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LaDolceVita97 had been open in Lan Kwai Fong for over twenty years, and hosting the LDV King of Songs competition was something they had only started doing in recent years. But since the event was held once every week, the total number of competitions had already accumulated considerably.
Tonight's LDV King of Songs competition was undoubtedly rather special.
First, singer Ye Xuan appeared on stage and won thunderous applause with a performance of "Breaking Dawn."
However, just when everyone thought the outcome of the competition was already beyond doubt, Lu Chen, who performed after Ye Xuan, stunned the audience with "Favorite in Life." His song brought a different kind of musical charm to the bar's patrons, making the final result suddenly hard to predict.
As for the contestants who performed last, they were basically just there to make up the numbers.
After all the performances ended, it was time for voting. Just as people had expected, the number of flowers received by Lu Chen and Ye Xuan kept rising alternately, locked in a close race.
When the final count came out, Ye Xuan had received 57 flowers, while Lu Chen had 56, losing to Ye Xuan by the narrowest margin of just one flower.
This result was actually quite normal. After all, Ye Xuan was a fairly well-known local Hong Kong singer, while Lu Chen was a Mainland newcomer performing at Lan Kwai Fong for the first time. No matter how outstanding Lu Chen's singing was, most of the bar's patrons were still Hong Kong locals.
In their eyes, for Lu Chen to lose by only one flower was already an honorable defeat.
But Ye Xuan wasn't particularly satisfied with the result, not because the margin was too small, but because he believed tonight's champion should have been Lu Chen.
After all, Lu Chen had performed an original song, while he himself had merely covered a song by Liu Heavenly King. That alone was the biggest difference.
Because of this, Ye Xuan specifically went to speak with the owner of LaDolceVita97. After some negotiation, the owner announced that he would cast his own flower vote for Lu Chen, making the two tie for first place. Both were declared champions, and each won the rewards of a waived bill and a complimentary bottle of red wine.
In truth, neither Lu Chen nor Ye Xuan cared much about such a small amount of money. They both had friends with them that night; it was all about having fun. When everyone's happy, that's what really matters.
As the saying goes, "No discord, no acquaintance." After this small competition, Lu Chen got to know Ye Xuan, a Hong Kong wandering singer, while Ye Xuan also came to know Lu Chen, a singer from the Mainland.
Although he hadn't managed to get authorization for "Favorite in Life" as he had hoped, Ye Xuan enthusiastically invited Lu Chen to attend a music gathering for Hong Kong wandering singers.
Lu Chen didn't stay too late at LaDolceVita97. Although Hong Kong nightlife was only just beginning, he had long been used to sleeping early and waking early. So after saying goodbye to Ye Xuan, Li Zhen, and their friends, he returned to his residence.
After getting back to the apartment and taking a shower, Lu Chen thought for a moment before sending Chen Fei'er a message.
Unexpectedly, Chen Fei'er quickly called him back.
Lu Chen was surprised. "It's already so late, and you're still not asleep? What are you doing?"
Chen Fei'er replied in a soft voice, "Couldn't fall asleep. I had just lain down and was about to sleep when I got your message. What's up?"
Lu Chen smiled. "Nothing much. Just missed you."
Chen Fei'er giggled. "Shu Jing called me tonight. She said you were very popular at her charity gala, one song got auctioned off for a sky-high price of one million, and Madam Jin was even eagerly offering up two goddaughters to you."
"They're pretty, aren't they?"
Lu Chen was at a loss for words. "What are you talking about? It was just a transaction. They paid money, and I just put in a bit of effort."
Chen Fei'er could get jealous too, though when she was just a little jealous, it was actually rather cute.
"Hmph, I doubt you'd dare entertain any funny ideas."
She huffed coquettishly, "I have plenty of informants in Hong Kong. They can keep an eye on you at all times!"
Lu Chen laughed. "What kind of amazing informants are those? Why not just come over and keep an eye on me personally?"
Chen Fei'er sighed. "If I'd known earlier, I wouldn't have accepted this drama. At least for a whole year I won't be able to get away, and I still have to travel all over the country. I'm exhausted just thinking about it."
She was currently filming a major CCTV-produced drama, a large-scale production with heavy investment, grand scenes, and a star-studded cast. The shooting schedule would take at least a year, so even if she wanted to come to Hong Kong, she might not be able to spare the time.
Although she was joking, Chen Fei'er was genuinely a little worried about Lu Chen expanding his career in Hong Kong. Even though Lu Chen's character was trustworthy, the two of them weren't married yet after all, and there was no guarantee that no one would be eyeing this "Tang Monk meat" greedily.
Especially in Hong Kong, it was a special administrative region where having multiple wives was legally permitted!
Lu Chen was still very young, incredibly handsome, and on top of that exceptionally talented. In the eyes of practically any woman, he was unquestionably a diamond-tier bachelor, the kind of man who would be popular anywhere.
Of course, Chen Fei'er had confidence in herself, but the problem was that the two of them were currently living in different places.
And Hong Kong was famously full of beautiful women.
When it came to matters of love, even a Heavenly Queen could be just as selfish as anyone else, so she couldn't help but give him a little warning in advance.
And, while she was at it, complain a little too.
Lu Chen comforted her with a few gentle, soothing words, coaxing Chen Fei'er until her heart felt sweet as honey.
At the end, Chen Fei'er said, "Sister Shu Jing isn't having an easy time right now. If you can help her, then help her a bit more."
No matter how glamorous Shu Jing had once been, she was no longer who she used to be. Her return to the entertainment industry was more like a gamble, if she lost, she might lose everything and would no longer be able to afford another failure.
Since they were both women and also close friends, Chen Fei'er was willing to let Lu Chen help her.
Lu Chen replied, "I know."
At that point, something occurred to him, and he started telling Chen Fei'er about going to Lan Kwai Fong that night.
Naturally, this included meeting Ye Xuan as well.
Chen Fei'er didn't know Ye Xuan and wasn't particularly interested in him. Instead, she was envious of how carefree and relaxed Lu Chen seemed.
"Next time I come to Hong Kong, let's go to that LaDolceVita97 together. I know about that bar, but I've never been there before. It sounds really fun."
"When the time comes, sing for me again."
"No need to wait until then, I can sing for you right now."
Without even bothering to find a guitar for accompaniment, Lu Chen simply sang directly into the phone:
"If I foolishly keep waiting, perhaps one day I'll finally wait for
My Favorite in Life.
Who cares if our love story
Keeps running into accidents,
Uncertain of the future…"
Singing "Favorite in Life" again, this time he sang it for only one person.
For the one person he truly wanted to sing it to, his voice was gentle and deeply affectionate.
"…Whether true or false,
If I could split myself and play both roles,
I would offer all the tenderness in my heart
To you, my one and only confidante."
Chen Fei'er listened quietly without saying a word.
After Lu Chen finished singing, he softly asked, "Are you listening?"
The only response was the steady, long rhythm of breathing.
The person on the other end of the phone had already fallen asleep.
A faint smile curved at the corners of Lu Chen's lips, his eyes filled with tenderness.
He didn't end the call immediately, instead listening to Chen Fei'er's breathing, as though she were right beside him.
Outside the window, moonlight flowed like water, and the night was gentle.
(End of Chapter)