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

The group walked in a large procession toward the supermarket at the village entrance.

Despite the description of it as a large group, there were actually only six people: Li Ran, Zhou Ye, Hu Lianxin, Meng Ziyi, Guo Qilin, and Lai Guanlin, who jogged over to join in the fun.

But in the quiet little mountain village of Taohuawu, six people walking together is already considered quite a large group.

The peach blossoms along the way were in full bloom, their pink and white petals drifting in the wind. A few playfully landed on Zhou Ye's hair, and Li Ran reached out to pick them off for her...

Guo Qilin, standing nearby, said sourly, "Oh my, this scene looks like it's from an idol drama."

Meng Ziyi rolled her eyes at him: "Stop being silly. Just don't rush to try the samples when we get to the supermarket."

"Was that a taste test? I was just helping you guys check it out!"

The group chatted and laughed, and soon arrived at the supermarket at the village entrance.

The supermarket is small, a converted farmhouse shop, but it has everything you need despite its small size.

A handwritten wooden sign hangs at the entrance, with the four characters "Peach Blossom Supermarket" written crookedly. The strokes are rough but have a touch of cuteness.

Upon entering, you'll find the vegetable section, where bamboo baskets are filled with vibrant green bok choy, crisp spinach, and fresh potatoes still covered in dirt.

Further inside is the meat and poultry section, where neatly arranged cut pork belly, ribs, and chicken wings are displayed in refrigerated cabinets.

The innermost section is the snack and beverage area, with shelves filled with various potato chips, drinks, and fast food products, clearly prepared specifically for the production team.

Zhou Ye had a clear goal and headed straight for the freezer containing frozen seafood.

She bent over, staring at the two boxes of shrimp inside, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she were making some important decision.

After looking at them for a while, she looked up at Li Ran and asked, "Which of these two brands of shrimp do you want?"

Li Ran walked over, glanced at it, and pointed to the box on her left: "Take that box of prawns."

He paused, then explained, "The shrimp on the right are sweet shrimp, which are suitable for blanching or steaming. If you want to make braised shrimp, prawns are more suitable, as they have firm meat and absorb flavor well."

Zhou Ye nodded, carefully picked up the box of prawns, and put it into the shopping cart.

Over there, Hu Lianxin stood in the vegetable section and called out to Li Ran, "Li Ran, which chili pepper should we use for the stir-fried pork with chili peppers?"

Li Ran turned his head and looked over: "Spiral peppers, I guess. They have a moderate spiciness and are best for stir-frying with meat."

He thought for a moment and added, "Give me a few more green peppers, I'll make you some stuffed green peppers tonight."

Hu Lianxin's eyes lit up, she nodded, and began to carefully select.

Meng Ziyi stood in the fresh meat section, staring at the row of pork belly with a puzzled look.

She looked up and asked loudly, "Do you want the pork belly fattier or leaner?"

Guo Qilin spoke first, with an expression that said, "I know the answer to this question": "Fat is good! Fat tastes better!"

Meng Ziyi rolled her eyes at him: "Did I ask you?"

Guo Qilin looked completely innocent: "I was just giving you some advice!"

Meng Ziyi ignored him and looked at Li Ran.

Li Ran smiled and said, "A good mix of lean and fatty meat will do. Too fatty or too thin, choose the kind with distinct layers."

Meng Ziyi nodded, bent down, and began to carefully select items, muttering to herself as she did so, "Clearly layered...clearly layered..."

Lai Kuan-lin stood aside, watching the bustling shopping scene, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Ran knows so much!"

Guo Qilin patted him on the shoulder: "So you need to learn this well, it'll be useful when you find a girlfriend in the future."

Lai Kuanlin nodded, but his gaze fell on Hu Lianxin, who was selecting chili peppers...

The group returned to Courtyard No. 8 carrying large and small bags.

Li Ran carried the ingredients into the kitchen, tied on an apron, and began his culinary show.

The kitchen is open-plan, with the stove facing the living room, and all the necessary pots, pans, and utensils are provided.

Li Ran stood in front of the cutting board, picked up a knife, and began to cut meat with deft movements. The rhythmic "thump-thump" sound of the blade hitting the cutting board rang out.

Hu Lianxin and Zhou Ye were washing vegetables by the pool, the water gurgling as they talked quietly, occasionally laughing out loud.

Meng Ziyi stood next to Li Ran, staring wide-eyed at his fluid swordsmanship.

She couldn't help but exclaim, "Li Ran, you graduated from New Oriental?"

Guo Qilin, who was lounging on the sofa eating sunflower seeds, immediately retorted, "If he's from New Oriental, aren't you one too?"

Meng Ziyi glared at him, hands on her hips: "Do you think I need to tell me! I don't know Li Ran is from the Beijing Film Academy?"

She paused, then became even angrier: "What, you look down on the Beijing Film Academy?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Qilin nearly jumped off the sofa.

He quickly waved his hands, shaking his head vigorously: "I didn't say that! Don't slander me! I'll sue you for defamation!"

He glanced guiltily into the kitchen...

Besides Li Ran, Zhou Ye is also there! Two from Beijing Film Academy, not to be trifled with.

Lai Kuanlin sat next to Guo Qilin, watching the confrontation with a blank expression.

He asked in a low voice, "Did Ran Ge graduate from the Beijing Film Academy? Isn't he an e-sports player?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Ziyi immediately perked up and began to explain with pride, "Little Lai, you didn't know this, did you!"

She pointed towards Li Ran: "Li Ran was the most handsome art student in 16! He even trended on social media back then! He and Xiao Ye were classmates!"

