Perfect Superstar.

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'Singing China' is the first reality talent show launched by Capital City TV, featuring seven regional divisions: Capital City, Shengjing, Huhai, Hangzhou, Tianfu, Huacheng, and Bihai. The total prize pool exceeds 30 Million Yuan!

This budget is significantly higher than that of the famously wealthy Xiangnan TV.

While 10 Million Yuan is allocated for cash prizes, the remainder is dedicated to contracts, training, and promotional packaging, ensuring that the overall rewards are still substantial.

The champion of each division receives 100,000 Yuan, the runner-up gets 50,000 Yuan, and the third-place finisher takes home 20,000 Yuan. The other seven contestants in the top 10 each receive 10,000 Yuan, all tax-free.

Once the top 10 from the Capital City division are determined, they will join the winners from other divisions for a nationwide tour and elimination matches. Contestants who advance in each round will earn additional prizes until the final 10 compete in Capital City for the ultimate championship.

The national champion will be awarded a prize of 5 Million Yuan, which includes 1 Million in cash and 4 Million as a talent development fund!

The generous rewards have attracted countless professional and amateur singers, leading to fierce competition across all seven divisions. The show's viewership ratings continue to climb, and Capital City TV has seen substantial revenue from advertisements.

As the most prominent division, the Capital City final held on the evening of July 31 achieved a viewership rating of 4.76%, nearing the 5% threshold for a blockbuster hit.

In China, television viewership ratings are independently calculated by the state-owned New Vision Company, ensuring accuracy and reliability.

In the past, viewership ratings were chaotic, with over a dozen firms using inconsistent standards and engaging in rampant manipulation and insider trading. Some agencies, even unlicensed ones, brazenly published fake ratings charts.

Eventually, the government stepped in to establish 'New Vision', bringing order to the chaos and providing reliable data for television programs.

New Vision's data includes not only TV broadcasts but also online streaming. Until now, 'Singing China' had never surpassed a 4% rating. Achieving 4.76% this time, an increase of over 1%, was a major milestone worth celebrating.

…

On August 1, Xiangnan TV's Strongest Singer aired its first national final, garnering a 3.42% viewership rating.

This result was shocking. Xiangnan TV had long dominated the variety show landscape, rarely losing to other networks. It had consistently overshadowed Capital City TV in earlier rounds.

But things finally changed.

While the reasons require further analysis, many industry insiders believe Strongest Singer's decline is partly due to its promoted contestant, Ling Xiaoxiao, losing momentum.

In the same evening's competition, Ling Xiaoxiao's original song 'Kaleidoscope' received a lukewarm response. Additionally, accusations of plagiarism from South Korea's former boy band KDK had not subsided.

In contrast, Lu Chen, Ling Xiaoxiao's rival and 'Singing China''s rising star, only grew stronger.

Lu Chen's original song 'Fly Higher', performed during the Capital City top 10 finals, reached No. 9 on WeChat Music's New Song Chart the next day. Its streaming and download numbers soared.

On Waves Blog, Ling Xiaoxiao's fan club lost its bluster, falling silent in the face of taunts from the "Lu Family Army."

With 'Singing China''s rising viewership, Lu Chen finally broke out of his niche audience and established his presence in the pop music and broader entertainment industry.

Though still a fledgling star, Lu Chen's success as an independent artist is a small miracle. His future shines brightly.

In the two days following the Capital City top 10 finals, several entertainment media and talent agencies approached Lu Chen.

Having done their homework on him, they were eager to sign him early.

But Lu Chen handed all these visitors over to his sister, Lu Xi.

His stance was clear: no signing, but collaboration was negotiable— as long as they were sincere.

By collaboration, he meant selling songs.

"Do you have rookie idols or boy and girl groups that need great songs?

"Our Lu Chen Workshop can tailor works for your clients. For the quality of our work, please refer to 'In Spring', 'Reason to Be Strong', 'My Old Classmate', and 'Fly Higher'."

As for the price, one song starts at 200,000 Yuan, with no upper limit!

Lu Chen Workshop's pricing scared off several bargain hunters but left more established agencies deeply conflicted.

There was no doubt about Lu Chen's talent. A single song like 'In Spring' was worth far more than 200,000— 100,000 Yuan would still be a bargain. However, classics of that caliber were rare.

Spending 200,000 Yuan on a song wasn't a significant burden for these companies. However, if the purchased song turned out to be unsuitable or failed to generate sufficient returns, the person responsible would undoubtedly face severe repercussions.

