Perfect Superstar.

[Whale TV], Lu Fei's Live Streaming Room,

When the live-streamed footage showed Chen Fei'er awarding Lu Chen a perfect score of 10, the entire streaming room erupted into chaos!

"Long live Lu Fei!"

"Awesome! That performance was incredible, and Chen Fei'er's scoring was spot on!"

"I love Lu Fei, and I love Chen Fei'er too!"

"Do you think our host might have a chance with Chen Fei'er? She seemed really touched."

"Wake up, dreamers! Time to get back to work and stop talking nonsense!"

"Haha, nice thought, but let's be realistic. Chen Fei'er is already in her 30s!"

"I hereby declare that from now on, I'm a fan of Chen Fei'er!"

"Top 16 is a done deal!"

"Tips incoming, tips incoming!"

Li Feiyu, the host of the live stream, had already screamed himself hoarse and was grinning from ear to ear.

Even though he had resigned from his 4S dealership job just a few days ago, joined Lu Chen's workshop, and was constantly running around busy every day, he had fallen deeply in love with this passionate, vibrant job!

"Bring on the Fish Balls!"

"Let the tycoons shower me with Aircraft Carriers until I'm overwhelmed!"

Somewhere on one floor of the Blue Sky Creative Park's A8 building, cries of excitement echoed like ghostly wails.

Those working late-night overtime in the same building shivered at the eerie sounds, their hair standing on end.

"It must be the air conditioning— it's too cold!"

…

Daylily Bar

On the big screen above the stage, Lin Zhijie had just scored Lu Chen.

"10 points!"

The same as Chen Fei'er's— full marks!

Cheers erupted inside the bar. Many patrons clapped and cheered, while others whistled loudly.

Some pounded the tables and shouted, "More drinks! Bring more drinks!"

They all knew Lu Chen, the straightforward, charming, and handsome young man. While some regretted that Lu Chen was no longer performing at Daylily, they were thrilled to see him stepping onto a much larger stage.

Now, Lu Chen stood truly in the spotlight, in front of millions of television viewers.

A new star in the music world was rising.

And they could proudly tell others, "See that talented and handsome guy? I once requested a song from him, drank with him, and chatted about music with him."

They shared in his glory!

Behind the bar, Chen Jianhao announced loudly, "The next round of drinks is on me!"

The cheers grew even louder.

Tonight at Daylily Bar, no one would sleep!

The bartender, David, shook his head and asked, "Boss, Little Lu is only in the elimination rounds. There are still many competitions ahead. If he keeps winning, are you planning to cover drinks for the whole bar each time?"

Chen Jianhao froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, clapping the bartender on the shoulder.

"You don't understand."

…

Beijing University Girls' Dormitory

Ye Zitong stared nervously at her laptop screen, biting her red lips. Her left hand rested on the trackpad, while her right hand gripped the bedsheet tightly, as if ready to scream at any moment.

Chen Fei'er had given Lu Chen 10 points. Lin Zhijie had also awarded him 10 points.

"What about the next judge?"

The next judge was Zhen Zhen.

The chief editor of Popular Music magazine gave Lu Chen a score of... "9 points!"

Only 9 points?

Although it was already an exceptionally high score, Ye Zitong felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. She even started to feel annoyed at Zhen Zhen.

"Why did you only give him 9 points?"

Zhen Zhen commented, "Your song is beautifully written and performed, but it lacks a bit of emotional depth. That's why I'm giving you 9 points. I hope you'll continue to improve and strive for greater heights!"

Lu Chen smiled and bowed slightly. "Thank you, Teacher Zhen Zhen!"

Witnessing this scene, Ye Zitong couldn't help but feel frustrated. She slammed her laptop shut with a loud clap.

But just three seconds later, she opened it again.

She hadn't seen Tan Hong's score yet!

Tan Hong would definitely give Lu Chen a 10; Ye Zitong was absolutely sure of it!

"10 points!"

…

In Dongping Residential Complex, Binhai City, Lu Xue leaped up from the sofa, cheering in excitement.

"Mom! Tan Hong! Tan Hong also gave my brother 10 points!"

Fang Yun smiled, her eyes glued to the television screen showing her son bowing to thank the judging panel.

The son she worried about day and night had truly grown up. Not only had he earned a lot of money, but he was now appearing on TV, enjoying the joy and honor of success.

Fang Yun never realized Lu Chen possessed such extraordinary talent. His future achievements would undoubtedly surpass his father's!

Thinking of Lu Qingsheng, Fang Yun's eyes welled up with tears.

"Old Lu, can you see from the heavens how accomplished your son has become? He's going to be a star!"

Fang Yun smiled through her tears.

