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

January 4th, Shenzhen Bao'an Airport.

Wearing a black baseball cap and sunglasses, and dressed in a simple black down jacket, Chen Chao pulled his suitcase and walked hurriedly towards the parking lot.

Because Ji Ran had to stay in Shanghai to handle the final touches before the album's release, and Su Wan and Bai Chen also had their own things to do, plus Chen Chao's own request, only Chen Chao came back to Shenzhen to take the exam this time.

After all, he was a student at Shenzhen University and knew Shenzhen very well. Besides, it was just a final exam, so there was no need to make a big fuss.

After getting into the pre-arranged ride-hailing car and giving him his phone number, Chen Chao leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest until the car arrived at the gate of Shenzhen University, at which point the driver woke him up.

Just as Chen Chao reached the dormitory area, he was bumped into by a hurried figure.

"Who is it? No... Holy crap, Chen Chao! Why are you back now!" Carrying a stack of review materials, she bumped into Chen Chao and instinctively wanted to yell at him, but after looking up and seeing that it was Chen Chao, she swallowed back the words she was about to say.

"I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow, or until the day before the exam."

"I haven't had much going on lately, so I came back early to get used to the environment." Reaching out to tidy up the review materials in his arms, Chen Chao said with a smile, "What? Are you still cramming at the last minute?"

"Otherwise what? I'm not like a genius like you, who can film for half a year and still come back to be in the top five of his class." Rolling his eyes speechlessly, Chen Zheyuan suddenly lowered his voice as if he had thought of something.

"By the way, I saw your studio's Weibo announcement that your album is going to be released on the 6th, right? I've already recommended it to all my friends, and we'll all buy a few copies to support you."

"No need to go that far, just buy one and listen to it," Chen Chao said with a smile and a shake of his head.

However, the two did not linger there. Instead, they chatted as they walked toward the dormitory. Because Chen Chao had taken off his sunglasses, many students recognized him along the way and took out their phones to take pictures.

Several bolder girls even came over to ask Chen Chao for photos and autographs, and Chen Chao patiently fulfilled all their requests.

Over the next two days, Chen Chao fully returned to his student identity, spending his days going back and forth between the library, the cafeteria, and his dormitory. His days were quite peaceful and fulfilling.

Aside from occasionally having to deal with alumni who want photos or autographs, his daily life was basically no different from when he was in school.

..........

At midnight on January 6th, Chen Chao's first solo album, "Love Letters," was officially released on the Weibo Music platform. At that moment, Chen Chao was in his dormitory with Chen Zheyuan, refreshing the page on their computer.

Just one second past midnight, the album's play count began to jump wildly, going from single digits to five digits in less than three minutes.

"Holy crap! This is really outrageous!" Chen Zheyuan stared wide-eyed at the rapidly rising numbers on the screen with disbelief.

Chen Chao was slightly surprised by this. He had thought that breaking 10,000 in ten minutes would be a pretty good performance, but he had already achieved this goal in less than three minutes.

Switching to Weibo, he discovered that the hashtag #ChenChao’sFirstAlbumLoveLetters# had quietly climbed to the top of the trending topics list, and its ranking was still rising.

Just then, his phone started vibrating incessantly, with WeChat message notifications coming in one after another, and it just wouldn't stop.

The first to send congratulations was Han Han, who wrote, "The songs on the album are fantastic. When you come back to Shanghai, let's go for a run together at the track!"

Next up was Zhao Liying, "Ah Chao, the album is great! Don't forget to sign the physical copy you promised!"

Then it was Deng Chao's turn, "Wow, kid! Your album is amazing! Remember to sing one when you're recording Running Man."

In addition, friends in the industry such as Lin Gengxin, Wang Yanlin, Li Qin, Li Yitong, Meng Ziyi and Chen Xingxu sent messages of congratulations immediately and forwarded his album Weibo post.

Looking at the messages, Chen Chao felt a warm feeling in his heart. After replying to everyone's congratulations, he continued to look at the trending topics on Weibo.

#ChenChao’sFirstAlbumLoveLetters# has climbed to fifth place on the trending topics list, followed by a red “Explosive” icon.

#TheMisplacedTimeSpaceMadeMeCry# ranked seventh.

#Chen Chao, an all-around entertainer#, ranked twelfth.

When Chen Chao clicked on the topic #MisplacedTimeSpaceMadeMeCry#, there were already many comments from netizens.

"I felt the evening breeze that you felt, does that mean we've embraced...?" This lyric really broke me down, reminding me of my first love.

"Chen Chao is such a good writer! How can these lyrics be so touching!"

"I've listened to 'Misplaced Time and Space' on repeat so many times, it's getting more and more addictive!"

"I initially came for the looks, but I ended up becoming a fan of the songs!"

The album's first hour of streaming reached 4.3 million views, breaking the record for the most views in the first hour for a new singer's debut album in the past three years.

Meanwhile, Weibo Music's official Weibo account also posted a special message, calling "Love Letter" "the most amazing debut album in the Chinese music scene in recent years."

Looking at the data displayed on his phone, Chen Zheyuan was completely stunned. He patted Chen Chao on the shoulder, his face full of emotion, "Brother, you're famous, absolutely famous. From now on, I'm your number one fan, you've got to look out for me!"

Chen Chao shook his head with a smile, ignoring Chen Zheyuan's deliberately funny words.

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In the following exams, Chen Chao continued to perform very well. Although he spent most of his time filming on set, thanks to his superb memory and his usual accumulation of knowledge, the exams were not difficult for him.

On the afternoon of the 17th, after the last exam, Chen Chao walked out of the examination room and couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. He had completed another year of his studies.

Just then, Chen Zheyuan caught up from behind, put his arm around his shoulder, and said, "Finally finished the exams! Let's go have a big meal to celebrate!"

"Sure!" Chen Chao agreed with a smile. The two of them went straight to a barbecue restaurant near the school, ordered a large table of skewers and beer, and began to treat themselves.