After the red carpet event wrapped up, Leon and Taylor walked into the venue hand in hand.
There was still half an hour before the awards ceremony kicked off, but the Nokia Theatre was already packed.
Since 2008, the American Music Awards had become grander each year. The lineup for the main show was getting stronger, intentionally riding the wave of social media to wrestle with the more academic Grammy Awards next door.
This year's main show invited over 17 A-list singers, with more than 20 live performances slated.
Superstars including Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, and Jennifer Lopez were all set to appear.
"Leon, Bro, get over here! We've been waiting for you!"
"Look at you two, such a sweet couple making everyone jealous."
All eyes gathered on them as he and Taylor appeared. West Coast figures like 50 Cent and Kendrick stood up to greet him.
"Bro, what's the deal with that new song you mentioned the other day? You're being so mysterious about it." After taking his seat, Kendrick, sitting in the row behind, patted his shoulder, rubbing his palms together in excitement.
"Don't be impatient. The beat is still in production, but I promise you this will be the hardest diss track you've ever heard. You're going to wipe the floor with Drake."
The more he said this, the more anxious Kendrick became. "The beat? Boss Dre is a pro at that. He handled all the beats for my new album himself!"
"I don't want to trouble him anymore." Leon shook his head. "Can't you tell? He doesn't want to get involved in these beefs anymore. Just let him enjoy a leisurely retirement life."
"Alright, I'll listen to you..." Kendrick shrugged and didn't make another sound.
Since the last meeting at Aftermath Entertainment, Leon had gradually replaced Dre as the boss he felt was more worth relying on.
Just as the awards ceremony was about to begin, Jay-Z finally entered the venue holding Beyoncé's hand, adhering to the principle that the big boss always arrives last.
He intentionally adjusted his collar while looking at Leon, taking his seat in the most conspicuous spot in the first row as usual.
At such a heavyweight awards ceremony, those sitting in the first row were either record industry moguls or music legends.
Jay-Z's provocative look seemed to say: The difference between the first row and the second row is the gap in our status.
The opening show was the hit song "I Like It Like That" performed by Hot Chelle Rae, but the audience barely swayed to the rhythm; they were all fiercely discussing who would win tonight's awards.
Around 2004, boy bands suddenly swept across America. Westlife, Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC were all the rage for a time.
Many years later, music critics believed this happened because, after Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey gradually faded out, the music industry experienced a long void of superstars.
The boy band format, relying on the members' distinct personalities, made it easier to accumulate a large number of fans in a short time.
After the opening show ended, the first award of the night was presented.
The big screen scrolled through the nominees for "Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group": Maroon 5, LMFAO, and OneRepublic.
There was almost no suspense about the winner of this award. When the camera swept over the nominees, the smile on Maroon 5's lead singer Adam's face said it all.
"Moves Like Jagger" combined dance, electronic, and rock elements, with synthesizers and electronic drum beats woven throughout the song, breathing new life into the dying genre of pop-rock.
Since late September, this track had remained in the top five of the Billboard charts, tangling with Leon, Adele, and Rihanna.
"The winner is... Maroon 5!"
Celebrities sitting near Maroon 5 stood up to high-five them. Leon also extended his hand to Adam in a friendly manner. "Congratulations."
Faced with Street Jesus's friendliness, Adam looked a bit bewildered.
As a singer under the same parent label group, he had long heard a bizarre little story circulating within the company.
Imagine Dragons, originally pinned with high hopes, suddenly slumped after attending the Made in America Festival. The lead singer Dan, known as a creative genius, became thoroughly depraved and couldn't even write a nursery rhyme.
Now Dan spent his days drowning his sorrows in alcohol, only able to take gigs at second-tier music festivals or bars.
No one could figure out the reason for Dan's fall. His exasperated manager had once half-jokingly called it the curse of "Street Jesus."
Imagination is just imagination. After hesitating for two seconds, Adam extended his hand.
Surely no one really believed Leon had the superpower to turn a genius into an idiot. Unless he was the real Son of God, that would be too ridiculous.
Considering there were 17 singers performing in the main show, the organizers kept the awards pace fast.
