An Opportunity to "Sing the National Anthem"

The study was so quiet that Trey, standing in the room, could hear Taylor's voice, though she couldn't make out the specific words, she could feel Taylor's anger.

Ryan exchanged a glance with Trey in front of him and switched the phone to his other ear.

"It seems like we're not involved anymore, right?" Ryan said in a low voice.

Trey's eyebrow twitched for a moment. The impact of this on her was no less than learning Ryan made money as a DJ.

"We are involved! I'm Abigail's good friend, and I have a responsibility to protect her. You're not allowed to contact her anymore!" Taylor pressed relentlessly. The next second, it sounded like her mother knocked and asked something, and Taylor lowered her voice.

Clearly, she didn't want her mother to know she was on the phone with a guy late at night.

Ryan had to clarify the current situation between him and Abigail. When he heard that Abigail was only tutoring Ryan in the cultural classes he'd fallen behind on, had only been to his house once, and that he'd taken her home that same night.

After listening, Taylor let out a long sigh, as if it were the best news she'd heard all month.

"What have you been busy with for the past half month?" Ryan asked.

"It's not easy to explain. Besides recording songs, I have to prepare for various events in advance and do interviews. Let me give you a heads-up: in April, I have two magazine covers. In May, I'll be invited to perform live at the ACM (Academy of Country Music Awards, one of the two major country music awards alongside the CMA). I've been nominated for Album of the Year, Best Female Vocalist, and Best New Female Vocalist!"

"At the beginning of June, I'll release a new EP as part of the agreement with a major distributor, and it'll be exclusive to Walmart. At the end of June, I have to go to San Antonio for this year's Verizon Amphitheater event. In July, I have to attend the Country Thunder Music Festival."

"And that's not counting some possible performance opportunities, like being a guest performer at the Jonas Brothers' concert, or even making a cameo in Hannah Montana's big-screen movie. Those aren't confirmed yet."

"Also, the organizers have already booked me in advance. In October, I'll be singing the national anthem at the third game of the World Baseball Classic in Philadelphia. Maybe by then, the new album will be completely finished." Taylor rambled on about a long list of confirmed schedules.

From her words, Ryan picked up on four words: rising steadily.

Ryan, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. His social media follower count was stagnant. On his core social media platform, MySpace (similar to QQ Zone), his followers had barely reached three thousand, and that was with Taylor helping to drive traffic. Paid downloads were pitifully few, only seeing a significant increase after Taylor's push, totaling just over a thousand, which amounted to only a few hundred dollars. Since then, download numbers had been steadily declining, and now daily paid downloads were less than a hundred. The only good news was that his production skills had improved considerably. After half a month of performing as a resident DJ at nightclubs, he could easily piece together songs using a mixer in front of a crowd.

Half a month ago, Ryan thought that with the song "Termor," he would gain some fame, that he just needed to put the song "where people pass by," and it would naturally get attention. The reality was a huge disappointment.

Ryan had also tried various ways to actively trigger "déjà vu," but all to no avail.

Ryan poured all this out to Taylor. By this time, Trey had already left the study.

"Oh, that's totally normal. Actually, you've done an amazing job." Taylor's slightly babyish voice came through the phone, and then she began to encourage Ryan.

"Want to know how I first got attention? It's actually simple. I was about eleven at the time. One day, I suddenly realized that without a record deal, singing the national anthem was the best way to appear in front of a large crowd. I participated in 76ers games, the US Open, even local garden club meetings. As long as I could perform in front of an audience, I was willing to do it."

"It was after a performance at the US Open that an audience member came up to me and my mom. He was an agent. With his help, I got in touch with RCA."

"A year later, my whole family moved to Nashville. During that time, I participated in Maybelline's 'Chicks with Attitude' compilation project and attended BMI songwriter circles showcases, all for a little bit of exposure."

"But none of that worked. RCA wouldn't even let me record my own songs. Then my dad and Scott reached a cooperation agreement—they're both named Scott—and I signed a long-term contract with Big Machine. Thirteen years, six albums. You can think of Big Machine as an independent record label. Finally, I had a chance to show myself. By then, four years had passed since I first sang the national anthem in front of a large crowd. Four whole years. How long have you been at it? Four weeks?" Taylor used her own experience to comfort Ryan.

"How old were you then?"

"Fifteen. (The time I signed with Big Machine)"

In other words, Taylor had been bouncing around for four years and was still only fifteen.

Truly, fame comes to those who start young, Ryan thought to himself.

"So, any inspiration? My mouth is dry from talking." From the sound of her voice, Taylor seemed to be wrapped up in her blanket.

Ryan thought for a moment. "Don't miss any opportunity to 'sing the national anthem.'"

"Exactly." Taylor giggled.

"Like the Ultra Music Festival in Miami during spring break," Ryan said.

He had looked it up. The Ultra Music Festival was currently part of the Winter Music Conference (WMC), which had been held since 1985. It was now a well-known annual summit in the industry, with thousands of attendees including artists, DJs, A&R representatives from record labels scouting for new talent, producers, promoters, radio and media representatives, DJ equipment manufacturers, and sound system manufacturers.

Here, even with just one song, "Termor," he might still find a patron.

"OK, hope you find something in Florida," Taylor blessed him, then yawned.

Ryan hung up the call with Taylor, then tried making some music with DAW software for a while before shutting down the computer. Before heading back to his own room, he grabbed Trey's BlackBerry Curve 8310, which she had bought last year, and went to her door. He found the door slightly ajar, and there was no sound from inside. Clearly, Trey had already gone to sleep.

To avoid disturbing her, Ryan slowly pushed the door open and saw the lamp on the bedside table was still on. Trey was lying flat on the bed in a carefree, sprawled-out pose, wearing a black lace slip dress as pajamas.

As he placed the phone on the nightstand to charge, Ryan couldn't help but turn his head. He saw that the strap of her nightgown had slipped down, revealing her voluptuous figure and fair skin, quite dazzling...

"Ding-ding!" The phone suddenly let out a clear notification sound.

Trey's eyes snapped open, meeting Ryan's gaze. The next second, she quickly covered her chest.

"I didn't see anything."

"GET OUT!!!!"

·

At the same time, Taylor, who was about to fall asleep, was woken again by her phone ringing. She glanced at the caller ID and still chose to answer.

"Hey~" Taylor said weakly.

"Taylor, are you asleep?" Abigail asked.

"Mm-hmm."

"Help me decide what to wear for spring break. Florida should be pretty warm now."

"Whatever..." Taylor just wanted to sleep.

Then Abigail said thoughtfully, "I bought two sets of super sexy swimsuits. I think they're too revealing. Ah, forget it, I'll just bring them anyway. Consider it a surprise for Ryan!"

Taylor's eyes flew open, and her drowsiness vanished in an instant...