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

After getting into the car, Li Ran first said to the driver, "Let's check if any paparazzi are following us. If so, shake them off."

The car wound its way around several corners in the night, and after confirming that no one was following them, the driver asked, "Brother Ran, where are you taking me now?"

Li Ran looked at Zhang Ruonan and asked, "Should I take you back to your hotel, or somewhere else?"

He paused, then added, "There should be a lot of media reporters outside the hotel right now."

Zhang Ruonan looked at him and asked, "Then where are you two going?"

Zhang Jingyi also looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Li Ran smiled and explained, "Jingyi and I are going home, of course. I have an apartment in Shanghai."

Zhang Ruonan thought for a moment and then slowly said, "Then take me back to my hotel first."

Zhang Jingyi grabbed her arm and said, "Sister Ruonan, why don't you come with us?"

"You'll be besieged by reporters asking questions when you get back to the hotel."

She expressed her concerns, after all, Zhang Ruonan was also a participant today.

Zhang Ruonan glanced at Li Ran, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "This... isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Zhang Jingyi gently shook her arm: "It's okay, there are guest rooms."

Li Ran nodded: "It would be troublesome to take you back to your hotel, it's probably packed with people there now."

Zhang Ruonan hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Alright then!"

With Zhang Jingyi around, she wasn't afraid of what that scumbag Li Ran might do.

She wasn't worried about those things. Although Li Ran was a scumbag, after getting to know him, she felt that his character was still fine.

I was just afraid of disturbing them, since they might be doing something at night, and it would be awkward for an outsider like me to be there...

After determining the destination, the driver began driving towards the residential area along the Huangpu River.

Looking at the street scene outside the window, Zhang Ruonan suddenly looked at Li Ran and asked, "Li Ran, I didn't know you had this kind of trick up your sleeve?"

She turned to look at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and admiration: "So that's why the car drove around and came back to the same spot. Turns out we were trying to shake off the paparazzi."

Li Ran smiled and relaxed: "Then what should we do? There are entertainment reporters all outside the restaurant. If we don't think of a way, we won't be able to get away tonight."

Zhang Jingyi asked, "Is Xiao Chen alright over there by himself?"

Li Ran chuckled and said, "The solutions were all come up with by Xiao Chen and the others, so don't worry."

He had only recently learned that Xiao Chen and his driver were both people his mother had found, and that they were both retired soldiers.

This is for his safety, since some sasaeng fans are capable of doing all sorts of crazy things.

At first, he thought that Xiao Chen was just an undercover agent arranged by his mother.

……

The elevator goes directly to the top floor, and when the door opens, there is a spacious entryway.

Li Ran entered the password and pushed open the door.

Zhang Ruonan walked in, and then froze.

A full-length window faces the Huangpu River.

Across the river, Lujiazui is ablaze with lights. The Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, and Shanghai World Financial Center gleam in the night, their lights reflected on the river's surface. Cruise ships glide by slowly, leaving long trails of light in their wake.

She slowly walked to the window, gazing at the magnificent cityscape, and couldn't help but exclaim, "This is so beautiful..."

Zhang Jingyi walked to her side and said softly, "The view of the river at night from here is indeed beautiful."

Zhang Ruonan nodded, her gaze still lingering on the view outside the window.

Then she looked down and saw the carpet under her feet.

It was a hand-woven rug with a very nice texture, but there was a noticeable tear in the middle, as if it had been cut by something, and the edges were not very neat.

She asked in confusion, "Li Ran, what's wrong with this carpet? The house is so expensive, why is there such a tattered one?"

Li Ran was sitting on the sofa ordering takeout when he heard this. He looked up, smiled, and didn't explain.

Zhang Jingyi's face flushed slightly.

Those were traces left behind when they came last time...

She quickly changed the subject: "Sister Ruonan, why are you concerned about this? Let me take a couple of pictures for you!"

Zhang Ruonan nodded: "Okay."

She thought for a moment, and considering it was Li Ran's home after all, she politely asked, "Is that alright?"

Li Ran waved his hand casually: "Take pictures all you want, we don't usually live in this house anyway."

"Even if you want to post on Weibo and create a CP (couple pairing) with me, your fans won't be able to figure out where this is."

