Mesmerized

The next afternoon, Song Ya was still lying in bed, staring blankly at the mottled ceiling, with no appetite and no desire to move.

Allie had already been picked up by Silencer that morning to continue shooting the music video, leaving him all alone in the guest room.

It had been over two months since he transmigrated, and he had basically been in a fast-paced state: high-intensity efforts to re-learn every aspect of this new environment, high-intensity study, racking his brains to maximize the benefits of his apocalypse cheat, and constantly running around.

Now, he could finally catch his breath. After the first apocalypse arrived, he had feared it might be the only one, but when the second one arrived yesterday, he finally felt secure. If there was a first and a second, there was no reason there wouldn't be a third...

Manor villas, high society, extravagant living, the spotlight of the masses—as long as he didn't do anything stupid...

And Al wasn't here, so he could finally get a good night's sleep.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

His pager went off. He looked at the number on it and picked up the phone by the bed. "Please transfer..." The cheap motel's phone didn't have an outside line; the front desk had to transfer the call and keep a record to charge him.

"Hey, I've already met with Daniel."

Hayden's voice came through the receiver. After revealing to Hayden yesterday that he had a second song ready and roughly discussing the relevant decisions, he had flown straight to New York to meet with Daniel, full of initiative.

"You need to be mentally prepared. Daniel is strongly opposed to letting Milla sing this song; he has a very low opinion of her." Hayden spoke very quickly. "Daniel recommended another female singer under his management."

"Did he agree to my request?" Song Ya asked.

"He agreed in principle to let you serve as the producer for this single, but he opposes including Milla in the audition..." Hayden replied. "However, he didn't shut the door completely. APLUS, you need to be clear: this isn't just about one single. If Milla sings your single, then SBK will have to put Milla's album release on track within a year. That means they'd have to tailor at least ten more songs for her. According to SBK, Milla is very rebellious and difficult to handle, and she keeps taking on movies, TV shows, commercials, and runway gigs. You can't expect her to cooperate properly with promotion after the album is released."

"What about a mini-album? Five songs, the kind you can fit on one vinyl record." Song Ya wasn't giving up yet. "Her mother told me that Milla gave up many movie and commercial opportunities for her musical dreams..."

"Are you bewitched by her!?" Hayden shouted into the phone. "After Milla's parents arrived in the United States, they quickly became housekeepers and servants for a big director. When Milla was nine, her parents used that director's connections to get her print commercial resources, and then they kept booking commercials for her non-stop. They sent her into the modeling world at eleven. For the past two years, Milla hasn't been favored by advertisers, so they've pushed her toward Hollywood. She takes small supporting roles in B-movies and guest spots on TV shows. Daniel says she has to join a film crew in the second half of the year, and most of her performance consists of walking around the beach in skimpy clothes. She's only fifteen! You can't believe a single word from parents who treat their child like a cash cow! Can a kid raised in that kind of family environment have a good personality!?"

"This..." Song Ya was dumbfounded.

"It's hard to explain over the phone. You should come to New York and talk to Daniel in person," Hayden suggested.

"I can't go," Song Ya said truthfully. "I'm afraid that if I see Daniel, I'll have even less of a defense. Do you remember when we ate together last time? He played a song, and with just a few words, he had me completely confused."

Hayden gave a wry laugh. "Then you still have to come. Daniel didn't close the door; I feel like there are some things he didn't want to say to me."

"The things you just mentioned were told to you by Daniel, right? I feel like his words can't be fully trusted either. For example, a company as big as SBK, and they haven't prepared a single song for Milla in two years of signing? Their methods aren't exactly above board..."

"You really are fucking bewitched by her!"

"..."

Putting down the phone, Song Ya lay back down. He had thought yesterday that since Milla was signed to SBK Records, other labels like Joe Music were definitely out of the question, and cooperating with SBK was the only choice. But judging from the feedback he got today, if SBK wasn't willing to let Milla sing the song, what was the point of hanging himself from one tree? Simply put, without SBK, there was no way to get close to Milla, and without Milla, there was no need to choose SBK.

