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The person who called Lu Chen was Li Mubai.
Li Mubai's tone was a bit excited: "Brother Chen, my big brother wants to meet you!"
Li Mubai's big brother?
Lu Chen was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly realized that Li Mubai's big brother might be able to help him.
A few days ago, due to a very important matter, Lu Chen had asked Li Mubai to see if he could connect him with the right people, so he wouldn't be left in the dark without any leads.
In China, relationships are everything, and when it comes to launching a career, connections are incredibly important.
Li Mubai came from a prominent family, and with his generous and outgoing personality, he surely had many friends in the Capital City. Asking him for help was definitely better than sitting anxiously in the workshop.
Whether it worked out or not, it was worth a shot.
What Lu Chen didn't expect was that Li Mubai had actually brought his big brother into the mix.
Lu Chen had no idea who Li Mubai's big brother was, but from his tone, it seemed like there was some progress.
It was also quite remarkable that Lu Chen and Li Mubai had never met in person, yet their relationship had evolved from streamer and fan to something resembling real friendship.
If it hadn't been for this connection, Lu Chen wouldn't have reached out to Li Mubai for help.
Just as Chen Jianhao viewed Lu Chen— his pride was deeply ingrained in his bones.
Lu Chen quickly asked, "When and where should we meet? I'll come over."
Li Mubai asked, "Where are you now?"
Lu Chen replied, "I'm at Jinghua Great Restaurant near the Creative Park. I'm having dinner with the Nirvana Workshop team tonight. My album is finished and is expected to be on sale on WeChat Music in a couple of days."
"The album is done?"
Li Mubai was thrilled: "That's fantastic! I'll rally everyone to support you and help you climb the sales charts. Online downloads are boring; releasing a real album has style!"
The term "style" was something Lu Chen had taught him, which he had learned from the dream world, and its antonym was "cheap style."
Li Mubai often used it flexibly, frequently mentioning it during live streams and occasionally dropping it in the comments.
According to him, Li Bai was a man of high style.
As for his arch-nemesis, Arthas, he was definitely of low style!
Lu Chen laughed: "I asked for your help precisely to release the album. The specifics are a bit complicated; let's discuss it when we meet."
Taking this opportunity, he wanted to meet his biggest supporter.
"Alright!"
Li Mubai said, "Let's meet at 7:30 tonight. Come to Ping'an Community in the Second Ring Road, and call me when you arrive."
Lu Chen had no objections.
He was very happy.
This long-planned endeavor finally had a glimmer of hope!
Returning to the private room, Lu Chen apologized to Wang Changsheng and the others, letting Lu Xi continue to accompany everyone for dinner.
He himself first returned to the workshop.
Lu Chen's workshop had a restroom with shower facilities. He quickly took a shower to wash off the smell of alcohol and then changed into clean clothes before heading out.
Since he had been drinking that evening, Lu Chen didn't drive himself. He hailed a taxi on the roadside to go to Ping'an Community.
The taxi driver was a local. Anyone who frequently took taxis in Capital City knew that local drivers were known for their ability to chat. They could talk about anything from astronomy to geography, from the heights of the court to the depths of the Jianghu.
This middle-aged driver was no exception. Upon hearing that Lu Chen was headed to Ping'an Community on the Second Ring Road, he immediately opened up, talking non-stop.
Ping'an Community was one of the earliest high-end neighborhoods in the Capital City, boasting an extremely advantageous location. Seventy percent of the buildings were villas, and the residents were either wealthy or influential.
When Ping'an Community was first launched over a decade ago, it set a national record for property prices. Now, prices had skyrocketed at least tenfold, with large villas worth hundreds of millions.
As the driver discussed Capital City's real estate market, he sighed, reminiscing about how he thought the price of 5,100 yuan per square meter was too steep back then and couldn't bring himself to buy. Now, he couldn't even afford the same location for 50,000, and he deeply regretted it.
Lu Chen listened to his chatter all the way, and time flew by.
Fortunately, the taxi didn't encounter any traffic jams, and Lu Chen arrived at Ping'an Community by 7 PM.
After paying the fare, he got out of the car and called Li Mubai.
As a high-end community, Ping'an Community had very strict security, and without a pass, Lu Chen couldn't enter.
Li Mubai came out quickly.
This was Lu Chen's first time meeting him in person!
Li Mubai was a year younger than Lu Chen, standing about 1.75 meters tall, which was quite average.