Zhang Ruonan glared at him. Why is Li Ran saying all sorts of things now?

"Who wants to create a romantic pairing with you?"

After saying that, she pulled Zhang Jingyi to take pictures.

Li Ran watched their retreating figures, a slight smile curving his lips.

For some reason, after getting to know Zhang Ruonan, he always wanted to tease her.

Zhang Ruonan was no longer as cautious as when they first met, and she liked to tease him at the drop of a hat.

The takeout has arrived.

The three of them hadn't eaten much all day, and they weren't in the mood to eat at the restaurant either; they were already stuffed.

They ate and chatted, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed than when they were in a restaurant.

Zhang Jingyi was eating while scrolling through Weibo.

She noticed that the negative headlines about Li Ran had decreased significantly.

Several public accounts that spread rumors were shut down, and the overwhelming criticism in the comments section gradually subsided.

However, the trending topic "Li Ran's multiple love triangles" is still on the list.

However, the tone of the comments section shifted.

With fewer online trolls stirring up trouble, many netizens have begun to approach the story more rationally.

CP fans are even more active, trying their best to prove their favorite CP.

Interestingly, the pairing of Tian Xiwei and Li Ran, known as "Burning Passion and Smiling Faces," had been consistently at the top of the original CP (couple) rankings.

But tonight, the scene of Li Ran leaving hand in hand with Zhang Jingyi caused a collective frenzy among the "Xinyi for Ran" CP fans, and the data soared, directly overtaking them to the top of the list.

Zhang Ruonan was also observing the trend of public opinion.

The more she looked, the more confused she became, and she couldn't help but ask, "Li Ran, weren't you already confirmed to be a couple? Why are netizens shipping you again?"

Li Ran smiled and said, "You're the one who's been confirmed as a concubine in the cold palace."

Zhang Ruonan ignored his teasing and continued to press, "But they've all exposed your relationships with Zhang Jingyi and the others! A total of six people!"

Suddenly realizing something, she quickly shook her head: "I don't count, that's pure fabrication. It should be Wang Churan."

Li Ran said helplessly, "The way you put it, it's like I really want to create a CP (couple pairing) with you."

He paused, then added, "But when we were filming 'Since This Love Has Disappeared,' we really had to create a CP (couple pairing) image."

Zhang Jingyi asked in confusion, "Brother Li Ran, is Sister Ruonan right?"

"Why are netizens suddenly shipping you as a couple? Weren't they just discussing your private life?"

Li Ran looked at Zhang Ruonan and asked, "Zhang Ruonan, why do you think that these revelations have ruined my career?"

Zhang Ruonan said matter-of-factly, "It's all confirmed! Besides me, the other five people who leaked this information are all connected to you. Isn't that right?"

Zhang Jingyi frowned, seemingly lost in thought.

Li Ran shook his head and smiled: "You think my reputation has collapsed because you already know it's true."

He paused for a moment: "What if you don't know? Take another look at these revelations."

Zhang Ruonan lowered her head and began to think.

She re-examined those so-called "solid evidence".

The part about herself consists of some scenes with others, all of which have Zhang Jingyi cropped out.

Hu Lianxin's revelations are even more outrageous, consisting of only a timeline of signing with Wajijiwa Entertainment, without any interaction with Li Ran.

Tian Xiwei, Zhou Ye, and Zhang Jingyi were all publicly rumored to be Li Ran's girlfriends. Those who followed Li Ran before know this, so this is just bringing up old news again.

The photos of Liu Haocun and Li Ran, taken by the crew, show them behaving intimately, but what does that prove?

Isn't it normal for the male and female leads to have a good relationship?

Zhang Ruonan looked up: "Then the overwhelmingly one-sided comments above..."

"They're all paid trolls," Li Ran said calmly.

He explained in detail: "Actually, these revelations from our rivals wouldn't have caused such a big sensation. It was I who took Jingyi's hand and opened up the traffic opportunity."

He ate his food calmly: "At that time, I had a lot of followers and fans who paid attention to me. Their revelations just happened to capture this traffic opportunity. Then, by hiring some online trolls to guide the narrative, it turned out like this."

Zhang Jingyi asked, "So that's why you asked your uncle to ask CEO Cao from Weibo for help?"

