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

After waiting for TES's post-match interviews to finish, Li Ran found Ah Shui in the somewhat deserted player tunnel.

The young ADC leaned against the wall, his team uniform jacket casually draped over his shoulders, his face still showing signs of fatigue and resentment.

"Wenbo, let's go, let's get together." Li Ran patted him on the shoulder.

Ah Shui looked up, a glimmer of light appearing in her dim eyes. She then subconsciously glanced at her coach, White Crescent, with a questioning look.

Li Ran understood and turned to the coach with a smile, "You played well enough today. It's all over now, Coach, shouldn't you give the players a break and a chance to catch their breath?"

White Crescent looked at this former legend and smiled, "Burn has spoken, how could I not grant him leave? Jack, go ahead, and get yourself in a good mood."

Li Ran led Yu Wenbo into a car that his assistant had prepared in advance, and they drove out of the venue and merged into the crowded traffic of Shanghai.

Yu Wenbo leaned back in his seat, still silent, clearly still annoyed by his recent defeat.

"Are you still upset?" Li Ran asked gently, looking at his former teammate.

"Don't take the blame for that last wave. Green Hair's ultimate move was too tricky in terms of timing and angle. Under that kind of pressure, no one might be able to react in time."

Yu Wenbo slowly shook his head, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice a little hoarse: "It's not because of that."

He paused for a long time, so long that Li Ran thought he wouldn't say anything more, before he heard him murmur softly, "I was thinking, if I hadn't left back then, would you not have retired, Ran-ge? Would our IG still be able to..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already sharp and cutting.

Li Ran turned to look at him, knowing what he was feeling guilty about.

After a moment of silence, Li Ran slowly spoke: "I thought it was something serious. Listen, Wenbo, my retirement and your transfer have absolutely nothing to do with each other."

His tone was calm and certain: "Things on the field can change in an instant; there are no 'ifs'."

"No one can guarantee winning forever. Isn't the allure of esports precisely that anyone could become the next miracle?"

Li Ran paused, his voice filled with reminiscence: "Like RNG in 18, they won almost the entire year, but in the end, it was IG who stood on the summit. Fortune turns, that's the nature of competition."

Yu Wenbo turned his head and looked directly into Li Ran's eyes, which held resentment, confusion, and a stubborn yearning: "Brother Ran, why did you retire? You were at the peak of your career, and you just left like that."

Li Ran cast his gaze out the car window at the deep night, the neon lights flashing rapidly across his eyes.

Why? Perhaps it's because, in another timeline, there was a Li Ran who played for ten whole years but never managed to lift the Summoner's Cup, and in the end, he retired with a body full of injuries.

Having been given a second chance at life, that deep-seated obsession propelled him back onto this path. Fortunately, this time he only needed three years to achieve that glory.

He couldn't put his complex emotions into words. He pulled himself back to reality and just smiled faintly. There was relief in that smile, but also something deeper.

"Perhaps because they felt they had gotten everything they were supposed to, they let go of some things instead."

He didn't let the topic drag on, instead asking, "Okay, let's not talk about me. How are you feeling at TES now?"

"It's alright," Yu Wenbo tried to lighten his tone, "but I feel like we could work things out even better."

"It's already quite impressive that we've developed this much in just one season," Li Ran analyzed, his tone carrying the insight of a senior.

"Kasa is very strong, but he's not the kind of leader who can carry the team. The other three still need to hone their experience in major tournaments and their mentality. In today's fifth game, your overall mental stability was clearly inferior to that of the opponents."

He looked at Yu Wenbo, his words carrying both encouragement and a hint of spur: "Wenbo, you need to grow up quickly. Now in TES, no one is there to back you up like they used to."

Upon hearing this, Yu Wenbo finally revealed a genuine, self-deprecating smile: "Yeah! When I think about not having someone like you, Brother Ran, or someone like Brother Shai or Brother Ji behind me, sometimes I really feel a bit intimidated when I'm doing something."

