章 170: **Chapter 169: Changing Minds**
After discussing the film with Director Allen, Link drove to Brooklyn to chat with Eminem about music. By the time he returned to his Yorkville apartment, it was past seven. The streetlights on East 80th Street had come on, and mosquitoes were buzzing around.
As Link parked his car on the side of the road, he felt a bit tired but extremely relaxed. After a busy week, he had finally crossed out all the tasks on his to-do list, marking it a fulfilling week.
Beep, beep!
Before he could get upstairs, a black Mercedes drove up behind him and stopped at the curb.
"Hey, Link, just got back too?"
Leonardo, sporting a slicked-back hairstyle, stepped out of the car, followed by a blonde model. With the lighting being too dim, it was hard to tell if she was the original Bar Refaeli.
Leonardo had originally planned to go bowling today, and Link had cleared his schedule to join him. However, Leonardo had canceled at the last minute for a date, which annoyed him.
"Hey, Leo! Bar!"
Link greeted them.
"Ah, Link, I broke up with Bar. This is Anika!"
Leonardo glanced at him and pointed to the woman beside him, who was also a blonde model but with a slimmer, more angular figure.
"Sorry, I mistook her for someone else. Hi, Miss Anika, your hair is lovely!"
Link greeted Anika with a smile.
Once in the elevator, Leonardo looked at Link and said, "Link, why is it that every time I see you, you're alone and your girlfriend is busy with work? Oh, poor Link, going to sleep alone again tonight."
Link shot him a glance, "Last time we played tennis, you complained about kidney pain. How's that?"
Leonardo's face darkened, and he frowned, "Bullshit, that was back pain, muscle strain, not kidney pain."
"Alright then!"
Link chuckled lightly. Last time they had a tennis match, Leonardo had been out of breath and sore, and he had since avoided tennis in favor of bowling.
"Link, I heard your movie grossed over $10 million in its first three days, and the reviews aren't too bad. Congratulations!"
Leonardo smiled.
Link shook his head. Leonardo knew full well that he had been criticized by film critics recently, yet he brought up the movie. It was like rubbing salt in a wound.
He had considered using the news of Leonardo's ex-girlfriend Giselle Bündchen's marriage to retaliate, but he held his tongue as the elevator reached the seventh floor.
Back in his eighth-floor apartment, as soon as he opened the door, warm light spilled out. The entryway and living room lights were all on.
The vinyl record player on the counter was spinning slowly, and Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" played through the speakers, its rich and beautiful sound like a massage for the ears.
Link was momentarily stunned and called out, "Taylor," but got no response.
Entering the walk-in closet to change clothes, he noticed two silver suitcases on the floor—Taylor's luggage. Her jeans were casually tossed on the carpet, and her leather shoes were not on the shoe rack.
"Dear, where are you?"
"Here!"
A familiar voice came from the kitchen.
Link walked through the small living room to find Taylor at the counter, making matcha pastries. She had her blonde hair in a ponytail and was wearing a blue tank top and snug shorts, showcasing her tall frame and long, fair legs.
Link approached, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and sniffed her fragrance. "When did you get back? You should have called me in advance. I would have picked you up at the airport."
"Mid-afternoon. I wanted to surprise you."
Taylor turned and smiled with her lips curved up.
"It really was a surprise. I ran into Leonardo when I got back. He joked about me sleeping alone tonight. If I had known you were home, I would have told him you were here cooking dinner for me." Link washed his hands and said.
Taylor smiled slightly and pinched a pastry, saying, "Leonardo changes girlfriends every year and is never short of women around him. Would you envy him?"
"Of course not!"
Link replied without hesitation. "Although he's always surrounded by young women, he's probably lonelier than I am. When I'm lonely, I can think of you. Who does he think of when he's lonely? The women he's loved who are now someone else's wives. I feel a bit sorry for him."
"Nice answer. Here's a reward for you."
Taylor laughed happily, picking up a warm egg tart and feeding it to him.
Link laughed heartily and helped her with the pastries at the counter.
---
After Taylor returned, Link's days became a bit easier. He exercised every morning, went to the recording studio to practice singing, and postponed other work to spend as much time at home with Taylor as possible.
Taylor suggested writing a duet love song, which Link thought was a great idea. They might even release an album together.
