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

After Hu Lianxin left, the apartment fell silent.

Li Ran leaned back on the sofa, neither speaking nor looking at Liu Haocun.

His gaze fell on the doghouse next to him, where Ta Xue was comfortably dozing off.

He was speechless. This damn dog still had the mood to sleep? He should get up and go coax Liu Haocun!

Don't want to eat meat strips anymore?

Liu Haocun sat at the other end of the sofa, occasionally stealing a glance at him; the handprint on his face was still faintly red.

Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer.

She turned slightly to the side, her voice soft and gentle, with a hint of pleading: "I hit you... I'm sorry, okay?"

"Don't just stay silent!"

Li Ran turned to look at her.

She sat there, her eyelashes drooping, her lips slightly pursed, looking like she had done something wrong and didn't know how to make amends.

Li Ran smiled faintly, but it made Liu Haocun feel a slight sense of relief.

"Is an apology enough?"

Liu Haocun blinked, looking at him pitifully: "Then what do you want? I'll call you back..."

Li Ran shook his head, looked at her, and suddenly asked, "Are you still angry?"

Liu Haocun was stunned. She opened her mouth, wanting to answer, but found that she couldn't answer the question.

Am I still angry?

Of course I'm angry.

But... why are you angry?

Because of that phone call? Because of Hu Lianxin's provocation? Or because of...?

Because Li Ran has five girlfriends?

"I don't know..." She lowered her head, her voice muffled, carrying a sense of loss that she couldn't quite explain.

There was a few seconds of silence.

She suddenly looked up at him, her gaze filled with a stubborn seriousness: "So, how many girlfriends do you have right now?"

Li Ran met her gaze without flinching.

"Five! Didn't I already tell you?"

Liu Haocun's eyes widened slightly. "Who are they? Does Zhang Jingyi know?"

Li Ran shook his head: "I don't know."

He began to count, one by one, his tone as calm as if he were reciting a menu: "Zhou Ye, Tian Xiwei, Hu Lianxin, Wang Churan, Zhang Jingyi."

As Liu Haocun listened, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him.

She looked at him and suddenly asked, "Why couldn't you keep it from me?"

Li Ran paused for a moment, then he smiled, a smile tinged with helplessness and self-deprecation.

He frankly admitted, "What's there to hide? They'll find out sooner or later."

"Besides, you saw it today too."

Li Ran hadn't anticipated what would happen today. Liu Haocun deliberately provoked Xiao Hu, and Xiao Hu actually laid his cards on the table.

Knowing one is still knowing, so he simply admitted it.

He paused, then looked directly into her eyes.

"This is who I truly am! So, do you still like me?"

Liu Haocun did not answer immediately.

She shook her head, then nodded.

Finally, she spoke, her voice very soft, as if asking herself, or perhaps him: "I like you... but I can't accept it."

She looked at Li Ran, her deer-like eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Furthermore, Li Ran, don't you think you're toying with people's feelings?"

Li Ran was taken aback by her sudden question. He leaned back on the sofa, looked up at the ceiling, and smiled self-deprecatingly.

After a long silence, he spoke slowly, his voice somewhat low: "Perhaps. You could say that."

He paused, his gaze still fixed on the ceiling, as if saying to himself, "But to say I'm giving up on someone... I'm not willing to."

Liu Haocun looked at him.

His profile was particularly clear in the afternoon light, his jawline taut, and his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

She suddenly realized that there was something contradictory about this person: he was selfish, greedy, and a womanizer, yet he was also so honest that it was impossible to resent him.

He knew it was wrong, but he did it anyway.

"So you like them all?"

Li Ran turned to look at her: "Otherwise what?"

Liu Haocun's heart skipped a beat.

"And what about me?"

Li Ran looked at her, her reflection shimmering in his eyes.

"like."

He paused, then added, "I'm selfish. If you don't want to..."

"Li Ran".

Liu Haocun suddenly interrupted him.

She stood up, looked at him, and a faint smile curved her lips.

She said helplessly, "I'm hungry, I want to eat braised pork."

Li Ran frowned, then stood up and nodded: "Okay, I'll do it."

The sound of oil sizzling in the kitchen could be heard.

Liu Haocun sat on the sofa and hugged Taxue, who had been lying quietly beside him.

