Perfect Superstar.

Capital City TV, Programming Department.

The freshly printed contract paper was still warm as Lu Chen signed his name with a pen.

It was a copyright transfer agreement.

This contract transferred partial copyright and usage rights of Lu Chen's song "Walking While Sing" to Capital City TV.

It was Monday, and Lu Chen had contacted the music director of Singing China, Gu Rui, earlier that morning. By afternoon, he and his sister, Lu Xi, had arrived at the TV station to finalize the deal.

As Lu Chen's manager, Lu Xi quickly adapted to her role. She handled almost the entire negotiation process, leaving Lu Chen to sit on the side and smile.

A smile was enough.

In the entertainment industry, a star's image is crucial. With numerous contracts to navigate, managing them alone can be exhausting and leave one vulnerable to exploitation. Therefore, having a manager is an essential standard.

The reliability and professionalism of a manager often determine a star's future success.

Many in the entertainment world have seen their careers crumble due to choosing the wrong manager.

Lu Chen's decision to have his sister as his manager was rooted in trust. Although Lu Xi wasn't as close to him as their younger sister, Lu Xue, she would undoubtedly stand by him against outsiders.

Moreover, Lu Xi held a manager's certification and was sharp enough for the job.

A good manager needs to be tough— this role is not for the faint-hearted. While Lu Xi wasn't a naturally tough person, her strength and sharpness ensured that Lu Chen would receive fair treatment.

Even as a first-time entertainment manager, her performance was impressive.

The day before, Lu Xi had spent the entire day researching materials on entertainment management and Capital City TV.

Before the negotiation, she had even drafted a contract in advance.

The agreement stipulated that "Walking While Sing" would be licensed to Capital City TV for ten years. The network could use the song for Singing China's production and promotion. The transfer fee? A symbolic 1 yuan.

In return, Lu Chen would retain performance rights. Only he could sing the song, and Capital City TV was prohibited from authorizing covers by others. Additionally, Lu Chen would perform "Walking While Sing" at the network's National Day Gala.

Since its inception, Capital City TV has hosted an annual National Day Gala. Although it wasn't as grand as the national broadcaster's event, its domestic ratings were respectable.

Appearing at this stage required both talent and connections.

In short, Lu Chen retained most of his rights while securing a valuable opportunity to increase his visibility.

Winning this deal wasn't easy. For Lu Chen, Capital City TV was a colossal entity. The relationship between the two parties was far from equal.

A single song was insignificant to Capital City TV, but for Lu Chen, the network was currently the most crucial platform in his fledgling career. Even if the network demanded an unconditional copyright transfer, he wouldn't have had much choice.

But Lu Xi, with her sincerity and persistence, managed to convince Gu Rui and the production team's representatives.

Of course, the agreement stayed within the network's acceptable terms, resulting in a mutually beneficial contract.

"Pleasure working together!"

After signing the contract, Lu Chen shook Gu Rui's hand firmly. "Thank you, Director Gu."

Gu Rui returned the handshake and smiled. "The future belongs to young talents like you. Lu Chen, you've got an outstanding manager. I'm looking forward to more collaborations in the future."

Gu Rui had a favorable impression of Lu Xi and was even more surprised to learn she was Lu Chen's sister.

The siblings didn't resemble each other much.

Gu Rui's words carried some hidden meaning, but Lu Chen didn't catch on.

"Thank you!"

Leaving Capital City TV, Lu Chen and Lu Xi returned to their rented apartment.

Dinner was prepared by Lu Xi, using fresh ingredients bought from a nearby supermarket.

In terms of cooking, Lu Xi had inherited their mother Fang Yun's skills. The few homely dishes she prepared were colorful, fragrant, and flavorful, leaving Lu Chen full of praise.

It felt just like being home.

Halfway through dinner, Lu Chen suddenly said, "Sis, once I pay off the family debt, I'll buy a big house here in Capital City. Mom can retire early and come live with us, and Lu Xue can attend school here too."

"That way, our family can be reunited again."

Back when he was working part-time at KFC, lying in bed exhausted after a long day, Lu Chen occasionally dreamed of such a scenario. But he never thought it could become reality.

The heavy debt weighing on his family made him believe his life would never change.

Now, though the debt remained, realizing his dream didn't seem so far-fetched.

Lu Xi's expression froze momentarily. She slowly swallowed her food before saying, "Let's eat."

Her voice carried an unprecedented gentleness.

After a pause, she added, "Mom probably won't want to move here. She's used to living in Binhai."

Her tone returned to its usual demeanor.

Lu Chen nodded silently.

After dinner, he headed to the creative park's workshop.

