The next afternoon, A+ was still lying in bed, staring blankly at the mottled ceiling, not wanting to eat or move.
Ellie had already been taken away by Silencer' to continue filming the music video in the morning, leaving her alone in the hotel room.
He has been in this world for over two months, and he is basically in a fast-paced state, intensely re-understanding all aspects of the new environment, studying intensively, racking his brains to maximize the benefits of the cheat, and constantly running around.
Now, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief. After the first apocalypse, he feared it would be the only one. But after the second apocalypse yesterday, he finally felt secure. If there was one, there would be two; there was no reason why there wouldn't be a third...
Manor villas, high society, extravagant lifestyle, the center of attention—as long as one doesn't act recklessly…
And since El isn't here, I can finally get a good night's sleep.
'Beep beep beep...'
The pager went off. He looked at the number on it, picked up the phone next to the bed, and said, "Please transfer..." The cheap hotel's phone didn't have an outside line, and the front desk had to charge him for transferring the call.
"Hey, I've already met Daniel."
Hayden's voice came through the receiver. Yesterday, he told Hayden that he had prepared a second song. After roughly discussing the relevant decisions, he flew directly to New York to meet Daniel, showing great enthusiasm.
"You have to be prepared, Daniel is very opposed to having Mila sing this song, he has a lot of opinions about Mila." Hayden spoke very quickly, "Daniel recommended another female singer under his label."
"Did he agree to my request?" Alex asked.
"He agreed in principle to let you be the producer of this single, but he objected to including Mila in the audition..." Hayden replied, "However, he didn't completely rule it out, A+ . You need to understand that this isn't just about one single. If Mila sings your single, then SBK will have to get Mila's album release on track within a year, which means they'll have to tailor-make at least ten more songs for her. According to SBK, Mila is very rebellious and difficult to work with, and she keeps taking on movies, TV shows, commercials, and runway shows. Don't expect her to cooperate well with the promotion after the album is released."
"Release a mini-album? Five songs, one vinyl record." Alex was still not giving up. "Her mother told me that Mila gave up many movie and advertising opportunities for her music dream..."
"Are you infatuated with her?!" Hayden shouted into the phone. "After Mila's parents came to the US, they quickly became housekeepers and maids for a famous director. When Mila was nine, her parents used the director's connections to get her print advertising opportunities, and then they kept getting her advertising jobs. At eleven, they sent her into the modeling world. In the last two years, Mila has lost the favor of advertisers, so they've pushed her towards Hollywood. She's getting minor roles in B-movies and guest appearances in TV series. Daniel says she'll be filming a movie in the second half of the year, and most of her acting will involve walking around on the beach in revealing clothes. She's only fifteen! You can't believe a word parents who treat their child like a cash cow say! How can a child raised in this kind of family environment have a good personality?!"
"This…" A+ was dumbfounded.
"It's hard to explain over the phone. You should come to New York and meet with Daniel in person," Hayden suggested.
"I can't go," A+ said honestly. "I'm afraid I'll be even more helpless if I see Daniel. Do you remember when we had dinner together last time? He was playing music and he just left me completely bewildered with a few words."
Hayden smiled wryly, "Then you still have to come. Daniel didn't close the door completely, and I feel like there are some things he doesn't want to tell me."
"What you just said, was it told to you by Daniel? I don't think you can completely trust what he says. For example, SBK is such a big company, and they didn't prepare a single song for Mila during her two-year contract? That's not very ethical of them..."
"You're really fucking infatuated with her!"
"..."
After hanging up the phone, A+ lay back down.
His thinking yesterday was this: since Mila was signed to SBK Records, other record companies like Old Joe Music were out of the question; collaborating with SBK was the only option. But judging from the feedback he received today, if SBK wasn't willing to give Mila any songs, what was the point of clinging to one company? Simply put, without SBK, he couldn't get close to Mila, and without Mila, there was no need to choose SBK.
