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

Chapter 81 Visiting Coconut on Set [Please Read On]

After spending two days in Hengdian, Li Ran parted ways with Tian Xiwei and headed to Xiangshan Film and Television City.

The drive from Hengdian to Xiangshan takes nearly three hours.

Ta Xue was very excited at first, pressing her face against the car window to look at the scenery outside, wagging her little tail nonstop.

Half an hour later, it wilted and curled up on Li Ran's lap, falling asleep. Its little body rose and fell gently with the bumps of the car.

Li Ran leaned back in his chair, gazing at the scenery rushing past the window, and mentally reviewed the arrangements for the next few days.

Zhou Ye is on the set of "The Order of Mountains and Rivers" in Xiangshan, so I have to go visit him.

Although she will be moving to Hengdian in a few days, he should be joining the cast of "A Little Red Flower" by then, so the timing doesn't match.

I can only make this trip now while I have the time.

We arrived at Xiangshan Film and Television City at 2 PM.

Li Ran didn't go directly to Zhou Ye, but instead contacted Ma Tao, the producer at Kuzi Films in the area.

Ma Tao came to pick him up personally, and shook hands with a smile as soon as they met: "Li Ran, hello! Welcome to visit the set."

Li Ran, holding Taxue, smiled politely and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Ma."

He laughed and said, "What's the trouble? Producer Wang specifically instructed yesterday to treat you well!"

Ma Tao paused, his tone tinged with apology: "Regarding the feedback from Wajiji.com about 'Smile,' we are aware of the issues. The script does indeed have some problems; it's due to our lax oversight in the early stages."

"Hopefully this won't affect our future cooperation."

Li Ran smiled casually, "Mr. Ma, it's nothing. I didn't take on this role anyway, did I?"

Ma Tao nodded and said with a smile, "Didn't we have a pretty good working relationship on 'Minglong Boys'? It'll be launched on our platform soon, and we'll need you to promote it a lot then."

Li Ran nodded: "That's natural, after all, Wajiji is also a major investor."

"As for future collaborations, I would be happy to continue working with your company if there are good scripts available."

Upon hearing this, Ma Tao's smile became more genuine, devoid of any feigned politeness.

"Then I look forward to our future collaboration."

"Mr. Ma, I look forward to cooperating with you."

……

When Li Ran joined the film crew, Zhou Ye was touching up his makeup in the dressing room.

He held Taxue in his arms, gently pushed open the door, and went inside.

The dressing room wasn't big. Zhou Ye sat in front of the mirror, closed her eyes, and let the makeup artist do whatever she wanted with her face.

She looked tired; the dark circles under her eyes were impossible to hide, and she leaned limply against the back of the chair, as if she could fall asleep at any moment.

Her assistant stood beside her, holding coffee and a script. When she saw Li Ran come in, her eyes lit up. Just as she was about to speak, Li Ran put her index finger to her lips and gently shook her head.

The assistant understood, shut his mouth, and just smiled at him.

Li Ran carried Taxue and quietly walked behind Zhou Ye. Taxue was very well-behaved, nestled in his arms without moving, only her little nose twitching slightly as she sniffed the scents of this unfamiliar environment.

The makeup artist was focused on applying eyeliner when she caught a glimpse of the extra figure in the mirror out of the corner of her eye, and her hand paused.

But she's a veteran in the industry, and she knows exactly what to ask and what not to ask.

She simply nodded slightly at Li Ran's reflection in the mirror, then continued with her actions.

Zhou Ye was completely unaware.

She closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, as if she were dozing off.

The makeup artist finished the last stroke, put down her tools, and silently left.

Only Li Ran, Zhou Ye, and her assistant remained in the dressing room.

Zhou Ye, with his eyes still closed, slowly said, "Xiao Chen, get me some coffee."

Just as the assistant was about to move, Li Ran reached out and took the cup of coffee from the side.

He walked to Zhou Ye's side, handed her the coffee, and said in a low voice, "How about Xiao Li gets it for you?"

Zhou Ye's eyelashes trembled suddenly.

