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

As evening approached, the setting sun bathed the antique-style eaves in an orange hue. With Jiang Jiajun's shout of "Cut! That's a wrap!", the film set, which had been busy all day, gradually quieted down.

Chen Chao took the tissues handed to him by the assistant on set and wiped the sweat from his face to prevent it from washing off his makeup. He simply twirled the folding fan between his fingers, which immediately attracted the attention of several young female crew members who secretly took out their phones to take pictures.

Chen Chao, who was already used to their behavior, even cooperated by flashing a sunny smile at their camera. After they finished taking pictures, he turned and walked towards the dressing room.

After Chen Chao finished removing her makeup and changing into casual clothes, she had just stepped out of the changing room when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Meng Ziyi, carrying her ever-bulging canvas bag, jogged over, with Li Yitong and Chen Xingxu following behind her.

"Chen Chao, are you done removing your makeup? Let's go together!" Looking up at him slightly, Meng Ziyi's eyes sparkled, but as soon as she finished speaking, she immediately remembered the important matter and hurriedly asked, "Chen Chao, have you contacted the casting director for 'Princess Agents'? Have you set the audition time yet?"

Seeing that she seemed even more concerned than he was, Chen Chao didn't keep her in suspense and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'll contact the casting director over there when I get back to the hotel."

"Director Jiang told you it's next week, so you don't have much time to prepare!" Hearing Chen Chao's words, Meng Ziyi's eyes widened, and she started counting the days on her fingers. "If it's Friday, then there are only six days left at most. Don't you need to hurry up and prepare in the next few days?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." As usual, he reached out and patted her head. Seeing her ears turn red again, Chen Chao's smile deepened.

Li Yitong, who was holding the script next to him, couldn't help but laugh and add, "You're more nervous than him. Director Jiang dared to recommend him, which means he can definitely do it."

Chen Xingxu nodded in agreement, stating succinctly, "He'll be fine."

The evening breeze carried the dampness of the riverbank, feeling slightly cool on their skin. The four of them chatted and laughed as they walked towards the hotel.

Meng Ziyi chattered away the whole way, sometimes saying she would take out her treasured snacks to reward Chen Chao, and sometimes saying she would accompany him to rehearse. Even though she didn't know what Yan Xun's lines were, she was still very enthusiastic.

However, Chen Chao did not interrupt her. He just listened and occasionally responded with a few words, feeling warm inside.

After returning to her hotel room, Chen Chao did not immediately take a shower as usual. Instead, she called the casting director of "Princess Agents" using the number on the business card.

Perhaps because director Wu Jingyuan had given prior instructions, the other party was very polite after learning that Chen Chao was the actor recommended by Jiang Jiajun.

After agreeing on the time and place for the audition, the other party added a few more instructions, saying that the script excerpt for the audition would only be given on-site, and that Chen Chao should read the original novel beforehand to familiarize himself with the character's background.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Chao had just opened his browser to search for the original novel of "Princess Agents," "11 Chu Special Agent Princess," when a message notification came on WeChat from his good friend Chen Xingxu.

The dialog box displayed a TXT file with the note "The Complete Text of 11 Chu Special Agent Princess" followed by the sentence, "You might not be used to the document format, so I also bought the whole set of physical books for you, which should arrive tomorrow."

Raising an eyebrow, Chen Chao quickly replied, "Thanks, bro!" At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Although Chen Xingxu was a bit socially awkward, he was really thoughtful. He had already arranged everything for him, even though Chen Chao had just thought of it.

Just as he opened the TXT file and flipped through two pages of the chapters about Yan Xun's appearance, his phone suddenly started bombarding him with private message notifications. He glanced at them and saw that they were from the Weibo account he had just registered a while ago.

In order to better promote "Exchange of Lives" and prepare for future promotions, Chen Chao registered a Weibo account and posted a song link. When he checked a couple of days ago, it only had a few hundred followers.

But now, the number of unread messages in his private inbox has soared to 999+, and his number of followers is increasing at a speed he could not have imagined. In just a few minutes, it has already exceeded 200,000 and is still rising.

The hashtag #ChenChao, a newcomer to the treasure trove of life# has quietly climbed into the top 20 of Weibo's entertainment hot search list, followed by a small "hot" label.

Out of curiosity, Chen Chao clicked into the topic and the first thing he saw was the reposts and recommendations from various music bloggers, as well as numerous comments from netizens recommending it.

Comments included things like, "I've been listening to this song on repeat for three days now, it's killing me," "The lyrics, music, and vocals are all by the same person? Who is this newcomer? He's so talented," and "Can anyone find out who this Chen Chao is? His voice is so nice, he must be good-looking too."

Looking at the content on the screen, Chen Chao's fingertips paused slightly. He knew very well that at this time, Weibo was the most important platform for public opinion and publicity for artists in the Chinese entertainment industry, which was why he registered for it.

But to his surprise, the song became a hit so quickly and so suddenly. He originally thought it would need to gain traction for a while longer.

Just as he was browsing the star page, another private message popped up. The sender was "Weibo Music Official Operations" with a blue V verification.

"Hello Mr. Chen Chao, this is Zhang Lin from Weibo Music. We are very optimistic about your song 'Exchange the Rest of Our Lives' and would like to invite you to do an exclusive interview with us on Weibo Music. We can also provide you with full-site promotional support for the song. Would you be interested in collaborating?"

Upon seeing this message, Chen Chao couldn't help but slowly curl up the corners of his mouth. The opportunity he had been waiting for had arrived.

To gain a foothold in the Chinese entertainment industry and become a top star, relying solely on one's work and talent is not enough; one also needs a powerful internet platform as a backer, and Sina was the choice Chen Chao made.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Chao immediately replied to the other party's message: "Hello, if you are interested, we can discuss the details by phone tomorrow."

Just as he sent the message, WeChat started ringing again. First, Li Yitong sent a long text message, which was a summary of audition tips based on her own experience.

There was also a line that said, "For a character with such a big contrast between the beginning and the end, the eyes are the soul. You should study the changes in Yan Xun's eyes at different times." She also attached a few clips from her own audition for reference.