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

After filming the night scenes, it was already 11 p.m.

A few lights were still on on set, and staff were packing up equipment and moving props. The sounds of footsteps and whispers were particularly clear in the night.

The moon hung in the sky, its cool light shining on the eaves of the antique-style buildings, bathing the entire film set in a silvery-white glow.

Hu Lianxin has no scenes to film tomorrow morning, so she can go back to the hotel and get a good night's sleep.

She stretched, loosened her stiff shoulders, and waved to Zhou Ye: "See you tomorrow!"

Zhou Ye smiled and waved, "Okay, be careful on the road."

Hu Lianxin glanced at Li Ran, said nothing, and turned to walk towards the parking lot.

Li Ran stood still and looked at Lu Yuxiao, who was still standing to the side.

This girl has been in a low mood all evening; it seems it's still affecting her.

Li Ran noticed that she was a little distracted while filming, even though the assistant director didn't say anything.

She's usually so energetic on set, like a tireless little rabbit, but tonight she's unusually quiet.

"Aren't you going back to the hotel?" Li Ran asked her calmly.

Lu Yuxiao looked up at him and smiled faintly.

That smile was different from her usual simple smile; it was faint and shallow, as if it were forced out from the corner of her mouth.

She gently shook her head and slowly said, "I also have to get up early tomorrow to do my makeup and hair; going back to the hotel is too much trouble."

She turned to Zhou Ye, her eyes filled with a tentative plea: "Sister Zhou Ye, may I bother you for the night?"

Zhou Ye frowned slightly.

She remembered that Lu Yuxiao had been shuttling between the hotel and the film crew these past few days, having to get up before dawn every day to do her makeup, which was indeed quite exhausting.

Moreover, her personal assistant seemed unreliable; sometimes he wouldn't even bother to get her food at mealtimes.

But what truly made her agree was the fleeting... something that flashed in Lu Yuxiao's eyes.

She had seen that look before.

While on set of "The Young Dragon," she saw the same confusion and unease in her own eyes reflected in the mirror as Lu Yuxiao is now.

Zhou Ye nodded, giving a gentle smile: "No problem, my RV is big enough for the two of us."

She paused, then added, "Luckily, I have someone to keep me company tonight, so I don't have to be afraid."

Li Ran gave her a strange look.

Doesn't your assistant keep you company tonight?

Also, when did coconuts become so easy to talk to?

However, he didn't say anything. Since Coconut agreed, she must have her reasons.

Lu Yuxiao looked at Zhou Ye, her憨憨 (simple and honest) smile returning, as if a heavy burden had been lifted: "Thank you, Sister Zhou Ye!"

Zhou Ye took her arm and patted her hand with a smile: "You're welcome."

She turned to look at Li Ran: "Then let's go back to the RV to rest."

Li Ran nodded: "Good night, get some rest."

Zhou Ye hummed in agreement and took Lu Yuxiao's arm as they walked toward their RV.

Li Ran stood there for a while, shook his head, and turned back to his RV.

He probably guessed what it was.

Lu Yuxiao, despite being relatively unknown, is truly dedicated to her acting.

Despite working such a high-intensity, non-stop schedule the past few days, running back and forth between the hotel and the film crew, she didn't complain of being tired at all.

Her company is really unreliable; they only assigned her a personal assistant, who was a newbie and couldn't take good care of her at all.

But she never complained and always kept her head down, working hard to complete her tasks.

It must have been Xiao Hu's actions tonight that made her realize something.

She was a little distracted during filming, but luckily only the assistant director was watching her. If director Zhang Li had been there, she would definitely have been scolded.

Li Ran sighed and pushed open the RV door.

……

Inside Zhou Ye's RV, the lights were soft.

After washing up in the bathroom and changing into comfortable pajamas, she came out and saw Lu Yuxiao still sitting quietly on the sofa.

"You should go wash up too."

Zhou Ye looked at her and added, "There are disposable toothbrushes inside, and you can use mine for toiletries."

Lu Yuxiao looked up at her, revealing her signature憨憨 (simple and honest) smile: "Sister Zhou Ye, you're such a nice person."

Looking at her smiling face, Zhou Ye's heart suddenly softened.

Even though you have something on your mind, you have to pretend to be carefree.

She smiled gently: "Go quickly, wash up and get some rest, you have to film tomorrow morning."

