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

In May, the air in Xiamen already smells of summer.

As the plane landed, a humid sea breeze swept over me, carrying a slightly salty and fishy smell, and clung to my skin like a thin layer of moisture.

As I exited through the VIP channel, the car that was supposed to pick me up was already waiting.

As we drove south, the scenery outside the window changed from high-rise buildings to palm trees, and from palm trees to vast expanses of green.

Nanyang Vocational College is located in Jimei District and is known as a "garden-style university".

The movie "Your Wedding," starring Zhang Ruonan, was filmed here. She knows this road very well and occasionally opens her eyes to look out the window.

Zhang Ruonan said to Li Ran, "The satay noodles at that shop are delicious. I'll take you there sometime."

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, "You seem to know this place quite well?"

"After all, we've filmed movies here!" Zhang Ruonan replied.

The film "Even If This Love Disappears" also chose this location as its main filming location.

The film crew booked a hotel near the school. It was a small white building with several frangipani trees planted at the entrance. The petals were scattered all over the ground, like a carpet of cream.

When Li Ran arrived, the front desk had already set out the room keys. He took the keys, went upstairs, quickly unpacked his luggage, and then had a brief meeting with the production team to confirm the schedule for tomorrow's opening ceremony.

Everything is ready.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the palm trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

On the school playground, a huge curtain has been erected, bearing the words "Even if this love disappears," gleaming in the morning light.

Fresh fruits and delicate pastries were neatly arranged on the altar, each item arranged in an orderly fashion.

In the very center is a large pig's head with an apple in its mouth, which looks a bit comical, yet also reveals the meticulousness of old-school filmmakers.

Staff members were coming and going; some were adjusting equipment, some were tidying up props, and some were putting up markers on the ground.

The director and cinematographer stood in front of the monitor, talking in hushed tones and occasionally gesturing to adjust the camera angles.

Everyone wore a solemn and expectant expression.

Good luck with the startup.

For everyone in the crew, these four words signify the beginning of a new journey.

Li Ran stood beside the incense table, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Today he wore a dark blue tie-dyed linen shirt, like distant mountains in a traditional Chinese ink painting, and light blue and yellow checkered wide-leg pants that fluttered gently in the wind.

His hair wasn't styled much, and it was slightly fluffy. The makeup artist gave him a natural look, making him appear to have the vibrant energy unique to young people, yet also subtly revealing a hint of melancholy.

This kind of temperament perfectly matches his role in the movie.

Zhang Ruonan stood next to him, wearing a light blue dress, her hair loose, looking fresh and clean, like a senior student who had just stepped out of the campus.

The scent of first love emanated from her...

The movie "Your Wedding" has grossed over 800 million yuan in just over half a month since its release.

This bittersweet coming-of-age film made countless viewers cry their eyes out in the theater, and also earned Zhang Ruonan, the female lead, a large number of "Nan friends".

She was looking at the fan area not far away, a slightly helpless smile on her lips.

Before the official start of the filming ceremony, a large crowd had already gathered outside the cordon.

Most of them were young girls, holding up their phones and support banners, but there were also quite a few boys, wearing T-shirts and shorts, looking like college students.

Li Ran followed her gaze and smiled, "You have quite a few fans here."

Zhang Ruonan glanced at him and said irritably, "I can't compare to you. Most of them are your fans anyway."

She paused, her expression becoming somewhat subtle, as if she were suppressing a laugh, or perhaps feeling frustrated.

"Also, your fans are really something else."

Li Ran was taken aback: "What's wrong?"

Zhang Ruonan sighed and began to complain: "When I came in just now, a few male fans were very enthusiastic when they saw me. They waved and called my name. I thought they were my 'Nan friends' and I was quite pleased with myself."

She paused, her tone becoming even more frustrated: "But what they called out was—'Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law Ruonan!'"

Li Ran's lips twitched.

"And there's one even more outrageous..."

Zhang Ruonan grew increasingly angry as she spoke, saying, "She told me, 'Sister-in-law, you've finally escaped your cold palace status! Congratulations!'"

