She doesn't have any work scheduled recently. Her agent said the schedule for her next film is still being negotiated. During this free time, she can spend a few days at Li Ran's hometown, and the three girls can keep each other company.

Two hours later, the plane landed at Pudong Airport.

As Li Ran exited the arrival gate, his assistant was already waiting in the parking lot. The assistant took his luggage, put it in the trunk, and asked him whether he wanted to go straight back to his residence or go to the film set first.

Li Ran thought for a moment and said she would go home first and report to the film crew tomorrow morning.

As the car drove onto the elevated highway, the city lights outside the window gradually illuminated the city as the sky darkened.

Shanghai’s skyline is particularly beautiful at dusk, with the outlines of the buildings of varying heights being outlined by lights, like a meticulous painting drawn with gold thread on a deep blue silk.

Li Ran got out of the car, told his assistant Xiao Chen the time he would pick him up the next day, and then went upstairs.

The door opened, the entryway light was on, and a faint scent of scented candles wafted in the air, along with the refreshing aroma of white tea.

Li Ran changed her shoes and went inside, only to find the TV in the living room was on, showing her image on screen in the song "Ignite Me, Warm You," with her still sporting her golden retriever look.

Zhou Ye nestled on the sofa, wearing a loose-fitting house dress, his hair casually tied into pigtails, and a pair of black-rimmed glasses perched on his face.

She looked up when she heard the noise, saw it was Li Ran, and smiled like a happy little puppy.

"You're back?" She took off her glasses, stood up, and walked towards him.

Li Ran nodded, glancing over her shoulder into the living room.

There was another person sitting on the sofa. Lu Yuxiao was sitting cross-legged in another corner, holding a cushion in her arms. She glanced at him and continued watching TV.

"What are you doing here?" Li Ran raised an eyebrow in surprise, his tone casually curious.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuxiao turned her head and retorted with a hint of self-righteousness, "What, can't I come? Sister Zhou Ye is bored staying at home alone, can't I come and keep her company?"

She paused, then continued, "Also, didn't you say I could come visit you on set? Visiting at home is still visiting on set!"

Li Ran was completely baffled, and looked at her with interest: "What's gotten into you?"

"No!" Lu Yuxiao turned her head away and continued watching TV.

Zhou Ye explained with a smile, "Maybe he's just throwing a tantrum like a child."

"Sister Zhou Ye, I was standing up for you, why are you taking his side?" Lu Yuxiao looked at Zhou Ye with a wronged expression.

Li Ran was completely bewildered.

"No, little clay figure, why are you standing up for coconut?"

Lu Yuxiao glared at him and said, word by word, "Zhou Ye was clearly your first girlfriend, so why wasn't she the first one you introduced to your parents, the one you got their approval for, and now the one who's the first to have a child?"

"Why can't I stand up for the underdog?"

Li Ran blinked, then looked helplessly at Zhou Ye, "You trained her to be your assassin?"

Zhou Ye retorted, "I didn't, you can't just say things like that."

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, "Lulu Xiao, have you forgotten that you're also my girlfriend—"

Lu Yuxiao blinked, tilted her head, and thought for a moment: It seems that's indeed the case.

She started having a back-and-forth struggle between her left and right hemispheres, and Li Ran stopped paying attention to her.

He asked Zhou Ye, "After this movie is finished filming, I'll go home with you, how about it?"

Zhou Ye nodded and asked, "Okay, but what are you going to do now?"

"Let's discuss the wedding arrangements," Li Ran replied calmly.

"Okay—no, let's discuss the wedding?" Zhou Ye's eyes widened instantly.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuxiao immediately clapped her hands happily, "That's wonderful! True love will prevail!"

As she spoke, she realized something was wrong. "Ah! Li Ran, what should I do?!"

Li Ran looked at her and smiled. "What can we do? Just deal with it! Weren't you standing up for Coconut? Are you satisfied now?"

"Satisfied my foot!"

Li Ran thought about it for a long time on the plane.

The impact of the landing gear hitting the ground when the plane landed was like a period, forcibly bringing his chaotic thoughts into a clear conclusion.

He finally realized something: he didn't actually like his current life.

To what extent do I dislike it? Not disgust, nor weariness, but something deeper.

When he first entered this industry, he was driven by curiosity, opportunity, and a sense of going with the flow. He even found it interesting at times, but that "interesting" feeling never truly filled him.

The lights on set, the performances in front of the camera, the clinking of glasses at the wrap party, the names trending on social media—these things are a stage for fame and fortune, a ladder to success, a pyramid worth climbing with all one's might.

But as he stood halfway up the pyramid and looked down, he was thinking about something else entirely: the warmth of the spotlight on the field, the calls from his teammates in his headphones, the thunderous shouts from the audience—these weren't for any particular role he was playing, but for him as a person, for his skills, and for every victory he had won.

