Actresses

Chapter 94 Letting Go

Xiao Zhao had never seen anything like this before, and didn't dare to pat He Yuran on the back. He could only silently hand her a tissue and whisper comforting words, "Boss...it's okay, Sister Jiahe will come back. I absolutely believe what you say, because in my eyes you're someone who can do anything!"

Hearing Xiao Zhao say this, He Yuran felt even more upset. Lately, she hadn't accomplished a single thing, and no one seemed to take her seriously. As a star on the verge of falling from grace, she was now in a corner of a restaurant, crying while clinging to the arm of one of her team members—it was truly pathetic.

He Yuran already had little appetite, and this made it even worse. After much persuasion from Xiao Zhao, she managed to eat a little more, but then she had to persuade Xiao Zhao again before he could eat a few bites with trepidation. In short, both of them were listless.

After paying the bill, the two wandered aimlessly along the path by the Liangma River. He Yuran was a little annoyed. "Sigh, Xiao Zhao, I'm sorry to have dragged you into this. I made you feel bad and you didn't eat well."

"It's alright, boss. As long as you're not hungry after eating, that's fine," Xiao Zhao said with a smile.

He Yuran knew that Xiao Zhao wouldn't dare to disobey her; 99% of the time, Xiao Zhao had given in. But if Shi Jiahe were here, she'd probably be making sarcastic remarks by now. She suddenly missed that feeling—someone who went along with her, yet dared to criticize her, mocking her while also feeling sorry for her. It was so thrilling and exciting!

Although there are cruise ships on the Liangma River at night, He Yuran no longer had the mood to jump and dance on board. So she stayed on the bank with Xiao Zhao, simply walking slowly along the river. Last time she was here, she felt the time on the boat flew by; she was acting silly all by herself, while Shi Jiahe helplessly kept her company the whole time. But today, time felt incredibly long. Everyone on the street was talking to someone; no one was looking at her, no one treated her like a celebrity. She felt like someone no one cared about.

Perhaps because the atmosphere had changed, Xiao Zhao was now a completely different person from when they were eating, and dared not say much.

Looking at the cruise ship, there weren't many people, and business seemed to be barely going on. Because of the distance and the lights, He Yuran could even make out a few pretty faces on board. She suddenly felt an urge to shout, but her most loyal spectator wasn't around. The person she thought would always be there had also left.

So they watched helplessly as one ship after another passed by.

They walked all the way to the end of the river, then turned back. Xiao Zhao's expression changed; he said, "Boss, I need to use the restroom." He Yuran said, "Let's go, let's go together." The two ran into the mall, searching high and low until they finally found a restroom. Unexpectedly, they bumped into a passerby coming out of a stall who excitedly wanted to take a photo with He Yuran, creating an awkward moment. He Yuran had no choice but to oblige. When they came out of the restroom again, the mall was already closed. Xiao Zhao hesitated, asking, "Boss, do you want to shop some more? It might be difficult to find a restroom later."

He Yuran frowned, then waved his hand: "Let's go, let's go to the next stop!"

Xiao Zhao was puzzled and stared blankly.

Back in the car in the underground parking garage, He Yuran, relying on her memory, told Xiao Zhao an address. She had forgotten the exact building number, but she remembered the gate of the complex. It was the complex where Shi Jiahe had taken her, the one she remembered.

After entering the navigation information, Xiao Zhao said, "Boss, there are only bars around here at this time. Do you want to have a drink?"

"It's okay, just drive to the gate of this community I told you about, we'll talk about the rest when we get there."

So they set off immediately. Upon arrival, He Yuran asked Xiao Zhao to find a roadside parking spot, and then she got out and began strolling along the street. The road was still the same road, but it was definitely very different at night compared to the daytime. She remembered that when she came during the day, this area was full of residents, but at night the streets were almost entirely populated by young people.

Just as Xiao Zhao had said, there were several bars clustered together within less than half a block in this area. From afar, you could see wooden tables, benches, or camping chairs outside, with people drinking and smoking, and others squatting by the roadside chatting. However, He Yuran knew very well that Shi Jiahe wasn't staying at her house recently, so there was no way they would run into her.

After thinking for a while, she walked straight into a quiet bar with brightly lit entrance.

As He Yuran was examining the signboard, she noticed a young girl staring intently at her.

Suddenly, the girl pointed a finger at He Yuran, "You...aren't you...He—?"

He Yuran smiled generously at her. "What do you mean?"

The girl jumped up from her seat. "Are you here for drinks too? Do you live nearby? I've seen your movies!"

Hearing this, several people gathered around, some just curious, others genuinely knowing He Yuran. Soon, amidst a mix of genuine and feigned interest, the young people began lining up for photos. For a brief moment, He Yuran seemed to regain some confidence and joy in fitting in with the younger generation. However, once the excitement wore off and everyone ran out of things to say, the atmosphere became awkward again.

For some reason, the young girl and He Yuran just stared at each other.

He Yuran took the initiative and said, "Can I have a seat here?"

Several people nearby immediately stood up. "Of course!"

He Yuran laughed and said, "One seat is enough for me. What do you guys want to drink? It's all on me today."

