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

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Zhou Ye immediately bristled.

"Tian Xiwei! Are you addicted to sowing discord? My relationship with Xiao Hu is none of your business!"

"Whether it's nonsense or not, we'll find out by verifying it."

Unfazed, Tian Xiwei challenged, "How about it? Dare to make a bet with me?"

"What are we betting on?" Zhou Ye asked coldly.

"Let's bet on where Li Ran is right now."

Tian Xiwei's voice was clear and full of confidence, "If he's in Hu Lianxin's room right now, you leave Li Ran, and I'll take his place as his girlfriend."

"Tian Xiwei!" Zhou Ye's chest heaved with anger. "Do you think I would make such a pointless and absurd bet with you?"

"You're gambling with your feelings? That's utterly unreasonable!"

"Boring? Absurd?"

Tian Xiwei scoffed, her sharp eyes scrutinizing Zhou Ye. "I bet you're just too scared, aren't you? Or... are you actually not so trusting of your 'best friend'?"

"After all, the saying 'beware of fire, theft, and best friends' is not without reason."

"you……!"

Reason told her she shouldn't fall for it; Tian Xiwei was deliberately provoking her.

But when it comes to emotions, who can say for sure...?

What if it is?

All sorts of details mixed together, like a tangled mess that entangled her heart.

Seeing Tian Xiwei's mocking expression, Zhou Ye lost his last shred of reason.

She suddenly raised her head, staring stubbornly at Tian Xiwei.

"What do I have to be afraid of?! Let's bet! Let's go test it out right now!"

She wanted to see for herself where Li Ran had gone!

Zhou Ye, accompanied by Tian Xiwei who looked on with anticipation, arrived at Hu Lianxin's door.

She took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the door.

Soon after, Hu Lianxin, wearing soft pajamas, opened the door a crack.

When she saw the two people standing outside the door, a look of confusion flashed in her eyes. How did the two of them end up together?

"Coconuts? What's wrong so late?"

Zhou Ye opened his mouth, then hesitated for a moment, as it seemed too strange to say "I came to see Li Ran".

In the instant she hesitated, Tian Xiwei had already nimbly squeezed through the gap between her and the door frame and spoke clearly.

"Oh, it's nothing serious, we've come to find Li Ran."

"Looking for Brother Li Ran?" Hu Lianxin was even more confused, and subconsciously looked at Zhou Ye, her brows furrowing slightly.

"How come he's here? Shouldn't he be in his room?"

Zhou Ye was now in a bit of a dilemma. She glared at Tian Xiwei's back, forced a smile at Hu Lianxin, and explained, "It's okay, Xiao Hu, we just... just came to see you, um, see you."

As she spoke, she took Hu Lianxin's hand and led her into the room, closing the door behind her, seemingly trying to minimize the scope of this sudden "caught in the act".

Inside the room, Tian Xiwei had already begun her operation.

She first scanned the bedroom, which was empty, then looked at the bathroom, which was immediately visible.

Got nothing.

Tian Xiwei tilted her head, seemingly disbelieving.

She glanced at the wardrobe, walked over, and flung open the door. Nobody was there?

She walked to the window again, quickly pulled back the curtains, and peered out, but there was still no one there.

Under the bed?

Oh no! The hotel bed didn't even have a bottom!

She checked every Tibetan corner she could think of, even the most impractical ones.

Li Ran was indeed not present in the room.

Zhou Ye had been observing coldly the whole time. Seeing Tian Xiwei finish checking the last corner, he revealed an undisguised sneer, crossed his arms, and said, "How about it? Tian Xiwei, are you satisfied now? Giving up? I told you long ago, Xiao Hu isn't that kind of person!"

Tian Xiwei ignored Zhou Ye's sarcasm. She frowned slightly, looked at Hu Lianxin who looked confused, and asked again, "Li Ran really didn't come to see you? Not even for a few minutes?"

Hu Lianxin shook her head innocently at Ueda Xiwei's scrutinizing gaze, her tone firm: "No. Why would Brother Li Ran come to see me at this time?"

A slight ripple stirred within her, but she showed no sign of it on her face.

Seeing that Hu Lianxin didn't seem to be lying, Tian Xiwei withdrew her gaze, her expression darkening.

She didn't look at Zhou Ye, turned around and walked towards the door, only saying, "Come on, let's go to your room."

Before leaving, Zhou Ye smiled apologetically at Hu Lianxin and said, "I'm sorry, Xiao Hu, we disturbed your rest. We'll be leaving right away."

Hu Lianxin saw them to the door, watching them disappear around the corner of the corridor one after the other. She gently closed the door, leaned against it, and only then did the doubts and vague unease in her heart slowly surface.

