Due to the requirements for appearance and performance, the second round of auditions was arranged in a small theater nearby. It was still early before the start time, and the auditioning singers had already arrived one after another. They tacitly kept their distance and sat scattered in the dimly lit audience seats.
A+ observed silently from behind the stage curtain. Most of the girls were young and beautiful, and most were already made up, using a light jacket to cover their stage outfits. Some were nervously looking around, while others were calmly focused on studying their sheet music. Since SBK only allowed one person per girl to accompany them, most of the people beside the girls were their managers. Several managers who knew each other gathered together and talked quietly before the auditions began.
Milla and Mrs. Jovovich were the last to arrive. Milla was still wearing her Ray-Ban glasses and baseball cap, and still had that arrogant look on her face. However, her walking posture was still a bit awkward. She and Mrs. Jovovich found a seat in the back row.
A+ absolutely refused to believe that Mrs. Jovovich hadn't noticed the changes in her daughter after she had lost her virginity, but she still chose to ignore it silently. Moreover, following A+ advice, she quietly opened a small bottle of vodka and handed it to Mira, watching her take a big gulp.
The rumors were true; Mira's parents were greedy. However, unlike the father in Los Angeles who had squandered all the money his daughter had earned since she was nine, Mrs. Jovovich's greed manifested itself in a different way. The large pearl necklace around her neck was particularly conspicuous at that moment.
At this moment, an SBK staff member came forward and called the girl who was the first to perform into the dressing room.
"It's about to start, let's go."
Daniel led Song Ya and the other SBK executives to sit in the first row of the audience. The agents who were talking also returned to their girls' sides and behaved themselves so as not to disturb them.
On time, the first girl went on stage. She was a little nervous, frequently tugging at the shoulder strap of her red evening gown, but she didn't forget to maintain a sweet smile towards the first row.
A staff member handed Daniel a microphone, with a long black audio cable trailing far off.
"Are you ready?" Daniel asked into the microphone. After receiving an affirmative answer from the girl on stage, he handed the microphone to A+.
"Let's begin." A+ had practiced what to say in this situation beforehand, and the key was to be concise. "Eric." He looked at Eric on the side of the stage.
Eric gave him a thumbs up.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1…" A+ counted down, Eric pressed the button, and the theater sound system began playing the accompaniment of FXXXYOU, the original version recorded by Dile.
"Look inside, Look inside your tiny mind..."
After the girl finished singing, she held the microphone with both hands, her body already trembling slightly.
"No need to be too nervous." After saying that, A+ peeked out and glanced to the left and right. He saw an SBK executive raise his hand to signal, so he handed over the microphone and sent the message over there.
"Um...could you perhaps handle it a little better..."
After the executive finished giving his opinion, the person next to him added a couple more points. The microphone was then handed back to A+, who again gestured for Eric to play the accompaniment.
There were exactly ten singers in this second round of auditions. Seven of them directly participated in the second round, while only three advanced from the first round. Everyone had one or two chances to sing again.
As time slowly passed, A+ sensed that all the singers' singing styles were leaning towards those of the three singers who advanced in the first round. It seemed that the people behind them had keenly perceived their preferences.
Daniel's original choice for a singer came on stage. She was estimated to be over twenty-five, the oldest among all the auditioning singers, but also the best singer and the most composed on stage. Unfortunately, even without Mila, she was A+ first choice to be eliminated—the same old problem.
There's no need for any singer to consider treating this song too 'formally'.
After the song was finished, Daniel took the microphone and casually offered a few suggestions, even giving the singer an extra chance to sing it again. He already knew that A+ had someone else in her heart, and he was just doing this to give an explanation to the singer on stage about the relationship behind the scenes.
Next up is Mira.
Mira emerged from the dressing room wearing blue skinny jeans and a denim-style cropped vest, her shoulders bare and a small section of her navel peeking out, looking youthful yet slightly sexy. It's unclear how much vodka Mrs. Jovovich had given her, but the usual grumpy Mira was gone; now she was flushed, and her facial expressions were lively.
"Are you ready?" Song Ya asked.
Despite repeated instructions not to reveal their relationship during the audition, Mira still chuckled and winked at him, her face turning even redder.
"Ready? Let's begin, Eric." Song Ya quickly told Eric to play the accompaniment.
"Look inside…"
Mila began to sing. The two nights of intensive training had been very effective. Although her singing skills were far inferior to those of other singers, especially the original singer, her lazy and casual style was very catchy in this era. In particular, her high note was a level above those of other girls. In terms of performance, she also followed A+ instructions and kept winking and biting her lips at the audience, exuding a sexy kitten vibe.
A+ observed that Daniel kept nodding slightly.
After the song ended, a senior executive coughed, and A+ passed the microphone to him.
"What was your reasoning behind including some British accents in your lyrics?" the executive asked.
During the special training, A+ compared the original singer's accent with the actual situation, but did not copy it completely. Instead, he asked Mila to add some British style to the word linking and vocal transitions, which worked very well. The audience consisted of industry veterans, who noticed it.
"I lived in London for a period of time."
