After the show's recording ended, Frank was called for a post-show interview, which would be edited into the program later. When he finished, the other contestants had already left. Frank was about to leave when he ran into Emily Chen. It turned out that as soon as the recording finished, Emily Chen had rushed to the contestant backstage area and was waiting for him outside.
As soon as she saw Frank, she happily ran over and directly asked him to write a song for her. Frank was a bit surprised. "Ms. Chen, my reputation isn't good. Aren't you afraid I'll drag you down?"
Emily Chen tilted her head, a hint of slyness flashing across her sweet little face: "I'm big in New York, the people on the mainland can't get to me, hehe!" Then she crossed her arms over her chest, raising her chin. "I'm a Pop Princess, you know? I'm personally asking you for a song. You're not going to give me this much respect? Pfft!" She couldn't help but laugh at herself at the end, holding her stomach and waving her hand: "I just like your songwriting style, and your singing isn't that great, so singing with me will make my singing look even better, hahaha!"
Frank looked at the sweet and silly New York Pop Princess, finding it both funny and exasperating. "Ms. Chen, do your fans know you're this amusing?"
"They do! They call me Sweet Silly Emily!" Emily Chen put her hands on her hips, her chest surprisingly flat, and a proud expression on her face.
Frank: "..." Indeed, an apt nickname from her fans.
"Mr. Castle, I'm practically begging you like this, will you do it?" Emily Chen clasped her hands together, her face pleading. With the Pop Princess lowering herself like this, Frank naturally found it hard to refuse.
"If I have a suitable song, I'll definitely give it to you. As for the price..." Emily Chen immediately interjected: "As long as the song is good, you name your price!" She added with a chuckle, "Anyway, my company has money, haha!"
Frank silently mourned for Emily Chen's agency boss for a moment, then said: "Alright, Ms. Chen, I'm heading off now."
"Oh, by the way, didn't we agree during the recording to do a male-female duet version of 'Plain Face'?" Emily Chen's eyes darted around. "Tomorrow? Do you have time tomorrow?"
Frank was surprised, not expecting Emily Chen to be so eager. "I'm free, but we'll need to find a recording studio. Do you have a venue?" Since he was recording with a Pop Princess, he naturally needed a top-tier recording studio, but Frank didn't have those connections.
Emily Chen immediately shook her head. "I'm based in New York! I don't have any connections in Los Angeles!"
Frank thought for a moment. "Then I'll ask a friend. If I find a place, I'll let you know."
"Great! Let's exchange contacts. Should I scan you or you scan me?" Emily Chen pulled out her phone. Frank was already used to her impulsiveness and smiled: "I'll scan you."
"Yay!" Emily Chen pulled up her contact QR code. Frank scanned it, and they added each other. Emily Chen's contact picture was a goofy selfie with her face squeezed together, her mouth twisted to one side, and her eyes mismatched in size. Her contact name: Poet Eats. She was indeed quite silly.
Emily Chen's phone rang. She waved at her manager, Connor. "My manager's calling me. I'm leaving, Mr. Castle, I'll wait for your message, bye-bye!" The goofy girl came and went like a whirlwind, disappearing quickly.
Frank shook his head and chuckled. He never expected the famous New York Pop Princess to have such a personality. However, it was also clear that Emily Chen was a pure musician. Otherwise, she wouldn't have humbled herself so much just for his songwriting talent.
Speaking of pure musicians, Frank immediately thought of Celeste Monroe. He picked up his phone and sent Celeste Monroe a message: "Aunt Celeste, thank you!" This thank you wasn't for the 80 points she gave him on stage today, but for her selfless guidance over the past month.
Soon, a reply came: "Your singing wasn't good today. Submit your homework tonight." This was Celeste Monroe's rule: if Frank didn't practice well, he had to submit an extra set of vocal exercises that night. It was that familiar taste of a strict teacher. Frank smiled and replied: "Received, thank you, Teacher!" Celeste Monroe was his elder and a Pop Queen, guiding him so diligently. Frank's calling her "Teacher" was incredibly sincere.
Frank exited the Los Angeles TV station. Celeste Monroe sent him an address and a contact person. "This is a recording studio opened by my friend. You can practice singing there these next few days." Frank was slightly taken aback. He was just wondering how to find a recording studio, and a timely solution appeared. Aunt Celeste truly was his lucky star. A recording studio recommended by Celeste Monroe certainly wouldn't be bad. As long as he got the owner's permission, he could invite Emily Chen to record there tomorrow.
Frank was excited. He hailed a taxi and headed to the address Celeste Monroe had given him.
Just as Frank's taxi drove away, a minivan slowly emerged from the Los Angeles TV station's underground parking garage. Inside the car, Celeste Monroe finished sending a message to her friend who owned the recording studio, asking them to take care of Frank. Only then did she put down her phone and look out the window with an expressionless face.
Lily Adams, sitting beside her, couldn't help but ask: "Ms. Monroe, weren't you looking for Frank to ask for a song? Why didn't you tell him?" Earlier, Celeste Monroe had seen Emily Chen asking Frank for a song and had quietly pulled Sarah Green and Lily Adams away, which confused the young assistant.
Celeste Monroe said calmly: "He's Amelia Quinn's ex-husband. It's not appropriate for him to write a song for me. Emily Chen is around his age; it's more suitable for them to collaborate."
Sarah Green, sitting in the front row, turned back, her face full of resentment: "Now you know he's your niece's ex-husband?"
Lily Adams scratched her head and said timidly: "Ms. Monroe, I have a question I can't figure out. Can I ask you?" Celeste Monroe didn't speak. Lily Adams knew this was her tacit permission, so she boldly asked: "Ms. Monroe, Amelia Quinn is your own niece, and Frank is an outsider. How come I feel like you treat Frank better than your own niece?"
Celeste Monroe was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "Because Frank did something my own family couldn't." Lily Adams looked bewildered. She looked at Celeste Monroe's face and didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Silence returned to the car. Celeste Monroe rested her chin on one hand, looking at the blurred scenery flashing outside the window, lost in memories.
Two years ago, her previous manager and assistant had been bribed, leading her into a trap where she was drugged. Celeste Monroe desperately struggled to escape, calling her older brother, older sister, and father. But her brother didn't answer, her sister said she was busy, and her father didn't even believe what Celeste Monroe said. As the drug took effect, Celeste Monroe could no longer run, and those people chased after her. Celeste Monroe despaired.
At the moment she closed her eyes, she saw a beam of light, and a man walked out from that light. When Celeste Monroe woke up, she found herself in a hotel, with Amelia Quinn sitting nearby. From Amelia, she learned that Frank had taken her to the hotel, and considering the gender difference, Frank had called Amelia to help care for her. At the time, Frank had been driving to pick up Amelia when he saw Celeste Monroe collapsed on the roadside and got out to save her. Celeste Monroe understood that the beam of light she saw was actually just headlights. The man who walked out of the light was her niece's husband.
"The former nephew-in-law..." Celeste Monroe leaned against the car window, closing her eyes, a beautiful curve suddenly forming on her lips.