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

The afternoon's filming went very smoothly.

Zhang Ruonan seemed to have been enlightened by something, and she became completely immersed in the role.

In front of the camera, there was just the right amount of timidity in her eyes... wanting to get closer, yet not daring to. Wanting to reach out, yet pulling back.

She portrayed that unspoken, suppressed affection with remarkable depth and nuance.

After the director yelled "Cut," Zhang Ruonan walked out of the camera's view, her expression still somewhat composed, with a lingering trace of melancholy from the character in her eyes and brows.

She walked over to Li Ran, took the water her assistant handed her, and took a small sip.

"You acted well," Li Ran said.

Zhang Ruonan glanced at him, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile: "It's rare to hear you praise me."

I'm serious.

Li Ran leaned against the prop box next to him, his hands in his pockets, and said casually, "I think you're going to have another representative role besides You Yongci."

Zhang Ruonan paused for a moment, then smiled. The smile started from the corners of her mouth and slowly spread to her eyes, like ripples on a lake.

"Really? You think I acted well too?"

Li Ran nodded and slowly said, "The role itself is very suitable for you. After the film is released, I believe you will become the white moonlight of many boys."

Zhang Ruonan's smile deepened, but she still wouldn't let it go: "Then you can't hold us back."

"Are you questioning my acting skills?" Li Ran raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate arrogance.

"I didn't." Zhang Ruonan tightened the cap on her water bottle, paused, and then her tone became more serious. "I just want you to stop taking so many days off and focus on filming."

Li Ran felt a little guilty after hearing what she said, and gave an awkward laugh: "Sis, I only took this one day off."

"He only took one day off, and this has caused such a big commotion."

Zhang Ruonan looked at him, her eyes appearing particularly earnest in the sunlight. "I'm genuinely afraid that our show hasn't even aired yet, and if it collapses, all my efforts will have been for nothing."

Li Ran scoffed, "I haven't broken any laws or regulations, so why should I ruin my house? Am I not allowed to date?"

Zhang Ruonan rolled her eyes at him and didn't reply.

Dating is fine, but you're juggling multiple relationships.

However, she didn't say it aloud. Instead, she changed the subject, her tone becoming lighter: "Speaking of 'white moonlight,' isn't your white moonlight Jingyi?"

Li Ran thought for a moment, a thoughtful look in his eyes, "I don't think I have a white moonlight."

He paused, then a smile curved his lips, a hint of youthful arrogance in his expression. "But I should be Jingyi's white moonlight."

Zhang Ruonan curled her lip: "You're just being arrogant, you narcissist."

"Didn't you ask me that?" Li Ran asked innocently.

"What did I ask you, and what did you answer?" Zhang Ruonan glared at him, but the corners of her mouth were still turned up.

She thought for a moment, then asked, "What kind of girl do you like? I feel like all of them are quite different."

She had actually thought about this question for a long time. Zhou Ye, Liu Haocun, Zhang Jingyi, Tian Xiwei... everyone was different, with different personalities, different appearances, and even different ways of getting along with them.

She couldn't find a common pattern.

Li Ran didn't answer immediately; he lowered his head and thought for a while.

"As long as it looks good, it's mainly about how you feel about it."

Zhang Ruonan waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

She didn't ask any further questions, nodded, said "I'm going to prepare for the next match," and turned to walk away.

After walking a few steps, she suddenly stopped, turned around and glanced at him. Li Ran was still standing there, seemingly lost in thought.

She looked away and continued walking forward.

She looked down at her shadow and suddenly remembered what he had just said... It mainly depends on your feeling.

Feelings are the most irrational and the hardest to hide. Just like her now, her mind keeps saying "no," but her heart has already gone astray.

She took a deep breath and quickened her pace.

……

Even as night fell, the temperature in Xiamen still hadn't dropped.

Li Ran set the air conditioner to 22 degrees Celsius and then opened the window a crack to let the sea breeze in.

On the table were takeout items from a barbecue stand, the beer was ice-cold, and a layer of water droplets condensed on the outside of the cans, dripping down the sides.

Zhang Ruonan rearranged the barbecue box, moving the chicken wings in front of Wang Churan, pushing the oysters to her side, and placing the beef skewers in the middle.

She did these things very naturally, as if she were entertaining friends at home.

Wang Churan had already opened two cans of beer. He pushed one can to Zhang Ruonan's side, and held the other can himself, taking a small sip and squinting his eyes.

The variety show has started.

The scene begins with fifteen people arriving at Peach Blossom Village one after another, dragging their suitcases and looking around at the village entrance. Some greet each other warmly, while others nod nervously.

When the scene cut to the part where Song Dandan suggested introducing themselves, Wang Churan put a beer can on the coffee table and couldn't help but complain, "Seriously, it's just a self-introduction, how can it cause so much trouble? It's making me feel awkward."

Zhang Ruonan smiled and put down the skewers in her hand: "It feels so real. With so many people, and some I don't know, it's really awkward to suddenly introduce myself."

She turned to Li Ran and asked, "Did you introduce yourself?"

Li Ran shook his head as he was dismantling a grilled oyster, garlic sauce dripping down the edge of the shell.

"I'd like to introduce myself, but Professor Song Dandan thinks I have too many titles, and it gives her a headache."

Wang Churan burst out laughing, her eyes gleaming with excitement: "I know that!"

She looked at Zhang Ruonan, "Sister Ruonan, let me demonstrate for you."

Zhang Ruonan nodded, adopting an attitude of listening attentively.

Wang Churan took a deep breath.

Having a reading slump? Check out these fantasy novel recommendations!

"Next, let's give a warm round of applause to welcome..."

