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

Li Ran and Long Ying arrived at Long Danni's office, but no one was inside.

Long Danni is still away on a business trip, which is why she wasn't present at the meeting just now. Ultimately, it was Li Ran, the "person involved," who presided over and made the decision.

Li Ran needed this relatively private space to catch her breath and clear her mind.

He closed the door behind him, temporarily shutting out the outside world. He tugged at his collar, his voice a little hoarse: "Sis, do you have a cigarette? Give me one."

Long Ying was pouring water when she heard this and paused for a moment. She turned to look at him and said, "What cigarettes? I quit a long time ago, have you forgotten? Last time my dad... smelled them and almost nagged me to death."

Li Ran suddenly realized, raised his hand and rubbed his temples hard, then gave a self-deprecating smile: "Yes, I forgot. When I'm under a lot of pressure, I act stupidly."

He walked to the sofa, sat down weakly, his body sinking into the soft leather, leaning back and closing his eyes.

Looking at his unusually tired and irritable appearance, Long Ying sighed inwardly.

She placed the warm water on the coffee table in front of him, then sat down in the single sofa next to him, softening her voice: "Why are you so angry this time? The last time I saw you this upset was back in 17 when we found out that so-and-so had fixed a match."

Li Ran didn't open his eyes, only letting out a short, sharp snort from his nose, filled with helplessness and anger: "Fraud is betrayal, a matter of principle, so it's understandable to be angry. This time..."

He opened his eyes, bloodshot and filled with icy anger. "If it were a rival buying negative trending topics, or just fans going crazy and tearing each other apart, would I be acting like this? What's the point of having a PR department?"

"What's that online now? Public outrage! Moral judgment! Once this kind of thing takes hold, it's very difficult to get rid of it! I..."

Long Ying understood his anger and helplessness. She got up, sat on the armrest of the sofa next to him, and gently massaged his temples with practiced movements, her touch conveying a sense of comfort.

"Okay, I know you're holding back your anger, feeling sorry for Haocun, and also feeling that it was caused by your fans."

"But it's too late to be angry now. Actually, we weren't entirely unprepared for this. The Haocun family incident was a ticking time bomb. We just didn't expect it to explode so suddenly, so violently, and with such a powerful fuse..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear: the trigger came from Li Ran's own fan base, which made him extremely embarrassed and passive.

Li Ran let her hold him down. His sharp anger subsided slightly under the familiar comforting, but the resentment remained.

He sneered, his tone laced with undisguised sarcasm: "That Guo Tingting, she's really something else. She repeatedly instructed her team beforehand to prepare a contingency plan for public opinion and to keep a close eye on things."

"And what happened? By the time things were really urgent, I had to call her this morning to find out what had happened? Is she living in 2G? Is this the reaction speed a proper artist's team should have? It's outrageous!"

Long Ying didn't know much about Guo Tingting, and she was a little puzzled: "Speaking of which, shouldn't Haocun be under Director Zhang's control? How come this General Manager Guo is her boss? Judging from her appearance today, she doesn't seem like someone who can handle things."

"She's an old hand in the Beijing entertainment circle, with some connections and resources. She used to be Huang Xiaoming's executive agent. Director Zhang thought she was reliable enough, so he gave her part of Cunzi's agency contract to manage. She's mainly responsible for some business outside of film and television, publicity, and daily agency work," Li Ran explained, her tone still unfriendly.

"Huang Xiaoming's former manager?" Long Ying was even more surprised. "That's even more unreasonable. Having handled top-tier artists, what storms haven't you weathered? How could you not see through this level of public opinion? How could you be so slow to react?"

"Hmph," Li Ran scoffed, "If she really had that vision and intuition, she wouldn't have done so much flashy but impractical marketing for Cunzi in the first place."

"They practically have 'chosen one' written all over her face. What's going on at Cunzi's family? Wouldn't it be better to cultivate a down-to-earth image of someone who 'works hard to support her family and pursues her dreams steadily'?"

"They had to praise us to the skies, and now that we've fallen, do we know how much it hurts? The initial tone was wrong, and any subsequent attempts to salvage the situation just seem hypocritical."

"and……"

He paused, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes. "When we first met, this person was trying to manipulate me, both openly and secretly, and trying to find out about my family connections. He only behaved himself after I turned the tables on him. He had impure motives to begin with, and his abilities don't match his ambitions. It's no wonder he can't manage artists well."

