Lu Chen and Liao Jia hadn't gone far.
The main reason they left the scene was that their identities were too sensitive. Even if it was a case of self-defense, unscrupulous media could easily twist it into a "drunken brawl," tarnishing their public image.
Once the alcohol wore off, Liao Jia took out his phone and made several calls.
Afterward, he said to Lu Chen, "It's basically handled. Those guys were from a private security company. No one was seriously hurt, but they were all detained by the police. Xiao Li is taking care of it.
"And if any photos or videos end up online, make sure you absolutely don't admit to anything!"
Lu Chen smiled. "I know, Brother Liao, don't worry."
Liao Jia gave Lu Chen a firm slap on the shoulder. "You're damn good at fighting!"
He truly admired Lu Chen.
Liao Jia had been out in the streets since junior high and carried a lot of that underworld energy. If he hadn't met his mentor, Gao Yi, he probably would've either ended up dead in a ditch or locked up somewhere by now.
Back when he was still scraping by at the bottom of society, fights and street scuffles were nothing new to him. That's why, when someone tried to provoke him earlier, he didn't panic; instead, he grabbed a bottle, ready to throw down.
Because of his past, he could clearly tell how skilled Lu Chen was. The guy had dismantled the enemy's main force in the blink of an eye. Yes, it was a sneak attack, but the strength behind it was undeniable.
Lu Chen was tall and handsome, something Liao Jia normally scoffed at. He was also clearly talented, which earned Liao Jia's respect. But it was Lu Chen's combat prowess that truly won his admiration.
That's just the kind of person Liao Jia was, shaped by his life and past experiences.
With the alcohol still heating his blood, he said with a burst of enthusiasm, "Lu Chen, from now on, we're brothers. If you ever run into anything in Capital City that you can't handle, just come to your Big Bro!"
He thumped his chest with a loud thud thud.
Lu Chen was honestly speechless. Now he understood why the entertainment circle had such a mixed opinion of Liao Jia.
But maybe this kind of guy, with his bad temper but straightforward nature, wasn't so bad. At least he wouldn't smile to your face while stabbing you in the back.
"Brother Liao," Lu Chen began,
Ring ring ring~
His phone rang just as he opened his mouth. "Hold on, I need to take this."
To his surprise, it was none other than Chen Fei'er calling.
The Heavenly Queen sounded pretty angry. She got straight to the point: "Is Liao Jia with you?"
Lu Chen: "Uh..."
Chen Fei'er said, "Give him the phone. I have something to say to him!"
Lu Chen had no choice but to hand the phone to Liao Jia. "It's for you."
Liao Jia looked surprised. "Who is it?"
Why would someone be calling Lu Chen to talk to him? He couldn't figure it out.
Lu Chen smiled wryly.
His gut told him Chen Fei'er already knew about what had just happened, and was calling to chew someone out.
That news sure traveled fast!
Liao Jia wasn't dumb. Seeing Lu Chen's expression, he immediately understood. "Sister-in-law?"
Yup, just like that, Chen Fei'er had become "sister-in-law" in his mouth.
His face instantly changed. He quickly waved his hands and said, "No way I'm taking that call. Just tell her I realize I was wrong and promise this kind of thing will never happen again!"
Liao Jia had dragged Lu Chen out with him. If this incident ended up affecting Lu Chen, there was no doubt he would bear the brunt of the blame.
He was an old hand in the industry. Even if the fight got exposed, it wouldn't matter too much for him.
But Lu Chen was a rising star, with a squeaky-clean reputation. He was at a critical point in building his popularity, any hint of misconduct could do real damage.
So Chen Fei'er being mad was totally understandable.
Not only did Liao Jia refuse to take her call, he even turned tail and ran. "I'm going to find Xiao Li. You take a cab home. Just send me the receipt later, I'll cover it. It's safer that way."
Lu Chen was completely speechless. What a rogue!
Helpless, he spoke to Chen Fei'er again: "You heard all that, right? Brother Liao ran off."
"He can run, but he can't hide!" Chen Fei'er huffed. "I'll settle this debt with him later. You, stay away from him!"
Over the phone, the Heavenly Queen nagged Lu Chen for a good while.
Clearly, she had zero tolerance for Liao Jia, worrying he'd be a bad influence. She even scolded Lu Chen for being too impulsive.
Lu Chen had no words.
In truth, he felt that Liao Jia wasn't a bad person, and maybe could even be a true friend.
Of course, he didn't say that to Chen Fei'er, not when she was clearly still furious. Honestly, it was the first time he'd ever seen her this mad, even if it was just over the phone.
And weirdly... it was kind of refreshing.
After venting her anger, Chen Fei'er seemed to realize she might have been too hard on him. Her voice softened: "Where are you now? I'll come pick you up."
Lu Chen quickly said, "No need for that, I'll take a cab home."
Chen Fei'er thought for a moment and said, "Okay, get home early and rest. I'll keep an eye on things for you."
Lu Chen replied, "Thank you."
Chen Fei'er gently added, "You don't have to be so formal with me. I... I kind of miss you."