Maroon 5 took no more than a moment to accept the trophy and give their speech. The second award was announced immediately—Favorite Country Female Artist.
This was arguably the least suspenseful award of the night. The AMAs calculated winners based on record sales and radio data; whoever was popular won.
In that case, not giving the award to Taylor Swift would be a crime!
"Congratulations to Taylor Swift for winning Favorite Country Female Artist!"
"Congrats, baby." Leon stood up immediately to hug Taylor, pecking her lightly on the cheek.
Unlike her usual low-key country girl style, her outfit tonight was particularly eye-catching: she chose a tight dress covered in gold sequins.
This time she looked like a powerful, sharp queen, echoing her record sales performance—I don't want to be low-key anymore!
Usually, Taylor would list a long list of thank-yous: family, company, assistants, and friends.
Sometimes she might even have to thank Beyoncé.
But this time, she only thanked one person. "I want to thank a gentleman, even though he can be as bossy and rude as a jerk sometimes..."
The guests in the audience burst into laughter. Everyone knew who "that man" was.
Taylor held up the trophy and smiled sweetly at the camera. "Because of your company, tonight's trophy means so much more to me. Thank you, my dear..."
The slightly mushy acceptance speech gave Leon goosebumps. As soon as Taylor stepped off the stage, the host announced the next award.
Nominees for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist were Bieber, Bruno Mars, and Leon.
While the nominees were still scrolling on the big screen, people around Bieber were already congratulating him in advance.
The Canadian white boy waved his hand in feigned humility, occasionally glancing at Leon with his manager, Scooter Braun.
"The winner of Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist is... Leon Smith!"
Wow...
The couple took turns going on stage to accept awards.
This was a result no one expected. Although Leon had been pushing hard in the second half of the year, a large part of the data generated by those hit works hadn't been included in the statistics window.
Meanwhile, his opponents, Bieber and Mars, had albums that had been selling for a year.
Even under these circumstances, he still defeated the two opponents who were also hailed as "Superstars of Tomorrow."
"Fk..." As soon as the award was announced, Jay-Z's face turned incredibly ugly.
Leon's new album had only released two songs and already achieved such dazzling results. Wouldn't he sweep the three major music awards once the full album was officially released next year?
"I want to thank the entire staff at Columbia Records, Mr. Stringer, and my girlfriend Taylor for supporting me behind the scenes."
After the standard thank-you speech, he suddenly paused. The guests held their breath; everyone knew Street Jesus was about to pull something.
Sure enough, after a few seconds of silence, Leon picked up the trophy and flashed a cheeky smile at the camera.
"There are many people who like me, and many who hate me."
"But their opinions don't matter to me at all. They need to understand one thing..."
"Right now, this is my era!"
After the speech, the guests were stunned for two seconds, and the venue fell silent.
This acceptance speech was even more arrogant than what Kanye said when he won his first Grammy.
After the silence, led by Taylor and Kendrick, the venue erupted in massive cheers.
The image of a conceited madman has always been loved by the American public, provided that the person really has the capital to be arrogant.
After the host announced that Adele defeated Rihanna and Lady Gaga to win Favorite Pop/Rock Album, Taylor and Leon went backstage to change for the upcoming performance of "Shallow."
Leon took off his black tuxedo and changed into a very country-style blue shirt and jeans, pressing down his cowboy hat to cover half his face.
The lights in the venue dimmed, and the guests stopped discussing, focusing all their attention on the stage.
"Shallow" hadn't been promoted in advance, so no one knew what kind of work this high-profile couple would bring.
When the spotlight focused on the main stage, Taylor sat at the piano, with Leon standing behind her gently strumming an acoustic guitar.
"Tell me somethin', girl. Are you happy in this modern world? Or do you need more? Is there somethin' else you're searchin' for..."
I'm falling...
From the first line he sang, the audience was shocked. Bruno Mars tilted his head, looking confused. "He can write this kind of old-school country music?"
Old-school clothes, old-school melody, old-school singing style...
These were completely different from the "avant-garde music style" Leon had been promoting recently.
The male vocal part was unremarkable, no different from the works of most 70s country male singers.
"Is that it?" Jay-Z and Lil Wayne exchanged a smile of contempt.
