Perfect Superstar.

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A very beautiful hand— slender but not lacking in roundness, as white as paper, perfectly flawless. The fingers were long and elegant, like green onions, with neatly trimmed nails showing a healthy pink hue, without any nail polish.

Undoubtedly, it was a woman's hand. She gracefully and skillfully took the wine glass, as if this 'Burning' cocktail was made specifically for her, not something she had just taken from Lu Chen.

Lu Chen couldn't help but turn his head to look and saw a face that left a deep impression on him.

It was Su Qingmei, the Director of Qingyu Media!

This evening, Director Su had changed into a casual outfit, looking much more composed, without the seductive allure she had before.

Lu Chen politely greeted her, "Hello, Director Su."

His tone was polite, but there was a touch of distant coldness. Lu Chen didn't believe that this woman, whom he had once refused, was here just to steal a cocktail.

Instinctively, he felt cautious.

"Hello, Mr. Lu Chen,"

Su Qingmei responded coolly. She took a small sip from the cocktail, then commented, "There's too much juice, diluting the alcohol. It tastes sweet rather than strong. 'Burning' doesn't live up to its name."

David, the bartender, exaggeratedly opened his mouth and said, "Miss Su, the alcohol content in 'Burning' is already quite high!"

"But not high enough, right?"

Su Qingmei placed the wine glass back on the bar and looked at Lu Chen, saying, "Why don't you give it a try?"

Her soft lip imprint was still visible on the glass.

Was this a provocation?

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Thank you, but no. Alcohol isn't good for the voice, and I'm a vagabond singer."

He had already drunk a lot of beer last night, though, for those who love drinking, beer hardly counts as alcohol.

With a polite nod, Lu Chen stood up and left the bar.

Su Qingmei felt as though her well-planned move had hit a soft cushion— empty and without effect. She wanted to be angry but had no real reason to, so she could only let out a frustrated "hmph."

David shrugged, pretending he hadn't seen anything, and continued mixing his cocktails. As a shrewd bartender, he had no intention of getting involved in the battle between a man and a woman.

Carrying his guitar, Lu Chen headed to the back room.

There weren't many people in the large room, only Wang Xiaoshu was there, nodding along with his headphones as he listened to music.

He didn't notice Lu Chen's arrival.

Lu Chen sat down in his spot, opened his guitar case, and took out his guitar, tuning it once more.

Then, he began preparing his setlist for the night's performance.

'My Old Classmate' and 'Cinderella' were definitely going to be part of the show, as they had become his signature songs. For the rest, he wanted to change things up with two soft, emotional love songs and perhaps a mild rock song.

Many of the customers at Houhai Bar were quite particular. In the past, Lu Chen had no problem fooling those who didn't know much about music. But now, his ambitions were higher. Even on the bar stage, he wanted to present class and quality.

Until he achieved true success, Lu Chen still needed to continue his career as a bar singer. However, if he was going to do it, he had to do it well, without any shortcuts!

Time flew by, and soon it was nearly 8 PM. The bar started to fill up with more and more customers.

Li Hong and Ye Zhenyang both arrived. The former greeted Lu Chen more courteously than before, while the latter still maintained a cold and aloof demeanor.

Lu Chen didn't mind. In the past, he might have envied someone like Ye Zhenyang, a signed bar singer, but now he had no need to envy anyone, no matter what level of singer they were!

Just after 8 PM, Sister Na also appeared in the back room.

As usual, she greeted everyone warmly, then pulled Lu Chen aside and said, "There are some friends of a few important guests coming tonight. I've arranged for you to perform at 9 PM. Do your best— it's a great opportunity!"

"I understand. Thank you, Sister Na. By the way…"

Lu Chen nodded and took out something he had prepared in advance. "This is for you."

"What is it?"

Sister Na curiously accepted it with a smile. "It's not a love letter, is it? I'm too old for that! If I were 20 years younger, I'd be chasing you myself, haha!"

What Lu Chen gave her was a folded A4 sheet of paper. "It's a song. I hope you like it, Sister Na."

"You really wrote me a song?" 

Sister Na unfolded the paper and, seeing the music score printed on it, exclaimed in surprise, "Thank you!"

Two days earlier, she had joked with Lu Chen, asking him to write a song for her. Afterward, she didn't take it seriously and had completely forgotten about it. She never expected that Lu Chen would actually write her a song.

Her voice was loud enough that Li Hong, Ye Zhenyang, and the others in the backroom overheard and exchanged glances in disbelief.

Lu Chen wrote a song for Sister Na. Was that true or fake? 

Ye Zhenyang smirked disdainfully, clearly unimpressed. 

He admitted Lu Chen's first two original songs were decent but nostalgic folk tunes like those wouldn't suit Sister Na. Moreover, it's not easy to write a good song. He figured Lu Chen had just written something to flatter her.

Sister Na, though moved, didn't have high expectations for the song. Writing good original music was incredibly difficult these days; a great song was a rare treasure, one that couldn't simply be created at will.

However, as she read the music and softly hummed the melody, her expression quickly changed.

Sister Na wasn't a famous professional singer, nor did she have formal training, but after twenty years of experience in the industry, she had performed countless songs. She had developed an exceptional sense of judgment.

Just by looking at the sheet music, she could tell whether a song was good, even if it was a brand-new, original piece.

Halfway through the song, Sister Na couldn't continue—not because it was too difficult or poorly written.

"This song…"

Holding the thin sheet of paper like a devout believer cradling a sacred text, she asked, her voice trembling in disbelief, "Is this really for me?"

She couldn't believe it, nor did she dare to.

Lu Chen nodded with certainty. "It's for you."

Tears glistened in Sister Na's eyes.

She had come from a humble background and had pursued music early on, both out of necessity and passion. But despite her over twenty-year career, she had never achieved fame. She was still performing in bars.

Many people fail to become famous because of a lack of talent, no matter how hard they try. However, Sister Na was different. She had great talent as a singer, with a wide vocal range and a unique voice that allowed her to easily handle difficult songs. She was truly a skilled singer.

Chen Jianhao had once privately said that the reason Sister Na hadn't made it big after more than twenty years wasn't just because of her appearance but because she hadn't found the right song— a song that truly belonged to her— or a true patron who understood her talent.

While mentors are common, a great song is hard to come by.

Sister Na had long dreamed of having a song of her own, one that truly suited her, but it had been so long that she had given up on that dream, no longer daring to hope.

But fate is a strange thing. Suddenly, a great song appeared before her, placed in her hands, and was now hers to cherish!

The song was not only melodically brilliant but also had lyrics that touched her heart deeply as if it had been tailor-made for her. She couldn't hold back her emotions, and tears began to flow.

"Thank you, thank you!" 

Sister Na suddenly threw her arms around Lu Chen and hugged him tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Thank you!"

Lu Chen was briefly taken aback, then smiled, patting her back. "You're welcome."

He had written the song for Sister Na out of gratitude for the help and care she had given him. Without her support, he probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to perform on the stage of Daylily Bar for so long.

"Never forget where you came from." Lu Chen believed in showing gratitude. He was proud by nature, and when he was struggling, he focused on surviving. But now that he had the ability, he wanted to repay those who had helped him.

A good song was his way of repaying Sister Na!

Li Hong, Ye Zhenyang, and Wang Xiaoshu were all stunned.

They had watched as Lu Chen handed the song to Sister Na, saw her hum the melody— though none of them could hear it clearly— and then witnessed her suddenly burst into tears and embrace Lu Chen in gratitude.

What on earth was going on? None of them had ever seen Sister Na lose her composure like this! 

(End of Chapter)