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

In Xiangshan, the air was still a bit chilly because of the recent rain. After getting off the train, Chen Chao took a deep breath and enjoyed the fresh air after the rain.

A banner for "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" was hanging at the hotel entrance. Several staff members were carrying equipment, and when they saw him carrying his luggage, someone immediately came up to greet him.

"Chen Chao, right? The one who plays Ouyang Ke?" The man flipped through the list in his hand, checked the information, and said, "I'm the production coordinator, my surname is Zhou. Go check in first. At 2 PM this afternoon, a staff member will take you to the training ground for a intensive training session before filming begins."

Chen Chao reached out and took the room key from the production coordinator, nodding with a smile.

Having already learned about the intensive training beforehand, he naturally knew that classic elements that martial arts dramas couldn't miss were horseback riding, martial arts routines, and wire work.

All of these require training before filming; otherwise, filming without a foundation would be a disaster, not only delaying the filming but also potentially causing injury. Fortunately, he learns quickly now, so it's not a big problem.

After registering his identity information at the front desk, Chen Chao prepared to go back to his room to pack his luggage and take a rest to recharge for the afternoon's training.

With a ding, the elevator doors slowly opened, revealing a young woman inside.

She had long hair, wore jeans, and had her hoodie pulled up over her head. She was carrying a bag of snacks, and the elevator lights illuminated her face clearly—delicate features, a hint of coldness in her eyes, and the look of a quintessential bad woman.

However, the bit of potato chip crumbs stuck to the corner of her mouth completely ruined that "bad woman" vibe, giving her a "naive" feel.

She seemed surprised that the elevator would stop at this moment, and that someone wanted to get on. She paused for a moment, then subconsciously hid the snacks in her hand behind her back.

Suppressing a laugh, Chen Chao stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for his floor.

The elevator doors closed slowly, and there was a two-second silence.

"What are you hiding?" Chen Chao turned his head to look at the girl. "I'm not going to steal it from you."

As Chen Chao finished speaking, the girl's face instantly turned red.

How did you know I was hiding snacks?

"You still have potato chip crumbs on your lips."

"!!!"

She hurriedly raised her hand to wipe it, but the bag she was carrying wobbled, and several potato chips fell out with a clatter.

Seeing her flustered appearance, Chen Chao shook his head with a wry smile and reached into his pocket to take out a tissue and hand it to her.

"Let's wipe it first."

The girl took the tissue, her ears turning bright red with embarrassment. She hastily wiped her mouth, looked at Chen Chao who had already wrapped up the fallen potato chips with the tissue, and whispered, "Thank you..."

Chen Chao nodded slightly and glanced at another lit button on the floor control panel. That must be the floor she had pressed, one floor higher than hers.

"Which role are you?"

"Mu Nianci." Upon hearing Chen Chao's question, she subconsciously replied, and then, as if remembering something, added, "My name is Meng Ziyi."

"Chen Chao, Ouyang Ke."

After thinking for a while, Meng Ziyi blinked and asked, "Ouyang Ke? That... White Camel Mountain guy?"

"Yes, that's the lecherous young master of White Camel Mountain."

"But you don't look like it at all," she blurted out instinctively, but then realized she sounded a bit silly and blushed slightly.

When they arrived at the floor Chen Chao pressed, the elevator doors opened, and he stepped out, turning back to smile at Meng Ziyi: "Let's have dinner together sometime."

Before the elevator doors closed, Chen Chao saw Meng Ziyi nod blankly.

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2 PM, training ground.

This is an indoor sports field that was rented out by the crew of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and renovated to serve as a training ground for actors like Chen Chao.

The ground was covered with thick soft mats, and the corners were piled with props and weapons. When Chen Chao was brought there by the staff, there were already several people there.

After quickly glancing at the group, Chen Chao's gaze was soon drawn to a boy who was alone in a corner.

It wasn't because he was handsome—of course, this guy is indeed very handsome—but the reason he attracted Chen Chao's attention was because of the "keep away" aura he exuded.

He sat alone on a cushion in the corner, looking down at the script, occasionally glancing up at the door before quickly looking away, looking like a small animal ready to escape at any moment.

"Socially anxious." After observing carefully for a while, Chen Chao came to this conclusion in his mind.

After thinking for a moment, he walked over and sat down next to the boy. The boy's body visibly stiffened in response to Chen Chao's actions.

"Chen Chao, Ouyang Ke." Chen Chao turned and extended his hand to the boy. "If I'm not mistaken, you must be the actor who plays Yang Kang, right?"

Looking at the hand extended in front of him, the boy hesitated for a moment before reaching out and shaking it: "Hello, I'm Chen Xingxu."

Then there was silence, and the air became quiet again.

However, Chen Chao wasn't in a hurry. He took out his phone and started playing King of Glory. After playing for a while, a soft "Um..." came from the side.

Turning his head slightly, Chen Chao noticed that Chen Xingxu was staring at his phone screen with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"You play this too?"

Faced with Chen Chao's question, Chen Xingxu hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly.

Come on, let's do it together.

A few minutes later, the two were sitting together and started playing duo queue.

Just as Chen Chao and his friend were playing games together, another person was brought in by staff at the door. Chen Chao glanced at her out of the corner of his eye—it was a pretty girl with long hair, wearing a pink knitted top and blue sweatpants, and holding a script in her hand.

She walked in quietly, and like Chen Xingxu, she found a corner seat by the window and began to read the script.

Seemingly sensing Chen Chao's gaze, the girl who was looking at the script looked up, glanced at him, smiled and nodded slightly at him, and then continued to look down at the script.

Noticing Chen Chao's interaction with the girl, Chen Xingxu whispered from the side, "That's Li Yitong, our drama's female lead, Huang Rong."

"Yes, I know."

"Do you know him?"

"I don't know him, I'm just guessing."

Faced with Chen Chao's answer, Chen Xingxu fell silent again, unsure of how to respond.

Of course, Chen Chao was not lying. He did not know Li Yitong, but he knew Meng Ziyi. Since Mu Nianci was so beautiful, Huang Rong must not be much less so.

As the saying goes, speak of the devil and he shall appear. Just as Chen Chao was thinking about Meng Ziyi, Meng Ziyi, who was still wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt on his upper body but had changed to black sweatpants on his lower body, walked in led by a staff member.