Success comes from hard work!
This was Lu Chen's praise for the three members of MSN, and also a reminder to himself.
With the memory wealth of an entire world at his disposal, he could have just rested on it and lived off it forever, no need to put in much effort, and still earn wealth and fame that others might never achieve in a lifetime.
But Lu Chen's goal was never to be a mere parasite.
His effort was no less than anyone else's: training martial arts rain or shine every day, squeezing time to attend classes at Jingyin to recharge after work, often working late into the night to write scripts.
Lu Chen hoped that if one day all memories from the dream world suddenly vanished, he could still rely on his own ability to carve out a place for himself, so that he wouldn't waste this brilliant life!
The stories he told naturally resonated differently with different listeners.
Flying Stone Records' executives were happy; they got a perfect promotional story.
MSN's fan clubs and the Lu Family Army fans felt touched.
But Mu Xiaochu, Su Jiajia, and Ning Tian couldn't hold back the emotions stirring inside them. Ning Tian's eyes reddened. She bit her lip, puffed out her chest, and her expression was proud yet stubborn.
Mu Xiaochu lowered her head and quietly sobbed on Su Jiajia's shoulder.
Su Jiajia was already crying openly.
They knew best the effort they had put in. Even though they had achieved success, it could never erase those deeply etched memories.
After finishing his story about MSN, Lu Chen looked at the three tearful girls and apologized, "Sorry for sharing so many unhappy things. Next, I'll play a song, 'He Nevertheless Doesn't Understand'. Please, these three beautiful and brave girls, sing for us!"
The entire room instantly erupted into warm applause; everyone stood up.
They were all cheering for MSN.
The three girls wiped their tears shyly and hugged each other.
Lu Chen sat down at the piano.
He took a moment to gather his emotions, then confidently pressed the keys.
His piano skills had improved greatly, he played the intro like flowing water.
The banquet hall fell silent again as everyone returned to their seats, ready to listen to the girls sing.
Ning Tian was the first to sing: "Why don't you understand my heart that loves you?
I really love you!"
This was the opening line of "He Nevertheless Doesn't Understand."
"Say what you want,
The cup is already empty,
Closing my eyes, my heart feels like it's snowing.
Cold sky and frozen ground,
Is it time,
For love's bill to be settled,
Leaving only the loneliness of paying separately?
Why when I push the door,
He doesn't come to hold me?
He still doesn't understand,
Nevertheless doesn't understand!
Leaving means wanting to be held back,
If I speak, it's just the gentleness I want to come.
He still doesn't understand,
Never understands!
One hug can replace everything,
Love can definitely shake me!"
As a female group song, "He Nevertheless Doesn't Understand" differs greatly in style from the popular girl group songs of the moment. It is slow and soulful, tinged with subtle sadness, easily evoking feelings of helplessness and frustration in love.
Compared to the sweetness of Not Yet Lovers, this song's theme is more mature, yet many fans still love it, considering it the most listenable track on the album.
Professionals, however, feel that while MSN sings decently, their grasp of the song's emotional depth and atmosphere is not quite perfect.
The reason is simple, the lyrics describe a woman's heartbreak over a man who doesn't understand her love, but these outstanding girls in MSN, how could they really have such experiences or insights?
They are pursued by many boys; those truly heartbroken are those still longing.
Among the three, Mu Xiaochu sang with the most emotional depth. If Su Jiajia and Ning Tian's emotional scores were four or five out of ten, she was at least seven or eight, out of ten!
"...
What can melt this silence,
Sighing in the cold air around,
Turning into smoke and drifting away.
The past events,
Roll into snowballs in my heart,
Afraid that tears will fall before I even speak,
It's not that he gives little love,
But that he doesn't know what I want.
He still doesn't understand,
Nevertheless doesn't understand,
Leaving means wanting to be held back,
If I speak, it's just the gentleness I want to come.
He still doesn't understand,
Never understands,
One hug can replace everything,
Love can definitely shake me!
...
Save me in time!"
After the song ended, the three girls held hands and bowed deeply to the guests and fans in the audience.
The applause surged!
They turned around and bowed again to Lu Chen.
All three clearly understood that their success today was inseparable from Lu Chen.
They sincerely hoped to maintain a lifelong friendship with him.
Lu Chen stood up, smiled, and applauded.
The three girls glanced at each other, their smiles bright with joy.
Next, they performed the third song of the night, "Where's Love."
Once again, Lu Chen accompanied them on the piano.
Although there was no flashy electronic composing or EDM, this kind of collaboration made the fans feel it was more genuine.
