The next day, A+ lay half-reclined on the sofa in the control room, watching the four band members in the recording studio adjust the equipment.
Daniel has a penchant for collecting street rock bands, but very few of them actually release albums; almost all of them lose money. SBK people behind his back call this hobby a "quirk," which objectively creates fierce competition among similar musicians within the company. Because the single "FXXXYOU" will be released in a studio version first, and will also be used for performances, the other three positions besides keyboardist Dile have sparked considerable competition, with the winner ultimately emerging from the studio recording.
He said goodbye to Mila and her mother at five in the morning and headed back. After sleeping for about three hours, , A+ was fully recovered. Being young means you can endure a lot. Of course, there are people who can endure even more than him. Eric, the only sound engineer at Old Joe Music, was already in front of the mixing console, wearing headphones and having a blast.
"It seems there's a reason why Black celebrities like to bring along entourages—oh no, partners. Eric's wingman mission last night was executed perfectly," , A+ thought to himself. Yesterday, he had even lifted up Mila's little skirt, but unfortunately, Mrs. Jovovich woke up and didn't see him, so she came looking for him. If Eric hadn't cleverly stalled for time, the two of them would have been caught red-handed.
, A+ rubbed his fingers, reminiscing about the feeling from last night. Hmm... mila skin wasn't as delicate as Ellie's mixed-race skin.
Just then, Hayden pushed the door open and came in. "Let's go outside and talk." , A+ jumped up, pulled Hayden outside, and found a place where they could talk easily.
"I need the truth about Mira," he instructed Hayden.
"Last time it wasn't…" Hayden had already explained it to him before.
"I feel like something's not right."
Mrs. Jovovich didn't seem like the greedy type, and she kept a very close eye on Mira, which seemed different from the rumors. Apart from the cheap car they drove, their clothes and accessories were consistent with Mira's income. The travel bag she saw in the music room last night was also from a high-end brand, but the fact that such a large travel bag appeared in the music room was a problem in itself. "Use William Morris's resources to investigate."
Hayden made a few phone calls, then returned looking troubled and said, "It might cost some money."
"How much?" Song Ya asked.
Hayden made another call. "Eight hundred dollars," he said, adding, "Actually, I could have gotten that amount by asking around."
, A+ pulled out his checkbook. "Buy it, I'll write you a check."
"APLUS, you were wearing secondhand clothes when you came to New York not long ago," Hayden said sincerely. "You are very different from other African American celebrities I've met who like to squander their fame. I don't want you to go down that path."
"Buy it." Song Ya wrote out the check. "I won't, thank you Hayden."
Lisa came over. "Daniel wants to see you, Aplus."
, A+ went to Daniel's office.
"Mira?" Daniel wiped his silver golf clubs, still concerned about this.
"yeah."
"Sigh, actually I've been following the song 'Secondhand Store' for a long time, but do you know why I'm still lagging behind Warner?" Daniel asked.
, A+ shook his head, secretly becoming wary. Every time Daniel started to launch into a long speech, he worried that he might be being fooled.
"Because at first I didn't believe you wrote it. Who would start writing songs for others at the age of fifteen? And it was their first song. Although there are many singers who became famous at the age of fifteen, who would focus on composing at the age of fifteen? Haha... When I was fifteen, I felt like I was the biggest person in the world. My ego was overflowing. When I was conceiving the song, I never thought about it being sung by others."
Daniel casually waved his golf club. "I spent a long time comparing the copyright information with the copyright holders until I could confirm that the song wasn't plagiarized before I set off to find you. Luckily, I wasn't too late. I haven't received the specific data yet, but after our music video aired on MTV, the single's sales on secondhand stores skyrocketed."
Getting a platinum record shouldn't be a problem in the future.
Platinum record, that's one million sales. Song Ya licked his lips, thinking of the 10% he earned from his lyrics and music, and the 3% he made a bet with Daniel.
