Perfect Superstar.

(Translator--- Lantian Creative Park--->Blue Sky Creative Park)

The night was deep and tranquil.

In the bedroom, a bedside lamp casts a warm glow across the room. A thick book titled Western Modern Music lay open on Lu Chen's chest as he slept. The amber light from the lamp illuminated his face, creating shadows and highlights that made his features resemble a finely crafted sculpture.

"Ding!"

The phone resting on the edge of the bed suddenly chimed and vibrated violently.

Lu Chen woke up abruptly.

He sat up with a jolt, his dark eyes filled with confusion, which slowly gave way to clarity after a few moments.

He had been dreaming— a strange dream in which he found himself back in that alternate world. Yet, he couldn't tell whether he was Xu Bo, Mo Ran, Fang Mingyi, or perhaps none of them.

In the dream, he was a solitary traveler of the world, a bystander to the fleeting joys and sorrows of the mundane world. The passage of time and the upheavals of life seemed to have no bearing on him; he simply watched the dramas of humanity unfold with a detached gaze.

Lu Chen thought he would remain in that dream forever, trapped until the end of the world.

Luckily, it was just a dream.

He got out of bed, walked to the bathroom, and splashed his face with cold water. The cool sensation brought him back to full consciousness.

Returning to the bedroom, he checked his phone— it was 1:32 a.m.

Lu Chen couldn't help but smile wryly. He opened the notification from YifuPay that had just arrived and froze.

The message informed him that someone had transferred 200,000 Yuan into his account.

And it was anonymous.

"What on earth?"

Lu Chen rubbed his eyes in disbelief and quickly checked his YifuPay transaction history. It was real!

'Who was acting like a scatterbrained philanthropist and sending such a large sum?'

He was utterly bewildered.

The transaction included a note, just two simple words: "Thank you."

Those two words gave Lu Chen a faint sense of understanding.

Among the people he knew, there was only one person with both the ability and the motivation to do this.

But when Lu Chen called to confirm, he was greeted with a voicemail message saying the phone was turned off.

…

The next morning, Lu Chen arrived at Nirvana Workshop.

This studio had been chosen to produce Lu Chen's first solo album. They had already signed a formal contract, which meant he would be spending a lot of time there in the coming months.

Particularly, the backing tracks for several songs he planned to perform on Singing China needed to be prepared in advance.

Wang Changsheng, the manager of Nirvana Workshop, greeted Lu Chen with pleasant surprise.

"Mr. Lu, I've found a suitable office space for you!"

"So quickly?"

Lu Chen was taken aback. "Where is it?"

He had been planning to establish a music studio in the Blue Sky Creative Park. Although it was a bit far from the city center, it boasted a great environment, comprehensive commercial facilities nearby, and relatively low operating costs.

Just two days ago, Lu Chen had asked Wang Changsheng for help in finding a suitable office. He hadn't expected results so soon.

The efficiency was remarkable!

Wang Changsheng chuckled. "It was a coincidence. Yesterday, I ran into a student of mine who works at the park's administrative committee. After asking him about it, I found out that several floors in Building A8 are available for lease. The spaces range from 100 to 1,500 square meters."

The Blue Sky Creative Park is managed by the district government's administrative committee, which owns several office buildings in the area. Among them, Buildings A7 and A8 occupy prime spots, situated on either side of the park's entrance and just a few dozen meters from the subway station.

Originally, all the office floors in both buildings had been fully leased. But recently, several companies in Building A8 had relocated to newer offices nearby, freeing up multiple floors for sublease.

This was truly fortunate. If Wang Changsheng hadn't run into his student, the spaces might have been snapped up within days.

According to the student, a few units had already been reserved.

"I was planning to call you this morning, but since you're here now, it's perfect timing!"

After learning more, Lu Chen's interest was piqued. "Would you mind coming with me to check it out?"

"Not at all!"

Wang Changsheng replied with a smile. "As for the album's production, don't worry about it. Wang Jing started working on it yesterday. I guarantee it won't delay your competition, and the quality will be top-notch!"

"I'll call my student now and arrange a meeting."

As the saying goes, having connections makes things much easier. With someone from the committee helping with the property under its management, everything becomes far simpler.

Wang Changsheng's student, surnamed Xu, was in his early thirties and served as a department head at the administrative committee.

