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

"You've gone a bit too far, buying so much." Sitting down next to Chen Chao quite naturally, Li Yitong looked at the breakfast table full of food, which, although not much in quantity, had a wide variety of items, and couldn't help but complain.

"I didn't know what kind of food you preferred, so I bought a little of everything." Handing her the disposable tableware, Chen Chao said with a smile, "Eat it while it's hot."

After receiving the utensils, Li Yitong picked up a small wonton and put it in her mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, she couldn't help but squint her eyes. The skin was thin, the filling was large, and the soup was delicious, which suited her taste quite well.

"Is it tasty?"

"Mmm~" Because she was chewing wontons, Li Yitong couldn't speak, so she could only nod vigorously in response.

Looking at her like this, Chen Chao couldn't help but think of how she had been squatting in the corner of the hotel corridor on the set of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," eating plaster from the wall when he caught her and she panicked.

"What are you laughing at?" Noticing Chen Chao's expression, Li Yitong raised her eyebrows slightly. For some reason, she felt that this guy was thinking about something very rude.

"Haha, it's nothing, I just suddenly remembered when we were on the set of 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'." Chen Chao took a sip of his soy milk and said with a smile, "The way you used to squat in the corner and secretly eat plaster from the wall."

"Chen Chao! Didn't we agree not to mention it?!" Upon hearing Chen Chao's words, Li Yitong was immediately embarrassed and annoyed, reaching out to hit him, but he grabbed her wrist.

The distance between the two suddenly shortened considerably, and they could see each other's reflections in their eyes.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and Li Yitong felt her heart skip a beat. She looked straight into his eyes, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved up.

"Chen Chao".

"Um?"

"I'm not leaving today."

"Okay, then let's have dinner together when I get back from work tonight."

.........

For the next few days, Li Yitong stayed at the hotel. Every morning when Chen Chao went to film, she would stay at the hotel to read the script and browse her phone.

At noon, Chen Chao would either have Ji Ran deliver his lunch or order takeout himself. In the afternoon, he would either continue reading the script at the hotel or go to the nearby shopping mall to buy some snacks or daily necessities.

When Chen Chao returned from work in the evening, the two had dinner together, snuggled on the sofa to watch movies, play games, or chat about interesting things in the entertainment industry.

Occasionally, the two would put on masks and hats to disguise themselves and sneak out under the cover of night to stroll through the night market, walking hand in hand on the street like an ordinary couple, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

But happy days are always fleeting, and before she knew it, it was time for Li Yitong to leave. Her new drama was about to start filming, and she had to go back to prepare in advance.

After seeing Li Yitong off, Chen Chao returned to his usual routine of going between the hotel, the film crew, and the gym.

Days passed by, and as Chen Chao and the other lead actors improved, the filming of "Guardian" accelerated. According to information Chen Chao received from director Zhou Yuanzhou, their production might wrap up much earlier than originally planned.

"Chao, come here for a second." That day, Chen Chao had just finished filming and was about to go to the rest area when his manager, Ji Ran, called him over and pulled him into the dressing room.

"There's something I think I need to talk to you about." After pressing Chen Chao down onto the sofa, Ji Ran sat down opposite him and said in a deep voice, "As your fame grows, it's time to pay more attention to your security."

"As your popularity grows, a number of your sasaeng fans have appeared. For example, when we were filming Running Man in Hangzhou last time, some sasaeng fans followed you."

Nodding, Chen Chao had naturally also noticed the question raised by Ji Ran. He had discovered a few days ago that someone was following him.

He initially thought it was paparazzi or something, never expecting it to be a sasaeng fan. Luckily, his counter-surveillance skills were good enough to shake them off, but it's still better to be cautious. "So what do you mean?"

"My suggestion is that you hire a driver who can also be a personal bodyguard." Since the question had been raised, Ji Ran was naturally prepared. "It's best to hire someone you know well, since you wouldn't really trust a bodyguard you hire from outside, would you?"

Hearing Ji Ran's words, Chen Chao nodded thoughtfully. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I have a cousin who just returned from the army and is looking for a job. Maybe we could let him give it a try?"

"Relatives? That's fine too." After frowning and thinking for a moment, Ji Ran nodded slightly.

Since he had already decided to let his cousin give it a try, Chen Chao naturally wouldn't waste any time and immediately picked up his phone to call his cousin.

The call was quickly answered, and his cousin Chen Quan's cheerful voice came through the receiver, "Ah Chao? What brings you, busy man, to call me? Is something the matter?"

"Can't I call you if there's nothing wrong? By the way, Quan-ge, how's your job search going?" Chen Chao asked with a smile.

"Not yet, I'm really worried about it." Hearing Chen Chao's question, Chen Quan couldn't help but sigh. "My mom has been urging me to find a job every day, but I can't think of anything I can do."

"That's perfect. I need a bodyguard/driver. How about it? Want to come help me out?" After confirming that Chen Quan was unemployed, Chen Chao briefly explained his situation to him. "The salary will definitely be higher than most of the jobs you've looked for, and you'll have more freedom with me. I won't be too restrictive."

"Really?" Chen Quan's voice rose a few decibels. "That's great! I'll pack my things and come stay with you tomorrow!"

"Of course it's true. Send me your ID information in a moment, and I'll have my agent buy you a plane ticket."

"Okay, I'll send it to you right away."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Chen Chao ended the call, opened the message sent by Chen Quan, and smiled as he showed Ji Ran the screen, "All done. The rest is up to you."

"Yes, I'll pick him up from the airport."

.......

The following afternoon, Ji Ran appeared before Chen Chao with Chen Quan, who was dragging two large suitcases, had dark skin, and a burly build. He stood there like a tall pine tree, with sharp eyes and a tough temperament unique to military personnel.

"Brother Quan!" Chen Chao walked over quickly and gave his cousin a big hug.

"Chao, it's been years! You've become a big star, huh? You've made something of yourself." Chen Quan patted Chen Chao on the shoulder and gave him a somewhat simple and honest smile.