Actresses

Chapter 68 Refusal

He Yuran tilted her head, thinking, "I need to get this straight." "Does it mean what I thought it meant?"

Song Lin smiled slyly. "What else could it mean?"

Li Luoan sighed silently beside him. "I don't understand."

He Yuran pinched his chin, giving Li Luoan a meaningful look, pondering Song Lin's words repeatedly in his mind.

Song Lin continued, "Sister Luo'an, actually, your appearance is more attractive to girls. You've been listed in the Weiqi Encyclopedia for several years now."

"What?" Li Luoan said incredulously.

He Yuran was genuinely confused, and blankly repeated, "What? Isn't Wikipedia inaccessible in China?"

At this point, a girl who had been listening in explained, "It's not that Wikipedia, it's the 'lesbian' community. Every year they hold a poll to select the best female celebrities from China and abroad. They compile a large list, and female netizens and fans vote for their favorites. Generally, those with a 'dominant' aura are more popular, like Cate Blanchett and Yuki Amami from abroad."

After this explanation, He Yuran finally understood.

Li Luo'an lowered his head and waved his hand, saying it was okay. "I understand, I'm not completely isolated from the world."

He Yuran, however, became interested. "So, am I included?"

Song Lin frowned and said, "No, it's not necessarily ranked by fame. It mainly depends on your personal style and the roles you've played."

He Yuran mentally reviewed his work and said regretfully, "Alright, then we won't dabble in or covet this area; it's not our battlefield. After all, we're not really. So, what aspect of Luo'an attracts girls?"

Song Lin wagged his index finger, "Whether it's true or not doesn't matter, as long as Ji Zai feels that vibe. Simply put, it's about having more chemistry with girls, and that's exactly what Luo An is like."

"What if we threw her into a group of girls?" He Yuran asked curiously.

"I estimate the chemistry will be even stronger. Sister Luo'an is suitable for both older and younger women. She's not only paired with you, but also with several other couples," Song Lin continued to explain.

Now, He Yuran's competitive spirit ignited. She, who had been lounging on the sofa, immediately sat up straight. "You show me who's better than me. I refuse to believe I can lose!"

Song Lin excitedly got up and walked over to He Yuran, taking out her phone to show her various works by Li Luoan and the CP that she had paired with. The others also gathered around to watch the excitement.

Only Li Luoan sat still, looking helpless.

Song Lin, adding fuel to the fire, shouted from several people away, "Sister Luo'an! Can you tell who she's acting with and what kind of drama just by listening to her voice?"

Li Luoan replied irritably, "I know the number of dramas I've acted in, but I still don't understand why you ship me and Teacher He the most?"

"Because she can best suppress your 'older sister' vibe. Teacher He is more like an older sister!" Song Lin continued, "You don't understand, when someone is both older sister and younger sister, that's when they're most charming."

He Yuran said, "You're making me dizzy."

However, after watching the video for a while, she found that Li Luoan did indeed have a unique charm on camera.

Li Luoan possesses striking good looks, yet exudes a cool and aloof aura. Her slender, upright figure lends her an androgynous charm. This allows her to bring a unique atmosphere to any pairing with actresses of any type. Li Luoan also has a popular on-screen couple, particularly a scene where, as the rain intensifies, she rides a bicycle with a female classmate on her back, a moment frequently used in editing. Li Luoan's off-the-shoulder white shirt billows slightly in the wind and is dampened by raindrops, subtly outlining her curves. Yet, the way she struggles to ride in the rain while the girl holds her conveys a sense of reliability and strength.

However, while there are many videos available, the overall source material is limited. This is also related to the limited number of works Li Luoan has appeared in. Additionally, there are two couples who are purely lesbians and have never worked together, but whose roles are compatible, so they were also used as editing material.

He Yuran watched while listening to Song Lin's explanation.

These scenes were actually scraps from the original film or TV series, much like the subplot of "Knowing Summer and Knowing Autumn" in an anthology film—easily overlooked. However, they were later noticed by some female netizens who edited them together and kept them on their minds. It must be said that what moves people in visual storytelling is often not what the creator intended as the core message.

After Song Lin finished playing the video, He Yuran stroked his chin and said, "It is indeed quite interesting."

As he spoke, he looked Li Luoan up and down.

Li Luoan could no longer bear it, so he stood up and said, "I'm going to the restroom." Then he turned and left.

Seeing that Song Lin was still excitedly holding up her phone, He Yuran patted her on the shoulder, indicating that she should look at it later, and then got up and followed her. "I'll go with you."

Li Luoan said coldly, "My house only has one toilet."

He Yuran replied without hesitation, "It's okay, we're both women, what's there to be afraid of?"

After she finished speaking, she deliberately glanced back at Song Lin, who was indeed full of surprise, his eyes following the two of them completely, and his head turning towards the direction of the restroom the two of them were heading.

Reaching the bathroom door, Li Luoan gripped the doorknob with one hand, turned around, and said, "That's enough. You're really just playing around like her, aren't you? Calling you here today was a bit hasty. If it made you uncomfortable, I apologize. Okay?"

He Yuran looked at Li Luoan's still slightly swaying ponytail, trying to feel the subtle stirrings of her heart.

"I'm not angry, I'm quite happy. I've learned a lot. No one has ever told me these things before. I think it's great."

Li Luo'an frowned when he noticed that He Yuran's gaze remained fixed on him. "You don't actually want to come to the restroom with me, do you?"

"Why not give it a try?"