Long Ying understood. This was a long-standing grudge, and the utter incompetence in dealing with the situation this time had completely ignited Li Ran's anger.

"So what are your plans now? Should we take this opportunity to get Haocun's finances under our control? It'll be more reassuring to have them under our own noses."

Li Ran shook his head. He had considered this idea before, but now was clearly not the right time. "We're in the eye of the storm right now. Doing this would be too conspicuous, tantamount to drawing the flames of war directly onto me, confirming 'capital protectionism' and 'close ties,' which would benefit neither of us."

He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Once this storm has passed, I'll find some time to personally talk to Director Zhang. Let's see if we can push for Cunzi to establish a completely independent studio..."

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a gentle knock on the office door, and a junior assistant cautiously peeked in, holding an unopened box of cigarettes and a lighter, which were obviously sent by Long Ying through a message.

The assistant placed the items on the coffee table and quickly left, not daring to glance at Li Ran, whose expression was somber.

Li Ran looked at the pack of cigarettes but didn't touch it.

The urge to crave nicotine to numb his nerves had largely dissipated after his conversation with Long Ying and the clarification of his next steps.

He let out a long sigh, as if expelling all the pent-up frustration from his chest. Then, instead of reaching for the cigarettes, he pushed the pack to the corner of the coffee table, as if pushing away an unwise temptation.

"I'm not smoking anymore," he said softly, his voice much calmer but filled with deep weariness. "It's no use smoking anymore."

Long Ying looked at him and knew that he had finally broken free from the vortex of anger, guilt, and impulsiveness that had initially gripped him, and regained his usual, suppressed, and restrained calm.

But she could also see that beneath this calmness lay a deeper worry.

Li Ran leaned back on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Just now, in the conference room, and even on the way here, an extremely impulsive, even crazy, thought did indeed linger in his mind...

Log in to Weibo, use your account with tens of millions of followers, and post a short statement, or even... make an official announcement.

In the most direct and manly way, he protected Liu Haocun behind him and drew all the firepower to himself.

He knew what kind of tsunami it would trigger. The exposure of a top celebrity's relationship was enough to crash Weibo, let alone at such a sensitive time.

Fortunately, his remaining rationality and the crisis instincts he had honed over the years in the world of fame and fortune pulled him back at the last moment.

Now that I've calmed down and thought about it again, that wasn't protection at all; it was mutual destruction, dragging both of them into a deeper, irreversible abyss of public opinion.

Official announcement?

At a time when public sentiment is completely ignited by keywords such as "capital," "privilege," and "victim," an official announcement will only be interpreted as "a top star being seduced by beauty and insisting on protecting his controversial girlfriend," as being "love-struck," and as "being unable to distinguish right from wrong."

Not only will it not save Liu Haocun, but it will also label her as a "femme fatale" and a "corrupt influencer," and completely destroy everything he has worked so hard to build.

Impulsiveness is the devil. He almost became that devil.

……

At this moment, the filming location of "The Four Seas" was shrouded in the humid heat of early summer on Nan'ao Island.

Liu Haocun had just finished a scene and walked out of the camera's view.

Her assistant handed her some water, which she took and drank a small sip. She didn't swallow it, but held it in her mouth, letting the coolness slowly spread in her mouth.

She saw the online comments.

Those words felt like needles piercing her eyes. She read them one by one until her eyes stung.

She read the message Li Ran sent her in the early hours of the morning several times... "Focus on filming, I'll take care of everything."

Just eight words, no extra comfort, no explanation, no promises, but she stared at them for a long time…

She walked toward the rest area at a moderate pace, her back straight.

But she could feel those gazes falling on her, coming from the direction of the props team, from behind the curtain of the makeup studio, and from the groups of staff gathered together. They were like a sticky, cloying sea breeze, impossible to escape.

I could hear hushed conversations drifting in intermittently, but I couldn't make out what they were saying...

But it was clear what they were talking about...

Her face remained calm, but inside she felt so wronged she wanted to cry.

It wasn't her fault, and she didn't want any of this to happen, but no one asked her if she wanted it, and no one wanted to know the truth.

They only needed one target, and she just happened to be standing there...

Shen Teng walked over from another direction, holding a script rolled up into a tube.

He saw Liu Haocun sitting alone in the corner, head down, as quiet as a wounded cat licking its wounds.

