Perfect Superstar.

Following Chen Jianhao, Lu Chen arrived at the reserved seating area on the upper level of the bar.

Daylily Bar was converted from an old warehouse, with a ceiling height of over six, nearly seven meters. It had been transformed into a two-level structure, leaving the middle open for the stage. The layout was cleverly designed to fully utilize the space.

Like most bars in Houhai, Daylily had a reserved seating area with three tables that were always kept empty, no matter how busy the bar was. These were reserved for potential VIP guests who might never show up. 

Running a bar meant maintaining important relationships, and Chen Jianhao, with his extensive connections, knew the importance of this. If a friend or someone influential showed up unexpectedly, it would be awkward if the bar were full with no place for them to sit.

Thus, the reserved seating area existed.

The person looking to buy a song from Lu Chen was seated in the reserved area, which meant they were no ordinary customers.

Sensing Lu Chen's slight nervousness, Chen Jianhao whispered as they climbed the stairs, "Don't worry. Whether you sell the song or not is up to you. With me here, no one will give you a hard time."

Lu Chen let out a sigh of relief and replied, "Thank you, boss."

Chen Jianhao truly was a good boss, even if he was a bit strict at times.

Of the three reserved tables, two were empty. At the table near the iron railing sat a man and a woman. The man looked to be in his thirties, dressed in a sharp suit with gold-rimmed glasses, his hair neatly combed. He was clearly a professional elite.

The woman was much younger, petite, with a look that rated about eight out of ten, dressed casually. She was holding a glass of wine and curiously looking around, seemingly intrigued by everything in the bar.

"Manager Song, I've brought him," Chen Jianhao said with a smile as they approached the table. "This is Lu Chen, Little Lu!"

The man in the suit didn't stand up until Chen Jianhao was in front of him. A faint smile appeared on his aloof face, and he gave Lu Chen a slight nod.

The woman quickly stood up as well, but in her haste, she forgot to put down her glass, spilling some wine.

Chen Jianhao introduced them, "Little Lu, this is Mr. Song Xinwei, Deputy General Manager and Manager of the Talent Department at Qingyu Media. And this is Miss Dong Xuan, the General Manager's assistant."

Qingyu Media? Was this Su Qingmei still not giving up?

Lu Chen thought to himself while maintaining a calm and respectful demeanor as he extended his hand to the man in the suit. "Hello, Manager Song."

Song Xinwei shook his hand briefly. "Hello."

Lu Chen then extended his hand to Dong Xuan. "Hello, Miss Dong."

Dong Xuan quickly shook his hand, stammering slightly, "Hi, Lu Chen."

Lu Chen smiled gently. This general manager's assistant was quite inexperienced, she was clearly new to the job.

Of course, it wasn't his concern whether she could handle her position. After the introductions, everyone sat down at the table.

Song Xinwei got straight to the point. "Little Lu, here's the situation. We're here tonight on behalf of Director Su Qingmei, and we'd like to purchase the rights to one of your songs."

He nodded at Dong Xuan, who promptly pulled some papers from her briefcase.

"Our legal team at Qingyu Media has confirmed that the song 'My Old Classmate' is entirely your creation. We're prepared to offer a high price for its full rights. Here's the contract for you to review."

Without hesitation, Lu Chen took the contract.

Qingyu Media's process for confirming song ownership was simple— they just had to check the Greater China Music Library. Song titles, lyrics, and sheet music could all be searched there.

This was the authority and convenience of the Greater China Music Library. While the registration fee was high, it legally safeguarded against potential copyright disputes, saving a lot of trouble.

And if Lu Chen wanted, he could complete the copyright transaction through the Music Library as well.

But that wasn't the main point.

His eyes quickly scanned the terms, soon locking onto the key detail—the price.

In bold, it clearly stated: ¥20,000.00, with the characters for twenty thousand written out in full.

Twenty Thousand Yuan!

For a moment, Lu Chen was truly tempted by the offer.

In the past, he had worked two jobs, exhausting himself for more than 15 hours a day. After covering basic living expenses, he could only send home about four or five thousand yuan a month.

And now, just by signing this contract, he could easily take home twenty thousand.

Most importantly, he had countless great songs in his memory. Selling one didn't seem like a big deal.

Across from Lu Chen, Song Xinwei, peering through the thin resin lenses of his gold-rimmed glasses, noticed the subtle change in Lu Chen's expression, and a barely detectable look of disdain flashed in his eyes.

If not for Su Qingmei's insistence, as Deputy General Manager of Qingyu Media, Song Xinwei wouldn't have personally come to negotiate a contract worth only twenty thousand yuan with a young, inexperienced musician.

