PS-Chapter 142 Prepared for Chen Fei'er

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Eileen Chang once remarked, "Fame should come early."

Wen Zhiyuan had spent over a decade in the entertainment industry and had seen many young artists rise to fame at a young age. Yet, he had never met anyone as calm, humble, and composed as Lu Chen, who was neither arrogant nor overly submissive.

Many newcomers may seem modest in the face of praise and success, but often, they harbor pride and self-satisfaction beneath the surface. Their emotions tend to seep through their eyes and subtle gestures.

Anyone with insight and experience, like Wen Zhiyuan, can easily see this.

But Lu Chen was different. His humility was genuine and not just a facade. To Wen Zhiyuan, Lu Chen felt like an unfathomable deep pool, impossible to read at a glance.

What Wen Zhiyuan didn't know was that just a few months ago, Lu Chen was a completely different person.

In his long dream, Lu Chen lived three different lives and merged the memories of three individuals from those dream worlds. Overnight, he shed his former naivety and immaturity, which naturally made him stand out.

The invaluable experiences from the dream world had also given Lu Chen extraordinary confidence.

Yet, he understood the source of everything he currently possessed, so he never looked down on others.

This unique combination gave Lu Chen a distinctive charm.

'Young people today are truly remarkable!' Wen Zhiyuan secretly admired Lu Chen and became even more determined to invite him to write a song.

Tang Qiaoqiao is a good kid, and her opportunity has finally arrived.

After exchanging pleasantries, Wen Zhiyuan introduced Li Zhigao and Tang Qiaoqiao to Lu Chen.

Unbeknownst to Lu Chen, before his arrival, a small power struggle had unfolded within the Baidi Culture agency department, resulting in a change in the artist he was supposed to write a song for. However, this didn't affect his sincerity toward the collaboration.

After "In Spring" became a hit, several entertainment agencies approached Lu Chen's workshop to request songs, but they were all deterred by his asking price.

Times have changed. Now that Lu Chen has won the championship title in "Singing China" and released several outstanding original works, people have recognized his talent and strength. His previous asking price no longer seems unreasonable.

Lu Chen had Lu Xi raise the price.

Every piece of work in his memory is a masterpiece or even a classic. He would rather let them sit unused than sell them cheaply.

Apart from Qingyu Media, which had already tasted the benefits, Baidi Agency was the first to show genuine interest in collaborating with Lu Chen. That's why he took the initiative to come for the audition.

Some songwriters sell whatever they write as long as they get paid, regardless of who sings it.

Others tailor their songs to the singer's vocal range, appearance, or even personality. The latter group often holds a higher status in the entertainment industry.

Lu Chen wants to be part of the latter— he has too many works in his memory and can always find one that fits the requirements!

Wen Zhiyuan truly didn't know this. If he did, he would probably be dumbfounded.

The head of Baidi Culture's agency department led everyone to the listening room.

Baidi Culture Agency is a medium-sized company with many signed artists but no independent recording studio. Production is outsourced to other companies, and Delong Building houses top-tier production units like Tian Lai (Heavenly Sound) Workshop.

However, a listening room is indispensable.

After an album or single is produced, it must be brought back to the company for relevant personnel to listen to and determine the marketing and promotion strategy.

Therefore, Baidi Culture's listening room is quite professional, equipped with all the necessary audio equipment, including a large-screen projector. With accompaniment tracks and a microphone, it can easily double as a high-end karaoke room.

In this space, Tang Qiaoqiao sang two songs for Lu Chen: a sweet ballad and an upbeat track.

Lu Chen listened intently.

If the full score is 10, Tang Qiaoqiao's appearance is at least a 7, and with careful styling, it could reach an 8.

Her voice has a slight nasal tone, giving off a lazy, sweet-girl vibe that is nevertheless quite pleasant to listen to. It's a voice with potential and character, which is why Baidi Culture signed her.

However, the problem is that Tang Qiaoqiao's characteristics aren't distinct or strong enough, and her singing skills aren't outstanding. In a talent-rich city like the capital, standing out isn't easy.

Unless she has a great song to help her!

After listening, Lu Chen fell into deep thought.

Other songwriters, after hearing a singer's voice, might think about themes, melodies, and composing music to match the singer's characteristics.

Lu Chen's approach was different. He focused on identifying which song would be the perfect fit!

If he wanted to avoid overwhelming anyone, he could have easily written several or even a dozen songs for Tang Qiaoqiao on the spot.

While Lu Chen searched his memory, Tang Qiaoqiao, Li Zhigao, and Wen Zhiyuan remained silent, their eyes fixed on him with hopeful anticipation. Li Zhigao was so nervous that beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

…

Meanwhile, in an office at Baidi Culture, Zhang Shuhui was on the phone with someone.

"Mm-hmm, I see..."

She paced back and forth in the small room, occasionally frowning as she spoke.

Zhang Qiong sat on the sofa, watching her anxious niece with a helpless shake of her head.

This child is always so impulsive, losing her composure at the slightest problem.

Though she was her aunt and agent, she felt more like a caretaker.

