Xiangnan Satellite TV invited Lu Chen to participate in the Chinese Music Chart Awards, an event they organize themselves.
When Lu Chen first heard the news, he thought it was either a mistake from his own studio or someone pulling a prank on him. But both possibilities were quickly ruled out.
Once the information was confirmed, a well-known Chinese idiom popped into Lu Chen's mind, "The weasel pays New Year's respects to the chicken." (In other words, there's no good intention behind the gesture.)
Though he hadn't been in the industry for long, his entanglements with Xiangnan TV ran deep. Distant was the talent show scandal; recent was the intense ratings battle between 'Autumn in My Heart' and 'Soaring Hearts'.
Previously, Xiangnan TV had been forced to apologize to Lu Chen after footage of their singing competition leaked online. Their show, The Strongest Singer, lost to Singing China, where Lu Chen won the championship. That was the first slap in the face.
Now, 'Autumn in My Heart' was crushing 'Soaring Hearts' in the ratings. The former was on the verge of breaking the 2% threshold, while the latter had been hovering around 0.5%, with signs of dipping further.
Xiangnan TV's so-called "flagship drama of the year" was becoming a laughingstock. And considering that 'Soaring Hearts' had a production budget ten times that of 'Autumn in My Heart', how could they not be humiliated?
Worse still, 'Autumn in My Heart' was written, starred in, and partially financed by Lu Chen, which was another massive blow to Xiangnan.
And this time, the hit wasn't just reputational, it was financial.
So under such circumstances, why was Xiangnan TV suddenly inviting him to the Chinese Music Chart Awards, and nominating him for two major categories, Best New Artist and Best Composer?
No matter how you looked at it, something didn't sit right.
Was Xiangnan TV really that magnanimous?
Lu Chen sneered at the idea. In the entertainment industry, Xiangnan TV had never been known for playing fair. Besides, under normal circumstances, an invitation like this should have arrived at least a month in advance. Now there were barely ten days left, what if he already had other plans?
In China's pop music world, there are many annual award shows, but only three are considered truly influential.
The first is the Chinese Original Music Chart Awards, jointly established by the Chinese Musicians' Association, WeChat Music, NetEase Music, and dozens of media outlets. This "Original Sound Chart" is a household name and its annual ceremony is held in mid-March. The upcoming one will be its 14th edition.
The second is the Asian Chinese Music Awards, co-hosted by CCTV and the national radio network alongside major regional stations. Its gala is fixed on February 18th each year and has been running for 15 years.
These two are the most prestigious and authoritative music awards in the country, and are highly respected by industry professionals.
Third in line is the Chinese Music Chart Awards, founded in 2006 by Xiangnan TV in collaboration with Hong Kong Satellite TV and a dozen major record labels and entertainment companies.
In terms of credibility, it clearly falls short of the top two. But Xiangnan TV is a master of hype, and thanks to its deep pockets, the annual ceremony is a huge spectacle, bringing in tons of celebrities and generating enormous buzz. As a result, its visibility is very high.
Other awards, such as the Pop Music Billboard and Pepsi Original Music Chart, do exist, but their influence is limited and their scale much smaller.
So even if it lacks top-tier prestige, getting an invitation to the Chinese Music Chart Awards is still considered a mark of success, something most in the pop industry would be proud to flaunt.
But Lu Chen wasn't like most people.
Something still felt off. So he called Chen Fei'er.
With over a decade in the industry and a trophy shelf full of music awards, Chen Fei'er naturally understood the hidden mechanisms behind these events. And even if she didn't, she had ways of finding out.
As expected, after hearing Lu Chen out, this pop diva chuckled and said: "No need to ask around, I already know what's going on. You'd better not go. You're not winning either of those awards."
She explained that the last-minute invitation likely meant that Lu Chen wasn't even originally considered for a nomination. But facing public pressure and fearing controversy, Xiangnan TV probably decided to throw out a couple of enticing bones to calm the waters.
Because in 2015, Lu Chen's meteoric rise in Chinese pop was undeniable.
He stuck to his original songwriting path, producing over 20 outstanding tracks. His debut album wasn't just a commercial success, it also had every track ranked on the Original Sound Chart. The results were spectacular.
To exclude such a high-achieving artist from the awards would render Xiangnan TV's self-proclaimed "authority" a complete joke.
But giving him two nominations and no wins? That was a classic bait-and-switch.
Lu Chen would never actually get the awards. Xiangnan TV had zero integrity. They didn't care about backlash, had thick skin, and employed armies of paid posters and PR agents to control public opinion.
"You got the nominations. If you don't win, that's your own problem," was the rhetoric they operated under. They'd pulled this stunt before, and Lu Chen certainly wouldn't be the first victim, nor the last.
Understanding the game now, Lu Chen said decisively: "Then I'm not going."
