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

At the dining table, Li Ran held chopsticks in one hand and swiped his phone screen with the other.

His relationship rumors are still trending on Weibo, and the buzz is only getting stronger.

After a night of fermentation, the discussion intensified, but the tone of the comments section quietly changed.

Negative comments are gradually decreasing, and netizens are debating more about which couple is actually real.

Fans of "Burning Passion and Smiling Faces" posted various pieces of evidence showing the two of them together, while fans of "Heartfelt Love" countered with photos of them holding hands from last night, and fans of "Burning Heart" released a video secretly filmed by the crew.

The three sides were locked in a fierce battle, and the comment section was as lively as if it were Chinese New Year.

Of course, a few extreme netizens are still fixated on the "cheating" accusation, and some have even spread rumors that he was throwing a party.

When Li Ran saw this, he couldn't help but sneer.

Throwing a party? He'd like to.

But which of the girls would agree?

He continued scrolling down. After a night of public opinion reshuffling, Zhang Ruonan and Hu Lianxin had become quite silent.

Their names were mentioned less and less in the discussions, and they became the first contestants to withdraw from this "contest for the first wife".

To Li Ran's surprise, the first to show signs of decline was not Liu Haocun, who came later.

It was Zhou Ye.

It's possible that the two haven't appeared together in public since "The Dragon Boys".

At yesterday's Weibo Night, Liu Hao had a heart on the autograph wall, Zhang Jingyi had solid evidence of leaving hand in hand, but what about Zhou Ye? He got nothing.

The "Wildfire" pairing has become the weakest party.

Liu Haocun's "Cunxin Randong" has emerged as a dark horse, directly surpassing Tian Xiwei's "Ranqing Weixiao" in popularity, and is now fiercely competing with Zhang Jingyi's "Xinyi Weiran".

Li Ran pursed her lips and put down her phone.

Cunzi must have bought marketing accounts; he came up with a CP name overnight, which is obviously abnormal.

And then there was the live stream promoting "So Cute Me" that day, the morning's trending topics, and Tian Xiwei's overly calm reaction, which he also felt was problematic.

Xiaotian must have secretly bought marketing accounts as well.

Seeing him put down his phone, Zhang Jingyi asked softly, "Brother, when are you coming back to Beijing?"

"The flight departs at 4 PM."

Li Ran added, "I have to go to the company for a meeting tonight."

He paused, looked at the two of them, and asked, "Are you two going back to the capital?"

Zhang Jingyi shook her head and explained, "I'm not going back now. If we go back together and get photographed, it'll only make things more chaotic."

She glanced at Zhang Ruonan: "Ruonan and I are going to Shanghai for two days to relax before filming starts on 'Snowy Mountain'."

Zhang Ruonan also looked at Li Ran and said, "Jingyi and I will be staying here for the next few days."

Li Ran looked at her with a half-smile and calmly said, "You're quite impolite."

Zhang Ruonan pursed her lips and said matter-of-factly, "Jingyi is your girlfriend, what's wrong with her staying for a couple of days?"

Li Ran didn't speak, he just looked at her, his eyes full of questions... And what about you?

Zhang Ruonan felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, coughed lightly, and slowly said, "I'm Jingyi's best friend, is it not okay for me to stay here?"

She paused, then became self-righteous: "Besides, I've been your rumored girlfriend for a while now, consider this compensation!"

Li Ran chuckled, his tone somewhat speechless, and said, "Sis, let's just say this rumor hasn't even lasted a day."

"Besides, you're just a nobody now, and you're getting a free ride by having a scandal with me, okay?"

He paused, then added, "Don't think I didn't see your Weibo posts; you gained over 500,000 followers in one night."

Zhang Ruonan snorted, her expression somewhat arrogant: "That's not your doing, it's because my memes went viral."

Li Ran smiled helplessly: "If you want to stay, then stay, Your Highness in the Cold Palace."

Zhang Jingyi placed a piece of food on Li Ran's plate: "Alright, brother, stop teasing Ruonan. I asked her to come with me."

Zhang Ruonan smiled at her: "My best friend is still the best to me, unlike some womanizing bastard, she's disgusting to look at."

Li Ran glanced at her but didn't say anything.

I hope you can keep looking at me because I feel disgusted.

