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

The three walked out of the pet store. Li Ran glanced at the somewhat nervous Yorkshire Terrier in Zhang Jingyi's arms, and then at the quiet Schnauzer in Wang Churan's arms.

He said to Zhang Jingyi, "Let me take you home first. It's inconvenient to take a taxi with all this stuff."

Zhang Jingyi nodded, her voice soft: "Okay, Ran-ge."

Li Ran opened the passenger door, preparing for Wang Churan to drive.

"What are you doing? Go drive the car, we'll stay in the back with our son."

As Wang Churan spoke, he had already picked up the Schnauzer and climbed into the back seat, his posture natural and composed.

Zhang Jingyi paused for a moment, then sat down next to her with her Yorkshire Terrier in her arms without saying anything.

The car entered the traffic flow.

Li Ran drove quietly, occasionally glancing at the two women in the back seat through the rearview mirror to observe their situation.

Wang Churan seemed like a completely different person at this moment, showing none of the indifference she had shown towards the puppy in the store earlier.

She held the Schnauzer in her arms and looked closely at its distinctive little white beard and its four equally white paws.

In a gentle tone: "Oh my, those white gloves and white boots, they're just so stylish..."

She liked it more and more as she looked at it, resting her chin on its fluffy head and squinting her eyes contentedly.

Li Ran saw this scene in the rearview mirror and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

He thought for a moment and said, "White limbs? Then let's call it 'Treading in the Snow,' or 'Searching for Plum Blossoms in the Snow.'"

Wang Churan paused, looked up, and rolled her eyes at Li Ran's back.

She understood the meaning behind "Searching for Plum Blossoms in the Snow" perfectly, but she was too lazy to expose it. She just hummed softly and continued to rub Ta Xue's ears.

Li Ran then asked Zhang Jingyi, "What's your name for that?"

"Douzi." Zhang Jingyi smiled, her fingers gently stroking the Yorkshire Terrier's soft fur. "I've been thinking about this for a long time."

Wang Churan lifted the puppy with both hands, looked it in the eye, and introduced herself in a serious manner: "Ta Xue, my good son, I am your mother."

The tone was as solemn as if they were going through the formalities of recognizing a relative.

Ta Xue tilted her head to look at her, blinked her black bean-like eyes, and suddenly stuck out her little tongue and gently licked her cheek.

"Oh! So good!" Wang Churan laughed with delight, hugging the puppy even tighter. "When we get home, Mom will make you some meat strips! Imported ones!"

Ta Xue seemed to understand, wagging its short tail like a rattle drum and letting out a satisfied hum.

Zhang Jingyi, who was teasing Douzai, paused for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly.

Are you being polite? How did you become Ta Xue Mama?

She didn't say anything, but lowered her eyes and continued to comb Douzi's fur with her fingers.

After getting to know him for a while, she vaguely figured out Wang Churan's temperament: he was a drama queen, loved to act, and spoke without restraint, as if he had a serious illness.

The car came to a stop in front of Zhang Jingyi's apartment building.

Li Ran took the pile of pet supplies out of the trunk, and the two girls, holding the dog, entered the elevator together.

After entering the room, Li Ran put his things down, glanced at the time, and casually asked, "What are we having for lunch?"

Zhang Jingyi thought for a moment and said softly, "There are vegetables in the refrigerator. Don't you know how to cook your hometown dishes?"

"Okay, I'll cook lunch then." Li Ran opened the refrigerator door and glanced at the ingredients inside.

Wang Churan had already placed Taxue on the sofa and said softly, "Taxue, be good. Daddy's going to cook. Mommy will get you some meat strips."

Then, looking at Zhang Jingyi beside him, he said in a natural tone, "Jingyi, can I borrow one of Douzai's meat strips? Ta Xue's is still in the car."

Zhang Jingyi rummaged through the items Li Ran had brought up, took out an unopened bag of dog treats, and handed it over.

She watched as Wang Churan skillfully tore open the packaging and squatted by the sofa to feed Ta Xue. Finally, she couldn't help but speak, her voice not loud, but exceptionally clear.

"Chu Ran, Ta Xue is Li Ran's dog. Isn't it inappropriate for you to keep having it call you 'Mom'?"

Wang Churan continued feeding the dog without stopping, and didn't even lift his head.

She merely smiled faintly, her voice light and airy: "Li Ran didn't say anything, why are you so concerned?"

She looked up, met Zhang Jingyi's gaze, and said with a half-smile, "Or are you jealous because you like Li Ran too?"

