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

Li's mother didn't talk to her son anymore, and instead turned her attention to Zhou Ye and Tian Xiwei.

She leaned back comfortably on the sofa, and inquired about the couple's family situation in a gentle tone, as if she were an ordinary elder having a casual chat.

"What does Ono's family do in the business? Are her parents in good health?"

"Where is Xiaotian from? His accent sounds a bit like he's from Sichuan or Chongqing?" The questions seemed casual, but they were all very relevant.

Zhou Ye sat up straight and answered earnestly, "Auntie, my family is in Guangdong. My parents run a small business and are in good health. Thank you for your concern."

Tian Xiwei appeared even more obedient, placing her hands neatly on her knees and smiling as she said, "Auntie, you heard me perfectly. I'm from Chongqing, and both my parents are..."

Li Ran was left standing aside. Several times he tried to interject, but his mother stopped him with a dismissive glance. He could only play with his phone listlessly, but his ears were perked up, trying to catch every word of the conversation on the other end.

He thought to himself, "My mom isn't really here to support me. She's probably here to see her future daughter-in-law, and I'm just a side son."

Li's mother didn't stay long; she chatted with the two for half an hour before leaving.

Before getting into the car, Li's mother called Li Ran closer and asked, "Which of these two is my future daughter-in-law?"

When Li Ran heard his mother's blunt question, he scratched his head and said, "Mom, I'm only twenty-two, there's no rush."

Li's mother rolled her eyes at her son. She knew that her son was independent and didn't like others interfering. For example, he would go into a professional game on a whim, and after finally retiring, he would enter the entertainment industry without ever discussing it with his parents.

But she and her father couldn't do anything about Li Ran. After all, at least he was standing there healthy and happy.

"I can't be bothered with you, but the old man said you have to bring a girl home for the New Year. You figure it out yourself!"

After saying that, Li's mother left the film crew without waiting for Li Ran's reply, accompanied by her assistant.

Li Ran watched the car gradually disappear into the distance, her expression complex. Finally, she sighed softly, turned around, and walked back to the film crew.

When Li Ran pushed open the door and returned to the lounge, he found that only Zhou Ye was sitting on the sofa, holding a cushion and staring blankly.

Hearing the noise, she immediately raised her head, staring intently at Li Ran, and her words startled him.

"Li Ran, you lied to me!"

Li Ran stopped and frowned at her: "What did I lie to you about?"

"You have such a powerful background, yet you've kept it from me all this time!" Zhou Ye stood up, his eyes wide open.

"You really are a 'young master'?"

Li Ran chuckled, walked over and ruffled her hair: "What era are we living in? There's no such thing as a young master or a grand master anymore, that's too exaggerated."

"Then you'd better tell the truth," Zhou Ye persisted, hands on his hips, looking sullen.

"What exactly does your family do? I used to think your biggest backer was your aunt!"

"It's just making some ordinary investments, what's there to worry about?"

Li Ran brushed it off vaguely, his gaze sweeping over her face before he suddenly curled his lips into a smile: "But you, you were acting so well-behaved in front of my mom just now, but now you've shown your true colors, like a little puppy baring its teeth and claws."

"You're the little dog!" Zhou Ye pretended to hit him, but then lowered his hand halfway through, a hint of unease suddenly appearing on his face.

"Honestly, did Auntie dislike me just now? Did I behave well?"

Seeing her unusually nervous expression, Li Ran recalled how she had sat upright while answering questions earlier and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Don't worry, my mom isn't that dramatic, she's not some rich socialite. She just told me privately that she thinks you're quite interesting."

Zhou Ye's eyes lit up, but before he could reply, the door to the lounge was pushed open again.

Tian Xiwei walked in with her head down, her sweet smile gone, her brows slightly furrowed, a faint look of sorrow on her face.

Li Ran noticed her mood and turned to look at her, asking, "What's wrong? Weren't you just chatting happily with my mom?"

Tian Xiwei waved her hand, her voice soft: "It's nothing serious, it's just that a drama we filmed before might not be able to air."

She didn't explain much, but her dejection was obvious.

Li Ran looked at her thoughtfully, and after a moment spoke: "Because of Li Mingde?"

Tian Xiwei looked up abruptly, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes: "How did you know?"

Zhou Ye, standing to the side, was also stunned. He looked at Li Ran and then at Tian Xiwei: "What does this have to do with him?"

Li Ran didn't explain, but looked at Tian Xiwei and said, "Tell me! Let me see what's going on. My mom still wants me to take care of you! Let me see if I can help you."