'What a joke. Why walk into someone else's trap and hand them your face to slap?'
The entertainment industry… truly a deep and murky pool.
Chen Fei'er said, "But don't ignore it completely; otherwise, you'll lose the moral high ground. Let your sister go instead."
Lu Chen couldn't attend in person, if he did, he'd definitely get slapped in the face.
But ignoring it entirely would leave him open to criticism, with ill-intentioned people accusing him of acting like a diva.
That's how relationships in the entertainment circle work, even if people are tearing each other apart behind the scenes, in public you still have to follow the rules and maintain appearances. Otherwise, even when you're in the right, you'll come across as wrong.
Having Lu Xi attend in his place was clearly the best choice. Regardless of whether they actually won anything, no one could say a word about it. Even if Xiangnan TV tried to embarrass him, there'd be no impact, how can you slap someone who isn't even there?
Besides, Lu Chen had a perfectly valid excuse: Xiangnan TV sent the invitation too late, and his schedule was already full.
Ironically, that excuse came straight from them.
Chen Fei'er continued, "Remember to post a blog, say that you just received the invitation from the Chart Awards today and are very happy and grateful to Xiangnan TV, but unfortunately can't attend due to prior work commitments."
Lu Chen paused for a moment, then immediately understood what she meant. He was now completely in awe of this older-sister-like Heavenly Queen.
In this way, he would secure the moral high ground, no matter how Xiangnan TV tried to twist things later, it wouldn't matter.
"I'll write it now!"
Chen Fei'er laughed, "No rush. Oh right, someone secretly took photos of us at Azure Coast, and they just posted them on a blog. My studio is preparing a statement. You should follow up with one too."
'Photos from Azure Coast?' Lu Chen quickly said goodbye to Chen Fei'er and logged into his Wave Blog.
If it was Azure Coast, it had to be during their drama shoot. He remembered that the set was cleared at the time. He hadn't expected the paparazzi to have such godlike skills.
In less than thirty seconds, Lu Chen saw the photos on a verified account of a gossip site. Some were stills from filming, showing him carrying Chen Fei'er on his back. Others were of them holding hands after the shoot.
The paparazzi must've used a high-powered telephoto lens, the photos weren't very clear, but the intimacy between them was unmistakable.
The accompanying blog post used clickbait headlines and juicy gossip, making claims like "Fake Drama Turns Real – Fei-Chen Love Confirmed!" It was all stated with false confidence, making Lu Chen break out in a cold sweat.
Meanwhile, his own blog was blowing up, flooded with fan comments:
"Lu Bro, are you really dating Chen Fei'er?"
"My heart is shattered... how could this happen!"
"I knew something was up between you two. This isn't the first rumor. Anyway, best wishes!"
"Haha! Lu Chen, you legend!"
"Say no more. If this is real, I'm ending it all!"
"What are you all fussing about? Junxi and Enxi being together is totally normal."
"We want the truth!"
Lu Chen's most recent blog post had been from the day before, but now the comment count had exploded to over 100,000, clearly influenced by the leaked photos. Some fans were congratulatory and excited, others were heartbroken or skeptical.
A few comments were extremely intense, likely from a small group of obsessive female fans.
Even though Lu Chen's career was based on genuine talent and few doubted his musical ability, it was undeniable that his good looks and charm had earned him a huge female following.
And with a large fanbase, extremes were inevitable. To some fans, Lu Chen was their dream man or emotional anchor. Learning that their idol was dating, or worse, getting married, could have devastating effects.
There had been similar cases in the past, where fans had committed suicide upon learning their idols were in relationships, leading to massive public scandals. That's why many idol stars were extremely cautious about romance, keeping their relationships tightly under wraps.
Flirting with rumors was fine. But admitting to a relationship? That was taboo.
Some entertainment agencies even had strict clauses banning their artists from dating, precisely to prevent such incidents and avoid negative public fallout.
Even though both Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er ran their own independent studios, the combined size of their fanbases was staggering. So they had to consider these issues seriously, which is why they had never made their relationship public.
In fact, whenever rumors did come out, they would actively deny them!
Lu Chen quickly drafted a blog post, explaining that the photos were from the set of 'Autumn in My Heart', and that he and Chen Fei'er had always had a close, sibling-like relationship. He asked everyone not to misunderstand.
He also mentioned receiving an invitation to the Chinese Music Chart Awards from Xiangnan TV, but explained that he couldn't attend due to scheduling conflicts.
As expected, the focus of his fans quickly shifted.
Actually, this wasn't the first time rumors about Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er had surfaced. The tabloids loved to speculate about them, and fans had become somewhat used to it. So the impact faded quickly.
Now, what fans cared about was, Could Lu Chen win Best New Artist and Best Composer?
What they didn't know was…
The truth was far more brutal.
(End of Chapter)
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