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

Three days later, Li Ran arrived in Tengchong, Yunnan, where the crew of the TV series "Our Southwest Associated University" was stationed.

In early spring, the border town is quiet and quaint, with distant mountains shrouded in a thin mist.

"The Young Dragon" is still in preparation and there is still some time before filming begins.

Taking advantage of a break, Li Ran decided to visit Zhou Ye on set, as her filming was about to wrap up.

After she finishes filming, the crew of "The Young Dragon" will start filming soon, and then we'll go together.

After Li Ran arrived at the film set, she followed Zhou Ye's assistant, Xiao Chen, through the busy set, where various smells mingled in the air.

"Sister Zhou Ye is filming a scene with actor Wang Hedi, which will take about half an hour."

Xiao Chen pointed to a spot not far away, "Brother Ran, why don't you go sit in the rest area for a while?"

Li Ran looked over and saw Zhou Ye dressed in a simple Republican-era costume, intently rehearsing his lines.

He nodded: "Okay, I'll go by myself. You go ahead and do your thing!"

The rest area is located in a corner and is simply surrounded by blue partitions.

Li Ran walked in and saw a girl sitting on the sofa by the window, wearing a white hoodie, her ponytail loosely tied up, looking down at her phone.

Li Ran paused slightly as he recognized the delicate face – "Little White Fox" Hu Lianxin.

It seems that she and Zhou Ye became best friends, but he didn't know much about her, only vaguely remembering an interaction video with Ji Fa Ge in later generations that hadn't been circulated yet.

At that time, she was still a student at the Central Academy of Drama, while Fengshen was still in the training camp. It is likely that the two did not know each other yet.

Hearing the noise, Hu Lianxin looked up and gazed towards the door.

At first, she thought he was a staff member, but when her gaze swept over Li Ran's face, she was slightly taken aback. The man in front of her was tall and handsome, with a clean and youthful air about him. He looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.

She put down her phone and politely tilted her head: "Hello, are you an actor in the film crew?"

Li Ran was taken aback at first, then realized that it was normal for people who didn't follow esports not to know him.

His fingertips unconsciously traced the armrest of the sofa, his tone relaxed: "Not from the film crew. But I guess you could call me an actor."

Hu Lianxin smiled at Li Ran, "So you're here to visit the set!"

"Yes, Zhou Ye is my friend." Li Ran didn't hide anything, but he didn't directly say that she was his girlfriend.

"Are you also from Beijing Film Academy? I'm from Central Academy of Drama, my name is Hu Lianxin."

Hu Lianxin extended her hand to Li Ran and politely introduced herself.

Li Ran gently shook hands with her. "Li Ran, Zhou Ye's classmate."

Hu Lianxin looked at his hands and thought his fingers were long and beautiful.

Li Ran noticed that she was staring at his hands, looking somewhat dazed, and coughed lightly.

Hu Lianxin hurriedly released her hand and explained, "I'm so sorry! Your hands are so beautiful. Do you play the piano?"

Just then, Assistant Chen's voice came through: "Brother Li Ran, Sister Zhou Ye has finished filming!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ran stood up, greeted her, and left the lounge.

Hu Lianxin didn't go out with them, but couldn't help secretly taking out her phone to search for Li Ran's name.

When the profile of "e-sports world champion Li Ran" popped up, she was so surprised that she covered her mouth. It turned out that he was the person who had dominated the trending searches not long ago.

She couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Little Hu, Little Hu, why are you only thinking about looks?"

……

On the other side, Li Ran followed Xiao Chen back to the filming location.

When Zhou Ye saw Li Ran approaching, a delighted smile spread across his face. He stood up from his folding chair and waved to him, saying, "Li Ran, over here."

Hearing the sound, Wang Hedi looked up, froze, and dropped his water bottle on the ground with a clatter.

"Holy crap, the God of Burning?!"

He suddenly sprang forward, grabbed Li Ran's forearm, and spoke excitedly.

"It really is you! I've been watching your matches since 17, and I still watch those highlight reels of your incredible plays! Can I get your autograph? I'll go find a pen right now—"

"Get out of the way." Zhou Ye quickly stepped forward, pushed the person aside, and stood in front of Li Ran like a protective mother.

