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

Hu Lianxin snorted coldly and ignored Meng Ziyi.

Her turn to leave was swift and decisive, as if she had made up her mind...

Watching her retreating figure, Wang Sulong rubbed his arms and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Let's go back too, it's getting cold."

Guo Qilin immediately chimed in, his tone light with a hint of relief: "Yes, yes, let's go."

He turned and followed, his steps much faster than when he came, as if he could finally escape this subtle atmosphere.

Meng Ziyi stood still, holding the chocolate in her arms, without moving: "Then you guys go back, I'll wait for Coconut."

The two exchanged a glance, said nothing, and turned to leave.

As Wang Sulong left, he glanced back, his lips moved, but he didn't say anything. Some things are better left unsaid; it's best for bystanders to remain bystanders forever.

On the other side, Zhou Ye, holding the bouquet of lisianthus, looked down at the small love lock in his hand. After a while, he looked up and asked, "When are you going back to the film set?"

Li Ran's voice was a little scattered in the night wind: "The flight is at two in the morning."

Zhou Ye nodded.

She paused for a few seconds, then slowly said, "Then you should go back quickly, or you'll miss your flight."

"I'll take you home first."

Zhou Ye didn't refuse again and nodded.

The two walked back along the path they had come from. The moonlight made the road surface appear white, and the shadows of the peach trees on both sides stretched out diagonally, drawing patches of deep and shallow shadows on the ground.

She walked very slowly, and Li Ran also walked very slowly.

"Li Ran, I don't want this kind of surprise next year," she suddenly said softly.

Li Ran turned to look at her, his eyes under the brim of his hat filled with a hint of confusion.

She didn't look at him, but kept her head down, staring at her toes as she moved forward step by step.

"I'm so happy you could celebrate my birthday with me." She paused, as if organizing her thoughts, "but this kind of surprise is too much for my little heart to handle."

Li Ran did not speak immediately.

He understood what she meant, of course... Last year on his birthday, he was filming a kissing scene with Xiaotian on set, and she was watching from the side, feeling choked up inside.

This year, even though he couldn't argue with her verbally, he went to Happy Valley with Cunzi, and the news is still trending on social media.

The endings were all pretty good, but the process wasn't pleasant.

He wanted to say that it was all an accident, but he swallowed the words back.

Whether it was an accident or intentional, the fact remains that it made her sad.

He simply nodded: "Okay."

Zhou Ye looked up at him. Under the moonlight, half of his profile was obscured by the shadow of his hat brim, making it impossible to see his expression.

Suddenly, she felt that those grievances didn't seem so important anymore. He was here, he remembered his promise, and he had traveled across most of the city to celebrate her birthday.

This is enough.

When the two reached the intersection, Meng Ziyi was still standing there holding the chocolate, waiting for her.

When she saw them come out, her eyes lit up, and she called out, "Li Ran."

Li Ran nodded to her, then looked at Zhou Ye: "Sister Meng is waiting for you, I'll go back first."

Zhou Ye nodded: "Okay, take it easy."

Li Ran lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.

Then he gave Meng Ziyi a brief greeting, turned around and left, his movements swift and decisive, without any further pleasantries or even a second glance at her.

It's almost midnight. If we're any later, we'll really miss our flight.

Meng Ziyi watched his figure disappear at the intersection, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.

How is she any better than Hu Lianxin?

Hu Lianxin at least sat down at the table, but what about her? She moved her chair over, but before she could even sit down properly, she was kicked out.

"Sister Meng, let's go back."

Zhou Ye's voice brought her back to reality, "Did Xiao Hu and the others leave first?"

Meng Ziyi withdrew her gaze and nodded: "Yes, Hu Lianxin and the others have gone back first."

The two walked back side by side. Ta Xue ran happily back and forth at their feet, the rope dragging on the ground, occasionally tripping over their own legs.

After walking for a while, Meng Ziyi suddenly asked, "Xiao Ye, does Li Ran dislike me?"

Zhou Ye was stunned for a moment.

She knew Meng Ziyi's thoughts and could also tell that Li Ran wasn't interested in her.

But how could she possibly answer such a question?

"How could that be?" she finally said, albeit in a polite tone.

"But why won't he accept me?" Meng Ziyi seemed not to notice her perfunctory answer and asked again, her tone carrying a hint of resentment, confusion, and a sense of grievance that she couldn't quite explain.

Zhou Ye paused for a moment.

She didn't actually mind that Meng Ziyi liked Li Ran; when it comes to liking someone, nobody can control who they like.

But isn't it a bit impolite to ask that directly?

Her lips moved, the words "Don't force me to slap you on my happiest day" rolled around on her tongue, but she swallowed them back in the end.

She and Meng Ziyi had a good relationship and didn't want to say anything too harsh.

"Sister Meng, I'm so happy today, thank you for celebrating my birthday."

She smiled and said gently, "But your question is not very polite."

After saying that, she didn't wait for Meng Ziyi's reply and quickened her pace toward room number eight.

Ta Xue was led by her to jog, the rope swinging in the night wind in thin arcs.

Meng Ziyi stood there, watching her figure walk further and further away, and the indescribable feeling in her heart grew stronger.

A cool night breeze blew by, and she hugged the chocolate in her arms tighter as she slowly followed.

……

When Zhou Ye pushed open the door, only the bedside lamp was on.

Hu Lianxin lay on her side on the bed, holding her phone up to her eyes, the light from the screen reflecting on her face, flickering on and off.

Zhou Ye gently placed the bouquet of flowers in her arms on the table. The bouquet was a little loose, and a few petals fell onto the table. She picked them up and placed them next to the bouquet.

