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"Look what you've done!" As soon as Leon returned to the office, Phil clutched his head and roared, "Fxxk! I told you, you're a singer, not the real Al Capone, nor fxxking Joaquín Guzmán!"
"I can't believe you actually did something like that!"
Ignoring the other's loss of control, Leon instructed Bonnie, "Get me a coffee."
Then, he leaned back in his swivel chair, constantly replaying the optimal solution for this incident in his mind.
How to make the public believe a bunch of greenhorns from Chicago?
Even if the truth is right in front of them, conspiracy theories always have a large audience.
Even if Lil Durk took King Von to the police station to turn themselves in, the public would think this was just a good show put on by Street Jesus under the offensive of money.
"Kid... say something!" Phil roared, "I just got a call from Lenny. JAY-Z and Diddy are arguing fiercely. Diddy wants to put a high bounty on your head!"
He pointed out the window and continued, "You think this group of Mexicans can save your life?! Don't be fxxking naive. Diddy is much richer than you; there are countless gunmen and desperadoes staring at your stupid big head!"
While fiddling with the ring on his hand, Leon chatted with Lil Durk on social media.
Leaving Phil hanging for about five minutes, he finally explained, "I didn't do this."
Phil was stunned at first, then sneered, "Of course I know you didn't do it... whether it was George or Jorge, you don't really think you can get away with it, do you?"
Leon turned the computer screen to face the opposite side and pointed at it. "Look at this."
The screen showed Lil Durk's personal social media homepage.
[I swear to God this was really done by us O-Block!]
[I was driving my mom's car at the time, she can testify for me!]
[You haters just wait and see! Next is Lil Wayne, Pitbull, wait and see me pin Justin Bieber on the bed!]
These tweets all pointed to one theme: I really fxxking did this.
Just like a poor student who hangs out on the streets all day saying he got an A+, no one believed this at all.
There was even a hint of grievance between the lines.
Phil frowned and looked for a while. "This is ridiculous... do you think anyone will believe this? The internet is full of young nggas wanting to leech off this heat!"
"It doesn't matter if the media believes it or not. As soon as Diddy sees Lil Durk, he'll know what's going on, and that car..." Leon spread his hands.
Phil had never seen such a sincere expression on Leon's face. After hesitating again and again, he asked in a low voice, "You mean this really has nothing to do with you?"
"Really."
"Are those damn punks crazy?"
"Maybe. I'm not a ngga, I don't understand their brain circuits," Leon said frankly.
He really didn't quite understand these people's thought processes.
The motive for this incident, rather than being for the idol, was purely for fame.
That sounded less abstract.
The noble limited-edition Black Gold skin meant doing things as they pleased.
The South Side of Chicago doesn't raise idle people.
"What do you plan to do now?" Phil lit a cigarette, his emotions finally calming down. "If you ask me, just hand them over to the cops."
"Do you understand what you're saying?" Leon shook his head.
A group of his fanboys, small-time hooligans from the streets of Chicago.
Risking their lives crossing half of America to help him eliminate a competitor to protect his reputation.
If he sold out Lil Durk, the image of "Street Jesus" he painstakingly built would shatter into pieces in front of the public.
To put it seriously, he could quit the industry directly.
This was behavior even more despicable than being a "snitch."
Phil pondered carefully and also felt it was inappropriate. "Then what do you plan to do?"
"Hand the stage over to them," Leon said.
According to the current situation, Diddy resolutely refused to cooperate with the police for the sake of face, which led to the police having no clues.
Even if Lil Durk clamored publicly on the internet and TV shows that he was the culprit...
As long as he didn't really go to the police station to turn himself in, revealing the tools, route, and vehicle of the crime...
No one could do anything to him.
"Diddy needs a breakthrough now. If there's no breakthrough, maybe JAY-Z can't stop him either," Leon said. "I'll call JAY-Z later and clarify this matter..."
"Next, I'll just enjoy this wave of traffic~"
Diddy had run rampant in the East Coast hip-hop music scene for over twenty years and had never suffered such a loss like today.
This matter couldn't just end like this.
After Lil Durk and his gang issued the statement, they would inevitably face crazy retaliation from Diddy's gang.
And Leon's best response was no response, just peace of mind eating up this wave of traffic.
