"This is my son." Sister Li proudly showed Lu Chen a photo stored on her phone.
On the screen, a handsome young man exuded a sunny disposition. At fifteen or sixteen, he was at the peak of youth, wearing his school uniform with vitality and vigor, possessing the charm of a boy-next-door.
Sister Li wasn't randomly asking for roles; her son's appearance truly suited the role of young Yin Junxi!
"He's currently studying at the Capital City Film High School, consistently achieving good grades and having taken basic acting courses."
When speaking about her son, Sister Li brimmed with pride, like any other mother.
Her marriage was a story often discussed within the show business community.
Back when Sister Li had firmly established herself in Capital City and was expanding her career, she met a long-struggling artist whom she deeply fell in love with. This artist, remarkably handsome and quite charismatic, was someone who theoretically wouldn't have looked twice at Sister Li.
Yet, they married and had a child, receiving her wholehearted support. Eventually, with a wildly successful TV drama, he skyrocketed to stardom.
After gaining fame, this artist proposed a divorce to Sister Li.
Sister Li readily agreed, with the sole condition of having custody of their son.
Others sympathized with Sister Li, calling the artist ungrateful, but Sister Li never spoke ill of her ex-husband and often praised him in public.
She believed that cherishing their once beautiful memories was enough.
And now, she had a son who inherited his father's virtues!
It was this optimism and broad-mindedness that earned Sister Li admiration from many in the show business community.
Having heard this story, Lu Chen also admired her greatly.
The deal was settled, and QianDe Brothers Film expressed sincere cooperation; casting a minor role for just three or four episodes posed no problem.
The cooperation agreement between both parties was almost finalized; shooting could start immediately upon script approval.
That evening at 7 p.m., Lu Chen began updating the novel version of "Autumn in My Heart" on his Wave Blog in the form of a long post.
Different from other celebrities who would hire ghostwriters or professionals for their books, Lu Chen wrote the entire novel version of "Autumn in My Heart" himself, with Workshop's assistance limited to proofreading for typos.
This was an important pre-release promotion strategy for the "Autumn in My Heart" TV drama. While early spoilers carried significant risks, they also drew continuous attention from a large fanbase. Leveraging his extensive blog platform saved a considerable amount on advertising costs.
On November 13th, the script outline for "Autumn in My Heart" passed the relevant department's review.
On the same day, Lu Chen participated in the recording of the celebrity interview program on Capital City TV's Variety Channel.
He had been exceptionally busy lately, with his daily schedule packed full. Evenings were spent at the computer, typing away at scripts and novels; he barely managed more than six hours of sleep.
Under these circumstances, many invitations had to be declined, but some couldn't be turned down, nor should they be.
Like this "Celebrity Interview" program.
Capital City TV had a total of nine channels, with only Channel 1 being a satellite channel; the rest included Channels 2 and 3 for variety, Channels 3 and 4 for financial news, and Channels 5 and 6 for movies, and so on.
The "Celebrity Interview" program on the Variety Channel of Channel 2 had been a premium segment for three years now, airing one episode per week. Over 100 stars from the entertainment industry had been invited so far.
The program boasted high ratings, and Lu Chen's appearance was facilitated by his good working relationship with Capital City TV. Otherwise, with his credentials, he might have fallen short.
Similar to most variety shows, "Celebrity Interview" was recorded rather than broadcast live. The recording took place in T5 Studio at Capital City TV, which, compared to the recently launched T1 Studio, was notably smaller, accommodating only 300 audience members. However, it was perfectly adequate for a talk show format.
The host of "Celebrity Interview" was Mu Rong, a scholarly and knowledgeable woman. Her conversational style was gentle yet witty, never pressuring her guests. It felt more like two friends chatting over afternoon tea, discussing life, work, and personal insights.
"Good evening, everyone. In this episode, I've invited a very special young man."
"He possesses extraordinary musical talent, once winning the championship on 'Singing China.' His debut album was widely acclaimed, with all songs topping the Original Sound chart. He's seen as the rising star of pop music and the founder of campus folk music."
"He is Lu Chen!"
With Mu Rong's slightly emotional introduction, "My Old Classmate" began to play, and Lu Chen confidently stepped onto the stage.
"Welcome, everyone!"
The studio erupted into enthusiastic applause. Many fans present held up signs bearing Lu Chen's name, visibly delighted.
