NOVEL NEXT Chapter 159: Singer
The afternoon training ended, and Link drove to Rooftop, a music bar on Third Avenue in Manhattan.
The last time he had met with Director Darren was here; he'd visited four or five times since finding the environment agreeable and the location convenient, making it a familiar place.
However, today Ivanka had also chosen this spot for their meeting, which surprised him and made him feel like she might be keeping an eye on him.
Arriving on the second floor, there weren't many people; only five of the sixteen booth areas were occupied. Link glanced down the aisle and immediately saw Ivanka.
She was sitting in the corner next to a magazine rack, wearing a moon-white tube dress that revealed her fair, slender arms, her golden-brown hair pinned up behind her.
She wore little jewelry, only a finely crafted diamond-studded wristwatch and a thin platinum necklace around her swan-like neck.
Her spot was originally secluded and dimly lit, but when she sat there, it seemed as though the lighting suddenly brightened, casting a hazy white glow.
As Link approached, Ivanka was flipping through a magazine, standing next to a young man dressed in brand-name clothes. Not knowing what Ivanka had whispered to the man, he walked away with a sulky face and slouched shoulders.
"Eva, what did you just tell him?"
Link sat down across from her and asked with a smile.
Ivanka glanced at him, straightened her graceful torso, crossed her legs at her knees, and said coolly, "I told him my boyfriend had arrived."
"So I played the role of your shield again?"
"Do you mind?"
"Of course not, it's my pleasure."
Link smiled lightly and called the waiter over to order a cup of floral tea.
"This is a bar, why not order a drink?"
Ivanka swirled her glass elegantly and asked.
"I'm only 20, not of legal drinking age yet."
Link shrugged. In the United States, the legal drinking age is 21; he was just short of it, though of course, no one would really stop him if he wanted to drink—it was just his excuse for not wanting to touch alcohol.
Ivanka's lips twitched slightly, then quickly regained composure. While flipping through the magazine, she said, "The news reported that you sang a new song at the country music festival, openly declaring your love for Taylor Swift. You're quite the romantic."
"Is that so? I learned it from a movie."
Link smiled slightly smugly.
"Hmm, I told you before not to publicly perform the songs from the album before its release, but you didn't listen."
Ivanka frowned deeply as she stared at him, her presence becoming sharper.
Link chuckled dryly; last time at the music festival, he had performed "All of me." Afterwards, the media had hyped up his and Taylor's romance, labeling them as the entertainment industry's most compatible couple.
The song's exposure had dramatically increased, gaining a lot of popularity and being considered among the most classic love songs in recent years.
Many fans flocked to his Twitter to leave messages, urging him to release the studio version soon so they could enjoy it more quickly.
However, this was a song from his third album, which wasn't due to be released yet.
"Eva, that was my mistake— I promise it won't happen again."
Link spoke while holding his tea cup.
Ivanka shook her head and glanced at her watch. "I've discussed it with Graham; since that song was released, we should move up the schedule for the third album. Release the second album in June, and the third in January next year. Do you have any objections?"
"No problem, I'll follow your arrangements on work matters."
Link nodded and smiled.
—
On the first floor of the Rooftop music bar, a tall girl with heavy makeup and carrying a guitar came in from outside.
The bar waitress, Lily, immediately approached and said, "Lana, Link is here, at the corner spot on the second floor."
The heavily made-up girl looked upstairs, perking up instantly, but then shrugged and said, "Forget it. I've sung a few times but never caught his attention. He's definitely not into me."
"Lana, don't give up. Your singing is so beautiful. Why not try one more time?"
Lily encouraged her.
She and Lana were friends, and she knew Lana wanted to become a professional singer.
By chance, when she saw Link coming to the bar, she suggested that Lana sing for Link to try and impress him.
Not only was Link a singer, but he also owned a music company; impressing him could mean a chance to become a singer.
"Alright, I'll try once more."
The heavily made-up girl hesitated for a moment, nodded, and carrying her guitar, arrived at the second floor. She instantly spotted Link sitting in a corner.