If Lil Durk and King Von, these little hooligans, dove headfirst into the drug dealer-infested O-Block of Chicago's South Side, Diddy might not really have any way to deal with them.
Early the next morning, Lil Durk issued a brief statement on Chicago's well-known music radio station TMG, announcing responsibility for the shooting.
Everything proceeded in an orderly manner under Leon's arrangement.
This was just a statement of less than a minute; the biggest traffic, of course, had to be saved for Lion's Den Media.
They would arrive in New York at noon that day to record the Above Ground Rap program hosted by T-ray.
T-ray was very emotional at the time. As a victim shot four times, he expressed that he couldn't wait to meet these two young and promising "teenage heroes."
The second episode of Above Ground Rap would be the best hip-hop podcast program in the history of the earth.
At 9 AM, Leon, who arrived early at the Bang Bang shooting site, dialed Taylor's number.
"Hi, Taylor, all the staff are in place, just waiting for you."
"You weren't locked up by the police?" Taylor's tone revealed a smile.
"Why arrest me?" Leon said, "I pay taxes lawfully, actively participate in rallies... I can't think of a reason for them to arrest a five-star good citizen."
"Alright~ whatever you say." Taylor wasn't interested in these street conflicts, but seeing Diddy suffer still gave her a secret thrill. "Probably need another twenty minutes; the Brooklyn Bridge is jammed badly."
Today's shooting location was inside a studio.
Leon had Bonnie rent this place earlier, and the set construction was completed yesterday.
The crew was making final adjustments to lighting, camera positions, and prop details.
Holding a script of barely two pages, David was briefing the cameraman on precautions for later.
He occasionally looked up and glanced at Leon's gang of fierce Mexican bodyguards, shaking his head repeatedly.
To prevent crazy retaliation from Diddy, Leon had to have Jorge and all his underlings protect him closely.
Each of them carried at least two pistols, and Jorge even tucked a sawed-off shotgun at his waist.
Leon promised to pay this group double this month.
Before Lil Durk and King Von issued a formal statement, he had to adopt the highest level of security measures.
Half an hour later, Taylor arrived at the shooting site, followed by three assistants carrying bags big and small.
"Looks like you prepared very thoroughly." Obviously, the luxurious shooting lineup and professional prop sets satisfied Taylor very much.
"You deserve the best." Saying that, Leon pointed at David. "This is Director David Fincher, maybe you've heard of him."
Taylor only knew Leon invited a big-shot director but didn't know specifically who it was.
Although she loved watching horror movies, she wasn't the target audience for David Fincher's deep suspense films.
Looking David up and down for fully three seconds, she realized, "You are the director of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?"
"Yes, honored to meet you, Miss Taylor." The two shook hands. "You look as radiant as Madonna when she was young."
Madonna was like a queen in David's heart; comparing the two meant he sincerely admired Taylor.
"How did you come up with the idea of aging backward? I really love that movie," Taylor said excitedly.
Seeing this scene, Leon breathed a sigh of relief.
The mutual appreciation between the two was genuine, so the subsequent shooting should be much smoother.
His biggest worry before was the costumes.
Although not revealing at all, the sexual innuendo was very obvious.
"Look, you are so charming. If you went to make movies, you would surely succeed too." David blew rainbow farts (flattery) in different ways.
"If it's your work, then maybe I'll consider it." Taylor curled her lips into a smile.
"I have a perfect script in hand, Gone Girl. I bought the rights to this novel..."
The two chatted non-stop. Introverted David became a chatterbox upon meeting Taylor.
Leon looked at his watch and urged, "David, we can start work."
Taylor walked into the dressing room.
Half an hour later, the transformation was complete, and she appeared before everyone.
The stunning look made everyone unable to look away.
"You look amazing..."
When Leon first heard "JK" from David, he had no idea what it was.
After seeing photos on the internet, a question popped into his head—Is this really suitable for Taylor?
There are compatibility differences in attire between Westerners and East Asians.
For example, qipao looks nondescript on Western female stars, and Asian women don't quite have that flavor in deep V gowns.
JK uniforms were obviously not designed for tall white women like Taylor.
But judging from the current effect, it surprisingly blended perfectly.
Taylor's net height was 1.8 meters, and the ultra-short skirt maximized the advantage of her long legs.
