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The charity crowdfunding project to help Meng Meng (the leukemia patient) ended on the 26th.
A total of over 4.7 Million Yuan was raised for charity, and due to the differences in individual conditions, it was estimated that 12 patients, including Meng Meng, would receive the necessary assistance.
The specific arrangements for the funds, management supervision, and public accounting were all handled by Mu-Chen Crowdfunding Company. Lu Chen no longer involved himself in these matters.
The Yanhuang Charity Foundation sent representatives to approach him, and this project had little to do with them. The charity foundation was coming for "The Dedication of Love" song!
The Yanhuang Charity Foundation was established in 1990 and is a national non-profit public welfare organization voluntarily participated in by citizens, legal entities, and other social organizations dedicated to charity, with over 500 member units in the country.
Compared to the Red Cross, the Yanhuang Charity Foundation has a better reputation with the public. The representative sent by this charity organization was named Xu, with the full name Xu An, a director in the external liaison department of the charity foundation.
This Ms. Xu An was in her 40s, with kind eyes and a gentle voice, and she spoke with great eloquence. She represented the Yanhuang Charity Foundation and hoped to obtain non-commercial authorization for the song "The Dedication of Love" from Lu Chen for the foundation's promotional and public service advertisements.
Lu Chen did not hesitate at all and agreed immediately. He had never thought of making money from this song; whether it was the charity foundation or the Red Cross, as long as they were willing to use it, they could use it freely without any payment!
In addition to seeking authorization for "The Dedication of Love," the Yanhuang Charity Foundation also hoped that Lu Chen could participate in the shooting of a public service advertisement.
This public service advertisement would use "The Dedication of Love" as the core theme and invite several stars to perform and sing together, including Li Xing, Tan Hong, Chen Fei'er, Liu Zonghan, Xi Rong, and other big names.
Including Lu Chen, there were already 12 confirmed participants! To put it bluntly, every name on the invitation list provided by Xu An was more famous and of a higher status than Lu Chen. If he weren't the original creator of "The Dedication of Love," he probably wouldn't even be on the list.
Xu An also hinted that this was related to Lu Chen's recent interview with "China Youth Daily." And this was, of course, a good thing, a very good thing.
Lu Chen couldn't think of any reason to refuse, so he settled it on the spot. As his sister said, the more prestige he gained, the better!
However, the shooting of the public service advertisement for "The Dedication of Love" wouldn't start immediately. For a massive organization like the Yanhuang Charity Foundation, the preparatory work would inevitably take a lot of time. But Lu Chen's participation was already a done deal.
So after meeting with Xu An, Lu Chen quickly put this matter out of his mind, knowing that he would be notified when the time came. As an independent artist, he had a lot of flexibility in his schedule.
Currently, what Lu Chen was most focused on was the debut album "Not Yet Lovers" released by the Flying Stone Records' girl group MSN! In this newly released album, Lu Chen had composed three songs, including the title track "Not Yet Lovers."
He also served as the producer and appeared in the MV for "Not Yet Lovers." On the last day of October, as a prelude to MSN's debut album, the MV and music single for "Not Yet Lovers" began large-scale promotion across major TV stations, radio stations, and online platforms!
As the first girl group launched by Flying Stone Records in recent years, the company had high hopes for MSN's album. The cost of inviting Lu Chen to write songs and produce was over a Million, and they naturally wouldn't skimp on such an important promotion.
It was said that Flying Stone Records had allocated a promotional budget as high as 5 Million! This brought considerable pressure to Lu Chen.
The three songs he wrote for MSN, including the title track "Not Yet Lovers," were all outstanding selections. However, it was difficult to accurately grasp the market trends and the preferences of fans. Some songs that were clearly very good just wouldn't take off, while some mediocre songs could become nationwide hits.
Although Lu Chen was very confident, Flying Stone Records had invested tens of Millions in this album. If it failed, it would have a significant impact on him. After all, his current works were priced at 350,000 to 400,000 Yuan each, which was top-tier.
If the top-tier price didn't achieve the expected results, the reputation he had built up would suffer a severe blow! Lu Chen's rapid rise had made many in the industry envious and jealous. Naturally, there were those who were eagerly watching for him to stumble!
These were the words Chen Fei'er had shared with Lu Chen.
As November arrived, the autumn air grew thicker.
After returning to the Capital City from Hangzhou, Lu Chen met Chen Fei'er for the first time at a Western restaurant in the Capital City.
This restaurant was quite famous and had a Michelin certification, making it nearly impossible to get a reservation. However, for Chen Fei'er, this was clearly not an issue.
