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

The day after the album recording was completed, Chen Chao slept in, which was rare for him. The high-intensity recording during this period of rushing to meet deadlines had taken a toll on his voice.

Although his voice was resting, his mind was still working. The post-production of the album was handed over to Li Ronghao's team, who were responsible for mixing and mastering.

According to Li Ronghao's team's estimates, there shouldn't be any problem with meeting the original album release date of January 6th. Although the time is tight, every step is progressing in an orderly manner.

Now, there's one more thing that needs to be put on the agenda: the music video.

Around 10 a.m., Ji Ran knocked on Chen Chao's door with two cups of coffee. After entering the room, he handed one of the cups to Chen Chao, then sat down on the sofa and turned on his tablet.

"I've already communicated with Teacher Li Ronghao. The mixing and mastering will be completed by the end of the month, so the release date for the new album doesn't need to be adjusted. As for the premiere and promotion plan on Weibo Music, Hao Ren has already been communicating with the Weibo team." After sorting through the confirmed information, Ji Ran looked up at Chen Chao again.

"Now, there's only one thing left, and that's the music videos. It would be a real shame if the songs on this album weren't made into music videos. The quality of the songs speaks for itself, and with good visuals, their reach could be multiplied several times over."

"Waiting for You After Class," "Won't Cry," and "Exchange the Rest of Our Lives." Without hesitation, Chen Chao rattled off the song titles. "These three songs definitely need music videos. If the budget allows, we'll consider 'Love That Never Loses Contact' and 'The World Is So Big, Yet I Still Met You.'"

"What about 'Misplaced Time and Space'?" Ji Ran couldn't help but feel a little puzzled after hearing Chen Chao's answer.

"As for this song, I think it's better to let everyone imagine it themselves."

"Okay, I've already contacted the director. His name is Yi Laoshi. He's directed music videos for many singers before, and his style leans towards artistic narrative, which is quite suitable for your album's style." Hearing Chen Chao say this, Ji Ran didn't say anything more and instead brought up the music video shooting issue.

"He also has a team ready for studio shooting and post-production. I've seen the overall quote, and it's within my budget. But the main problem now is the female lead. All your music videos need a female lead to perform. After all, you can't just have someone singing there by yourself."

The question raised by Ji Ran was exactly what Chen Chao had been pondering recently.

The easiest way would be to ask his friends in the industry for help. Meng Ziyi, Li Yitong, and Li Lin are all professional actors with solid acting skills.

The problem is that while the female lead's fee isn't too high, shooting three videos still adds up to a considerable sum. If paid at market price, the budget would definitely be exceeded. However, he can't bring himself to offer her a discounted price or ask her to help for free.

Moreover, Meng Ziyi, Li Yitong, and Li Lin all have their own companies. Asking them to fly over for several days to film a music video would take up a lot of time and energy that can't be easily offset by a simple "help me out." As for Sister Zhao, Chen Chao never even considered it.

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Chao decided to tell Ji Ran about his dilemma. After listening, Ji Ran did not respond immediately, but instead adjusted his glasses and thought for a while.

"It's really not appropriate to invite them to make a cameo appearance." After a while, Ji Ran finally spoke up. "It's not about the money, it's about the favor. How are we going to repay a favor? They're already actresses with their own works. Filming a music video won't add anything to their careers."

"Although your album hasn't been released yet, it already has a lot of momentum and buzz. You could use this MV female lead role for something much more valuable."

"you mean?"

"Find amateurs." Pushing up his glasses, Ji Ran analyzed the situation clearly for Chen Chao, "Or go to art schools and find those newcomers who haven't debuted yet. It's low-cost and their potential isn't too bad."

"Moreover, for them, this is a windfall opportunity, and their attitude towards you will only be one of gratitude, gratitude that you have given them a chance to shine."

"Think about it, what does it mean when a newcomer who hasn't even debuted yet is suddenly invited to star as the female lead in Chen Chao's first album's music video? It means that their resumes will include 'female lead in music videos of well-known singers,' and that they can appear in front of many people and make an impression on them."

At this point, Ji Ran paused and added, "Moreover, in this industry, mentoring newcomers helps you build a reputation. After all, that's how you got started. If they become famous in the future, you'll be the first person to discover them."

Hearing this, Chen Chao's heart stirred slightly. Ji Ran's words suddenly reminded him of two people. It was on the day of the press conference for the start of filming of "Duckweed". After the press conference, he and Ji Ran were walking towards the parking lot when they were stopped by two panting girls.

The two girls were holding up light boards and banners with his name on them, saying they were fans who had come specifically after hearing the news from his fan club.

One of them was Tian Xiwei, who had a high ponytail and sparkling glasses when she smiled. She had just finished military training and came all the way from Shanghai. She said she loved the movie "Exchange of Lives". Her energetic appearance left a deep impression on everyone.

The other one was Zhang Ruonan, who spoke in a gentle and soft voice. She said she happened to be shooting a photo shoot in Jiaxing and came over as soon as she heard the news.

In Chen Chao's past life memories, both Tian Xiwei and Zhang Ruonan were quite well-known actresses in 2026.

Currently, Tian Xiwei is only a freshman in college and has not yet signed with a company. Zhang Ruonan is also still in college, taking on some photo shoots in his spare time, but he has not yet signed with a company either.

Both of them are still just ordinary people who haven't entered the entertainment industry yet. They are not bound by a management company and are still their own fans. Inviting them to shoot a music video seems like a very good choice.

Thinking about this, Chen Chao continued to ponder along this line of thought. Besides these two, the female artists he knew before his rebirth included Zhou Ye, Wang Churan, and Liu Haocun, among others.

But they all seem to be just high school students, too young, which is a bit inappropriate. And most importantly, he only knows Tian Xiwei and Zhang Ruonan so far.

He had never met the others before. He couldn't just randomly go to their schools to look for them, could he? If word got out, he'd be seen as a pervert. Besides, he didn't even know where they went to high school.