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

Li Ran tiptoed toward Tian Xiwei, but the sound of his footsteps still startled her.

Tian Xiwei looked up and saw that it was Li Ran. The confusion on her face quickly faded, replaced by a knowing calm. There was even a very faint, slightly mocking smile on her lips. It was hard to tell whether it was directed at Li Ran, Zhou Ye, or herself.

"Want to chat?" Li Ran sat down on another empty chair next to her and got straight to the point.

Tian Xiwei closed the script, picked up the coffee next to her, took a sip, and without looking at him, said in a flat voice, "What are we talking about? How did Zhou Ye come to you crying last night to complain?"

Li Ran didn't deny it, but just looked at her and said calmly, "Okay. Tell me, what happened?"

Tian Xiwei then turned her face to look directly at him. Her big, round eyes held no smile, only a clear question and a hint of tension that was barely perceptible.

"So, she really went to you to complain? And exaggerated how I bullied her, right?"

Li Ran nodded, which was taken as tacit agreement.

He didn't say anything more, tacitly acknowledging that he knew about the conflict between the two and that Tian Xiwei already knew everything.

Tian Xiwei stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly leaned forward slightly, lowered her voice, and asked a more crucial question, her tone as sharp as a knife.

"Then let me ask you, Li Ran, are you and her really dating? Like a proper boyfriend and girlfriend?"

She paused, staring intently at his expression, and added, "Does Auntie know?"

The last question was somewhat abrupt, yet subtly pointed to something she might care about: the kindness Li's mother had shown her that day.

Li Ran met her gaze, nodded, and said frankly, "Yes. We are indeed together."

He then shook his head. "My mom doesn't know yet."

This time, Tian Xiwei remained silent.

She leaned back in her chair, shifting her gaze from Li Ran's face to the birds flying in pairs in the distant trees, with no other birds among them.

Was she the third party? But Zhou Ye had only known Li Ran before him. At that moment, the sunlight shone on her face, so dazzling.

Finally, she slowly turned her head, avoiding the somewhat dazzling sun, and stared into Li Ran's eyes, her tone clear, throwing the question back at him.

"So, Li Ran, what are you thinking now?"

Li Ran looked directly into her eyes, and he saw complex emotions in them: courage, hope, and above all, tension.

Tian Xiwei paused, then looked at Li Ran and asked the most important question.

Should I break up with her?

Li Ran met her gaze and was speechless for a moment.

A breakup? With Zhou Ye?

This option had never even formed in his mind. Zhou Ye was the first girlfriend he had truly had in both his lives. To give her up? That was impossible.

But how could he possibly say "no" to Oda, the girl with bright, sparkling eyes who would punch him and had two sweet dimples when she smiled, and completely sever the ambiguity and attraction that had already begun to grow and spread?

He couldn't do it either.

Li Ran doesn't want to give up on anyone, but what's troubling him now is that neither of the two women seems to be able to accept the other's existence.

Li Ran's silence was itself a silent answer.

Tian Xiwei looked at Li Ran, her eyes showing no disappointment, as if she had already anticipated the answer.

"Li Ran, do you like me?"

This time, Li Ran didn't hesitate, or even prepare any preamble. He nodded, his gaze frankly fixed on her face, and his voice was clear: "Of course I like it."

This straightforward admission made Tian Xiwei's heart skip a beat, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

But before she could process the moment of emotion, Li Ran followed up with the second half of his sentence, equally calm but with an undeniable tone: "However, I will not give up on Coconut."

Tian Xiwei was angered by his words. She tugged at the corners of her mouth, a half-smile playing on her lips, her tone sharp and scrutinizing: "So, you've decided to be a scumbag?"

"Want both?"

"Otherwise what?" Li Ran answered almost without hesitation, even with a hint of self-righteousness.

"I don't want to give up on either of you."

Looking at his expression, Tian Xiwei wanted nothing more than to punch him a couple of times.

She leaned forward, getting closer, lowered her voice, and glared at him fiercely, saying, "Do you think I'd agree? Or would she... that 'flat-chested' woman agree?"

She deliberately repeated the name that had infuriated Zhou Ye.

Li Ran touched his nose, chuckled awkwardly, but his eyes remained resolute: "Probably not now."

He paused, his voice softening slightly, yet carrying an inexplicable confidence, "Who knows what the future holds?"

"Also, stop calling the coconut 'flat board,' isn't that a precision strike? And with a critical hit too," he reminded her.

Tian Xiwei glared at him, her eyes fierce, but there was no real anger in them.

Although she didn't approve of Li Ran's scumbag behavior, the unwavering attitude he showed when he said he liked her still made her feel a sweet, almost pathetic, surge in her heart.

Oda raised her chin, snorted, and spoke with an air of utter arrogance and a hint of defiance.

"Keep dreaming! Just because I call you 'Young Master' doesn't mean you think you're some emperor from the old society, wanting three wives and four concubines? How about you choose me tonight?!"

Before Li Ran could respond, she quickly added, as if to emphasize her stance or to hide a hint of inappropriate soft-heartedness: "Also, I'll call her 'Stabbing!'! She's not happy about it? Let her come and challenge me to a duel!"

"Deadpan!"

Zhou Ye had already walked over at some point and was standing a few steps away.

She had clearly heard what Tian Xiwei had just said, and was now glaring at her back with hostility.

"Big cow, what did you say?"

Zhou Ye's voice wasn't loud, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling force.

Tian Xiwei turned her head in surprise and met Zhou Ye's eyes, which seemed to be spitting fire.

She was taken aback at first, then quickly realized what was happening and her gaze swept across Li Ran sitting next to her. She found him trying hard to suppress a laugh, his eyes filled with amusement.

Tian Xiwei was furious and glared at Li Ran as if to say, "It's all your fault."

Then he straightened his back again, facing Zhou Ye. Awkward? Not at all.

She even raised her chin, returning the provocation verbatim, even more clearly: "What? Flat-chested! You're not convinced? Let's fight one-on-one!"

Extremely arrogant attitude!

Zhou Ye's cheeks flushed red with anger. Pointing her finger, she began to yell, "Big Cow! You think I'm afraid of you? So what if you have a couple more ounces of meat? What's there to be so smug about!"

"Aren't you afraid of crushing your foot while you sleep!"

With Li Ran around, she didn't believe Tian Xiwei would actually dare to hit her.