"Didn't you see they just arrived?"

Turning to look at Li Ran, a smile spread across her face. "Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

Li Ran reached out and helped her tidy her bangs, which had been ruffled by the wind.

"I just arrived. You were filming, so I went to the dressing room for a while."

Wang Hedi leaned over again, pulled his phone out of his pocket, and handed it to Zhou Ye, "Coconut, hurry up and take a picture of me and the Burning God together!"

Zhou Ye sighed helplessly, but still raised his phone and adjusted the angle: "Wang Hedi, he can't escape, why are you in such a hurry?"

As the shutter clicked, Wang Hedi made a peace sign, while Li Ran turned slightly to the side, her gaze fixed on Zhou Ye.

Wang Hedi snatched back his phone, zoomed in on the photo, and grinned from ear to ear: "So handsome! Can I post this on Weibo? I want to tell the whole world I met the living God of Fire!"

Li Ran chuckled: "Of course. Just call me Li Ran in private. 'God of Burning' sounds kind of awkward."

Wang Hedi nodded repeatedly, his fingers already flying across the keyboard as he edited the text.

"Shall we have dinner together after work tonight?" Wang Hedi asked Zhou Ye and Li Ran, adjusting his costume sleeves.

"There's a really good local restaurant nearby, my treat."

Just then, the stage manager's voice rang out: "All departments, prepare! Actors, take your positions!"

Seeing this, the group had no choice but to stop talking, and Zhou Ye and Wang Hedi began to prepare for filming.

Li Ran paused, but instead of returning to the lounge, he found a quiet corner to stand in and looked towards the film set.

Although he has an A-level acting skill as a reward from the system, he is not yet familiar with the actual filming process, which is a good opportunity for him to observe and learn.

Just as Li Ran was intently watching the filming, she heard soft footsteps behind her.

He turned around and saw Hu Lianxin walking over, still clutching a half-full bottle of water in her hand.

She stopped, her toes lightly touching the ground, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Um...sorry. I didn't recognize you just now. I didn't expect you to be so amazing."

Li Ran stood to the side, a slight smile playing on her lips: "What's there to apologize for?"

He pointed to himself, "I'm not printed on the RMB, who says you have to recognize me?"

"That's different!" Hu Lianxin immediately waved her hand, her eyes shining.

"I actually checked your profile just now. After learning about you, I feel that you will shine brightly on your acting career path, just like when you won the championship back then."

There were still some things she didn't say. That year at the Bird's Nest, his tearful glance back touched her heart, and she suddenly longed to hug him.

But it seems he doesn't need it anymore.

Suddenly her eyes lit up, and she looked at Li Ran gently, "By the way, let's add each other on WeChat? I'm also Zhou Ye's friend, so we can be considered friends then."

"sure."

Li Ran took out his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and opened the QR code. As he watched Hu Lianxin bring the phone closer and her hair brush against her cheek, he suddenly felt that the noise around him had quieted down a bit.

……

After wrapping up, Wang Hedi warmly greeted everyone, saying, "I've booked a table nearby to celebrate the God of Fire's visit to the set."

The lighting in the private room was soft.

While waiting for the food, Wang Hedi suddenly exclaimed "Whoa!" and held up his phone: "Ran Shen, look! That Weibo post from this afternoon is trending!"

He turned the screen around, and the word "New" was prominently displayed after the entry.

Li Ran took out her phone, and the comment section immediately exploded:

"Burning God is already filming? That's fast!"

"You're neglecting your profession...come back to playing professionally!"

"I support you no matter what you do! Looking forward to the new drama!"

Zhou Ye and Hu Lianxin also picked up their phones and started looking at them.

Zhou Ye raised an eyebrow: "A single group photo went viral; your influence is incredible."

Hu Lianxin gently reminded him, "Li Ran, do you want to explain? Many fans misunderstand and think you're filming on our set."

Wang Hedi nodded: "Yeah, Ran-ge, should I explain the situation in the comments section?"

Li Ran smiled and waved her hand, "No need. This is fine, it also promotes your new drama."

He looked at Zhou Ye beside him and said naturally, "And I do have a movie to film next, with Coconut."

"I'm here to wait for her to finish filming so we can go together."