As she spoke, her expression shifted to a mixture of amusement and exasperation: "What do you mean by 'cold palace status'? I've never even been to the palace!"

Li Ran couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Stop laughing!" Zhang Ruonan glared at him. "What's wrong with your fans? What did I do to deserve this?"

Li Ran awkwardly touched his nose and explained a little embarrassedly, "It's probably my old e-sports fans... They do talk in a rather abstract way, don't take it to heart."

He paused, then added, "Isn't that great? You also became famous after the Weibo Night event."

Zhang Ruonan snorted and turned her head away, ignoring him, but the corners of her mouth still couldn't help but curve slightly.

Before she knew it, she had gotten used to bickering with Li Ran. If she didn't tease him a couple of times, she would feel strangely uncomfortable.

Before she knew it, she had gotten used to bickering with Li Ran. If she didn't tease him a couple of times, she would feel strangely uncomfortable.

Outside the cordon, the fans' enthusiasm continued to rise.

Several boys were holding up light sticks for Li Ran, which read "Ran God, Forever God," and were shouting at the top of their lungs:

"Brother Ran! Brother Ran, look this way!"

Li Ran waved his hand in that direction, and the crowd immediately erupted in excitement.

A guy yelled at the top of his lungs, "Brother Ran! This girl's husband is beautiful too!"

The boy next to him immediately chimed in, "Ran-ge has excellent taste!"

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

Zhang Ruonan heard everything clearly from the side, and her expression turned helpless.

She turned to look at Li Ran and said in a low voice, "Look at this, look at this, what is all this nonsense?"

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

Those who shouted these things were mostly his longtime esports fans, and it was mostly just for fun.

Several female fans, who seemed to be CP (couple) fans, started arguing with them. Their chattering voices drifted over from the other side of the cordon, intermittently.

Fortunately, the opening ceremony officially began.

The director picked up the microphone and started speaking, finally managing to get through the awkward situation.

He said some auspicious words, thanked this person and that person, and then it was the turn of the main creative team to offer incense.

Li Ran took the three incense sticks, stood in front of the incense table, bowed three times, and put the incense sticks into the incense burner. Zhang Ruonan stood next to him and also lit incense.

Then came the unveiling of the red cloth, group photos, and the setting off of firecrackers... Colorful confetti drifted in the sunlight, landing on everyone's hair and shoulders.

The sound of camera shutters was constant, and flashes lit up the room. Li Ran stood in the center, with the director to her left and Zhang Ruonan to her right.

After the opening ceremony, filming began for the first scene of the day.

Zhang Ruonan turned to leave, but Li Ran suddenly called out to her.

"Why."

Zhang Ruonan turned around, her face still showing a slightly annoyed expression: "What?"

Li Ran smiled, took something out of his pocket, and handed it over.

It's a piece of candy.

White Rabbit Creamy Candy.

"Startup gift".

Zhang Ruonan paused for a moment, looked down at the candy, and then looked up at him.

"What a lousy gift!" she said, but she reached out and took it.

"It's pretty sweet, don't be angry after you eat it," Li Ran said with an awkward smile.

Zhang Ruonan looked at the candy in her hand, remained silent for two seconds, and then burst out laughing.

"I wasn't really angry."

She unwrapped the candy, popped it into her mouth, and mumbled, "Let's go, let's rehearse our lines first. I heard from Jingyi that the pressure of acting alone with you is quite high."

Li Ran watched her walk away, smiled, and followed her.

The sunlight was perfect, casting long shadows of the two people that overlapped and then separated on the playground.

Wang Churan rolled her eyes as she watched the two figures leave. She had seen through Li Ran's hypocrisy.

It's just unknown how long Zhang Ruonan can hold on.

……

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the arcades of the teaching building, casting long, slanted shadows across the playground.

The phoenix flowers are in full bloom, large clusters of red burning on the branches, with a few petals occasionally drifting down and swirling in the breeze.

The venue for the first scene is still being set up.

Li Ran and Zhang Ruonan sat in the back row of the lecture hall, holding their scripts, going over their lines for the last time.