Chen Fei'er: "10 points"

Lin Zhijie: "10 points"

Zhen Zhen: "9 points"

Tan Hong: "10 points"

All four judges had given their scores, and Lu Chen's My Old Classmate earned a total of "39 points."

An almost perfect score!

This meant Lu Chen had secured 39% out of the 40% weightage from the judging panel, practically putting him in an unbeatable position.

Unless he somehow suffered a disastrous loss in the audience and online voting rounds.

But how could that be possible?

The audience's overwhelming applause earlier spoke volumes; his supporters were certainly not in the minority.

As for online votes, the hundreds of thousands of fans on Whale TV were eager to make their voices heard!

With that, Lu Chen's place in the top 16 was all but guaranteed.

Brimming with confidence, he stepped off the stage and returned backstage.

In the 32-to-16 elimination round, the winners' names wouldn't be announced until the very end. Even though Lu Chen was the first to perform, he couldn't leave and had to stay until the show concluded.

Back in the large backstage lounge, the other contestants looked at Lu Chen with a mix of envy, jealousy, and admiration.

They had all watched his performance closely.

A score of 39 from the judging panel was like an insurmountable mountain for most of them, completely unattainable.

Even matching it seemed impossible!

With this honor and qualification, Lu Chen was already a strong contender for the Top 10 of the Capital City division.

Yes, the Top 10, not just the Top 16!

"Senior Lu..."

A delicate and charming girl approached him, offering her heartfelt congratulations. "Congratulations! Your song was amazing."

Lu Chen smiled warmly. "Thank you. Keep it up too!"

The girl was Mu Xiaochu, a freshman from the Foreign Languages College whom Lu Chen had met during the preliminary rounds.

She had successfully advanced through both the preliminary and secondary rounds, earning her spot in the top 32 and qualifying for tonight's round of the top 16.

At that moment, a staff member from the live production team approached hurriedly.

In a low voice, he asked, "Mr. Lu Chen, are you available right now? The program director would like to meet you."

The director of Singing China wants to meet me?

Lu Chen was a little surprised.

Without batting an eyelid, he nodded at Mu Xiaochu and said to the staff member, "No problem."

"Alright, please follow me."

Under the staff member's guidance, Lu Chen left the backstage area of the studio.

After navigating through a winding corridor, they arrived at an office.

Several people were already in the room. When they saw Lu Chen enter, they all stood up to greet him.

The staff member introduced Lu Chen, "This is our program's music director, Director Gu Rui!"

Gu Rui was a well-mannered middle-aged man in his forties, tall and slender with black-rimmed glasses. He exuded a certain artistic charisma. The others in the office were also part of the production team.

After Lu Chen sat down, Gu Rui personally poured him a cup of tea.

The music director was straightforward and got straight to the point, saying, "Lu Chen, I'm here on behalf of the production team to ask if you would be willing to transfer the copyright for the song you performed last time to us at Capital City TV."

"We'd like to use your Walking While Singing as the theme song for Singing China's promotional campaign and for the regional PK rounds!"

So that's what this is about!

Gu Rui's request didn't catch Lu Chen off guard or particularly excite him.

Even before the auditions ended, he had specifically prepared the song "Life on a String" with the intent of using it as a theme for Singing China. He had strategically performed it during the qualifiers.

In fact, Lu Chen was genuinely surprised that Capital City TV had taken two weeks to approach him. He had assumed they would contact him much sooner.

Of course, outwardly, Lu Chen remained composed and smiled as he replied, "That's absolutely no problem. I'm thrilled that the production team chose my song!"

Gu Rui visibly relaxed and said, "Great! Let's discuss the terms for the copyright transfer now."

Unexpectedly, Lu Chen hesitated for a moment before responding, "Director Gu, here's the situation: I'm happy to transfer the copyright to you, but my agent will need to handle the specific terms."

"Your agent?"

Gu Rui asked in surprise, "You have an agent?"

His information on Lu Chen didn't mention anything about him having an agent.

This development complicated things.

Gu Rui had initially planned to secure the copyright for Life on a String easily, leveraging the program's prestige.

But Lu Chen had just pulled out the "agent" card— an ace in the hole!

Suddenly, Gu Rui realized he might have underestimated this sharp and confident young man.

Lu Chen noticed Gu Rui's subtle change in expression and smiled lightly. "Director Gu, rest assured, I don't think my agent will propose any unreasonable terms. After all, Singing China has such tremendous influence."

Lu Chen indeed intended to leverage Singing China to boost his reputation and promote himself, so he wasn't planning to demand excessive terms.

In truth, he could have granted the license for free, but certain principles still had to be upheld.

Otherwise, people might see him as an easy target.

This was precisely where having an agent made all the difference.

Gu Rui couldn't help but ask, "When can your agent come to discuss this with us?"

Lu Chen flashed a smile. "How about next Monday?"

'(End of Chapter)'

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