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

Li Ran stopped and turned around. His face showed little surprise, but rather a hint of understanding and a slight teasing.

He looked at Xiaotian and asked softly, "Not pretending anymore?"

Tian Xiwei tilted her head slightly, a few strands of hair falling across her cheek, making her rosy face look exceptionally charming. She blinked, a look of confusion in her eyes, and asked in a soft, sweet voice, "Li Ran, how...did you know?"

Li Ran didn't answer directly. He went to the small bar in the room, filled a glass with warm water, walked back to the bedside, and handed it to her.

"It's a bit too deliberate."

His voice was steady as he explained, "With your usual boisterousness, if you were really drunk, would you be so quiet and obedient, letting me bring you back?"

"Hmm..." Tian Xiwei took the water glass, held it with both hands, and sipped it slowly. The warm water seemed to make her more awake.

Perhaps it was a desperate act of resignation after her pretense was exposed; she pouted, her tone slightly childish: "But I'm just drunk! My head is spinning..."

Looking at her rare display of adorable charm, so different from her usual "sweet and spicy" image, it was quite striking.

Li Ran frowned. Tonight, Tian Xiwei's behavior, from actively refusing drinks to her current "drunk" state, was abnormal in every way.

He suppressed his doubts, sat down beside her bed, and calmly looked at her: "So, why? Why did you have to get yourself so drunk tonight?"

Tian Xiwei held the water glass, lowered her head, looked at the ripples moving in the glass, and remained silent for a few seconds.

When he looked up again, his eyes held a sharp clarity mixed with lingering alcohol, and he stared straight at Li Ran, uttering a few words: "I want to see... if you're a beast."

Li Ran raised an eyebrow slightly.

Tian Xiwei paused, a smile that was hard to decipher—whether it was disappointment or something else—tugged at the corners of her lips, and added, "In the end... you're worse than an animal."

Instead of being annoyed, Li Ran sneered, leaned forward slightly to close the distance between them, and looked at her intently: "What if... I really act like a beast tonight? What will you do?"

Tian Xiwei met his gaze without flinching, her beautiful round eyes clearly reflecting his image.

She spoke each word clearly and firmly, her voice not loud, but exceptionally clear and resolute: "Then leave Zhou Ye."

She paused for a moment, then said, "And then, be with me."

So that's where they were waiting. Li Ran suddenly realized, and then a familiar headache came over him.

He knew that whether it was Zhou Ye's "forced retreat" strategy or Tian Xiwei's seemingly direct "offense," the core contradiction had never changed.

Neither of them could truly accept the other's existence; they both only wanted to possess each other.

Li Ran gently shook his head, the movement small, yet carrying an undeniable rejection.

"That's obviously impossible."

Seeing his unwavering refusal, Tian Xiwei's face revealed a knowing look of "I knew it."

Then, she grinned foolishly at Li Ran, her smile tinged with drunkenness and a carefree naiveté.

"Li Ran!"

She suddenly leaned closer, her faint scent of alcohol and sweet fragrance becoming more pronounced. She held up a finger and lightly pointed in his direction. "Am I... pretty?"

Under the light, her slightly tipsy cheeks glowed with an alluring peach color, her eyes were hazy and moist, and her lips looked especially glossy because they were wet.

Li Ran's Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly as he felt a familiar heat. He gazed at her without flinching, and answered in a deep, clear voice, "Beautiful. Very beautiful."

This answer seemed to please her.

Tian Xiwei's smile grew even brighter. She suddenly reached out and hooked her arm around Li Ran's neck, pulling him closer with a slight force.

The distance between them instantly shrank to the point where they could hear each other's breaths. She looked up at his eyes, which were so close to hers, and saw her small reflection in them.

"So, do you... like me or not?"

She had asked this question before, and he had answered it before. But at this moment, under the influence of alcohol and the special atmosphere, she seemed to want to hear a more definite and unquestionable answer.