He missed that feeling.

I miss them terribly.

"coconut."

He looked up at Zhou Ye, then at Lu Yuxiao, his tone as calm as if he were talking about something he had thought about for a long time: "I plan to finish filming this movie and then not take on any new projects."

He paused, then added, "I want to go back to the court and play again."

The living room was quiet for a few seconds.

Zhou Ye's mind was not on Li Ran's desire to return to the competition.

Because compared to all of these, the fact that Li Ran wanted to marry her was even more shocking.

She didn't speak immediately, but something was churning in her eyes.

Lu Yuxiao's reaction was more direct, her face filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Why the sudden change of profession? It's only been a short time since you crossed over, why are you going back? No, he said "back" to go back to playing professionally, not to cross over, but to rejoin the team.

Lu Yuxiao's mind raced for a moment, and the first thing that came to her mind was something else.

She frowned, tossed a cushion aside, and asked directly, "Li Ran, what does your going back to professional gaming have to do with your marriage?"

Zhou Ye remained silent.

She sat next to Li Ran, her head slightly lowered. What Li Ran said was in her favor; that was a fact.

His retirement from the entertainment industry, no longer working alongside actresses on set day and night, was certainly a good thing for her.

The problem is now not whether it's playing professionally or acting.

The issue was Li Ran's decision to marry her.

The impact of this event was so great that she didn't know how to react for a moment.

In her mind, Li Ran was the kind of person who wouldn't publicly establish a relationship with any woman.

He will be kind to everyone and responsible to everyone, but he will not single out any one person and place them in the position of "wife".

She accepted this premise, and you could even say she never felt there was anything wrong with it, because as long as he was still there, she didn't care about anything else.

But now the situation is completely different.

He needs to choose someone.

And the person he chose was none other than her.

Zhou Ye's fingers unconsciously curled up on his knee.

Something churning inside her was indescribable, a mixture of joy and fear.

He was happy that he chose her, but he was also afraid that his choice would trigger a series of bad things.

Their relationship was already fragile, and Liu Haocun's pregnancy had already dealt it a blow.

But now the situation is clearly much bigger. Pregnancy only provided a competitive advantage, but now it's a matter of finality, declaring the ultimate winner.

Li Ran noticed it.

He not only saw what was hidden in Zhou Ye's silence, but also what was implied in Lu Yuxiao's questioning.

He knew that once he announced this decision, the other women would not be able to accept it calmly.

He had already thought this through on the plane, and had rehearsed everyone's reactions from beginning to end.

Liu Haocun and Wang Churan, perhaps because they have a child, might be more able to accept it.

A child is like a thread; no matter how their official status is defined, that thread can never be broken.

Moreover, Li Ran did not intend to tell them now.

He had already talked to Zhang Ruonan last night.

After he finished speaking, she didn't react much, unlike usually when she would show her displeasure on her face. She was quiet for a long time before saying, "Let me think about it."

When he left today, she didn't choose to leave with him, but she also didn't say "I accept it".

She stayed in her hometown, saying she wanted to stay a couple more days, which meant she was admitting she needed some time and space to process what had happened.

Given her personality, the fact that she didn't refuse on the spot was already a statement in itself.

She should also tell Zhang Jingyi.

The two of them had always been very close, and Zhang Ruonan couldn't possibly keep this from her.

As for Zhang Jingyi—Li Ran's thoughts turned even deeper upon this.

Zhang Jingyi and his mother seemed to have some kind of agreement. He had vaguely sensed it from some subtle details. Every time his mother mentioned Zhang Jingyi, there was always a different meaning in her tone.

As for Zhang Jingyi herself, she always remained in a passive, non-competitive position regarding the open and covert struggles between them.

It wasn't that she had no ideas; rather, it was as if she was constrained by something, unable to bring her thoughts to the forefront.

Li Ran hadn't actually planned to say it today.

He originally planned to wait until the filming was finished and everything was settled before finding a suitable time to sit down and have a proper talk.

But today, as soon as Lu Yuxiao walked in, she said something about "standing up for Coconut".

She was indignant on Zhou Ye's behalf, feeling that Li Ran's actions outside were unfair to him.

What she didn't know was that her act of standing up for justice had just touched a nerve with Li Ran, who was already on edge.

Since the conversation had come to this point, he decided to test her thoughts.

As for the little fox, Li Ran wasn't too worried.

She's hopelessly in love; what's in her head couldn't be simpler—she just wants to be with Li Ran.

Whether or not one has a formal status, or whether or not one is married, is a huge deal to others, but to her it's not as important as what to have for dinner tonight.

As long as Li Ran doesn't kick her out, she can happily stay by his side for the rest of her life.