As Lu Chen walked onto the stage, he smiled and thanked the audience: "Thank you!"
Among the 300 people in the studio audience, half were Lu Chen's fans. These lucky fans had signed up via phone and online registration, and were later selected by Capital City TV.
The remaining half consisted of enthusiastic general viewers, as well as internal staff, commonly known in the industry as "planted audience" or "official seat-fillers".
"Hello, Lu Chen."
Mu Rong reached out to shake his hand. "Welcome to Celebrity Interview."
Lu Chen shook her hand and replied, "Thank you. It's my honor to be here."
This host, though in her forties, looked barely in her thirties thanks to meticulous skincare. Her elegant appearance, refined makeup, and soft voice paired with a gentle smile gave her a calming, spring-breeze-like presence.
Four cameras were positioned in the studio, three of them focused on Lu Chen and Mu Rong.
Though it was Lu Chen's first time participating in a talk show like this, he appeared completely at ease, casually settling into the sofa.
Mu Rong smiled and said, "Lu Chen, I think many viewers may not be very familiar with you yet. Could you start by telling us how you got into music?"
In shows like this, the host's questions are usually prearranged.
As a guest, Lu Chen had already received the list of standard questions beforehand. But to maintain spontaneity and authenticity on screen, the host may also toss in a few surprise "bonus questions" that the guest must improvise answers to.
This first question was a "standard one."
Lu Chen nodded and said, "Sure. Actually, my journey into music was kind of an accident…"
He then briefly shared his story, not exaggerated or dramatized, but simply the familiar version that most of his fans already knew.
After he finished, Mu Rong continued, "So, what plans do you have for your future?"
The earlier questions had all been pretty routine, without any standout moments.
But soon, Mu Rong shifted to something far more engaging.
She played a short video clip on the large LCD screen next to them.
The footage was of Lu Chen's heroic act in Hangzhou, where he saved someone's life.
The 2-minute clip ended to thunderous applause in the studio.
Most of Lu Chen's fans had already seen this clip, many more than once. But watching it again still sent chills down their spines. The sense of awe and admiration hadn't faded, and they couldn't help but applaud.
Mu Rong smiled and said, "It seems like the loudest applause came from the girls. I'm sure watching this clip moved many of them deeply. It gave us a glimpse of a truly brave and admirable young man."
The audience erupted in laughter. Many girls covered their mouths, giggling. The cameras quickly zoomed in with a well-timed close-up.
Mu Rong asked, "In that moment, you must have rushed in to help without thinking. Otherwise, there's no way you could've reacted so fast. But looking back at the video now, do you feel any fear?"
Lu Chen had been asked this by reporters before. But truthfully, in that moment, he hadn't thought at all.
As Mu Rong correctly pointed out, if he had hesitated, he wouldn't have been able to save Tian Tian.
The host approached the question from a fresh angle.
Lu Chen replied, "No fear at all. Honestly, I'm just thankful to the cameraman for making me look so heroic!"
His humorous answer had the entire studio laughing, including Mu Rong, who flashed all eight of her pearly white teeth.
Still smiling, Mu Rong asked, "What about your family? Were they worried?"
Lu Chen answered, "My mom was pretty worried, yes. But she felt proud of what I did."
Mu Rong genuinely remarked, "You have a wonderful mother."
Lu Chen nodded. "Yes, I do."
More applause broke out in the studio.
Mu Rong continued, "During one media interview, Lu Chen said something that really stuck with me: 'With great power comes great responsibility.' He has talents that most of us don't, and he has the courage to shoulder that responsibility."
"We all know that Lu Chen's family once struggled with heavy debt. But even so, he still chooses to give back. Let's take a look at this next video, our reporters filmed this segment at the Hematology and Oncology Department of Ningyuan City First People's Hospital."
On the screen, several leukemia patients appeared, each one had received assistance from Lu Chen's crowdfunding campaign. Among them was Meng Meng.
A loyal fan of Lu Chen's, Meng Meng had successfully undergone a bone marrow transplant and was now in recovery.
Thanks to the success of the surgery, she would soon be able to live like a normal person and enjoy life to the fullest!
In the video, Meng Meng spoke on behalf of all the leukemia patients who had received help. She thanked Lu Chen, smiling through her tears.
The applause in the studio was long and thunderous.
(End Of This Chapter)
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