On the surface, Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er were meeting to discuss her new album, but both of them understood that this was essentially a real date. Yet, neither of them was willing to break the ice.
"I'm just reminding you not to get too carried away!" After finishing dessert, a small cream cake, Chen Fei'er said seriously to Lu Chen, "Many newcomers in the show business community fall hard after being overly praised too quickly."
Lu Chen nodded.
In recent times, he had indeed been in the spotlight.
First, he saved someone in Hangzhou, then he engaged in charity crowdfunding, and next, he was interviewed by "China Youth Daily." Any newcomer would be able to make a significant impression on the public with just one of these achievements.
Lu Chen had made headlines three times, effectively gaining both fame and fortune.
As of now, his blog followers had officially surpassed 10 Million!
The surge in popularity brought tangible benefits.
First, Whale TV was negotiating with Lu Xi to re-sign a contract with Lu Chen. Lu Chen's collaboration with Whale TV began six months ago, with a two-year contract that included an annual signing bonus of 500,000 Yuan, in addition to revenue sharing from tips.
At that time, both parties were satisfied with the contract, but it had now become outdated. This contract no longer matched Lu Chen's fame and market value!
It wasn't that Lu Chen wanted to breach the contract; rather, Whale TV felt it necessary to renegotiate.
Lu Chen had risen to fame through Whale TV, becoming well-known via "Singing China." Although Whale TV had treated him well, Lu Chen's contributions had also been remarkable.
Not to mention the popularity of Lu Fei's live streaming, his success had attracted many talented streamers to Whale TV, leading to a significant increase in registered members.
Although Whale TV could choose to ignore the situation and wait for Lu Chen to fulfill the two-year contract, this would make it nearly impossible for Lu Chen to renew hia contract after two years. Most importantly, the details of the contract had been leaked, putting Whale TV in a difficult position.
A signing bonus of 500,000?
That was quite a joke!
Therefore, to ensure better cooperation in the future and to retain Lu Chen, Whale TV offered a new contract to Lu Chen's workshop.
Currently, Lu Xi was negotiating on Lu Chen's behalf with Whale TV, and the signing bonus was expected to be at least 3 Million or more! Lu Chen was also interested in continuing his collaboration with Whale TV for a while, but he wouldn't give up on the benefits he deserved.
In addition to Whale TV, many other brands, both domestic and international, were eager to sign endorsement contracts with Lu Chen. Numerous performance promoters and agencies were reaching out, leaving Lu Xi overwhelmed.
As for various other invitations, they were countless.
The entertainment industry is a vast arena of fame and fortune, where many overnight sensations can easily get caught up in vanity and profit, gradually losing their true selves, leading to scandals that ruin their futures.
Chen Fei'er did not want Lu Chen to become one of them. She understood deeply how complex the entertainment industry was. Lu Chen was fortunate to be an independent artist; if he were in a large entertainment agency, he would face countless hidden dangers!
In response to Chen Fei'er's kind reminder, Lu Chen nodded and said, "I know, Sister Fei."
To be honest, he had indeed been feeling a bit carried away lately.
Fortunately, he always had good mentors and friends around him! As he replied, almost instinctively, Lu Chen reached out to wipe the cream from the corner of Chen Fei'er's mouth.
Chen Fei'er was momentarily stunned, her cheeks instantly flushed with a beautiful hue!
She hadn't expected Lu Chen to be so bold.
Lu Chen himself was also taken aback. Just a gentle touch on her skin felt so soft and delicate, boosting his courage.
Lu Chen's hand naturally fell onto Chen Fei'er's small hand. He looked at her, his eyes bright.
Chen Fei'er first widened her eyes, then lowered her head shyly under Lu Chen's intense gaze. After a moment, she seemed to come back to her senses and raised her head to stare at Lu Chen.
It was as if she was saying, "You young man are too bold!"
Lu Chen didn't let go and straightforwardly said, "Sister Fei, I like you."
He was not a novice in love and didn't want to continue hiding his feelings for Chen Fei'er, so he took this opportunity to confess directly.
Chen Fei'er's face flushed again, but she was not a teenage girl; instead, she sighed lightly and said, "Lu Chen, can you let me think about it?"
She didn't deny that she had feelings for Lu Chen, but she was not ready to start a relationship with a younger man.
Lu Chen nodded, retracting his hand and saying, "Okay."
Chen Fei'er felt a bit guilty and gently held Lu Chen's big hand, saying softly, "Thank you."
Lu Chen's hand did not pull away again. The two sat in silence, yet a warm affection flowed silently between them.
The night outside seemed to soften as well.
(End of Chapter)