The power of paying the bill trumps everything. Everyone in the room erupted in cheers, shouting, "Wow, that's awesome! I'm a fan from today onwards!" He Yuran chuckled, saying, "Forget about fans, everyone just needs to have fun today." After ordering drinks from the waiter, almost everyone in the restaurant who loved a good chatter had gathered around. It had been a long time since He Yuran had been surrounded by a bunch of strangers like this, without bringing a single staff member with her.

"So you came here by yourself?" the girl asked.

"I have an old friend who lives nearby, and I came to visit her today, but she wasn't home."

"Didn't you two make plans beforehand?" the girl asked in surprise.

"I was planning to surprise her, but it turned out awkward," He Yuran sighed dejectedly. "Actually, we haven't been in touch for a while. She's one of my closest sisters, and I miss her quite a bit. Today, I inexplicably ended up near her house, but she wasn't home, so I thought I'd just wander around downstairs. And that's how I ended up here."

The people around looked quite surprised, probably because they had never seen a celebrity act like this before.

"Oh my god, that must be such a good friend of yours, I'm so envious," the girl said.

"What's there to envy? Isn't everyone's friendship the same? There are times when we get angry and times when we don't keep in touch. I'm reflecting on this now, and I realize that I did some things poorly in the past—no, not just poorly, but really poorly."

"Does she know you came and couldn't find her? How does she feel?"

"She doesn't know about this yet. I knocked on the door, but she wasn't home. I don't dare contact her on WeChat anymore, because I know she's probably still angry."

Someone nearby said, "Then we'll post it for you. What if she sees it?"

The girl slapped her thigh. "Yeah, posting things like this can actually get us followers and generate traffic. Ran-jie, why don't you take some more group photos with each of us?"

He Yuran smiled and said, "Sure! Thank you everyone in advance."

"I'll edit the photo and let you confirm!" The girl was clearly very cooperative.

He Yuran waved her hand, "It doesn't matter. The filters you young people use are more fashionable than the ones we old folks use. You can post whatever you want, thank you everyone! Consider it a favor. I'll reiterate, everyone can order whatever you like, it's all on me tonight."

By this time, even the bar owner had been alerted, and he and the bartender came out to bow to He Yuran. He Yuran quickly stood up and bowed in return. Someone said, "Can I call my friends over? They all really like you." He Yuran accepted all such commotion without question. Because she didn't really know what other way, besides spending money, could she integrate into the real youth community and receive genuine, kind words from others.

Xiao Zhao came over several times to check if the boss was having any problems or was drunk. He Yuran even pulled him aside, saying, "Come chat with us for a while!" Xiao Zhao politely declined each time, instead finding a stool to sit on at a distance and silently watching the boss.

Contrary to He Yuran's previous assumptions, none of the ill-intentioned situations materialized. These young people were all surprisingly cheerful and talkative, including several film industry professionals who chatted with her about their work frustrations and past encounters with her on film sets. While He Yuran didn't remember them all, the conversation flowed smoothly. Of course, she could only smile and remain silent when the young people asked about industry gossip.

Later, as the night grew increasingly late, Xiao Zhao, probably for the tenth time, came over and whispered to the boss, "It's time to go home, it's too late."

He Yuran looked at Xiao Zhao with a resentful expression. Actually, she had many things she wanted to say, but couldn't utter a single word. She felt she could talk to everyone here, but couldn't confide in anyone. After paying the long bill, she got up to say goodbye, even giving the girl a warm hug. Back in her car, it was already one in the morning.

As He Yuran curled up in her seat and took out her phone to scroll through it, she suddenly noticed that Li Luoan had sent her a WeChat message about half an hour earlier.

"I saw you drinking with a stranger on Xiaohongshu. What's wrong? Did something about Cheng Xiaotang happen to you?"

"She's not worth making me drink. But you, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I've always been a night owl. What? Aren't you?"

Fueled by alcohol, He Yuran picked up her phone and sent a voice message, her voice low and seductive: "Luo'an, I'm so lonely. Can I come to see you tonight?"

Li Luoan didn't hesitate and replied directly, "Sure, come over and sleep here."

The next second, He Yuran immediately told Xiao Zhao to set off, and very readily and clearly told Xiao Zhao: "When we get there, go straight home. I'm going to stay at Luo'an's house for a few days. Just wait for my call to pick me up."

Xiao Zhao blinked his dry eyes, which had noticeably shrunk, yawned, and said okay.

The car arrived at Li Luoan's apartment building, and He Yuran went upstairs as if she knew the place well. At that moment, she even felt more at home than her own.

Li Luoan was wearing pajamas and still had no makeup on, but her hair seemed a bit neater.

He Yuran looked her up and down and said, "You got a haircut."

Li Luoan clicked his tongue. "Not bad, even our big stars can notice changes in others."

"Stop being so sarcastic. You contacted me on WeChat, which means you care about me, right? Let's not hide it from each other."

Li Luoan sighed. "Sigh, actually, when Cheng Xiaotang first posted that message, I wanted to contact you, but I was afraid you would reply to her inappropriately and drag me into it again. But I felt it wasn't necessary. So I observed for a few days, but I didn't expect you to not make a single move. You're completely disregarding her."

Why should I bother to generate more buzz for her?

"But if Cheng Xiaotang has a suitable project, would you consider it?" Li Luoan stared into her eyes and asked seriously.