"If it weren't for Michelle's requirements regarding the release date of the single, I would have just started my own record company. Old Joe's music usually only has a handful of people, right? When recording songs, there are plenty of musicians to hire outside, it won't delay anything." An idea popped into his head, but he quickly thought of a new problem. Playing record in the south of the city would mean he could never get rid of the gangs, and going to the north of the city would be too expensive to afford. It was still a dilemma.
"No matter how much money you earn, it's never enough to spend..."
He sighed, instantly regaining his motivation. He got up, cleaned up the clutter scattered all over the room, and headed straight to the MV shooting location.
Today is the second day of the music video shoot, and also the last day of shooting at this secondhand store. The rest of the shoot will be done in the studio. Ellie and Connie are seizing the last opportunity to focus on their performance. Old Joe is right, every girl dreams of becoming a star.
At this time, the crew had already begun dismantling various pieces of equipment.
"Honey."
When Ellie finished her performance, she rushed into A+ arms, asking, "Did you come to take me home?"
"Go back? Go back where?" A+ grinned mischievously.
Ellie buried her face in his coat. "Of course, it's where we were yesterday."
"You little devil..." A+ hugged her and flicked her forehead lightly.
Next up was Mila's scene. The camera was pointed at the curtain of the dressing room. She was wearing a cool little tank top. She deftly lifted the curtain, showed herself, and struck a pose. The cameraman immediately zoomed in, and the lens stopped in front of her face again. She professionally smiled at the camera. The smile dispelled her slightly boyish and stubborn brows, and her girlish charm radiated. Her long, brownish-red hair with a touch of gold, her pure green eyes like jewels, her beautifully shaped collarbone, and her slightly chubby cheeks made her truly radiant with youth.
"Uh... I just remembered, I can't go today. I have to go to New York later for important business."
After saying goodbye to Ellie, A+ found the silencer' and asked, "Could you take me to check out first, and then to the airport?"
It was quite late when he got off the plane, but as soon as Daniel learned that he had arrived in New York, he immediately invited him to meet at a French restaurant. This time, it was definitely going to be a big meal.
Hayden wasn't there, so it was just the two of them. While dealing with the Provençal roasted lamb chops, A+ said, "I'm very grateful for the life lessons you taught me. Without your advice, I wouldn't have been able to manage my BMI so quickly."
"I didn't say those things to teach you anything, but to gain your trust and close the deal." By this time, Daniel should have already had dinner, and he spent most of his time sipping red wine. "Once a deal is closed, we all have to look forward."
"Yes, you're right."
A+ agreed. If the secondhand store's single sales really exceeded one million copies, then this deal could bring Daniel over a million dollars in revenue for SBK. Moreover, given Warner Music's covetousness, his strategy of prioritizing his own interests was very successful. "Let's look ahead, about the new song..."
"The music is yours, the lyrics are yours, and since you want to be the producer, that's no problem." Daniel put down his glass. "But Milla Jovovich…"
"You don't need to worry about me, I'm your fan."
"Haha, thank you…" Daniel laughed. "Well then, I'll get straight to the point. Mira, I don't think she'll be a successful singer, and… she's not one of my people, you know what I mean? I didn't sign her. Her manager, who is also her mother, has some connection with another high-ranking executive at SBK, and that person is vying for the position of SBK's general manager in the second half of the year."
"I understand, I understand, you also intend to…" A+ picked up the wine glass beside him, tilted his head back, and grasped the key point.
Daniel nodded slightly. "I have a hugely successful vanilla ice, and the Wilson sisters and Phillips duo, who are number one on the Billboard charts and might even be number one on the year-end charts. My advantages are enormous, and I don't want to..."
"An unexpected complication?" A+ wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Then what should I do to..."
"unless..."
"Unless? Uh… let me think…" A+ pondered for a moment, "I need to get Mira's mother to switch sides and support you…"
"We're getting closer, and there's still..."
A+ recalled the few times the two had met, "Don't worry, I'll take care of things with Old Joe, Little Lowry, and Pablo."
"APLUS, you are smart, you are very smart…"