Actresses

Chapter 64 Meeting

He Yuran stared at those three words on WeChat, pondering for a long time.

Li Luoan.

How many years has it been since they last contacted each other? At least five years, I think. He Yuran remembers that after she started her own business, her original agency gradually withered away with the industry downturn. In recent years, she even heard that Li Luoan was in poor condition, had lost contact with most of his colleagues, and had not acted in any dramas since.

However, while Jiang Fan's motives were clearly defined as marital discord and children, almost no one knew Li Luo'an's reasons.

At least, He Yuran didn't know.

She finally opened the WeChat message. It had been sent yesterday and was very brief.

"Yu Ran, long time no see. I was just talking about you with a friend and I was thinking of inviting you to my house for a small birthday party tomorrow. Here's the address."

They didn't even ask if I had time, which probably meant it was take it or leave it. Besides, He Yuran thought to herself, "I'm several years older than you, and you don't even call me 'sister'!"

However, judging from the address, it's in an ordinary residential area in Changying, so it doesn't seem like a completely secluded place, isolated from the world. Although she had heard that many people in the film and television industry lived there, He Yuran rarely went to Changying, so Changying was relatively unfamiliar to her.

She hesitated for a long time.

No wonder I've been feeling a bit restless these past few days; it turns out it's because of Li Luoan's birthday. But why would she suddenly invite me to her birthday party? Even though we were signed to the same company for several years, we didn't have any particular relationship.

He Yuran sighed deeply and searched online for Li Luoan's activities over the past few years. Many past events began to resurface before her eyes.

Li Luo'an was a very mysterious person back then. Coupled with his disappearance from the public eye in recent years, it's as if time has filtered through his lens, making him seem unrecognizable. If they could meet, He Yuran feels she would definitely ask: Why did you gradually fade out of this circle? It can't be entirely due to the reasons outsiders speculate, right?

Isn't this the perfect opportunity? Let's go straight to Li Luoan's house tonight and talk face to face.

He Yuran sat up and made a phone call to Shi Jiahe.

"Sister Ran? What's up?" Shi Jiahe on the other end of the phone was still yawning, it was hard to tell if she had just woken up or hadn't slept yet.

He Yuran didn't bother with such details, only asking, "Are we still missing an actress in our film?"

Shi Jiahe paused, probably to clear her head. "In terms of roles, it would be best to have another well-known actor, but the current cast is enough to pass the censorship. Adding another actor would increase the cost and make it more difficult to pass the censorship, so there are pros and cons. We can find newcomers for the remaining roles. Wei Ning and I have discussed it and plan to wait until the script is finalized before working on that."

"But you said there might still be changes on Zhuang Pan's side, right?"

"Basically not... Boss, do you have any new candidates in mind?"

"It's okay, you go to sleep." After saying that, He Yuran hung up the phone.

She jumped up, suddenly feeling a little anxious. After all, she and Li Luoan were former colleagues at the same agency, and they hadn't seen each other for years. It was Li Luoan's birthday, so what should she bring him?

He Yuran ran to the walk-in closet and rummaged through it. Her room didn't have a guest room, and the other bedroom didn't even have a bed. It was completely converted into a walk-in closet and storage room. In the corner, there was a cabinet that went all the way to the ceiling, which was used to store unused gifts and luxury items. She could use them to give to her staff so that she wouldn't have to buy them separately.

However, gift-giving among celebrities can be problematic. Giving something too cheap or too expensive can seem like a deliberate attempt to highlight an unequal status, which is quite awkward. Therefore, it depends on the depth of their relationship. If the relationship is very distant, a simple birthday greeting might be better. If the relationship is very close, even a simple retweet of a promotional post can be considered a generous gift. However, Li Luoan invited her to a small gathering at his home; a birthday party shouldn't be attended empty-handed. But the phrase "small gathering" doesn't sound like he'd invited a large group.

Considering that Li Luoan is currently living a secluded life and probably doesn't have many celebrities around, He Yuran carefully considered her options and chose a rather unique decorative item that someone had brought back from abroad. The price tag had already been removed, so it could be considered an artwork. Then, she carefully put it in a gift bag without a logo.

