PS-Chapter 37 Strong Opponent

It was the first time Lu Chen had ever been addressed as "Teacher"

Of course, this "Teacher" wasn't the kind of real teacher who educates and nurtures. In the entertainment industry, it's a respectful and honorary title given to seniors who have already made their debut or gained some fame, applicable to both men and women. It sounded polite and showed respect.

The Blue Lotus Music Carnival has been held many times, and it was quite influential within the small Houhai circle. Those who could take the stage to perform were not ordinary people, and compared to them, Lu Chen was the least experienced.

So, when he heard himself being called "Teacher," he felt a bit embarrassed.

Sister Na stood up and said, "Big Brother Qing, I'll head over there first."

She was somewhat worried for Lu Chen. After all, tonight he would be facing thousands of spectators. She wanted to go early to support and encourage him, at least to let him know he wasn't alone.

Qin Hanyang hesitated for a moment before also standing up, "Let's all go together. We're like family!"

Lu Chen understood their intentions and said gratefully, "Thank you, Brother Qin, thank you, Sister Na."

"No need to be so polite."

Qin Hanyang reached out and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "You have real talent. You should be more confident!"

Lu Chen nodded silently. Qin Hanyang was right— he needed to be more confident.

With the profound memories from a past life and the spiritual wealth of an entire world, he was no longer the person he used to be.

Lu Chen had no reason to fear any challenge.

His gaze then drifted toward the Flying Range Band, who were not far away. By coincidence, the band's flashy male lead, Cheng Xiaodong, happened to glance back at him. Their eyes locked, and it felt like invisible sparks were flying between them.

Cheng Xiaodong curled his lips into a mocking smile before turning away with disdain and walking off with his bandmates.

Lu Chen wasn't angry. He simply picked up his guitar case and headed to the backstage area.

He would let his music speak in response to his opponent!

The backstage area was located to the left of the main stage and was a temporary space for singers and bands to prepare before going on. Since the area wasn't large, the staff would only call performers shortly before their turn, guiding them through the staff passage.

When Lu Chen, Sister Na, and the Wandering Band arrived backstage, several people were already there.

Among them was the Flying Range Band. Cheng Xiaodong, noticing Qin Hanyang and the others entering, paid them no attention and continued chatting and laughing with his bandmates.

"Big Brother Qing, Sister Na!"

A man in his 30s, wearing a jacket, stood up and greeted them with a smile, "You guys are here early?"

He was tall and slender, with sharp cheekbones and piercing eyes. His long, unkempt hair draped over his shoulders, giving him the look of a struggling artist. You'd often see someone like him in the artist villages of Songzhuang, Tongzhou.

Qin Hanyang shook his hand and gave him a big hug before introducing him to Lu Chen: "This is Big Brother Gan Lang, leader of the Compass Band. And this is our younger brother, Lu Chen."

Lu Chen extended his hand politely, "Nice to meet you, Big Brother Gan. I've heard a lot about you."

Gan Lang shook his hand and smiled, "I've seen you perform at Daylily before. Your two original folk songs were quite good."

Lu Chen was surprised to learn that the lead singer of Compass Band had seen him perform at Daylily.

"Thank you. I hope you can give me more advice," Lu Chen replied.

Gan Lang chuckled, "I wouldn't say advice— I don't have the skills to write original songs."

He then asked seriously, "Little Lu, are you planning to perform those two songs tonight?"

Lu Chen shook his head, "No, I'm not."

"That's the right choice!" Gan Lang seemed relieved. "Those folk songs of yours aren't suited for a live performance. It's better to go with something else."

Lu Chen just smiled, saying nothing.

He was perceptive enough to catch the underlying tone in Gan Lang's words.

This Compass Band leader might seem straightforward, but beneath his generous exterior lay a sense of pride. His blunt advice wasn't really out of concern for Lu Chen. Rather, it seemed like he didn't want to win too easily.

Or perhaps, he didn't want the victory to come 'too' easily?

Gan Lang continued chatting with Sister Na, while Cheng Xiaodong cast a gloating glance at Lu Chen.

Without batting an eye, Lu Chen found a seat in the corner of the backstage area and quietly started tuning his guitar.

