Perfect Superstar.

Exiting the east gate of Jingming Community, Lu Chen crossed the street and walked 50 meters south along the sidewalk. 

He then took a right turn into Yangliu Alley, walking straight until he reached Master Chen's private kitchen.

Master Chen was from Huainan. He wasn't a top-tier or professional chef, but he excelled at cooking Huaiyang cuisine. 

After retiring a few years ago, he and his wife moved to the Capital City to help take care of their grandchildren.

Living in the Capital City wasn't easy, as the cost of living was high. 

So, Master Chen rented an old house in Yangliu Alley and opened a small private kitchen, relying on his culinary skills and integrity to attract customers, earning just enough to cover daily expenses.

The deep, old alley led to a small courtyard with five or six wooden tables and several dozen chairs. 

By the time Lu Chen and Li Feiyu arrived, the place was almost full, with no empty seats available— the business was booming!

Fortunately, Li Feiyu was a regular customer. He sweet-talked Master Chen's wife, who worked part-time as a waitress, calling her "Auntie, Auntie" so affectionately that she smiled from ear to ear, eventually managing to secure an extra spot for them in the courtyard.

It was just a student desk and two small plastic stools, but neither Li Feiyu nor Lu Chen minded.

Master Chen's private kitchen was truly the epitome of good food at a good price. 

Many foodies would come early, even before mealtime, just to secure a spot. If it weren't for Li Feiyu's smooth-talking skills, they wouldn't have found a seat!

With dishes like braised lion's head, three-ingredient duck, squirrelfish, braised shredded tofu, and two baskets of crab meat buns— all authentic Huaiyang cuisine— accompanied by four bottles of Yandu beer, Lu Chen, who hadn't had a hearty meal in a long time, was moved to tears.

After most of the plates were empty and they had finished three bottles of beer, Li Feiyu, now fully satisfied, opened up about the topic of online live streaming.

Li Feiyu had been involved in online live streaming for over a month. He had even bought a high-quality microphone and an HD camera, hoping to show off a bit online and maybe earn some extra cash.

He started out on Whale TV, trying to be a game streamer. Unfortunately, he wasn't good at the three most popular online games on Whale TV— CKG, Hero City, and Star Overlord. 

After half a month with barely any viewers, he hadn't even earned enough to cover his electricity bill.

Half a month ago, he switched to StarryLive, moving away from gaming to lifestyle streaming. 

He started telling jokes, chatting, and even singing a bit, surprisingly gaining some popularity and earning a total of 0.3T in star points.

0.3T equals 30,000 Star Points, or about 300 Yuan. But according to StarryLive's rules, as an "Independent" streamer who hadn't signed a contract, Li Feiyu could only take 50% of the earnings.

Well, at least he made back his electricity costs. But after two weeks of hard work, he realized he'd earn more money working a day on a construction site!

Talking about his tough life as a streamer, Brother Little Fei's complaints were endless, almost to the point where Lu Chen couldn't help but shed a tear of sympathy.

"Little Lu, do you know?"

Li Feiyu took a big gulp of beer and said, "Our company's Little Mei earned nearly 30,000 Yuan in tips on StarryLive last month, which is five or six times more than her salary at the 4S shop. She's quitting her job next month!"

Little Mei—Lu Chen knew who she was. She was the receptionist at the 4S shop where Li Feiyu worked, with big eyes, a pointed chin, a slender waist, and long legs. 

Most importantly, she was only 20 and still single, making her the object of many men's affections at the company, with numerous secret admirers!

Lu Chen knew all this not because he was acquainted with her, but because he had heard Li Feiyu talk about her countless times.

Yes, this guy was one of the members of the "Little Mei Admirer Alliance!"

"Is she really that talented?" Lu Chen asked curiously.

Li Feiyu explained, "She can't sing or dance. She just streams herself doing makeup, eating, acting cute, and chatting."

Lu Chen was speechless— could that really work?

"It really works!"

Li Feiyu perked up and said, "There are people on StarryLive who stream themselves sleeping, watching TV, cooking, or even writing novels. There's nothing you can think of that someone isn't already doing!"

"Little Lu, with your talent and skills, you really have a bright future on StarryLive!"

He became serious, saying, "The top seven stars on StarryLive earn at least 100,000 Yuan a month, and the biggest star, Yan Manni, reportedly has a contract worth over 5 Million Yuan. She even endorses several products and has over 2 Million followers on StarryLive. Just think about how much she earns in tips!"

Lu Chen couldn't help but nod. He had only been casually playing around with Li Feiyu's account and still managed to earn quite a few tips.

Having over 2 Million followers— just the thought of it was terrifying!

Li Feiyu smiled wryly, "I'll never reach that level, but you, Little Lu, are different. You sing well, you're handsome, and damn it, you can even write your own songs. You really have the potential to make it big on StarryLive!"

"Just think about it. You sang three songs just now, and I checked the tips— it's 2.8T. If you cash out immediately, you'd get 1,400 Yuan. Isn't that better than working at KFC or doing part-time jobs at bars?"