After finishing tidying up, as usual, I asked Xiao Zhao to come downstairs to pick me up.

The distance from He Yuran's home to Changying isn't that far, but today the traffic was exceptionally bad. Lost in thought, He Yuran couldn't help but sigh repeatedly along the way.

Usually, when Shi Jiahe is around, Xiao Zhao remains silent, but today, he stepped in to lighten the mood. "Is the boss in a particular hurry? If so, I'll speed things up, or maybe take a shortcut?"

"No rush, it's just a birthday party, being a little late won't matter," He Yuran muttered to herself.

"Oh! Then let's prioritize safety. I'll drive as usual, is that alright, boss?"

"No problem. We need to be more careful when there are more people around," He Yuran said, though her words were somewhat incoherent.

Xiao Zhao didn't know what to say next, so he stopped talking. Silence returned to the car.

He Yuran watched the traffic flow for a long time without moving. When she looked ahead again, she found that all the cars were stuck there. There seemed to be an accident ahead, as people had gotten out of the cars next to her and were pointing and gesturing ahead. One person was even walking forward while cursing, leaving their car halfway down the road. More and more cars were getting stuck behind her.

However, He Yuran felt that she was not in a hurry at all.

I'm reminded of Cheng Xiaotang, the former boss of my agency. She was an incredibly impatient woman, eager to sign artists who would become famous, eager to make her existing artists even more famous, eager to make them earn money, and then sign even more famous artists. However, as time went on, she couldn't manage everyone effectively, which led to the company gradually losing its staff after a certain point. Even He Yuran herself, after becoming extremely dissatisfied with Cheng Xiaotang, started her own agency.

But now it feels like something's turned upside down.

This version of myself, stuck in traffic without any urgency, is just like Li Luoan back then. He was the only one in the company who went against the grain, showing no interest in big-budget movies and only thinking about making some strange and unusual films.

A quick search of Li Luoan's filmography reveals mostly low-budget or independent films, with only a few appearances in blockbuster productions and period dramas. However, Li Luoan has won a Best Supporting Actress award, making her a rather unique actress, though she lacks commercial appeal. Perhaps Li Luoan's departure from the industry is related to her inability to earn significant financial success within it?

At this moment, He Yuran's mind was filled with ideas that she thought were reasonable, but she couldn't connect them with Li Luoan.

A mysterious and eccentric actress.

After what seemed like an eternity, at least half an hour, the car finally started moving again. Xiao Zhao quickly said, "Don't worry, boss, it shouldn't be long before we arrive."

He Yuran hummed in response but did not speak.

She's already exhausted all her energy on imagining things, and now she doesn't have the mental capacity to deal with real-world issues. Let's leave it to Xiao Zhao.

After driving for about twenty more minutes, the car entered the target residential area. Xiao Zhao made several turns left and right until he reached a building. "Boss, the car can't go any further in. I'll get out and walk with you."

As Xiao Zhao spoke, he glanced back at the gift wrapping bag on the seat next to He Yuran.

He Yuran was sleepy, yawned, and waved his hand. "No need. You should go straight home; I probably won't be staying until late at night."

"It's okay, boss, I'll wait for you."

"Xiao Zhao, why would someone suddenly invite someone they haven't contacted in years to their birthday party?" He Yuran sat up straight and suddenly asked.

Xiao Zhao paused for a moment. "Oh... Boss, I think even if some people haven't been in contact for a while, maybe you two still hold special meaning for each other. Something must have happened between you two that she can't forget, right?"

"Is that what you think?"

Xiao Zhao laughed. "Boss, it's not just my opinion, it's definitely how things are. Otherwise, would this person have called you over just to ask for a birthday present?"

He Yuran immediately felt relieved and nodded.

Regardless of whether Xiao Zhao's answer was correct or not, for her—especially for someone who had been feeling lost all day—it was definitely the right answer. And she was willing to believe it. What the young man said must be right.

"Thank you, Xiao Zhao. Your words make me feel much better."

"Boss, actually, you're more loyal and sentimental than you think."

"Is that how you see me...?" He Yuran couldn't help but smile.