Where's Love ended, and Lu Chen was about to leave the stage.
But at that moment, someone in the audience shouted loudly, "One more duet, male and female!"
Many people immediately laughed and started cheering, "Yeah, a male-female duet!"
Mu Xiaochu, Su Jiajia, and Ning Tian looked at each other. The latter two flanked Mu Xiaochu on either side, smiling as they gently pushed her forward to Lu Chen. "Let Xiaochu sing a duet with Big Brother Lu Chen!"
This was actually a pre-arranged part of the evening, a special "easter egg" for the fans.
The person who shouted for a male-female duet was, of course, a planted agent from Flying Stone Records.
For the fans, the truth didn't really matter, what mattered was the surprise and joy they received.
At this very moment, the viewer count in Lu Chen's Whale TV live streaming room had already surpassed the one million mark!
Since re-signing with Whale TV, Lu Chen was no longer just a simple online streamer but a star spokesperson for the platform, enjoying vastly improved treatment compared to before.
For example, tonight's MSN platinum celebration party was coordinated between Flying Stone Records, Whale TV, and Lu Chen's Workshop, with Whale TV securing exclusive rights to the live online broadcast.
With the ever-expanding market of online live streaming, entertainment agencies have been eyeing this pie. Several websites are affiliated with media companies aiming to nurture their own internet celebrities and transition them into the entertainment industry.
Conversely, some second- or third-tier celebrity artists who once looked down on online streaming have developed an interest. A few have even opened their own live streaming rooms to gather popularity and fans.
Lu Chen's success is a perfect example. He rose to fame on the internet, leveraged the power of netizens to make a leap in his career, and still retains his identity as an online streamer.
It is said that Flying Stone Records also intends to have MSN open a live streaming room on Whale TV, and the two sides are currently negotiating.
Tonight's live streaming in Lu Chen's room marked the beginning of that cooperation.
When Mu Xiaochu was pushed out to sing a duet with Lu Chen, the barrage of comments on the live stream exploded instantly!
"Hahaha, a male-female duet! Who came up with this idea? I want to give them a thumbs up!"
"I bet it was Sister Xiaochu. Go Xiaochu!"
"Sister Xiaochu is the cutest! I feel she and Big Brother Lu Chen make a perfect pair!"
"Eww, they're siblings though!"
"Why not sing with MSN together?"
"Are you stupid? MSN has three girls, how can they do a duet?"
"Then why Mu Xiaochu?"
"Simple, Xiaochu is Lu Chen's biological little sister. Su Jiajia and Ning Tian are his adopted little sisters."
"Biological sister +1!"
The friendship between Lu Chen and Mu Xiaochu was first established when they participated in Singing China. At that time, Mu Xiaochu had already appeared on internet live streams and even sung.
Lu Chen's fans all loved this pure and adorable girl, their affection for her shyness and lovely voice led them to affectionately call her Sister Xiaochu.
In their eyes, Mu Xiaochu was Lu Chen's little sister.
By comparison, Su Jiajia and Ning Tian were considered less close, so it seemed natural for Mu Xiaochu to duet with Lu Chen, and any other arrangement might have caused dissatisfaction.
Though the duet was prearranged, Mu Xiaochu blushed slightly as she was pushed in front of Lu Chen.
Lu Chen smiled and said, "Then let's sing a song together for everyone."
Mu Xiaochu nodded enthusiastically, like holding a little rabbit in her arms, excited, thrilled, but also a bit nervous.
Because they had only rehearsed this song once, she worried she might not sing well.
Lu Chen gave Mu Xiaochu an encouraging look and sat back down at the piano.
This male-female duet was composed at Flying Stone Records' last-minute request. They initially wanted Lu Chen to pick a song written by someone else, but Lu Chen proposed a better idea:
He would provide a brand-new song, a new male-female duet!
Flying Stone Records was overjoyed and immediately expressed their intention to purchase the song.
The huge success of Not Yet Lovers had brought this veteran record company's confidence in Lu Chen to its peak. Many vagabond singers under the label were eager to collaborate with him through their agents.
With many competitors and Lu Chen busy shooting a TV drama, Flying Stone couldn't just demand a certain number of songs from him, waiting patiently for the right opportunity.
Now Lu Chen actively proposed it, it was exactly what they wanted. The price was no issue!
Plus, using it at the celebration was highly entertaining.
Lu Chen struck the piano keys again, playing the prelude of his first male-female duet composition.
(End of chapter)
You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
PS-"For every 100 power stones, I'll release one bonus chapter (Current-01)!"