She opened her eyes, and those eyes, which had been slightly dim due to fatigue, suddenly lit up the moment she saw him.

"what!"

She sprang up from her chair, turned to look at him, and the weariness on her face seemed to vanish in an instant. "Li Ran! When did you get here?"

Li Ran smiled and handed her the coffee: "I just arrived."

He paused, looking at the dark circles under her eyes, his brows furrowing slightly: "Why are your dark circles so heavy?"

Zhou Ye took the coffee, tilted his head and smiled, then said in a coquettish tone, "Hehe, I was filming a night scene last night, so I didn't get much rest."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Taxue in his arms, and her eyes immediately lit up even more.

"Little snow-covered baby! Come let Mommy hug you!"

She reached out and pulled Ta Xue from Li Ran's arms.

The little guy was stunned for a moment when it was suddenly moved. It struggled for a bit, but when it saw Li Ran smiling at it, it quietly stayed in Zhou Ye's arms and didn't move around anymore.

Li Ran stood to the side, watching this scene, somewhat speechless.

How many "moms" are there now?

Li Ran gave Ta Xue a warning, then looked at Zhou Ye and asked, "Is the film crew on a tight schedule lately?"

Zhou Ye nodded: "These past few days have been quite hectic, but things will be more relaxed once we get to Hengdian."

She paused, looked at him, and smiled, "What brings you here? Aren't you about to start filming? I thought you weren't coming!"

Li Ran said, "There are still a few days left, so I'm taking this opportunity to come see you."

……

Li Ran, in Zhou Ye's name, treated the entire crew to milk tea and coffee.

This time he did not hide his identity.

This production crew is quite large and has strict rules. Producer Ma Tao also gave us special instructions, so there's nothing to worry about.

He appeared on set openly and naturally. Occasionally, people would look over curiously, but they would only observe from a distance and no one would come up to bother him.

Zhou Ye went to film a movie.

Li Ran held Taxue in his arms and sat in a corner of the rest area, gazing at her from afar.

Zhou Ye, dressed in a light purple ancient costume, is acting with another male actor.

Someone walked over from the side.

Li Ran turned her head and saw a young male actor with a polite smile on his face.

"Hello, Ms. Li Ran. I am Gong Jun, and I play Wen Kexing in the drama."

Li Ran stood up and shook hands with him.

Gong Jun's attitude was very warm, but it didn't come across as obsequious; he struck the perfect balance.

Li Ran politely started chatting with him.

But I felt a little emotional. In a few months, when "The Order of Mountains and Rivers" airs, this nobody will become a new star.

Although another lead actor, due to his biased opinion, only remained a "top star" for six months.

Gong Jun, however, remained firmly in the top tier, though his acting skills were somewhat lacking, and he didn't have any representative works afterward, but he continued to receive variety show opportunities.

Adaptations of BL dramas are truly a powerful tool for promoting actors.

First, "The Untamed" made "Bo Jun Yi Xiao" famous, and then "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" created this CP.

Going back further, the 18 drama "Guardian" also brought the "Zhu Bai" duo into the spotlight, and they began to receive a steady stream of opportunities.

No wonder it was explicitly banned later, yet some obscure celebrities still rushed to try and skirt the edges of legality.

The most outrageous one is still "Reverse Love" from 25 years ago, which produced two awful things that were so cringeworthy that they were unbearable to watch.

Just then, another person walked over.

"Hello, Teacher Li Ran, I am..." he introduced himself, his attitude very polite.

Li Ran looked at him, nodded, and exchanged a few polite greetings.

This person was the one who later became a "top influencer for six months".

Li Ran didn't say anything, nor did he show any unusual behavior.

After all, nothing has happened yet, and the other party's attitude is quite good, so there's no need to condemn them prematurely.

But he knew in his heart why this person later died.

Everyone knows what stance his boss takes. If this person himself had a proper stance, that would be fine, but he ended up going astray too.

Serves you right!!!

Saying you don't understand? Look into nine-year compulsory education.

It was already dark when Zhou Ye finished filming.

After removing her makeup, she quickly walked over, took Taxue from Li Ran's arms, kissed its head, and then looked up at him.