Perfect Superstar.

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Three people had just appeared at the entrance of the café. 

The tallest among them was a middle-aged man in his forties, sharply dressed in a suit. 

Following him were a woman in a white dress and a tall, thin man wearing glasses.

Zhao Deping recognized the tall man very well. 

Wu Hongming, the Operations Supervisor of ''Whale TV''! 

Zhao Deping and Wu Hongming were not only former colleagues but also old friends who had known each other for many years. However, their friendship had long since faded, and it would be fair to say that they were now enemies.

Upon seeing Wu Hongming, Zhao Deping immediately understood. 

He had been outsmarted by Lu Chen!

Lu Chen never intended to sign with ''Starry Media''; he already knew that Zhao Deping was Super Admin 002!

Zhao Deping suddenly turned around and, not surprisingly, saw a mocking smile on Lu Chen's face. 

It was unmasked derision! 

The face of this manager from ''Starry Media'' turned a deep shade of purple and a wave of pent-up anger boiled in his chest, making him feel dizzy and light-headed. He struggled to maintain his composure and not make a fool of himself on the spot.

He had truly made a massive fool of himself today!

Zhao Deping thought that handling a mere twenty-something newcomer would be a piece of cake. He never imagined that Lu Chen would be toying with him, using this as revenge for their past grievances.

He had flown over 2,000 kilometers to the Capital City, practically serving himself up on a platter! 

What was even more outrageous was that just moments ago, Lu Chen had been discussing contracts with him in all seriousness, showcasing acting skills that could get him into the film industry!

It wasn't just simple revenge; Zhao Deping quickly realized that Lu Chen was also using him— or more accurately, using ''Starry Media''— as leverage to negotiate a new contract with ''Whale TV''. Otherwise, why would Wu Hongming appear so conveniently?

"You!" 

Zhao Deping wanted to burst out in anger, but countless words were stuck in his throat, and he could only spit out one syllable. 

He sadly discovered that he was completely powerless against Lu Chen!

The Lu Chen of now was no longer the small streamer from ''Starry Live'' whom he could easily manipulate.

"Since Manager Zhao isn't interested, let's just forget about it."

Lu Chen stood up with a smile, pulled out his wallet from his pocket, and placed a 50 Yuan bill under his coffee cup, saying, "I hope we have another chance to cooperate in the future. Goodbye!"

Nodding at the stunned little assistant, Lu Chen left with a confident stride. 

At that moment, it felt like a stampede was raging in Zhao Deping's heart. 

He stared fiercely at Lu Chen's retreating figure, and if looks could kill, Lu Chen would be riddled with wounds! 

His assistant timidly asked, "Manager Zhao, what should we do now?"

"Go back!"

Zhao Deping struggled to stand up, weakly saying, "We're heading back immediately."

Staying here would only be a further humiliation; he truly didn't want Wu Hongming to see him in such a pathetic state.

The assistant wanted to say that their return tickets hadn't been booked yet, but given Zhao Deping's current condition, speaking salt into the wound would surely lead to getting fired.

As the two were leaving the café, a polite yet vigilant reminder suddenly came from behind.

"Sir, you forgot to pay the bill." 

The waiter's voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet café, it was exceptionally clear. Many nearby guests turned their heads to look, most with curiosity or disdain in their eyes.

Zhao Deping's face, which had finally regained some color, turned a bright shade of red again in an instant.

He noticed Wu Hongming, not far away, who was talking to Lu Chen, looking over at him as well. 

This manager from ''Starry Media'' nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Had he known it would end like this, he wouldn't have come to the Capital City at all. Not only had he been humiliated, but he had also failed to complete his primary task, leaving him with no way to explain it to Zhang Guangjie.

He could easily foresee his bleak and desperate future in the company! 

...

"Zhao Deping." 

Wu Hongming glanced at his old rival, lightly snorting and saying, "He really has some nerve!"

As for the fact that Zhao Deping was Super Admin 002 of ''Starry Live'', he had told Lu Chen that.

After the executive meeting of ''Whale TV'' ended last night, he personally called Lu Chen to discuss the contract. It was then that he learned that ''Starry Media'' was also sending someone to the Capital City.

Based on his knowledge of Zhao Deping, Wu Hongming revealed this not-so-secret secret to Lu Chen. 

