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

In the evening, after seeing Liu Haocun and Zhang Jingyi off, Li Ran played PUBG with Xiao Tian.

Ta Xue lay on his lap, fast asleep, her little belly rising and falling with her breath.

Around 10 o'clock, he told Tian Xiwei that he would visit her on set in a couple of days, then logged out of the game and prepared to take a shower.

Just then, a soft "beep" sounded from the door.

Li Ran raised an eyebrow.

The only people who know the password to my house right now are Sister Baizhou and Little White Fox.

The door opened.

Wang Churan walked in, saw Li Ran, and her eyes crinkled into a smile: "Oh, still awake? Waiting for me?"

When Ta Xue heard the sound, it ran over excitedly, circling around her legs and wagging its tail wildly.

Wang Churan bent down and scooped it up, kissing its fluffy forehead: "Son, did you miss Mommy?"

Li Ran leaned back on the sofa and looked at her: "Finished recording the show?"

"Okay." Wang Churan carried Taxue over and said, "We're flying back to Shanghai tomorrow."

She tilted her head to look at him and said mischievously, "Tonight you can try soy milk with plain porridge."

Li Ran chuckled, reached out and pulled Taxue from her arms and put her on the ground, then grabbed her wrist and pulled her up.

"Perfect, let's shower together."

Wang Churan let him pull her towards the bedroom, then turned back and waved to Taxue.

"Goodnight, son. Mom will stay with you again tomorrow."

Ta Xue squatted in place, tilting her head as she watched the two disappear through the bedroom door, then trotted back to the doghouse and curled herself up into a ball.

next morning.

Li Ran sat alone at the dining table, slowly eating her breakfast.

The bedroom door was tightly closed, and there was no sound inside. Wang Churan had eaten too much last night and was fast asleep.

Ta Xue squatted at his feet, staring longingly at the food in his hands, occasionally letting out a pitiful whimper.

Li Ran cut a small piece of grilled sausage and fed it to the dog. Just as she was about to take another sip of coffee, the door opened.

Hu Lianxin was wearing a light blue sweatshirt, her hair was casually tied up, and she looked like she had just woken up.

Li Ran breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking it was Liu Haocun, but it seemed she didn't know her home password.

Xiao Hu saw Li Ran at the dining table, walked over, picked up the half-eaten bread next to him, and took a bite.

Li Ran looked at her.

"Why are you here? The reading session is over."

Hu Lianxin chewed on her bread, her tone cheerful, "It ended yesterday, and I had nothing to do today, so I came to see you."

She swallowed her bread, then suddenly looked up, her gaze somewhat dim: "By the way, I know why you wouldn't let me take on 'You're Beautiful When You Smile'."

Li Ran raised an eyebrow.

Hu Lianxin tilted her head and thought for a moment, then complained, "At first I thought it was just some weird gameplay, like the '321 team fight' or the male and female leads falling in love on the field, and I could just let it go."

"My only line is, 'So what if we lost one game?' It's absurd, but at least it's not a lot of screen time."

She grew increasingly angry as she spoke, her pace quickening: "But during the script reading, it turned out that Zhai Xiaowen's character actually volunteered to throw a match for the female lead!"

"He initially discussed it with the screenwriter, saying that it was unreasonable. How could a professional player intentionally throw a match? The screenwriter said it was 'sacrifice for love' and 'plot tension'."

"Zhai Xiaowen said that professional ethics shouldn't be sacrificed, right? Then they started arguing, and the argument got more and more heated..."

Li Ran listened, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He certainly knew how outrageous the show was.

In my previous life, this drama was ridiculed by the entire internet after it aired. The e-sports community criticized the actors, the actors' fans criticized the screenwriter, the screenwriter shifted the blame to the platform, the platform pretended to be silent, and in the end, it became a complete mess.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

Hu Lianxin shook her head: "I don't know. We told President Long, and she said to wait for news."

Li Ran thought for a moment, then took out her phone: "I'll call my aunt and ask her."

He dialed Long Danni's number, said a few words, and after hanging up, looked at Hu Lianxin: "Come to the company this afternoon and let's talk in person."

Hu Lianxin nodded and picked up another slice of bacon.

Just then, the bedroom door opened.

