Lu Budai

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Lu Budai (陆不怠)
Gender	Male
Age	21 during the Magic Sound competition; four years younger than Shi Yuan 61 69.
Affiliation	Yuanlin Media; formerly Phoenix Spring Media 61 63.
Occupation/Role	Entertainer and actor; formerly an auto-repair apprentice and food-delivery worker 63 78 79.
Family	Younger sister Lu Buxi, nicknamed Xiao Xi; both parents deceased 63 64.
Manager	Pan He 63.
First Appearance	First named appearance in the supplied context: Chapter 61, “Traveling together” 61.

Background / History

Lu Budai grew up in a remote mountain village. His father died in an accident when he was young, leaving his mother to raise him. During his teens, a village bachelor sexually assaulted her. Lu Budai severely injured the attacker in retaliation; unable to pay the resulting medical bills, he was sent to a reform facility for two years 63.

When he returned, his mother had given birth to the attacker’s daughter and developed severe mental illness. The attacker’s family rejected both mother and child. Lu Budai took responsibility for them, helping his neglected younger sister learn to walk and speak; her first word was “brother.” Two years later, his mother drowned after running out during an episode of illness 63.

At nineteen, he left the village with his three-year-old sister after she encountered insults about her parentage. He spent a year apprenticing at an auto repair shop, where they lived in a storage room: Xiao Xi slept on a folding bed, while he slept on the floor. He had not finished middle school 63.

Phoenix Spring Media

After Lu Budai repaired Zhang Fengquan’s car, Zhang recruited him with the promise of better wages. His guaranteed salary of 4,000 yuan per month eased his financial difficulties, but the work included drinking with clients. He supplemented his income by delivering food during the day 63.

When an older male client touched his thigh, Lu Budai beat him up. Zhang claimed that compensation and medical expenses would take forty years to repay through salary deductions, trapping him in a forty-year contract 63.

Even after Shi Yuan explained that the fraudulent contract was invalid, Lu Budai initially refused to leave. Following his mother’s instruction to keep his word, he believed Zhang’s use of company funds meant that he owed Shi Yuan repayment 61 63.

Yuanlin Media Contract

After reading his file, Shi Yuan ordered the legal department to give Lu Budai the best available terms. Lu Budai signed immediately after confirming that the company would provide housing and social insurance 63.

Term	Arrangement
Duration	Five years 63.
Revenue split	Lu Budai receives 40% for the first three years and 50% for the final two years 63.
Training	Free image development and professional training 63.
Benefits	Contributions toward social, medical, and pension insurance, plus the housing provident fund 63.
Accommodation	A nearby two-bedroom apartment for him and Xiao Xi; travel allowances are also covered 63.
Right to refuse work	May reject performances involving illegal activity, violence, pornography, or harm to his reputation or physical and mental well-being 63.
Obligations	Must cooperate with company schedules and maintain proper conduct; suspected illegal activity can lead to termination and substantial damages 63.
Renewal	Any renewed contract will reflect his fame and standing after five years 63.

Appearance

• Handsome, with slightly bronze skin, sharp brows, bright eyes, and a well-defined jaw 61.
• Tall and well-built; standing across Shi Yuan’s desk, he blocks the sunlight 63.
• His upright features remind Shi Yuan of a righteous martial-arts hero 61.
• His unusually mature demeanor makes him appear much older than his actual age 61.

Personality

Lu Budai is taciturn, literal, and socially stiff. His early conversations with Shi Yuan consist largely of one-word answers, and he struggles with flattery and networking. On variety shows, he willingly performs dirty and tiring tasks but cannot easily follow jokes or create entertaining exchanges 61 67 79.

His strongest qualities are endurance and responsibility. He trains across several disciplines without complaining, earning repeated praise from Pan He and his instructors. His insistence on repaying an invalid debt also shows how deeply he follows his mother’s teaching about keeping promises 63 67 74.

His quiet manner does not prevent violent retaliation. He fights back after Wang Qi punches him and initially wants to continue; the reminder that Xiao Xi is present stops him. He then asks for makeup to conceal his injuries so that his sister and Shi Yuan will not worry 68.

He is grateful and protective toward Shi Yuan. When forced to explain his family circumstances publicly, he describes his losses without seeking sympathy and explicitly asks others not to slander his benefactor 72.

Abilities & Skills

Singing

• Has an excellent voice, which helps him advance through Huzhou’s regional auditions with professional coaching and accessible pop songs 67.
• Takes over a difficult vocal passage when Wang Qi falters during their group performance 68.