Of course, for the youngster sitting across from him, twenty thousand yuan was probably a huge sum, likely enough to make his head spin.

A lucky kid!

But Lu Chen wasn't overwhelmed. After noting the price, he began carefully reviewing the other terms.

The more he read, the more his expression darkened.

Selling all the rights to "My Old Classmate" except for the naming rights was fine with him. But why was there a clause preventing him from performing the song in public again?

In other words, if he sold the song, he wouldn't even be allowed to sing it at Daylily Bar.

Another clause in the contract stated that Qingyu Media would have the first right of refusal on all of Lu Chen's future works. Until Qingyu Media officially waived this right, he would be unable to transfer any of his new creations to third parties!

This was simply outrageous!

Had Lu Chen not carefully reviewed the contract and signed it hastily, he would have effectively bound himself to Qingyu Media, losing control over his own works.

The enticing offer of a high price was, of course, hiding a trap.

Realizing this, Lu Chen decisively returned the contract. "Sorry, I can't sign this."

He had said the same thing to Su Qingmei yesterday.

Song Xinwei, who had been waiting for Lu Chen to sign, was taken aback by the refusal. "What?"

Lu Chen repeated himself.

This time, Song Xinwei understood. A sense of humiliation washed over him, and his face darkened. "Can I ask why? Is it because of the price?"

"Because if that's the issue, you should know that no one else would offer you such a high price!"

Lu Chen knew this to be true.

Times have changed from the 80s and 90s. The rise of the internet and rampant piracy had severely weakened the recording industry. 

Nowadays, celebrities thrive on fan-based and attention-driven economies, relying on outrageous stunts and publicity to generate buzz. The days when a hit record could guarantee huge profits were long gone.

The status of songwriters in pop music had naturally diminished as well.

Moreover, with the advancement of technology, even ordinary people could compose music using software like *Songwriter Master*. The barriers to entry for composing music had been significantly lowered, flooding the market with subpar creations.

Amateur songwriters who managed to write a somewhat decent song would be willing to sell it for a mere three or five hundred yuan without even bothering to register it with the Greater China Music Library. 

Professional songwriters might command higher prices, but newcomers or lower-tier writers would only ask for two to three thousand yuan at most— if anyone was interested in their work. Often, they would have to offer discounts just to attract buyers.

The fact that Qingyu Media was offering twenty thousand yuan for Lu Chen's *My Old Classmate* was already a premium price, treating him like an established name!

After all, this was Lu Chen's first song, and it hadn't even been tested in the market.

That's why Song Xinwei was so frustrated— how could this newcomer be so clueless?

But for Lu Chen, the issue wasn't the price.

"It's not about the money," he said earnestly. "I'm willing to sell the copyright for twenty thousand, but I can't agree to the other clauses."

Lu Chen knew that *My Old Classmate* was worth far more than twenty thousand, but out of respect for Chen Jianhao's relationship with Su Qingmei and not wanting to offend a major media company, he was willing to take a loss.

But only for this one song!

Understanding Lu Chen's meaning, Song Xinwei's attitude didn't change. He scoffed, "Little Lu, think about it. Without these conditions, do you think we'd offer such a high price? Who do you think you are? Besides, you still retain your naming rights— this is your chance to get famous. You should appreciate that!"

He was just short of pointing at Lu Chen and saying, "Don't be ungrateful!"

Lu Chen's eyebrows furrowed, and he said in a low voice, "Manager Song, I'm just a nobody. A big company like Qingyu Media is too high for me to reach. You'd better find someone more suitable!"

His parting words, if overheard by Su Qingmei, would probably infuriate her beyond belief.

Lu Chen had his pride. It was deeply ingrained in his bones. While the pressure of life had once forced him to bend and bow his head, his knees had never wavered!

With that, he stood up, nodded at Dong Xuan, and said to Chen Jianhao, "Boss, I'll head down first. I still have to perform."

Chen Jianhao, who had remained silent during the conversation, now smiled and said, "Go ahead. I'll stay and have a couple more drinks with Manager Song."

"Thank you, Boss!"

Without even glancing at Song Xinwei, Lu Chen left the reserved seating area.

Song Xinwei was so furious he nearly threw his glass. Glaring at Chen Jianhao, he said coldly, "Boss Chen, your employee sure has guts. I've certainly seen that today!"

"Haha, young people," Chen Jianhao laughed it off. "They're all like that. Weren't we young once too? Come on, let's drink!"

But Song Xinwei had lost his appetite for drinking. He was feeling more defeated than ever before.

(End of Chapter)