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

To immerse yourself in reading Chapter 200, "Rival in Love" Li Yitong, please click here.

Li Yitong plays Si Ming, the master of Xiao Lan Hua, in the drama. She doesn't have many scenes, just a few lines, but the role is very important.

She looked at Li Ran, her eyes crinkling, and reached out her hand.

"Hello, top influencer."

Li Ran reached out and gently shook her hand, his fingertips touching her palm, which was warm and somewhat soft.

"Sister Tong looks so beautiful when she smiles." Li Ran's tone was natural, without any deliberate flattery or ulterior motives. She simply saw it, thought it was beautiful, and said it.

But he regretted it as soon as he finished speaking, because Tian Xiwei's gaze was already piercing him like two knives.

Seeing this, Zhang Linghe quickly stood up and offered his chair to Li Yitong, saying solicitously, "Sister Tong, please sit down."

He's not even a rising star yet, so he's naturally very polite to the top female star in his own company.

Li Yitong didn't refuse, smiled and thanked him, and sat down on the other side of Li Ran.

Zhang Linghe waved his hand, got up and left to touch up his makeup; his foundation was going to smudge soon.

Li Ran stared at Li Yitong's crescent-shaped eyes, lost in thought. Those eyes were truly captivating!

Tian Xiwei stared at Li Ran and nudged him lightly with her elbow.

"What are you thinking about?" She looked at Li Ran with unfriendly eyes, her tone sour and slightly reproachful.

Li Ran turned to meet her gaze, feeling a little guilty. He reached up and touched his nose, quickly changing the subject: "Sister Tong, how many days are you here to film?"

Li Yitong smiled, a smile that appeared exceptionally gentle in the sunlight.

"Not many scenes, about a week."

Li Ran was stunned for a moment.

He knew Li Yitong's role; at most, it was only a few scenes, and if filmed intensively, three days would be more than enough.

"Won't a week delay the rest of the work?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "Should I talk to the director and have your scenes filmed together? That way you won't have to travel back and forth."

Li Yitong waved her hand lightly, with a hint of indifference.

"No need, I asked for it myself." As she spoke, she shifted her gaze from Li Ran to Tian Xiwei's face beside her, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly, with a smile that carried an indescribable meaning.

"I haven't had much work lately, so I'm just taking a break."

Li Ran noticed her gaze and a thought suddenly popped into her mind: the way she looked at Xiao Tian seemed a little off.

Tian Xiwei didn't notice any of this; her eyes were still fixed on Li Ran, afraid that he would unleash that damned charm again and seduce another girl.

Li Yitong looked at her profile, the smile on her lips never fading.

Caught between the two, Li Ran looked at Tian Xiwei's somewhat helpless expression and thought to himself, "Sister, it seems like she's not interested in me, but in you!"

He then turned to Li Yitong and found her still looking at Xiaotian. His heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "No way, is she really a lesbian?"

In the distance, crew members are shouting "Get ready!" The next scene is about to start filming.

Li Ran stood up and glanced at the two women who were still sitting.

"You guys chat, it's my turn to act."

He walked towards the filming location, his face calm, but he felt a very strong sense of unease.

I have a feeling that a rival has appeared in my life, but this time it's different from that unknown returnee. This time I'm genuinely a little uneasy.

He couldn't have known better; a woman probably stole his boyfriend!

It was still early when we finished work today.

Li Yitong booked a restaurant, saying she was going to treat everyone.

Tian Xiwei spoke casually when relaying the message, but Li Ran noticed the slight curve at the corner of her mouth, which she couldn't hide.

I have no idea what the two women talked about that afternoon.

Tian Xiwei, Li Ran, and Zhang Linghe got into Li Yitong's car and drove towards Hengzhen.

The restaurant is located outside the film studio, about a ten-minute drive away. It's an old establishment with a small storefront, but it's very popular. Several vans are parked in front, clearly belonging to various film crews.

