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

On the evening of the 18th, the plane broke through the clouds, and Beijing was already in sight.

Li Ran sat by the window, gazing at the night view, slightly lost in thought...

His cousin, Long Ying, sat next to him, looking down at her schedule, her brows furrowed slightly as if she were reviewing some important document.

After a long pause, she raised her head and spoke in an unquestionable tone: "Don't cause any trouble when we take graduation photos tomorrow, understand?"

Li Ran looked away and glanced at her.

"Keep your distance from Zhang Jingyi and Zhou Ye, don't get too close," Long Ying emphasized again.

Li Ran nodded, her tone perfunctory: "Alright, I know, sis, you're really long-winded."

Long Ying glared at him, her gaze mirroring his mother's. She continued, "There's still the 20th. You and Liu Hao can just stay home and celebrate your birthdays. Don't go out partying."

Li Ran smiled helplessly: "Sis, did you forget about the coconuts?"

Long Ying paused. Of course she hadn't forgotten, but she deliberately didn't mention it.

She paused for two seconds before explaining, "I've already asked Hu Lianxin about Zhou Ye. She's going back to record 'Peach Blossom Village' after her graduation photos are taken. Don't cause trouble..."

"Okay, I got it, sis." Li Ran interrupted her.

But he didn't say "I won't go"...

He simply said he understood.

Long Ying looked at his profile; the light from the window flickered on his face, making it impossible to discern his expression.

Just as she was about to look away, Li Ran suddenly spoke up again: "Sis, let's change the return flight to the early morning of the 21st."

Long Ying was taken aback: "What do you want to do?"

She looked at him strangely, her face full of confusion.

Li Ran didn't answer immediately. He looked at the lights outside the window that were getting closer and closer, and remained silent for a long time.

The plane began its descent, and I felt a slight pressure on my eardrums as the roar of the engines gradually became sharper.

"I still want to go celebrate Coconut's birthday." He finally spoke, his voice very soft, as if he were talking to himself.

He paused for a moment: "I promised her last year that I would spend every year with her from now on."

Long Ying opened her mouth, as if to say something.

But Li Ran didn't give her a chance.

"Actually, the person I owe the most to is Coconut."

His tone was calm, as if stating a fact he had long understood: "So I don't want to lie to her, it's not a big deal."

Long Ying looked at Li Ran, her cousin who was two years younger than her. He was usually joking around, and she rarely saw him talk about something so seriously.

She knew some things about him and Zhou Ye from their university days...

She sighed. "Fine... whatever you want."

The plane landed, its tires scraping the runway with a muffled thud.

The lights outside the window are no longer a single, continuous area, but have become tangible, touchable lights...

Li Ran unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up. Long Ying followed behind him, still rambling on and on about something, but he couldn't listen anymore.

He was thinking about how he had set off fireworks for Coconut on the Ferris wheel last year on her birthday…

When Li Ran returned to the apartment, she didn't go home but went straight to Zhang Jingyi's place.

He opened the door and went inside. All the lights in the living room were off, with only a faint light shining in from the window.

The bedroom door was ajar, letting in a small patch of warm yellow light.

He pushed the door open and went in; Zhang Jingyi was indeed still awake.

She leaned against the headboard, holding her phone up to her eyes, the screen's light reflecting softly on her face.

Hearing the noise, she looked up and her eyes immediately curved into a smile.

"Brother Li Ran, you're back."

Li Ran walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed: "Why aren't you asleep yet? Didn't I tell you not to wait for me?"

Zhang Jingyi shook her head: "It's okay, I'm not sleepy yet."

Li Ran lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead. Her skin was warm and carried a faint scent of shower gel.

"I'm going to take a shower first."

Zhang Jingyi nodded, her gaze following his retreating figure to the doorway before returning to her phone.

After Li Ran finished showering, he lay down next to her and leaned over to glance at her screen...

In a WeChat mini-program game, colorful little squares are falling down.

"What's so fun about this?" he asked.

Zhang Jingyi tapped her finger a few times, deleting another line, her tone carrying a hint of satisfaction: "That was so relaxing, you wouldn't understand."

Li Ran glanced at the time; it was past midnight.

"Alright, let's go to sleep. We have to take graduation photos tomorrow."

Zhang Jingyi completed another level, then put down her phone, snuggled closer to him, and found a comfortable position.

Li Ran closed his eyes, preparing to fall asleep.

"Brother Li Ran".

"Um?"

"Do you like Sister Ruonan?"

Li Ran opened his eyes.

Zhang Jingyi was staring intently into his eyes, which shone brightly in the dim light. There was no questioning in them; she was simply waiting quietly for an answer.