Mila replied that, after all, it was the person who gave A+ the inspiration for this song. If it were any other singer, and A+, a boy from the slums of Chicago who grew up there, asked the other person to use British pronunciation, it would undoubtedly expose his flaws.
The executive nodded and handed over the microphone.
Several other people offered suggestions, and Mila sang the song again before staggering off the stage.
After the ten girls finished singing, Daniel stood up and announced succinctly in a loud voice, "Announce the results before seven o'clock."
This had been announced beforehand, and the girl's agents all indicated that they understood. Daniel left the theater and returned to his office, with A+ naturally following behind.
"Mira?" This was probably the umpteenth time Daniel had asked.
"Don't you think she's a good match?" Mira's performance gave A+ the confidence to ask back.
Daniel pursed his lips. "Indeed, your special training is very effective. Go get something to eat. I'll announce the results at seven."
A+ returned to the recording studio, checked his watch, and saw that it was already six o'clock in the afternoon. Hayden had already prepared Chinese takeout with the pagoda logo.
"Rehearsals will begin in a couple of days. If there's nothing else..." Hayden said he had to go back to Chicago. He had more than one client, and there were definitely a lot of things to take care of in Chicago.
"No problem." A+ gave him a hug. "Our trip to New York was a great success."
"APLUS…" Lisa knocked on the door to tell him that someone was looking for him outside.
A+ followed her out into a small meeting room, where an elderly white man stood. He recognized him; he was one of the managers of the ten auditioning singers.
"I'm sorry, it's not convenient for me to see you right now."
He glanced at Lisa, who was about to close the door, then turned and left.
"Hey!... The music room, remember now?" the old man called out from behind, the very place where he gave Mira special training.
Lisa closed the door, and A+ turned back to stare at the old man. "You were following me?" He had previously underestimated the intensity of competition in New York, but he had overestimated the limits of competition in New York.
"A friend of mine saw it by chance." The old man took out a photo from his pocket. It was a picture of Mira sneaking out to see him off when he left the music classroom early yesterday morning, and the two of them embracing and kissing.
"Your friend's camera is very professional," Song Ya said coldly.
"Daniel said he'll follow your advice completely, and I think my girl is the best choice, isn't she?" The old man was very direct.
A+ frowned and thought for a moment. Even if he were found out that he had slept with Mira, so what? There were plenty of cases like that in the film and record industries. "Sorry, your girl has no chance," he said decisively.
"ha!"
The old man's laughter was short and sharp. "You should know, Mira is a minor!"
Song Ya looked completely bewildered upon hearing this. "So?"
"So what!? Aren't you afraid of going to jail?" The old man stared at him in astonishment.
Alex understood and couldn't help but chuckle, "But I'm the same age as Mira! You're so interested in these tricks..." He pointed to the photo in the old man's hand, "Don't you know to find out my age?"
"You're also... What!?" The old man finally lost his composure, his face filled with disbelief. "You're only fifteen!? You don't look it at all. I think you're at least twenty!"
Song Ya touched his face. "Is it wrong for a black man to look more mature?" Ignoring the old man who was still standing there, he left with the words, "I hope you won't appear in front of me again."
Halfway there, he was stopped by a bespectacled, balding SBK executive. A+ had seen him in Daniel's office; his name was something like Robert. "APLUS, I think... it's good. What about you?" He gave a girl's name.
A+ immediately recognized Robert as the person who had said "the reason the White House is called the White House" in the restroom. "I'm sorry, she's not my choice."
"Hey!"
Robert grabbed A+ arm and stared sharply into A+ eyes. "Work with me, and I guarantee you won't regret it. Plus, Mila will still get her album—the album! This deal is a great one. Otherwise, things will be very difficult for you and her at SBK. I guarantee it."
"I'm sorry." A+ pried his hand away and walked away.
At seven o'clock, A+ pager went off. He dialed back, and Mira's excited shouts came through, "MUA! Thank you, darling, I love you! MUA!"
"I love you too," he replied.
There was a knock at the door. "I'll be very busy here. See you at the recording studio tomorrow, darling..." He chuckled and hung up the phone. "Come in."
A blonde clerk, carrying a fruit platter, walked in. Upon seeing A+, her expression suddenly changed, and she turned and walked away.
"Send it in!" Robert's command came from outside.
The clerk hesitated for a moment, then turned around, placed the fruit plate on the table, and scurried away in her high heels.
"You son of a bitch, you white bastard!" Eric flew into a rage the moment he saw the fruit platter and darted away from the mixing console.
"What's wrong?" A+ stared at the neatly arranged slices of watermelon in the fruit plate for a long time without reacting.
A quarrel broke out outside. Eric was pushed back by Dilraba and slammed the door shut behind him.
A+ finally remembered: watermelons were grown by slave owners in the plantation era in barren areas to provide water for Black slaves who toiled under the sun every day. Later, they were frequently used in propaganda against Black people, so...
"APLUS! We can't let him get away!" Eric shouted.
"I will tell Daniel."
In this day and age, assault is illegal, and there's not much that can be done about this kind of minor discrimination. "Robert, right... I'll remember you." A+ picked up a slice of watermelon. "Actually, I used to really like eating this." He took a bite. "Huh, used to?"