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

Zhou Ye sobbed in his arms for a while before he could barely calm down his overwhelming grievances, but his voice still carried a heavy nasal tone and lingering sobs.

She recounted, in fits and starts, how she went to "reason" with Tian Xiwei the previous night, and how their verbal exchange escalated into a physical confrontation.

"I am... your girlfriend. Tell her to stay away from you, and she will ask me to... break up with you."

"She even insulted me for using a tablet, so I grabbed her, and she...she immediately punched me, sending me flying onto the sofa..."

Li Ran listened quietly, his fingers casually combing through her slightly messy long hair.

He knew Zhou Ye's personality too well, and almost instantly pieced together the general outline of the situation: it was probably Coconut who couldn't hold back and went to provoke him first. He didn't gain the upper hand verbally, and in his embarrassment and anger, he started a fight. However, he underestimated Xiaotian's "fighting power" and was taught a lesson in return.

The claim that she was hit was most likely an instinctive retaliation by Xiaotian. If the two of them had actually fought, Li Ran didn't believe that Coconut would still be here crying to him.

Li Ran still vividly remembers the terrible state Li Mingde was in that day, clutching his stomach.

This is just a classic scenario where kids get into a fight, lose, run back to their parents to complain, and exaggerate the other kid's "crime."

Thinking about it this way, he looked at Zhou Ye in his arms again. He was crying miserably, his hair was all messed up, and he was still sniffling, stealing glances at him with a mixture of grievance, accusation, and expectant support in his eyes.

A thought popped into Li Ran's mind: Who invented this little gadget? It's so cute!

"Pfft..." Li Ran couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Zhou Ye was engrossed in his own victimhood narrative when he heard the sound and suddenly looked up. His wet eyes widened, filled with disbelief and burning shame and indignation.

"Li Ran! You're still laughing! She hit me...it still hurts here!"

She clutched her chest, her expression even more aggrieved, and tears were about to fall again.

Seeing that things were not going well, Li Ran quickly suppressed his smile, but the joy in his eyes had not yet faded.

He went along with her, his tone coaxing, and his hand naturally reached out: "Okay, okay, don't laugh anymore. Where does it hurt? Let me see, and I'll rub it for you?"

"Who wants you to rub me! You pervert!" Zhou Ye slapped away his unruly hand, the force not heavy, but the attitude clear.

She angrily broke free from his embrace, turned around, and left him with only her back view that seemed to say, "I'm angry and need to be coaxed," her shoulders still trembling slightly from her lingering emotions.

Looking at that stubborn back, Li Ran's heart softened, and she found it amusing.

He moved closer and gently pulled her back into his arms from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on the top of her head.

Zhou Ye's body stiffened for a moment, then softened. He struggled symbolically for a moment, then let him hold him, letting out a soft snort of dissatisfaction.

"Okay, don't be angry anymore."

Li Ran's voice was close to her ear, warm and gentle, "Tomorrow I'll take you to the film set to 'settle accounts' with her, okay? I promise I'll make her apologize to you."

He said it half true and half false, like he was coaxing a child.

Zhou Ye suddenly turned his head, his eyes still red, but his gaze had become clear and resolute as he looked directly into Zhou Ye's eyes: "No need!"

"Hmm?" Li Ran asked, puzzled.

"You don't need to go find her."

She spoke each word with a stubborn determination: "Once this movie wraps up, I'll sign up for a boxing class or a martial arts lesson."

She pursed her lips and added, her tone more serious than ever before, "Also, you're not allowed to approach her first, and on set, you're not allowed to talk to her unless absolutely necessary!"

Li Ran nodded, her tone indulgent: "Okay, I'll do whatever you say. I won't look for her, I won't pay attention to her."

He silently rubbed his forehead in his heart: This damn competitive spirit, it seems that Coconut's beating was for nothing, and he'll probably have to keep getting beaten up in the future.

Ask him to "teach" Tian Xiwei a lesson? Of course, he wouldn't actually do that.

It's troublesome that the two girls have fallen out because of him, but what's more troublesome right now is that he hasn't even sorted things out with Tian Xiwei yet, and the fire in his own backyard has already started.

However, those worries can be put aside for now.

Tonight, with a warm and soft woman in his arms, Zhou Ye once again displayed a rare, aggrieved yet stubborn demeanor.

Li Ran's gaze fell on her blue and white school uniform, and a thought struck him.

He suddenly leaned close to Zhou Ye's ear and spoke in a seductive voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Coconut, how about trying double ponytails tonight?"

Zhou Ye was taken aback at first, then realized the deeper meaning in his words. His face flushed red, and his ears and neck also turned crimson.

The sobs and grievances she had felt were instantly replaced by embarrassment. She nudged him lightly with her elbow, but her voice was weak and soft as she protested.

"You...you're a pervert! We're filming in this outfit tomorrow!"

Li Ran laughed, hugged her tighter, and said casually, "There's more than one school uniform set."

Zhou Ye couldn't persuade Li Ran otherwise, so he could only nod slightly in agreement.

Coconut will be in Handan for a while tonight, then head straight to Tianjin...

"Oh dear! Li Ran..."

I don't know if it's because the buffs are fully stacked, but the coconut juice was exceptionally plentiful and sweet tonight.

"You pulled it so hard it hurts..."

Li Ran saw the faint red mark on Zhou Ye's body. Without any cushioning, the blow was a real injury!

The next morning, Li Ran slowly opened her eyes, feeling wet all over. She glanced at Zhou Ye, who was still fast asleep, and gently patted her buttocks.

"Coconut, get up and take a shower first."

Zhou Ye slightly opened his eyes and shook his head groggily.

Upon seeing this, Li Ran immediately stood up, picked her up without saying a word, and carried her into the bathroom.

"Hey! What are you doing? What time is it? Aren't you tired?" Zhou Ye was startled by his sudden action, and after waking up, he said with dissatisfaction.

"I'll take a shower and then go to your room to sleep. Do you think my bed is even fit to sleep in?" Li Ran said helplessly.

Zhou Ye, recalling what happened yesterday, looked embarrassed and said, "That's all your fault, your stamina while playing games is so good..."

Inside the bathroom, Zhou Ye looked at Li Ran's stiff expression and said helplessly, "This isn't the first time this has happened. Aren't you tired...?"

……

Filming location during the day.

The early summer morning sun was already quite scorching, streaming through the high windows of the photography studio and cutting bright spots of light between the busy staff and the cluttered equipment.

Zhou Ye had scenes to film in the morning, so he went to the makeup room early to prepare. Li Ran still didn't have any filming tasks this morning, but he still came to the set.

When Zhou Ye went to film, Li Ran found Tian Xiwei, who was lost in thought in a corner, and prepared to have a good chat with her.

Tian Xiwei was sitting in the shade, holding a script in her hand, but she didn't notice that she was holding the script upside down, clearly not paying attention to it.

Li Ran looked at her profile and smiled gently.

The sunlight shone perfectly on her, and she looked so serene and peaceful, a far cry from the savage and violent woman Zhou Ye had described last night.