Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already February 2016.
With Chinese New Year's Eve falling on February 7th that year, the festive atmosphere was growing more and more intense. Schools had already started winter break, and most companies and government offices were entering "holiday mode." Social media was flooded with photos of year-end bonuses.
On February 1st, Lu Chen returned to the Capital.
The first major thing he did after getting back was host a New Year's dinner for his entire workshop team.
He had already discussed with Lu Xi that the team would officially start their holiday on February 2nd. Since none of the workshop staff were locals, most would be heading home for the New Year, and giving them an early break would help avoid the heavy travel crowds.
So, the New Year's dinner was scheduled for the night of the 1st, at the Regent Grand Restaurant in Capital City.
Lu Chen's Workshop had only been established for about half a year. Since its main focus was entirely centered on Lu Chen himself and didn't branch into other businesses, the team had remained small, basically still the same core people from the start.
There was Li Feiyu, Chen Xin, Chen Xiang, and Little Mei, along with two or three assistants, just a handful of people.
There was also Chen Jianhao, who held the honorary title of Workshop Consultant.
Although Lu Chen would've loved to invite Sister Na to join the gathering, unfortunately, due to pregnancy-related health issues, she was currently on bed rest at home. So Chen Jianhao came as her representative.
All seven of them fit comfortably in a small private dining room.
Since it was a small workshop, there was no grand annual party or prize draws, but before the meal started, Lu Chen handed out generous red envelopes as year-end bonuses, even including his sister Lu Xi.
Despite the workshop's small scale and short history, its money-making capabilities were formidable. Just from investing in and producing 'Autumn in My Heart', they were projected to earn over 15 million yuan in net profit.
So naturally, Lu Chen's red envelopes were thick, enough to leave everyone beaming with joy.
Once the red packets were handed out, they started the meal. Despite the small group, the atmosphere was warm and festive.
Seated next to Lu Chen, Chen Jianhao clinked glasses with him, and after a drink, asked, "Are you heading to Shacheng tomorrow for Xiangnan TV's Music Chart Awards?"
Since Chen Jianhao didn't follow blogs much, he was slightly out of the loop and didn't know Lu Chen's current plans.
Lu Chen smiled and replied, "I'm not going. I'm sending my sister instead, let her go enjoy the show."
Chen Jianhao was momentarily stunned, then laughed, "Good! I was worried they'd try to set you up. Xiangnan TV isn't exactly known for being upright."
As a former insider in the entertainment industry, he knew exactly how those games were played.
Ding-ling-ling~~
Just as they were joking around, Lu Chen's phone suddenly rang. He took a look and was visibly surprised.
Noticing his reaction, Lu Xi, who was sitting across the table, asked, "What's up?"
Lu Chen shook his head and said, "Nothing, I'll just take this call."
Since the room was a little noisy, he stepped out into the hallway to answer.
"Hello, Sister Wang Jing."
The caller was Wang Jing from Nirvana Workshop.
Lu Chen's earliest album, 'My Old Classmate', had been produced in collaboration with Nirvana Workshop. The composition and arrangement were done by Wang Jing, a graduate of Beijing Music Conservatory, an extremely talented professional.
Though Lu Chen had collaborated with Nirvana a few more times after that, the workshop's equipment and staffing were relatively weak, so he had gradually shifted his production work to Flying Stone Records.
Compared to Nirvana, Flying Stone was in a whole different league, and Lu Chen could now afford the higher production costs.
As a result, he hadn't been in contact with Wang Jing for some time.
Still, Lu Chen had always admired Wang Jing's professionalism and attitude. He felt it was a real shame for someone like her to be stuck in a small workshop, with her growth potential stifled.
So her sudden call took him by surprise.
On the phone, Wang Jing's voice sounded a little anxious: "Lu Chen, I'm so sorry to bother you… Something came up over here, and I was wondering… could I possibly borrow some money? I'll find a way to pay it back as soon as I can!"
Lu Chen answered without hesitation, "No problem. How much do you need?"
He hadn't just met Wang Jing yesterday. Back when they were producing 'My Old Classmate', they'd worked closely together at Nirvana Workshop. Lu Chen had learned a lot about music composition from her.
So he had a very clear sense of her character. Wang Jing was a proud, self-respecting woman. If she hadn't reached a desperate point, she absolutely wouldn't have asked to borrow money.
Just like Lu Chen himself wouldn't.
That's why he agreed without the slightest pause.
Wang Jing was clearly not expecting such a quick response. After a moment of silence, she said,
"Thank you… I was thinking of asking for 100,000… no, even 50,000 would help."
Lu Chen chuckled, "Let's go with 100,000. Just send me your Yifubao (Alipay equivalent) account, I'll transfer it right away."
Wang Jing responded, "Thank you… Thank you so much!"
Her voice was slightly choked up.
Lu Chen said warmly, "Don't mention it. We're friends. And Manager Wang has always been good to me too. If you run into trouble, just tell me. If I can help, I absolutely will. Who hasn't faced hard times, right?"