Tian Xiwei thought for a moment and slowly said, "My agent just called to tell me that Kiwi is not going to broadcast 'So Cute Us,' which I collaborated on with Li Mingde, and no other platform is willing to take it over."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Li Ran and smiled, "Actually, it doesn't have much of an impact, since I've already received my payment."

Li Ran thought back carefully and realized that this drama seemed to be Tian Xiwei's first representative work in her previous life, and she gained attention for playing Huang Chengzi in the drama.

At that moment, a system notification sounded in Li Ran's mind.

[Random task triggered]

Content: It has been detected that the new drama of artist "Tian Xiwei" cannot be broadcast. Please help her solve the problem and play the role of Tan Song in the drama.

Reward: Random (determined based on completion rate and final result)

Li Ran was slightly taken aback. This damn system really knows how to pick the right time to issue tasks.

He looked at Tian Xiwei and said, "I know what happened. Wait for me to make a call."

After Li Ran finished speaking, he raised his hand to signal the two of them to stop talking, then took out his phone, dialed a number, and pressed the speakerphone button.

The call was answered after five or six busy signals.

A deep, steady middle-aged male voice came from the other end of the line, with the hushed conversations of other people in the background.

"What's wrong, you brat? It's rare for you to think of calling your dad. Didn't your mom go to see you?"

"I just saw my mom and went back home."

Li Ran cut to the chase, "Dad, did you have someone remove the show Li Mingde was in?"

"Li Mingde?" The voice on the other end paused, slightly puzzled. "Who's this? What happened?"

"That actor who was trending on social media a couple of days ago, saying I was suppressing him. Wasn't that your doing?"

"Oh...that's all." The man's tone was calm, as if he had just remembered some trivial matter.

"Perhaps it was handled by someone below. What, is there a problem?"

"Yes," Li Ran said directly, "I've got my eye on that movie of his that got pulled from theaters, and I want to act in it. Could you perhaps put in a word with Mr. Gong from Kiwi Fruit?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a soft, emotionless chuckle: "You called specifically for this? Alright, I'm in a meeting right now, I'll have my secretary contact you later."

The call was abruptly ended as soon as he finished speaking, leaving only a busy tone.

Li Ran put away his phone and looked at Tian Xiwei: "Let's wait for news."

Zhou Ye listened from the side, his mouth slightly agape, before finally managing to speak after a long pause: "Li Ran, is this what you call 'ordinary investment'?"

Her voice rose involuntarily, "That's General Manager Gong from the kiwi fruit company! Your dad can get it done with just a word?"

Li Ran touched his nose and chuckled awkwardly, "Uh, my family does own some shares."

Tian Xiwei's eyes suddenly lit up. She leaned forward unconsciously and quickly pecked Li Ran on the cheek, her voice soft and gentle: "Thank you, Li Ran."

The action came so suddenly that Zhou Ye was taken aback at first, then jumped up like a firecracker, his voice filled with suppressed anger: "Tian Xiwei! What are you doing!"

She took a step forward and pushed Tian Xiwei, who was still bent over, so hard that she fell into the sofa.

Tian Xiwei steadied herself, raised her eyes to glare at Zhou Ye, and the shyness on her face vanished instantly: "What did I do? Can't I thank Li Ran? He didn't even say anything, why are you being so nosy?"

She pushed herself up from the sofa, raised her chin, and said, "Want to fight?"

"Fine, I'll fight! Do you think I'm afraid of you?" Zhou Ye rolled up his jacket sleeves to his elbows, revealing his slender but taut forearms.

Tian Xiwei sneered, and without saying a word, she took off her coat and threw it aside, revealing a close-fitting sports vest underneath.

She stood up straight, staring coldly at Zhou Ye, her eyes full of "come at me if you dare" provocation.

The air in the lounge instantly tensed, and the temperature seemed to drop several degrees. The two girls faced each other, like two small animals with their fur standing on end.

Li Ran stood in the middle, looked at Zhou Ye, who was puffing up in anger, and then at Tian Xiwei, who was unyielding, on the right. He raised his hand to rub his temples, but the corners of his mouth inexplicably wanted to turn up.

He took out his phone, turned on the recording, and looked at the two of them, saying, "It's okay, you two continue. Let's see who wins in the end, and I'll send it to my mom so she can enjoy it."

Zhou Ye looked at him with dissatisfaction, but didn't say anything and sat back down on the sofa.

It wasn't that she chickened out or was afraid she couldn't beat Tian Xiwei; rather, as the official girlfriend, she didn't want to leave a bad impression on her future mother-in-law.

Seeing this, Tian Xiwei also put on her coat and sat down.