Lai Kuan-lin nodded in sudden realization.

Guo Qilin curled his lip and said sourly, "So what? They still didn't go, and they still couldn't graduate."

Li Ran was cooking when she heard this. She turned around and looked at him with disdain.

"Who said I can't graduate?"

He tossed the ladle around in his mouth: "Dude, I'm going to have my graduation photos retaken in a few days. I already got my diploma."

Guo Qilin was stunned, his face filled with disbelief: "If you're not a brother, you only went to school for half a year? You actually graduated?"

Li Ran turned the heat down and began to explain, "Missing class doesn't mean I failed my major."

While washing the vegetables, Zhou Ye added, "Li Ran retaken her professional courses last year, and her grades all reached the graduation level, even excellent."

Guo Qilin was completely speechless. He silently shrank back into the sofa and continued eating sunflower seeds.

Lai Guanlin then looked at Hu Lianxin, a hint of curiosity in his eyes: "Sister Lianxin, which school do you go to?"

Li Ran paused in his stir-frying.

He glanced at Lai Guanlin, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Something's off about this kid. Could he have fallen for Xiao Hu?

Hu Lianxin didn't even look up, and casually explained, "Like Brother Han, we're both from the Central Academy of Drama."

Lai Kuan-lin said "Oh" and didn't ask any further questions.

Li Ran looked away and continued cooking...

……

Around 1 p.m., Room 8 finally got to eat lunch.

Li Ran prepared four dishes: stir-fried pork with chili peppers, braised prawns, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and stir-fried seasonal vegetables.

Although there are seven people, they are all celebrities, which is enough...

Why save the braised pork for dinner?

At the dining table, seven people sat in a circle, and as soon as they started eating, the praises began to pour out.

"This stir-fried pork is amazing!"

Meng Ziyi exclaimed, "Li Ran, your skills are good enough to open a shop!"

While chewing on the stir-fried pork with chili peppers, Guo Qilin mumbled incoherently, "Mmm, it's even better than I expected. Li Ran, it looks like I'll have to rent an apartment in your neighborhood."

Hu Lianxin looked at Guo Qilin and said, "It just so happens that Coconut and I both live in that neighborhood. We can have a meal together sometime in the future."

Guo Qilin smiled and asked, "That's great! Are all the artists from Wajijiwa Entertainment in that neighborhood?"

Hu Lianxin nodded: "Yes, many of them are in that neighborhood."

Zhang Han slowly picked up a piece of green vegetable with his chopsticks, and after finishing it, he put down his chopsticks and sighed, "Having someone who can cook really makes a difference. I don't have to mooch meals anymore, and I don't have to eat Sister Meng's terrible cooking."

As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Ziyi exploded.

Her eyes widened, and she slammed her chopsticks on the table: "Zhang Han, what do you mean? Is what I cooked really that bad?"

Zhang Han realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly waved his hand, "I was wrong, I was wrong, Sister Meng. It's just that Li Ran's cooking is so good, it makes you look bad..."

He paused, not daring to finish his sentence.

Meng Ziyi snorted and turned her head away, ignoring him.

Then she looked at Li Ran, held out her bowl, and her tone instantly became soft and sweet: "Li Ran, could you get me two prawns? I can't reach them..."

Hu Lianxin, quick as a flash, picked up two of the largest shrimp from the plate and put them into Meng Ziyi's bowl: "Sister Meng, let me get you some."

His movements were fluid and graceful, and he wore a standard smile.

Meng Ziyi paused for a moment, looking at the shrimp in the bowl, then at Hu Lianxin, unsure of what to say.

Hu Lianxin put down her chopsticks, her face expressionless, but in her heart she was thinking: Your little tricks are not even as good as that little green tea Liu Haocun.

Zhou Ye glanced at Meng Ziyi and silently labeled her in his mind.

This "best friend" is suspicious!

Like Xiao Hu, he might be a "fan of the enemy".

Li Ran saw all of this, but just smiled and didn't say anything.

Lai Kuanlin then looked at Hu Lianxin with a hint of expectation on his face: "Sister Lianxin, could you get me two too?"

Hu Lianxin didn't even raise her head or glance at him, and continued eating her meal.

The situation became a little awkward for a moment.

Guo Qilin reacted the fastest, immediately reaching out with his chopsticks to pick up two shrimp for Lai Guanlin, smiling and smoothing things over: "Come on, let me get you some."

"What, you're an idol, letting a girl serve you food? Aren't you afraid of rumors?"

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Lai Kuan-lin's face for a moment.

This kid kept glancing at Xiao Hu in the supermarket, and now he's offering to serve him food... Something's not right.

They've got some nerve! They even dare to have designs on Li Ran's women…

Lai Kuan-lin took the shrimp, smiled awkwardly, and didn't say anything.

Hu Lianxin completely ignored the commotion and simply pushed her bowl toward Li Ran, saying, "Li Ran, please get me some vegetables."

Li Ran didn't say anything, but directly picked up a piece of stir-fried vegetables with his chopsticks and put it into her bowl.

The movements were natural, as if they had done it countless times.

Zhou Ye also held out his bowl, looking at Li Ran: "Give me some stir-fried pork with chili peppers."

Li Ran placed another chopstick on her plate.

Zhang Han sat opposite, quietly watching everything.

He looked at Li Ran, then at Zhou Ye, then at Hu Lianxin, and finally his gaze swept over Lai Guanlin.

Then he picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

This relationship is really complicated!

……