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

Li Ran leaned back in his seat and decided to play dead.

My cousin snorted, turned back to watching her tablet, and muttered, "She's a celebrity now, but she's still the same as when she was a kid..."

Li Ran chuckled sheepishly, "Sis, I was wrong. By the way, what magazine are we shooting for tomorrow?"

My cousin didn't turn her head, continuing to stare at the tablet, and slowly said, "Men's Fashion."

Li Ran nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

His cousin, Long Ying, is now called his personal assistant, but she has actually taken over the work of his manager a long time ago.

Long Danni has too many things to deal with, and a bunch of artists under her management, so it's impossible to keep an eye on him every day.

So she oversaw the overall direction, while the specific coordination, itinerary arrangements, and resource selection all fell to Long Ying.

To put it bluntly, they are just using the title of personal assistant but doing the work of an agent.

The car moved slowly through the traffic.

Li Ran looked out the window and suddenly became curious about today's filming.

Double cover.

And Cheng Xiao.

I wonder what it will feel like.

An hour later, the car stopped in front of a photography studio outside the East Fifth Ring Road.

His cousin turned to look at him and said, "We're here. Let's go."

Li Ran nodded, opened the car door, and got out.

The sunlight was a bit too bright, so he squinted and followed his cousin into the photography studio.

Someone was already waiting at the door. A woman in a black suit greeted them with a professional smile: "Hello, Ms. Li Ran. I'm Zhou, the coordinator for today. Ms. Cheng Xiao is already inside getting her makeup done. This way, please."

Li Ran nodded and followed her inside.

The photography studio was large, filled with lights and equipment, and staff were busy but organized as they came and went.

After walking through a corridor, Xiao Zhou pushed open a door: "This is your dressing room. The makeup artist will be here shortly."

Li Ran thanked him and went inside.

The dressing room wasn't big, but it was quite clean. A light bulb surrounded a mirror, making people's faces glow.

He had just sat down when his phone vibrated.

It was a message from my cousin: "Cheng Xiao is getting her makeup done next door. Be mindful of her during the shoot; don't be too cold to her, after all, we're collaborating."

Li Ran glanced at it and replied with an "Mm".

He put down his phone, looked at his face in the mirror, and suddenly smiled.

……

Li Ran finished her makeup and styling, and was ready to start filming.

The staff stepped back behind the camera, the makeup artist came forward to tidy up the hem of the clothes one last time, and the lighting technician adjusted the angle of the diffuser.

With everything ready, Li Ran stood in front of the backdrop.

He wore a dark gray peak lapel suit with a very fine matte texture, which revealed subtle patterns when the light shone on it.

Her hair was styled in a wet, slicked-back style, revealing a smooth forehead and a defined jawline.

The makeup artist only applied a thin layer of foundation to him, made his eyebrows a little darker, and gave him a very light nude pink lip color. His overall demeanor was cold and restrained.

He had one hand in his pocket and the other hanging naturally at his sides. His gaze was fixed on the camera, expressionless, yet it seemed as if he was hiding something.

When Cheng Xiao walked out of the dressing room, the entire photography studio fell silent for a second.

She was wearing a dark green velvet dress.

The dress was fitted, extending from her chest to her ankles, like the flowing night enveloping her.

The velvet sheen flowed slightly with her movements, and the deep V-neck revealed a patch of fair skin, her collarbone as delicate as if it had been sculpted.

A thin belt in the same color was loosely tied around her waist, making her waist look so slender that it could be grasped in one hand.

The skirt has a slit on the side, revealing a section of straight calves and slender ankles with every step.

Her hair was styled into a loose low bun, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears and swaying gently with her movements.

Her makeup was retro... a matte base, vintage red lips, and slightly upturned eyeliner, making her look like a heroine straight out of an old movie.

She walked over and stood next to Li Ran.

One is dark gray, the other is dark green; one is cold and aloof, the other is retro.

Cheng Xiao first gave Li Ran a polite smile and gently said, "Hello, Li Ran!"

Li Ran returned the smile, "Hello!"

I couldn't help but admire her. No wonder she's in Xiao Han's group; she's a one-woman army. She's really beautiful.

And the nickname wasn't given for nothing; it's really impressive! Oda can't compare.

Li Ran tried his best to control his gaze, but Cheng Xiao still noticed.

She smiled slightly but didn't say anything.

The stylist stepped forward, adjusted the position of Cheng Xiao's skirt, stepped back to take a look, and then gently tugged at the hem of Li Ran's suit jacket to make the hem look more natural.