The last pair of best friends were Coconut and Hu Lianxin...

……

At 4 p.m., Li Ran and his assistant Xiao Chen boarded a flight back to Beijing at Shanghai International Airport.

The driver was left with Zhang Jingyi and Zhang Ruonan, so that it would be more convenient for them to travel.

Also, the topic is still trending, and it would be troublesome if they were harassed by reporters. With a bodyguard around, Li Ran would feel more at ease when the two of them go out.

At 7 p.m., Li Ran arrived at Wajijiwa headquarters.

He didn't go home; his PR team and aunt were already waiting for him.

Li Ran was slightly taken aback when he pushed open the door to Long Danni's office.

Long Danni was lecturing Tian Xiwei in a serious tone.

Tian Xiwei sat on the sofa with her head down, like a schoolchild being scolded. Wang Churan sat beside her, as quiet as a quail.

When Long Danni saw Li Ran come in, she glared at Tian Xiwei one last time: "Give your Weibo management to the team, so you won't post any more nonsense."

Tian Xiwei responded sullenly, "Okay, Auntie, I'll use a secondary account to curse next time."

Long Danni sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation: "Even a smaller one won't work."

She turned her head and saw Li Ran still standing at the door. She was furious and grabbed the folder on the table, throwing it at him.

Li Ran reacted extremely quickly and caught it steadily.

He walked in with an awkward smile: "What's wrong now, Auntie? Why are you so angry?"

He walked in with an awkward smile: "What's wrong now, Auntie? Why are you so angry?"

"What else? I learned it from you, posting on Weibo like it's my WeChat Moments!"

Long Danni then looked at Tian Xiwei: "Xiao Tian, ​​tell me yourself what you did?"

Li Ran looked at Tian Xiwei with a puzzled expression.

Before boarding the plane, I was sending WeChat messages and everything was fine, wasn't it?

Tian Xiwei laughed awkwardly and explained in a low voice, "I just... had a little online argument with a hater on Weibo."

Long Danni gave her an annoyed look: "You call that arguing? That's just swearing!"

She got angrier and angrier as she spoke: "What time is it now? Li Ran's matter hasn't been resolved yet, and you're already cursing people on Weibo."

"You're a celebrity, don't you know that? Don't you know how many people are watching your every word and action?"

Tian Xiwei immediately stood up, grabbed Long Danni's arm, and said coquettishly, "Auntie, I know I was wrong, please don't be angry..."

She blinked: "If you want to scold someone, scold Li Ran. You've been scolding me for ages."

Li Ran looked at her in disbelief.

Is this some kind of nonsense?

Long Danni was amused by her and reached out to poke her forehead.

Then she turned to Li Ran, unleashing her full force: "And you! What's going on with Liu Haocun? She's Zhang Yimou's artist. I can't control her, but surely I can control you?"

Li Ran scratched his head: "Let's just create a CP (couple pairing) to maintain the hype."

"The movie 'A Little Red Flower' has already finished its run in theaters, why are you trying to create this CP (couple pairing) for me?"

Long Danni glared at him and continued, "What about Zhang Jingyi? Li Ran, you've really gotten bold these days! Last time you brought her home to show off secretly, and now you're showing her off openly in front of the media."

"Don't you know you're a top star right now?"

The last sentence was almost shouted out.

She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and slowly said, "You will also hand over the management of your Weibo account to the team. Also, for future large-scale galas, you must stay with the team and are not allowed to act alone."

Li Ran nodded.

He didn't care, since the team would ultimately listen to him anyway.

Long Danni said she was tired, picked up her cup to drink water, and found it was empty.

Tian Xiwei immediately took it: "Auntie, let me take it for you."

Li Ran looked at Wang Churan beside her and asked in a low voice, "What did you do again?"

Wang Churan shook his head, looking innocent: "I didn't do anything, I just came to take a look."

Upon hearing this, Long Danni said, "You should also hand over control of your Weibo account."

"Also, watch your facial expressions. How many times did you roll your eyes in the break room yesterday? The team has already reported it to me."

Wang Churan pursed her lips and said pitifully, "Okay, Auntie."

Li Ran looked at her in surprise.

Why are you calling her "Auntie" now?

