Just as tensions were about to snap, Ben Sherwood, President of ABC, the organizer of the event, quickly stepped in.
"Calm down, friends. What's going on?"
"Is there something wrong with our hospitality?"
Janet Jackson followed him, walking between Leon and Jay-Z's groups. "Relax, boys... Men always like to cause trouble when they've had too much to drink. I get it."
She rolled her eyes at Jay-Z. "Do you think you're still twenty? Acting as crazy as these kids."
"Heh."
Jay-Z sneered, waved his hand, and walked away as if nothing had happened.
As a superstar, getting involved in a massive brawl after an awards ceremony was ridiculous and something he didn't actually want to happen—it was beneath his status.
With a legend like Janet mediating, both sides took the out and stepped down.
The highly anticipated headline-grabbing fight didn't happen in the end.
"Honey, let's get out of here," Taylor whispered in Leon's ear.
"Yeah."
The two took the stretch Lincoln back to their love nest in Beverly Hills. As soon as they walked in the door, Leon kissed her impatiently.
He started taking off his shirt while nuzzling her neck.
"Wait, honey..." Taylor pushed him away firmly, her face flushed. "Don't you think we should take a shower first?"
"Fine."
Leon walked into the bathroom with a look of resignation. The shared shower he was expecting didn't happen; Taylor insisted on using the other bathroom on the second floor.
Five minutes later, Leon, fresh from his shower, sat on the sofa and urged, "Ready yet, honey?"
"Just a bit longer..."
Ten minutes later, Taylor's voice finally came from upstairs. "Come up, honey."
The door to the master bedroom was ajar. The dim room was lit only by the faint glow of a bedside lamp.
Pushing the door open, Leon saw Taylor lying on the large bed. Her long, slender body looked like a sculpture in the low light, the muscle lines on her abdomen and thighs faintly visible.
Even more eye-catching was that she was rarely wearing black stockings—the kind with a garter belt.
They glistened in the dim light; just one look made his throat feel dry.
Taylor had intentionally kept her makeup on while showering. Her signature red lips were particularly lethal in the dark as her slender fingertips slid from her ankle to her thigh.
"What are you standing there for, honey?"
"Do you want me to make the first move?"
Leon snapped out of it, his arm snaking around Taylor's neck, merging into one in a state of selflessness.
The next morning, he was woken by sunlight falling on his eyelids through the gap in the curtains.
Leon turned his head, but Taylor wasn't on the pillow beside him. Only four AMA trophies were scattered on the carpet.
He stretched, feeling incredibly refreshed all over.
He got up, put on his pajamas, and walked downstairs. He saw Taylor sitting on the balcony, drinking coffee and sunbathing.
She was wearing an oversized white shirt that just covered her thighs, playing the "missing bottom" fashion game.
The morning sun sprinkled on her blonde hair, forming a stark contrast with her charming demeanor from last night.
The contrast was so strong it felt like two different people.
"Good morning, baby." Leon poured a cup of hot coffee and sat down next to her.
He couldn't help but frown when he heard Jay-Z's Empire State of Mind playing from her phone.
What made him crack even more was that Taylor was actually humming along to the melody.
He pretended not to be annoyed and blew on the steam rising from his coffee. "Although I don't deny it's a good song, the highlight is entirely Alicia Keys' chorus. As for the rap part, it would be the same no matter who rapped it."
He tried to avoid saying anything undignified that would make him look jealous. In reality, in his heart, he felt that even if a dog barked a few times on the rap verse, the song would still be a hit.
Jay-Z wasn't called the King of New York only after Empire State of Mind was released, but the success of this track firmly tied his name to the city.
Mention New York, mention Brooklyn music, and Jay-Z's name is always the first to pop into people's minds.
"I think so too." Taylor tilted her head as if thinking about something. "Alicia's vocals and lyrics are so visual. The crossroads of the world, where you can do anything... That's exactly how the city felt to me the first time I set foot in New York."
Leon noticed she was holding a pen and gesturing over a notebook, and only then realized what she was doing.
"Are you writing a song?"
"That's right." Taylor smiled, the corners of her mouth curling up. "I got some inspiration from Empire State of Mind. I want to create a New York-themed piece. If everything goes well, we can give it to New York as a gift during our New Year's Eve performance."
Giving New York a new song at the Times Square New Year's Eve performance—it was a brilliant idea.
Walking through a crowd
The village is aglow
Searching for a sound we hadn't heard before
And it said
Welcome to New York
Taylor hummed softly according to the handwritten musical notation. As Leon listened, he couldn't help but snap his fingers to keep the beat for her.
"How does it sound?"
"Simple melody, catchy chorus—this work has the potential to become New York's new anthem!" Leon tapped her forehead lightly. "Can we get it recorded before New Year's Eve? It would be the best gift for the New Year."
"Of course~" Taylor lifted her head with a proud expression. "I can finish the lyrics and composition within a day~"
"A day?"
"Maybe two hours is enough. I already have the outline of this piece in my mind; what's left is to make it more complete."
"You're simply a genius..." Even Leon, who had a cheat code, had to marvel.
His inspiration refresh was limited to once a month, but Taylor, in her creative explosion phase, could write a complete work in just two hours.
If the new song they brought on New Year's Eve caused a sensation, it could weaken Jay-Z's imprint on New York to a certain extent.