"You two, come a little closer..."

The photographer's voice came from behind the lens, "Yes, Xiao Xiao, move a little closer to Li Ran... put your hand on his shoulder, yes, make it natural."

Cheng Xiao raised his hand and gently placed it on Li Ran's shoulder.

Li Ran tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on the direction of the camera, yet it seemed as if he was looking at her.

"Li Ran, put your hand on her waist, yes, just like that... don't use too much force, just gently place it on her waist."

His hand landed on her waist, and through the thickness of the velvet, he could feel how slender her waist was.

He maintained the gesture, without applying force, just gently touching it.

Cheng Xiao's breathing paused for a moment, then returned to normal.

Cheng Xiao's breathing paused for a moment, then returned to normal.

The shutter clicked.

"Okay, let's change positions. Xiao Xiao looks at Li Ran, Li Ran looks at the camera... Yes, like that, a little deeper in your gaze..."

The flashes went off one after another, like a silent downpour.

The two changed poses in front of the camera... She leaned on his shoulder, and he looked down at her; she tilted her head slightly, and he gazed down at her; she stood sideways, and he gently wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Every frame looks like a still from a movie.

For their final look, the two sat on a vintage velvet sofa.

Cheng Xiao sat sideways, leaning slightly towards Li Ran, with one hand resting on his knee. Li Ran leaned back on the sofa, with one hand naturally resting on the edge of the sofa behind her. From certain angles, it looked as if he was half-embracing her.

The photographer kept pressing the shutter, muttering, "Great, perfect, that's the feeling! Distant yet intimate, cold yet ambiguous... Absolutely stunning!"

Li Ran looked down at her, and Cheng Xiao happened to raise his head, their eyes meeting in the air.

Her eyes were bright, like they held shattered diamonds under the light, and her red lips were slightly parted, revealing a hint of her white teeth.

Li Ran suddenly remembered that phrase again... Human Barbie.

That's certainly accurate.

The shutter clicked again, freezing that moment in time.

When the shoot ended, Cheng Xiao's assistant rushed up and draped a coat over her shoulders.

She pulled her coat tighter, nodded to Li Ran, and smiled, "Thank you for your hard work."

Li Ran nodded: "Thank you for your hard work."

The two didn't say much and went back to their respective dressing rooms.

When Li Ran came out of the dressing room, the staff outside had already started cleaning up the venue.

He was about to leave when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

It was Cheng Xiao's assistant. She stood by the side the whole time during the shoot, handing out water and tissues, running around doing everything.

The little girl was quite young, with her hair tied in a ponytail, and looked rather clever.

The assistant also saw him, her eyes lit up, and she quickly walked over.

"Teacher Li Ran!"

She walked up to her, slightly out of breath, and said, "Do you have time now? Sister Cheng Xiao would like to invite you to dinner."

Li Ran was stunned for a moment.

Invite me to dinner?

He thought for a moment, then nodded: "Today?"

The assistant nodded quickly, her ponytail swaying as she spoke: "That's right! Sister Cheng Xiao said that if it's convenient for you after work today, she'll remove her makeup right away, very quickly!"

As she spoke, a hint of nervousness appeared in her eyes, as if she were afraid that Li Ran would refuse.

Seeing her expression, Li Ran couldn't help but smile: "Okay, then I'll wait for her."

The assistant's eyes lit up instantly, and she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, bowing repeatedly: "Thank you so much, Teacher Li Ran! Thank you so much!"

Li Ran was both amused and exasperated by her fuss, and waved her hand, "No, no, no, I'll go tell my staff, they'll be here in a bit."

"Okay, okay! You're busy, you're busy!" After saying that, the assistant turned around and ran towards Cheng Xiao's dressing room, her steps as light as a rabbit's.

Li Ran watched her figure disappear at the end of the corridor, shook his head, and turned to find his cousin.

Long Ying was standing at the entrance of the photography studio, looking down at something on a tablet, probably the schedule for the next few days.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up and her gaze fell on Li Ran's face.

"Finished filming?"

Li Ran nodded: "Yeah, it just ended."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Cheng Xiao said he wants to invite me to dinner."

Long Ying frowned slightly, and stopped what she was doing.

She stared at Li Ran and said, "She invited you to dinner? Why?"

Li Ran shrugged, looking completely innocent: "How would I know?"

Long Ying glared at him, annoyed. "You didn't know? You agreed without knowing?"

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, "They sent their assistant to invite her. The girl's eyes were practically begging me for help. How could I say no?"