Li Yitong was clearly a regular customer, as the proprietress personally came out to greet them and led them to a private room inside.

Li Yitong ordered the dishes without asking anyone else's opinion, but she ordered dishes that catered to the tastes of all three of them.

"How did you know I like this?" Tian Xiwei's big eyes lit up as she looked at the grilled fish.

Li Yitong smiled and explained, "Try it, this place makes pretty good ones. I saw on your WeChat Moments this afternoon that you wanted to eat grilled fish, and it just so happens that I know this place makes good grilled fish."

Tian Xiwei picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks. The fish was tender and smooth, with a perfect balance of sour and spicy flavors. She squinted her eyes in satisfaction and gave Li Yitong a thumbs up.

Looking at her expression, Li Yitong smiled and narrowed her eyes into crescent moons.

Li Ran looked at Li Yitong and had a feeling that he was the one who was superfluous.

Oh, and there's Niu Niu, who's burying his head in his rice.

The four chatted idly, exchanging a few words here and there.

Li Ran sat next to Tian Xiwei, reaching out to pick up some food that Tian Xiwei couldn't reach, occasionally glancing at Li Yitong across the table.

Li Yitong reached for the grilled fish with her chopsticks, picked up a piece, and put it into Tian Xiwei's bowl, her movements natural and intimate.

Tian Xiwei didn't notice, she was eating with her head down, her cheeks bulging, like a hamster hoarding food.

By the time the dinner party ended, it was completely dark.

Tian Xiwei yawned and leaned closer to Li Ran.

Li Yitong glanced at it, then looked away and said to Tian Xiwei, "Xiao Tian, ​​where are you going? I'll take you."

Tian Xiwei waved her hand, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Thank you, Sister Tong, but no need. Li Ran and I are staying at the same hotel; I can just take his car back."

She paused, then tilted her head and asked, "Sister Tong, aren't you going back to the hotel?"

Li Yitong shook her head and turned the car keys in her hand. "I rented a house in Hengdian, but I haven't checked into the hotel arranged by the film crew yet."

Tian Xiwei said "Oh," without giving it much thought. "Then, Sister Tong, be careful on your way back."

Li Yitong smiled, greeted Li Ran again, and turned to walk towards her car.

Li Ran and Tian Xiwei stood there waiting for Xiao Chen.

The two got into the car and drove towards the hotel.

On the way, Tian Xiwei leaned on Li Ran's shoulder, her eyes closed, as if she were asleep, but her eyelashes kept trembling.

Li Ran didn't say anything, but he felt a sense of crisis. Could it be that a woman really stole his boyfriend?

Back at the hotel, Li Ran didn't go to his own room, but followed Tian Xiwei directly into her room.

After entering the room, Tian Xiwei hugged Li Ran tightly and clung to him.

"Carry me to take a bath..."

Li Ran cupped her in his hands, his tone slightly indulgent, "Did you have a great day?"

Tian Xiwei nodded in her arms and explained, "After all, I've made such a good friend as Sister Tong!"

……

Li Ran carried Tian Xiwei out of the bathroom.

Her hair was still dripping wet, and it brushed against his chest, feeling cool.

He placed her on the sofa, picked up the hairdryer, and gently blew through her hair strand by strand with his fingers.

Tian Xiwei closed her eyes, leaned against him, and breathed steadily, like a cat being stroked.

After drying their hair, the two went to bed to rest.

Tian Xiwei nestled in his arms, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles on his chest. She stopped drawing as if she had fallen asleep.

Li Ran glanced down at her; she wasn't asleep, her eyes were open.

"Xiaotian," he suddenly said, his voice very soft.

"Um?"

"Have you noticed that Li Yitong's gaze towards you is a little strange?"

Tian Xiwei tilted her head slightly, facing him.

"What's wrong?" She wrinkled her nose. "I also feel like the way she's looking at you is weird!"

