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

2020 3 Month 9 Day.

After a brief hiatus, the LPL Spring Split has officially resumed in an online format.

Li Ran sat alone on the gray fabric sofa in the living room, the TV screen showing the match between RNG and TES, his eyes fixed on that familiar ID.

Watching Ah Shui's several attempts to initiate aggressive team fights fail due to his teammates' lack of coordination, Li Ran unconsciously frowned and muttered to himself, "Looks like he hasn't fully adapted to the new team yet."

Seeing that TES's defeat was inevitable, Li Ran picked up his phone and opened Weibo. Besides the Spring Split restarting today, there was another piece of news from the LPL that caused a sensation across the internet.

He swiped his finger across the phone screen, and the top trending topic was #LiRanRetires#, with the scarlet "hot" character related to him standing out starkly.

Scrolling down, the top of the list is almost entirely related to him: #TheMostHandsomeEsportsPlayerRetires#, #BurningGod#, #WangShouldCallOutToLiRan#, #LiRanIsSuspectedOfEnteringTheEntertainmentIndustry#... Even when he won the global championship twice, there was never such a domination of the list.

Meanwhile, the release of a new song meticulously prepared by a popular singer is pitifully relegated to the bottom of the list, ignored by everyone.

Li Ran twitched the corners of his mouth, the curve extremely faint, making it impossible to tell whether it was mockery or relief.

In the past, he and his teammates had to fight their way out of countless strong opponents and win the world in order to briefly occupy that headline position.

Today, a mere 300-word retirement statement has accomplished this.

"The traffic-driven rules of the entertainment industry are indeed a different kind of game," he muttered to himself.

It was a game he had just entered, yet he already vaguely understood the rules. Fortunately, he was not completely unprepared for this new game.

He opened his Weibo profile, and the comments under his retirement announcement were still growing rapidly. Amidst a flood of well-wishes and expressions of shock, two comments were pushed to the top.

Principal Wang's words were brief and direct, yet they contained a wealth of information that caused a stir: "Why didn't they sign my Banana Entertainment? Do they look down on me, Principal Wang?"

The other one is a long article by Guan Daxiao, a well-known "jinx" commentator in the LPL, which describes Li Ran's short but brilliant three-year professional career.

From the 19-year-old prodigy "Burn" who made his World Championship debut in S7, to the legendary jungler who won the Summoner's Cup twice in S8 and S9 and was named FMVP in both years...

His words were sincere, yet tinged with sadness, as if he were lamenting the loss of this legendary player in the LPL.

Li Ran quickly scanned his long article, his heart already churning with emotion.

In the three years from 17 to 19, he spent three years in this world making all League of Legends viewers accept and remember the ID "Burn" and acknowledge his legend.

Only he himself knew how long he had actually prepared for these three years, or rather, how long Li Ran from both worlds had prepared together.

Fifteen years later, he awoke from this parallel world and took over the body that had been dormant for many years due to an accident.

In this world, the faces of his parents are exactly the same as in his previous life. There is no struggle between souls, only a strange fusion and continuation.

It was as if the two Li Rans were meant to be one, but had taken different paths and were now finally reunited.

Just as Li Ran was still deep in thought, his phone suddenly received a call request.

The notes flashing on the screen made his fingers pause.

He gave a slight smirk, answered the phone, and asked in a deliberately aloof and cold tone, "What's up?"

"What's wrong? Can't I call you now that we've broken up?" A familiar female voice came from the phone.

"Didn't you say we shouldn't contact each other anymore?" Li Ran's tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

"Li Ran, you bastard! Can't you see I was just saying that out of anger? Who told you to go and become a professional gamer without saying a word!" The girl's voice suddenly rose, then fell back down, with a barely perceptible tremor.

"I called you so many times after that, did you answer any of them? You even blocked me on WeChat... Li Ran, are you even a man?"

Li Ran sighed, her tone softening slightly, "Alright, you added me back later, didn't you? So, what do you want now?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then a clear and resolute voice came through: "Let's get back together."

Li Ran seemed to have expected this, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Zhou Ye, you were the one who broke up with me back then, and now you want to get back together? What if I don't agree?"

"You think I can just break up with you like that? Then why won't you agree to get back together now?" Zhou Ye's speech quickened, carrying his familiar, unreasonable tone.

"Besides, I contacted you two weeks after the breakup! You were the one who said 'women only affect your gameplay'! Now that you've retired, you can't make excuses anymore, can you?"

She grew increasingly agitated, until she practically yelled, "Now! Immediately! Open the door!"

Li Ran was taken aback. They've come knocking on his door?

The phone call had been disconnected, and at the same time, a loud, impolite knocking came from the door.

He rubbed his temples, then reluctantly got up to open the door.

The door had barely opened a crack when a figure carrying a familiar scent burst in, throwing herself into his arms and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, so tightly that he staggered back half a step.