He knew Nirvana Workshop had been struggling financially for some time. Back then, Wang Changsheng, Wang Jing's father, had poured in all his savings and even borrowed money to set up the studio for the sake of his children's careers. But with the fierce competition in the music production industry, they'd always been barely scraping by.
To find work, he'd even waited outside companies hoping to catch someone's attention, and Lu Chen had just happened to be that someone.
While the 'My Old Classmate' album had been a hit and had brought Nirvana some business, now that Wang Jing was suddenly borrowing money from him, it was very likely they'd run into serious trouble again.
Hard-pressed for cash flow, debt collectors knocking, any of those could be the reason, but Lu Chen didn't ask.
If Wang Jing wanted to explain, she would. If she didn't, then what was the point of asking?
After ending the call, Lu Chen returned to the private room, and shortly after, a text message arrived. He glanced at it and confirmed that it was Wang Jing's Yifubao (Alipay) account, then forwarded it to Lu Xi.
"Sis, transfer 100,000 yuan to this Yifubao account."
All the workshop's finances were handled by Lu Xi. Lu Chen's personal account only held a bit of pocket money.
"Okay."
Lu Xi agreed readily, but when she saw the account name, her expression became a little… odd.
"Wang Jing? That girl from Nirvana Workshop?" She had visited Nirvana Workshop once before and met Wang Changsheng and his family, so of course she'd seen Wang Jing.
Lu Chen nodded, "Yeah, that's her."
Lu Xi then asked, "What happened? Why are you transferring money to her?"
She hadn't planned to ask at first, since Lu Chen wasn't the careless, impulsive person he used to be. But seeing that the transfer was going to Wang Jing, her mind started turning. She couldn't help but probe a little further.
Lu Chen explained casually, "She is borrowing some money, probably ran into some trouble."
Lu Xi's eyes twinkled a bit as she said, "I remember Wang Jing is quite pretty."
The implication being: Is Lu Chen lending her money just because she's attractive? Is he falling back into his old habits?
Back in college, Lu Chen had been quite popular with the girls. Even though he'd never been the type to juggle multiple relationships, the gossip and rumors around him had made Lu Xi quite critical of him at the time.
Of course, most of that gossip had come from jealous detractors.
Lu Chen was momentarily speechless.
"Sis…"
Lu Xi laughed, "Alright, alright, you don't need to explain. I'm just teasing you."
She unlocked her phone with her fingerprint and quickly transferred 100,000 yuan to Wang Jing's account through Yifubao.
A few minutes later, Wang Jing replied: "Got the money, thank you!"
Lu Chen didn't reply. He quickly put the matter out of his mind.
The day after the workshop's New Year's dinner, on February 2nd, Lu Xi took Chen Xin with her and flew to Shacheng.
She was going as Lu Chen's representative to attend Xiangnan TV's "Chinese Music Chart Awards", held that evening at the Xiangjiang Grand Theatre!
The award ceremony kicked off at 6 p.m., preceded by a red carpet event. Xiangnan TV was doing a live broadcast of the whole affair.
Since the late 1990s, China's domestic reforms had accelerated, and following the spirit of "letting a hundred flowers bloom," the government had significantly relaxed restrictions on provincial satellite TV stations.
Freed from the tight grip of central policy, local TV stations began flexing their muscles and charging ahead on the path of marketization and commercialization. Xiangnan TV quickly rose to prominence.
Now, leveraging its dual powerhouses, variety shows and self-produced dramas, Xiangnan TV had firmly established itself as the undisputed leader among regional satellite stations. Its annual advertising revenue was the envy of the industry. In short, it was rich and powerful.
This year's Chinese Music Chart Awards were being held with extra fanfare.
A hundred-meter-long red carpet stretched from the theatre entrance all the way to the plaza. High-powered lighting towers were erected all around, illuminating every inch of the scene with dazzling clarity.
Barriers were draped with colorful banner ads, and media reporters swarmed the area. As for the onlookers? The crowd was absolutely massive. Armed police were deployed to maintain order, and even the sky buzzed with helicopters.
In front of the Xiangjiang Grand Theatre, a golden Roman-style arch towered over the entrance. A long signature wall stretched across the walkway, with dozens of young girls holding bouquets, lined up to welcome the celebrity guests from across the country.
With such a massive setup, the guest lineup was naturally just as extravagant. Xiangnan TV had invited over a hundred celebrities from across Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even beyond. Among them were four or five top-tier A-listers from the domestic scene alone.
Xiangnan TV was using this grand spectacle to show the world that it was still the king of regional TV, the supreme ruler of variety shows, and a pillar of the entertainment industry!
Sleek, brand-new Mercedes-Benz cars drove up one after another along the blocked-off road, smoothly pulling up to the red carpet entrance. One by one, stars emerged, dazzling the crowd and triggering waves of camera flashes and screams from the fans.
"Li Xing!"
"Tan Hong!"
"Liu Zonghan!"
"Chen Fei'er!"
"Liao Jia!"
Glow sticks and neon signs were raised high. Familiar names echoed through the square in loud cheers.
It was a night of true star power, brilliant and blinding!
(End of Chapter)
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