Long Danni took the water glass from Xiaotian, took a sip, and looked at Li Ran: "Alright, come with me to the conference room for a meeting. You two stay here quietly."

……

The public relations team was already in place in the conference room.

This is the team that Long Danni poached from Yang Tianzhen at great expense after listening to Li Ran's advice last time.

The leader was a woman in her early thirties, capable and efficient, clearly a professional.

Long Danni sat down in the main seat and got straight to the point: "Tell me the situation first."

The woman in charge stood up and walked to the projection screen: "The negative public opinion has now been reduced to a minimum. We have notified the major fans to stop spreading rumors."

She analyzed the development and causes of the incident in detail, which was similar to what Li Ran had told Zhang Jingyi and the other person before. Indeed, someone was taking advantage of the trending topic to cause trouble.

Long Danni asked, "What's the solution?"

"There's no need for a direct response now; just let the hype die down naturally."

The woman continued to explain, "The situation is completely under control, and it's also beneficial for Tian Xiwei under our management."

She paused, some words left unsaid.

Of course, the biggest beneficiary is Zhang Jingyi of Dong Shen.

However, as Li Ran's public relations team, they were aware of his private life.

Long Danni then asked, "Is there a way to dissipate it quickly?"

"Yes! When a bigger scandal emerges, the scandal will naturally spread."

"We can contact paparazzi to buy some dirt on them, but the premise is that the scoop has to be big enough."

She then changed the subject and offered advice: "However, it's not worth it."

"Li Ran is not negatively affected at present. On the contrary, he continues to be exposed. Data shows that his search index is twice as high as Xiao Zhan, who just won the Weibo King title."

She switched to the data page: "Li Ran is the biggest beneficiary of this Weibo Night event; her fan count will surpass 6000 million tonight."

"And his fan base is very comprehensive..."

"Forty percent are pure esports fans, and thirty percent are esports fans who have become true fans. This group of fans is very loyal and completely unaffected."

"The remaining 30% consists of new fans, CP fans, some extreme fans, and anti-fans. This incident can be used to solidify this group of fans and also to weed out some extreme fans."

After listening, Long Danni remained silent for a few seconds.

Then she shook her head and offered her advice: "We should minimize the impact of this incident as soon as possible."

The woman nodded: "Okay, then we'll contact the paparazzi right away..."

"No."

Li Ran suddenly spoke.

Everyone looked at him.

Long Danni frowned: "Li Ran, it's better to eliminate the hidden dangers as soon as possible; the situation is changing too fast."

Li Ran smiled and nodded gently, saying, "Auntie, I understand your concerns."

"But what I mean is... we don't need to contact the paparazzi anymore."

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Everyone looked at Li Ran.

Long Danni leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers lightly on the table, her gaze scrutinizing.

"What kind of juicy gossip could you possibly have?" she asked softly.

Li Ran smiled, leaned back in his chair, and relaxed as if he were having a casual chat.

"I heard it from other celebrities at the Weibo Night event."

He started with a preamble, then slowly began, "The Canadian among the four returned overseas students has a habit of throwing parties in large groups..."

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze for a second.

The head of the public relations team, a capable woman in her early thirties, remained silent for a moment after listening.

Her brow furrowed slightly, and she swiped her fingers across the tablet a few times, as if searching for something.

"His private life is indeed chaotic."

She raised her head and slowly said, "This isn't a secret in the industry. It's been reported before, but he has people from the Beijing circle backing him. If it were some ambiguous issues, he could have easily kept his job."

The supervisor's eyes lit up slightly.

She quickly jotted down the name on her tablet, then looked up with a slight smile: "Whether it's solid evidence or not, once his scandal breaks, your story will quickly be diverted, and the hype will naturally die down."

She paused, then her smile deepened: "Of course, solid evidence would be even better! That way, we can also get a share of his resources in the fashion industry; he does have quite a few resources there."

Long Danni was silent for a few seconds, then tapped the table.

"Then contact that blogger as soon as possible."

She made the final decision.

The soft sound of keyboards clicking could be heard in the conference room; some people were taking notes, while others were looking up information.

Long Danni picked up her teacup, took a sip, glanced at everyone present, and then changed the subject: "Alright, now let's talk about Tian Xiwei."

The supervisor immediately retrieved another set of data.