The little one, unaware of what was happening, simply nestled obediently on her lap and licked her palm with his tongue.

She lowered her head, gently stroking the snowflakes, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

Does she still like Li Ran?

Perhaps she knows the answer in her heart, but she just doesn't want to face it right now.

She recalled the candor with which he spoke those names: Zhou Ye, Tian Xiwei, Hu Lianxin, Wang Churan, and Zhang Jingyi.

Five! He didn't hide any of them from her.

He could have kept it from Zhang Jingyi, so why couldn't he keep it from himself?

Even if it were just to keep it a secret until they were actually together, that would be better! That way, she could confront him about his infidelity, his irresponsibility, and his deception of her feelings…

But now it's like this...

What reason did she have to complain about him?

After all, the two of them were just colleagues from the beginning.

She came to his house, flirted with him, and stayed overnight—all of these were her own choices.

He never promised anything, nor did he hide anything; she herself had fallen headfirst into it.

Liu Haocun buried his face in the snowflakes and sighed softly.

The braised pork was served an hour later.

Liu Haocun sat at the dining table, eating quietly. She ate very slowly, chewing each bite for a long time, as if she wanted to chew up and swallow all her emotions.

Li Ran sat opposite, not saying a word, only occasionally picking up a piece of food with his chopsticks.

Ta Xue crouched under the table, tilting its head back and waiting to be fed, its tail wagging wildly.

The meal was eaten in unusual quiet.

After finishing his meal, Liu Hao put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth.

"You're washing the dishes yourself today!"

She stood up, walked to the entrance, picked up her bag, and Li Ran followed, standing at the door.

She turned around, looked at him, her gaze falling on the still-red handprint on his face, and spoke softly.

"Does your face still hurt?"

Li Ran shook his head: "It's nothing, it'll go away overnight."

Liu Haocun nodded.

She lowered her eyes, remained silent for two seconds, then looked up at him, a faint smile curving her lips: "See you on set..."

"I need to think about it myself..."

Li Ran looked at her and nodded: "Okay."

She didn't say what she was thinking, but he knew.

Liu Haocun opened the door and went out.

The door closed gently.

Li Ran was left alone in the apartment, along with Ta Xue, who was squatting at his feet wagging its tail.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Li Ran set off with Taxue.

I'm getting ready to visit Tian Xiwei on the set of "My Pet Boy General".

Liu Haocun's matter was temporarily put aside, and she needed to think it through on her own.

When we arrived in Hengdian, it was already 3 p.m. The late summer sun was still scorching, making us feel a little dizzy.

Tian Xiwei's film crew was in a film and television city with a Ming and Qing style.

Wearing a mask and baseball cap, and dressed in a regular T-shirt and jeans, Li Ran blended in with the staff coming and going, and was not conspicuous.

He had his assistant order milk tea and distributed it to everyone in the crew in Tian Xiwei's name.

She carried Taxue and waited in a relatively secluded corner of the rest area with Tian Xiwei's assistant.

Ta Xue was visiting a place like this for the first time. She looked around curiously, her little nose constantly sniffing the unfamiliar scents in the air.

After waiting for about half an hour, Tian Xiwei finally finished filming.

She was wearing a light green ancient costume with a thin gauze over it, and her hair was tied into two small buns with a few small silk flowers in her hair.

Her makeup was still on, and her eyes and brows still held a touch of the delicate charm unique to ancient beauties.

She walked briskly towards Li Ran, her big, round eyes sparkling, and a smile she couldn't hide playing on her lips.

Li Ran looked at her two little buns and couldn't help but laugh, "Why do you look so much like a maid?"

Tian Xiwei's smile froze for a moment, then her eyes widened, and she raised her hand to punch him: "If you can't speak properly, shut up!"

Li Ran smiled and tried to dodge, but failed and received a punch to the shoulder that wasn't too hard.

Tian Xiwei withdrew her hand and looked down at the small black and silver dog in his arms.

Ta Xue tilted her head back, curiously observing her with her beady black eyes.

She crouched down and reached out to pat Ta Xue's head.

The little guy felt very comfortable being touched, his little tail kept wagging, and he even stuck out his tongue to lick her hand.

"She's quite well-behaved." Tian Xiwei smiled, then stood up and looked at Li Ran.

"Okay, I'm going to remove my makeup."

……