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

At 10 p.m., the night sky of Beijing was tinged with an ambiguous orange-red by neon lights.

Li Ran first drove Zhang Ruonan home, and then drove Zhang Jingyi to her apartment.

Zhang Jingyi leaned against the passenger seat, tilting her head to look at him with a slight smile on her lips.

"What are you looking at?" Li Ran glanced at her.

"Look at you!"

She replied matter-of-factly, "Can't I look?"

Li Ran smiled but didn't say anything.

Back at her apartment, Zhang Jingyi took a shower first.

Li Ran leaned back on the sofa, scrolling through her phone and dealing with a few work messages.

The bathroom door opened, and steam billowed out. Zhang Jingyi walked out wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair wet and draped over her shoulders, her face flushed from the heat.

She walked up to Li Ran and handed him a towel: "Brother, why don't you blow-dry my hair?"

Li Ran put down her phone, took the towel, and the two walked to the dressing table. She sat down, and he stood, their reflections in the mirror.

He plugged in the hairdryer, and warm air flowed from the vent. Li Ran's fingers ran through her hair, his movements gentle and practiced.

"Why do you like it so much when I blow-dry your hair?" Li Ran asked softly, looking at her in the mirror.

He thought of Tian Xiwei and the others. Xiao Tian never let him boast, complaining that he was clumsy and slow.

Zhou Ye would occasionally give way, but most of the time he did it himself.

Only Zhang Jingyi would watch him expectantly each time, waiting for him to pick up the hair dryer.

Zhang Jingyi looked at him in the mirror, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "It feels so comfortable, so enjoyable."

She paused, then suddenly asked, "Brother, why did you cast Ruonan in 'Since This Love Has Disappeared'? I feel Liu Haocun would have been quite suitable too."

She was talking about Liu Haocun, but Li Ran saw her eyes in the mirror, which held a hint of ulterior motives. Her gaze was somewhat similar to Cunzi's.

He smiled and said, "You can just say you want to act in it too."

Zhang Jingyi, exposed, wasn't annoyed; instead, she laughed even harder: "Brother, then why did you let Ruonan play the role?"

She turned her head and looked into his eyes: "Do you like her? But she hates your scumbag behavior."

Li Ran reached out and playfully flicked her nose: "Why do you tell me everything?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "I just felt she was suitable. Cunzi is filming Director Zhang's new movie and doesn't have the time."

Zhang Jingyi looked ahead again, gazing at him in the mirror: "Brother, this is no fun."

"Her new movie was released at the same time as 'Snowy Mountain,' while 'Since This Love Has Disappeared' was filmed later."

She analyzed the situation logically: "Even if Liu Haocun can't play the role, like you said, I'm just as suitable!"

"Besides, Tian Xiwei is quite suitable. She and Ruonan are both considered sweet-looking, right? Ruonan is suitable, so there's no reason why she wouldn't be."

Li Ran paused in his movements.

When did this little girl become so shrewd?

He slowly began, "Xiaotian and Ruonan are different. Ruonan is gentler and fits the female lead's character well. Xiaotian's lively personality is not easy to portray."

Zhang Jingyi wrinkled her nose: "Brother, you said you wouldn't lie to me anymore. Do you like Ruonan? The way you looked at her at the New Year's Eve dinner last time was strange."

Li Ran was silent for a second.

He did promise not to lie to her again.

He calmly replied, "I wouldn't say I like you, at most I just have a bit of a crush on you."

Zhang Jingyi turned her head and looked at him suspiciously: "Really?"

Li Ran nodded: "Why would I lie to you? I just have a bit of a crush on you, but I wouldn't say I like you."

Zhang Jingyi stared into his eyes for a few seconds.

He didn't look directly at her, but he didn't look away either; he just quietly dried his hair.

This is unlike him when he lies. When he lies, he likes to look the other person straight in the eye and try to convince them with his eyes.

She nodded, her tone becoming firm: "Ruonan won't like you."

"Brother, let me tell you! After Zhang Ruonan found out you were cheating on me with multiple women, she scolded you for ages."

She paused, then emphasized, "She wouldn't accept someone like you."

After she finished speaking, she nodded to herself with great certainty.

Li Ran was amused by her mature-for-his-own-age demeanor: "Are you that sure?"

Zhang Jingyi said seriously, "Brother, Ruonan also said that if she were a man, she would definitely want to replace you. But she's a girl, and she just wants to stay far away from you, you scumbag."

Li Ran smiled but didn't say anything.

Who can say for sure what the outcome will be?

To be honest, though, he doesn't seem to have ever actively pursued a girl.

They all took the initiative; he was just passively accepting it.

He looked at her in the mirror and suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, Xiao Hu and Coconut are moving to my neighborhood, do you want to move here too?"

Zhang Jingyi tilted her head and thought for a moment, then shook her head: "Forget it! I don't want to argue with them every day."

……

For the next few days, Li Ran was extremely busy.

He bought an apartment for Zhou Ye, Hu Lianxin, and Wang Churan in the community.