She paused, then poked his chest with her finger, again and again. "And another thing, are you feeling all lovey-dovey again? Are you possessed by a teddy bear spirit? The way you looked at her during the day was exactly the same as how you looked at Zhang Ruonan back then!"

Li Ran chuckled at her teasing and reached out to grasp her restless hand.

"No, I just think she looks beautiful when she smiles, her eyes and eyebrows curve together..."

"Zhang Ruonan, you said the same thing back then," Tian Xiwei interrupted him, her tone sarcastic. "But what happened? Well, I wasn't interested in her, just a tiny bit of affection."

"Do you think I'm a three-year-old?!"

Li Ran was momentarily speechless, then quickly changed the subject.

"Can you stop changing the subject? I'm asking you a question right now, Li Yitong is looking at you..."

"What do you mean?" Tian Xiwei frowned. "She's a woman, and I'm a woman too..."

She suddenly stopped. She remembered that a couple of days ago, to spite Li Ran, she had indeed said something like, "I'll find women too."

She bit her lip and quickly explained, "What are you thinking! Don't you know whether I like men or women? I was just saying that in anger that day."

Li Ran smiled faintly, but there was a hint of seriousness in his eyes. "But I feel like she might be interested in you."

Tian Xiwei stared at him, her eyes appearing exceptionally large and round in the dim light.

"Get lost, Li Ran! Are you trying to win her over this way too? You promised me you wouldn't add any more." Her voice rose.

Li Ran was amused by her puffed-up expression and reached out to ruffle her hair. "What are you talking about? I just noticed the way she looked at you was weird today."

Tian Xiwei thought for a moment, then frowned and relaxed. "No way? You're overthinking it. Maybe we just click."

Li Ran sighed and pulled her closer to him. "I hope so."

He didn't say anything more.

But he knew in his heart that Li Yitong and Tian Xiwei met through a variety show in their previous life.

At first, because of their respective bosses, the two didn't dare to communicate much with each other, and were cautious, like two hedgehogs tentatively approaching each other.

But as their relationship deepened, they became increasingly intimate and clingy, and netizens started shipping them as a couple.

……

The filming wrapped up the following morning, and the noise on set temporarily subsided.

When Li Ran came out of the film set, Tian Xiwei was standing in the shade of the corridor, looking down at her phone. When she saw him come out, she looked up and put her phone in her pocket.

"You can eat lunch by yourself," she said casually.

Li Ran was stunned for a moment, then looked her up and down.

"What's wrong? Not eating again? You haven't gained weight recently, have you?" His tone was slightly teasing.

Tian Xiwei shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips, her voice tinged with a hint of excitement: "Sister Tong asked me to eat with her."

When she said "Sister Tong," her tone was as natural as if she were calling a friend she had known for a long time.

They've only known each other for two days, and they're already this close? Li Ran thought to herself, but didn't say it aloud.

He fell silent, the thought resurfacing in his mind: "Damn, could she really be a lesbian?"

Seeing that he didn't speak, Tian Xiwei tilted her head and looked at him, her big eyes filled with a mischievous glint.

"You're not really jealous of Tong-jie, are you?"

Li Ran chuckled awkwardly, "Why would I be jealous of a woman? Would I go that far?"

Tian Xiwei nodded and waved to him. "I'm off then, bye-bye!"

Li Ran stood there, watching her figure disappear around the corner of the corridor. He felt a lump in his throat, an indescribable feeling, just a general unease.

A woman actually made him feel threatened.

He stood there for a moment, then looked away and was about to walk toward the RV when he caught a glimpse of a figure passing by.

"Zhang Linghe," Li Ran called out.

Zhang Linghe looked up, saw it was Li Ran, paused for a moment, then turned a corner and walked over.

He approached, a hint of confusion on his face. "What's wrong, Ran-ge?"

He addressed Li Ran as "Brother Ran" in a natural tone. Although he knew he was a year older than Li Ran, status wasn't determined by age.

"Let's have lunch together," Li Ran said, turning and walking towards the RV.