To avoid disturbing her creation, Leon tactfully walked into the living room, sat on the sofa, and turned on the TV.
ABC's morning news was all about last night's AMA awards ceremony.
"Taylor Swift wins Artist of the Year again. The scene of her and Leon shouting out to each other across the air will be forever recorded in AMA history."
"I heard that this couple both plan to release new albums next year. Friends in the audience, I boldly predict that next year's music scene might be dominated by these two young people..."
The host pointed to the screen, and the footage cut to Taylor pointing in Leon's direction during her acceptance speech—"This is also my era."
Aside from that, the gossip outside the awards ceremony also received much attention.
Photos of Leon leading Apocalypse Music and West Coast rappers to confront Jay-Z at the afterparty were being retweeted massively on social media.
Fans who loved drama were already looking forward to the "Third East-West Coast Gangster War."
The first war cost Biggie and Tupac their lives to meet God, forging the thrones of the three hip-hop emperors: Diddy, Jay-Z, and Dre.
The second war caused the collapse of the Diddy empire, exposing sex scandals that affected half the entertainment industry, sending the industry into a shuffling period.
If a third conflict really broke out, the impact it would have on the landscape of the American music scene left endless room for imagination.
After Taylor upset the odds to win Artist of the Year, the expressions of her competitors also sparked huge discussion.
Except for Adele, who couldn't come to the scene due to vocal cord damage, everyone's micro-expressions were interpreted by the audience.
Katy Perry, who had been riding high, was completely wiped out despite three nominations. Her expression, looking as lifeless as if her mother had died, was reposted extensively by the media.
On top of that, her performance outfit was voted the worst dressed.
This was all because the shoulder design of her dress looked like she was carrying a spaceship, completely mismatching the classical skirt below, plus her hairstyle during the performance was quite shocking.
Not long after Leon turned on the TV, Phil called, demanding an immediate return to New York.
The master tape for King Von's record had been sent to the factory for printing, and it would hit major record stores next week at the latest.
The subsequent series of promotional plans required him, the boss, to plan in advance.
Leon turned off the TV and hugged Taylor from behind. "I have to go, baby. Want to come back to New York with me?"
"Didn't we agree you'd spend the whole day with me?"
"You know how work is," Leon said. "When we get back to New York, I'll make it up to you tonight. You looked really beautiful in stockings..."
Smack—Taylor tapped his head lightly with her notebook and said coquettishly, "The reward is only once. Besides, I have to prepare for the next tour stop this afternoon. We can only see each other during the Christmas holidays."
After kissing Taylor goodbye, Leon immediately rushed to LAX and boarded a flight to New York with his team members.
The American Christmas holiday runs from December 22nd to January 5th of the following year. During that time, all workplaces across the country will be on vacation, except for singers.
The annual Christmas holiday happens to be their busiest time. Middle-class families with money and time usually take the opportunity to bring the whole family to watch a show.
It was still a month away from the Christmas holiday, but all work was best arranged in advance.
"The first batch of CDs has a total print run of 500,000 copies. As per your instructions, we didn't print a single vinyl record." Phil took the schedule from Bonnie.
King Von's music was purely for the bottom of society. Expensive vinyl records would bring no benefits other than increasing costs.
Those street thugs willing to shell out 4 dollars to buy a CD instead of listening to a bootleg were already considered decent people.
"Good. Why isn't that bastard Von here? I have some words for him," Leon asked.
"That kid flew to Chicago right after the AMAs ended." Phil grinned. "Didn't you know? He hooked up with that chick SZA who hangs around Lupe. Within half a month, Von will probably knock that chubby girl up."
"Fk that brat..." Leon gritted his teeth in anger.
Although he and Lupe were maintaining a friendly relationship for now, having his subordinate repeatedly go after another man's girl was something no one could tolerate.
"Call that bastard and tell him to restrain himself!"
"I'll do it, but he might not necessarily listen." Phil shrugged. "This company has a glorious tradition when it comes to managing the lower half of the body. First of all, you, the boss, have set many wrong examples."
"I'm in no mood to joke with you. Panda is about to be released; I don't want to see this kid get into any trouble over women."
Regarding the promotional plan for Panda, Leon made a targeted plan after discussing it with Phil.
Specifically launching in communities across the US where the economic situation was bad. The worse the economy, usually the more rampant the street thugs.
These people were exactly the target audience for Drill music.
In addition, a large number of community radio interviews were arranged for King Von, and he was set to be the cover figure for the latest issue of Vibe magazine, fully utilizing the resources of Lion's Den Media.
"We can also do something special. How about having Von deliver turkeys to poor communities before Christmas? Along with some signed records. This should easily gain the community's favor, especially for those who don't know his name," Leon said while fiddling with a deck of cards.
"Genius idea!"
King Von debuted with the label of a lawless, bottom-feeding thug. Doing some charity work would help establish a contrasting image in the hearts of fans.
The contrast of a "villain doing good" is easily very popular.
"How do you come up with these strange ideas?"
"Elsa gave me the inspiration. You shouldn't always focus on up that girl's skirt." Leon laughed and said, "Elsa told me that drug lords are seen as benevolent masters by the local people in Mexico. Every major holiday, they distribute supplies to the people and give candy to the children..."