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

Li Ran found her puffed-up expression amusing.

"So, that night, you dragged Coconut around looking for me, and that's how you came to this conclusion?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone mocking, "And then? You've been holding back for two days, and today you came all the way here to interrogate me? You're itching for more evidence?"

"Who interrogated you!" Tian Xiwei retorted, turning her face away.

"I just... think your bed is more comfortable than mine! The pillows are softer too! Can't I take a nap here? Do you own this hotel?"

"Sure, of course."

He reached out and pulled her back into his arms.

Tian Xiwei made a symbolic struggle, then let him pull her back onto the bed.

Li Ran reached out and turned off the light, then held her in his arms as they prepared to fall asleep.

"So how many do you have..." Tian Xiwei's voice rang out in the silent room.

"If you count as half, then it's two and a half..." Li Ran stroked her and answered softly.

He answered honestly that he had only been intimate with Coconut and the Little White Fox, and that his relationship with Tian Xiwei had never progressed further...

The others are currently in a state of ambiguity at best.

Tian Xiwei frowned. "Why am I only half?"

Li Ran whispered in her ear, "After all, we haven't..."

Tian Xiwei felt ticklish from his warm breath and quickly interrupted, "Alright! Go to sleep, we have filming tomorrow!"

She suddenly sensed something amiss behind her and reached out to grab Li Ran...

"Behave yourself..."

"Two nights...aren't you tired?"

Li Ran's tone was somewhat complaining, "Let go, or I'll make you a..."

As he spoke, he turned Tian Xiwei around so that the two faced each other.

This is a possessive gesture, as if declaring ownership at this moment.

Tian Xiwei looked at him, a hint of disdain in her large eyes, and muttered softly, "Neither of them are good enough!"

"They haven't even emptied the magazine yet..."

"Then can you help me?"

He moved his face closer, looking at the lovely girl with bright eyes.

Tian Xiwei tightened her grip slightly. "Dream on! Go to sleep!"

Li Ran looked at her tightly closed eyes and silently curled the corners of his mouth.

He didn't make any further moves, but simply maintained the embrace, his chin resting on the top of her head, and closed his eyes again.

The room fell completely quiet, with only the slight hum of the air conditioner and the gradually calming breathing of the two people.

……

In the days that followed, Li Ran's schedule remained packed, and time flew by during the reshoots.

More than half a month later, with director Mao Deshu's loud "Filming wrapped!", the entire crew was instantly engulfed in cheers and applause.

The cast and crew of "So Cute Us" finally came to a successful conclusion after experiencing twists and turns and reshoots.

The wrap party was simply set up by the film crew.

Tian Xiwei was happily cutting the huge celebration cake, her face beaming with a bright smile.

Li Ran stood a little distance away, watching her lively figure, and felt quite good.

The moment the order to wrap up filming was given, the familiar system notification sounded in his mind right on time:

[Random Task: It has been detected that artist "Tian Xiwei's" new drama cannot be broadcast. Please help her resolve this issue and play the role of Tan Song in the drama. (Completed)]

[Reward: Random (To be claimed)]

Li Ran's mind stirred slightly, and she chose to accept the offer.

[Reward: Constitution +20 (This enhancement will repair potential wrist and back injuries accumulated during the host's professional training, optimize metabolism, and improve sub-health conditions such as alcohol intolerance.)]

Looking at the words that appeared on the system panel, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Li Ran's eyes.

Just as Li Ran was still marveling at how generous the system had been this time...

The system notification sounded again, this time for a new main quest:

[Main Quest Released (New)]

[Content: To star as the male lead in a film, and the film's final box office must exceed 10 billion]

[Reward: S-rank movie script x1]

Movie lead actor? Billion-dollar box office?

Li Ran raised an eyebrow slightly.

This means I have to act in "A Little Red Flower for You"...

Tian Xiwei slipped over to his side with a piece of cake in her hand. Seeing him in a daze, a sly glint flashed in her eyes.

"What are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought..."

Before he could finish speaking, the cake in his hand landed squarely on Li Ran's cheek.