After being introduced, Director Xu was very warm and complimentary toward Lu Chen, praising him repeatedly for his talent and promising future.

Lu Chen felt slightly embarrassed by the enthusiasm.

Through Director Xu's explanation, Lu Chen learned that the A8 office building in Blue Sky Creative Park had 32 floors. 

The first three floors were leased to commercial tenants such as banks, restaurants, and gyms. From the fourth floor upwards, the building was entirely office spaces. Currently, there were vacancies on the 15th, 19th, and 26th floors.

Guided by Director Xu, Lu Chen and Wang Changsheng toured the available units on each floor.

Lu Chen was highly satisfied with the office conditions.

At this early stage of his venture, he didn't have high demands. Luck seemed to be on his side, as finding such a good opportunity wasn't easy.

Since chances like this were rare, he knew he couldn't let it slip by.

The only hesitation Lu Chen felt was between two units: a 200-square-meter office on the 19th floor and a 150-square-meter unit on the 26th floor. Both fit his needs, but he couldn't decide which to choose.

Wang Changsheng, with his extensive experience, offered advice: "Mr. Lu, if your budget allows, I suggest renting the 200-square-meter unit. Properties under the committee's management rarely experience rent hikes, so you'll have peace of mind for several years. The larger space will also make future expansions easier if your business grows."

A bigger space was undoubtedly better. Although Lu Chen wanted to save on rent, Wang Changsheng's reasoning was sound. It didn't take long for Lu Chen to decide on the 200-square-meter unit on the 19th floor.

The previous tenant had made some basic renovations, dividing the space into a reception room, a large office area, two private offices, and a lounge. The restroom was also split into male and female sections. The layout was spacious and comfortable.

Though the previous occupant had removed all furnishings, a simple cleanup and the purchase of necessary office equipment would make the space ready for use.

The rent was 3.5 Yuan per square meter per day, which amounted to 21,000 Yuan per month for the 200-square-meter office. While not cheap, it was reasonable considering the location and amenities.

The annual property management fee was an additional 20,000 Yuan.

Thanks to his stable income, Lu Chen could afford this setup. Otherwise, he would have had to settle for a smaller office of just a few dozen square meters. Renting such a spacious unit would have been out of the question.

It was important to note that rent was only one part of the equation. Future expenses, such as employee salaries, taxes, utilities, and other overheads, were not trivial.

With the office space selected, Lu Chen didn't want to delay. He immediately went with Director Xu to the administrative committee to sign the lease.

The Blue Sky Creative Park's committee was highly efficient. With Director Xu's assistance, Lu Chen completed the formalities before noon. He officially secured the lease for a two-year term.

Under the terms of the contract, which required three months' rent as a deposit and three months' rent upfront, Lu Chen paid a total of 126,000 Yuan.

"Mr. Lu, congratulations!"

After signing the lease, the committee's representative shook Lu Chen's hand and said, "May your business flourish in the Blue Sky Creative Park, and may you achieve great success!"

Lu Chen smiled and replied, "Thank you!"

Initially, he wanted to treat Director Xu and the representative to lunch, but both politely declined, citing strict regulations at the park committee.

In the afternoon, Lu Chen returned home. The first thing he did was call Li Feiyu.

Although he had rented the office, there was still a lot to do— cleaning, purchasing furniture and equipment, decorating, obtaining licenses, and recruiting employees. Lu Chen needed Li Feiyu's help to manage these tasks.

He also needed to contact Lu Xi and get her to move to the capital as soon as possible.

Lu Chen had a strong premonition that he would soon become incredibly busy. He couldn't manage everything without trusted people by his side.

After finishing the call with Li Feiyu, Lu Chen turned on his computer and logged into Wave Blog.

On this leading domestic blogging platform, he registered a brand-new account with the ID: Lu ChenFMX.

Lu Chen represented himself, while FMX stood for Fang Mingyi, Mo Ran, and Xu Bo.

This account marked a new starting point in his life and career.

Under the personal bio section, Lu Chen wrote two words: Vagabond Singer.

He knew this was only temporary. In the future, he would add other titles like Actor, Freelance Writer, and perhaps more.

The registration time was July 13, 2015, 4:27 PM.

There were 267 hours and 3 minutes left until the Singing China Capital Division's Top 32-to-16 live broadcast began.

'(Chapter End)' 

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