"Welcome, Lu Chen!"
As the host Mu Dan and the three members of Little Tiger Group rose to their feet, they applauded warmly to welcome Lu Chen onto the stage.
"Hello, Mu Dan. Hello, Junzhi, Yiran, Xiaoyang, good evening, everyone."
Smiling, Lu Chen nodded to both the host and the boys before waving to the few hundred people in the audience, immediately drawing waves of cheers.
Unlike Star Talk, another interview show on Capital City TV's entertainment channel that mainly invites established celebrities, New Star Show focuses on new faces just emerging in the entertainment industry. Big-name stars rarely appear on this program.
Lu Chen, who had already been featured on Star Talk and was now also appearing on New Star Show, was something of a first.
He took his seat in the spot reserved for him.
Mu Dan turned to the audience and explained: "It really wasn't easy getting Lu Chen to join us today. He's currently filming a brand-new TV drama, 'Full House', and his schedule is packed!"
She asked, "You came straight from the set today, didn't you?"
Lu Chen nodded.
"Yes. The new series is shooting over in Jinling. I took the high-speed train over this morning."
The audience applauded loudly, a show of deep respect.
Mu Dan continued introducing: "'Full House' is a new television drama starring Teacher Lu Chen, and it's set to premiere right here on Capital City TV this summer! Everyone, be sure to tune in and support it!"
Although the drama had no direct link to New Star Show, Capital City TV was also co-producing 'Full House', so naturally, the host took the opportunity to promote it enthusiastically.
Lu Chen smiled and said, "Thank you, Mu Dan, but let's not talk about the new drama today. Let's talk about Little Tiger Group instead."
The studio erupted in laughter.
Mu Dan chuckled.
"No wonder Little Tiger Group said you're their teacher, and one of the people they're most grateful to!"
Lu Chen replied modestly, "Honestly, I haven't really taught them that much."
Mu Dan asked, "I heard that the group's stage names, Little Shu Tiger, Little Flying Tiger, and Little Gentle Tiger, were your idea?"
Lu Chen nodded.
"That's right."
Mu Dan smiled knowingly.
"And I also heard you've written several songs for them. Would everyone like to hear one?"
"Yes!"
The crowd roared in unison. Little Tiger Group's fans were especially excited, screaming and waving their lightboards with all their strength.
This was officially Little Tiger Group's debut day, though their pre-debut publicity had been running for weeks. Their official Wave Blog account and fan clubs had long been established, with new posts released daily.
Thanks to Zhang Junzhi's popularity from Autumn in My Heart and the group's clean, handsome boy-next-door image, they had already built a strong following online even before releasing a single song.
However, despite the hype, the young trio had yet to release any actual work. Fans knew they were still in training, but patience has its limits.
In today's entertainment industry, newcomers appear every day, and only solid works can truly set someone apart. Little Tiger Group's launch conditions were excellent, but without real songs, they would only be a passing fad.
Now that the timing felt right, their agency officially announced their debut, using New Star Show as the platform for their first public performance.
Mu Dan turned back to Lu Chen with a bright smile.
"Perfect! Let's have Teacher Lu Chen check out his students' progress today."
The three boys, Zhang Junzhi, Hu Yiran, and Yue Yang, immediately stood up, bowed respectfully toward Lu Chen, and said in unison:
"Please guide us, Teacher."
Lu Chen smiled and nodded.
Strictly speaking, the title "teacher", or perhaps more accurately "mentor", was one he had already accepted.
Mentor-apprentice relationships are common in the entertainment world. Sister Li had even suggested holding a formal apprenticeship ceremony, but Lu Chen politely declined. After all, he had only debuted himself a year earlier, taking on apprentices would seem presumptuous and could invite gossip.
Still, though he declined the formal ceremony, given his and Chen Fei'er's close friendship with Sister Li, he naturally looked after Little Tiger Group as his own juniors.
That was why he was here today.
Then, as gentle music began to play, the three boys started to sing:
"The white clouds cross the mountain ridge, searching hard for their home,
The drizzling rain wakes the sleeping lotus, smiling in its dream,
I turn my youth into a kite that climbs into the sky.
