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

With her big, round eyes fixed on Li Yitong, Zhao Jinmai waited for her answer. The little girl's cheeks still had a bit of baby fat, making her look like an adorable little hamster.

Seeing the little girl's expression, Li Yitong couldn't help but reach out and gently pinch her soft cheeks. She smiled and deliberately drew out her words, "Hmm~ Mai Mai, you really want to know? You'll understand when you're a few years older~"

"I don't want to know any of this!" Zhao Jinmai's cheeks flushed instantly. She shrank back, clutching her workbook, but couldn't resist her curiosity and leaned forward again. "So, are you two dating or not?"

"Guess~" Li Yitong raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to tease her in a low voice, "Do you think your brother Chen Chao is a good person? Would you be willing to have him as your brother-in-law?"

As the words "brother-in-law" came crashing down on him, Zhao Jinmai's cheeks turned bright red. Clutching her workbook, she only managed to say, "I don't want to!" before turning and running back to her resting spot, not daring to look in that direction for a long time.

Watching the little girl flee in panic, Li Yitong lay on the table, laughing so hard her shoulders shook, just like a little kitten who had successfully pulled off a prank.

Having just finished filming a scene, Chen Chao happened to see Zhao Jinmai hurriedly leaving, and shook his head helplessly.

His hand, shaped like a chopstick, lightly chopped Li Yitong's head. "Why are you teasing this little girl? Mai Mai is still preparing for her exams, don't keep distracting her."

"Who can blame me for being so cute~" Li Yitong looked up at Chen Chao and smiled, a sly glint in her eyes.

Meanwhile, "Princess Agents" officially premiered on Hunan TV and was simultaneously launched on six major platforms: iQiyi, Tencent Video, Youku, Mango TV, Sohu Video, and LeTV.

On the morning after the TV series premiered, Chen Chao received a message from Ji Ran.

"The premiere viewership rating broke 2.1! It was the undisputed number one in its time slot! Almost a full point higher than the second-place show!"

"The video has garnered over 600 million views within 12 hours of its release! The live chat is flooded with comments!"

"Seven out of the top ten trending topics are occupied by #YanXunWhiteMoonlight#! It's already at number one!"

After replying to Ji Ran's messages, Chen Chao opened Weibo and casually browsed through it, only to find that the homepage was almost entirely filled with content related to "Princess Agents".

The character Yan Xun, played by Chen Chao, instantly gained a large following. His youthful smile and carefree demeanor while riding a horse were captured in screenshots and edited images that spread across various social media platforms.

The real bombshell happened during the Nine Nether Platform storyline, when Yan Xun turned to the dark side.

The hashtag #YanXunTurnsEvil# shot straight to the top of the trending topics list with the word "explosive," followed by a string of other hashtags such as #ChenChaoActingSkills# and #HeartacheForYanXun#, dominating the entire trending topics list.

On short video platforms, close-ups of Chen Chao's eyes, showing his transformation from despair to ruthlessness, were widely shared, with captions unanimously saying, "This is true 'darkening,' relying not on eyeliner but on his eyes."

The comment sections under these entries were in an uproar, making this Chen Chao's first role to achieve such widespread popularity.

"I genuinely thought he was just an idol; his face is so deceptive. But his acting is actually amazing! The scene at the Nine Nether Terrace gave me goosebumps!"

"The more gentle she is in the beginning, the more ruthless she becomes later; the layering is amazing. How did Chen Chao manage to be both innocent and wild?"

"Is this guy a true all-rounder? He can get a Golden Melody Award nomination for singing, he can carry a hit drama as an actor, and he's handsome too. What kind of life is this? It's like he's on steroids!"

The industry's reaction was even more direct. Ji Ran's inbox was flooded with new scripts every day. The ones he received before were either male-oriented or low-budget productions with male leads.

But now, he's getting more offers for leading roles in big-budget productions, including historical romances, contemporary dramas, and serious dramas, and the prices offered are quite good.

"Chao, now everyone in the industry is calling you the 'dark horse of the summer season.'" Ji Ran's voice couldn't help but be filled with laughter as she spoke to Chen Chao.

"Many production companies have tried to reach out to me through connections, saying that if I'm willing to take the role, the salary and the character are negotiable. I never imagined that one drama would make me go from a popular young idol to a top-tier established star."

Chen Chao remained quite calm in response. While flipping through Zhao Jinmai's math test paper, he casually replied, "Don't rush to accept it. Filter through all the papers first. Discard the ones that aren't good quality and send the rest to me to take a look."

Two days later, it was Han Duoduo's turn to film her hospital bed scene. The set in the ward was quite realistic, with white walls and white blankets. Apart from not smelling disinfectant, it really was no different from a hospital ward.

Wearing a blue and white striped hospital gown, Li Yitong had applied a pale and haggard makeup. She leaned against the pillow, looking so pitiful that it made people feel sorry for her.

Sitting by the hospital bed, Chen Chao, dressed in military uniform, looked utterly exhausted and reluctant to leave.

"Cut! You two, don't try to laugh as soon as you get close! This is a life-or-death situation! Be serious, especially you, Li Yitong!" Not long after filming started, Guo Fan couldn't help but yell "cut" from behind the monitor.

When the two were looking at each other, Li Yitong secretly winked at Chen Chao, which made him unable to hold back and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up. Although he quickly suppressed it, Guo Fan, with his sharp eyes, still caught it.

Being exposed in public, even Li Yitong couldn't help but blush slightly. She secretly reached under the covers and pinched Chen Chao's arm.

Then Chen Chao grabbed her wrist from behind, his fingertips lightly brushing against her palm, as if telling her to concentrate.

After adjusting their respective states, the two successfully got into character this time. Chen Chao leaned down to look at her, his Adam's apple bobbing, as if a thousand words were stuck in his throat. In the end, he could only utter a slightly hoarse sentence, "Wait for me to come back."

She smiled weakly and raised her hand to touch his face, but she lost her strength halfway up and could only let it fall back down, her eyes full of tenderness and relief.

One take.

After giving a satisfied "click," Guo Fan couldn't help but exclaim, "You two have amazing teamwork! That look in your eyes just now was even more spot-on than I expected!"

But happy days always pass quickly. After filming her cameo scenes, Li Yitong had to leave the crew. After all, her project had a set start date, and her team had urged her several times, so she had no choice but to leave.

Since Chen Chao's current target is too big, it's not convenient for him to directly take Li Yitong to the airport. So he can only let Chen Quan, the driver, take Li Yitong there in his place.

"Don't overwork yourself while filming. If anything happens, feel free to call me anytime." Chen Chao gently ruffled Li Yitong's hair and whispered his advice.

"Yeah, you too, remember to eat on time and don't stay up late all the time!" After cuddling Chen Chao for a while, Li Yitong finally spoke up in a muffled voice.