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Capital City, Zicheng Garden.
Night had just fallen, and the city was already ablaze with lights.
In the small restaurant of Apartment 1701, Building 7, the dining table was set with a white embroidered tablecloth and four dishes, plus a soup.
Pan-seared veal steak, braised lion's head meatballs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, steamed sea bass, and a steaming pot of rich seafood chowder, each dish looked and smelled irresistible, making anyone's mouth water.
Tian Tian was practically drooling. The moment she sat down, she grabbed her chopsticks and eagerly shoved a piece of veal steak into her mouth, devouring it with no concern for lady-like manners.
Between bites, she looked toward Lu Chen, who had just come out of the kitchen, and praised him: "Lu Chen, your cooking is amazing! You could totally open your own restaurant. If you do, I'll be your regular customer every single day!"
Across from her, Chen Fei'er smiled quietly, feeling happier than if someone had been praising her instead.
Honestly, the first time Chen Fei'er tasted Lu Chen's cooking, she had been surprised. His culinary skills weren't at the level of a world-class chef or a national treasure master, but they were still exceptional.
Usually, it takes decades of experience to reach such a level, but Lu Chen was young and had never formally trained as a chef.
Chen Fei'er didn't pry into the reason. To her, Lu Chen was like a treasure buried deep underground: the more you dig, the more astonishing wonders you uncover.
And as the owner of that treasure, she felt proud and privileged.
Tonight, she got to show off a little in front of her best friend, let her be envious and jealous!
Lu Chen untied his apron, picked up the red wine from the table, and opened it. With a gentlemanly air, he poured wine for the two beautiful ladies and smiled: "Alright, if I ever lose my job, I'll open a restaurant in Hangzhou. You bring your friends to support me, and I'll give you a 10% discount for each one!"
Chen Fei'er laughed, while Tian Tian rolled her eyes, though her chopsticks moved as fast as ever.
Lu Chen sat down, smiling as he raised his glass.
On the 2nd, he had returned to Capital City with Chen Fei'er, and Tian Tian had come along.
The former beauty host of Zhedong Satellite TV planned to spend the holiday in Capital City. As Chen Fei'er's best friend, she couldn't stay in a hotel, so Lu Chen's guest room in Zicheng Garden was temporarily hers.
After finishing the nationwide promotional tour, Chen Fei'er allowed herself a break, accompanying Tian Tian around Capital City, visiting everything from the Forbidden City to the Great Wall.
Lu Chen, on the other hand, had been too busy preparing for the filming of Full House. He finally had a breather today and took the rare opportunity to come home early.
He had gone to the supermarket himself to buy ingredients and personally cooked to pamper the two ladies at home.
In truth, Lu Chen's cooking skills were far from professional; he could barely manage fried rice at best. Preparing an entire satisfying meal seemed impossible.
Fortunately, he had an "advantage."
His advantage came from memories in the dream world.
In his dreams, Fang Mingbo was a true gourmet. While traveling, he would immediately seek out local delicacies and write food reviews for magazines, much to the delight of readers.
Not only could Fang Mingbo eat, but he could also cook, and cook exceptionally well.
It was thanks to Fang Mingbo's culinary knowledge that Lu Chen could impress Chen Fei'er and Tian Tian tonight.
The three chatted and laughed, finishing a bottle of red wine together.
Chen Fei'er and Tian Tian's faces were flushed with a charming blush, and under the warm light, they looked stunning. Lu Chen quietly thought that all his effort had been worth it.
After dinner, Chen Fei'er and Tian Tian took over clearing the table and washing the dishes.
When they finished and went upstairs to the small living room, Lu Chen had already prepared tea.
"Fei'er, you're so lucky!" Tian Tian said lazily, leaning against Chen Fei'er.
"Having such a good boyfriend…"
Chen Fei'er teased her: "Jealous, huh? Then hurry up and find one too!"
Tian Tian swatted her hand away and complained: "It's not that easy! I don't like anyone in the industry, and the people my family tries to set me up with…"
She made a disgusted face. "All they talk about is money or taste. They ogle you, and it's so annoying. I'm fed up!"
Chen Fei'er suddenly realized: "So that's why you followed me here for the May Day holiday… to be my third wheel?"
Tian Tian looked like she'd been caught but laughed: "Who else could I be with if not my best friend? I wanted to hide out in Capital City and never go back!"
Chen Fei'er laughed: "Your family will probably send someone to drag you back."
Tian Tian didn't come from an ordinary family, otherwise she couldn't have become a host for Zhedong Satellite TV right after graduation.
In a family like hers, many things were often out of her control.
Tian Tian said, "I'm planning to resign."
Chen Fei'er was startled. "Resign? You're leaving the TV station? Then what do you plan to do?"
"After what happened last time, my family doesn't want me to stay at the station anymore," Tian Tian said, troubled.
"They just want me to find someone to marry, have a few kids, and play the role of a dutiful wife and mother!"
Chen Fei'er laughed. "That doesn't sound too bad."
Tian Tian gave her a playful shove. "Come on, I don't want to get married! I believe women should have their own careers, or else people will look down on them. So I've decided to start my own company!"
The fan incident in Hangzhou had almost caused Tian Tian serious trouble, and the aftermath brought a lot of rumors. That had sparked her family's intentions.
But Tian Tian didn't want to be married off casually at such a young age. Moreover, she couldn't stand any of those so-called promising young men her family tried to set her up with.
Chen Fei'er asked curiously, "Then what kind of company are you planning to start?"
Tian Tian sighed. "I haven't decided yet. I've thought about staying in media, but I have no experience."
Even with her family's resources, starting a media-related company wasn't easy. Tian Tian didn't want to run some second-hand business that relied on connections to get projects, so she felt conflicted.
"Start a media company, then."
Lu Chen, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke: "Do variety shows!"
"Variety shows?"
Tian Tian paused, then gave a bitter laugh. "These days, variety shows are not easy to produce."
The entertainment market was now booming, with many private media companies. Companies that specialized in producing variety shows and selling them to TV stations were everywhere, famous ones included Chaoxing Media and Senmu Entertainment.
But because variety shows had high ratings, competition was fierce. Copycats and trends ran rampant, causing serious program homogenization and viewer fatigue.
For example, singing competitions like Super Girls, The Strongest Singer, and Singing China were all similar in format; the only difference was the production quality.
Celebrity programs were no better. They simply invited stars to interact, play games, and tell jokes. At first, they were popular, but ratings gradually dropped, and many were eventually canceled.
Tian Tian had worked at Zhedong TV for several years and knew the variety show landscape well.
Domestic variety shows, like pop music, had reached a stage where innovation and breakthroughs were desperately needed.
Lu Chen nodded. "It's not easy, but I have some ideas."
Tian Tian's eyes lit up, and she sat up straight. "I want to hear them!"
Lu Chen's talent was unquestionable. His musical skills were widely known, and he could also write novels, scripts, and star as the male lead himself. His first TV drama had become a sensation across northern and southern Jiangnan.
Any suggestion from him was bound to be valuable.
Tian Tian also knew that the currently popular crowdfunding platforms online had been conceptualized by Lu Chen himself.
So she was eager to hear what advice he would give her.
Lu Chen smiled. "My suggestion is to do a singing competition show."
(End of chapter)