……

Li Ran led Yu Wenbo into the reserved restaurant. The lobby was softly lit, creating a gentle atmosphere.

Just as they turned the corner toward the private room, a girl who had just entered caught Li Ran's eye. She was tall and wore a black mask, revealing only her beautiful eyebrows and eyes.

Li Ran felt that the face looked familiar and subconsciously took another look.

The girl felt his gaze and, almost reflexively, rolled her eyes at him with a clear but slightly impatient look.

But just as she finished rolling her eyes, her gaze met Li Ran's. He was also wearing a mask, but those eyes... she felt like she had seen them somewhere before.

Li Ran was met with her signature eye roll and, combined with her figure, immediately knew the answer.

Wang Churan, the actress who later became embroiled in controversy due to her role as "Sister White Porridge".

The two had no connection; Li Ran's knowledge of her came entirely from the future. Since he didn't know her, he withdrew his gaze and prepared to continue walking inside.

"Hey, wait a minute..." Wang Churan suddenly called out to him, her voice clear and bright.

She took a step forward, her eyes crinkling into a smile, a hint of probing and apology in them. "Excuse me, are you Li Ran?"

Li Ran stopped, turned around, and casually pulled down his mask. "It's me. What's up?"

Upon seeing this, Wang Churan immediately took off her mask, revealing her bright face.

She extended her hand with a generous smile, easily brushing aside the slight embarrassment from before: "Hello, I'm Wang Churan. I'm so sorry about earlier, I thought I'd encountered some strange person staring at me."

Li Ran squeezed her hand briefly before pulling away, explaining, "It's nothing, I just thought she looked familiar, so I took another look."

Do you know me?

Wang Churan's eyes lit up slightly, filled with curiosity and a touch of familiarity. "Is it the recent drama 'Serenade of Peaceful Joy'?"

"Yes, I've seen some," Li Ran replied politely.

"Really! Have you seen any of my other dramas? Like 'Oh My General' or something?" She seemed interested and leaned closer.

A sense of helplessness washed over Li Ran. This girl's thought process seemed even more unpredictable than a coconut's. Was this really just social politeness? He maintained a polite smile and remained silent.

At this moment, Wang Churan's assistant quickly tugged at her sleeve, stepped forward, and smiled apologetically at Li Ran: "Teacher Li Ran, I'm so sorry. My artist is actually a fan of yours. She was so excited to see you that she spoke a little inappropriately. Please don't mind."

Fans? Li Ran didn't see a single trace of fan in Wang Churan's eye roll and subsequent questioning.

But he didn't point it out, simply nodding: "It's alright. Is there anything else?"

"Let's add each other on WeChat!" Wang Churan chimed in, already deftly pulling up a QR code, her smile bright and cheerful. "Maybe we'll have opportunities to collaborate in the future."

After a moment's hesitation, Li Ran didn't refuse. He scanned the QR code, accepted the friend request, nodded to her and his assistant, and led Yu Wenbo, who had been quietly observing, towards the reserved private room.

Watching the two figures disappear, Wang Churan's smile faded, and she turned to her assistant and muttered, "Why did you say I was his fan? I'm clearly not."

The assistant looked helpless and lowered her voice, "Sis, the way you were asking that person so many questions just now, it was like you were taking a census. Wouldn't it have been even more awkward if I hadn't said that?"

Wang Churan said matter-of-factly, "I just thought he was good-looking and that if we ever had a chance to work together in the future, I'd like to get to know him first."

Upon hearing this, the assistant silently rolled her eyes at her in the same way, teasingly saying, "Sis, I think you're just lusting after her body."

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Wang Churan's ears burned slightly. She reached out and gently pinched her assistant, then took her arm and walked towards their reserved seat. "Let's go, let's eat, I'm starving."

Her gaze, however, involuntarily drifted again toward the corridor where Li Ran had disappeared.