"That's what everyone thinks. The more I get to know you, the less scary you seem..." Xiao Zhao realized he'd said the wrong thing after finishing, and quickly tried to cover it up. "Oh dear! I didn't mean you're scary, I just thought you were..."

The more you try to explain, the worse it gets.

"Alright, stop explaining, I understand. You should go back now."

He Yuran got out of the car and walked alone towards the building entrance, which was full of unknowns.

She carefully observed the neighborhoods along the way. The building in front of her was an ordinary old building in Beijing, but it was more modern than the one Jiang Fan lived in, and the hallway was fairly clean. She took the elevator up and looked left and right at the door. Except for the different door number, the security door in front of her was the same as the ones on either side, suggesting they were all standard installations provided by the developer and hadn't been replaced.

He Yuran glanced at the address on her phone again to make sure she hadn't gone to the wrong place before knocking on the door.

Footsteps sounded immediately from inside. The door creaked open. He Yuran looked at the face inside with some trepidation.

It was so unfamiliar that she didn't remember knowing the person in front of her.

He Yuran hesitated for a moment and said, "Did I go to the wrong place?"

"Professor He Yuran!" The man suddenly jumped up excitedly. "It really is you! Please come in!"

"Oh, hello..." He Yuran was stunned for a moment, but seeing that the person who opened the door clearly knew she was coming, she still hesitated before entering.

Stepping into this space, a woman suddenly turned around, and her image began to overlap with that familiar yet unfamiliar figure from her memory.

Who else could it be but Li Luoan?

Li Luoan has matured a bit more than before, but she doesn't look much older. She has a classic understated beauty, the kind that grows on you. Her facial features are sharp, her eyebrows are straight, and her eyes have a cool, aloof air, yet her smile is refreshing. With her hair in a simple ponytail and her face bare, she exudes an unyielding, unassuming charm, as if untouched by worldly concerns.

He Yuran gasped in surprise at how well Li Luoan was doing.

Further inside, four or five people who looked like friends were sitting around the sofa and coffee table in the living room. When they saw He Yuran, they all stood up, showing enough respect and clearly looking forward to her arrival.

He Yuran was still a little confused. She wondered what kind of situation this was, it felt a bit like a trap, but with a room full of girls, they probably couldn't do anything to her.

"Hello everyone. Luo'an, it's been a long time." He Yuran said softly.

"Long time no see, you still look great." Li Luoan was very relaxed, and with that smile, she looked even less different from back then.

He Yuran thought to herself, "Why didn't you call me 'sister' to my face!" Still feeling very awkward, she finally managed to squeeze out, "Happy birthday!"

Then he handed over the bag he was holding.

"I saw this while traveling in Europe, bought it and kept it at home. I felt it matched your style, but I never thought I'd have the chance to give it to you. I just brought it with me today."

"You've thought of me?" Li Luoan was clearly a little surprised, and took the bag and opened it.

He Yuran continued, "This is a monkey handmade by Nordic designer Kai Bojosen. Although the shape is a bit cute, it's not childish, and I think it has a lot of life. It's also a classic Nordic symbol. Just like you, you've always been unique. I think you can put it anywhere, or hang it upside down anywhere, it's fine. Just like you, do whatever you want."

The people nearby all murmured "Wow!"

"Thank you. Actually, you didn't need to bring any gifts, but I really like this monkey. I'll think about where to put it."

Actually, this monkey does have a story. It was a gift that a veteran PD bought for He Yuran during his trip to Denmark to persuade her to appear on a variety show. As for the long introduction, it's all true; it was just written on the accompanying card, which He Yuran memorized in the car.

She didn't know why, but the moment she saw that ornament on the shelf in the walk-in closet, she felt that it belonged to Li Luoan.

"Actually, I should be the one saying thank you. We haven't been in much contact these past few years, so it's quite surprising that you thought of me."

Li Luoan chuckled softly. "Actually, the idea of ​​inviting you here today wasn't mine. It was someone who cares about you who asked me to do it."

"Huh?" This was unexpected for He Yuran.

Li Luoan pointed to a girl next to him wearing a baseball cap that read "Not Here" and said, "She suggested it. She's a fan of our pairing."