She deliberately emphasized the word "please," like an award ceremony host deliberately drawing out their words, "The number one player in LPL esports, a super grand slam winner who has won championships in the League of Legends LPL Spring Split, LPL Summer Split, Mid-Season Invitational, Rift Rivals, Asian Games, World Championship, and other major tournaments!"

Her speech quickened, as if she were reciting a tongue twister she had practiced countless times. "2017 LPL Summer Split Champion, Best Rookie, FMVP. 2018 Asian Games League of Legends Demonstration Event Champion. 2018 Rift Rivals Champion. 2018 LPL Summer Split Champion, FMVP. 2018 World Championship Champion, FMVP."

She took a breath, but didn't stop, "2019 LPL Spring Split Champion, 2019 Mid-Season Invitational Champion, FMVP. 2019 Summer Split Champion. 2019 World Championship Champion, FMVP..."

As the last syllable fell, she leaned back, her chest heaving as if she had just run 800 meters.

"I almost passed out."

Li Ran leaned back on the sofa, still holding the shell of the grilled oyster in her hand, her expression somewhat complicated.

"No, how do you remember so clearly? You even know which FMVP it is."

Wang Churan took a couple of breaths, a smug look appearing on his face, like a primary school student who got a perfect score and was praised by the teacher.

"That's right. I looked up all your information when I was trying to win you over."

Zhang Ruonan looked at Wang Churan, then at Li Ran, her eyes showing a mixture of surprise and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"I knew Li Ran had many championships, but I didn't expect this many." Her voice was soft, as if she were sighing, or as if she were confirming something.

Wang Churan recovered, reached for a skewer of beef, took a bite, and mumbled, "Of course. I haven't even mentioned some of the best player and best jungler honors yet, or I'm afraid I'll faint."

Zhang Ruonan smiled, her gaze falling on Wang Churan's face: "Were you the one who actively pursued Li Ran back then?"

Wang Churan nodded, his cheeks still puffed out like beef. "That's right! I flirted with him on WeChat for over two months."

She thought for a moment, then added, "The first time we met was only the second time Li Ran and I had met in person. I hadn't even won him over yet."

Zhang Ruonan remained silent.

She recalled that when Wang Churan said she was Li Ran's suitor, she thought the girl was quite brave.

Later, when I learned about Li Ran's affairs, I thought Wang Churan was covering for him, since Zhang Jingyi wasn't with Li Ran yet, and everything was still unclear.

She turned to look at Li Ran: "Li Ran, which of them did you pursue? It wasn't Jingyi, and it wasn't Chu Ran either."

Li Ran tossed the oyster shells in his hand into the trash bag, thought for a moment, and slowly said, "It seems... I've always been passively accepting everything."

Wang Churan immediately became unhappy and kicked him.

"What, you're not happy about it anymore?"

Li Ran grabbed her ankle and wouldn't let go, chuckling awkwardly, "I didn't say I didn't want to. I'm just stating the facts, okay?"

He began to count, his tone as calm as if he were reviewing a game that had already ended. "Coconut was the one who pursued me in college, and Xiao Hu was also the one who took the initiative. Xiao Tian was a fan of my e-sports from the beginning, and he liked me from the start."

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Cunzi was even more direct and brutal. After the audition for 'A Little Red Flower for You,' he just stayed at my house and wouldn't leave."

Zhang Ruonan chuckled twice, her tone a mix of sourness and amusement: "Then you must be incredibly charming."

She didn't continue.

She thought about herself, and wondered, what did this all mean? Was it proactive or reactive? Was it liking someone, or was it something she shouldn't have liked? Her mind was a jumbled mess, like a ball of yarn that had been torn apart.

Wang Churan rolled her eyes.

The screen then cut to Meng Ziyi, who was wearing a pink sweatshirt and smiling at the camera.

She pointed at the screen, her tone a mix of knowing and probing: "Is this Meng Ziyi also pursuing you?"

Li Ran glanced at the finger she was pointing at, then looked away and shook his head.

"Sister Meng is indeed quite proactive, but there's nothing between us, I don't have any feelings for her."

Zhang Ruonan was stunned for a moment, the beer can in her hand hanging in mid-air.

"Meng Ziyi is so beautiful, how could you not feel anything?" She regretted asking the question as soon as it was asked, because it sounded like she was asking it on behalf of herself.

Li Ran leaned back on the sofa and thought for a moment.

"It's quite pretty, but I just don't feel anything for it."

Wang Churan rolled her eyes, her tone tinged with disdain: "What's so great about a typical internet celebrity face?"

Zhang Ruonan smiled and spoke up for Meng Ziyi: "It's true that many people say she has a 'web celebrity face,' but isn't that natural?"

Li Ran explained, "She's just unlucky; all the internet celebrities have had plastic surgery to look like her."

Wang Churan snorted and put the beer can on the coffee table. "It's pretty, but nothing special. And for a Northeasterner like him, his speech is so affected and I don't like it."

Li Ran smiled and said, "Cunzi is also from Northeast China, and he speaks with a cute little boy's voice."

"I never said I liked her," Wang Churan replied directly.

Li Ran didn't respond.

Of course he knew she didn't like Liu Haocun, so why was she getting so close to him lately?

Wang Churan seemed to guess what he was thinking. She pouted, moved closer to him, and hugged his arm. Her voice suddenly softened, with a hint of coquettishness at the end: "I'm doing this all for you. I only like you, so I can only get along well with them."

Li Ran glanced down at her but didn't say anything.

Sitting next to her, Zhang Ruonan looked at the hand that Wang Churan was holding onto Li Ran's arm, and then at the expression on Li Ran's face. Suddenly, she felt that the beer in her hand tasted a little bitter.

She took a big gulp, the icy liquid sliding down her throat, but the bitter taste lingered on the back of her tongue.

On the screen, the fifteen people from Peach Blossom Village were still enthusiastically introducing themselves...