Li Ran came to his senses and looked at Tian Xiwei, whose eyes were crinkled with a smile after her prank had succeeded.

Instead of getting angry, he curled the corners of his lips and his eyes became deep: "I'm thinking... how I should properly repay Teacher Tian for his care over the past month after the wrap party tonight."

As he spoke, he casually snatched the remaining half of the cake from her hand and instantly drew a cute little cat face on it.

"Ah! Li Ran!" Tian Xiwei exclaimed in surprise, and subconsciously tried to wipe it, but the more she wiped, the more messy it became.

The interaction between the two caused the other crew members who were celebrating to burst into laughter, all wearing smiles like aunties.

After spending more than a month together, the intimacy and tacit understanding between the two lead actors, which far exceeded that of ordinary colleagues, was already an open secret within the production crew.

In the evening, Director Cat hosted a simple yet grand wrap party in a private room at an upscale restaurant.

In addition to the main creative team, several representatives from the Kiwi platform and Wajiji also attended.

The atmosphere at the dinner was lively, and many people knew that Li Ran was the key to the show's revival.

It wasn't just his participation that brought him attention, but also the capital backing he represented that made the platform willing to invest more and decide to give him higher promotional weight.

This filled everyone with confidence and anticipation for the future of the show.

Thus, toasting became the main theme of the banquet. Whether it was directors and producers expressing their gratitude, representatives from platforms and investors who wanted to make connections, or colleagues who admired his acting skills and background, they all raised their glasses to Li Ran.

Knowing that Li Ran couldn't drink, Director Mao himself had been forced to drink quite a bit and was now struggling to keep up.

Although Tian Xiwei was sitting next to Li Ran and was anxious as she watched the wine glasses being poured one after another, given her status and experience, it would be difficult for her to truly shield him from all the drinks in this situation.

At first, she tried to stand up and say a few words, but Li Ran gently stopped her with his eyes.

"It's alright, I'll do it," he said softly to her, then calmly raised his glass.

Tian Xiwei couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she could only watch with worry.

Thinking that the filming was already finished, I decided to let him relax tonight, and if he got really drunk, I would take care of him.

But watching Li Ran down one cup after another, his face only flushed slightly, his eyes remained clear, his speech was logical and articulate, and he could even humorously handle the teasing from all sides...

Her doubts grew stronger.

Taking advantage of the brief respite during the toasts, she quickly served Li Ran a few bites of food to fill his stomach.

"Li Ran, you...did you drink fake alcohol? How come you're completely unharmed?"

Li Ran turned to look at her, his eyes filled with amusement: "Why don't you... check it yourself?"

Tian Xiwei refused to believe it, and to verify it, she actually picked up the wine glass that Li Ran had just put down and took a small sip.

The spicy and stimulating taste immediately spread across her tongue, causing her to involuntarily furrow her brows.

She put down her wine glass, even more puzzled, and stared intently at Li Ran: "That's not right! At the Minglong opening banquet, didn't you get drunk after just one drink? Zhou Ye even said you were allergic to alcohol... Were you faking it then?"

But as his girlfriend, Zhou Ye couldn't possibly be unaware of his true alcohol tolerance.

Li Ran smiled when he saw her adorable, questioning expression.

"Maybe... it's from the training I've been doing lately? Or maybe I'm in a good mood, and my alcohol tolerance has increased?"

Of course, he couldn't mention the system rewards.

Tian Xiwei was skeptical, but seeing that apart from his flushed face there were no other signs of intoxication, she temporarily suppressed her doubts.

However, I couldn't help but remind him, "You should drink less, it's bad for your health."

Despite having improved alcohol tolerance through the system, Li Ran couldn't resist the overwhelming number of people urging him to drink at the banquet. Round after round, as the banquet drew to a close, he eventually became somewhat drunk.

His eyes were brighter than usual, his reactions were a little slower, and his steps were somewhat unsteady when he got up.

Upon seeing this, Tian Xiwei immediately stepped forward, firmly supporting his arm and taking on most of his weight.

Although Li Ran is tall, she is quite strong and supports the object very steadily.

"Let's go, let's go back," she said in a low voice, her tone leaving no room for argument.