[Chapter 9: Gossip and Promotion for Numb]
Beep! Beep! Even before 8 a.m., the phones of both Linton and Caron rang at the sa ti. When Linton picked up, he saw it was Mira calling.
"Linton, did you go on a date with Caron yesterday and bring her ho?"
"Yeah, what's the matter?"
"The buzz is crazy out there; you two made it to the papers, and there are pictures! It's all very clear."
"Is that a problem?"
"Not really. Actually, it could be good for your upcoming promotion and single sales. But now that you're a star, next ti you go on a date, could you try to dodge the paparazzi? If it's a public date, give a heads-up so I can prepare."
"If there's no problem, then we're good. Do you have any suggestions?"
"If you want to officially start dating, use this opportunity for a public announcent. But honestly, I wouldn't recomnd it; your career is just getting started."
"What else?"
"You could just not confirm or deny it and let the dia whirl things up. That could work out better, but make sure you talk to Caron and reach an agreent, and then let our agents communicate too."
...
At that mont, Caron finished her call.
"Michelle (Caron's nickna, also middle na), was that your agent?"
"Yeah, was that your agent too?"
"Of course! What did they say?"
"My agent thinks this gossip is excellent for my career and wants you on board, but it's just... I am worried about any fallout for you."
"Tell first, how do you want to cooperate?"
"Just don't confirm or deny, let the dia hype it up. Is that okay with you?"
...
Beep! Beep! Just then, Linton's phone rang again; it was Daniel.
"Hey, Daniel!"
"Linton, have you seen the papers?"
"Not yet, but I'm aware of it."
"Just a heads up, this gossip ca just at the right ti since we're starting the promotion for your second single tomorrow. The dia's going to eat up the angle that you and Caron fell for each other while filming the music video. What a fantastic topic! I had this plan set up but didn't get a chance to share it before you started. Talk about good timing!"
"So what's my next step?"
"Just don't oppose it, and you're all set."
...
Hanging up, Linton looked at Caron. "I'm all good on my end. Let's have your agent get in touch with Mira, and then let's grab breakfast."
They quickly prepared breakfast and finished eating before their agents had wrapped up their discussions. The plan was straightforward; Linton was to drop Caron off at her apartnt before hitting Universal.
...
After finishing his promotional activities in the evening, Linton picked up Caron and headed to the small villa. No matter how reporters pressed him, he avoided discussing anything about their relationship.
Driving Caron back to her apartnt, they encountered a swarm of reporters who imdiately surrounded them shouting, "Mr. Anderson, Ms. Diaz, are you dating?"
"Mr. Anderson, Ms. Diaz, when did this start?"
"Mr. Anderson, Ms. Diaz, do you have any plans to get married?"
Following the agents' instructions, neither of them responded to any questions nor opened the windows. Finally, security intervened to break them free, but the paparazzi were already buzzing with headlines about their relationship.
"Explosive news: New actor falls for rising star Linton; they are already living together."
Or, in disbelief, "Rising star Linton and new actor fall for each other while filming, preparing to get married!"
After all, the picture was worth a thousand words, and the paparazzi were satisfied with their stories. The only unhappy one was the reporter who had pulled an all-nighter, thinking he had an exclusive only to find others had gotten the scoop just as fast.
...
As Linton dropped Caron off at her apartnt, he knew there would be photographers waiting again. Caron stepped out of the car, and caras started flashing, the sa questions were hurled at them, but they still stayed silent.
Caron flashed a smile as she walked by her agent, while Linton drove straight to Universal. A lot of reporters awaited them at Universal, but these weren't just paparazzi.
Quickly, a public relations person from Universal approached the reporters, saying, "Friends, please join us in the conference room where we will answer your questions shortly."
Daniel and the PR team had been waiting for him upstairs, and they quickly discussed the promotion strategies; they agreed to increase the hype of the scandal during the promotion of the second single to create more topics.
Anyway, a handso man and a beautiful woman fell in love during the drama, which was a great topic. The dia loved the hype, the audience loved to watch it, and it eventually increased sales.
They agreed to a policy of neither admitting nor denying, but during these two days in Los Angeles, the two of them would try to appear in front of the cara together as much as possible.
...
Then the publicity and public relations personnel accompanied Linton to the conference room. The reporters had been waiting there for a long ti.
The public relations personnel first introduced the achievents of Baby. The total sales volu has exceeded 2 million copies, and it was already ranked second on the Billboard singles chart last week.
Then the song Numb was promoted and the MV of Numb began to play on the big screen (Zach worked overti and finally finished it last night), telling everyone that the MV will be aired on MTV at 6 pm tomorrow and will be officially released on May 7.
Originally the reporters were there to cover Linton's love life, but unexpectedly saw the release of the MV for Numb and were shocked.
They have long known that Linton was very talented and popular, and everyone ca here because of his fa. They didn't expect that he would release another single of such high quality in such a short ti.