Lu Chen was really tempted!

His family was burdened with enormous debt, and relying solely on part-time jobs, he would likely never be able to repay it in his lifetime, even with his family's help.

Now, he possessed a treasure trove of knowledge, but converting that treasure into tangible benefits wasn't a simple task. 

Just thinking about the harsh contract Su Qingmei had presented made it clear that for someone as obscure as him, mere talent and skill weren't nearly enough to make it in this industry!

However, a streaming platform like StarryLive, designed for grassroots individuals, was undoubtedly a shortcut to earning money!

Li Feiyu seized the moment and continued, "Little Lu, I'm planning to quit streaming, so I'll give you my StarryLive account. You can change the name and details, and I'll also give you my streaming equipment since I won't need it anymore."

Lu Chen was startled and quickly responded, "How can I accept that?"

"Why not?" Li Feiyu said, widening his eyes. "This is called making good use of resources. I'm not losing anything— I'm just not giving you the earnings from the account. Otherwise, even selling it second-hand wouldn't fetch that much!"

Although Li Feiyu said it like that, Lu Chen knew that even if he sold the equipment second-hand, it would still be worth at least a thousand yuan. Plus, the account originally belonged to Li Feiyu.

"Brother Li..."

"If you're my brother, don't argue!" Li Feiyu waved his hand, showing his domineering side. "It's settled! If you really appreciate this, then when you become a big star, let me be your assistant!"

Lu Chen didn't know what to say. "Brother Li, you're drunk!"

"Nonsense!" Li Feiyu scoffed. "Two bottles of Yandu can get me drunk? Add a zero, maybe. No more talk— let's go back and change the account details!"

He paid the bill and then dragged Lu Chen back to his rented room.

Once they returned to the tiny basement apartment, Li Feiyu eagerly opened his computer and logged into the account.

First, he withdrew all 3T Star Points from the account, then started changing the account details.

StarryLive allows streamers to change their account information, including their nickname, security questions, linked phone number, and payment info, making it very easy to transfer ownership to Lu Chen.

Of course, very few streamers change their nicknames casually, as it could affect their popularity, and they would need to notify their followers, which could be troublesome.

But for Lu Chen, who was new to this, taking over Li Feiyu's account caused no loss and even retained the popularity he had gained earlier that day.

"Little Lu, change your streaming nickname first!" Li Feiyu suggested, rubbing his hands together. "It needs to be something cool, something that can command respect!"

Lu Chen chuckled and typed in his name, "Lu Chen," but a prompt immediately popped up.

The name was already taken!

He tried "Little Lu," but it was also taken!

Li Feiyu laughed, "All the good names are taken. I originally wanted to register as 'Brother Little Fei,' but that was taken too."

After thinking for a moment, Lu Chen typed "Lu Fei."

To his surprise, the name was available!

Without hesitation, he confirmed the change, and the modification was successful!

"Lu Fei?" Li Feiyu was surprised, then immediately excited. "That's a great name, perfect!"

The "Lu" came from Lu Chen, and the "Fei" from Li Feiyu!

Although Li Feiyu no longer wanted to continue streaming, he was still very attached to the account and hoped that Lu Chen would make it flourish, becoming a shining star on StarryLive!

For this reason, seeing Lu Chen choose "Lu Fei" as his nickname made him both excited and touched.

He couldn't resist punching Lu Chen lightly on the shoulder. "Good brother!"

Lu Chen smiled without saying anything.

He chose that name not only because of his connection to Li Feiyu but also because of a phrase that had just echoed in his mind.

"I'm the man who will find the One Piece and become the Pirate King!"

It was truly a powerful sentiment!

After changing the nickname, the streaming account was now officially under Lu Chen's control.

Lu Chen didn't immediately start streaming again. Instead, he familiarized himself with the various features and functions of the streaming platform.

Logging into the streaming account gave him full access to the streaming room, including basic settings, background music, subtitles, kicking out users, muting, blessings, messages, and more. With Li Feiyu's guidance, he quickly got the hang of it.

Then, Lu Chen sent a mass message to all his followers, informing them of the change in ownership and name.

Interestingly, his inbox had over a hundred messages, most of them sent recently, filled with greetings, compliments, requests for WeChat contacts, and even fans asking to team up with him.

And within less than a minute, new messages poured in, expressing congratulations and joy!

"Great, no more being tortured by Brother Little Fei's singing— let's celebrate!"

"Lu Fei, I like this name! Go, handsome guy, keep it up!"

"When's your next stream? I want to hear 'My Old Classmate' 10,000 more times!"

"Supporting you all the way!"

Lu Chen couldn't help but smile as he read them, finding the whole thing increasingly amusing.

Li Feiyu chimed in, "Once you reach 10,000 followers, you can sign a contract. The commission rate varies by level, and at the rate you're gaining followers, you should reach the minimum requirement after just two more streams!"

Lu Chen nodded, his eyes reflecting the light from the screen as if they were filled with starlight.

...

(End of Chapter)