Dingling!
In the morning, while Link was practicing the piano, his phone rang. The caller ID showed Eminem.
"Good morning, Em. Are you ready to come over and record?"
A few days ago, he had discussed collaborating with Eminem at a bar. Eminem had praised *Lighters* and agreed to work with him as the producer for the rap song.
"Um, Link, I need to apologize. I might not be able to collaborate with you after all."
On the other end, Eminem hesitated, sounding nothing like the fast-talking rapper known for speaking five words per second.
"Oh? Why not?"
"I'm working on a new album myself, so I don't have time. No excuses, Link. You know I'm friends with Kanye, Lil Wayne, and others. Some people say you're trying to provoke Kanye by crossing over into rap, so it's inconvenient for me to work with you."
Eminem explained.
"I didn't mean it that way. Also, I talked to Kanye about this before, and he said he wouldn't interfere with our collaboration."
"I know, but... sorry, it's still not convenient."
"Alright, I understand."
Link shrugged, about to hang up, when Eminem suggested someone who might be suitable for the song's production. The person wasn't from the East Coast rap crew but was very talented. Eminem asked if Link wanted to meet him.
Link wasn't initially interested but hesitated when he heard the name Bruno Mars.
Bruno Mars, aka Mars, was a singer-songwriter and genius producer with over ten Grammy Awards and nine Billboard chart-topping songs. His hit "Uptown Funk" had made him a global superstar.
Moreover, Mars was also one of the original singers of *Lighters*, so collaborating with him seemed like a good idea.
Link thanked Eminem and expressed interest in meeting Mars.
"What's up?"
Taylor came out from the piano room and asked.
"Nothing. Let's continue practicing."
"Don't lie to me. You don't look happy. Spill it!"
Taylor, with her beautiful fox eyes, stared at him quietly.
Link shrugged and briefly explained Eminem's change of plans.
He had demonstrated his dart-throwing skills and had a drink with Eminem at the bar to persuade him to collaborate, only to be let down when Eminem canceled. This had disappointed him.
However, Eminem had introduced Bruno Mars as a potential replacement, which somewhat made up for it.
"They shouldn't do that, making peace and then undermining you behind your back."
Taylor said coldly, visibly upset.
"It's fine. If they target me, it means they see me as a threat and that I'm impressive."
"Yes, you're the best. Find a way to beat them and don't let them get too smug."
"Understood."
Link hugged Taylor's shoulders and returned to the piano room to practice.
---
"Damn! I hate people who go back on their word. Are you happy now?"
In a music club in Brooklyn, Eminem slammed his phone down, looking displeased.
"Em, you misunderstood us. We didn't want you to reject Link. We just think Link isn't a good collaborator and advised you to be cautious."
50 Cent said, holding a microphone.
"Yeah, Link can't rap. Collaborating with him would be a waste of time."
T.I. added, resting his arm on Eminem's shoulder.
Eminem shook his head. Although he had heard that Link and Kanye had reconciled, and had not initially rejected Link's proposal after hearing the song, he could clearly feel the industry's rejection. Some even labeled him a traitor for siding with Link against Kanye and Lil Wayne.
After careful consideration, Eminem decided to back out of the collaboration, as his roots were in the African-American music scene, and falling out with the East Coast rap crew wasn't worth it.
"Em, have a drink! It's on me tonight!"
Lil Wayne put down the microphone and called Kanye to inform him that Eminem had rejected Link.
Initially, they didn't care much about Eminem and Link collaborating. Link was an outsider trying to enter rap music with little chance of success.
However, after seeing the rap song, they realized its lyrics and composition were excellent. If Link and Eminem collaborated, the song had a strong chance of hitting the Billboard charts.
Having Link's song on the charts and ahead of their tracks would be like a slap in their faces.
Such a thing could not be allowed to happen. They subtly pressured Eminem to back out, and since Eminem valued his relationships with them, he promptly refused to collaborate with Link.
As for Bruno Mars, Lil Wayne was indifferent. Mars, signed
to Atlantic Records in 2006, was short and had an average image, and had not released a single song yet.
Lil Wayne didn't think Mars could match Eminem's impact in a collaboration with Link.
(The End of Chapter)
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Ilham_Yamin
Ilham_Yamin Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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