The air was still for a few seconds.

Zhang Jingyi did not flinch. She met Wang Churan's gaze, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke calmly.

"yes."

"I've liked Li Ran since high school."

Wang Churan raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that she would be so direct.

She chuckled softly, "So, we're rivals in love then?"

Does Li Ran know?

"Jingyi, where did you put the rice?" Li Ran's voice came from the kitchen.

Zhang Jingyi spoke in a low voice, very quickly: "This is none of your business."

"Besides, you're just Li Ran's suitor, not his girlfriend."

After saying that, she turned around, her voice returning to normal, and replied towards the kitchen, "It's in the second cabinet from the left! Let me help you."

Wang Churan watched her leave, scoffed softly, and rolled his eyes.

She looked away and continued unpacking the meat strips in her hand. "Come on, son, open your mouth..."

She held a small piece of jerky to Ta Xue's mouth, watching the puppy chew happily, and muttered to herself softly.

"Your stepmother looks quiet and gentle, but she has quite a strong temper."

Just then, Douzi, smelling the aroma of meat, wagged its little tail and came running over, tilting its head back and gazing longingly at the snacks in her hand.

Wang Churan reached out and touched Douzi, then took one of the beans from its shell.

She squatted there, with a small dog on each side, its furry head nestled in her palm, its head buried in a snack.

"Good dogs are all their mother's little darlings."

At the dining table, Zhang Jingyi picked up a piece of stir-fried pork with chili peppers and put it in her mouth.

She swallowed her food and said softly, "It's been so long since I've had such delicious stir-fried pork with chili peppers."

Li Ran looked up at her, a faint smile appearing on his lips: "Eat more if you like it."

Zhang Jingyi nodded and didn't say anything more, but just lowered her head and picked up another piece of food with her chopsticks.

Wang Churan sat opposite, holding chopsticks in one hand and swiping his phone screen with the other.

She always ate half-heartedly, shoveling rice into her mouth in small bites.

Suddenly, her fingertips paused, and her eyebrows rose.

"Hey, Li Ran, you can even make it to the trending topics just by buying a pet?"

She handed the phone to Li Ran.

Li Ran took the photo and glanced at it; it was a group photo posted by a fan of the pet shop.

Only fans are discussing it; it's not generating much buzz.

His gaze swept over several popular comments:

[Isn't that girl next to Wang Churan? How did Consort Zhang and Goddess Ran know each other?!]

I bet a bag of spicy strips that Burning God is definitely on a date with a junior high school girl! [doge emoji for protection]

【Seriously?! Isn't there another female celebrity next to her?】

[CP fans are ecstatic! Are the senior and junior rekindling their romance? ...]

There were also comments from fans who only focused on the dogs.

[The dog is so cute! What's the name of this Schnauzer, Ran Shen?]

Both puppies are so cute; they're clearly carefully chosen treasures!

The young lady said it was just a group photo with customers, so please don't overinterpret it.

The comments section was noisy, but there was nothing substantial to say, and it didn't really cause a stir.

Li Ran remained calm, handing the phone back to Wang Churan, and said indifferently, "So what? You got trending on social media too, didn't you?"

Wang Churan took the phone, rolled her eyes, and sneered, "I'm at most an accessory, you know what an accessory is?"

"Your fans are all talking about how you and your junior from elementary school are getting back together. Who cares what Consort Zhang is wearing today?"

She paused, poking the rice in her bowl with the tip of her chopsticks. "I haven't even figured out how to ride the wave of popularity."

Zhang Jingyi also took out her phone and looked at it for a moment.

She pursed her lips and looked at Li Ran, "Should we post something on Weibo to explain?"

Li Ran hesitated for a moment, then said, "No rush. I'll send you some photos of me walking in the snow after we finish eating."

Zhang Jingyi gave a soft "hmm" and continued eating with her head down, her expression unreadable.

After dinner, Li Ran logged onto Weibo.

He selected a few photos, all of which were recently taken of Ta Xue and Dou Zai.

[Two adorable little ones, the Schnauzer is named Ta Xue, and the other one belongs to my friend.]

Wang Churan and Zhang Jingyi were not mentioned, and there was no explanation.

Just two puppies, a normal everyday sharing session.

He recalled something Yang Tianzhen had said in an interview.

"Never lie to the public. What I say is definitely true, but it may not be the whole truth that I can tell."

He did go to the pet store today, did buy Ta Xue, and did see Douzai. As for the rest, let netizens guess.

The public has the right to speculate, and he also has the right to remain silent.