He understood very well that the person ''Starry Media'' sent to poach someone was bound to be that Operations Supervisor! 

As expected, it was just as he thought.

At the same time, Wu Hongming couldn't help but admire Lu Chen; the latter had clearly played a trick on Zhao Deping while using the presence of ''Starry Media'' to subtly remind him— not to let the new contract price fall short.

In business, he didn't believe there was anything wrong with Lu Chen's actions and was well-prepared for it.

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Let's sit down and chat!"

The representatives from ''Whale TV'' who came to negotiate the new contract were Wu Hongming and Wu Shanshan. He was meeting the former for the first time, but he frequently chatted with the latter on WeChat, making this their first face-to-face meeting.

As for the third member of their party, the tall, thin man with glasses, his identity turned out to be an editor from YunJing Music Network!

The man's name was Sui An, with the ID "Feels At Ease Whatever The Circumstances").

Lu Chen certainly knew about YunJing Music Network; it was one of the leading music websites in the country. The appearance of this Editor, Sui An, gave him a subtle association.

As for the truth, that would require a careful understanding over time.

The four of them found a spot to sit down. After ordering coffee and tea, they quickly got to the main topic.

Wu Hongming presented Lu Chen with an electronic contract.

The advantage of an electronic contract is its convenience for modifications; once finalized, it can be easily printed as a formal contract.

''Whale TV'''s sincerity was evident in this electronic contract.

The new contract they offered Lu Chen was 50+50+70%+30%, which included a signing fee of 500,000 Yuan, an annual salary of 500,000 Yuan, a 70% share of rewards, and a 30% share of value-added benefits. The contract duration was three years, with ''Whale TV'' holding the rights to early termination and priority renewal.

The most crucial point was that ''Whale TV'' did not require ownership of his original copyrights, only reasonable authorization.

Lu Chen carefully reviewed the electronic contract on Wu Shanshan's laptop and found no traps or ambiguous terms; the rights and obligations of both parties were clear! 

He was undoubtedly very satisfied, but he still had conditions to propose.

"Manager Wu,"

Lu Chen spoke directly to Wu Hongming, "I have two points: First, the signing fee of 500,000 is too low. Second, a three-year contract is too long; I hope it can be changed to two years. Other than that, I have no objections!"

For a newcomer streamer, a signing fee of 500,000 Yuan was quite impressive, but given Lu Chen's current popularity, it really wasn't much. 

''Whale TV'''s top heroine, broadcaster Baby Qing'er, was rumored to have a signing fee of 5 Million Yuan!

Of course, for promotional needs, the 5 Million signing fee might be inflated, but even if significantly reduced, two to three Million Yuan would still be a substantial amount. In comparison, the 500,000 Yuan signing fee offered to Lu Chen was undoubtedly insufficient.

Wu Hongming pondered for a moment and said, "Lu Chen, both of your conditions are negotiable, but please let me think about it. In the meantime, why don't you talk to Editor Sui An?"

Lu Chen had no objections; he was quite curious about the intentions of this Editor from YunJing Music Network.

Sui An's purpose was straightforward: he hoped Lu Chen could organize his original works into a complete music album and then promote it on YunJing Music Network for paid downloads!

"Creator of Campus Folk Songs!"

Excitement sparkled in Sui An's eyes as he said, "I've listened to all the original songs you performed on the PK theme show several times. Apart from 'Flying Higher' and 'Blue Lotus Flower,' the styles of your other songs are perfect for recording a folk album. They have unique selling points, and I believe the sales will be impressive!"

Lu Chen was genuinely tempted.

Producing an album was the dream of countless vagabond singers. Even if it was an online album, being able to promote and sell it on a major music platform like Yun Jing Music Network was something many people aspired to.

Lu Chen had many songs in his memory from the dream world, and his own works had a very unified style. Apart from using them in the PK theme show, weren't they also preparing for an album release?

However, it wasn't easy for an unknown newcomer vagabond singer to release an album; even if one managed to do so, it would often result in a loss. 

It was possible that he wouldn't even make a profit from the promotion!

Lu Chen didn't want to do something just to inflate his own image.

However, now that the opportunity was right in front of him, why not seize it?

(End Of The Chapter)