Youth Will Not Return

In Lin Yuan's eyes, Taylor Swift was a generous and good person.

She was successful and famous, enjoying both recognition and wealth, but she never hesitated to share her earnings with those around her.

Taylor's 2023 world tour alone grossed over $2.2 billion in North American ticket sales, not including $1 billion in streaming revenue, and stimulated over $5 billion in consumer spending.

She was undeniably the top superstar of this era.

After the concert, she also gave all the behind-the-scenes staff a one-time bonus of $55 million.

Even the temporary transportation drivers who helped out received a $100,000 bonus each.

Taylor's act of giving each driver $100,000 stunned the owner of the transport company.

He said that previously, each driver would receive at most five to ten thousand dollars, while Taylor had given more than ten times that amount.

Such a generous Taylor was definitely not comparable to those stingy bosses who wouldn't give an inch.

Taylor herself was a good boss, perhaps because she had been severely exploited by her own boss when she was an employee.

She had a dream of music from a young age, and to help her achieve her aspirations, her family moved to the capital of country music—Nashville.

This was likely why Lin Yuan met her on this train.

In Nashville, she was favored by a record company under Sony Music, but the company told Taylor she would have to wait four years before they would release her album.

Unable to bear the wait, she signed with a company called Big Machine Records and quickly made her official debut.

She was a newcomer to the music scene, and Big Machine Records was also a newly established small company.

Originally, this should have been a beautiful story, with the two moving forward hand in hand, starting from scratch and overcoming hardships to create a business legend together.

However, Big Machine Records betrayed her at the peak of Taylor's career.

The company used its control over the master tape copyrights, meaning the mechanical reproduction license, to stab Taylor in the back.

This caused her immense pain at the time.

Fortunately, Taylor was incredibly talented. Although the master tape copyrights for those albums belonged to the company, she had written the original songs herself and held the original copyrights for the lyrics and music.

She could re-record these albums based on her lyric and music copyrights, bypassing the company's restrictions.

Although she eventually made a successful comeback, the experience during that low period greatly influenced her musical journey.

Without these troubles, Taylor could have reached even greater heights and created more musical miracles.

In his past life, as a fan, Lin Yuan was furious that such a beautiful, kind, and immensely talented genius singer like Taylor was harmed by capital through dirty means.

Therefore, even without the system's requirement, Lin Yuan wanted to help Taylor, especially since doing so would bring many benefits.

"Taylor, let's change the subject. You love music, especially country music, right?" Lin Yuan said after some thought.

"How did you know that?" Taylor's eyes showed a hint of wariness.

"I've seen some of your performances before." To be more convincing, Lin Yuan continued, "Like that performance before the Philadelphia 76ers game, you were amazing! You have so much musical talent!"

"Really? Do you really think so?" Being praised for her musical talent was what little Taylor loved most.

"Of course, I suspect you need some help right now to kickstart your musical journey as soon as possible." Lin Yuan smiled, leading her step by step into his trap.

"Yes, my dad took me to visit record companies everywhere, but they always refused."

"Why not start your own record company? A record company exclusively for you, serving you." Lin Yuan further enticed.

"Where would I get that much money? Even the smallest record company would cost at least $500,000, and that doesn't include the expenses for future albums." Taylor shook her head in distress.

"How about I provide the money? I'm very optimistic about you and want to invest in your future." Lin Yuan finally revealed his intentions.

"I'm very grateful for your appreciation, but I need to discuss this with my parents." Taylor was truly a precocious child, her composure and calmness were impressive.

"Here's my phone number. I'll make a detailed plan later so we can discuss it thoroughly." Lin Yuan wrote down his number and continued, "Although you and I are optimistic about you, you don't have the qualifications to debut yet. You need to receive comprehensive basic music training."

"You're right, I still have a lot to learn." Taylor nodded.

"Don't rush. The faster you want to run, the more you need to pay attention to whether your footing is solid. I have plenty of patience, we can take it one step at a time."

Lin Yuan didn't want to rush her growth. Although he wanted to help Taylor soar to success sooner, the necessary stages of growth could not be skipped.

Otherwise, her future path would be destined to be short.

What Lin Yuan could do was use his own funds to help clear the obstacles on her path forward.

Of course, all this help wouldn't be for free. He would establish a record company with Taylor.

With his shares in this company, he could expect unimaginable returns.

After finishing his conversation with Taylor, Lin Yuan quietly returned to his seat and snuggled back into the blanket.

He reached out again, wrapped his arm around Liu Yifei's waist, pulling her closer, and then fell into a peaceful sleep.

That night, there were no more dreams.

At eight o'clock the next morning, the sightseeing train they were on arrived in Nashville.

In this beautiful country music capital, the two enjoyed a spectacular musical feast brought by singers from all over the world.

The music festival featured various forms of musical performances, not limited to country music, but also including blues, rock, jazz, and other genres.

Beyond music, Nashville was also filled with various other cultural performances: street art, acrobatics, song and dance shows, talk shows...

In the warm early winter sun, Lin Yuan held the girl's soft, warm hand, wandering through the streets and alleys.

Everything seemed bathed in a dreamlike soft focus, the moving music, the girl's bell-like voice, and the bustling streets all converged into the beauty of youth.

People in their youth often don't know how to cherish it, thinking everything will always be this way.

Only years later, when youth has faded, will they pick up this time from the corners of their memories and sigh:

Flowers may bloom again, but a person never regains their youth.

Lin Yuan savored the beauty of the day with all his might, solemnly etching the memories into his heart. This was the most basic respect a reborn person could show for their youth.

Lin Yuan and Liu Yifei had a thoroughly enjoyable time all day.

It wasn't until nightfall that they boarded their flight to New York and departed.

If she didn't go home soon, her mother's check-in would discover her absence.

After returning Liu Yifei home, Lin Yuan went back to his own place.

The moment he opened the door, the system displayed golden text before his eyes:

[Successfully completed a date with any girl again. Host's performance evaluation: S!]

[Host has received a skill reward: Fist Technique (Master Level)]