What are they doing? Are they catching... a spy? Or... has Tian Xiwei discovered something?

The two then went to Zhou Ye's room.

A quick check revealed the same empty place.

Tian Xiwei stood in the center of the room, her brows furrowed. Could it be... that Li Ran really went to her room?

This thought made her heart tighten inexplicably, yet it also brought a sense of inexplicable anticipation.

"Go check on me again." Her tone was no longer as certain as before.

Zhou Ye was getting impatient, but he still followed her.

I opened the door, turned on the lights, and found the familiar layout, but the man was still nowhere to be seen.

There were no rooms in the three rooms.

Li Ran seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Tian Xiwei scratched her hair in frustration and looked at Zhou Ye: "Call him!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ye finally couldn't help but roll his eyes, his tone full of sarcasm: "Tian Xiwei, do you think this is fun? Hide-and-seek? Or a detective game?"

She took out what she had been holding in her hand: Li Ran's phone and room key.

"He didn't take his phone or room key with him when he left! All his things are with me now! Tell me, how am I supposed to make a phone call?"

Tian Xiwei looked at the phone and room key in Zhou Ye's hand and fell silent.

She did overlook that.

Without his phone and room key... where could Li Ran go? Inside the hotel? It's so late, the gym and swimming pool should be closed.

Go out? He didn't bring any money or his phone, where could he go?

Zhou Ye watched her deep in thought, feeling a mixture of frustration and a sense of victory.

She said coldly, "Are you satisfied now? Have you had enough of this? He's probably just upset, he's going out for some fresh air, he'll be back in a bit."

After saying that, she stopped looking at Tian Xiwei, turned around and left, returning to her room.

She was certain that as long as Li Ran came back and couldn't get into the room, he would definitely come looking for her.

Tian Xiwei watched Zhou Ye's departing figure, wondering, "Where did Li Ran go?"

After thinking about it, I realized that since he didn't have a room key, he definitely couldn't get into the room.

He has to choose one of the three people!

At that moment, Li Ran was carrying a plastic bag from a convenience store, strolling leisurely back through the side entrance of the hotel.

He was so enraged by the two women in the room that he impulsively ran out and wandered aimlessly along the streets near the hotel for a while.

Passing by a 24-hour convenience store, he instinctively went in, grabbed a bottle of ice water, and when he went to pay at the counter, he suddenly realized that he had left his phone and room key in the room.

Fortunately, there was a crumpled 100-yuan bill lying in the back pocket of his pants, probably something he had casually stuffed in and forgotten about sometime during the day.

He breathed a sigh of relief and used the "lifesaving money" to pay the bill.

He knocked on the door of his room.

"Knock knock knock".

no respond.

I knocked a few more times, but there was still no silence.

It seems Zhou Ye and Tian Xiwei have both gone back to their rooms? Or are they still arguing elsewhere?

Li Ran scratched his head. How was he supposed to get in?

I don't have a room key.

Should he go find his assistant? He glanced at his watch; the hands were already pointing to past eleven.

Waking up an assistant who's already resting at this hour just to deliver a room key... seems a bit unfair.

Forget it.

"Then... go to Zhou Ye's room?" Li Ran immediately shook his head.

She must be full of questions and anger right now. Going there would be like walking into a trap. She'd be bombarded with questions and might even have to spend half the night calming her down. She won't have any peace and quiet tonight.

"Go to Tian Xiwei's room?" Li Ran shook his head again.

Xiaotian's thoughts are even harder to guess today. If I go there, I might get hit with a powerful punch, and I probably won't be able to do anything anyway. It would just be asking for trouble.

Suddenly, another beautiful and gentle face appeared in his mind.

Hu Lianxin.

Little white fox.

She doesn't fight or compete, she's quiet and sensible, and most importantly...

Moisturizing is silent.

Moreover, she probably won't ask him why he came, nor will she put pressure on him.

Once the idea takes hold, it quickly becomes tempting.

Without further hesitation, Li Ran adjusted his direction and walked lightly toward Hu Lianxin's room.

Standing in front of the door, he raised his hand and gently knocked.

"Knock knock knock".

In the room, Hu Lianxin, who had just finished washing up and was about to go to bed, heard a knock on the door and felt a wave of doubt.

Who could it be so late? Could it be Coconut and her friends again?

She cautiously approached the door, but instead of opening it immediately, she peered through the peephole.

When she saw who was standing outside the door, she was stunned, and then a feeling of joy welled up in her heart.

Hu Lianxin looked at Li Ran as he walked in and said in a light voice.

"Brother Li Ran? You... what brings you here?"