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Lin Zhijie's friend, Yu Jizhong, runs an art workshop in the New Era Art Park.
Yu Jizhong Workshop isn't far from the Flying Stone Records headquarters, just a five-minute walk. The building itself is a distinctive structure made mostly of large glass panels and external steel framework. Across a greenbelt lies the Art Plaza.
Buildings in the New Era Art Park all have a unique character. There aren't many high-rises here; most structures are only two or three stories tall, and Yu Jizhong Workshop is no exception.
On the ground floor, aside from the reception area, most of the space is dedicated to an art gallery showcasing pieces like oil paintings, small sculptures, photography, and contemporary artworks.
Upstairs, on the second floor, is the actual art workshop, including painting studios, sculpture rooms, and offices.
Lu Chen met Yu Jizhong in one of the painting studios.
The artist looked to be in his late 40s or early 50s, dressed in a paint-splattered work suit. He was stocky, with a broad face, thick eyebrows, and sharp eyes. His hair and beard were a typical messy artist's style.
Lin Zhijie introduced them: "Lu Chen, this is Mr. Yu Jizhong, a true master in the art world!"
Lu Chen immediately reached out his hand and said politely, "Hello, Mr. Yu, I've long admired your work."
In truth, he didn't really know the man or his reputation, it was just a polite social formality.
"This is Lu Chen, a musician who runs his own workshop."
Chen Fei'er had already left early, so only Lu Chen had come with Lin Zhijie.
Yu Jizhong, probably not following entertainment news, calmly glanced at Lu Chen. Most likely he didn't recognize him either. He shook Lu Chen's hand in a laid-back manner and said, "Hello."
Lin Zhijie chuckled, "Old Yu, Lu Chen wants to rent some space from you. You better give me some face!"
For once, a faint smile appeared on Yu Jizhong's face. "Let's talk in my office."
Thanks to Lin Zhijie's introduction, Yu Jizhong was being quite accommodating.
He changed into a clean set of clothes, had his assistant bring tea, and in his office they chatted like old friends.
The building Yu Jizhong exclusively occupied offered about 1,800 square meters of usable space. He was willing to lease up to 1,000 square meters separated off, switching from a full rental to a shared rental.
Of course, the sublease fee was substantial. According to Yu, if he advertised the space, plenty of people would be willing to pay a premium, this location was considered prime real estate within the entire art park.
Since Lu Chen was a friend of Lin Zhijie's, Yu was happy to give him priority, but there was one condition: "If you're doing music, you can't make noise that bothers us. No matter how high the price, if you can't keep it quiet, there's no deal."
Lu Chen smiled, "That's easy. I'll make sure the soundproofing is top-notch during renovations."
Recording rooms have the best sound insulation, so noise wouldn't be a problem there. The only potential issue was practice rooms, but with proper soundproofing, neighbors wouldn't be disturbed, even their own office spaces hate noise.
Yu's remark basically meant there was no big problem on that front.
As for the rent, they'd have to sit down and negotiate properly, it wouldn't be settled with a few words.
Overall, the meeting went smoothly and pleasantly. Yu Jizhong showed none of the stereotypical "artistic temperament."
But just as they were saying goodbye, Yu suddenly seemed to recall something and asked, "Lu Chen, have you written a song called 'Blue Lotus Flower'?"
Lu Chen was momentarily surprised. "Uh, yes."
Yu nodded, "I've heard it. It's a really good song."
…
When Lu Chen returned to the workshop, it was almost dark.
Everyone had finished work, and the office was empty, except for the manager's room, where the light was still on.
He walked over and found Lu Xi still at her computer, her fingers flying quickly over the keyboard.
Lu Chen called out, "Sis, it's late. Let's go eat together."
Lu Xi turned her head and asked, "What about Fei'er?"
Lu Chen said, "She had other things to attend to. By the way, we found a new place for the workshop. I checked it out this afternoon, it's pretty suitable. Tomorrow you'll need to go over there to discuss the rent with them."
Lu Xi was surprised: "That fast? Was it Director Lin who helped?"
Lu Chen nodded, "Yes, he really came through this time. I owe him a big favor."
He said, "Let's go then, we can talk over dinner."
"Not so fast." Lu Xi grabbed the mouse and opened a webpage, saying, "Take a look at this first!"
"What's that?"
Curious, Lu Chen walked over and saw she'd opened his personal fan forum (tieba).
Although his tieba was created by fans, after verification, Lu Chen Workshop had management privileges there, so it was semi-official and part of Lu Xi's responsibilities.
Once the workshop expanded and moved, this work would be spun off and handled by dedicated staff.
But on the homepage of his tieba, pinned in red, was a scathing "expose" post!
Lu Chen quickly scanned the post and saw the target was a user called [Heavy Metal Element]. This user wasn't a fan club member but had posted many times in the forum.
Posts by [Heavy Metal Element] were mostly critical.
In the world of idols and celebrities, it's normal to have fans and haters. Online, there are always trolls and dissenting voices. As long as there's no severe abuse, no insults, personal attacks, or slander, forum managers usually don't delete posts, allowing some diversity of opinion.
But last night, when Lu Chen won the Best Newcomer Award and fans were celebrating wildly, this [Heavy Metal Element] popped up with sarcastic comments and even bet others that Lu Chen wouldn't win Best Composer.
After being thoroughly proven wrong, the user went silent like a "playing dead dog," which infuriated many fans.
So some experienced, tech-savvy fans started investigating, trying to uncover the true identity behind [Heavy Metal Element].
Following digital traces left in the forum, they actually found the culprit.
The real identity of [Heavy Metal Element] turned out to be the assistant of Ling Xiaoxiao!
Ling Xiaoxiao was an old rival of Lu Chen's, with a history going back to when Lu Chen first debuted. Back then, they were roughly on equal footing, but now they were on completely different levels.
That Ling Xiaoxiao's assistant would come stir trouble in Lu Chen's fan forum was surprising but not totally unbelievable.
The evidence gathered by the tech fans was thorough and conclusive, this was a very successful doxing effort, and the findings were publicly posted for condemnation.
The pinned post even suggested that Ling Xiaoxiao herself might be using her assistant's account to insult Lu Chen!
"A jumping clown!"
Reading the post, Lu Chen couldn't help shaking his head, finding it quite amusing.
He said, "Forget it, let's go eat!"
In Lu Chen's mind, this petty drama was nothing compared to having dinner with his sister.
Ling Xiaoxiao? He was almost forgetting that name.
(End of chapter)