Outside, the sound of applause and cheers grew louder— the band currently on stage was about to finish their performance.

A staff member came in and told the Flying Range Band to get ready to go on stage.

Cheng Xiaodong immediately jumped up, bouncing on the spot twice, causing his flashy accessories to jingle loudly. "Let's go, guys!" 

As he left, he gave Lu Chen another glance, filled with provocative disdain.

The appearance of the Flying Range Band caused quite a stir among the audience.

Dozens of teenage fans held up glowing signs with "Flying Range" and "Cheng Xiaodong" written on them. They were shouting and jumping with excitement, calling Cheng Xiaodong's name, some seemingly on the verge of tears.

With an electric guitar in his right hand and waving dramatically with his left, Cheng Xiaodong addressed the crowd, "Good evening, everyone! I'm thrilled to perform at Blue Lotus Night. I'm Cheng Xiaodong from the Flying Range Band!" 

"Cheng! Cheng! Cheng!" 

Many of his female fans screamed loudly, waving their glow sticks as hard as they could.

"This Flying Range Band seems really popular, huh?" 

In the VIP seats on the top floor of Blue Lotus Flower, Dong Yu quietly asked Su Qingmei, who was sitting beside her, "Have you ever thought about trying to recruit them?" 

Qingyu Media had only recently been established, and Su Qingmei had been in charge of scouting new talent.

Su Qingmei replied somewhat regretfully, "Another company is already after them, and their offer is far better than what we can provide. It's too costly, so I decided to pass." 

Dong Yu nodded in understanding.

She had set a steady development path for Qingyu Media— no rushing for quick success, but rather gradually building a solid foundation, amassing experience and strength before aiming for a breakthrough.

That's why, in the early stages, they were unwilling to pay exorbitant fees to sign new talent.

Seated around Su Qingmei and Dong Yu were several other notable figures, including Chang Wei and Chen Jianhao. The rest were also prominent figures from the entertainment industry, such as executives from entertainment companies, music site editors, songwriters, and professional music critics. It was an impressive gathering of observers.

Chang Wei turned to Chen Jianhao with a smile, "Old Chen, after the Flying Range Band finishes, it's Little Lu's turn, right?"

Chen Jianhao forced a wry smile. "Boss Chang, who arranged this performance order?"

Having been around the block for years, Chen Jianhao could easily see the deliberate arrangement of the performance order. He had held back from mentioning it before, but since Chang Wei brought it up, he decided to address it directly.

He was confident that Chang Wei wasn't behind this.

Chang Wei laughed heartily and said, "Well, you'll have to ask your own people about that. It's out of my hands."

Though Chen Jianhao had suspected as much, hearing it confirmed still left him at a loss for words.

After all, wasn't Su Qingmei his own family?

Chang Wei, sensing his frustration, offered some comfort, "Don't worry too much. It's not a big deal— young people benefit from a bit of challenge."

Chen Jianhao could only smile wryly in response.

Meanwhile, on stage, the Flying Range Band had just finished performing a well-known rap song.

Cheng Xiaodong sang and danced energetically, effortlessly stirring the crowd into waves of excitement. His talent and skill were evident as he prompted cheers from the audience again and again.

Tossing his hair back and raising his electric guitar high, Cheng Xiaodong shouted loudly, "This next song is for all of you! It's called 'Transcendence,' and together, let's Transcend ourselves!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the cheers from the crowd grew several decibels louder!

"Cheng! Cheng!"

A few of his female fans, in their excitement, tried to rush toward the stage but were stopped by security guards.

Cheng Xiaodong lowered his electric guitar, bending his body as he plucked the strings sharply.

The intense intro rang out!

"Transcendence!"

Backstage, Qin Hanyang and Sister Na exchanged shocked glances, seeing the same surprise reflected in each other's eyes.

"Transcendence" was a classic rock song that had been incredibly popular in the 1990s, but it was notoriously difficult to perform. The high notes had caused many singers to run out of breath during covers, to the point where it was impossible to perform without lowering the key.

The fact that Cheng Xiaodong dared to challenge "Transcendence" live showed just how confident he was.

Both of them couldn't help but feel concerned for Lu Chen.

His opponent was formidable!

(End Of The Chapter)

You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395