Li Ran nodded: "Clean up the negative announcements and the paid trolls in the comments section. Fans and casual observers who take a rational look at the exposés will realize that there's nothing substantial about them."

He chuckled. "As for those brainless haters, they're all brainless anyway, why bother with them?"

Zhang Ruonan looked at him with a strange expression.

"Li Ran, what's wrong with your head? Shouldn't a normal person panic in this kind of situation?"

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, "The thing is, I'm not an ordinary person either!"

He paused, a hint of smugness in his voice: "To me, it's just a slightly dirty hem."

Zhang Jingyi slapped him: "Brother, stop being so cocky, you're practically drooling."

She then asked, "So what do we do now?"

Li Ran's smile faded: "Let's let things develop for a couple of days. I'll go back to the capital tomorrow and discuss it with my aunt."

……

It was past 2 a.m. when I finished my takeout.

All three of them were extremely tired.

Zhang Jingyi did not choose to sleep with Li Ran, but went to the guest room with Zhang Ruonan instead.

Zhang Ruonan lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and suddenly asked softly, "Jingyi, are you really not bothered?"

Zhang Jingyi turned to the side and looked at her: "What do you mind?"

"Like Li Ran..."

Zhang Ruonan carefully considered the words: "fickle."

Zhang Jingyi remained silent for a while.

Then she whispered, "Sister Ruonan, I've liked him for a long time."

"It started in high school."

Her voice was soft, as if she were telling a story from a long time ago: "Back then, I just thought, as long as I could be closer to him, that would be enough."

"I'm already very content to be by his side now."

Zhang Ruonan opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Forget it.

Feelings are something outsiders can't really understand.

Noon the next day.

Li Ran woke up groggily and walked to the living room wearing only a pair of shorts.

He scratched his head, his eyes not fully open yet.

Zhang Ruonan was sitting on the sofa scrolling through her phone when she saw him come out. She instinctively exclaimed, "Hey! Li Ran, why aren't you dressed?"

Li Ran looked down at himself and realized that he was indeed shirtless, but his lower body was properly covered by a pair of shorts.

He casually remarked, "Isn't he wearing just a pair of shorts?"

Zhang Ruonan glared at him: "Didn't you know there were girls around? Jingyi is your girlfriend, but I'm not."

Li Ran pouted: "You seem to be enjoying watching this quite a bit, don't you?"

He paused, then joked, "We're all actors, don't tell me you've never seen a male actor show off his abs."

"Don't worry, your brother won't charge you. You're not happy about seeing him for free?"

Zhang Ruonan blushed at his words: "Who cares about your two ounces of flesh? You look like a skinny rib."

"Don't worry, your brother won't charge you. You're not happy about seeing him for free?"

Zhang Ruonan blushed at his words: "Who cares about your two ounces of flesh? You look like a skinny rib."

She stood up, ignored him, and went to the kitchen to complain to Zhang Jingyi.

Soon, Zhang Jingyi came out.

She was wearing an apron, her hands still wet. Seeing Li Ran like that, she said helplessly, "Brother Li Ran, why don't you go back inside and put on some clothes?"

Li Ran glanced at Zhang Ruonan, who was peeking out and chuckling behind Zhang Jingyi, nodded, and turned to go back to the bedroom.

Zhang Jingyi watched his retreating figure and smiled softly.

Zhang Ruonan poked her head out from the kitchen: "Jingyi, why do you spoil him so much?"

Zhang Jingyi turned around: "I'm used to it."

She paused for a moment and then explained, "And he's always like this at home, and he was like this when he was playing professionally."

"If you go online and look for his former teammates' live stream replays, you'll see a lot of them with him shirtless, holding a bottle of Coke, standing in the live stream, or walking around."

She laughed as soon as she finished speaking.

"There are also some clips from his old live streams, they're hilarious. I'll find a compilation of his most memorable moments for you to watch sometime."

Zhang Ruonan pouted, "I'm not watching. You can watch it secretly under the covers yourself!"

Zhang Jingyi said calmly, "Now I don't have to hide under the covers to watch anymore, I can watch openly."

"I used to secretly watch his live streams under the covers a lot, but he rarely streams anymore. I even sent him gifts!"

Looking at her hopeless expression, Zhang Ruonan shook her head and reminded her, "The food is going to burn..."