He had given the apartment in Jin Cheng Yuan to Lu Xi while he temporarily lived in the workshop. His live-streaming setup had already been relocated there, and he continued his regular live streams from that space.

After signing the contract with Whale TV, Lu Chen not only received a share of the rewards but also earned a substantial monthly salary as a streamer. Correspondingly, he was obligated to fulfill his responsibilities, which included maintaining a sufficient number of live-streaming hours.

After finishing his livestream, Lu Chen slept in the rest area. 

The next day, Tuesday, July 28, he got up early to go for a run.

Morning exercise had become a good habit for Lu Chen. Through consistent workouts, he could clearly feel the positive changes in his body— he is healthier, more energetic, and full of vitality.

The only difference was that he had shifted his exercise location from the riverside to the central garden in the creative park.

At 9 a.m., after having breakfast, Lu Chen returned to the workshop.

"Big Chen, come here quick!"

As soon as he unlocked the door and stepped inside, he heard Li Feiyu shouting from the other room, "Something's happened!"

Lu Chen felt a pang of unease in his chest and rushed over. "What's going on?"

Li Feiyu was in the streaming room, sitting in front of the computer. The screen displayed the interface of Wave Blog.

Currently, Li Feiyu is serving as Lu Chen's assistant. Besides helping him complete his streaming tasks, he also managed Lu Chen's blog, Fish Nest account, and WeChat groups to strengthen communication and interaction with fans.

"Take a look at this!"

Li Feiyu opened the comment section of Lu Chen's latest blog post, titled "Lu Chen FMX."

The post itself was ordinary— a casual selfie of Lu Chen accompanied by a few lines of text. Yet, the comment count had skyrocketed to over 30,000, an anomaly for such content.

Shockingly, the comments were overwhelmingly filled with insults.

"What kind of trash creator is this? How does he compare to our Xiaoxiao?"

"Haha, using our Xiaoxiao for clout?"

"You think you're on the same level as Ling Xiaoxiao? Apologize, or don't blame us for what happens next!"

"'In Spring' is so awful; this garbage song is only for outdated losers."

"Apologize! Apologize! Apologize!"

"Shameless clout-chaser, Lu Chen, get out of the entertainment industry!"

"Be down-to-earth. Stop using shady tricks to climb the ranks. What's the point?"

"Get lost! Get lost! Get lost..."

Many comments contained even harsher profanity, polluting the screen.

Although Lu Chen had good self-control, seeing these vile messages still made his blood boil.

"Are these people crazy? Who the hell is Ling Xiaoxiao? Do I even know him?"

His first instinct was that someone had deliberately targeted him. He wanted to lash out, but he didn't even know whom to curse.

Li Feiyu quickly interjected, "Calm down first. I think I've figured it out."

He opened a new webpage, also on Wave Blog, but belonging to another blogger.

The blogger's name was "Stray Cat," a small verified account with over 300,000 followers. Their latest post has been shared more than 25,000 times and had over 50,000 likes!

The problem lay in the content of that post.

''False Reputation on 'The Strongest Singer': Exposing the Truth Behind the Elimination of 'In Spring''s Creator, Lu Chen!"

What?!

Lu Chen never expected the attack on his blog to be related to his elimination in the auditions for The Strongest Singer. He couldn't even fathom how this minor blogger had uncovered "the truth."

But to say he was entirely clueless wouldn't be accurate. At the very least, Lu Chen had a certain someone in mind.

He immediately asked Li Feiyu to open the full-length blog post.

On Wave Blog, posts were categorized as short (under 50 characters) or long (unlimited characters but requiring a click to view the full content).

The long post finally explained everything to Lu Chen.

Even without delving into the so-called "truth," the last line of the post was enough to reveal why he had attracted so much hate.

'''The Strongest Singer': Lu Chen leaves Ling Xiaoxiao in the dust by three streets!"

That single sentence was a magnet for hatred. Lu Chen didn't even know who Ling Xiaoxiao was, yet "Stray Cat" had dragged him into this mess.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

If he were to blame Stray Cat, the blogger have praised him generously, defended him, criticized Xiangnan TV, and indirectly boosted his visibility and fame.

If he chose not to blame them, then was Ling Xiaoxiao merely collateral damage?

Lu Chen quickly learned who Ling Xiaoxiao was.

Ling Xiaoxiao was a rising star who had emerged from the Huhai auditions of The Strongest Singer. With strong performances in the auditions, preliminary, and secondary rounds, his three original songs had received widespread acclaim from the industry. As a result, Xiangnan TV was heavily promoting him!

Ling Xiaoxiao also had a blog on Wave Blog, boasting over 3 million followers.

Among his fans were many teenagers, who had become the main force attacking Lu Chen.

(End of chapter)

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