Dance and Stage Adaptation

• Begins formal dance training relatively late and initially cannot match contestants trained since childhood 67.
• Compensates through intensive practice and willingness to endure hardship 67.
• Quickly coordinates a formation change with teammates to stabilize a struggling performance 68.

Acting

• Receives acting classes alongside vocal and physical training at Yuanlin Media 65.
• Proves unexpectedly adept on his first costume-drama set, entering character quickly and showing initiative 79.
• Adapts quickly to wire work and appears to prefer acting over variety-show performance 79.

Vehicle Repair

• Trains as an apprentice at an auto repair shop for a year 63.
• Repairs Zhang Fengquan’s broken-down car, leading to his recruitment into Phoenix Spring Media 63.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Magic Sound Competition

Shi Yuan’s connections secure Lu Budai an audition opportunity, while Pan He moves him to the less competitive Huzhou region to develop his singing and dancing. Shi Yuan later rejects the suggestion of arranging first place, asking instead that the competition remain fair 67.

Milestone	Chapter	Outcome
Huzhou regional auditions	67	Advances to the national competition in S City, joining 179 other contestants.
Top eighty	67	Enters closed-door training; Xiao Xi stays at Cloud Peak under Auntie Qiu’s care.
First public performance	68 69	Helps rescue his group’s performance, then fights Wang Qi backstage. His group places sixth, and he advances into the remaining forty.
Second public performance	69	Advances in fifth place, exceeding Pan He’s expectations.
Final	69	Finishes fourth after a smear campaign damages his online votes, missing the three direct-debut places.

Smear Campaign and Public Vindication

• Edited footage, spliced audio, and misleading photographs falsely portray Xiao Xi as his daughter and Shi Yuan as his same-sex lover. Additional accusations claim he deceived a woman into marriage 69.
• Pan He and Lu Budai suspect Meng Zhenzhen’s involvement. Pan Ying assigns the response to headquarters and arranges a variety-show appearance for Lu Budai 69.
• On Let’s Go on an Outing, toys in his apartment prompt renewed speculation despite his explanation that he lives with his younger sister 70.
• During filming at a town market, he catches and returns Shi Yuan’s stolen phone. Meng Zhenzhen uses their encounter to repeat the relationship accusation publicly 71 72.
• Shi Yuan identifies himself as Lu Budai’s boss and friend. Lu Budai explains his parents’ deaths and Shi Yuan’s help caring for Xiao Xi 72.
• Yuanlin Media announces legal action, and police arrest Meng Zhenzhen for disseminating defamatory material. The clarification later brings Lu Budai a substantial wave of sympathetic fans 72 79.

Parenting Show and Acting Career

• Fu Ke’er recommends Lu Budai and Xiao Xi for Tomato TV’s Baby, Charge Ahead. He agrees after considering his sister’s wishes and the opportunity for sustained exposure 73 74.
• On the show, he handles practical work but receives little screen time because of his stiff delivery and limited camera awareness 79.
• Pan He secures him the fourth male role in a costume drama. His strong performance on set leads Pan He to plan further small supporting roles to develop his acting 78 79.

Relationships

• Lu Buxi / Xiao Xi — Younger sister and his only surviving immediate family. He raises her after their mother’s death and leaves their hometown to protect her from village stigma 63.
• Shi Yuan — Employer, friend, and benefactor. Gives him a protective contract, helps arrange Xiao Xi’s kindergarten, and provides childcare during his training and filming 63 66 67 72.
• Pan He — Manager and principal career organizer. Arranges housing, training, auditions, publicity, and acting work; also intervenes in his fight with Wang Qi 63 67 68 78 79.
• Wei Zelin — Shi Yuan’s husband and an indirect source of company backing. Supports arrangements benefiting the siblings, though he is not particularly fond of Lu Budai 74 78.
• You Gui — Shi Yuan’s friend. Lu Budai becomes noticeably tongue-tied when meeting her, volunteers to escort her to her room, and remembers her birthday; no romance is confirmed in the supplied context 64 65 66.
• Runze — Fellow contestant and Yuanlin Media artist. Initially feels commercially superior to Lu Budai and later regrets distancing himself during the public accusations 69 71 72.
• Fu Ke’er — Variety-show colleague who recommends the parenting program and offers further professional help 73 74.
• Meng Zhenzhen — Rival responsible for defamatory allegations against him; arrested during filming after Yuanlin Media pursues the matter 72.
• Zhang Fengquan — Former recruiter and exploitative manager who uses supposed compensation debt to impose a forty-year contract 63.

Notable Quotes

“Before my mother lost her mind, she told me a person had to keep his word.” 63

“Mr. Shi is my benefactor. Please don't slander him.” 72