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

As November approaches, autumn is drawing to a close and winter is on the horizon. The temperature difference between day and night in Hengdian has become extremely extreme. During the day, a light jacket is just right, but at night, you'll feel like you need to wrap yourself in a quilt.

Chen Chao, who had just finished filming a night scene, quickly took a down jacket from Guo Long and wrapped it around himself. Just as he entered the rest area, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Ji Ran calling.

"Ah Chao, I have great news for you! The casting for 'Joy of Life' has been finalized." Ji Ran's voice sounded excited. "Although it hasn't been officially announced yet, they say the contracts have already been signed."

Reaching out to take the thermos cup from Guo Long, Chen Chao unscrewed the lid, took a sip, and warmed himself up. "Who did you order? It's not someone I know, is it?"

"It's true that you know them. For example, Fan Ruoruo was cast with Li Yitong," Ji Ran said with a smile. "Her audition performance was exceptional. Teacher Wang Juan even praised her on the spot, saying that she was full of talent and was exactly like the number one talented woman in Kyoto who stepped out of a book."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chao raised an eyebrow. He already knew that the evil little cat had her eye on the role of Fan Ruoruo, but he didn't expect her to win it so easily. Perhaps it was another drastic pay cut.

"As for Si Lili, Meng Ziyi has been cast instead," Ji Ran continued. "I heard that Kaiyue put in a lot of effort, and she also performed well during her audition, so the role was decided."

"Sister Meng, she has a good eye for choosing this role. The character is likable and will easily go viral." Chen Chao naturally knew why Kaiyue was willing to help.

After all, Meng Ziyi had mentioned to him during a video call that she would be going to Hyatt after her contract expired. The only thing that surprised Chen Chao was that Meng Ziyi was auditioning for the role of Si Lili, something she hadn't told him before.

"Besides that, there are two others you probably don't know very well." Ji Ran flipped through the information and continued, "Zhan Doudou has been cast with Chen Yao from Tangren Media. It's said that she had a particularly strong presence during her audition, and her cross-dressing as a man was completely believable."

"Ye Ling'er chose Chen Duling, who was the campus belle of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in the previous 'Left Ear'. It is said that she actively submitted her information to secure the role. I don't know why she would choose a role that is so different from her own style. Perhaps she is planning to break through her existing image."

Upon hearing these two names, Chen Chao frowned slightly and pondered for a moment. Chen Duling was quite active before his rebirth, and her grades were also decent.

As for Chen Yao, his only impression of her was Yue Qiluo from "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer," and oh, she also performed quite well on "Sisters Who Make Waves."

"It seems everyone here has quite a background, but it's good that the roles are decided early, so the actors have time to prepare."

"After all, it's all over the industry now, people are saying you're a 'lucky charm for hit shows,' that all the films and TV series you make get released smoothly and achieve great results." Ji Ran laughed heartily.

"Ever since the news got out that you took on the role of Fan Xian, the casting team's inbox has been flooded with applications, all supposedly hoping to ride on your coattails to a hit drama."

Hearing Ji Ran's words, Chen Chao felt a bit amused and exasperated. He naturally knew where his so-called "promoting TV show success" came from; it was simply that he knew which film and television works would become hits in the future and then made choices in advance.

As for why this saying circulates in the industry, besides the fact that this circle is quite superstitious, it is also inseparable from Ji Ran directing the studio's marketing team to promote it.

"What kind of nonsense is this? Filming depends on the script and the cast, what does it have to do with me?" So Chen Chao finally couldn't help but complain.

"That's true, but your performance was just too good." Ji Ran chuckled. "Now, your reputation is, in a sense, a guarantee of the quality of our work."

After chatting with Ji Ran for a few more minutes, Chen Chao hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest. Although he really wanted to complain about the title of "Lucky Charm for Popular Dramas," he had to admit that this mystical buff title could indeed bring him a lot of benefits.

Back at the hotel that evening, just as Chen Chao was about to take a shower, a WeChat video call request popped up, with the nickname "Evil Kitten" displayed on the screen.

As soon as the call connected, Li Yitong's smug smile filled the entire screen. She appeared to be lying on a hotel sofa, looking very happy, with her eyes narrowed into crescent moons.

"Chen, the male lead~" Li Yitong deliberately drew out the tone, making her words sound a bit coquettish, "Have you heard? I got the role of Fan Ruoruo on my own merits, shouldn't you congratulate me~"

"Congratulations!" Chen Chao continued, his tone smiling. "Ms. Li, the most talented woman in Kyoto, I hope you'll take good care of me now that I'm on set."

"Of course~" Li Yitong raised her chin slightly, revealing a smug look, then suddenly slumped down, "But to be honest, I'm actually a little nervous."

"Fan Ruoruo's character is quite formidable. I don't know if I can portray that feeling. When we join the crew, you'll have to help me with the scenes. Don't find me annoying."

"Don't worry, I'll be there whenever you call." Chen Chao readily agreed to such a small favor. "But as payment, shouldn't Teacher Li treat me to a meal after I join the crew?"

"Dream on!" Li Yitong glared at him, but her eyes were full of laughter. "You're the one who should be treating me to a celebration, so why are you making me pay instead? Unless... you bring me breakfast for a week straight to my bedside."

The two chatted for most of the day, until Li Yitong's assistant called her, at which point she reluctantly hung up the phone.

Just two minutes after putting down his phone, Chen Chao received another message from Meng Ziyi, accompanied by a tiny cat emoji: "Chao, I got the role of Si Lili! We can film together again."

Seeing these words that were so in line with Meng Ziyi's style, Chen Chao smiled helplessly and shook his head. "Congratulations, Sister Meng. The role of Si Lili is very suitable for you. If you play it well, you will definitely become famous. I am also very happy to be able to act with you."

The message was sent almost instantly, and Meng Ziyi replied with several happy spinning emojis, followed by a long voice message: "Hehe, I knew you'd be happy. I didn't tell you before because I wanted to surprise you..."

One voice message after another, rambling on about trivial matters, but Chen Chao listened patiently to them all and even responded from time to time.