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

Due to the extremely hot weather, Chen Chao, who had just finished filming a horseback riding and martial arts scene, was soaked in sweat. His ancient costume clung tightly to his body, outlining his smooth and firm muscle lines.

He casually ripped off his wig, revealing a neat buzz cut. Sweat trickled down his jawline, hitting the scorching ground and instantly evaporating.

"Ah Chao, come over and have some water!" Lin Gengxin waved at him from afar, holding up two bottles of ice-cold mineral water, a mischievous grin on his face that he couldn't hide. "Just took them out of the fridge, they're so refreshing! I saved them especially for you!"

Behind him, Wang Yanlin was also holding a bottle of water. His eyes were somewhat evasive, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

Chen Chao saw through their little scheme at a glance. He found it amusing but remained outwardly calm as he walked over and reached out to take the water from Lin Gengxin's hand. "Thanks, Brother Gengxin. I'm so thirsty. I've been filming for so long, my throat is practically parched."

Just as Chen Chao's fingers were about to touch the water bottle, Lin Gengxin suddenly twisted his wrist, brought the water bottle to his lips, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp, deliberately letting out a loud burp. "Oh, sorry, I got thirsty first. Yanlin, give yours to Achao, yours is colder."

Wang Yanlin, who had already made arrangements, immediately handed over the water in his hand, trying his best to appear nonchalant. "Drink mine, drink mine. This bottle just came out of the freezer, it's absolutely ice cold."

He reached out and took the water bottle, but as soon as his fingertips touched the bottle, he felt something was wrong. The temperature of the water was off, and the bottle felt sticky.

Without making a sound, he unscrewed the bottle cap, brought it to his nose, and immediately smelled a pungent odor that was a mixture of vinegar and mustard.

Good grief, these two actually added vinegar and mustard to the water, Chen Chao thought to himself, but a grateful smile appeared on his face. "Brother Yanlin is the best."

As he spoke, he raised the water bottle to his mouth. Seeing this, Lin Gengxin and Wang Yanlin exchanged a glance, both seeing the expectant light in each other's eyes. They held their breath, waiting to see Chen Chao choke and grimace, tears streaming down his face.

Just as the bottle was about to touch his lips, Chen Chao suddenly trembled, and most of the water spilled onto Wang Yanlin, instantly soaking his clothes and filling the air with the smell of vinegar and mustard.

"Oops! I'm so sorry, Yanlin-ge, my hand slipped!" Chen Chao said, feigning panic, and quickly took out tissues to wipe Wang Yanlin's clothes. "It's all my fault for being so tired from filming just now, my hands are all weak. Are you alright?"

The pungent smell made him cough and his eyes welled up with tears, but faced with this situation, Wang Yanlin could only wipe the water off his body and say with a wry smile, "It's okay, it's okay, it's not your fault."

Although things didn't go as he had expected, Lin Gengxin wanted to laugh at the scene, but he didn't dare to laugh out loud. He could only hold it in until his shoulders trembled, and he had to pretend to be concerned and pat Wang Yanlin on the back, saying, "Alright, alright, stop wiping. Go back and change your clothes."

Glancing at him, Chen Chao's eyes flashed with a mischievous smile. Suddenly, he pointed behind Lin Gengxin and exclaimed, "Director Wu! What are you doing here? And with the director's microphone!"

Upon hearing Chen Chao's words, Lin Gengxin instinctively turned around. "Huh? Where's Director Wu? I can't see him."

The moment he turned around, Chen Chao swiftly grabbed a glass of iced cola from the table next to him and precisely splashed it onto his light-colored jeans.

"Oh dear! Brother Gengxin, why did you wet your pants?" Chen Chao exclaimed in feigned surprise, his voice so loud that half the crew could hear him.

The staff members who were resting nearby all looked over and couldn't help but burst into laughter when they saw Lin Gengxin's wet pants. Some even took out their phones to secretly take pictures.

At this moment, Lin Gengxin realized he had been tricked, and pointing at Chen Chao with a mixture of anger and laughter, he said, "You, Chen Chao! How dare you trick me! You just wait!"

"All's fair in war, right, Brother Gengxin?" Chen Chao spread his hands and smiled innocently. "You two were the ones who tried to mess with me first, so this is called giving them a taste of their own medicine."

Just as the three were fooling around, a gentle voice suddenly rang out: "What are you playing? It's so lively."

Chen Chao instinctively turned around and saw Li Lin, dressed in a white princess dress, carrying a white thermos, smiling at them.

The sunlight shone on her, giving her a golden halo, making her look as beautiful as if she had stepped out of a painting.

Lin Gengxin and Wang Yanlin exchanged a knowing glance and slipped away in perfect unison. "You two chat, we're going to change our clothes."

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Chen Chao couldn't help but laugh. He turned to Li Lin and asked, "Why are you here? Didn't you have no scenes to film today? I thought you would be resting at the hotel."

"I was bored at the hotel, so I bought some mung bean soup and brought it over to everyone to cool them down." Li Qin smiled and shook the thermos in her hand as she walked over to him. "I specially saved a bowl of iced soup for you, and I also added lily bulbs and lotus seeds."

As she spoke, she opened the thermos, ladled out a bowl of mung bean soup, and handed it to Chen Chao. A few crystal-clear ice cubes floated in the bowl, making it look very refreshing.

"Thank you, Sister Qin." Taking the bowl, Chen Chao scooped a spoonful into her mouth. The mung beans were cooked until soft, sticky, and sweet, and the fragrance of lily and lotus seeds spread in her mouth. The cool taste instantly dispelled all the heat. "It's so delicious."

"Drink more if you like, there's plenty left in the pot." Watching him gulp down the soup, Li Lin's lips unconsciously curled up, her eyes filled with a gentle smile. "It's so hot, and you've been filming under the blazing sun for so long, you must be incredibly thirsty."

The two sat side by side on the shady steps, drinking mung bean soup and chatting. Li Qin talked about the problem she encountered when reading the script yesterday. She couldn't figure out Yuan Chun's emotions when she saw Yan Xun's family destroyed in the scene at Jiuyou Terrace. She didn't know whether to show heartache or fear.

Chen Chao patiently helped her analyze Yuan Chun's psychological changes, explaining every detail from her initial innocence to her later dark and obsessive nature.

"At this moment, Yuan Chun felt more heartache than fear. She was more distressed than anyone else to see the person she loved suffer like this, but she was powerless to do anything about it and could only watch helplessly. This sense of powerlessness was what broke her down the most."

"You're absolutely right!" Li Qin looked at Chen Chao with sparkling eyes, full of admiration. "I was stuck on this point before, but after you explained it to me, I understand immediately."

Just then, the production assistant's voice came from afar: "Mr. Chen Chao! Get ready to shoot the next scene!"