Ta Xue circled around her feet twice before instinctively lying down in her nest.

"Li Ran is gone?" Hu Lianxin's voice came from behind, neither loud nor soft, revealing no emotion.

Zhou Ye hummed in agreement and sat down beside her bed.

The mattress sank slightly, and Hu Lianxin's body swayed a little, but she didn't move and kept staring at her phone screen.

Looking at her like that, Zhou Ye suddenly found it a little funny, and also a little soft-hearted.

"What's wrong? Are you unhappy? Jealous?"

Hu Lianxin's finger stopped on the screen.

She was silent for a moment, then put down her phone and turned to look at Zhou Ye.

"A little," she said calmly, without much emotion.

She was indeed a little sad.

Watching Li Ran celebrate someone else's birthday...

Last year on her birthday, there were no fireworks, no Ferris wheel, no figure running around in an amusement park...

It's not that she didn't want those things.

She just didn't say it.

Zhou Ye looked into her eyes and understood everything.

"Let him spend this year with you," Zhou Ye said softly, his tone as firm as if he were making a promise.

Hu Lianxin nodded and didn't continue the topic.

She leaned back against the pillow, her gaze falling on the bunch of lisianthus on the table. She paused for a moment, then looked away.

"Meng Ziyi is still not giving up." She changed the subject.

Zhou Ye glanced at the bouquet of flowers following her gaze, then looked away.

"I know, when she came back she even asked me if Li Ran hated her."

Hu Lianxin snorted coldly, the "humph" coming from her nose with a hint of disdain.

"Li Ran doesn't dislike her, but he definitely doesn't like her either."

She paused, as if considering her words. "Li Ran is the kind of person who wears his heart on his sleeve. He treats Meng Ziyi like an ordinary friend."

Zhou Ye nodded; she understood this point very well.

It's actually quite easy to tell whether Li Ran is interested in someone... He'll take the initiative to provoke you, make you laugh, and glance at you when you're not paying attention.

He did not have these things with Meng Ziyi.

"If we add more people, Zhang Ruonan has the highest chance," Zhou Ye said calmly.

Hu Lianxin pursed her lips but didn't refute.

They had all seen what had happened to Zhang Ruonan.

After the Weibo Night event, those changes were not unnoticed.

"Where's the silly penguin?"

Zhou Ye was stunned for a moment before realizing that she was referring to Lu Yuxiao.

"Didn't she give up on it herself?"

"But Li Ran likes her." Hu Lianxin turned over to face Zhou Ye, her tone becoming serious. "Besides, even if Lu Yuxiao can't accept it now, who knows what will happen in the future? 'The Sword and the Snow' is going to be filmed for several more seasons."

Her voice emphasized the word "several seasons," as if she were stressing something.

Time is a terrible thing; it can make people forget their pain, and it can also make the dead rise again.

Those who are crying their hearts out now, saying they'll never like someone again, will their hearts skip a beat when they see that face again in a few months or years? Nobody can guarantee that.

Zhou Ye was silent for a while, then shook his head and suddenly laughed.

There was a hint of helplessness and a hint of relief in that smile. "Why think so much? Can you control Li Ran?"

Hu Lianxin paused for a moment, then smiled.

"If we can't control Li Ran, can't we at least deal with the sly foxes that keep pounced on him?"

She paused, and that sly, fox-like glint returned to her voice, "Just like Meng Ziyi."

……

The plane passed through the clouds and flew smoothly.

Li Ran leaned back in his seat, his hat brim pulled low, almost covering half of his face.

I was busy all day yesterday, and now I'm flying from Beijing to Xiamen. My eyelids feel as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

But his cousin Long Ying had no intention of letting him off the hook.

"Do you think you did this on purpose?" Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough.

"On May 520th, at an amusement park, you got recognized, and the trending topic is still up. Do you think you're too idle, or does the PR department have nothing to do?"

Li Ran pulled the brim of his hat down even further, and a muffled voice came from under the brim: "Sis, I'm not an idol."

"You're not an idol, but don't you know how many CP fans you have?" Long Ying glared at him.

"Zhou Ye's, Liu Haocun's, Zhang Jingyi's, Tian Xiwei's... any one of them would be quite popular, but you've offended three at once."

"That's because they didn't get a clear shot of Cunzi's face."

Li Ran's lips curved slightly under the brim of his hat. "The hype will die down in a couple of days. Let the fans guess who it is!"

He paused, his voice carrying a hint of pleading, "Alright, I have filming this morning, let me take a nap."

Long Ying opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but looking at his tired face, she swallowed her words back.

She sighed, threw the blanket over him, and leaned back in her chair.

She knew that letting him celebrate their birthdays with them would lead to trouble.

One was waiting in Peach Blossom Valley, the other was running around in the amusement park. He did it all, running between the two, keeping it from both sides, and in the end, he managed to appease both of them, and the trending topics exploded.

That's only possible because of him; anyone else would have collapsed into ruins long ago.

I don't know what kind of spell this guy cast on these girls, not one of them came out to confront him.

She glanced to the side and saw that Li Ran was already asleep.

She suddenly remembered what her cousin looked like when he was a child, right after he was brought back to their hometown... He was thin and small, didn't like to talk or laugh, and would sit on the doorstep watching the cats in the yard for a whole afternoon.

Who could have imagined back then that he would become like this more than a decade later?

The plane began its descent, and the sky outside the window was already bright, with vast expanses of sea shimmering like scattered gold under the sunlight.

We've arrived in Xiamen.

Long Ying reached out and patted Li Ran's arm: "Wake up, we're almost there."

Li Ran stirred, and a muffled "hmm" came from under the brim of his hat, as if he hadn't yet woken from a dream.