He had short hair and wasn't particularly handsome, but his features were well-defined, and he radiated youthful energy, dressed in a hip-hop style that was quite eye-catching.
"Brother Chen!" Seeing Lu Chen, Li Mubai laughed and ran over, giving Lu Chen a firm hug.
Lu Chen patted his back and laughed: "Li Bai!"
Although it was their first time meeting face-to-face, they had chatted many times online and were quite familiar with each other.
So it felt like a reunion of old friends who hadn't seen each other in years, filled with genuine joy and excitement!
There was no awkwardness or distance.
Li Mubai let go and said, "Come on, let's go to my place. My big brother and third sister-in-law are already there."
Lu Chen asked curiously, "Does this matter really require your big brother's involvement?"
As they walked and talked, Li Mubai explained, "This is just a trivial matter for my big brother."
"But he usually doesn't get involved in my affairs, so I asked my third sister-in-law for help. She really likes your songs and thinks you're very talented, and my big brother dotes on her the most. This is what you call 'indirect assistance'!"
His face showed a proud expression as if to say, "I'm so clever; please praise me!"
Wait!
"Uh..."
Lu Chen felt something was off— Li Mubai's big brother didn't care about him, he asked his third sister-in-law for help, and his big brother doted on her...
The situation seemed a bit tangled!
Noticing Lu Chen's puzzled expression, Li Mubai laughed, "Don't get the wrong idea. I only have one big brother, but I have three sisters-in-law. He moved to the island early on, and my third sister-in-law is from Taipei."
Island people!
Lu Chen suddenly understood.
The island had returned to the motherland along with Hong Kong in 1967, and with Macau returning in 1969, they were the three special administrative regions implementing the "one country, two systems" policy.
The political systems were different, and the laws in the special regions also differed greatly from those in the mainland, with the most notable being the marriage laws, which allowed polygamy in all three special regions.
For example, the famous gambling mogul He Liangwei from Macau, who owned the seven-star Macau Jing Great Restaurant and the San Jiahao Casino, had assets exceeding 50 Billion and was known not just for his wealth but also for having seven wives, including four Miss Macaus and two Miss Hong Kongs, making him a true life winner.
Because of the different marriage laws, many wealthy individuals from the mainland sought to move to the three special regions, aiming to marry multiple wives, enjoy the benefits of multiple spouses, and expand their families!
However, after the new century, with the rise of feminist movements, calls to abolish this unfair marriage system in the three special regions grew stronger, leading to brewing changes in the marriage laws aimed at abolishing polygamy.
It was said that there was significant resistance.
As they talked, they arrived in front of a large villa in the community.
Ping'an Community was quite expansive, featuring an artificial lake at its center, with villas built around it, arranged in an orderly manner, and separated by green belts for privacy.
Li Mubai's villa was three stories high, spanning at least 600-700 square meters, with a small garden in front.
It was already dark, and the streetlights illuminated the greenery with a soft glow, casting a serene light on the cobblestone path leading to the main gate.
Li Mubai pushed open the main gate, revealing an opulent hall, with a giant crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, radiating countless lights, as magnificent as a palace!
Li Mubai gestured to Lu Chen and said, "Brother Chen, welcome to my home!"
Lu Chen smiled slightly and replied, "Thank you."
Li Mubai's home was indeed impressive, but it didn't faze Lu Chen.
When his family was still prosperous, they lived in a villa in the best community in Binhai, which, although not as valuable as this billion-dollar house, still offered a taste of wealth.
Lu Chen naturally stepped inside, and the living room was empty, with no one around.
Li Mubai said, "Big Brother is in the tea room on the second floor, listening to third sister-in-law play the Zither. I'll take you up."
Under his guidance, Lu Chen arrived at an elegant room on the second floor of the villa.
It was called a tea room, but it resembled a large study, decorated in a completely antique Chinese style, with several famous calligraphy pieces and paintings adorning the walls, and a faint aroma of tea in the air.
A man in a white long gown sat on a mahogany chair, listening to a woman in a qipao play the Zither.
Seeing Li Mubai and Lu Chen enter, the man in white raised his right index finger, signaling for silence.
The graceful woman was focused on playing the ancient zither, and the sound was like heavenly music, a melodious and flowing tune that, when listened to closely, transported one into a realm of misty clouds and vast waters.
Li Mubai and Lu Chen stood still until the woman finished playing the piece.
To Lu Chen's surprise, he recognized this musician— she was Li Mubai's third sister-in-law!
(To be continued.)