In Hong Kong's entertainment industry, Lu Chen was still a newcomer.
Thanks to "'Favorite in Life'" and the recent incident surrounding the 'A Chinese Ghost Story' film crew, he had gained plenty of popularity and recognition on the island, but he wasn't truly part of the local circle yet.
So even though he'd been invited to the Clock Tower Music Salon, he barely knew anyone there. The person greeting him now was someone he had only met once before.
Yet Ye Xuan welcomed him as warmly as if they were old friends. "I was just about to call and ask when you'd be here."
His eyes landed on Chen Fei'er, and his face lit up. "This must be your girlfriend, Miss Chen Fei'er?"
According to the salon's rules, every invited guest could bring one companion, a partner, assistant, or manager. Ye Xuan had recommended Lu Chen, but he hadn't expected him to actually bring Chen Fei'er along. That alone made him feel quite honored.
Lu Chen smiled. "That's right. Thanks for inviting us, it's a great opportunity to be part of such a wonderful gathering."
Turning slightly, he introduced her. "Fei'er, this is Mr. Ye Xuan."
Chen Fei'er smiled gently and nodded. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Ye."
"The pleasure is all mine." Ye Xuan's smile became even more enthusiastic.
Not far away, several young singers happened to witness the exchange. One of them, a thin young man, curled his lip in disdain. "Look at Ye Xuan. Sucking up to people from the Mainland now? Doesn't he have any pride?"
One of his companions chuckled. "I heard he's planning to break into the Mainland market. Makes sense he'd flatter those two."
Among Hong Kong's local singers, Ye Xuan wasn't a superstar. He hovered between the second and third tier, but he was genuinely talented.
He could write lyrics, compose music, and play guitar, bass, and keyboards, making him a favorite at many live events.
His personality was smooth and easygoing; he rarely offended anyone, never schemed behind people's backs, avoided gossip, and treated everyone politely without acting high and mighty.
That earned him plenty of friends in the industry and regular invitations to the Clock Tower Music Salon.
To many young idols chasing trends and attitude, however, Ye Xuan wasn't a respected senior worthy of admiration, nor was he someone they considered one of their own. They mostly looked down on him.
The thin man glanced at the tall, handsome young singer beside him and smiled.
"Dawei, isn't that Lu Chen over there, the guy filming 'A Chinese Ghost Story'? You could call him your rival." Then he added meaningfully, "Chen Fei'er really is beautiful, though. A real Heavenly Queen from the Mainland..."
The young man called Dawei smiled faintly. "What are you trying to stir up this time?"
The thin man shrugged innocently. "Nothing, just stating the facts. If you don't want to go over, that's fine. It's not like you guys are friends anyway."
Dawei snorted. His friend's provocation was painfully obvious, but after a brief pause, he picked up a glass of champagne and walked straight toward Lu Chen anyway. Knowing it was a trap didn't matter, his pride wouldn't let him back down.
Watching him walk away, the thin man smiled smugly and swirled the champagne in his glass. "This should be interesting."
His other companions laughed softly alongside him.
---
"You're Lu Chen?" Dawei stopped directly in front of him, asking without any introduction.
Lu Chen, who had been chatting with Ye Xuan, looked up in surprise. He had no idea who this aggressive kid was, though his trendy hairstyle, handsome face, tall build, and youthful confidence fit the current idol mold perfectly.
Ye Xuan hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "Lu Chen, this is Jiang Wei from Xingyi Entertainment. He's one of the rising stars of Hong Kong's music scene. He only debuted a year ago and has already released his first album."
Lu Chen had never heard of him. Out of basic courtesy, he simply nodded. "Nice to meet you."
Jiang Wei's attitude had already rubbed him the wrong way, so there was no warmth in his response. 'A rising star of Hong Kong's music scene? So what?'
That indifferent reaction irritated Jiang Wei even more. What annoyed him most was that Lu Chen showed zero recognition upon hearing his name, as if he didn't matter at all. As one of Hong Kong entertainment's newest hotshot idol singers, that was something Jiang Wei couldn't tolerate.
He lifted his chin proudly. "Remember my name. I'm going to be the one who defeats you."
With that, he turned and walked away.
---
As he left, though, he couldn't resist glancing at Chen Fei'er one last time.
Quite a few guests had already arrived at the Clock Tower Bar, including famous actresses, wealthy socialites, and plenty of glamorous companions, but in terms of beauty and grace, none of them came close to Chen Fei'er.
Even Jiang Wei couldn't help feeling drawn to her. Still, his pride wouldn't allow him to flirt with her in front of Lu Chen. His sudden challenge had been partly meant to leave a strong impression on her.
Unfortunately for him, Chen Fei'er merely offered a faint smile while looking down at her champagne flute, acting as if he didn't even exist.
Jiang Wei had made his dramatic exit, leaving Ye Xuan awkwardly caught in the middle.
Ye Xuan offered an embarrassed smile. "He's... he's also the male lead of 'Painted Skin', the film being co-produced by Xingyi Entertainment and Huaguan Film."
True to his reputation, Ye Xuan never bad-mouthed people behind their backs, even after Jiang Wei had made things awkward. Instead, he simply pointed out Jiang Wei's other role.
Lu Chen immediately understood.
So he really 'was' the competition. No wonder he had declared he was going to defeat him.
After the recent trouble with the film crew, Lu Chen had specifically asked Chen Wenqiang to gather intelligence on every movie currently shooting in Hong Kong that planned to compete for the government support program.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles.
Before this, Lu Chen had focused entirely on his own work. It wasn't until Huaguan Film entered the picture that he realized how careless that approach had been.
In this industry, doing your own job well wasn't enough; you also had to keep a close eye on your competitors so you could adapt your strategy whenever necessary.
Among all the reports Chen Wenqiang had collected, 'Painted Skin', the joint project between Xingyi Entertainment and Huaguan Film, was by far the most important. It was unquestionably 'A Chinese Ghost Story''s biggest rival.
Talk about fate. Lu Chen hadn't expected to run into 'Painted Skin''s male lead at a music salon, but at the very least, he would definitely remember Jiang Wei's name now.
Hong Kong's entertainment industry really was a small world.
(End Of This Chapter)
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