Zhang Linghe was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed, wondering to himself—Li Ran took the initiative to invite him to dinner? Has the sun risen in the west?

The two got into the RV, where Xiao Chen had already brought lunch.

Zhang Linghe sat down opposite him, opened his lunchbox, poked a piece of braised pork with his chopsticks, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed until his cheeks were bulging, like a satisfied cow.

Li Ran barely touched her chopsticks, leaning back in her chair and watching him eat for a while before speaking.

"Do you know anything about Li Yitong?" he asked casually.

Zhang Linghe paused in his chewing, looked up, and a hint of doubt flashed in his bull-like eyes.

He quickly calculated in his mind—why was Li Ran asking him this? Could it be that he had taken a liking to Li Yitong? But Li Yitong was so much older than him, although it didn't seem like it, but after all… He thought about it several times, but his mouth remained very honest.

"We work for the same company, but we're not close." He swallowed the mouthful of rice and added, "What's wrong?"

Li Ran hesitated for a moment, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Her sexual orientation...is she gay?"

Zhang Linghe's eyes widened instantly, and he almost spat out the food in his mouth.

He coughed twice, patted his chest to catch his breath, and looked at Li Ran with a shocked expression. "Brother Ran, why are you asking this? I don't know either!"

Li Ran rubbed his temples.

He realized he was being foolish. What could he possibly learn from this silly cow? This guy probably didn't even know the gossip about his own company. Asking him about his sexual orientation was like asking Baidu.

He waved his hand, his tone carrying a hint of giving up.

"It's okay, go ahead and eat." After a pause, she added, "We just had a simple lunch today."

Zhang Linghe nodded, lowered his head and continued eating. After taking only two bites, he looked up again, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

"It seems like Li Yitong doesn't have a boyfriend right now." He said this with a serious expression, as if he were providing a valuable clue.

Li Ran looked at him and said helplessly, "You don't actually think I like Li Yitong, do you?"

Zhang Linghe didn't speak, but the expression on his face said it all; his bull-like eyes widened slightly.

Looking at his expression, Li Ran sighed and gave up trying to explain.

After finishing the afternoon's shooting.

Li Ran had another night scene to film that evening. When he came out of the film set, he immediately saw Tian Xiwei waiting by the RV.

Xiao Tian has no scenes tonight, so she changed out of her costume early and looked very refreshed.

Upon seeing Li Ran, Tian Xiwei calmly said, "I won't wait for you anymore, I'll head back first."

Li Ran nodded. "Go back and get some rest."

"Bye-bye!" Tian Xiwei smiled, then turned and left.

Li Ran looked in the direction she turned and left, and suddenly realized that she was going in the wrong direction; she was going in the opposite direction.

He paused for a moment, then called out to her, "Isn't the car on the other side?"

Tian Xiwei turned her head to look at him, her eyes curving into crescent moons, with a hint of inexplicable smugness.

"I'll ride back in Sister Tong's car."

Li Ran didn't say anything, he just waved to her.

He stood there, watching her figure disappear, then looked away and got into the RV.

Li Ran leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and felt a little uneasy, like bubbles at the bottom of the water, which would be suppressed and then rise again.

It's not that he's overthinking things.

That feeling was getting stronger and stronger, and he couldn't quite put his finger on what he was worried about.

Is he worried that Xiaotian will be led astray, or is he worried that the thought about "Tongxin Weimin" that he doesn't want to admit and that is hidden deep in his heart might become a reality?

Although she is a woman, a hat is still a hat.

Thinking of this, Li Ran suddenly smiled; he had come up with a solution that would satisfy both sides.

Who cares if she has diarrhea or not! Just straighten it out for her.

At 10 p.m., Li Ran returned to the hotel after filming the night scene and took a shower in his room.

He changed into clean clothes, went to Tian Xiwei's door, swiped his card, and pushed the door open.

Then he froze for a moment and saw that Li Yitong was also there.

He then smiled faintly, his expression carrying a profound meaning...