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

The moment he heard the doorbell ring, Liu Haocun suddenly opened his eyes.

In an instant, her body stiffened, and she lost her composure.

"I'll go open the door."

She practically teleported, placing Taxue on the sofa and quickly walking towards the entrance.

The two braids swayed behind her, looking somewhat comical.

Li Ran stood there, watching her fleeing figure, and chuckled softly. He thought she was a master, but it turned out she was just acting.

Liu Haocun opened the door.

A girl stood outside the door, holding a small Yorkshire Terrier in her arms.

Liu Haocun recognized the face.

Zhang Jingyi.

Li Ran's junior from high school, the girl who trended on social media twice and was called "junior" by fans.

She had watched that episode of "Yearning" and also browsed some fan-made videos of couples shipping each other.

Zhang Jingyi was also sizing up the girl who opened the door.

She had two braids, round deer eyes, and the blush on her face hadn't completely faded, as if she had just gone through something.

She stood naturally at the doorway, as if it were her own home.

Zhang Jingyi paused slightly.

Who is this girl? Why are there so many girls around Li Ran?

But she didn't show any unusual expression; she just smiled gently and spoke politely.

"Hello, I'm here to see Li Ran."

Liu Haocun also smiled, a smile that was natural and generous, as if she wasn't the one who had just fled.

"Hello~" She stepped aside, her voice light and cheerful, "Come in."

When Li Ran walked over, Zhang Jingyi had already changed into slippers and was standing in the entryway.

"Come in, don't just stand at the door," he said casually.

Ta Xue had already smelled the familiar scent. She jumped off the sofa, her four little white paws pattering across the floor as she rushed to Dou Zai.

Douzi was put on the ground by Zhang Jingyi, and the two puppies immediately began their unique social ritual, sniffing each other and wagging their tails like propellers.

Ta Xue even made a dog version of greeting.

With its front legs down, rear end sticking up high, and tail wagging wildly, this is the standard posture for inviting play.

Infected by its enthusiasm, Douzai also lay down like it. The two puppies rubbed against each other and nudged each other, and soon rolled around in a ball on the living room carpet.

The dog's world was peaceful, but the atmosphere among the three was somewhat delicate.

Li Ran invited Zhang Jingyi to sit down on the sofa.

Liu Haocun walked naturally to the refrigerator, opened the cabinet door, leaned halfway out, and asked, "Do you want a Coke?"

Her tone was casual, and her demeanor was natural, as if she were in her own home.

Zhang Jingyi's gaze lingered on her for a moment.

Where does this "hostess" attitude come from?

Is Li Ran's girlfriend?

She was a little confused, but didn't ask, and just nodded slightly.

Li Ran sat down next to him and added to Liu Haocun, "You can take it."

Then, turning to Zhang Jingyi, he explained in a calm tone, "Liu Haocun, the female lead in my next film, is here to visit today."

The explanation is concise, yet clear enough.

Zhang Jingyi nodded, and the subtle feeling in her heart dissipated.

Liu Haocun walked over with a can of cola and sat down right next to Li Ran.

Their legs were almost touching.

She handed the Coke to Zhang Jingyi, her tone light and cheerful: "Here you go, Jingyi."

Zhang Jingyi accepted it and thanked her.

She looked at the smiling face in front of her, those doe-like eyes that were curved and looked harmless, but she still felt a little uncomfortable.

"Hello, Haocun."

She paused for a moment: "You know me?"

Liu Haocun tilted his head, his smile deepening slightly: "Have you seen the trending topics?"

Her meaning was clear: I know you because you and Li Ran were trending on social media together.

Zhang Jingyi lowered her eyes, smiled softly, and did not reply.

The atmosphere in the living room fell into a delicate state once again.

Li Ran leaned back on the sofa and took in everything.

Ta Xue and Dou Zai chased and played on the carpet, the two fluffy balls rolling around and occasionally letting out excited little baby sounds.

Their world doesn't have these complicated twists and turns; it's just about playing or not playing, being hungry or not being hungry.

Li Ran suddenly felt that being a dog wasn't so bad.

He cleared his throat and broke the awkward silence: "Jingyi, haven't you been working lately?"

Zhang Jingyi shook her head, her tone returning to its usual gentle tone: "I'll join the crew in a while."

Liu Haocun narrowed his eyes slightly and asked curiously, "What kind of play?"

"It's a family drama," Zhang Jingyi said, pausing for a moment, "about cancer. Xu Fan plays the mother with cancer, and I play the daughter."

"What a coincidence?" Liu Haocun's eyes widened slightly, his tone filled with surprise, then he turned to Li Ran, as if mentioning it casually.

"Li Ran and I are playing the same type of character, but we are playing a young couple with illnesses."

After she finished speaking, she winked at Li Ran.

Li Ran glanced at her.

Liu Haocun met his gaze, a smile playing on his lips, his eyes conveying both innocence and smugness.

It was as if she was retaliating against Zhang Jingyi for interrupting her good time.

Zhang Jingyi frowned slightly; she felt that Liu Haocun's words sounded strange.

So what if you play lovers? What's there to be proud of?

She's not really his girlfriend; he's played lovers with a lot of people.

She thought for a moment, then spoke, her tone gentle yet earnest: "Haocun must be a very good actor, right? To be able to work with a top-tier artist like Brother Li Ran for his first acting role."

This junior schoolgirl is not easy to deal with.

Liu Haocun blinked, his smile unchanged, but his tone was a little arrogant. "No, no, this is my second film."

"The first one is 'One Second,' directed by Zhang Yimou. It's an art film and will be released in a few days."

Zhang Jingyi paused slightly in her heart.

Director Zhang Yimou, "One Second".

"Then your acting skills must be very good. Are you from the Central Academy of Drama?"

But in my heart I thought: So he's a resource-backed person.

Liu Haocun shook his head.

"No, I'm from the Beijing Dance Academy. But Director Zhang praised me for being very talented, saying I'm cut out for this."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Li Ran, her eyes crinkling, "Am I like Li Ran? A naturally gifted actor, I guess!"

Li Ran was drinking cola when she heard this and almost choked.

"I'm not like you," he put down his cola, speaking slowly, "I'm from Beijing Film Academy."

He suddenly remembered Cunzi's meme from her future life, "How can it not count?" It was exactly the same as her current little expression.

"And I got it through my own hard work, not because of any special talent."

Li Ran glanced at the time; it was almost midnight.

He stood up and said, "Alright, you guys chat, I'll go cook."

After saying that, he went into the kitchen.

In the living room, only two girls and two dogs, who had played until they were tired, were lying on the sofa and dozing off.

Liu Haocun looked at Zhang Jingyi.

Zhang Jingyi met her gaze.

Their eyes met, and there was a faint smell of gunpowder in the air.

Suddenly, Liu Haocun smiled and said, "Jingyi, can I ask you a question?"

Zhang Jingyi did not dodge.

"Go ahead and ask."

Liu Haocun tilted her head, a hint of curiosity flickering in her doe-like eyes. She spoke softly, yet each word was clear.

"Jingyi, you like Li Ran, right?"