Wang Churan was wearing Li Ran's white T-shirt, which was obviously just something she grabbed and put on. She walked out barefoot, her hair was messy, and she looked sleepy.

She yawned and walked towards the living room, but stopped halfway there.

Hu Lianxin's hand also stopped.

Eyes facing each other.

Wang Churan's gaze lingered on Hu Lianxin's face for two seconds before turning to Li Ran, asking lazily, "Oh! This is the third person?"

Li Ran was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Wang Churan hummed in response, as if confirming something he already knew, and then continued walking towards the bathroom.

The bathroom door was closed.

Hu Lianxin turned her head, looked at Li Ran, her eyes full of question marks: "Who is this?"

Li Ran thought for a moment about how to explain, and considering his current situation with Xiao Hu, he said:

"Just like you."

Hu Lianxin was stunned for a moment.

Just like me? A secret...lover?

She frowned, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside her.

Although she herself had stolen her home from her best friend, seeing another woman with the same identity as her walk out of Li Ran's bedroom still felt different.

She pursed her lips and asked in a low voice, "Does Coconut know?"

Li Ran looked at her and gave the same answer: "Same as you."

Hu Lianxin understood.

The coconut doesn't know, just as it doesn't know itself.

She gave a soft "humph".

She had known about Li Ran's greed for a long time. He wasn't satisfied with just her and Zhou Ye; he was definitely having an affair with Tian Xiwei, and now another one had appeared.

"You haven't solved the problems with Coconut and that big-eyed guy."

She stared at Li Ran, her tone icy, "Now you've provoked another one. Really..."

She paused, then uttered four words:

"Colorful flags flutter in the wind."

Li Ran looked at her. "Are you jealous?"

Just as Hu Lianxin was about to speak, the bathroom door opened.

Wang Churan walked out with her hair neatly styled and her face still damp, looking much more refreshed.

She walked straight to the dining table, sat down next to Li Ran, picked up his coffee and took a sip.

Hu Lianxin's gaze remained fixed on her.

Wang Churan chewed on bacon, looked up to meet that gaze, rolled her eyes and said, "What are you looking at, mistress?"

Hu Lianxin paused for a moment, then laughed, a cool laugh: "I wasn't looking at anything, just glancing at Xiao Si."

Wang Churan paused in his chewing motion.

She put down the bacon, turned her face, and met Hu Lianxin's gaze.

The two women stared at each other, neither looking away.

Li Ran was also helpless; it seemed like Wang Churan could start a fight with anyone.

He interrupted them, saying, "Alright, let's eat."

The two hummed softly and began to eat their breakfast, falling silent for the time being.

Only Ta Xue squatted under the table, tilting her little head up, looking at this and then at that, her little dog brain really unable to understand.

Why are people today so much stranger than usual?

After finishing her meal, Wang Churan went to change her clothes and pack her luggage.

Hu Lianxin sat on the sofa, holding Taxue in her arms, her eyes following Taxue's back.

After Wang Churan entered the bedroom, she leaned closer to Li Ran and whispered, "What does she do?"

"An actor," Li Ran said.

"What's your name?"

"Wang Churan".

Hu Lianxin frowned and thought for a moment, but couldn't recall it.

How did you two meet?

"During the commentary."

Hu Lianxin fell silent. She lowered her head and rubbed Taxue's ear. After a while, she whispered, "Li Ran, you'll get into trouble sooner or later if you keep going like this."

Li Ran looked at her.

She didn't look up, but continued rubbing the snow, her voice low: "You know about my relationship with Coconut. What if one day she finds out... not me, but someone else..."

She didn't continue.

Li Ran was silent for a few seconds, then reached out and gently ruffled her hair.

"I know," he said.

Hu Lianxin looked up at him, her eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions: worry, helplessness, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

She wanted to say something, but didn't have time to speak.

The bedroom door opened, and Wang Churan came out pulling her suitcase. She had changed into her outdoor clothes and tied her hair back up.

She noticed the two sitting side by side, raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She simply gestured with her chin towards Li Ran and said, "The assistant is downstairs. I'm leaving."

She walked to the door, changed her shoes, and suddenly turned back to look at Hu Lianxin: "Mistress, take good care of my son."

Hu Lianxin sneered: "Mind your own business, Xiao Si."

Wang Churan rolled her eyes, opened the door, and left.