Dressed in a stand-collar baseball shirt, with short black hair and deep blue eyes, his sharply defined profile seemed like it had been carefully sculpted by an artist, exquisite and dimensional.
His face bore no acne, no scars, not even a freckle, clean and fresh like the sky of Hawaii.
His arched eyebrows, dark and thick, symbolized his resolute and masculine personality; the slight curl of his lips, however, made him appear gentle and sensitive.
When Lana first saw him in person, she was stunned by his face and thought that such a person didn't need any talents—a face alone could make a multitude of girls fall for him.
Nevertheless, he was still an Olympic champion, world boxing champion, popular singer, and youth idol.
In private, Lana told Lily the feeling that someone like Link was born to make others envious and jealous.
To catch his attention, every time she heard Link was coming to the bar, she would put on her beautiful makeup, dress up delicately, and come to sing.
However, even after singing here three or four times, Link didn't look her way even once, which discouraged her; she felt like she was wasting her efforts, and slightly resented Link for his poor taste, not appreciating music.
She also noticed the girl opposite Link, blonde and busty, talking with her neck tilted back, exuding a great temperament, seemingly Ivanka.
Ivanka was a socialite often appearing in magazines and on television, naturally recognized by her as well.
Moreover, Ivanka was also a co-founder of Link Music.
Were the two dating or discussing business?
Lana glanced at them, revealing a wicked smile. She hugged her guitar, sat in front of the microphone, and began strumming Taylor's song "You Belong with Me". Explore more at empire
You're on the phone with your girlfriend,
She's upset, she's going off about something that you said,
'Cause she doesn't get your humor like I do.
"What do you think of her singing?"
Ivanka stopped talking and pointed towards the stage.
Hearing someone singing Taylor's song, Link also turned to look. It was the female singer with heavy makeup.
He had listened to her sing a few times at the bar.
Her singing wasn't bad; her voice was husky and lazy, reminiscent of the psychedelic music and decadent Trip-Hop style of America in the 1960s, like that of a professionally trained singer.
But in the bars and nightclubs of Los Angeles and New York, such singers were too many to count, many not lacking in skill compared to professional singers.
However, musical industry resources were limited, and the competition fierce; without superb singing and composing abilities, or an outstanding appearance, it was hard to make a mark in the industry.
For example, Taylor had singing abilities and looks above A level, composing ability S;
Link himself had an S-level appearance, singing ability A-, composing ability would be S for the next twenty years, also bringing fame-based traffic and capital.
These were their capitals to establish themselves in the music industry.
As for the girl on stage, her appearance was average, composing ability unknown, singing ability was A level—a singer with potential, maybe worth signing or not.
"It's not bad, but her voice is a bit mournful, not quite suitable for upbeat songs like Taylor's."
Link suddenly remembered what Ivanka had mentioned last time about spotting two promising singers and wanting him to check them out.
"Is she one of the two singers you had your eye on?"
"Yes, I've watched her videos posted on YouTube, and I think she has some potential to be cultivated."
"Then let's talk to her. I trust your judgment."
Link nodded, already somewhat inclined to sign her, and now with Ivanka considering it, it seemed good to try.
He called over a waiter and handed a business card to the singing girl.
After finishing her song, Lana was about to step down from the stage carrying her guitar, when a waiter came over and handed her a business card, pointing towards Link's spot.
Lana glanced at the two, feeling her heart pounding uncontrollably.
She had encountered a few talent scouts before, signed a record contract in 2005, but had seen lackluster market response, ultimately being dropped by the record company.
Last year she self-financed the release of her first personal EP "Kill Kill", which failed to make a splash as well.
Yet, she didn't want to give up and had been posting singing videos on YouTube, hoping to attract the attention of record companies and become a contracted singer; only, after several setbacks, she wasn't very confident about signing.
Now with both Link and Ivanka present, and a business card sent her way,
did they see promise in her, were they thinking of signing her?
With a nervous heart, Lana headed towards them.