Long Ying looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze. After a couple of seconds of silence, she suddenly spoke, her tone meaningful: "Little sprout, you haven't fallen for another girl, have you?"

The smile on Li Ran's face froze for a moment.

"sister……"

He looked at her helplessly: "Could you please stop calling me 'Little Bean Sprout'? I don't look like one at all now!"

Long Ying looked him up and down. He was over 180 cm tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His face was angular and distinct. He was indeed completely different from the skinny and small child he used to be.

But she ignored him, continuing to stare at him: "Answer my question first. Are you getting lustful again, kid?"

Li Ran sighed and raised his hands in surrender: "How could that be? It's just a meal, nothing more. They invited me, so it's perfectly normal for me to go."

Long Ying stared at him for two seconds, seemingly assessing the credibility of his words, before finally nodding: "Okay. I'll go with you tonight."

Li Ran didn't seem to mind, shrugging his shoulders: "Sure, let's go together."

Long Ying looked away and continued looking at her tablet, muttering to herself, "I want to see what she's up to..."

Li Ran couldn't help but smile at her protective attitude.

As he turned to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, "Sis, is it really necessary to be so guarded?"

Long Ying didn't even look up: "You don't know! You're practically a goldmine in the Chinese entertainment industry now. They can just throw a scandal at you and you'll gain tons of followers!"

Li Ran didn't have to wait long.

About ten minutes later, footsteps came from the end of the corridor. He looked up and saw Cheng Xiao and her assistant walking out from the direction of the dressing room.

Cheng Xiao was wearing a loose white sweatshirt, light blue jeans, and white sneakers.

Her hair was down, loosely draped over her shoulders, and most of her makeup had been removed, leaving only a light layer of foundation.

She looks several years younger than when the photo was taken, like a college student who hasn't graduated yet.

She walked up to Li Ran, smiled, and her eyes curved into two crescent moons: "Sorry to keep you waiting, Teacher Li Ran."

Li Ran stood up and waved his hand: "It won't be long, just call me Li Ran."

Cheng Xiao nodded and said without ceremony, "Okay, Li Ran, shall we go? I've already made a reservation at the restaurant."

She paused, then asked again, "Did you drive?"

Li Ran nodded: "It's open."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiao tilted her head, a gesture tinged with playfulness: "Then let's add each other on WeChat first? I'll send you my location."

Li Ran then realized that after shooting the cover for so long, the two of them didn't even have each other's contact information.

He took out his phone and opened the QR code: "I'll scan you."

The two added each other on WeChat.

Cheng Xiao looked down and fiddled with the computer for a few moments, then looked up at him and said, "Okay, I've sent it to you."

Li Ran clicked on it and saw that it was the location of a Japanese restaurant, located in the East Third Ring Road area.

"Okay, shall we go over now?" He put his phone away.

Cheng Xiao suddenly spoke up: "Um... shall I ride in your car?"

After she finished speaking, she added, with a hint of explanation in her tone: "It's more convenient this way."

Li Ran paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

He turned and walked out, with Cheng Xiao following beside him. His assistant lagged a few steps behind, looking down at his phone and typing something, probably reporting his schedule to the company.

The three walked to the parking lot, where Li Ran found her nanny van.

He opened the car door, then suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Cheng Xiao: "Oh right, my cousin is coming along too. She's my assistant now, you don't mind, do you?"

Cheng Xiao paused for a moment, then smiled: "I don't mind, it's more fun with more people."

Li Ran nodded and let the lady get in the car first.

After Cheng Xiao got on the bus, he saw a slightly chubby girl looking at him with curious eyes.

She didn't speak, but nodded slightly.

Long Ying nodded and smiled at her.

……

The Japanese restaurant is located in an inconspicuous alley on the East Third Ring Road. The storefront is small, but the interior is surprisingly spacious.

Walk along a cobblestone path, with neatly trimmed bamboo on both sides, and hear the babbling of water.

The waiter led the three inside, finally stopping at the door of a private room. He opened the wooden door and gestured for them to enter.

The private room wasn't large, but it was very exquisite.

Assistant Xiao Chen and Cheng Xiao's assistant were seated at the outdoor tables.

Inside the private room, Li Ran took off his shoes and went in, sitting down at the low table.

Cheng Xiao followed behind him and naturally sat down next to him. The seat was very close to him, close enough that she could smell the faint sandalwood perfume on him.

Long Ying glanced at the two of them, said nothing, and sat down opposite them.

Cheng Xiao handed the menu to Li Ran with a smile: "What would you like to eat? It's on me today, so don't be shy."