The seashell crawls upon the sand, curious how vast the world can be,
The caterpillar dreams of tomorrow, when it will have beautiful wings,
The little stream rests in the forest's arms, singing the song that spring once wrote,
I slowly weave the years together into a painting…"
The song they performed was "Butterfly Fly Away", a piece written and tailored specifically for them by Lu Chen.
The song's melody was light and cheerful, its lyrics full of optimism. It kept a trendy pop style while perfectly suiting the tastes of teenage boys and girls.
According to the group's rollout plan, after participating in Singing China, Little Tiger Group would officially release their first album, with this very song, Butterfly Fly Away, as the lead single. It was, in a sense, an attempt to replicate Lu Chen's own successful debut trajectory.
But Little Tiger Group was not Lu Chen. They were a boy group, a singing-and-dancing team, not solo performers.
At the Star Connection Art Center, where the three of them trained, dance was a crucial part of their curriculum. Their dance instructor was a professional coach from South Korea, and every movement had been meticulously choreographed. Their performance, paired with their clear, bright singing, radiated the boundless energy unique to youth.
Even so, since it was their first time performing on television, Zhang Junzhi, Hu Yiran, and Yue Yang couldn't help feeling nervous. It showed in the stiffness of their early dance moves, a touch awkward, a bit unnatural.
But halfway through the song, the results of their months of grueling training began to shine through. Their movements loosened up, growing smoother and more confident, and their coordination as a trio became perfectly in sync.
This kind of Little Tiger Group, performing live before hundreds of spectators, was genuinely refreshing, a breath of fresh air in an industry already overflowing with idol groups. Boy bands and girl groups were nothing new, but such a young, genuinely youthful trio was still something rare and exciting.
As for Little Tiger Group's fans, needless to say, they were ecstatic. When the performance ended, countless girls' eyes sparkled like stars as they clapped frantically, sending the atmosphere soaring to its peak.
The three boys were visibly emotional, breathing heavily, their faces lit with pure, joyful smiles.
Host Mu Dan applauded and said with a bright smile:
"That was wonderful! Great singing, great dancing! So, should we have them do another one?"
"Yes!"
The audience shouted in unison, and a few young fangirls even let out excited screams.
So, with renewed enthusiasm, the three boys performed another song, Youth Whisper.
This song wasn't written by Lu Chen; Sister Li had commissioned it from another well-known composer. Its style and theme were similar to Butterfly Fly Away, bright, fresh, and youthful.
Youth Whisper was a good song, but compared to Butterfly Fly Away, it was clearly a step down.
Of course, with the vast creative repertoire stored in Lu Chen's memory, he could easily have produced ten songs to fill Little Tiger Group's debut album. But he would never do that.
Too many good things released at once would only dilute their value. Slow and steady was the right approach.
Besides, the Original Sound Chart was about to roll out a new rule limiting how many tracks from the same album could chart at once, so keeping a lower profile wasn't necessarily a bad idea.
And not just for Little Tiger Group, even for Chen Fei'er's future albums, Lu Chen planned to contribute only three or four songs.
That was already plenty.
"Thank you, Little Tiger Group, for your wonderful performance!"
Mu Dan turned to Lu Chen and asked with a teasing smile: "So, Teacher Lu Chen, are you satisfied with your three students' performance today?"
Lu Chen replied: "Out of ten, I'll give them a nine."
A wave of surprised "Wows" rippled through the audience, clearly, no one had expected such a high score.
Mu Dan pressed on playfully: "Why not a ten? Where did they lose that last point?"
Lu Chen smiled.
"I took one point off so they don't get too proud."
His answer caught everyone off guard. For a moment, the studio was silent, then laughter broke out all around.
Of course, everyone understood what he meant: it was a perfect score in spirit, just phrased in a way that was modest and endearing. It made him sound neither boastful nor overly indulgent, just the right balance of teacherly humor and sincerity.
Mu Dan laughed.
"Alright then, since Little Tiger Group has already given us such a great performance, how about you, Teacher Lu Chen? Shouldn't you show us something too? What do you all think?"
The audience responded with loud cheers and rhythmic clapping from their cheering sticks, pa pa pa! echoing through the studio.
For them, this episode of New Star Show was turning out to be pure delight.
Lu Chen didn't hesitate or act coy.
"Alright then," he said with an easy smile. "Let me sing one for everyone."
(End of Chapter)
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