He walked over and sat down next to her. The movement wasn't forceful, but the folding chair still creaked.

"Haocun, what are you thinking about?" He glanced at the script in her hand, his tone casual. "You're holding the script upside down."

Liu Haocun paused for a moment, flipped the script over to take a closer look, and realized that he was holding it upside down.

Her face flushed slightly. She turned the page to the correct orientation and whispered, "Brother Teng, where is it reversed?"

Shen Teng smiled, a smile that carried a hint of elder's tolerance. "Well, you didn't really get into it either."

He didn't look at her, his gaze fixed on the distant sea, and slowly said, "Alright, stop being so gloomy. Filming is what an artist should be doing."

Liu Haocun nodded, placed the script on his lap, and said, "Thank you, Brother Teng."

Shen Teng smiled and waved his hand, his gesture conveying a casual "it's no big deal" attitude.

"Why are you thanking me? Li Ran told me to keep an eye on you." He paused, turned to look at her, and said, "Alright, don't overthink it. Director Han said we won't be filming your scenes today, so go back to the hotel and rest early."

He stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from his pants, took a couple of steps, then turned back. "Go back, you have a scene to film tomorrow."

Liu Haocun nodded and stood up as well. She hugged the script to her arms and walked towards the parking lot.

……

At eight o'clock in the evening, the night on Nan'ao Island was enveloped by a damp sea breeze, making the night seem very lonely.

Liu Haocun huddled in a corner of the sofa, the only light in the room coming from her phone screen, barely illuminating her somewhat haggard face.

The phone screen displayed her own Weibo comment section.

Those places that should have been filled with encouragement or at least rational discussion have now been overrun by malice.

The text is filled with offensive language, curses accompanied by bloody emojis, distorted speculations and mockery about her family's past, and even more cold criticisms from a moral high ground...

Her private message list kept popping up with new red numbers, and she knew without even opening them what kind of vulgar language they contained.

She pressed her lips tightly together, as if that would suppress the rising soreness and choking sensation in her throat.

Her eyes were already red, and physiological tears kept welling up, but she blinked them back desperately.

I mustn't cry, at least not because of these words.

She kept telling herself this in her heart...

Just when she felt she was about to be overwhelmed by this silent yet deafening malice...

"Knock, knock, knock."

The knocking was very light, so soft, yet it sounded so jarring in the quiet environment.

Liu Haocun was startled and raised his head like a frightened deer, his red and swollen eyes looking towards the door.

Who is it? An assistant? An agent? Or...?

She took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and walked silently to the door, her bare feet touching the cold carpet.

He placed his hand on the cold doorknob, paused for several seconds, and then, as if gathering his courage, gently pressed down.

The door opened a crack.

Brighter light streamed in from the corridor, outlining a tall, familiar figure that sent shivers down her spine.

He stood there, his hat brim pulled low, obscuring most of his face. He didn't say anything extra, just stood there quietly, like a silent yet incredibly solid harbor.

All of Liu Haocun's defenses, all his forced strength, and all his self-warnings to "not cry" crumbled and shattered silently at this moment.

Her pupils dilated suddenly, and the next second, tears streamed down her face like a burst dam. She didn't even see the expression on his face; her body had already reacted before her mind could process them.

Liu Haocun suddenly flung open the door and threw himself into the embrace that carried the cool scent of the night breeze.

She buried her face in his chest, wrapped her arms tightly around him, and began to sob and tremble uncontrollably.

"Waaah... Uh..." The sobs weren't loud, but they were filled with the overwhelming sense of relief after despair.

Li Ran caught her steadily.

He had just left the suffocating conference room in Beijing that afternoon, and rushed to the airport to catch the next flight, arriving on the island once again.

Last time I came, I visited the set with a secret joy, but this time, my feelings are heavy and complicated...

The anxiety I felt along the way transformed into a sharp pang of heartache when I saw her tear-filled, frightened eyes behind the door, like those of a small animal.

He didn't say anything, but simply wrapped one arm tightly around her trembling, thin shoulders and back, and with the other hand under her knees, he lifted her up in his arms, lifting her up so much that she was almost exhausted from crying.

His movements were gentle yet undeniably firm; he gently closed the door with his heel, temporarily shutting out any potential prying eyes and the malice of the world outside.

