Perfect Superstar.

"Huh? What's going on here?"

At that moment, the door to the backroom was pushed open, and Chen Jianhao strode in.

Seeing the scene before him, the owner of Daylily Bar was surprised. He couldn't understand what was happening or why Sister Na was crying while hugging Lu Chen.

"Boss!"

Sister Na released Lu Chen, her face both tear-streaked and smiling. She walked over to Chen Jianhao and said, "Little Lu wrote a song for me. Take a look and tell me what you think."

Chen Jianhao, astonished, took the sheet of paper that Sister Na handed him and carefully examined the printed score.

He studied it for a full five minutes, his expression shifting from seriousness to being moved, to admiration and reflection.

After he finished reading, Chen Jianhao remained silent.

"Boss, what do you think?" 

Sister Na asked anxiously, like a student awaiting a teacher's verdict, rather than someone who had been in the vagabond singer circuit for over twenty years. She was eager for praise but also feared criticism.

"It's a good song!" 

Chen Jianhao answered in a deep voice, "It's a truly good song. I just can't believe that Little Lu wrote this. It's absolutely perfect for you!"

Being a veteran of the show business community, Chen Jianhao's musical knowledge surpassed that of Sister Na, allowing him to grasp the deeper layers of the song's meaning.

So, it was hard for him to believe that this song was written by Lu Chen.

Sister Na wiped the remaining tears from her face and smiled, "Yes, I tried singing it just now and ended up crying."

Even though everyone present, including Chen Jianhao, was younger than her, Sister Na didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed.

All she felt was excitement and gratitude.

"This song needs to be done well!" 

Chen Jianhao waved the sheet music and said, "It's more than enough to be the title track of an album. If it's handled properly, it has the potential to be a big hit!"

**An album? A title track?**

Li Hong, Ye Zhenyang, and Wang Xiaoshu were all dumbfounded, wondering if they had heard correctly.

They now understood that Sister Na's emotional reaction was due to the song Lu Chen had written for her, but they hadn't realized just how good it was. Chen Jianhao had just given them the answer on the spot!

For any vagabond singer, unless they had completely lost their ambition, releasing an album was one of the most important goals of their career, even though producing albums wasn't as profitable as it once was.

An album, or a record, represents a singer's talent, status, and credibility!

Sister Na smiled wryly, "I don't dare dream of releasing an album. I'd be satisfied with just putting out a music single— that would leave no regrets in my heart!"

Nowadays, most vagabond singers who tried to release records ended up losing money unless they were popular stars or idols. Ordinary singers didn't dare to hope for that.

In comparison, releasing a music single was much more achievable and was quite popular in their circle.

Chen Jianhao didn't object, "A music single would be great too. If you need help, just let me know. I still have some connections."

Sister Na gratefully replied, "Thank you, Boss!"

Chen Jianhao had always appreciated Sister Na's talent and had taken good care of her. With his wide network, getting a music single out would be no problem at all with his help.

Chen Jianhao smiled, "You should be thanking Little Lu. His song is… simply brilliant!"

Sister Na nodded, "That's for sure!"

After some thought, she took out her phone, lit up the screen, and quickly tapped a few buttons.

A moment later, Lu Chen's phone buzzed with the notification of a received text message.

Surprised, Lu Chen quickly pulled out his phone and saw that it was a message from EasyPay, informing him that his account had just received a deposit of 30,000 Yuan.

There was no doubt that the 30,000 Yuan had come from Sister Na!

EasyPay transfers were very convenient. All you needed was the recipient's phone number, and the funds were transferred in real-time.

Lu Chen was taken aback. "Sister Na, 30,000 Yuan is too much!"

He gave this song to Sister Na to repay her for her care and also because the song was truly suited for her.

As for how much to charge for writing the song, Lu Chen hadn't thought about it.

Sister Na, on the other hand, had a completely different perspective: "Little Lu, 30,000 Yuan for this song is way too little. Even adding a zero would be completely worth it. I just don't have that much money right now, but I'll make it up to you in the future!"

