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

As the sun rose higher, its warm rays bathed the training ground, as if gilding everything with a golden halo. After playing around with Lin Gengxin and the others for a while, Chen Chao resumed his training.

With a swift flip, Chen Chao mounted his horse and affectionately stroked Grape's mane. Grape responded with a soft snort, and then they began to ride together on the training field.

He glanced back at her and saw that Li Qin was still standing there looking at him. When she saw him looking over, she quickly smiled and waved at him.

Chen Chao smiled and waved in response, then gently squeezed the horse's flanks, and Grape sped up, galloping forward towards the rising sun.

Under the shade of a tree not far away, watching this scene, Zhao Liying couldn't help but frown slightly.

With her arms crossed over her chest, Zhao Liying's gaze followed the young figure galloping on horseback, a subtle scrutiny creeping into her eyes.

As a veteran actress who has been in the industry for over a decade, she has seen all sorts of people: meteors who rise to fame overnight, seasoned actors who appear kind on the surface but stab you in the back, and newcomers who seem innocent but are actually cunning.

But no one else had ever given her such a special feeling as Chen Chao.

He acted too perfectly, so perfectly that he didn't seem like a newcomer who had only been in the industry for less than a year.

In terms of acting skills, he was able to impress director Wu Jingyuan during the audition with his performance without any lines, and his performance at the script reading was so good that even she, a veteran actress, was ashamed of herself.

In terms of talent, he became a sensation online with his song "Exchange the Rest of Our Lives," writing the lyrics, composing the music, and singing. He is a recognized creative talent. In terms of appearance, he is handsome and dashing, and his ancient costume look is even more stunning. Just one photo from the press conference has gained him countless fans.

But what's most terrifying is his emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. In just over half a month, he had already become one with everyone in the crew.

When facing directors and seniors, he is humble and polite, never arrogant, and always shares the credit with others whenever he is praised.

He is gentle and considerate to his staff, never putting on airs like a celebrity, and often lends a hand, even treating them to coffee.

When facing his peers, he is even more sincere and enthusiastic, sharing his acting experience without reservation.

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Since the last incident involving the startled horse, Li Lin has become unusually dependent on Chen Chao. He would turn to Chen Chao for help whenever something happened, and the two of them often spent time together, their relationship being extremely close.

As for Lin Gengxin and Wang Yanlin, they were Chen Chao's good buddies. Every day after training, he would drag Chen Chao to Lin Gengxin's room to play games, eat, and drink. The three of them were almost inseparable.

Even the martial arts director and equestrian coach, who are very picky about the actors in the crew, praised Chen Chao highly, saying that he was the most hardworking and talented actor they had ever met.

Everyone likes Chen Chao, and everyone praises Chen Chao.

But the more this happened, the more wary Zhao Liying became of Chen Chao. After all, in the entertainment industry, a veritable melting pot, no one can be liked by everyone unless they deliberately try to please everyone.

She has also met many people who appear sunny, cheerful, gentle, and considerate on the surface, but are actually very cunning and calculating, as if they can manipulate everyone at will.

In her view, Chen Chao was cultivating his own persona, being humble when he should be humble, showcasing his talents when he should showcase himself, and saying things that made people feel comfortable and could win their favor.

He was like a precise machine; every expression and every word was just right, without a single flaw.

But this kind of perfection is precisely the most dangerous...

"Sister Liying, what are you doing standing here? Aren't you going to join the training?" Just then, a voice suddenly rang out behind Zhao Liying, startling her and interrupting her thoughts.

She quickly turned around and looked behind her. The figure that came into her view was Chen Chao. He had just finished his work and there was still a fine layer of sweat on his forehead. He had a gentle smile on his face and was holding two bottles of mineral water. He handed one of the bottles to her.

"Thank you." Zhao Liying said calmly as she accepted the bottled water Chen Chao handed her.

"Sister Liying, you've been standing here for quite a while. Are you feeling unwell?" Chen Chao asked with concern when he saw Zhao Liying looking a bit distracted.

Looking into his clear, bright eyes, Zhao Liying was momentarily dazed, wondering if she had been overthinking things. But the next second, she immediately snapped back to reality, shook her head, and said, "No, I'm just a little tired. I'll rest here for a bit."

"Oh, I see. Then, Sister Liying, you should take care of yourself and not overwork yourself." Chen Chao smiled. "We're about to start filming, and I'll definitely be even busier then. Health is the foundation of everything."

"Yes, I know, thank you." Zhao Liying nodded, her tone polite yet distant.

Noticing the change in Zhao Liying's tone, Chen Chao didn't say anything more, but simply nodded, "Then I'll go train now, Liying, you should get some rest."

After saying that, Chen Chao turned around and quickly walked towards the training area to meet up with Lin Gengxin and the others who were waving to him.

Watching Chen Chao's retreating figure, Zhao Liying unscrewed the mineral water bottle and took a sip. The slightly cool water slid down her throat, but it did not extinguish the doubt in her heart.

She watched from afar as Chen Chao walked into the training area. Lin Gengxin and Wang Yanlin immediately surrounded him, and the three of them began training while chatting and laughing.

Li Lin walked over and stood aside watching the three of them train, chatting with them from time to time with a gentle smile on her face. The sunlight shone on them, and the scene was as beautiful as a painting.

Zhao Liying let out a soft breath, took out her phone, and opened Chen Chao's Weibo. The latest post was a photo of equestrian combat training from a few days ago, with the caption "Never forget your original intention, go all out".

The comment section was filled with fans' expressions of love and support, and the number of reposts and likes was astonishingly high.

She scrolled through her previous Weibo posts again. There weren't many posts, mostly about music and filming, with occasional landscape photos. Every word exuded a positive and uplifting energy.

There is no scandal, no negative news, it is as clean as a blank sheet of paper.

After putting down her phone, Zhao Liying's expression became even more serious. For some reason, she felt that this young man named Chen Chao was far more complex than he appeared on the surface.

She must remain vigilant at all times and not be deceived by his appearance.