Warmth bloomed in Lu Chen's heart, and his blood surged: "Then I'll come find you now?"
He really wished he'd let her pick him up earlier.
Chen Fei'er laughed softly. "Go rest early. Be good."
Then she blew a kiss through the phone.
Lu Chen was once again left speechless.
He left Siming Street, hailed a cab, and returned to his apartment.
That night's scuffle in front of Lao Zhu's Sichuan Restaurant didn't make even the slightest ripple outside the showbiz circle.
Some people did post a few blurry photos on their blogs, speculating that one of the people involved might be Liao Jia.
But with no one pushing the story behind the scenes, and thanks to Liao Jia's PR efforts, those few blog posts disappeared without a trace.
Behind every A-list celebrity, there's usually a powerful PR team capable of exerting significant influence over the media. For them, handling trivial matters like this is child's play. For instance, the account that posted the blog was quickly shut down under the pretext of "unauthorized access and posting inappropriate ads."
And throughout the entire incident, Lu Chen's name never came up.
But on the fifth day after returning to Capital City, the night of November 21st, Lu Chen made an appearance at the banquet hall of the Regent Grand Hotel.
The Regent Grand Hotel is a well-known five-star establishment in the Capital City. Lu Chen had been there more than once; last time, he attended Chen Jianhao and Sister Na's wedding at the same venue.
This time, he was attending Flying Stone Records' "MSN Platinum Celebration & Fan Meet."
On November 5th, Flying Stone Records officially launched the debut album of its new girl group, MSN, titled Not Yet Lovers.
The album was released simultaneously on WeChat Music and the Zhongchou (Crowdfunding) platform.
As of now, 17 days in, 'Not Yet Lovers' has barely but successfully crossed the 500,000 sales mark!
350,000+ downloads and purchases came from WeChat Music
140,000+ from Zhongchou
The results were nothing short of stunning.
Back in the day, say, 10 or 20 years ago, it wasn't uncommon for top or even second-tier singers to sell hundreds of thousands of cassette tapes or CDs within a couple of weeks, provided they had good promotion. Real superstars could easily sell millions of albums.
But these days? Forget it.
The explosive growth of online media and the entertainment industry has made piracy rampant.
Even a megastar like Chen Fei'er hasn't had a million-selling album in recent years.
In fact, earning a Platinum certification now is no easy feat.
For those third- or fourth-tier singers, tens of thousands of copies, or even just a few thousand, is now the norm, often achieved with heavy "off-the-record" manipulation.
So when MSN, a girl group newly launched by Flying Stone Records this year, achieved these kinds of sales, it stunned the industry.
Flying Stone, a long-standing traditional record label that recently pivoted into broader entertainment, launched MSN as a bid to grab the youth market.
Having suffered several failed attempts in the past, the company poured massive resources into MSN's debut. The production budget for Not Yet Lovers alone exceeded 10 million yuan!
Even in a place like Capital City, where entertainment companies are a dime a dozen, this level of investment was rare.
So insiders generally believed that Not Yet Lovers was destined to succeed, if it hadn't, that would have been shocking.
But no one expected MSN to blow up like this.
Even setting aside the overall strong album sales, take their limited-edition merchandise bundle on Zhongchou: priced at a whopping ¥1,888, all 688 units sold out.
Just that one offer brought Flying Stone nearly a million yuan in revenue!
So even though some people in the showbiz world doubted the authenticity of the sales figures, Flying Stone Records felt completely justified in holding a Platinum Celebration event, and invited both industry insiders and fans to celebrate.
As the composer and producer of the album's title track, Lu Chen was, of course, on the guest list.
Lin Zhijie, Flying Stone's music director, personally delivered the invitation to Lu Chen's studio.
He assured Lu Chen that Not Yet Lovers' sales were 100% real. The company had even pre-allocated a budget for artificially boosting chart positions, but it turned out they didn't need it at all.
The first day's numbers had already blown everyone away, even insiders couldn't believe it.
The platinum record was pure gold in value and could withstand any investigation. That's why the company was celebrating so proudly.
Lin Zhijie also told Lu Chen that MSN's commercial performance fees had already exceeded ¥300,000, and brand endorsement deals now started at a million yuan. Given time, they'd definitely become Flying Stone's pillar group, or, more bluntly, a cash cow.
So naturally, Flying Stone hoped to deepen its collaboration with Lu Chen Studio.
For MSN's next album, they were even willing to give Lu Chen a revenue share from sales, not just a flat fee!
For this celebration, Lu Chen was undeniably one of the VIPs.
By the time he arrived at the banquet hall of the Regent Grand Hotel, the place was already buzzing with people. Dozens of banquet tables were completely filled.
The front stage was lavishly decorated with floral arrangements, and the LED screen was playing behind-the-scenes footage of MSN's MV shoots and daily life clips. Flying Stone's senior executives were all lined up on the red carpet.
Everyone wore expressions of unrestrained joy and pride.
"Teacher Lu!"
The moment Lu Chen entered, someone immediately came up to greet him.
(End Of The Chapter)
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