The room was quiet, save for her occasional, uncontrollable sobs and the constant sound of the waves outside the window.

He looked at her eyes, which were red and swollen like peaches, and said in a low, hoarse voice, filled with deep remorse, "Cunzi, I'm sorry."

"I never imagined... this would... happen because of me," he said with difficulty.

Fans fought for him, but the flames of war left her utterly devastated; he cannot shirk this responsibility.

Liu Hao shook his head slightly in his arms, the movement small but unusually firm.

Her voice was hoarse from crying, and she couldn't make a complete sound, but the way she shook her head said it all.

She doesn't blame him, she really doesn't.

From the moment she decided to enter this industry, and from the moment her family past became a shadow she could not escape, she knew that this day would come sooner or later.

Sooner or later, fierce or gentle, it will always come.

Li Ran gently hugged her tighter, "It's okay to cry if you want to..."

He didn't tell her how long the company meetings lasted or what kind of lengthy and difficult public opinion response plan they had developed.

They didn't tell her how many eyes were watching, how many people were taking advantage of the situation, how difficult it would be to repair her public image, or how many open and covert attacks she might face in the future.

Those were the dirty and complicated things he needed to face, solve, and shoulder.

And she, the girl in his arms, only needs to act well, let the roles speak for themselves, and let time prove her worth.

This was the thinnest yet most powerful protection he could provide for her.

Capital? Privilege? If you have to put it that way, then at this moment, he is her only "capital" that she is willing to use for her.

It's not meant to bully anyone, but to shield her from some of the storms and create a relatively quiet space where she can grow.

Liu Haocun didn't know how long she had been curled up in his arms, until her torrent of tears finally dried up. She slowly lifted her head from his embrace and looked at him earnestly.

Li Ran's brows showed obvious fatigue, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes, but his gaze as he looked at her was focused and calm...

Liu Haocun tried hard to move the corners of his mouth, wanting to give him a nice smile, but his muscles were stiff, and he could only manage a somewhat broken arc.

Her voice was hoarse and thick with a nasal tone: "How much has this matter...affected you?"

Even at this moment, her first reaction was still to worry about implicating Li Ran.

When the sharp blade of public opinion pierced her, she felt more bewilderment and pain, but the thought that it might also hurt him added a deeper panic to that pain.

Li Ran stared at her forced composure, feeling very uncomfortable. It was clearly her fans who had started the cyberbullying against her, yet she was still worried about him.

He shook his head and gently brushed away a strand of hair damp with tears from her cheek with his fingers.

"Don't think about these things." His voice was low and his speech slowed. "I'll handle these things. In a few days, things will start to change; it won't stay like this forever."

He paused, hesitated for a moment, and then chose to lay out some of the reality, but in a calm tone so as not to add to her anxiety: "It's just... this time the public outcry is quite large, which may have some impact on your current work in the short term."

"There are several endorsement deals we're in talks with, but although the other party hasn't directly requested to terminate the contract, they've all temporarily entered a wait-and-see mode. This is normal business risk aversion, so don't feel pressured."

He omitted the more brutal details, such as the strongly worded inquiries from some brands, and the high risk of breach of contract penalties that the team believed they might face after internal assessment.

But these things meant nothing to Li Ran...

Liu Haocun listened quietly, nodded, and gently brushed his chin against Li Ran's shoulder.

"Yes, I understand." Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear. "It's alright, Li Ran. I've thought about all of this. I believe in you."

This phrase, "I believe in you," is not a casual reassurance, but rather an unreserved entrustment of all the heavy, thorny, and crucial issues concerning her future career.

She knew he understood the weight behind this trust, and she knew he would do everything in his power for it. This realization strangely gave her a sense of support.

Li Ran gave her a deep look, then stopped talking about the suffocating topic and softened his voice: "Try not to look at your phone these next few days, okay? Most of the voices online are driven by emotions. They don't know the whole truth, and... they don't care."

Don't punish yourself for people you don't care about.

Liu Haocun nodded again, this time with a larger gesture.

She buried her face in the crook of his neck again, where the warmth of his skin and his familiar scent gave her a sense of real security.

Then, she raised her arm and, somewhat weakly but stubbornly, hooked it around his neck, pressing herself even closer to him.

"Li Ran," she whispered in his ear, "let's not talk about this anymore... okay?"

She paused for a moment, her voice tinged with dependence, "I'm so happy you could come..."