"Coconut, let go first." Li Ran's body was a little stiff, and his voice was low.

The person in his arms didn't move, but buried their face even deeper.

Several seconds later, she let out a muffled "humph," loosened her grip slightly, but still clung to his clothes, tilted her head back, and stared at him intently, as if afraid he would disappear the next second.

Li Ran felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze, so he turned around and walked back to the living room sofa to sit down. Zhou Ye followed closely behind and sat down next to him.

"Didn't you want to enter the entertainment industry?" She took a deep breath, deliberately keeping her tone calm. "Sign with Hesong Entertainment; I can look after you a bit."

Li Ran was speechless; why did everyone want to sign him?

"No, I'm not going. I already have a company."

"I can pay the penalty for breach of contract..."

"It's not about the penalty for breach of contract," Li Ran interrupted her, revealing his true intentions.

"The company is Wajijiwa Entertainment, and Long Danni is my aunt."

Zhou Ye was clearly surprised, and opened his mouth, but quickly suppressed his astonishment.

"Let's not talk about this." She moved closer, her fingers unconsciously tugging at Li Ran's clothes, but her gaze was fixed on his eyes. Her voice softened, but remained unusually clear.

"Li Ran, let's get back together."

Li Ran turned his head, looked into her bright eyes, softened his tone, and slowly began to speak.

"I said, we won't..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Ye suddenly reached out and grabbed his neck, forcefully pulling his face towards him, and then kissed him without hesitation, silencing all his unspoken refusals with his lips.

Li Ran's mind went blank for a moment.

No... I was forcibly kissed?

Zhou Ye was his first love in both his lives.

In the original world, career took precedence over everything, and romance was a distant concept.

In this life, when Li Ran first transmigrated, he had not yet fully adapted to this world that was both familiar and strange, nor did he have any thoughts of falling in love.

It wasn't until college, when she met Zhou Ye, who was proactive and bold, that Li Ran experienced the bitterness of love for the first time.

Although their relationship lasted only six months, she was indeed his first and only "girlfriend" whom he truly had.

The kiss carried a desperate resolve, along with a familiar scent that softened his heart.

After a long while, until both of them were a little out of breath, Zhou Ye slowly stepped back a little, but his forehead was still pressed against his body, and he was breathing slightly.

She looked into his eyes, which were so close to hers, her voice slightly hoarse, but her tone carried an undeniable arrogance, "Li Ran, nothing is impossible. I pursued you first before, and it will be the same now."

Looking at her flushed cheeks and moist eyes, Li Ran's remaining resolve suddenly vanished. A slight smile played on his lips as he asked softly, "Have you thought it through?"

Zhou Ye didn't speak, but nodded heavily, then wrapped his arms around Li Ran's neck again and snuggled into his embrace.

Li Ran caught her and lifted her up, carrying her towards the bedroom.

Li Ran's warm breath brushed against her ear, "I'll ask you one last time, will we not break up again?"

Zhou Ye buried her burning face in his shoulder and lightly punched him in dissatisfaction.

"Li Ran, why are you talking so much nonsense lately? Are you getting too tired of playing games?"

Li Ran paused, looked down at her with surprise in his eyes; she was as bold as ever.

He pushed open the bedroom door, his voice blending into the dim light, "Whether it works or not, you'll soon find out."

"No, this doesn't feel as good as the mouse I use."

"Li Ran, you're talking too much nonsense now. Can't you just focus on doing your job?" Zhou Ye bit Li Ran's forearm.

……

The next morning.

Li Ran gently pushed open the bedroom door and walked to the bedside.

Zhou Ye curled up in the thin blanket, with only a strand of black hair showing on the pillow. He reached out and gently pulled the corner of the blanket.

"Coconut, get up and eat something. I ordered you papaya milk."

She stirred under the covers, her voice muffled and heavy with sleepiness as she protested, "I don't want to eat... Don't bother me, I'm so sleepy."

His voice was muffled, clearly indicating he wasn't fully awake yet.

"Really can't get up?"

"I can't get up... It's all your fault..." she complained, pulling the blanket back over her head and curling up into a ball.

Looking at the stubborn "lump" on the bed, Li Ran knew he couldn't wake him. He shook his head, a faint smile flickering in his eyes, and turned to gently close the door.

After finishing breakfast alone, Li Ran returned to the living room and curled up on the sofa again. In his mind, he brought up the interface that only he could see.

[The plan to cultivate top celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry has been launched...]

[Host: Li Ran (22 years old)]

[Character Attributes: Appearance 92, Constitution 65, Spirit 88, Comprehension 85!]

Skills Mastered: SS-level gaming, C-level acting, F-level singing, F-level dancing, F-level... (Rating SSS-F)

[Newbie Task: Sign a contract with the company, officially taking the first step. (Completed)]

[Task Reward: A-Level Acting Skills (To be claimed)]

……