This kind of person is actually the easiest to deal with because she wants the least and the purest things.

So the biggest problem right now isn't Lu Yuxiao, who's glaring at him with questioning eyes.

It was another woman.

That woman had a trait that gave Li Ran a headache whenever he thought about it—her strong personality made all other problems seem mild.

Tian Xiwei.

Lu Yuxiao looked at Li Ran, tears welling up in her eyes and streaming down her face, one after another, until they dripped onto the back of her hand that was holding the cushion.

She didn't wipe it off, or even blink, but just stared straight at Li Ran, as if trying to see through every subtle expression on his face.

From the moment he uttered those words, her mind had been racing, and now it had finally reached its end.

But there was only one answer at the end, and that answer made her feel a tightness in her chest, so tight that she couldn't breathe.

The two of them had only been together for a short time.

Is it over already?

She opened her mouth, and the sound that escaped startled even herself. It was a broken tone she didn't recognize, as if someone had grabbed her throat, draining all her strength, leaving only a last, weak breath carrying her.

The words appeared: "Li Ran, so are we... breaking up?"

Her broken voice, coupled with her tearful eyes, made her seem unusually earnest and fragile, like a child asking an adult a question she already knew the answer to but was still unwilling to give up on.

Li Ran looked at her tears, her red eyes, and her lower lip that had been bitten until it turned white, and shook his head.

"I never thought about breaking up—"

"But isn't that how it is!" Lu Yuxiao's voice suddenly rose half an octave, not out of anger, but out of control on the verge of collapse.

She finally raised her hand to wipe away her tears, but as soon as she wiped away the old ones, new ones would well up again. No matter how she wiped, she couldn't stop, so she simply stopped wiping and let the tears flow freely down her face.

"If you're going to marry Zhou Ye, then what am I?" Her voice trembled, each word escaping as if squeezed out from between her teeth. "And what are the others?!"

She stopped pretending to be stupid.

From the first day she met Li Ran, she knew he wasn't the kind of man who would only stay with one person.

She accepted his philandering, accepted that there were other people in his life, and accepted that she wasn't the only one.

It took her a long time to process all of this, and she suffered for a long time, but in the end, she convinced herself—

Since it's her choice, then accept it.

But that's under the premise that everyone is in the same boat.

If Li Ran is only dating multiple girlfriends at the same time, then there is still competition between them.

Everyone is starting from the same point; no one is superior to anyone else.

But marriage is different.

Marriage is a written agreement, recognized by law and society, a line she can never cross no matter how hard she tries.

Marrying Zhou Ye means that Zhou Ye is the legitimate wife, and Lu Yuxiao—no matter how nicely you describe it, whether you call it an "open relationship" or a "special relationship pattern"—becomes the third party that others point fingers at.

Although the outcome may seem similar—he will still come here, still be with her, still cuddle with her on the sofa while watching TV—it's fundamentally different now.

Zhou Ye remained silent from the moment Li Ran began to speak, unsure of what to say from her standpoint.

She was the only beneficiary in this whole affair, but as she sat on the sofa listening to Lu Yuxiao's cries, the word "beneficiary" felt like a red-hot iron, making her restless.

As Lu Yuxiao's tears increased and her voice became more fragmented, Zhou Ye finally couldn't sit still any longer.

She stood up, walked around the coffee table to Lu Yuxiao, bent down and took her hand.

Lu Yuxiao's hands were icy cold, her fingers curled up, and she trembled slightly when Zhou Ye grasped them.

"Xiaoxiao, let's go to the bedroom and talk. Let's ignore him." Zhou Ye's voice was very gentle, the kind of gentle that carries a soothing tone, like comforting a wronged child.

As she spoke, she pulled Lu Yuxiao up from the sofa, put one arm around her shoulder and held her hand with the other, and turned her body slightly to the side to shield her from Li Ran's gaze from behind.

Lu Yuxiao didn't struggle or look back at Li Ran; she was simply led towards the bedroom by Zhou Ye.

The bedroom door was closed.

Li Ran was the only one left in the living room.

The ceiling was white, clean and empty, with only a ceiling light hanging quietly there.

He stared at the lamp, his eyes unblinking, until the light became a blurry blob in his field of vision.

He realized he had oversimplified things.

The things he simulated on the plane—that Liu Haocun would accept it because he had children, that Wang Churan wouldn't cause trouble because she had twins, that Zhang Ruonan would agree after thinking about it back home, and that the little fox didn't care at all—he analyzed everyone's reactions clearly, thinking that he had taken all the variables into account and that he had made all the preparations.

But when Lu Yuxiao's tears actually fell in front of him, all those deductions suddenly became worthless.

He forgot that analyzing people's hearts and facing people's hearts are two completely different things.

The plans written on paper and the tears shed in reality have different weights.

>