As entertainnt reporters, they still had so basic judgnt. Although Numb may not surpass Baby, at least it was not too far behind. This also ant that they would soon see Linton's second song on the Billboard. This was too incredible.
So, the questioning shifted to the creative process behind Numb such as "What was the inspiration for the song?", "What do you want to express with the song?", etc. Linton patiently answered their queries with pre-approved responses from Universal.
When asked about his expectations for Numb, Linton smirked and said, "Hopefully, it won't do worse than Baby."
Afterward, when they pressed him again about his relationship with Caron, Linton played it cool, saying only that Caron was beautiful, had a great personality, and they had collaborated wonderfully during the music video shoot.
The reporters, happy with their Universal bonuses, left contented. The buzz around Linton's relationship with Caron was solidified, despite not being explicitly confird.
...
"Breaking: Genius singer Linton is dropping a heavy new work."
"Explosive: Rising star Linton's new song is exhilarating."
"Aweso, rising star Linton's new song aims for the top of the charts."
Just writing anything will generate traffic, not to ntion the gains from scandals. What? Linton didn't give a direct answer. Doesn't that an there was no denial? No denial ant it was a presumption, which would beco gossip news.
The reporters were satisfied, and Universal was even more satisfied. They had originally planned to invite them to promote Numb in the next two days. That's good now. There's no need to invite them anymore. They co over and help with the promotion on their own initiative. More importantly, these reporters have taken the initiative to recomnd Linton.
The original promotional slogan prepared by Universal before was just "Rising Star in the Music Industry," but now it beca, a rising star, a genius singer, and a popular idol.
Seeing this, everyone was more satisfied with Linton. Originally, Linton's work on the 5th and 6th was fully scheduled, which was to arrange interviews with TV, radio, newspaper and magazine reporters.
Now, everything was done in one morning, and it even exceeded Universal's publicity plan. Of course, they couln't just leave it at that, Linton might as well shoot a few magazine covers to help improve his profile.
...
Naomi Watts, just out of an audition, was handed a newspaper by her agent with a glaring headline, "Rising star Linton and actor sparks romance; they are living together!"
Naomi was delighted, thinking that the news was talking about her. She wondered why she didn't notice the paparazzi at that ti. And the tiliness of the news was too poor. But as she finished reading, her face dropped.
Silently cursing the scumbag, she dialed Linton's number but hesitated. What could she even say? She had no grounds to criticize him given their connection had only been a brief fling.
She originally wanted to maintain a long-term relationship with him, but it seems that she was overthinking it. She thought of deleting the contact number, but couldn't bear to do so. She had just arrived in Hollywood and the road ahead was unclear. She should be more open-minded and treat him as an ordinary friend. Maybe there would be opportunities for cooperation in the future?
...
As evening fell, Linton picked up Caron again from her apartnt. They didn't dine out, instead heading straight to the villa.
Mira had prepared dinner for them, and they shared a bottle of wine. Caron looked very excited; the scandal had greatly boosted her.
She already run 3 announcents that day, and her agent said that the next week's announcents were all full, which was unimaginable before.
Linton also briefly explained the situation at Universal. After their al, feeling emboldened by the wine, she announced, "No sleep tonight; we'll party until dawn!"
What could Linton say?
So party they did.
However, although Caron was strong, she still couldn't hold on until dawn. The two enjoyed themselves until 4 a.m. before they fell asleep in each other's arms.
Linton thrilled not only by his rising popularity but also by the noticeable improvent in his performance alongside Caron over the weekend.
...
With dawn breaking, Caron lay on Linton's chest, bright-eyed and energized. She exclaid, "Honey, it's strange! We fucked all night, didn't sleep, and yet I feel no fatigue! I've never had this kind of energy! It's like my skin is glowing, my agent keeps asking what skincare products I'm using! Isn't it bizarre? Can our ti together really have that effect?"
Linton couldn't help but think with your madness, you will be unable to move in less than two hours, but he certainly couldn't tell her the real reason, he simply replied, "It may be because people are in high spirits when things are going well. By the way, it's almost 7 a.m.; let's get up!"
By 8, they'd finished breakfast and were driving out of the neighborhood, only to find paparazzi waiting at both their places, fewer than the day before, but still enough.
...
Arriving at Universal, they resud their photo shoot for magazine covers. Daniel, grinning, approached Linton with several newspapers in hand.
"The journalists who ca in for the interview are ramping things up! TV, radio, newspapers, all promoting Numb! They're calling you a rising star, genius singer, and idol!
The distribution team ntioned that orders were already pouring in ahead of the official release; they prepared for 2 million copies. I have a feeling Numb is going to outperform Baby."
...
At 5:30 in the afternoon, radio hosts across major North Arican cities began hyping Numb.
By 6 p.m., with the Numb music video airing on MTV, calls flooded in from local stations requesting video and track quotas. The enthusiasm was infectious.
Despite worrying about Caron holding up after two days, she surprised him by coming back for another night of fun before he took off for national promotions. Once 2 a.m. rolled around, Linton took it upon himself to end their escapades for her well-being.
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
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