Even if this love disappears, "Even if this love disappears" is not the kind of movie with large-scale ensemble scenes, unlike "The Sword and the Brocade" which required the coordination of a crew of hundreds of people.

The entire drama revolves around the story of the male and female leads. The scenes are concentrated, so the filming period doesn't need to be too rushed; it can be completed in about forty days.

But the requirements for actors are actually higher.

The big screen magnifies every subtle expression... a flicker in the eyes, a tremor at the corner of the mouth, a hesitation in the fingertips—any slight imperfection will be captured clearly.

Without any grand, exciting scenes to rely on, the weight of the entire play rests almost entirely on the two main characters.

Li Ran flipped the script to the first scene, read the last line, and looked up at Zhang Ruonan.

Zhang Ruonan lowered her head, staring at a certain line of text on the script, her brows slightly furrowed and her lips pressed into a line.

"What's wrong?" Li Ran asked.

Zhang Ruonan was silent for two seconds, then suddenly sighed, closed the script, turned to look at him, her eyes filled with frustration: "Jingyi is absolutely right."

"What did you say?"

"It's really stressful acting opposite you." Zhang Ruonan said, then laughed, but there was a hint of helplessness in her smile.

"Just now, I felt like something was off. You were so relaxed and natural, but I was just... tense."

Li Ran did not deny it.

He did sense Zhang Ruonan's unnaturalness during their rehearsal.

It wasn't the lines that were the problem, it was her eyes... When she looked at him, there was something too intense in her eyes, which didn't fit the scene's setting.

"You said something during the script reading."

Li Ran spoke calmly and slowly, saying, "Memories reset every day, but love never fades."

Zhang Ruonan nodded: "Yes, I think that's the most touching thing about the female lead."

"That's very true." Li Ran paused, then explained, "But right now, this is the first time the male and female leads have met."

Zhang Ruonan was taken aback.

Li Ran looked at her and continued, "The female lead forgets what happened the day before every time she wakes up. From her perspective, every time she meets the male lead, it's the 'first time'."

He emphasized, "But what has accumulated in her heart will not disappear."

"Those feelings of attraction, those dependencies, those habits formed unconsciously, will remain in some corner of her being. So many years later, she can still unconsciously draw the male protagonist's portrait on paper..."

"She doesn't remember who he is, but her hands do."

Zhang Ruonan listened quietly, her brows gradually relaxing.

"But that was later."

Li Ran changed the subject, "This is our first meeting. At first, she doesn't have that kind of build-up of feelings for him. Her attraction should be based on curiosity, tentative exploration, and a touch of instinctive attraction, not..."

He paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words.

"It's not the kind of look that comes from someone who has been in love for a long time."

Zhang Ruonan remained silent for a long while, repeatedly recalling the feeling she had during the rehearsal.

After a long silence, she raised her head, her eyes much clearer than before: "So, when they first met, the female lead didn't actually have that deep, deep love for the male lead. Love is accumulated little by little, built up bit by bit with each 'first' meeting."

Li Ran nodded, then shook his head.

Not entirely.

Zhang Ruonan looked at him, puzzled.

Li Ran thought for a moment and said, "She probably has feelings for him. A kind of instinctive, inexplicable feeling."

"It's like when you're walking down the street and suddenly see someone, your heart beats a beat faster for no reason... You can't explain why, but you just feel like this person is special."

He paused, then suddenly smiled, a hint of smugness in his expression: "Besides, the male lead is really handsome. Who could resist a confession from someone with that face?"

Zhang Ruonan was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing, her earlier frustration completely gone.

"Li Ran, can I understand if you're just praising yourself?"

Li Ran didn't pick up on that topic, but instead steered the conversation back on track: "Today's scene is the first meeting between the male and female leads."

"You just need to act out that feeling... when a boy you're interested in confesses his feelings to you, and you feel excited, nervous, and a little overwhelmed. Don't overdo it, just hold back a bit."

Zhang Ruonan thought for a moment and nodded: "That should indeed be the case."

