Huayu: This top star doesn't play by the rules.

Faced with He Jiong's question, Li Yitong stammered for a long time but couldn't give a clear answer.

Noticing her embarrassment, Vega's eyes flickered slightly, and he suddenly smiled and asked, "So, what kind of person do you think Chen Chao is?"

"He...he's a very talented person. He can write songs and act. He's also very gentle and reliable." Li Yitong said softly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

As soon as Li Yitong returned to the dressing room after the recording ended, she immediately took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Chen Chao: "Oh no, I let it slip during the recording of the variety show, the marketing accounts are definitely going to write all sorts of nonsense..."

A few seconds later, Chen Chao replied, "It's not a big problem. Let him write whatever he wants. We're good friends, and I'm not trying to be a pure and innocent persona."

Upon hearing Chen Chao's voice message, Li Yitong subconsciously pouted. For some reason, she felt a little disappointed. She tapped on the screen for a long time before finally sending a "humph" emoji.

After this episode aired, the hashtag #LiYitongSaysSheHasTheBestRelationshipWithChenChao# immediately trended on social media, with many netizens joking about it in the comments section and even shipping them as a couple.

"Hahaha, Li Yitong is so honest! She's so cute when she accidentally let it slip!"

"Help! Tongtong's blushing after talking about Chen Chao is just too adorable!"

"I remember they worked together on 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes,' as Ouyang Ke and Huang Rong! This pairing is a bit weird, but I'm tempted to ship them!"

"I'd seen people say before that they had a good relationship on the set of 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes,' and it seems it's true!"

"Looking forward to their second collaboration!"

.......

In Shenzhen, just after a post-screening Q&A session for the film "Duckweed," Chen Chao was sitting in a chair drinking water and resting when Ji Ran suddenly walked over with her phone, a look of confusion on her face. "Chao, Sister Liying just messaged you, saying that a director wants to contact you."

"Director? Who is that?" Chen Chao put down his bottle of mineral water, raised an eyebrow, and asked with some curiosity.

"The director's name is Zhou Yuanzhou. He said he worked with Sister Liying on 'The Legend of Chusen' before, and he's currently preparing a web series called 'Guardian.' The original male lead withdrew, and they want you to fill in," Ji Ran said, recounting the information he had gathered.

"I looked it up, and this drama is adapted from the novel of the same name on Jinjiang Literature City. The original work has quite a few fans, but it's a low-budget production, and..."

"And what?"

"Moreover, you'll need to play three roles: Shen Wei, the Black-Robed Envoy, and Ye Zun. The three characters have completely different personalities, making it extremely challenging." Ji Ran handed the tablet to Chen Chao, indicating that he should take a look himself. "This is part of the script they sent over; you can take a look first."

Reaching out to take the tablet, Chen Chao began to watch it intently. Although he hadn't watched many web dramas in his previous life, he had heard of "Guardian." The web drama was so popular back then that it was practically a phenomenon, directly making the two male leads famous.

"Guardian" tells the story of Zhao Yunlan leading a group of companions and his good brother Shen Wei to fight against evil and protect peace in a grand world.

Zhou Yuanzhou wanted Chen Chao to play Shen Wei, one of the male leads, a university professor, gentle and refined, with a deep mind; the Black-Robed Envoy is the enforcer of Earth, dignified and cold, never smiling; Ye Zun is Shen Wei's twin brother, and also the final villain, evil, arrogant, and obsessive.

Three characters, three completely different personalities, all portrayed by the same person. If not handled carefully, they might end up playing the same characters in the same way, and the audience might criticize them for their lack of acting skills.

But the more challenging something is, the more interested Chen Chao becomes.

"I am indeed somewhat interested in this invitation." Putting down his tablet, Chen Chao looked up at Ji Ran again. "What do you think? And I have another question, is this drama going to be an adaptation of a BL novel like 'Addicted'?"

Pushing up his glasses, Ji Ran analyzed seriously, "There is a certain risk involved. After all, it's too difficult for one person to play three roles. If you don't act well, you'll be criticized to death by the fans of the original work, and you might even ruin your own reputation."

Ji Ran naturally knew what Chen Chao was worried about, so after receiving part of the script, he had already asked around. "As for your concerns, I have already inquired about it before. Although this drama is adapted from a BL novel, it does not sell BL like 'Addicted'. It focuses more on brotherhood."

"Moreover, the release date of this drama coincides with your current break from work and will not conflict with your schedule for 'The Wandering Earth' later on."

"Okay, then please help me schedule a time with Director Zhou." After pondering for a moment, Chen Chao nodded and spoke.

"Okay." Nodding, Ji Ran took out his phone and started communicating with Zhao Liying.

........

Three days later, in Shanghai, Chen Chao and Ji Ran arrived at the temporary conference room that Zhou Yuanzhou had booked, following the address provided by Zhou Yuanzhou.

When Chen Chao pushed open the door and walked in, Zhou Yuanzhou and producer Yang Yijing, who had been waiting there, couldn't help but feel their eyes light up.

Today, Chen Chao wore a simple white shirt with a knitted cardigan over it, carried a trench coat in his hand, wore half-rimmed glasses, and had his hair neatly styled, giving him a gentle and refined air.

"Hello, Professor Chen Chao, I'm Zhou Yuanzhou." Seeing Chen Chao walk in, Zhou Yuanzhou stood up first and extended his hand to him. "It's a pleasure to have you here today."

"Hello, Director Zhou, I'm Chen Chao. Just call me Chen Chao." Chen Chao said with a smile after shaking hands with Zhou Yuanzhou.

After a brief introduction, Chen Chao, who sat down opposite Zhou Yuanzhou, asked the question that concerned him the most. Although Ji Ran had already inquired, he was still a little uneasy.

"Director Zhou, as far as I know, our drama is adapted from a BL novel. Could it be an adaptation similar to 'Addicted'?" He asked directly without any hesitation.

Zhou Yuanzhou wasn't surprised that Chen Chao asked this question, since many of the actors he had auditioned before had asked it as well. "Don't worry, our plot adaptation is mainly going towards fantasy and suspense. As for the relationship between the two male leads, it's just brotherhood at most."

"That's good!" After receiving Zhou Yuanzhou's affirmative reply, Chen Chao couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of relief.

After asking a few more questions and seeing that Chen Chao had no further questions, Zhou Yuanzhou began the audition.

"Let's rehearse the scene where Shen Wei first meets Zhao Yunlan," Zhou Yuanzhou said. "Take a look at the script first, and if you're ready, we can start."