"Tian Xiwei's matter is much smaller than Li Ran's."

"The main audience consists of fans of Li Ran and Tian Xiwei, plus a small number of fans who ship Li Ran with other people."

She paused, her tone carrying a subtle undertone: "Now that Tian Xiwei is confronting the haters for Li Ran's sake, it has actually solidified her and Li Ran's CP fans even more."

"It's fair to say it's... a mixed bag."

Long Danni sneered and emphasized, "But as an artist, if she swears, it will ultimately have a negative impact, which is something we don't want to see."

"The swearing is a fact; it has already happened, and there's no way to change it," the supervisor admitted.

Long Danni looked at her, her gaze sharp: "I know that, what I need is a solution."

The supervisor nodded, clearly prepared, and slowly said, "Establish a persona."

She opened the document in front of her and added, "Tian Xiwei's personality is one of being passionate and decisive in love and hate."

"This incident is a good opportunity to steer the discussion in this direction. We will contact some marketing accounts to promote this message."

She paused for a moment, then explained the drawbacks, impacts, and subsequent developments.

"However, similar problems must not occur again in the future. Even if it's about building a persona, too much of a good thing can be bad. If it happens too often, it will make the public resentful."

Long Danni nodded, which was considered as her approval of the plan.

"Your team will take over the management of her Weibo account from now on."

She thought for a moment and then added, "Oh, right, and Wang Churan and Hu Lianxin's as well, you can manage them as well."

After she finished speaking, she turned to look at Li Ran.

Li Ran was looking down, seemingly lost in thought, when he noticed the gaze and looked up to meet Long Danni's eyes.

He gave a helpless wry smile: "Auntie, I understand. I'll hand over my Weibo account to my team to manage."

Long Danni looked at him with a complex mix of emotions in her eyes—helplessness, weariness, and a touch of indulgence.

"Alright!" she waved her hand.

"That's enough for today. Go do what you need to do. Deal with Li Ran's matter as soon as possible."

People in the conference room gradually stood up.

……

At 11 p.m., the car slowly drove into the residential area.

The three of them went upstairs from the basement. As soon as Li Ran opened the door to his apartment, Ta Xue rushed over, circling around his feet, its tail wagging like a little motor.

Li Ran bent down and scooped it up, then rubbed its ears.

Tian Xiwei changed her shoes, slumped onto the sofa, and asked Li Ran, "Are you hungry?"

Li Ran nodded: "Let's order takeout, it's too late."

"How's the barbecue?"

"Can."

Tian Xiwei looked at Wang Churan: "And you?"

"I'm fine with anything!" Wang Churan said and sat down to the side, her gaze fixed on Li Ran.

That look in his eyes was so melancholy it could have brought tears to his eyes.

Li Ran was puzzled by her gaze: "Why are you staring at me like that? Have I gotten any more handsome?"

Wang Churan rolled her eyes, somewhat speechless.

Li Ran chuckled and reminded her, "Your aunt just told you to be careful about your facial expressions."

Wang Churan immediately swallowed back the eye roll, pouted, and looked even more aggrieved.

She got up and sat closer to Li Ran, leaning against him. Looking up at him, she hesitated for a moment before asking, "Why is Zhang Ruonan in your scandals, but not me?"

Li Ran was stunned for a moment.

Wang Churan continued her accusations: "Little Fox signed with Wajijiwa, and so did I! She's never been in any scenes with you, but what about me? I even went to buy Ta Xue with you!"

She became increasingly aggrieved as she spoke, her mouth agape: "And what happened? Netizens dug up six people: Zhou Ye, Tian Xiwei, Zhang Jingyi, Liu Haocun, Hu Lianxin, and Zhang Ruonan... but not me!"

"You're juggling multiple relationships, while I, the real one, have no official status..."

Wang Churan's fan club name is Chuanchuan.

Li Ran smiled helplessly.

So that's why. It turns out they can get jealous over something like that.

"No, what's so great about this?" he asked Wang Churan.

Wang Churan said matter-of-factly, "Of course it's a good thing! They've all gained more followers, more or less."

As she spoke, a hint of grievance crept into her voice.

"And me? I attended a Weibo Night event, and instead of gaining followers, I lost several thousand..."

Li Ran almost burst out laughing.