Li Luoan looked at him like he was crazy, slowly pressed down on the doorknob and pushed it open. He Yuran reacted quickly, pushing the door open and following him in without saying a word, then locking the door behind him.

Li Luo'an looked incredulous. "Xiao Song often says silly things. You've really been led by the nose by her?"

He Yuran chuckled softly. "This has nothing to do with kids; it's between the two of us now. I think I haven't forgotten what happened back then. I just might not want to think about it. Because... that feeling was indeed quite special."

"You mean, Zhixia and Zhiqiu?"

He Yuran reached out and covered Li Luoan's hand. Li Luoan recoiled as if she had been electrocuted.

"What are you doing?"

"We have nothing to hide, so what are you afraid of?" He Yuran didn't back down, her hand continuing to grip his, then she pulled him to her waist. "Look at me."

Although Li Luoan was being pulled forward, his head and neck involuntarily turned backward.

He Yuran was both angry and amused. Was she really that scary? Was she ugly or something? In a fit of pique, she pulled Li Luoan forward a little more, their faces almost touching. But before Li Luoan could even realize it, their waists were already pressed tightly together. Even He Yuran took a while to react to this.

When she realized she was indeed too close and her heart was pounding, she immediately let go.

The two of them stood at opposite ends of the bathroom, panting heavily, neither of them saying a word, as if they had just been passionately kissing.

He Yuran thought to himself, "This is really strange. What Song Lin said just now felt like he had cast some kind of curse on me, and now it's starting to take effect."

Humans are strange creatures. Without being reminded, they don't realize the special significance of certain people and things. But once they start paying attention, all those emotions that were previously hidden in the shadows and forgotten corners suddenly surge like a new storm, reminding them that the person in front of them is extraordinary to them.

He Yu's anger subsided, and he raised his head to carefully examine Li Luo'an in front of him.

It was a face that appeared serene, yet contained ambition and desire.

You could clearly tell from their resentment.

"I said, come back to filming," He Yuran said.

"If you've had enough, then leave. I really need to use the restroom."

"I'm not arguing with you." He Yuran said calmly. "If someone is unwilling to accept something, it's best to do something about it themselves. If they always keep it bottled up inside, they won't stay in such a good state."

She couldn't help herself and added a touch of sarcasm.

"I have no resentment whatsoever; all I want now is for you to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Then I'll wait for you outside." He Yuran turned and opened the door, closing it from the outside. Just then, she heard the click of a lock coming shut from inside. She couldn't help but call out through the door, "What, are you afraid I'll come in to see you?"

There was no response from inside. Then the sound of exhaust fans came on. After a while, there was the sound of hands being washed. Then the door reopened.

He Yuran just stood there leaning against the door, waiting.

When Li Luoan came out, the two almost bumped into each other again. He Yuran was slightly taller, looking down at Li Luoan with an aura of hunting lips.

Li Luoan then took two steps back, "What...are you doing!"

"She doesn't call me 'sister' anymore."

"I didn't really call you 'sister' much anyway."

"I remember you called me 'sister' when we were on set," He Yuran said with a smile. "Have some people forgotten? Back then, although you were stubborn, you were younger and not as strong-willed as you are now. You were much more fun."

"I don't remember. Besides, that's called youthful ignorance."

"You're so decisive, it's clear you've already thought about it in your mind, right?"

"Why are you getting so worked up?" Li Luoan frowned. "Xiao Song is a..." She hesitated for a moment. "...one of the more innocent kids I've met, so I didn't want to offend her, which is why I sent you a WeChat message to come. If you keep causing trouble like this, I'm going to kick you out. Senior."

"You're quite loyal." He Yuran wasn't angry at all, not considering herself some kind of idle person who could be summoned and dismissed at will; after all, her sense of self remained as lofty as ever. "You said it yourself, Xiao Song is so pure, so the things she likes must also be genuine. Would you not believe what someone like that says? She feels there's tension between us, so there must be a reason. You can't only admire half of someone, can you? Believing her people but not believing what she says."

Li Luo'an sighed helplessly. "...Let me through."

He Yuran finally made way for her. "You won't even respond to what I'm saying, which proves that you're afraid to face the past and afraid to face me. So you must have some unresolved issues. I don't think you're as self-consistent as you think you are."

"It's not important, it has nothing to do with you. You should go back now, it's about time we call it a day."

"Luo'an, no matter how good a person's temperament is, once they fall into a kind of unconscious narcissism or stubbornness, they will also appear greasy."

"Hmph, don't try to lecture me. But after seeing you today, I actually feel a little more at ease. It was the right thing to stay away from this industry back then; I don't want to end up like you."

After Li Luoan finished speaking, he walked past He Yuran and headed straight for the living room.

He Yuran turned around and followed, calling out with a smile, "We're different people, but I believe you'll come looking for me."

As they said this, the two returned to the sofa area, and He Yuran's voice was quite loud, so everyone in the room heard it. Song Lin even stood up, his eyes still filled with considerable excitement.

"You... you've been gone for a long time." Song Lin's tone was somewhat hesitant, perhaps he was carefully choosing his words, afraid of going too far.

"Yes! I was rejected," He Yuran said decisively. "Zhi Qiu has grown up and realized that her feelings for Zhi Xia have long since changed. Now, it's Zhi Xia who regrets it."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Li Luoan glared at her.

He Yuran walked over to Song Lin and handed him her phone. "I want to film a short video of Zhixia and Zhiqiu reuniting with Luo'an, but she won't let me. Can you help me?"

Song Lin's eyes were practically burning with desire, and his voice trembled slightly as he took the phone. "Of course, you can!!"