Of course, the names written are their own; we just haven't told them yet.

Wang Churan lives downstairs from Tian Xiwei, while Xiao Hu and Yezi live in the building next to Li Ran's; they are two adjacent apartments.

He also conveniently signed Wang Churan's management contract with Wajijiwa Entertainment.

Everything is proceeding smoothly.

1 month 22 day.

The box office of "A Little Red Flower" has officially surpassed 20 billion yuan.

Although the daily box office growth is only between a few million and ten million, this result is already quite remarkable.

Tencent Video, as the main producer, held a grand celebration banquet at a hotel in Beijing.

At 7 p.m., Li Ran and Liu Haocun appeared together at the entrance of the banquet hall.

Liu Haocun wore a light gold dress tonight, which made her look like she was glowing.

Li Ran was dressed in a black suit, and the two of them standing together did indeed look like a perfect couple.

The banquet hall was already quite full of people, and amidst the clinking of glasses and various greetings, a lively atmosphere prevailed.

Li Ran led Liu Haocun through the crowd and found Long Danni.

Wajijiwa Entertainment is one of the co-producers, and Long Danni was naturally among those invited.

She was chatting with several CEOs when she saw Li Ran approaching and nodded slightly.

"Auntie!"

Li Ran walked over and introduced, "This is Liu Haocun, my girlfriend."

Liu Haocun immediately flashed a sweet smile and bowed slightly: "Hello, Auntie!"

Long Danni glanced at her, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny, but also a hint of satisfaction.

She nodded: "Haocun, hello! I've seen 'One Second,' Director Zhang didn't make a mistake in casting."

Liu Haocun smiled broadly, his eyes crinkling: "Thank you, Auntie."

As the three were chatting, Sun Zhonghuai walked over.

He smiled and said to Long Danni, "President Long, can I borrow someone?"

Long Danni smiled and said, "Mr. Sun, you're too kind. Today is your day."

Sun Zhonghuai waved his hand: "Alright, don't be so polite. Li Ran, come with me to see someone."

Li Ran and Long Danni exchanged a glance, nodded, and followed Sun Zhonghuai away.

……

Sun Zhonghuai led him through the banquet hall to the rest area on the other side.

Li Ran spotted Li Gengxi at a glance.

She was wearing a black dress today, with exquisite makeup, and was standing there talking to the person next to her.

The person next to her was Xu Jinglei.

Li Gengxi, a prominent figure in Beijing's entertainment circle and a powerful figure behind the scenes, is currently chatting with director Han Yan.

Li Ran's heart stirred.

When Li Gengxi saw him, his eyes lit up: "Li Ran, we meet again."

Li Ran nodded without saying anything; the two weren't that familiar with each other yet.

He looked at Sun Zhonghuai in confusion, wondering why he had been brought here.

At this moment, Xu Jinglei noticed them and extended her hand: "Li Ran, hello. I'm Xu Jinglei."

Li Ran reached out and gently shook her hand: "Hello, Senior Xu."

Han Yan turned around, looked at Li Ran, and smiled: "Li Ran, it's like this. The final chapter of my life trilogy is now temporarily titled 'Let's Shake the Sun Together'."

He paused for a moment: "Li Gengxi will play the female lead, and we hope you will play the male lead. I called you here to hear your opinion."

Xu Jinglei added from the side, "Geng hope told me, 'Did you agree to her request?'"

Li Gengxi walked over, naturally took Li Ran's arm, and looked up at him: "You promised me. I won't play Jiang Ni, you and I will play other roles."

Li Ran was completely confused.

What's going on?

He agreed to play the male and female leads with her, but we agreed to see the script first!

Also, why did you agree to her request?

Wasn't it because she was beaten up by Zhou Ye and Hu Lianxin? How did that become a condition for "not playing Jiang Ni"?

He looked down at Li Gengxi.

She was looking up at him, her eyes filled with a pleading look and a hint of "cooperate with me."

Li Ran was silent for a second.

Then he looked at Xu Jinglei and Han Yan, smiled, and nodded: "Okay, I have no problem with that, Director Han."

The script for "Let's Shake the Sun Together" is indeed excellent; in my previous life, it even earned Li Gengxi the title of "Water Queen."

Since he had promised, he wouldn't go back on his word.

Who cares? I'll just agree to it first. Anyway, this movie won't be released until 24, and filming won't start until the second half of 23. There's still plenty of time.

Han Yan smiled and nodded: "Okay, it's good that you have no objections. But there's no rush, the script hasn't even been prepared yet."

Li Ran smiled and said, "That's alright, I'll be going now. I have something to discuss with my aunt."

Sun Zhonghuai waved his hand: "Alright, you go ahead and do your work!"

Just as Li Ran was about to leave, Li Gengxi did not let go.

She looked at Xu Jinglei and said, "Li Ran and I are going for a walk."

Xu Jinglei nodded.

……

After walking a few steps, Li Ran looked down at her and said, "Alright, let go. Why are you still holding onto me?"

Li Gengxi looked up at him: "You don't have a female companion, what's wrong with holding hands for a while?"