"You can make a lot of money from this song, but I'd say the ones who really make big money are Lowry and Joe. My country, America, is rich and prosperous. A single that makes it into the Billboard 50s can basically guarantee a singer's financial freedom for life, as long as they don't squander it recklessly. In the early stages, they rely on records, then they're inundated with commercial performances, advertisements, and events all over the country. After three to five years, when they're past their prime, they start singing in casinos. After ten years, they go into hiding. After twenty years, when the people who listened to the songs back then are older and start feeling nostalgic, they come out again to make a killing... Even when they're old and gray, there will still be people cheering for them when they step onto the music festival stage. Why? Because while young people follow trends, some of the pretentious ones among them, in order to show off their unique taste, start telling old stories."
Daniel went on and on, "So young musicians usually sing their own songs if they can, and if they can't, they'll form a band and perform on stage themselves. They only start to consider other people and accept song requests after they're 25 or 30. You're an exception, APLUS."
"The cheat isn't good, what can I do?" , A+ muttered to himself.
"Many people have high hopes for your girly song..."
Daniel stood up and swung the empty bar. "I underestimated it. I'm feeling the pressure now. Don't be fooled by the fact that all the singers auditioning are newcomers; their managers and other connections are very powerful. I can't delay any longer. Tomorrow's second round of auditions is the final round. As soon as the auditions are over, you announce the winners. Whether it's Mila or any of the other girls, that's it. Close the door. We're not doing business anymore!"
After leaving Daniel's office, , A+ went to find Hayden and took a fax from him.
The news I bought for $800 consisted of only a few lines: Mila's father, Mr. Jovovich, ran an investment company in Los Angeles, which was currently on the verge of bankruptcy. No wonder the mother and daughter were in dire straits, though not to the point of losing their glamorous image. Then there were problems with Mila's so-called "Most Memorable Woman" title. The fashion magazine's event was simply called "Most Memorable Woman," not some authoritative ranking. Also, Mila's family claimed they came from a powerful military family and were forced to leave Ukraine due to persecution. While this couldn't be verified, it was highly suspicious and likely a lie fabricated for immigration purposes.
"Are we going there again tonight?" Hayden asked.
"Go, why not go?" , A+ walked into the recording studio. "Prepare the wine," he instructed Eric.
It was still nine o'clock when , A+ and Eric visited the music classroom again.
"Hi..." Mira put her hands behind her back, gently swayed her shoulders, and shyly took the initiative to greet, A+.
Mrs. Jovovich's gaze swept between her daughter, who was not good at hiding her emotions, and, A+, her expression extremely complicated. "Why did you bring wine?" she asked, noticing the Chivas Regal on Eric's desk.
"Mira's biggest problem right now is that she's not open enough," , A+ explained to her. "She's done too many print ads, and she always habitually shows her cold and cool side in front of the camera. That won't do. She needs that slightly tipsy feeling, that feeling of swaying her body to the music, singing and teasing the audience, like a sexy kitten. Yes, that's what a sexy kitten is like."
Mrs. Jovovich fell silent. She found a seat and stopped questioning.
"It seems you guys are really short of money. Even though Mila has a movie lead role in the second half of the year, you still won't let this opportunity slip by..." , A+ sneered inwardly. He wouldn't make the same mistake as that secondhand store song, letting Mila's family get a good deal like Little Lowry and not even appreciate it.
The lesson continued, and as Mira drank more and more alcohol, her singing and stage presence became increasingly closer to the original version in , A+ mind.
In the early hours of the morning, the two finally found an opportunity and slipped into the men's restroom hand in hand.
Inside the partition, two young men, reeking of alcohol, were panting and groping each other, kissing.
"etc."
Mira's legs were lifted by, Alex, the 1.7-meter-tall, fair-skinned woman folded up, her suspended body in an M-shape against the wall, her panties already hanging on her ankles. She seemed to have suddenly shaken off her drunkenness, her small hands pushing against Alex chest, her kitten-like green eyes sparkling, "I want... I want to wait until we get that song... then..."
"This is a paradox, my dear..."
, A+ gazed at her beautiful face and said softly, "Without you, there would be no song, and without that song, I would not have you."
Mira wanted to say something, but , A+ ignored her and thrust his hips forward.