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

Just as Chen Chao finished his call with Zhang Wei and put down his phone, there was another knock on the door. Somewhat puzzled, he opened the door and was immediately greeted by the figures of Meng Ziyi, Li Yitong, and Chen Xingxu.

Moreover, Meng Ziyi was carrying four lunch boxes and looking at him with a dissatisfied expression: "Chen Chao! Have you gone mad from reading the script? We sent you more than a dozen WeChat messages and you didn't reply. We thought you had passed out in your room!"

Upon hearing Meng Ziyi's words, Chen Chao picked up his phone and saw that there were indeed more than a dozen unread messages on WeChat, most of which were from Meng Ziyi. They were all asking him if he wanted to have lunch together or how his reading was going.

"Sorry, I was so engrossed in my book that I didn't notice." Scratching his head somewhat embarrassedly, Chen Chao stepped aside to let them in.

"I knew you hadn't eaten yet!" Meng Ziyi put the lunchbox on the table and raised her chin smugly. "I specially packed this for you from the hotel restaurant. It's all light food that suits your taste."

Setting down the lunchbox of fruit, Li Yitong smiled and said, "The three of us waited for you in the restaurant downstairs for more than half an hour. We sent you messages but you didn't reply, and we couldn't get through to you on the phone. Ziyi was so anxious that she almost rushed upstairs and banged on the door."

"No way!" Meng Ziyi's cheeks flushed red instantly. She glared at Li Yitong with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance, pushed the lunchbox in front of Chen Chao, and quickly changed the subject, "You should eat quickly, or it will get cold."

Looking at the table laden with food, Chen Chao felt a warm glow inside. Without being coy, he started eating right away. With a sip of hot soup, most of the fatigue from reading all morning dissipated.

Sitting next to Chen Chao, Meng Ziyi began chattering away, asking about his reading progress that morning, such as what kind of person Yan Xun was in the original work.

After Chen Chao finished recounting Yan Xun's life story, she seemed somewhat dejected, muttering softly, "How could it be so tragic..."

"But that's where the character's arc lies," Li Yitong commented softly. "From a dashing young man to the King of Yanbei, it's precisely because he experienced extreme pain that his transformation is so impactful, making the character more captivating. However, this kind of role is also the most exhausting to play, as it's incredibly emotionally taxing."

Chen Chao nodded slightly. He knew that playing a character with such a stark contrast between his earlier and later roles was the ultimate test of an actor's empathy and emotional control. He had to get into character and also step out of character at the same time.

After Chen Chao finished eating, Chen Xingxu voluntarily cleaned up the lunchbox and looked at Chen Chao, saying, "I don't have any scenes to film this afternoon. Mark out Yan Xun's classic scenes, and I'll go over them with you to get a feel for the role."

"Me too! Me too!" Meng Ziyi hurriedly raised her hand. "I can act with you too! I'll play Chu Qiao!"

Li Yitong chuckled and shook her head: "I won't be able to rehearse with you. I have scenes to film this afternoon, and I'll be heading to the set soon. But before that, I can still take a look and give you some suggestions."

Looking at the three people in front of him, Chen Chao smiled brightly, raised the cup of tea in his hand, and gestured to them: "Then I'll thank you all in advance. After I pass the audition, I'll take you to the best restaurant in Xiangshan and order whatever you like."

After a short rest and chat, Chen Chao got busy. He first marked several key parts of Yan Xun's character in the original work, such as his dashing appearance on the streets of Chang'an in the early stages, his gentle and doting relationship with Chu Qiao, his despair and ruthlessness after the Nine Abyss Platform, and his sinister and profound nature as the Queen of Yanbei in the later stages.

The group used Chen Chao's room as a temporary practice room. Chen Xingxu recited the supporting characters' lines to accompany him in rehearsing, while Meng Ziyi focused on memorizing Chu Qiao's lines and was responsible for accompanying him in practicing the scenes of the two interacting. Li Yitong, as an observer, would occasionally offer her opinion.

........

Apart from Li Yitong, who left midway to return to the film crew, Meng Ziyi and Chen Xingxu stayed with Chen Chao until evening. After having dinner together at a restaurant, they returned to their respective rooms to rest.

After washing up, Chen Chao sat back down at his desk, intending to flip through the original novel of "Princess Agents" (also known as "11 Chu Te Gong Huang Fei"), when his phone suddenly vibrated.

I glanced at it and saw that it was a WeChat message from Meng Ziyi. It was a long message, full of audition tips. I don't know where she found it. It was densely packed and very comprehensive.

After reading through all the details, Chen Chao replied, "I understand, thanks," and then put down his phone, refocusing his attention on the novel.

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Two days later, in the morning, after finishing his scenes, Chen Chao did not linger on set as usual. Instead, he removed his makeup and returned to his hotel, because that afternoon was his scheduled interview with Weibo Music.

Around 2 PM, Chen Chao was greeted by the Weibo Music interview team. The team leader was none other than Zhang Wei, the Weibo Music planner and operator he had contacted a couple of days earlier.

After exchanging greetings and a few pleasantries, Chen Chao led Zhang Wei and her team to his room. After setting up the venue, the interview officially began.

The interview questions from Weibo Music were very mild, mostly revolving around the story behind the creation of the song "Exchange of Life" and Chen Chao's personal experiences. Having prepared in advance, he answered with great composure.

When asked about his upcoming work plans, Chen Chao casually replied with a "GG": "I'm currently filming 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' as Ouyang Ke. For now, I'll focus on my acting career and filming well. However, I will continue to work hard to create excellent music. I will share any new songs with everyone on Weibo as soon as they are released."

His subsequent statement was a clear response to Weibo Music, indicating that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the two parties would negotiate and sign a formal cooperation agreement after the recording was completed.

The interview lasted about 40 to 50 minutes. After the recording ended, Zhang Wei immediately stood up, smiled, and extended her hand to Chen Chao: "Mr. Chen Chao, we will send you the interview content for confirmation after we have compiled it. If there are no problems, it will be released on our official Weibo music account at 10:00 AM tomorrow, and we will also arrange for full-site promotion for you!"

"Thank you for your hard work," Chen Chao replied politely.