He knew the reason, of course. It wasn't because Wang Churan wasn't famous enough, but because of that eye roll he got in the rest area.

"Didn't you lose fans because you rolled your eyes at Dilraba and got criticized?"

Wang Churan immediately retorted, "I didn't gossip about her! Didn't I post an explanation on Weibo later? I even personally apologized and explained to her."

This incident didn't attract much attention because Li Ran dominated the trending topics, with only a small number of Dilraba Dilmurat's fans relentlessly pursuing Wang Churan.

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, "I told you to watch your facial expressions. At a big event like Weibo Night, there are cameras everywhere!"

Wang Churan pouted: "Alright! I got it."

She knew this was a bit unreasonable, so she paused and changed the subject.

"Did that 'green tea b*tch' hire some marketing accounts? How come your CP (couple pairing) has become so popular overnight?"

Li Ran smiled but didn't explain.

Wang Churan had found the answer.

She then looked at Tian Xiwei: "Senior, did you buy one back then too?"

Her gaze was scrutinizing as she slowly added, "You know, the fanbase for the 'Plate' and 'My Darling' pairing was built up little by little. Your 'Burning Smile' suddenly overtook them; who would believe there wasn't something fishy going on?"

Tian Xiwei was ordering takeout. Without even looking up, she calmly replied, "Do you think I'm bored? Why would I buy all that stuff? Isn't it just a waste of money?"

"Really?" Wang Churan looked incredulous.

Seeing that Tian Xiwei was ignoring her, she added, "Also, why do I feel like you're doing this on purpose today?"

She remembered that when Li Ran was being attacked yesterday, Tian Xiwei was so nervous that she didn't dare to post anything on Weibo.

As soon as the situation started to take a turn for the better, she immediately went online and started arguing with her haters, showing no concern whatsoever about affecting the situation.

This big-eyed Stitch is really cunning.

And yesterday in the backstage dressing room, she clearly wanted to show off her jade bracelet, but she didn't expect Zhang Jingyi to discover the safety rope.

Tian Xiwei snorted coldly and glared at her.

Why would I lie to you? Think what you want.

Wang Churan spoke slowly, his tone sarcastic: "I wouldn't dare think that way."

"You are the Empress Dowager's chosen consort, while I am not even worthy of being a concubine in the Cold Palace."

While Wang Churan was criticizing Tian Xiwei, he didn't forget to also make fun of Zhang Ruonan.

Tian Xiwei glared at her angrily. What's wrong with this drama queen today? How dare she make sarcastic remarks to her?

"Wang Churan, do you want to start a fight?"

Wang Churan immediately shrank back, hiding behind Li Ran, her voice becoming soft and sweet: "I wouldn't dare argue with my sister, I'm counting on her to protect me..."

Seeing Wang Churan's dramatic performance, Li Ran couldn't help but cough and say, "Alright, if you keep making noise, go back to your own apartments."

Tian Xiwei snorted coldly, turned her head away, and ignored Wang Churan, starting to scroll through her phone.

Wang Churan snuggled closer to Li Ran, hugging his arm and pleading, "Your Majesty, tonight, would you please favor this little palace maid?"

Li Ran looked at her helplessly: "No, how come you're a palace maid again?"

Tian Xiwei glanced at her coldly and said nothing.

Wang Churan smiled bitterly, looked at Li Ran with a resentful expression, and slowly said, "Even Zhang Ruonan has been dubbed the 'Imperial Concubine of the Cold Palace' by netizens."

"What am I, someone who doesn't even deserve a name, if not a lowly palace maid?"

Looking at her bright face, which revealed a girlish expression, Li Ran smiled helplessly and nodded.

……

The night outside the window was already very deep.

The aroma of barbecue wafted through the living room.

The three of them sat around the coffee table, eating and chatting, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed than before.

Wang Churan took a bite of a skewer and suddenly asked, "By the way, Your Majesty, did the court meeting tonight produce any policies?"

Li Ran smiled. Wang Churan's lyrics were truly impressive, and only Cunzi could rival her.

You'll find out in a couple of days.

Wang Churan pouted: "So mysterious, fine, I know. The harem can't interfere in politics, let alone a lowly palace maid like me!"

Tian Xiwei glanced at him but didn't say anything.

……