You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
"Boss, if you go up, you'll definitely win!"
Although Li Zhen said this very softly, her tone was filled with absolute confidence.
Who was Lu Chen?
He was the undisputed number one among the new generation of Mainland wandering singers. His debut had been recent, yet his rise to fame was astonishingly fast. The success of his two albums before and after had already proven his strength.
Lu Chen had also won the championship of the highly influential reality show Singing China.
The more Li Zhen learned about him, the more unbelievable he seemed. Hong Kong's pop music scene originated in the early 1970s. Over the decades, it had gone through ups and downs, once reaching a period of unmatched glory, producing a large number of outstanding wandering singers and musicians, and exerting a huge influence on the Mainland.
But in Li Zhen's impression, among Hong Kong's younger singers, there were truly very few who could compare to someone like Lu Chen, so stylish, so talented, and so capable. After all, Lu Chen was a top-tier singer who combined both vocal performance and songwriting!
If he were to perform at La Dolce Vita 97, wouldn't he effortlessly crush everyone?
He'd win for sure!
Before joining Lu Chen Workshop, Li Zhen, like most Hong Kongers, knew nothing about her new boss. Now that she understood and was familiar with him, she looked forward to hearing him perform live.
So her attempt to persuade Lu Chen was nothing more than a small wish from a fan.
Lu Chen smiled and shook his head.
He was confident he could win if he went up, but that would just be bullying others.
"What are you two talking about?"
At that moment, Chen Jiaming grew displeased again. Seeing Li Zhen whispering to Lu Chen so closely, as if they were very intimate, stirred up jealousy in his heart once more. Even though he knew asking would annoy Li Zhen, he simply couldn't pretend not to notice.
'What's it to you!'
Li Zhen couldn't help rolling her eyes. Lu Chen smiled faintly and said, "We were just discussing who should go up next."
"Of course it should be Jiaming!"
A friend sitting next to Chen Jiaming immediately said, "Jiaming sings really well. He's especially good at Liu, the Heavenly King's songs. He even won an award in a singing competition before!"
Chen Jiaming revealed a proud expression, showing no intention of being modest.
Singing was indeed one of his strongest skills. His favorite and most admired idol was Hong Kong's Heavenly King superstar Liu Gangsheng. Because of that, he had put in a lot of effort imitating and practicing Liu's works.
At KTV gatherings organized by colleagues and friends, his performances often earned thunderous applause.
Originally, Chen Jiaming had naturally intended to go up himself. But seeing Lu Chen's calm smile, he felt an inexplicable discomfort building in his chest. So he said, "I think we should let Lu Chen go up instead. It's his first time here, he should have fun. How can he not sing a song? Don't you all agree?"
Several friends exchanged glances.
They had known each other for a long time and understood each other well. Naturally, they could tell what Chen Jiaming was thinking, he simply wanted Lu Chen to embarrass himself on stage, so he could shine in comparison and win Li Zhen's favor.
It had to be said, this tactic was rather clumsy. That's not how you pursue a girl. Moreover, Lu Chen clearly had no intention of pursuing Li Zhen at all. Chen Jiaming was obviously blinded by jealousy.
But precisely because they were all friends, no one felt comfortable calling him out. The friend sitting next to him even clapped and said, "Yes, yes, that's a great idea, I support it!"
The others couldn't help but look toward Li Zhen, after all, Lu Chen had been brought by her.
Li Zhen's expression was rather strange, as if she wanted to laugh, yet also didn't know what to say. In short, it was an oddly conflicted look.
What does this mean? No one really understood.
Lu Chen gave a light cough and said, "Let's still have Brother Jiaming go up. Try to win a free bill so everyone can have a good time."
'I knew it would turn out like this!'
A smug expression appeared on Chen Jiaming's face once again.
It would be best if Lu Chen was willing to go on stage, but it didn't matter if he wasn't. Of course, Chen Jiaming wouldn't force him in front of Li Zhen, that would only damage his own image. As long as Lu Chen admitted it was out of the question, that was enough.
As for stealing the spotlight, better leave it to a real expert!
"Ye Xuan! It's Ye Xuan!"
What Chen Jiaming didn't expect was that just as he was about to speak, a burst of excited shouting suddenly erupted from not far away, causing a stir throughout the venue.
Everyone's attention was drawn over, and it didn't take long to figure out what had happened.
It turned out that sitting at a nearby table was none other than Ye Xuan, a fairly well-known wandering singer in Hong Kong. He had come to La Dolce Vita 97 with friends for a small gathering, but a waitress handing out participation number tags recognized him.
Lan Kwai Fong bars were famous, and it was very common for celebrities to appear here.
Coincidentally, there was a female fan of Ye Xuan nearby, and she immediately shouted out.
Soon, several fans of Ye Xuan in the bar began urging him to go on stage. Unable to refuse their enthusiasm, he accepted the number tag, drawing cheers and excitement from his fans.
At that point, what was even the point of competing anymore?
Everyone at Lu Chen's table felt deflated, and Chen Jiaming also lost all desire to show off.
Although he was confident in his singing ability, going up against a recognized singer like Ye Xuan meant he would only be crushed; there was simply no chance of winning.
Chen Jiaming had wanted to amaze everyone on stage, not become a mere foil for Ye Xuan.
Disappointed, an idea suddenly struck him. He said to Lu Chen, "Lu Chen, your luck today is really good, you actually get to compete on the same stage as Ye Xuan. This is a rare opportunity; don't miss it!"
Since Chen Jiaming wasn't planning to go up anymore, why not push Lu Chen instead?
This guy…
Lu Chen sighed inwardly. Chen Jiaming was the typical kind, clever in small ways but lacking true wisdom. It was just a casual, fun gathering, yet he kept trying to scheme. What was the point?
What was laughable was that everyone could see through his little tricks, yet he remained self-satisfied, completely unaware.
Lu Chen didn't think someone like Chen Jiaming had any chance of winning Li Zhen over.
Li Zhen was a very smart girl.
At that moment, the waitress came over, and Lu Chen took the number tag from her as proof for going on stage.
Smiling, he said, "Then I'll make a fool of myself later, hope everyone will support me."
Chen Jiaming chuckled. "Of course, of course."
He simply felt relieved to have tossed away a hot potato, more than happy to let Lu Chen go head-to-head with Ye Xuan.
He was bound to get completely crushed!
Although Ye Xuan wasn't a top-tier Hong Kong star, his singing ability was still very strong. He had released several albums that sold quite well and had no problem ranking among second-tier singers.
Crushing an amateur like Lu Chen would be effortless.
As they spoke, the La Dolce Vita 97 LDV Singing King Competition officially began.
The first performer on stage was a young girl.
She sang the classic old song "Fading Love", delivering it at a very solid level and earning warm applause.
Lu Chen's number was, No. 13.
…
(End of Chapter)