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

On May 6th at 10:00 AM, "Coffee" was officially released on major music platforms, and Lu Han and Chen Chao's studios also began promotion.

Chen Chao, who had just returned to the "Guardian" crew in Shanghai, was about to take a short break after finishing a segment of filming when Ji Ran rushed over.

"Ah Chao! It exploded!"

"What exploded?" After taking a big gulp of mineral water and letting out a hearty "ha," Chen Chao asked with some confusion.

"Coffee! It surpassed one million views in just ten minutes!" Ji Ran was clearly excited. "Two of the top three trending topics on Weibo are about you!"

Upon hearing Ji Ran's words, Chen Chao took the phone from him and looked at it with some curiosity.

#LuHanChenChaoCoffee# - the number one trending topic, followed by a red "Explosive" sign.

#MisplacedTimeSpaceMayFourthVersion# - This is the third trending topic, also accompanied by the word "hot".

#ChenChaoMayFourthEve# - 7th on the trending topics list.

After a moment's thought, Chen Chao directly clicked on the hashtag #LuHanChenChaoCoffee#, which featured a link to a song posted by the two artists' studios at the top of the hashtag, and the comments section of the hashtag was growing rapidly.

"Holy crap! This song is amazing! It's got that lazy, summery, slightly tipsy vibe!"

"Their voices complement each other so perfectly! What an amazing collaboration!"

"I'm stuck on repeat, I can't get rid of it!"

"That music video is so cute! I watched the part where they bickered ten times!"

"Chen Chao's expression when he said 'American food is too bitter' was exactly the same as mine, hahaha!"

"What an amazing bromance (scratch that) CP vibe! I'm shipping them!"

"Hey upstairs, watch your step, this is a legitimate musical collaboration."

"Whether it's friendship or something else, I love this song!"

.......

Before Chen Chao could even browse the other two topics about himself, his phone started vibrating incessantly, forcing him to put down Ji Ran's phone and pick up his own.

The first thing Deng Chao sent him was a WeChat voice message: "Ah Chao, I didn't expect you and Xiao Lu to have secretly pulled off something so big! I listened to the new song, it's pretty good, but what surprised me the most was your music video, it's hilarious, it cracked me up!"

Following Deng Chao, Zhao Liying sent a message, which was shorter: "The new song is good."

Then Li Yitong sent a cat emoji, followed by a voice message with undisguised laughter: "Achao, the expression you made when you drank the 'Iced Americano' was hilarious."

Meng Ziyi, Chen Xingxu, Lin Gengxin, Wang Yanlin, and Chen He also sent messages. Of course, what made Chen Chao most helpless was the 60-second voice message barrage from Miss Li Lin, which was already considered a voice bombardment.

In addition, Wang Sicong, who is known as the entertainment industry's watchdog, also forwarded the song link for "Coffee" on Weibo, adding the four words, "Interesting."

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Time flies, and it's already late May. Filming for "Guardian" is coming to an end.

"Chao, come here for a second." Chen Chao had just finished work that day and hadn't even had time to remove his makeup when Ji Ran came over, holding the tablet computer he used for work.

"What's wrong?"

"The nominations for the Chinese Golden Melody Awards are out." Ji Ran handed the tablet to Chen Chao, looking excited. "Your album 'Love Letter' has been nominated for several awards."

Upon hearing Ji Ran's words, Chen Chao quickly grabbed the tablet and scanned the screen with his eyes.

"Best Mandarin Male Singer of the Year - Nomination: Chen Chao, 'Love Letter'"

"Best New Mandarin Male Singer of the Year - Nomination: Chen Chao, Love Letter"

"Singer-Songwriter of the Year - Nomination: Chen Chao, 'Love Letter'"

"Best Mandarin Album of the Year - Nomination: Chen Chao's 'Love Letter'"

"Four?" Chen Chao's eyebrows involuntarily rose a few points. He was genuinely surprised to see that he had received so many nominations.

"Four!" Ji Ran nodded, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

Although the Chinese Golden Melody Awards are not as authoritative and prestigious as the Golden Bell Awards, Golden Record Awards, and Golden Melody Awards—the three major awards in the Chinese music scene—they are still among the most influential awards in the Chinese music industry.

The fact that Chen Chao has received so many award nominations shows that he is already a singer recognized by the industry.

"When is the awards ceremony?" Now that he has been nominated, Chen Chao will definitely have to attend the awards ceremony.

"August 9th, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai." After checking the schedule briefly, Ji Ran said, "We need to get there in advance. At that time, you also need to participate in the promotion of 'Princess Agents,' so the schedule will be quite tight."

"It's not a big problem. Let's just rush it. I'm still young, I can handle it."

"Although you are young and healthy, you should still be careful."

After the 9th Chinese Golden Melody Awards announced the nominations for the professional awards, the internet became lively again, and a newcomer who received four nominations once again became a trending topic.

"Holy crap! Four nominations! Chen Chao is just too amazing!"

"Is this a shoo-in for Best New Male Artist? Who can compare to the quality of this album?"

"He also has a chance at Best Male Singer! Although the competition is very strong, I believe in Ah-Chao!"

"Whether I win an award or not, being nominated is already an affirmation!"

Chen Chao: When I released my album, you said I was crossing over into other fields. Now that I've been nominated for a Golden Melody Award, what do you have to say for yourself?

"That's real strength. If you're not happy, then shut up."

"Looking forward to Ah Chao winning the award! I definitely have to be there in person!"

At the same time, influenced by the nomination, the number of plays and downloads of the album "Love Letters" on music platforms has surged again, and songs that had cooled down have once again climbed back onto the hot song charts.

Lying in his hotel room, Chen Chao, who had already washed up, felt a surge of warmth in his heart as he read the messages and support from his fans.

Just then, his phone vibrated; it was a WeChat message from Meng Ziyi.

"Chen Chao! You've been nominated for the Golden Melody Awards! Four nominations! That's amazing!" This WeChat message was followed by a series of exclamation marks and firework emojis.

In response, Chen Chao suppressed a laugh and replied, "Keep it low-key, keep it low-key."

"When you win the big prize, remember to treat me to a big meal!"

"no problem."

Immediately after, Li Yitong's message also came: "Congratulations Chen Chao, four nominations, as expected of you. But what makes me even more gratified is that you can finally put aside your identity as a 'wall plaster supplier' and now you are 'nominated singer Chen Chao'."

"A side business of a wall plaster supplier."

"roll."

Then came messages from Lin Gengxin, Wang Yanlin, Zhao Liying, Deng Chao, Han Han... The messages came in like snowflakes, and Chen Chao replied to them one by one until his fingers almost cramped.