After a while, Zhang Shuhui ended the call.

She clutched her phone tightly, looking troubled as she said, "Auntie, that Lu Chen is here. Xiao Chen told me that Manager Wen took him, along with Li Zhigao and Tang Qiaoqiao, into the listening room!"

"What?"

Hearing this, Zhang Qiong was startled, her expression shifting slightly.

But she quickly regained her composure and couldn't help but sneer, "That coward Li Zhigao has learned to be a bit smarter. He must have found a loophole to persuade Wen Zhiyuan to let Lu Chen write a song for Tang Qiaoqiao. He's targeting me!"

Earlier, Zhang Qiong had deliberately spread rumors within the company to embarrass Wen Zhiyuan.

She didn't expect Li Zhigao to seize the opportunity.

Zhang Shuhui hesitated for a moment and asked, "Auntie, what if Tang Qiaoqiao..."

Although both are signed artists under Wen Zhiyuan, Zhang Shuhui has never regarded Tang Qiaoqiao, who debuted before her, as a threat. Tang Qiaoqiao's ranking in the company is one or two levels below hers, so she posed no danger.

But now that Tang Qiaoqiao has connected with Lu Chen, Zhang Shuhui instinctively felt a sense of caution.

As for Lu Chen, Zhang Shuhui was actually quite familiar with him, having watched most of the "Singing China" competitions.

Lu Chen's talent is undeniable. Zhang Shuhui's favorite is still the song he sang in the finals, "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky," which struck a chord deep within her.

So when she learned earlier that Wen Zhiyuan had applied for company funds to have Lu Chen write a song for her, Zhang Shuhui was thrilled.

But Zhang Qiong strongly opposed it.

Zhang Qiong's reasons for opposing were compelling: Lu Chen's style didn't suit her, and his asking price was too high.

According to Zhang Qiong, only an arrogant newcomer who doesn't know their place would dare to charge such a high price. Wen Zhiyuan was being reckless and would make a fool of himself. Zhang Shuhui couldn't afford to become a laughingstock.

Zhang Qiong recommended Xiyu to Zhang Shuhui, as 250,000 could buy three decent songs.

The funds Zhang Qiong worked hard to secure couldn't be squandered by Wen Zhiyuan.

Zhang Shuhui followed Zhang Qiong's advice because she knew her aunt loved her and wouldn't harm her.

But now, hearing this news, her heart was in turmoil again.

What if the song Lu Chen writes for Tang Qiaoqiao is really good and makes her famous?

This was originally her opportunity!

Zhang Qiong knew exactly what Zhang Shuhui was thinking. Without hesitation, she interrupted her and said with great confidence, "Tang Qiaoqiao has no chance. She doesn't have the qualifications to apply for the funds to buy a song."

"Wen Zhiyuan is just putting on a show for us. Since Lu Chen is already here, he can't just send him away, right? So even if it's just for show, he can't afford to offend him."

"Maybe Li Zhigao and Tang Qiaoqiao are just temporary pawns he found!"

The more Zhang Qiong thought about it, the more she felt her guess was correct. She slapped her palm decisively, "That old fox!"

As if that slap had landed on Wen Zhiyuan's face.

Zhang Shuhui immediately felt relieved upon hearing this and smiled.

Zhang Qiong stood up, took her hand, and comforted her, "Shuhui, don't overthink it. I'll contact Xiyu right away and have him write a few really good songs for you. Then we'll release an album!"

"That 's great!"

Zhang Shuhui beamed with joy and immediately hugged Zhang Qiong, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Auntie, you're so good to me!"

"You silly child!"

Zhang Qiong affectionately scolded her.

She secretly reveled in the thought— 'Wen Zhiyuan, you think you can compete with me? You'll be drinking my foot-washing water!'

…

Meanwhile, Wen Zhiyuan was completely unaware of the brewing rivalry. He was eagerly focused on Lu Chen.

In the listening room, Lu Chen finally made up his mind. He turned to Wen Zhiyuan and said, "Manager Wen, I already have an idea for Miss Tang Qiaoqiao's song. Let's do this: I'll bring the work over the day after tomorrow, and we can sign the contract for the copyright transfer."

"What?"

Wen Zhiyuan wondered if he had misheard. "Teacher Lu, are you saying you can finish writing a song for Tang Qiaoqiao by the day after tomorrow?"

That's incredibly fast!

Lu Chen's asking price of 250,000 was the rate of a truly renowned songwriter in the industry. Although it wasn't as high as the top-tier celebrities, it was still quite staggering for Baidi Culture.

And Lu Chen claimed he could finish it in just two days.

Li Zhigao and Tang Qiaoqiao exchanged incredulous glances.

Lu Chen smiled faintly and explained, "This song was originally prepared for Chen Fei'er, but I think it suits Tang Qiaoqiao better."

Chen Fei'er, the Queen of Sweet Songs!

Everyone fell silent, suddenly recalling that Chen Fei'er greatly admires Lu Chen.

She even invited him to be a guest performer at her concert.

So what Lu Chen said was most likely true.

(End of chapter)