……

The following morning, the sun was still blazing on Nan'ao Island, but the atmosphere within the "Four Seas" crew was shrouded in an indescribable subtlety due to the online tsunami of the previous day.

Without attracting too much attention, Li Ran, led by her assistant, discreetly entered director Han Han's private temporary dressing room.

The room wasn't big, and it was piled with storyboards and other odds and ends for filming. The air conditioning was on full blast, creating a completely different world from the sweltering heat outside.

Han Han was sitting in a folding chair watching the monitor playback. Shen Teng was also there, and the two seemed to be discussing something. When Li Ran came in, they both stopped talking.

"Director Han, Brother Teng." Li Ran took off his hat and greeted them, his face showing the fatigue of staying up all night, but his eyes were clear and his attitude remained respectful.

"You're here, have a seat." Han Han gestured to the chair next to him, her tone calm, without much small talk.

Shen Teng patted Li Ran's arm and handed him a bottle of ice water, everything was understood without words.

Li Ran sat down, didn't beat around the bush, and looked directly at Han Han, his tone sincere and filled with obvious apology: "Director Han, I'm very sorry about this matter. Because of some trouble on my end, the crew has been affected, and it may even affect the subsequent performance of 'Four Seas'. I'm really sorry for causing trouble for the crew."

He was referring to the fact that Liu Haocun's family history was being brought up again on a large scale, which would inevitably affect her personal image and could in turn affect the box office and reputation of the movies she starred in.

As one of the lead actors in the film, this negative public opinion undoubtedly poses a potential risk to the project.

After listening, Han Han waved his hand, his expression not changing much, and slowly said, "Why say these things? I chose the actors, and we all worked together on the film."

"Who hasn't experienced the ups and downs, the rights and wrongs, in this industry? Nobody wants to see these things happen, but since they have, we just have to face them."

He paused, looked at Li Ran, and said with a hint of understanding in his eyes, "As for Haocun, he's in the film crew, so you don't need to worry about him."

"After the incident yesterday, I had the assistant director clearly inform everyone that during filming, all cast and crew members should focus on their work and not discuss or spread anything unrelated to filming. In my crew, the filming is paramount; everything else can wait until after we finish."

These words were spoken in a calm tone, yet they carried an undeniable air of control.

Now that he had spoken, at least on the surface, no one dared to point fingers at Liu Haocun anymore, which undoubtedly provided her with a relatively closed working environment where she could temporarily breathe a sigh of relief.

Upon hearing this, Li Ran felt a slight sense of relief. This protection seemed like a given, but it was especially precious in the midst of a crisis.

He nodded solemnly: "Thank you, Director Han. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Alright, alright," Shen Teng interjected at the opportune moment, breaking the slightly serious atmosphere.

He smiled and put his arm around Li Ran's shoulder, saying in his unique, slightly teasing yet affectionate tone, "We're all family, why be so polite? Don't you know Lao Han? He's fiercely protective! He chose the actors, how could he not protect them? Besides, Hao Cun was innocent in this whole mess."

He changed the subject, winking, "But you, Li Ran, stop worrying about others and don't forget what you promised me! Make sure you have my schedule clear for my cameo role in our new Mahua FunAge movie, understand?"

"I even bragged to the production crew that I could get a top-tier celebrity!"

Li Ran knew that Shen Teng was trying to liven up the atmosphere and was also expressing his support in a clever way.

A genuine smile, the first one he'd shown in days, appeared on his face, though it was still somewhat faint: "Don't worry, Brother Teng. I'll definitely keep my promise. I've got your schedule in mind; you can just have your team coordinate with me when the time comes."

"Alright! That's great!" Shen Teng patted him hard on the back.

After a brief chat about the crew's recent activities and subsequent filming arrangements, Li Ran got up to say goodbye.

He didn't disturb Liu Haocun, who was filming on set, knowing that what she needed most right now was to focus on her work and have some peace and quiet.

He came mainly to see Liu Haocun, casually express his apology, and also to confirm Han Han's attitude. He felt a little relieved after receiving a relatively positive response.

In the afternoon, he left Nan'ao Island quietly, just as he had arrived.

However, before Liu Haocun's case could be resolved or stabilized...

That evening, a post by a well-known Weibo influencer once again thrust Li Ran and Tian Xiwei into the center of public opinion.