Li Ran took the menu and flipped through it. He wasn't really interested in Japanese food, and he wasn't used to eating raw or cold food.

He flipped through a couple of pages, closed the menu, and handed it back: "Eel rice, please. You can order the rest as you see fit. I don't have many requirements."

Cheng Xiao took the menu and handed it to Long Ying across from her, her tone obedient: "Then, cousin, what would you like to eat?"

She paused, looked at Long Ying, and smiled, her eyes crinkling: "Can Li Ran and I call you cousin?"

Long Ying took the menu, glanced at her upon hearing this, and nodded with a smile: "Okay, thank you, Teacher Cheng Xiao."

"Just call me Xiao Xiao, my cousin."

Cheng Xiao quickly waved his hand, his tone slightly affectionate, "Calling me Teacher Cheng Xiao is too formal."

Long Ying smiled but didn't reply. She lowered her head and started flipping through the menu.

After ordering, the waiter took the menu away, closed the door, and left.

Cheng Xiao turned to look at Li Ran and suddenly said, "Li Ran, speaking of which, we originally had an opportunity to cooperate."

Li Ran was drinking water from a teacup when he heard this, and then he realized what it meant.

"You mean 'You're Beautiful When You Smile'?"

Cheng Xiao nodded, his smile fading slightly, tinged with a hint of helplessness.

"Yeah! I heard the production team had approached you back then, and I was really looking forward to it. But then all the artists from Wajiji left, and that's when I found out you didn't take the role."

Li Ran put down his teacup and smiled: "The script isn't quite right."

Cheng Xiao looked at him and suddenly laughed: "You don't need to put it so euphemistically. That script was really outrageous. I wanted to tear it up when I finished reading it."

She paused, sighed, and said with a hint of self-deprecation, "Actually, I can understand why you refused."

"But I'm different. I'm just an employee. I have to pick up passengers when the company tells me to. How can I compare to you?"

Li Ran didn't reply, he just looked at her.

Cheng Xiao continued, her tone tinged with worry: "I feel like I'm definitely going to get a lot of flak after it airs. Those e-sports fans are really fierce."

Li Ran recalled some memories from her past life.

The show was indeed heavily criticized later on, with almost the entire e-sports community joining in to criticize everything from the plot and character design to the smallest details.

Li Ran recalled some memories from her past life.

The show was indeed heavily criticized later on, with almost the entire e-sports community joining in to criticize everything from the plot and character design to the smallest details.

But to be honest, it's really popular... It's one of the top-rated shows in terms of average episode views among current idol dramas.

Despite the criticism, the data is solid and irrefutable.

What truly caused Cheng Xiao to lose fans was that later Weibo post.

He remembered clearly that halfway through the show, Cheng Xiao posted a Weibo post that roughly said, "I have no regrets and I am not afraid." As a result, e-sports fans were in an uproar and countless fans unfollowed him.

Most of the male fans who initially followed her because of her "gamer persona" left overnight.

Looking at the somewhat worried face in front of him, Li Ran thought for a moment and said, "There will definitely be criticism in the e-sports circle, but the popularity should not be low. E-sports-themed movies and TV series have always had a large audience."

Cheng Xiao nodded: "I'm worried because I know I'll get scolded."

Li Ran smiled and said casually, "Just pretend you're dead if they scold you! You're just an actor, you didn't write the script or choose the role. Let them scold you a couple of times, and once the show is over and the hype dies down, you can go back to what you were doing."

Cheng Xiao paused for a moment, looking at him as if processing those words.

Li Ran paused, then added, "By the way, has 'You're Beautiful When You Smile' been given a release date?"

Cheng Xiao snapped out of his reverie and nodded: "It's settled, end of June."

She looked at Li Ran and suddenly smiled, a smile tinged with relief: "Okay, I'll listen to you. If you scold me, I'll just pretend to be dead and won't respond."

Li Ran picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said nothing more.

I just hope that when the time comes, you can hold back and not respond!

Outside the window, bamboo leaves swayed gently, and sunlight streamed in through the gaps, casting dappled shadows on the tatami mats.

Cheng Xiao turned her head to look at him and suddenly felt that this person was more interesting than she had imagined.

He's not the kind of high-profile, aloof celebrity, nor is he the kind of artist who just spouts platitudes.

It's... pretty realistic.

Long Ying sat opposite, quietly drinking tea, her gaze sweeping between the two men before finally settling on her cousin's face.

A playful expression...

The waiter pushed open the door and began serving the dishes.

The eel rice was placed in front of Li Ran, and the three of them began to eat.