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

When Chen Chao walked out of the dressing room after changing clothes, he immediately attracted the attention of the Italian filming team who were still adjusting the lighting environment, causing them to pause slightly.

Mark, the director in charge of photography, was the first to react. He quickly came over and, in fluent English with undisguised admiration, said, "Mr. Chen, your styling is more in line with the brand's tone than we expected."

"Thank you." Chen Chao nodded slightly and replied in English as well.

However, the two did not communicate much. After the lighting was adjusted, they began filming.

"Chen, your expressiveness is amazing." Mark couldn't help but exclaim as he pressed the shutter. "Your eyes are spot on. You only need to say it once, and you can create the feeling I want."

In the photos, Chen Chao sometimes leans against a black marble wall, his fingers casually stroking his watch, his posture lazy and casual, yet he exudes a noble air.

Sometimes he sits on a high stool, tilting his head slightly to reveal the sharp lines of his jaw, his gaze deep. Every movement is just right, without any sense of deliberate posing, as if he were naturally like this.

"Perfect!" After taking the last set of photos, Mark excitedly gave Chen Chao a thumbs up. "This is the smoothest set of photos I've taken this year."

When it was time to wrap up, Mark took the initiative to give Chen Chao a hug and said sincerely, "Chen, you are the most photogenic artist I have worked with this year. If the brand has a global project next time, I will definitely recommend you to headquarters."

"Mark, I also look forward to working with you again."

"It seems like there shouldn't be any problems with becoming a brand ambassador this time. Maybe you'll actually have a chance to become an ambassador, Achao." After seeing off the Bulgari shooting team, Ji Ran looked at Chen Chao beside her and couldn't help but sigh.

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At 7 p.m., the Bulgari dinner was held at a top hotel on the Bund in Shanghai.

Wearing a navy blue suit and with makeup specially designed for him by Su Wan, Chen Chao looked noble and elegant. When he arrived, many media reporters had already surrounded both sides of the red carpet, and flashes of light were going off one after another.

"Chen Chao! Look this way!"

"Professor Chen Chao, could we take a photo together?"

Chen Chao stood still and gave the camera a gentle and polite smile. After taking a few photos, he was led into the banquet hall by the staff.

In addition to brand executives, wealthy women, and socialites, many celebrities also attended the dinner tonight. Some of them, like Chen Chao, have collaborated with Bulgari, while others were there just to get some screen time.

Holding a glass of champagne, Chen Chao moved effortlessly through the crowd. Besides getting to know the Bulgari executives he met that morning, he also greeted some celebrities he knew.

In addition, he also had to take photos with the wealthy women and socialites attending the dinner, as this was one of his tasks for the evening.

"Ah Chao!" Just as Chen Chao had finished dealing with a group of rich and beautiful women and was about to find a place to rest, a familiar voice came from behind him.

Subconsciously turning around at the sound, Chen Chao was greeted by Li Qin, who was wearing a green dress and looked very elegant.

"Sister Qin, it's been a long time." Chen Chao's eyes lit up when he saw Li Qin's appearance. "You look beautiful today."

"You're so sweet-talking." Li Qin walked up to Chen Chao, looked him up and down, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. "Your outfit looks great today too~"

"Of course," Chen Chao couldn't help but smugly add, "After all, I'm a walking clothes hanger."

"Come on." Hearing Chen Chao's words, Li Qin couldn't help but laugh and gently patted him. "By the way, congratulations on four Golden Melody Award nominations. Everyone in the industry is saying you're the strongest newcomer and the next top star."

"It's just a nomination, whether I'll win or not is still uncertain." Chen Chao shook her head with a smile, her gaze sweeping over the necklace that looked even more dazzling against her fair skin. "This outfit suits you very well."

Noticing Chen Chao's gaze, Li Qin's ears burned slightly. She glared at him, but instead of avoiding or blocking his view, she deliberately puffed out her chest.

...........

The high-end dinner lasted until after 11 p.m. before Chen Chao left after a brief chat with the brand's executives.

"We're being followed." After driving for a while, Chen Quan glanced at the rearview mirror and said in a deep voice, "They've been following us for several blocks. They're probably paparazzi coming for you."

"Hmm~ Let's not go to the hotel yet, let's shake off the paparazzi first." Hearing Chen Quan's words, Chen Chao, who was leaning back in his chair, also took out his phone and told her to go ahead by herself. As for the room key, he had already given her one before.

For Chen Quan, shaking off the following vehicles was not difficult, after all, his driving skills were hard-earned in the army.

Under Chen Quan's control, the van weaved through the traffic in Lujiazui, quickly leaving all the following vehicles far behind.

After driving the car into the hotel's underground parking garage, Chen Chao got out of the car and was about to take the elevator upstairs when he was stopped by Chen Quan, who got out of the car after him. Chen Quan quickly walked towards the shadow of a pillar not far away.

A short while later, Chen Quan came out carrying a young man with a camera on his back. The man looked to be in his early twenties, with messy hair. Although his arm was being held, he was not flustered at all. "Brother, take it easy. I'm just a day laborer, trying to make a living."

"Brother Ji, Achao, this guy's hiding skills are pretty good, he has strong counter-surveillance techniques." Without answering the young man's question, Chen Quan directly brought him to Chen Chao and Ji Ran.

Pushing up his glasses, Ji Ran sized the other person up and down. "What's your name? How long have you been doing this?"

"Guo Long, you haven't been in this business for long." The young man straightened his neck. "I just happened to run into you. I didn't collude with anyone. I know the rules. I can keep the memory card, but I'll delete all the photos. Just let me go."

After looking through Guo Long's camera for a while, Ji Ran suddenly smiled and said, "How about I give you another option? Join our team and be responsible for helping us counter-surveillance and investigate paparazzi."

Guo Long was genuinely surprised by Ji Ran's words and was slightly taken aback. He stared at Ji Ran and Chen Chao, who was standing not far behind Ji Ran, smiling and waving at him, before gritting his teeth and saying, "Fine, but the company has to pay my social insurance and housing fund contributions, and my monthly salary can't be too low."

"Don't worry, I'll pay for it. As for the monthly salary, I'll give you 15,000 yuan first. If you do well, I'll continue to raise your salary later." Ji Ran was stunned for a moment because she didn't expect Guo Long to ask for such a simple request, but she still nodded with a smile.

After dealing with Guo Long's matter, Chen Chao parted ways with Ji Ran and the others and went upstairs first. As soon as he entered the room, the first thing that caught his eye was Li Qin sitting on the sofa, flipping through a magazine.

Hearing the noise, Li Qin looked up and smiled, saying, "I thought you'd be taking much longer to get here."

"We ran into a rather interesting paparazzi, and Brother Ji recruited him." Chen Chao walked over, leaned down, and rested his hand on the armrest of the sofa, his nose almost touching her forehead. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Sister Qin. I need to apologize."

Li Qin reached out and hooked her hand around Chen Chao's collar, gently pulling him down. Her lips brushed against his cheek as she whispered in his ear, "So, how do you plan to apologize to me?"