Lu Yuxiao nodded and got up to walk towards the bathroom.

After taking a couple of steps, she suddenly turned back and looked at Zhou Ye: "Sister Zhou Ye."

"Um?"

"Thanks."

Zhou Ye paused for a moment, then smiled and waved his hand: "Go quickly, go quickly."

Lu Yuxiao then slipped into the bathroom and gently closed the door.

Zhou Ye leaned against the headboard, listening to the sound of water coming from the bathroom, and suddenly remembered when he first entered the industry.

Back then, she was a nobody, living alone in the film crew's hotel. She would get up before dawn every day to do her makeup and wouldn't finish filming until midnight.

There's no one around me I can confide in; I have to digest all my grievances and anxieties on my own.

She went to audition for "Better Days" all by herself, and thankfully her hard work was recognized. Sister Bing signed her to Hesong Entertainment, and now everything is going well...

But she still felt very wronged...

How much she wished Li Ran were by her side back then!

But he went to play professionally, for his so-called dream.

Zhou Ye didn't blame him at all, but he just felt a little wronged...

The sound of water stopped.

After a while, Lu Yuxiao came out, her hair still wet, her face refreshed after washing up.

Zhou Ye moved to the side and patted the bed: "Come on, you can sleep here."

Lu Yuxiao climbed onto the bed and lay down next to her.

The lights in the RV were off, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering in from the window.

In the darkness, Lu Yuxiao spoke softly, "Sister Zhou Ye, are you and Li Ran... really together?"

Zhou Ye remained silent for a second.

Then she softly hummed in agreement.

Lu Yuxiao didn't say anything more.

A long time passed, so long that Zhou Ye thought she had fallen asleep, when suddenly he heard a very soft murmur in his ear: "That's nice."

Zhou Ye turned his head to look at the quiet profile next to him.

The moonlight shone on her face, her eyelashes drooping gently, as if she were asleep.

The RV was extremely quiet, with only the occasional sound of the night wind coming through the window.

Zhou Ye lay on his side with his eyes closed, preparing to fall asleep.

A few minutes later, she suddenly wanted to check if Lu Yuxiao next to her was asleep.

She turned her head slightly... and then froze.

Lu Yuxiao was silently shedding tears, trying her best to hold them back and not let them fall out.

Her lips were pressed tightly together, and tears silently slid down from the corners of her eyes, already soaking the pillow.

Zhou Ye sighed.

"Why are you crying?" Her voice was very soft.

Lu Yuxiao was discovered. She frantically reached out to wipe away her tears, her voice choked with sobs, "I'm...I'm sorry, Sister Zhou Ye...I dirtied your pillow..."

Looking at her flustered and self-reproachful appearance, Zhou Ye's heart suddenly softened.

"It's okay," she said softly.

After thinking for a moment, she reached out and wiped away the tears on Lu Yuxiao's face.

"Do you like Li Ran?" she asked.

Lu Yuxiao remained silent for a few seconds, her eyes still glistening with tears, but her gaze was very serious.

She nodded: "I don't know if this counts as liking someone..."

Zhou Ye asked, "Have you ever been in a relationship?"

Lu Yuxiao shook her head: "No. But... I've had feelings for someone."

She paused, looked at Zhou Ye, and suddenly asked, "When did you get together with Li Ran?"

Zhou Ye didn't hide anything: "When I was studying at the Beijing Film Academy."

Lu Yuxiao continued, "So, all the rumors about Li Ran online are true?"

Zhou Ye shook his head: "Some are real, and some are fake."

Lu Yuxiao did not ask which parts were true and which were false.

She already knew the answer she wanted.

Zhou Ye looked at her, thought for a moment, and asked, "Do you still like Li Ran now?"

Lu Yuxiao remained silent for a while.

"have no idea……"

Her voice was very soft, "But right now I just really want to cry..."

As soon as she finished speaking, tears welled up in her eyes again. She pressed her lips tightly together, trying her best to hold back, but the tears still flowed uncontrollably.

Then she suddenly reached out and hugged Zhou Ye tightly.

"Sister Zhou Ye..." She buried her face in Zhou Ye's shoulder, her voice choked with sobs, "Does this count as heartbreak before even starting a relationship?"

Zhou Ye was stunned for a moment when she hugged him.

She didn't know how to answer that question.