At the heart of their hesitation was the rapid rise of Lu Chen. Unlike established veteran songwriters whose reputations and abilities were unquestionable, there was always a risk with Lu Chen. What if his inspiration ran dry and he couldn't produce another hit?

Not only would 200,000 Yuan go to waste, but the person in charge would also become the laughingstock of their peers!

After all, while Lu Chen had already created several notable works, he was still a young newcomer with a limited portfolio.

Additionally, rumors were circulating within the industry. Some speculated that songs like In Spring, Reason to Be Strong, I Want a Family, and Fly Higher might not have been entirely written by Lu Chen himself but rather by a hidden team behind the scenes.

Such situations had occurred before.

Many so-called grassroots celebrities were 99% the result of calculated hype.

These rumors, though unsubstantiated, were detailed enough to sound credible. While envy and jealousy often accompanied success, the sudden prominence of someone like Lu Chen without apparent backing or connections naturally raised suspicions.

Consequently, after discussions with Lu Xi, these companies decided to wait and see for now.

Lu Chen wasn't bothered by this at all. He told Lu Xi, "If they come back, raise the price to 300,000 Yuan per song. Not a penny less!"

Lu Xi laughed. "Isn't that a bit much?"

Lu Chen replied confidently, "By then, they'll be coming to us, not the other way around."

The greatest asset Lu Chen possessed was the treasure trove of classic works from his dream world. While he couldn't perform all of these songs himself, many were perfect for selling.

However, Lu Chen understood that flooding the market with high-quality songs would diminish their value. He would rather hold onto his creations than sell them cheaply in bulk.

These companies either didn't realize Lu Chen's true potential or weren't willing to gamble on it yet, so their hesitance was understandable.

But the situation would undoubtedly change once 'Singing China' concluded.

When that time came, it wouldn't just be a few small players knocking on his door.

Lu Chen was full of confidence.

Establishing his own workshop and pursuing the path of an independent artist, Lu Chen never intended to compete directly with others in the industry.

The Lu Chen Workshop existed solely to support him. It didn't aim to sign or poach talent or vie for resources— it focused on creating new opportunities. This made it easier to maintain friendly relationships with others in the industry.

Take Nirvana Workshop, for example, which was currently helping him produce his album.

For now, Lu Chen had no ambitions of building an entertainment empire. His goal was to become a superstar like Tan Hong— or even surpass his childhood idol— to achieve true stardom.

He wanted everyone to remember his name and to bring the timeless classics of his dream world to this reality.

Fulfilling this dream might take a lifetime.

Some visitors came and left empty-handed.

Others came determined to leave with something.

Lu Chen welcomed such visitors.

"Hello, Director Su!"

On August 3, the day before Lu Chen departed for Shengjing, Su Qingmei, the director of Qingyu Media, visited his workshop.

The high-profile lady brought along two assistants. Lu Chen personally received them.

After all, Qingyu Media was currently his largest business partner.

Su Qingmei, unimpressed by the modest workshop, didn't even bother to take a look around. She got straight to the point. "Lu Chen, we want 'Fly Higher'. We can sign the contract right now!"

Following the runaway success of In Spring, which had topped the original music charts for three consecutive weeks, Qingyu Media couldn't ignore Lu Chen's talent any longer.

Thus, despite her personal dislike for Lu Chen, Su Qingmei made the trip.

Lu Chen smiled faintly. "This song is meant to be the second lead single for Compass Band's album, isn't it?"

Su Qingmei was startled. "How did you know that?"

It wasn't hard to guess. Qingyu Media had initially signed Compass Band before signing Wandering Band. Since the latter quickly gathered enough material for a mini-album, they debuted first.

Now that Wandering Band was a hit, Qingyu Media wanted to strike while the iron was hot by launching Compass Band. This would boost the company's standing in the industry.

Given Wandering Band's success, a single lead track like Blue Lotus Flower wouldn't satisfy Qingyu Media's heightened expectations for Compass Band.

"Discuss the copyright details with our workshop manager," Lu Chen replied indifferently, pushing the responsibility to his sister.

He trusted Lu Xi's capabilities to handle Su Qingmei and ensure Qingyu Media wouldn't take advantage of them.

When Su Qingmei and Lu Xi met for the first time, their handshake turned into a subtle clash of gazes, with invisible sparks flying in the air.

(End Of The Chapter)