She glanced down at the few lines in the script, then looked up at Li Ran, and suddenly asked, "And you? What's your state of mind for this scene?"

Li Ran thought for a moment: "Him? He's liked her for a long time. He mustered up the courage to confess today, so his nervousness is the nervousness of being rejected."

Zhang Ruonan glared at him. "Li Ran, you're talking nonsense again. Didn't the male lead only confess to the female lead because he was helping a friend?"

Li Ran smiled and said, "Just kidding, but I am indeed nervous, after all, I am going to confess to the school beauty."

Looking at his face, which looked exceptionally handsome in the sunlight, and his sunny smile, Zhang Ruonan suddenly felt less nervous.

"Okay." She stood up, brushed the dust off her skirt, and said, "Then let's go over it again."

……

The stage manager's voice came from the front of the lecture hall: "Scene one, ready... Actors, take your positions!"

Li Ran and Zhang Ruonan stood up and walked together towards the filming area.

The makeup artist ran over and touched up Zhang Ruonan's makeup, and then straightened Li Ran's shirt collar.

The lighting technician checked the angle of the reflector one last time, and the photographer carried his equipment onto the track.

The director, sitting behind the monitor, gave the two of them an OK sign.

Li Ran walked to his seat and took a deep breath.

The sunlight shone on his face, and his dark blue shirt looked exceptionally good in the photos.

Zhang Ruonan sat down in the designated spot, looked at him, and suddenly remembered what he had said during their rehearsal.

Who could resist the allure of this face?

She couldn't help but smile, then quickly suppressed it.

"On your marks..." the director's voice came through the loudspeaker.

The clapperboard slammed down with a "smack".

"Even if this love disappears from the world, Scene 1, Item 1, A!"

Li Ran raised his head, looked at Zhang Ruonan, and slowly walked towards her.

The light in those eyes changed at that moment.

……

"One take! Perfect!"

Director Xue Xiaolu's voice came through the loudspeaker, clearly showing her satisfaction.

She sat behind the monitor with a smile on her face, turned her head and said something to the cameraman next to her, and they both nodded.

Li Ran snapped out of character, straightened her shoulders slightly, and turned to look at Zhang Ruonan.

"Wasn't that a pretty good performance?"

Li Ran looked at her, his tone slightly teasing, "Were you deliberately acting against me during our scene rehearsal?"

Zhang Ruonan ignored him and turned to run towards the director, her steps as light as a deer.

"Director, was my acting alright?"

She walked up to Xue Xiaolu, her tone filled with a cautious anticipation, like a student waiting for the teacher to grade their homework.

Xue Xiaolu looked at her, smiled slightly, and patted her shoulder: "Very good. You and Li Ran both grasped the characters' states very well, and you got the first scene right in one take, which is not easy."

Zhang Ruonan's eyes lit up.

"but……"

Xue Xiaolu changed the subject, her tone becoming serious, "Don't get arrogant. The later scenes are much more difficult, with emotional shifts and outbursts—that's where the real test comes in. Today's scene is just an appetizer."

Zhang Ruonan nodded vigorously: "Director, I will do my best."

Xue Xiaolu smiled and looked at Li Ran who was walking over: "Li Ran, you handled that look in your eyes very well just now. You captured the anticipation of confessing your feelings, but also the nervousness of being afraid of rejection perfectly."

Li Ran nodded: "Thank you, director."

……

In the afternoon, the crew filmed a few more shots, mainly backup footage from different camera angles, as well as some close-up details.

Around 5:30, Director Xue Xiaolu clapped her hands: "Alright, that's enough for today. Thank you all for your hard work. See you tomorrow."

The staff began packing up the equipment, and the actors left one after another.

The filming pace of "Even If This Love Disappears" was slower than that of a typical film crew.

Without the pressure of a tight schedule, a 40-day shooting period was more than enough.

Director Xue Xiaolu is known for her "slow and meticulous" approach. She prefers to give actors enough time to get into character and dislikes the rushed shooting style.

Therefore, the amount of filming on the first day was not large; it was more about letting the actors familiarize themselves with the environment and get into character.