What is Li Ran's attitude towards Lu Yuxiao now? Is it liking her, or just playing around? She wasn't sure either.

She reached out and gently patted Lu Yuxiao's back, as if coaxing a child: "Li Ran is a scumbag, you don't need to be like this, there are plenty of good men out there."

Lu Yuxiao lifted her head from her shoulder, looking at her with teary eyes: "But he's so good to me... Doesn't he like me?"

Zhou Ye was speechless.

Who asks someone else's girlfriend if her boyfriend likes her?

But looking at Lu Yuxiao's face, which was filled with grievance and confusion, she couldn't bring herself to be angry.

"Li Ran is kind to everyone."

She explained, "His kindness to you doesn't mean he likes you; it just means he's... a good person."

Lu Yuxiao blinked, tears still clinging to her eyelashes: "Is that so?"

Zhou Ye nodded and gave an example: "Look, Li Ran is good to Zhang Ruonan and Sister Meng too. Didn't he film videos with you guys?"

Lu Yuxiao thought for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully: "It seems so..."

Suddenly, she thought of something and looked at Zhou Ye: "Sister Zhou Ye, aren't you jealous of Li Ran like this?"

Zhou Ye was stunned for a moment.

Jealous?

She thought for a moment, then slowly said, "I'm used to it..."

At first, she was indeed jealous.

Seeing Li Ran and Tian Xiwei getting close on set made me feel a little jealous.

But later, I got used to it.

Now, most of the time, her jealous behavior is just a way of wanting Li Ran to pay more attention to her.

If she were truly jealous, she would have drowned in a vinegar jar long ago.

Lu Yuxiao looked at her with a mixture of curiosity, inquiry, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Sister Zhou Ye, can you tell me your story with Li Ran?"

Seeing that she had calmed down, Zhou Ye smiled and said, "Alright, I'll tell you later when I have time. Go to sleep now, you have to film tomorrow morning."

Lu Yuxiao nodded: "Okay then... You must tell me when you have time in the future."

"Okay, I'll tell you when I have time."

Lu Yuxiao lay back down, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and looked at Zhou Ye: "Goodnight, Sister Zhou Ye."

Lu Yuxiao lay back down, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and looked at Zhou Ye: "Goodnight, Sister Zhou Ye."

"Good night."

……

Lu Yuxiao closed her eyes, but she didn't fall asleep.

In my mind, those fragmented pieces of information began to slowly come together.

Zhou Ye only mentioned Meng Ziyi and Zhang Ruonan.

This means that, like herself, the two of them... are not Li Ran's girlfriends.

So, who is it?

She started making a list in her mind.

Zhou Ye... she admitted it herself.

Hu Lianxin... rested her head on Li Ran's lap during dinner, and Zhou Ye saw her but didn't react.

Given Zhou Ye's personality, how could it be possible if he wasn't used to it?

Zhang Jingyi... The person Li Ran held hands with at the Weibo Night event is known to the entire internet, so this must be true.

As for Tian Xiwei and Wang Churan, whom Zhou Ye didn't mention earlier, they are both artists under Wajijiwa Entertainment, having signed with them after Li Ran, so it's highly likely they are also...

Five now.

There's also Liu Haocun, the two of whom collaborated on "A Little Red Flower for You," but this is still uncertain.

She recalled what happened on the day of the audition... Zhou Ye and Hu Lianxin teamed up to beat up Li Gengxi.

At the time, she thought it was just that the two of them had bad tempers, but now she thinks they were probably together.

Zhang Ruonan is Zhang Jingyi's friend and has no relation to Li Ran.

So, Li Ran's romantic storyline is like this...

Zhou Ye was his first love. Just as netizens guessed, they may have broken up, but they've gotten back together now.

Zhang Jingyi is his ideal woman...

……

Lu Yuxiao opened her eyes and looked at the roof of the car.

She suddenly found it a little funny.

I haven't even been in a relationship yet, but I've already experienced heartbreak.

No, to be precise, it was over before it even began.

She sighed softly, closed her eyes again, and thought, "Why think so much?"

Just like Zhou Ye said, there are plenty of good men out there, why shed tears for a scumbag!

Time for bed, I have to film tomorrow!

But as soon as she closed her eyes, Li Ran's face would appear in her mind, making her so upset that she couldn't sleep...