Just as they thought before, unless he was using a cheat code in life, no one could have endless inspiration.
But the next second, they were slapped in the face. The male vocal part was merely a setup, all to bring out the climax of the female vocal part.
Taylor's slender fingers danced up and down the black and white keys. Driven by emotion, many scenes flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
Their first kiss, their first date, Leon being handcuffed and stuffed into a police car, the overwhelming smears by the media... sweetness intertwined with controversy; the journey didn't seem so easy.
But her gaze towards Leon remained firm. "I'm falling..."
Then, she took her hands off the keys to cover her eyes, taking a deep breath.
"I'm off the deep end, watch as I dive in. I'll never meet the ground."
"Crash through the surface, where they can't hurt us."
The design of singing while blindfolded made everyone's eyes widen. Taylor used a belting technique she wasn't typically known for. To make up for the lack of vocal thickness, she poured in almost all her emotions.
In the transition between chest and head voice, a tearing sensation could be clearly heard, but precisely because of this, the emotion was even more abundant.
Leon walked up to Taylor with his acoustic guitar and lifted her chin with his finger.
They smiled at each other and repeated the chorus in unison.
"In the shallow, shallow..."
"In the shallow, shallow..."
The performance, lasting over three minutes, ended. The guests in the audience stood up to applaud, showing their highest praise.
Kendrick and King Von, arms around each other's shoulders, whistled at the stage. "This is the best performance of the night! Anyone have a problem with that?"
The two intentionally ran close to where Jay-Z and Lil Wayne were sitting, dancing around.
"Tone it down, kid... Didn't Dre teach you manners?" Jay-Z turned his head and glared. "Did Will Smith's slap not teach you a lesson?"
Being reminded by the big boss, Kendrick quickly sobered up and shut his mouth.
But King Von got even more excited and shouted, "Fk Will Smith! Bro, don't be scared. If that guy dares to slap you in front of me, I'll wipe the floor with him! No one can bully my good homie!"
Jay-Z opened his mouth to say something else but was stopped by Lil Wayne beside him. "If you acknowledge that mad dog from Chicago, you lose..."
Not long after the performance of "Shallow" ended, Taylor returned to the stage to claim her second trophy of the night—Speak Now won Favorite Country Album.
At this point, there was only a one-trophy gap between her and Adele, who had won three out of three nominations.
The tie-breaker was the biggest award of the night—Artist of the Year.
The big screen scrolled through the names of the five nominees: Lady Gaga, Adele, Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, and Taylor...
The winner of the big award was full of suspense. In the past year, these five names represented the highest achievements in the American music scene. Everyone held their breath, watching the stage.
"The winner is..."
"Taylor Swift!"
All eyes gathered on Taylor again. This was the second time she had won Artist of the Year at the AMAs.
"Congratula..."
Leon stood up, but before he could finish his congratulations, his mouth was blocked by Taylor's red lips.
The media present quickly grabbed their cameras and snapped furiously, not missing any angle to record this classic moment destined for AMA history.
Some were happy, while others were upset. Katy Perry, who had stolen the spotlight at the MTV VMAs a few months ago, crossed her arms and frowned.
She complained incessantly to Christina Aguilera beside her, "Taylor again? She hasn't released a new album in almost a year."
"Can't help it. Her albums just sell well. No matter how many special editions she releases, fans will always buy them."
Knowing she won the big award, Taylor didn't show excessive surprise this time either.
She walked confidently to the podium, head held high, waving to acquaintances now and then.
"Did a gentleman just say this is his era?" Taylor shook the trophy and smiled playfully. "Then look who's holding the Artist of the Year trophy?"
The audience burst into laughter.
"What is she talking about? Is this awards ceremony their venue for PDA?"
"Let this end quickly..." Katy Perry pursed her lips and shook her head.
Creating the myth of five number-one singles from one album with Teenage Dream, she only won a "Special Award" tonight, almost falling into the awkward situation of coming up empty-handed.
When the audience's laughter gradually subsided, Taylor continued, "I know you have the ability to create more miracles. I believe this firmly!"
"But my dear, don't forget..."
"This is also my era."