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

Li Ran took off his coat and draped it over the back of the chair. Yu Wenbo sat down opposite him. A waiter quietly came in to pour tea and then went out to arrange the dishes.

While waiting for the food to be served, Yu Wenbo looked up at Li Ran and finally asked the question that had been nagging at him all the way: "Brother Ran, do you really know that girl from earlier?"

Li Ran smiled upon hearing this, his expression tinged with a hint of helplessness: "Before today, we weren't exactly acquainted. But..."

He paused for a moment and explained, "In this industry, meeting once is considered getting to know each other, meeting twice is considered being acquainted. After all, you didn't know that the two of you would be working together on that movie later."

Yu Wenbo said "Oh," and nodded as if he understood but not quite.

He was ultimately more focused on the game and not very sensitive to the subtle nuances of interpersonal relationships.

He thought for a moment, then commented in a very straightforward way, "She is quite pretty. That girl, she just gives off a certain feeling..."

He carefully considered his words, his brow furrowed slightly, as if he couldn't find a suitable description.

"Just feeling like your brain isn't working too well?" Li Ran chimed in, laughing out loud, his brows and eyes relaxing, a truly relaxed look on his face.

Yu Wenbo, having his thoughts exposed, scratched his head a little embarrassedly and laughed along: "Brother Ran, I didn't say that, but the way she looked at you, and the way she took the initiative to ask for your WeChat, makes me feel like she's quite interested in you."

Li Ran leaned back in her chair, thinking about Wang Churan's bright and beautiful face. She was indeed one of the few post-95 actresses who could carry a serious drama with her elegant appearance. Her bone structure and skin were both top-notch.

Unfortunately, those eye-rolling looks that seem to be etched into her DNA, and her peculiar thought processes, somewhat ruin her public image.

"Who cares?" Li Ran waved his hand, his tone casual and unreadable. "We just met once, what could that possibly mean?"

He really had no intention of provoking Wang Churan at that moment.

The pressure of Zhou Ye's official announcement is hanging in the balance, Tian Xiwei's feelings are straightforward and passionate, and there's also the seemingly quiet but actually scheming little fox, Hu Lianxin.

He hasn't even completely dealt with these three yet, and now he's going to provoke Wang Churan, who seems like a constant source of trouble?

He doesn't have the energy or interest for the time being, so he'll just let things take their course with Wang Churan.

At this moment, the dishes began to be served one after another. Li Ran picked up his chopsticks and skillfully steered the conversation back on track: "Alright, stop gossiping. Try this; this restaurant makes pretty authentic Shanghainese food."

At this moment, in the hotel of the "Minglong Boys" crew, Zhou Ye finished a day of filming, tidied up briefly, walked out of his room, and knocked on Tian Xiwei's door.

The sound was exceptionally clear in the empty corridor. A slight movement came from inside the door, and a few seconds later, the door was opened a crack.

Tian Xiwei was wearing a light-colored loungewear set, her hair was loosely tied up, and she had a face mask on.

She saw Zhou Ye outside the door, a hint of doubt in her large eyes. She raised an eyebrow slightly and asked in a cold tone, "Is there something you need?"

Zhou Ye didn't say anything, he just looked at her. Before Tian Xiwei could say another word, he took a step forward, almost brushing past her shoulder, and walked directly into the room.

Tian Xiwei was taken aback by her unquestionable intrusion, but ultimately did not stop her.

She closed the door, turned around, peeled off her face mask, and looked at Zhou Ye.

"Speak quickly if you have something to say." Her voice was cold, clearly indicating that she didn't want to talk to Zhou Ye any longer.

Zhou Ye sat down on the sofa, his back ramrod straight, his gaze fixed on Tian Xiwei's face like a nail hardened with ice.

She remained silent for a long while, until Tian Xiwei was beginning to grow impatient, before finally speaking. Her voice was cold, and her attitude resolute: "Stay away from Li Ran. I am..."

"On what grounds?"

Tian Xiwei didn't let her finish speaking. Her voice suddenly rose, and her originally sweet and lovely face was now covered with a layer of frost. Her eyes, which were always smiling, were wide open, but there was no warmth in them.

"If you came here just to say this, get out now, immediately!"

Zhou Ye was interrupted, but his face showed no anger. Instead, it was as if he had finally waited for the reaction he expected.

Her expression grew even colder, exactly the same as Wei Lai's when she starred in "Better Days".

She enunciated each word clearly, as if afraid Tian Xiwei wouldn't hear her, "Why? Because I'm his girlfriend."

"So what if I have a girlfriend?" Tian Xiwei blurted out, but she suddenly stopped halfway through her sentence.

Some previously vague details were suddenly linked together by this sentence, becoming clear and striking.

So that's why she chased me away that night...

But the brief moment of distraction was quickly overwhelmed by another, stronger emotion. She remembered the kindness and the subtle acquiescence of her mother when she held her hand and spoke to her.

She felt confident; she was determined not to give up on Li Ran.

"So what?" Tian Xiwei raised her chin, her tone becoming self-righteous, even tinged with a hint of provocation. "If it's not a good fit, just break up. What's the big deal?"

Zhou Ye reacted as if he'd heard an utterly absurd joke, a cold smile curving his lips and his eyes filled with mockery: "Break up? Do you think Li Ran would choose you?"

"Otherwise what?"

Tian Xiwei put her hands on her hips, took a step forward, and met her gaze defiantly. "You two just happened to have known each other for a while. Besides..."

She deliberately drew out her words, with a hint of victory in her voice, "Auntie clearly prefers me to you."

"You!" Zhou Ye suddenly stood up, his finger almost poking Tian Xiwei's nose. "How could I not know? Tian Xiwei, you're the shameless homewrecker!"

"Don't point your filthy finger at me!" Tian Xiwei slapped her hand away with considerable force, making a crisp sound.

"I like Li Ran, openly and honestly! If you can't accept it, then quit on your own. Don't be so rigid!"

She practically spat out the last three words through gritted teeth, each one deliberate and uttered with a precise and vicious lethality unique to girls.

"Who are you calling a tablet?!"

A string in Zhou Ye's mind snapped, and shame and anger overwhelmed his reason.

She suddenly reached out and grabbed Tian Xiwei, pinching her hard.

Tian Xiwei didn't expect her to actually make a move. Caught off guard, she felt a burning pain where Zhou Ye was holding her.

She grunted and reflexively retaliated, her clenched fist pounding furiously into Zhou Ye's chest!

"Bang……"

With a muffled thud, Zhou Ye was struck by the solid punch and staggered backward, falling back onto the sofa, a suffocating pain shooting through his chest.

She clutched her chest, breathing heavily, and stared intently at Tian Xiwei, her eyes burning with an unquenchable fire: "You hit me? Tian Xiwei, listen to me clearly, I will never break up with Li Ran! You will never, ever have a chance!"

After saying that, she forced back the dull pain in her chest and the surging tears, stood up by supporting herself on the sofa, glared at Tian Xiwei one last time, turned around, opened the door, and walked out quickly.

The door clicked shut, separating the two of them.

Tian Xiwei stood there until she saw the door close again, then she gasped and gently rubbed her chest.

"You flat-chested..." she muttered under her breath, her voice losing its previous force and trembling with pain. "You've got a pretty strong grip."

On the other side, Zhou Ye rushed out of the room. After confirming that no one was around, she leaned against the wall, loosened her clenched teeth, gasped for breath, and kept rubbing her aching chest. Tears finally rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably.

With a sob in her voice, she muttered resentfully, "How can someone be so strong?"

Li Ran, who had just finished eating, was completely unaware of this and ran into Sister Baizhou again when he went out to pay the bill.