After hanging up with Taylor, Ryan quickly edited the "Harlem shake" video he'd filmed at the nightclub a few hours earlier and uploaded it to the "Dr. Ray Official Account" on YouTube. He'd also uploaded the official versions of Tremor and the Harlem shake to YouTube.
The next morning, Ryan was surprised to find that the Harlem shake video he'd commissioned the sorority to film had appeared on New York University's official YouTube account. The title had been changed to Crazy Weekend Sisterhood.
It wasn't unusual for a university's official YouTube account to post prank videos. What surprised Ryan was how much pull this sorority seemed to have.
He immediately called Elizabeth.
"Really? I just gave the video to the vice president. Did she post it on the official YouTube account?" Elizabeth sounded surprised, too.
So this had all been the vice president's idea... Ryan thanked Elizabeth and hung up, then called the vice president.
"That's right. I thought the video was pretty funny, though I'm not a big fan of the song. As it happened, I knew the student representative who runs that account, so I sent it to her. By the way, why isn't Piero answering my calls?" The vice president suddenly brought up Piero again.
"He's been a little busy these past couple of days. He's a model, and actually, I know some other models too..."
"Tell him to call me back." The vice president cut Ryan off.
Looks like I'll have to inconvenience you again, Piero.
"If you can, you could film a few more versions. The song's available on paid platforms," Ryan suggested.
"Then I can't help you," the vice president replied, refusing.
"I can pay you," Ryan said bluntly.
"Don't be ridiculous. Why would I use the school's account to make money?" The vice president gave a cold laugh over the phone.
"That's not what I meant," Ryan hurriedly clarified. "But I could get Piero to send you some gifts, like lipstick or clothes..."
There was a long silence on the other end.
"I quite like Chanel's Rouge Allure line, especially Coral No. 22. And..." After a while, the vice president continued.
Ryan carefully noted down her requests. As a college student, the vice president hadn't asked for anything too expensive, and the total was still manageable.
"Also, I'd like other schools' chapters to film something similar," Ryan said slowly.
Silence fell over the line again. The vice president didn't agree, but she didn't refuse, either.
At the end of the call, Ryan asked one more question.
"I'd like to know the last name of Elizabeth, the one who contacted me," Ryan said.
"Why do you care about that? It's personal."
"No reason. I'm just curious."
For the sake of the gifts, the vice president told him: "Her sisters are the Olsen Twins."
Ryan suddenly understood. No wonder she'd looked so familiar. The Olsen Twins had been household-name child stars on American television in the '90s. They'd earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the new millennium, then spent the following years investing in and starring in films.
But like most child stars, the Olsen Twins had struggled to transition as they grew older. After the seventh film they'd produced and starred in bombed at the box office in 2003, the twins made a move that seemed highly unusual at the time, but would later be imitated by many celebrities: they went into business.
Starting in 2004, Dualstar Group, which the sisters jointly controlled, launched a series of products aimed at the youth market. Its clothing line targeted teenage girls and was sold in more than three thousand stores across the country, including Walmart, and over 5,300 stores worldwide.
After that, the sisters made a complete transition into fashion design, launching the luxury brand The Row, which sold in thirty-seven countries around the world.
Last year, when Forbes named the wealthiest women in entertainment, the sisters ranked eleventh, with a combined net worth of about $100 million.
"No wonder she was deliberately avoiding her last name," Ryan said.
In a way, Elizabeth Olsen was in the same position as Austin Swift. Elizabeth's pressure might have been even greater: she was younger than her two sisters, taller, and prettier. Along with the pressure, of course, came certain advantages.
After graduating from Imperial Arts Academy, she'd probably try to make it in Hollywood. What a shame...
"Right, just like that. Like you've been electrocuted. Twist however you want," Ryan directed them like a filmmaker.
"Does this really work?" Abigail still seemed a little self-conscious.
"Look at Austin. You need to get an effect like his." Ryan pointed at Taylor's younger brother.
Austin was wriggling across the ground like a maggot, inching forward.
"Ryan, check mine out. This is definitely good enough." Paul was thrusting his hips back and forth.
"Give you a female donkey and you'd do an even better job," Ryan teased.
"Only if she's a pretty one!" Paul nodded.
Everyone burst out laughing. On the field, the football team and a few of Ryan's friends were filming another version of the Harlem shake.
Ryan continued checking the footage. Abigail seemed to have something she wanted to tell him, but after thinking it over, she said nothing.
"I'll be busy for the next few days. I'll spend time with you in a couple of days," Ryan said without looking up.
"Okay." Abigail nodded firmly.
"Let's see how it turned out." Trey plugged the USB drive into the computer.
The video was the office version of the Harlem shake, filmed at the production company. Ryan had gotten everyone he could to take part, including Trey. When Trey heard the idea, she hadn't said much, but she'd come back with a finished version that evening.
As expected of a director, Trey had already edited her version. It was ready to upload as is.
"Could you post it from your personal account?" Ryan asked tentatively.
Trey shrugged. "If I can remember the password to my personal account." Then she changed the subject. "I also got in touch with Billy Ray Cyrus today. I directed his "Real Gone" music video. You know his daughter, Hannah Montana, right..."
"Her name's Miley," Ryan reminded her.
If the Olsen Twins had been household-name child stars ten years ago, Miley was the Olsen Twins of today, a Teen Idol Disney was heavily promoting.
On Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, she played a middle-school rock star who tried to keep her identity secret from her classmates, leading to one amusing situation after another. The show was very popular with teenage viewers.
Outside the show, Miley also released albums under the stage name Hannah Montana. Her album sold 320,000 copies in its first week last year, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. Taylor's debut album had sold only a few tens of thousands of copies in its first week; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she'd been crushed.
Of course, Disney had helped propel her success. As they say, every gift of fate comes with a price tag. Disney had now begun squeezing her relentlessly, and Miley's life had been completely taken over by acting and touring. Disney took the lion's share of the earnings, too.
Ryan thought Miley, under intense pressure for so long, had already developed Child Star Syndrome—in other words, she wasn't quite right in the head.
The news about her was always some kind of sordid mess: feuding in the media with fellow Disney star Selena Gomez over a love triangle with another Disney Teen Idol; hackers breaking into her computer and posting private photos online; posing nude for Vanity Fair, then being forced to issue an apology. All in all, she was terrible for her public image.
"Don't interrupt me. Her dad said Hannah's been filming videos on YouTube lately. I told her about your project, but I'm not sure she'll make one," Trey said.
Ryan was so excited that he hugged Trey and kissed her on the cheek.
Trey froze for a second, then chased after Ryan, beating him furiously.
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