PS-Chapter 32 Blue Lotus Bar

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May 23rd, it was Saturday with clear skies.

The sky seemed as if it had just been washed, looking astonishingly clean. The pure blue canvas had not a single cloud painted across it, giving the day an almost unreal feel.

Although the city had worked hard over the years to improve its environment and eliminate pollution, shedding its old reputation as the "city of smog," such clear skies were still a rare sight, instantly lifting people's spirits.

Even though it wasn't the hottest time of the year yet, the city's young women had already donned their bright summer outfits, skirts swaying in the breeze as they proudly showed off their long legs and youthful energy.

"Big Chen!"

Li Feiyu came running over, panting while dragging a suitcase behind him. He shouted at Lu Chen, who was standing by the road admiring the view. "Let's go, or we might lose our spot!"

"Big Chen" was Li Feiyu's new nickname for Lu Chen. He used to call him "Big Star," "Little Lu," or "Bro," but now that Lu Chen's status had changed, Li Feiyu gave it serious thought and decided on a name that he believed had more depth.

According to Li Feiyu, people of status either had "Big" or "Master" in their titles. While Lu Chen wasn't quite at the "Master" level yet, "Big" suited him just fine, ensuring no one would look down on him.

Lu Chen, Lu Chen— it didn't sound grand enough and was easy to misunderstand, so "Big Chen" it was.

Lu Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this nickname, but since Li Feiyu had a salesperson's smooth-talking way, there was no winning an argument with him. In the end, Lu Chen could only let it be.

"I've told you three times already, our spot is reserved."

Lu Chen sighed. "No one's going to take it, and it's honestly too early to go now."

Tonight, Blue Lotus Bar in Houhai was hosting a music festival, sponsored by Qingyu Media Company. Word had it that this year's event was going to be the grandest ever, with many guests from the entertainment industry invited.

Lu Chen was also among the invited vagabond singers. When the organizers asked if he had any special requests, he thought for a moment and asked for a VIP seat. He also hoped they would allow him to livestream the event.

That's right— tonight's Lu Fei livestream would be a special episode featuring the Blue Lotus Music Night!

This idea came to Lu Chen when Chen Jianhao first told him about the invitation. With the increasing variety of livestream content available online, sitting in front of a computer every day singing and telling jokes could easily lead to viewer fatigue. He needed to keep things fresh.

Performing live at Blue Lotus Music Night would be the perfect new feature!

To make this happen, Lu Chen didn't hesitate to offer to forgo his performance fee.

He was confident that tips from his Fish Fans would more than make up for it.

However, the organizers were quite generous. Not only did they agree to all of Lu Chen's requests, but they also paid him the full fee!

Blue Lotus had always encouraged recording and sharing videos from their events online to boost its visibility, so Lu Chen easily secured a VIP seat. Though he wouldn't sit there himself— he gave it to Li Feiyu instead.

Since he needed help with the livestream, Brother Little Fei was the most suitable, and only, candidate.

Li Feiyu was over the moon when he found out. He'd been eagerly preparing for two days.

In reality, outdoor livestreaming is quite simple; you can do it with just a 4G smartphone. But Li Feiyu was meticulous. In addition to the high-definition camera and quality microphone they already had, he bought a tripod, a camera case, sound filters, and other accessories.

Of course, all of this was paid for by Lu Chen— these items would come in handy in the future.

"Better early than late! We need to get there early to set up."

Li Feiyu grinned. "I've heard Blue Lotus Bar's music nights are always lively. Little Mei went once, and when I told her I'd be livestreaming tonight as a VIP, she said she'd watch from our livestream!"

He spoke so animatedly that he accidentally let something slip.

Lu Chen, curious, asked, "Didn't Little Mei quit? You're still in touch with her?"

Little Mei was the receptionist at the 4S car dealership where Li Feiyu worked. She was pretty, with a charming voice, and had many admirers— Li Feiyu being one of them.

It was Little Mei who first got Li Feiyu into livestreaming. She reportedly earned tens of thousands a month from it and had planned to quit her job at the dealership to become a full-time streamer.

"Don't even mention it!"

Li Feiyu sighed regretfully. "Little Mei's livestream account got suspended for violating the rules, so she didn't quit after all."

Although Li Feiyu spoke with a tone of regret, there was not a trace of regret on his face— in fact, he seemed rather happy.

Lu Chen chuckled silently, not saying much more.

That unseen Little Mei was clearly not a good match for Li Feiyu, but since he liked her, it wasn't Lu Chen's place to say anything.

"Taxi!"

Li Feiyu waved down a taxi passing by.

The two of them headed to Houhai. Any taxi driver in the city knew the area well, and after giving the address, they were smoothly dropped off at the parking lot outside the Blue Lotus Bar.

The Blue Lotus Bar used to be a small street factory. After the city's redevelopment, it transformed into its current layout. In front of the bar was a bustling pedestrian street, while behind it lay a serene artificial lake.

Unlike Daylily Bar, Blue Lotus Bar's parking lot connected to a two-lane asphalt road, making access much easier. Whether on regular days or holidays, it was nearly impossible to find an empty seat if you arrived late— the place was always packed with customers.

What made people envious was that the Blue Lotus Bar's owner, Chang Wei, had long since bought the property, including the large parking lot. If he ever decided to sell, he'd have enough money to last three lifetimes!

But Chang Wei never had such plans. He managed his bar with great dedication and was known for his bold and generous personality. Everyone in the business spoke highly of him.

The music festival officially started at 7 p.m., and though it wasn't even 5 p.m. yet, many people had already arrived, just like Lu Chen and Li Feiyu. Some were fellow performers, but most were audience members.

The stage and venue were fully set up, with lighting, sound systems, and a massive LED screen as the backdrop. Many staff members were busy making final adjustments, while others worked to maintain order.

As they got out of the taxi, Li Feiyu's eyes went wide. "Wow, this looks just like a concert venue!"

The parking lot was spacious enough that even with part of it turned into a stage, it could still hold two to three thousand people easily. There was nowhere else in Houhai that could host such a large event.

"Are you here to perform?" A polite staff member approached them to ask.

"Yes!" Lu Chen handed over his ID and VIP pass for verification. Blue Lotus's music nights were always well-organized, and without proper identification or tickets, you couldn't get in.

He even noticed a blue-and-white police car parked nearby, probably sent by the local station.

After checking their passes, the staff member said, "Please follow me."

Led by the staff member, Lu Chen and Li Feiyu walked through the parking lot and entered the Blue Lotus Bar.

The Blue Lotus Bar's decor and layout were far more extravagant and upscale than Daylily Bar's. Just the wavy-shaped bar counter alone was more than twice as long as Daylily's. The shelves were filled with a dazzling array of liquor bottles, and the hanging glassware sparkled under the lights.

The bar had three levels: upper, middle, and lower. The T-shaped stage had an international feel, with a massive background screen of at least 500 inches. The cleverly arranged lights and sound equipment were truly impressive.

Since the bar wasn't operating during the event, the ground floor had been turned into a temporary backstage area, divided into different sections for the vagabond singers and bands performing that night.

Daylily Bar's section was to the right of the bar counter, towards the back. They had pushed three tables together, giving them a fairly large space.

Lu Chen wasn't the only one representing Daylily Bar in the evening performance, but the Wandering Band members and Sister Na hadn't arrived yet, and there weren't many vagabond singers from other bars either.

After Lu Chen set his guitar down, he and Li Feiyu headed up to the VIP area on the second floor.

(End of Chapter)