"Why do you ask that?" Li Ran asked slowly.

Zhang Jingyi snorted: "Your lack of answer means you admit it."

Li Ran was silent for a second.

Having spent so much time together, the women had long since figured out his personality... His lack of denial was essentially an admission.

"You had feelings for me from the beginning, didn't you? I told you that before."

He paused for a moment, then explained, "After spending more time with her, I found that I actually quite enjoyed bickering with her..."

Zhang Jingyi extended a finger and gently covered his mouth with it.

"Alright, why are you explaining so much?"

She smiled faintly, a smile that held no blame, only understanding: "Wang Churan is absolutely right. You're the kind of person who, after spending a lot of time with a pretty girl, just wants her."

Li Ran opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then felt that anything he said would be just sophistry.

Zhang Jingyi continued, "Actually, I noticed it from the beginning, but at that time, Sister Ruonan was quite disgusted with you, so I didn't take it seriously."

She thought for a moment, then her tone became somewhat subtle: "But now, the way she chats with me on WeChat is getting stranger and stranger."

Li Ran asked, "What's strange?"

"Now they keep asking me about your past, and they're even asking about my relationships with other people..."

Zhang Jingyi paused, as if organizing her thoughts, "I feel like what Wang Churan said, she wants to join."

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, "Aren't you jealous?"

Zhang Jingyi looked at him with a mixture of helplessness, amusement, and something else she couldn't quite explain.

She said with a disdainful look, "Brother, what good does it do me to be jealous?"

Li Ran was speechless after hearing her words.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" he said sheepishly.

Zhang Jingyi ignored his banter and calmly analyzed, "Ruonan must be very conflicted right now, torn between me, her good friend, and you..."

Li Ran suddenly asked, "Jingyi, why do you always bring Zhang Ruonan with you?"

Zhang Jingyi pursed her lips: "In the first few times, I did bring her along, but after the Weibo Night, it was Zhang Ruonan who contacted me."

She paused for a moment, then said, "That's when I felt something was wrong."

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly and didn't continue the topic.

He reached out and pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders.

"Alright, let's go to sleep."

Zhang Jingyi hummed in agreement and snuggled back into his arms.

This time I really closed my eyes, and the room became quiet, with only the slight hum of the air conditioner.

Li Ran stared at the ceiling, thinking about what she had just said.

Zhang Ruonan was struggling with... what was she struggling with?

Is it a dilemma of whether or not to like a jerk, or a dilemma of whether or not to betray a good friend?

he does not know.

The person in my arms gradually calmed down.

He glanced down and saw that Zhang Jingyi was already asleep, her eyelashes drooping gently, and a slight smile on her lips.

……

In late May, the sun in Beijing already carried the heat of early summer.

The campus of Beijing Film Academy is filled with students wearing graduation gowns.

On the lawn in front of the teaching building, at the bottom of the library steps, and along the tree-lined path by the playground, groups of people gathered in twos and threes, their laughter loud and their camera shutters clicking incessantly.

Today is the day to take graduation photos.

Last year, due to the pandemic, that year's graduation photos couldn't be taken. This year, the school specially arranged a make-up photo shoot, bringing together the graduates of 2020 and 2021, fulfilling everyone's wish.

Li Ran was wearing a white shirt with a black academic gown over it. The sleeves were a bit long, so he casually rolled them up.

Holding the graduation cap in his hand, the tassels on the brim drooped down, swaying gently in the wind.

"Brother Ran! Over here!" Wang Junkai saw him and waved from afar.

Wang Junkai and Zhang Jingyi are students in the same year at Beijing Film Academy, but they are not in the same class.

Li Ran smiled and walked over.

Along the way, people kept greeting him... some he knew, some he didn't, some from the same year, and some from a year or two below him.

He responded to each person's request, occasionally stopping to take a photo with them or sign an autograph.

When he reached the administration building, he saw Zhou Ye standing at the bottom of the steps, talking to several girls.

The graduation gown was a little too big for her, so she held onto the collar to keep it from slipping down. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail, revealing a section of her fair nape.

Sunlight shone on her face, and she smiled, her eyes crinkling, as she talked to the person next to her.

Just as Li Ran walked over, Zhou Ye turned his head.

Their eyes met briefly in the air.

"You're here?"

"Mm." Li Ran stood next to her.

For die-hard fans of Peach Blossom Jasmine, the latest chapter of "Hua Yu: Starting from Retirement, Sweeping Through the Domestic Entertainment Industry" has been released!

The girls nearby glanced at the two of them, smiled knowingly, and then made an excuse to disperse.

Zhou Ye watched their retreating figures, a slight smile playing on his lips.