Not a Shadow Girlfriend

"You speak first."

"Alright, I received an offer from the University of Kansas today, and guess what? A full scholarship!" Abigail was genuinely excited.

"Any good news on your end?"

"I'm about to sign with a record label."

"Oh, like Taylor? Are you going to be a singer too?" Abigail, on the other end of the line, didn't seem excited at all.

"Something like that."

"So, are you still coming over today? I..." She hesitated.

She had intended to invite Ryan to her home tonight to have dinner with her family and celebrate receiving the scholarship.

"Probably not today. Let's all celebrate together once the contract is officially signed," Ryan thought for a moment and said.

"Alright then, call me when that happens."

Returning to the recording studio, Ryan saw that everyone, including the producer, had already started packing up; clearly, the day's recording work was finished. Taylor, however, was moving slower than usual.

"See you later, Taylor. Don't forget to ask me to be your opening act when you go on tour," the female singer said, bidding Taylor farewell.

"I can't pull off a tour; I wouldn't be able to sell any tickets at all, would I?" Taylor shook her head with a self-deprecating smile, feeling she didn't have much box-office appeal yet.

"Don't be so modest. Your new album is bound to be a hit," the female singer replied, her compliment tinged with a hint of admiration.

"I hope so." Taylor walked her to the studio door.

Now, aside from a pile of equipment and instruments, only Ryan and Taylor remained in the studio.

"Did you hear that? She said I'm going to hold a tour next year—a world tour in stadiums with tens of thousands of people!" Taylor couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth from curling upward.

"Hurry up and pack your things; I'll drive you home," Ryan said.

"What's the rush?" Taylor leaned back, resting against the mixing console; her long legs made the pose look effortless.

"Are you going to reimburse me for a parking ticket?"

"I'll reimburse it then. It's not like I'm short on that," Taylor said nonchalantly.

With that, she stood up, grabbed Ryan by the wrist, and walked toward the lounge connected to the recording studio.

"I haven't finished my work yet." She gave Ryan a gentle push, settling him onto the sofa.

"You'd better be talking about actual 'work'," Ryan said.

Taylor arched an eyebrow. "You wish."

She then actually went back to the studio to retrieve a Taylor guitar. It wasn't a signature model, just a coincidence in naming; Taylor had used the 614ce model for almost all her live performances over the past two years.

The one in her hands featured a high-gloss finish and hand-polishing, gleaming under the lights. The top was made of spruce, the back and sides of maple, and the fretboard and bridge of ebony, producing a bright, clear, and pure tone. Naturally, the price was far from accessible.

She sat on a high stool opposite him, one leg supporting her weight while the other rested on the stool's rung. As she cradled the guitar, the aura of a country singer instantly emerged.

"I wanna be somewhere where you are

I wanna be where

You're here

Your eyes are lookin' into mine

So baby make me fly..."

Her fingers danced across the strings as she hummed and sang softly, her body swaying gently with the rhythm. Her voice still carried a translucent, childlike clarity.

Having the CMA Best New Artist perform a private show for him was a privilege few could claim, yet Ryan's gaze remained locked on the long legs bathed in the warm light.

If he were to write it at this very moment, the song wouldn't be called Beautiful Eyes, but rather Beautiful Legs.

Taylor didn't sing one song to completion; instead, she performed a medley of whatever came to mind, and Ryan heard many songs he had never encountered before.

"So, which one did you think sounded the best?" Taylor set the guitar down and tossed the pick onto the table.

"They were all good," Ryan said immediately. How could he say they weren't? In truth, Ryan had only caught snippets of what she was singing; his attention hadn't been on the music at all.

"That goes without saying." Taylor unscrewed a bottle of Evian and took two gulps.

"I mean, which one sounded better?"

"Hmm, that 'make me fly' one," Ryan feigned deep thought.

"You mean Beautiful Eyes?"

"Right."

"Good. The upcoming EP will feature that as the lead single, and we'll call the EP Beautiful Eyes." Taylor winked at Ryan, showing off the sparkly new eyeshadow she had applied today.

"Oh? Don't you need Nathan Chapman to weigh in on this?" Ryan felt a bit guilty.

"He's the producer for the new album, not the EP. He has no obligation to, and besides, this EP is a Walmart exclusive. It's a supplementary part of last year's sales agreement. I'd actually be at a loss if I put the truly great songs on it, but I can't be too dismissive either, or it'll be hard to answer to the distributors," Taylor explained.

Walmart was one of the top distributors in the physical record sales sector. It was likely that Taylor had signed an addendum at the time—for instance, if Walmart's orders exceeded a certain number of units, she would provide them with an exclusive EP.

"By the way, have you written any new songs lately? I know the Harlem Shake is popular, but I don't mean that 'untz-untz' stuff—I mean something soothing, like country folk," Taylor asked suddenly.

"I could bring myself to sing one, and maybe include it on this EP. Provided it's not trash like Fire and Rain," Taylor added tentatively.

This was undoubtedly a good opportunity for Ryan, but unfortunately, all he could offer right now was trash that Taylor wouldn't even look at.

"Then hurry up and write, you still have a month!" Taylor reminded him.

"Can't you just give me one? You have so many songs," Ryan said. Taylor's demand was truly a bit of a tall order for him at the moment.

"Then why don't I just give you all the money I've earned as well?"

"That wouldn't be impossible." Ryan's skin was thick enough, after all.

"Hmph, in your next life." Taylor flicked a strand of her golden hair.

"Just consider it a loan, I'll pay you back later."

"A loan? And what if you can't pay it back?"

"Then I can offer some assets as collateral, like a few hundred million genetic factors."

"Stop right there!" Taylor shook her head immediately and changed her tune: "I'll give you the song, you can pick whatever you want from my discarded tracks!"

By this time, Ryan had already stood up and was walking toward Taylor.

"Wait, there's someone outside!" Taylor pricked up her ears.

Ryan also heard the sound coming from outside. He pulled open the lounge door and saw a cleaning lady mopping the floor.

The next second, Taylor followed him out of the lounge, turned back, and said to Ryan, "Drive me home."

"Hey, Mom, yeah, I'm out, just got out. Ran into some trouble with the new song, I'm on the road now, I'll be back soon." Inside the car, Taylor's hair was disheveled; one hand held her phone while the other gripped the "gear shifter."

"Oh my, look at what time it is now." Taylor caught a glimpse of the time on her phone and was startled.

My fault?

Taylor had asked Ryan to drive her home, and Ryan had naturally complied, but he took the long way around... how could he pass up an opportunity like that?

Ryan adjusted his seat. Unlike the Toyota Sequoia from last time, this Challenger was the two-door version of the Dodge Charger, commonly known as a "dog-squat" back seat. Since Taylor was quite tall, she really couldn't stretch out.

Once he made some money, he'd buy a Cadillac first; nothing special, just comfortable to sit in.

"I had already made up my mind to compete fairly with Abigail," Taylor said, fanning herself with her hand, placing the blame on him.

"I have a better solution." Ryan smiled.

Taylor immediately turned her head away, looked out the window, and said coldly, "I won't be a shadow girlfriend. If anyone is going to be one, it'll be her."