"If it weren't for Michelle's requirements regarding the release date of the single, I'd just start my own record company, damn it. Doesn't Joe Music usually only have a few stragglers anyway? When recording, you can just hire session musicians from outside; it wouldn't delay anything." An idea popped into his head, but he quickly thought of a new problem: playing the record game in the South Side meant he absolutely couldn't get rid of the gangs, and going to the North Side was too expensive to play in. It was a dilemma.

"No matter how much money I make, it's never enough..."

He sighed, but instantly felt motivated again. He got up, cleaned up the clutter scattered all over the room, and headed straight to the music video filming location.

Today was the second day of the music video shoot and the last day filming at this Thrift Shop. The rest would be shot in a studio. Allie and Connie were seizing the last opportunity to focus on their performances. Joe was right; every girl had a star dream.

By this time, the crew had already started dismantling various pieces of equipment.

"Honey."

When Allie finished her performance, she flew into Song Ya's arms. "Are you here to take me back?"

"Back? Back where?" Song Ya smirked.

Allie buried her face in his jacket. "Of course, to where we stayed yesterday."

"You little demon..." Song Ya hugged her and flicked her forehead lightly.

Next was Milla's scene. The camera pointed at the curtain of the fitting room. She was wearing a skimpy camisole on her upper body, nimbly pulled back the curtain, appeared, and struck a pose. The cameraman immediately zoomed in, the lens stopping right in front of her face. She professionally beamed a smile at the camera, the smile dispelling the somewhat boyish and stubborn look in her brows. The charm of a young girl radiated out—that brownish-red hair with a hint of gold, those jewel-like pure green eyes, the beautifully lined collarbones, and the slight baby fat on her cheeks. She was truly full of youthful vitality.

"Uh... I just remembered, today won't work. I have to go to New York in a bit; I have some serious business."

Song Ya said goodbye to Allie and found Silencer. "Can you drop me off to check out first, then go to the airport?"

It was already very late when he got off the plane, but as soon as Daniel learned 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 present; there were only the two of them. Song Ya, while tackling his Provençal roast lamb chops, said, "I'm very grateful for the way of the world you taught me. Without those words of yours, I couldn't have handled BMI so quickly."

"I didn't actually say those things to teach you anything, but to gain trust and close the deal." At this point, Daniel should have already finished dinner; he spent most of his time sipping red wine. "Once a deal is closed, we both have to look forward."

"Yes, you're right."

Song Ya agreed. If the Thrift Shop single really sold over a million copies, then Daniel could increase SBK's revenue by over a million dollars with this deal. And with Warner Records eyeing it, his strategy of securing his own position first was very successful. "Let's look forward. About the new song..."

"The melody is yours, the lyrics are yours. Since you want to be the producer, I have no problem with that." Daniel put down his wine glass. "But Milla Jovovich..."

"You don't need to have any reservations about me. I'm a fan of yours."

"Haha, thank you..." Daniel laughed. "Look, I'll be blunt. Milla, I don't feel she will be a successful singer, and... she's not my person, you know what I mean? She wasn't signed by me. Her manager, who is her mother, has some connection with another high-level executive at SBK, and that person intends to compete for the position of general manager of SBK in the second half of the year."

"I understand, I understand. You also intend to..." Song Ya picked up the wine glass at his side and downed it, grasping the key point.

Daniel nodded slightly. "I have the big-selling Vanilla Ice, I have the Wilson Sisters and Phillips duo who are number one on the Billboard and might even take the number one spot for the year. My advantage is very great. I don't want to..."

"Create extra trouble?" Song Ya wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Then what should I do to..."

"Unless..."

"Unless? Uh... let me think, let me think..." Song Ya pondered for a while. "I have to get Milla's mother to flip and support you instead..."

"Getting closer. And..."

Song Ya recalled their few meetings. "Don't worry, I'll also be responsible for handling Joe, Little Lowry, and Pablo."

"APLUS, you are smart. You are very smart..."