She understood the real value of a good song. Ever since the rise of pop music in the 80s and 90s, many vagabond singers had shot to fame across Jiangnan and Jiangbei with a single classic song, making fortunes for years to come. Some of those songs were worth hundreds of thousands.

Of course, buying a song wasn't just about its price. Whether a song became popular depended on many factors, especially in the current internet age, where gaining fame often required significant hype and behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

Even so, Sister Na still felt that offering 30,000 Yuan was a great disservice to Lu Chen.

Lu Chen couldn't help scratching his head and said, "Sister Na, you saying this makes me feel really embarrassed!"

**How pretentious!** 

Ye Zhenyang and the others cursed inwardly, filled with jealousy and resentment toward Lu Chen.

Writing one song brought in 30,000 Yuan. If he wrote ten or eight more, wouldn't he be making hundreds of thousands? Since when did Lu Chen become so talented? Not only did he write and sing for himself, but now he could write for others too!

Among the three of them, Li Hong's feelings were the most complicated. She envied Lu Chen and was even more jealous that Sister Na had gotten such a good song. She couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't lucky enough to have the same opportunity.

Li Hong also wanted to buy a song from Lu Chen, but the 30,000 Yuan price was far too steep. She could easily hire a renowned songwriter for that amount, and she couldn't afford or justify spending so much!

Though vagabond singers earned decent money, the cost of living in the capital was incredibly high— rent, living expenses, daily necessities, clothes, makeup, beauty treatments— by the end of the year, there wasn't much left to save.

So all she could do was watch with envy and jealousy.

In reality, Li Hong was overthinking it. Even if she had 30,000 Yuan to spend, Lu Chen wouldn't sell her a song.

They didn't have that kind of relationship!

"Alright, everyone, get ready for the performance." 

Chen Jianhao clapped his hands and said, "Little Lu, come over. I have something to talk to you about."

Lu Chen followed him, and the two began a private conversation in the corner of the room.

Chen Jianhao got straight to the point: "Just now, the owner of Blue Lotus Flower, Chang Wei, came by with a few industry folks. They might invite you to perform at the Music Night this Saturday."

Lu Chen was surprised. "Invite me?"

Blue Lotus Flower was the largest and most powerful bar in Houhai. It had been around for a long time, and its owner, Chang Wei, was a well-known figure in the industry with a lot of influence.

Lu Chen had visited Blue Lotus Flower before, and its parking lot alone was much bigger than Daylily's. The bar often hosted outdoor music festivals that attracted thousands of guests and music lovers.

Blue Lotus Flower's Music Night had a tradition of inviting singers from other venues, but the invitees were always talented and capable performers. If you couldn't handle the stage, you'd get booed off quickly.

Singers were eager to participate, not only for the pay but also because many entertainment media companies attended, scouting for new talent. It could be a golden opportunity for a record deal or a path to fame.

Lu Chen had, of course, heard about Blue Lotus Flower's Music Night, but he hadn't expected Chang Wei to invite him.

Chen Jianhao said, "Yes, but it depends on how you perform. You couldn't make it last night because you had something going on, but tonight, you'd better not let me down!"

Though spoken jokingly, it was clear from Chen Jianhao's tone that he was serious.

Lu Chen nodded, suddenly struck by a thought: "Boss, does this have something to do with Director Su?"

He was still just a small-time vagabond singer in a bar. Even if he'd written two good songs, it didn't seem like enough to warrant this level of attention from Chang Wei. There had to be another reason.

Thinking of his encounter with Su Qingmei at the bar earlier, Lu Chen couldn't help but ask.

"Cough, Cough!" 

Chen Jianhao cleared his throat and said, "This Music Night at Blue Lotus Flower is sponsored by Qingyu Media, and the owner of Qingyu Media is close with Chang Wei, so..."

So that's how it was!

Lu Chen suddenly understood. He still couldn't figure out why Su Qingmei was so fixated on him, unwilling to give up.

Chen Jianhao patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't overthink it. Just focus on your performance. It's a great opportunity, and as for the rest, stick to your principles— no one can force you to do anything you don't want."

Lu Chen smiled. "I understand. Thank you, Boss."

At this point in his life, there wasn't much he needed to worry about anymore! 

(End of the Chapter)

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