Li Ran knew that although she wasn't completely drunk, her rational defenses had clearly crumbled.

He looked into those eyes that stubbornly awaited an answer, eyes filled with anticipation, unease, and the courage to take a desperate gamble.

A faint smile played on his lips, his voice gentle yet unwavering: "I like it. I like it very much."

Upon hearing this answer, Tian Xiwei's eyes instantly brightened, as if she had fallen into the stars.

She smiled contentedly, a smile so sweet it could almost melt anyone's heart.

But the next second, she stretched out a finger and gently poked Li Ran's cheek, asking in a slightly spoiled tone, "Then... why don't you leave Zhou Ye?"

Before Li Ran could answer, she began to mutter and grumble.

"What's so great about that deadpan girl... Is she as good-looking as me? Is she as protective of you as I am? Look at her, all she does is cry and complain to you whenever something happens... If you stay with her, what will happen when... what if the kids don't even have enough to eat...?"

Li Ran couldn't help but chuckle as he listened to her drunken accusations.

He gently took her chubby little hand, which was still making a mess on his face, and cupped it in his palm, coaxing her softly, "Alright, stop nagging. It's getting late, you should rest."

After saying that, he prepared to get up.

Even though Tian Xiwei's charming appearance was incredibly alluring at the moment, and even though her words and actions were full of hints, Li Ran's rationality told him that he couldn't do it while she wasn't fully conscious; he should do it while she was conscious.

However, Tian Xiwei refused to let him go.

Seeing him get up, she immediately reached out and grabbed his wrist with considerable force.

"No!"

She insisted, her body swaying slightly from the sudden movement, "Stay...with me."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly pulled hard, taking advantage of Li Ran's unsteady center of gravity, and pounced on him, pinning him back down on the soft bed.

She straddled his waist, looking down at him with a triumphant gleam and lingering intoxication in her eyes, then leaned down without hesitation and kissed his lips.

"Hmm..." Li Ran was slightly taken aback as a soft, warm touch came to his lips, carrying a faint aroma of wine and Tian Xiwei's unique sweet scent.

I was forcibly kissed again.

The first time was with Zhou Ye, in the apartment where they reunited, with a resolute determination to go all in. The second time was with Hu Lianxin, in a hotel room in Tengchong, with a shy yet bold probing. Now it's with Tian Xiwei, fueled by alcohol, with a spoiled possessiveness and an indomitable spirit.

Li Ran felt a mix of amusement and exasperation, yet also a subtle, inexplicable, primal smugness.

Who will it be next time?

The kiss wasn't deep; it was more like a stamp of confirmation.

Tian Xiwei quickly stepped back a little, but still straddled him, her hands on either side of his chest, looking down at him with her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining brightly, with an undeniable domineering presence.

"You're sleeping here tonight. You're not going anywhere!"

As she spoke, she raised a small fist in a defiant manner and waved it in front of Li Ran, trying her best to make a fierce expression. Unfortunately, with her rosy cheeks and hazy eyes, she only looked cute and fierce.

"Or else... I'll mess with you, you know!"

Looking at her fierce yet cowardly appearance, Li Ran finally couldn't help but chuckle.

"Okay, I won't leave." He conceded, his tone indulgent. "But you should take a shower first; you reek of alcohol."

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiwei immediately deflated as if she had no bones, slumping against him, resting her chin on his shoulder, and breathing into his ear in a voice that was both sweet and willful: "Carry me to... take a shower together."

The warm breath brushed against his earlobe, carrying a tantalizing tickle. Li Ran's body stiffened slightly, then relaxed again.

"it is good."

He used his arms to lift her up steadily, and Tian Xiwei immediately wrapped herself around him like a koala, burying her face in his neck and making satisfied murmurs.

The bathroom door closed gently, and a hazy, warm light shone through the frosted glass, accompanied by the faint sounds of water and whispers.