Li Ran gestured to Liu Haocun, who was walking towards them from a short distance away: "How do you know I don't have a female companion?"

He paused, then kindly reminded her, "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, she can take on Zhou Ye and Hu Lianxin all by herself. Be careful she doesn't beat you up."

Li Gengxi pursed his lips: "I was careless that day..."

However, I still let go.

Li Ran chuckled lightly: "What, you forgot to use Flash the other day? You're using Flash right away today?"

Li Gengxi glared at him.

At this moment, Liu Haocun had already walked over.

She glanced at Li Gengxi with a nonchalant look, then directly took Li Ran's arm.

"Who is she?" she asked casually, showing no regard for Li Gengxi.

Li Ran introduced, "Li Gengxi."

He then said to Li Gengxi, "Liu Haocun, the female lead of 'Little Red Flower,' a new generation of 'Zhang Yimou Girl,' is also my girlfriend."

Li Gengxi curled his lip: "He's just another one with connections."

Liu Haocun smiled, a hint of coldness in his smile: "Who do we have here! It's just the little delinquent girl who got beaten up by Little Flat and Little Fox."

She blinked, looked at Li Ran, and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Brother, you have to protect me, okay?"

She glanced at Li Gengxi again and whispered, "I'm afraid that the delinquent girl will drag me to the toilet and burn me with a cigarette butt."

Li Ran looked at her helplessly: "Alright. Where's my aunt?"

Liu Haocun said in a coquettish voice, "President Long was chatting with other CEOs. I happened to see you being bullied by that little punk girl, so I rushed over."

Looking at Liu Haocun's expression, Li Gengxi was furious: "Which eye of yours saw me bullying him? Aren't you tired of pretending?"

She turned to Li Ran: "So you like this kind of 'green tea' type? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Then, she changed her voice, calling out softly, "Brother~ do you like it this way?"

Liu Haocun rolled his eyes: "Alright, that sounds awful. It smells like smoke."

Li Gengxi was so angry that his mouth twisted into a crook.

She glared at Liu Haocun, then turned to leave.

Liu Haocun, standing behind him, said casually, "You're going the wrong way. The restroom is on the other side, but I don't know if smoking is allowed there."

Li Gengxi stamped his foot and walked away without looking back.

……

Li Ran watched her leave, then turned to Liu Haocun: "How did you know she was beaten up by Coconut and the others?"

Liu Haocun walked to the dessert table, picked up a macaron, and took a small bite.

Then he frowned, shook his head, and handed the rest to Li Ran: "It's too sweet! You eat it."

Li Ran reluctantly took it and put it on his plate. He didn't like desserts either.

Liu Haocun then explained, "Zhang Jingyi told me. What happened?"

Li Ran shook his head: "It's nothing."

He suddenly realized that the girls seemed to have started pairing up.

However, the alliance between Zhou Ye and Hu Lianxin seemed like a fake friendship, so he was even less optimistic about the others.

Liu Haocun looked at him and asked, "Did they reserve a cameo role for me in 'Snowy Mountain'?"

Li Ran thought about it.

Lu Yuxiao has moved on to play Jiang Ni, leaving the role of Princess Sui Zhu vacant.

He only has a few scenes, which is just right for Liu Haocun.

He still remembers Princess Suizhu in his previous life's "Snow in the Sky," where they cast an actress with poor eyesight, who was ridiculed by netizens as the "cross-eyed princess."

"Will Princess Sui Zhu be in the role?" He looked at her and smiled, tempting her, "She doesn't have many scenes, and she's Xu Fengnian's fiancée."

Liu Haocun curled his lip: "What fiancée? I've read the original story, okay? She was clearly dumped by you, you scumbag."

"So, are you going to act or not?" Li Ran asked with a smile.

Liu Haocun shook his head: "I won't act. In the end, everyone becomes a monk. I won't act."

"That's seclusion, not becoming a monk," Li Ran corrected her, then paused and continued, "So you're going to act in the second one?"

Liu Haocun nodded: "The second part should also include Lu Chengyan, Luo Yang, and Huyan Guanyin. Please reserve a suitable one for me then."

Li Ran smiled and said, "How come they're all Xu Fengnian's confidantes..."

Liu Haocun pouted and looked at him: "This is a harem male-oriented novel. Which woman isn't involved with Xu Fengnian to some extent?"

"Even the Empress of Northern Mang almost became your stepmother!"

Li Ran said helplessly, "What are you talking about? I'm not Xu Fengnian!"

She slowly began to speak, "But you're playing Xu Fengnian!"

The banquet was still going on.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, Li Ran held his wine glass, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

Li Gengxi returned at some point and was chatting with several young actors.

She saw Li Ran, raised her glass to him, and smiled enigmatically.

Liu Haocun stood beside him and gently tugged at his sleeve: "Brother, that person is looking at you again."

"I don't know what you're looking at. You're not that young punk anymore, what's so attractive to this little delinquent?"

……

The latest update is now available on Cola Novels; we await your interpretation.