The exposed leg skin was white to the point of glowing.
The makeup artist intentionally omitted Taylor's favorite red lip makeup, leaning towards a Korean style overall.
"How is it?" Taylor looked at herself again and again in the mirror held by the assistant. "I feel like I'm back in high school."
"Just look at everyone's expressions and you'll know," Leon praised.
"I feel like this skirt is a bit too short?" Taylor looked down.
The length of this skirt was just right for most women, but on Taylor, it instantly became a mini skirt.
And to achieve the best shooting effect—the transformation of a shy girl—David didn't prepare safety shorts to prevent wardrobe malfunctions.
"Not short at all~" Leon smiled. "For girls nowadays, this is considered very conservative."
"Alright..." Taylor rolled her eyes at Leon. "You guy."
Under David's direction, Taylor lay on the bed covered with pink household items.
"Very good, Miss Taylor, keep the current pose."
Following instructions, Taylor lay on her stomach on the bed, cupping her chin with both hands.
David whispered something in the cameraman's ear, and the prop master made final adjustments to the details in the room.
Precise to the direction each Barbie doll scattered on the floor faced, and the position of the guitar.
"Action!"
After the start command was given, Taylor tilted her head according to the script design and began to swing her calves.
The expression on her face was full of a girl's curiosity about the adult world.
Three seconds later, the curious look suddenly became sharp.
She reached out a finger and gently hooked up a crystal high heel scattered on the floor.
In the MV, this prop was a metaphor for "adulthood."
"OK~ Very good! Cut!" David couldn't hide the joy on his face.
"That's it?" From the start command to calling cut, it was no more than 10 seconds at most.
"Otherwise? The MV visuals serve the lyrics, must hit the meaning the lyrics want to express," David explained seriously.
Then he walked towards Taylor, immediately changing his face, piling smiles on. "Miss Taylor, we can proceed to shoot the next scene; you can go change clothes."
Taking advantage of Taylor's changing break, the staff quickly replaced the previous set.
To maximize time usage, wheels were installed under the prop room used for shooting.
Just push it away.
When Taylor returned from changing, the second scene was already set up.
The tight black latex suit fit perfectly to the skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, cherry red lips.
Plus the iconic, fox-like aggressive and bewitching eyes.
The sound of transparent high heels stepping, trampled on everyone's heart on the scene.
"Amazing, she looks more like Catwoman than Michelle Pfeiffer," David praised.
Leon nodded in agreement.
Taylor's personal charm was quite complex. Her innate conditions were originally created for a sexy route, but she insisted on taking a relatively sweet idol route.
"Can I ask who designed this outfit?" Taylor sighed softly.
"Doesn't it suit you very well?" Leon raised the corners of his mouth.
"You really think so?"
"Of course." Leon spread his hands. "Except for some details that need to be supplemented, everything else is perfect."
"Details?" Taylor was stunned for two seconds, immediately noticing where the other's gaze was locked.
If there was anything needing supplementation for the transformed Catwoman Taylor, it could only be the flat landscape on her chest.
"What? You guy..." Unknown if it was shyness or annoyance, two blushes dyed Taylor's cheeks.
The second scene used black and pink as the main tones.
The poster on the wall was replaced with Cardi B's debut album poster, in which she was wrapped around a pole like a stripper.
The Barbie dolls on the floor turned into black silk stockings, lipstick, cosmetics.
The scene became gloomy, with low color saturation.
The color contrast fluctuated with the flickering of the pink neon sign.
Taylor lay on the bed, suddenly getting up after the start command was given.
While staring at the main camera, her slender hands slid from her ankles all the way to the top of her thighs.
She might've let you hold her hand in school, but I'mma show you how to graduate
No, I don't need to hear you talk the talk, just come and show me what your momma gave (Oooh yeah)
You've got a very big shhh, love but don't say a thing
See anybody could be good to you, you need a bad girl to blow your mind
Hot lyrics paired with Taylor's bold styling, Leon had only one word in his head to describe it—"Contrast"!
Although neither the costume nor the movements were considered large-scale in the current music scene...
Even a grandma-level figure like Madonna had a much larger scale than Taylor's performance today.
But for this "America's Sweetheart," it was considered a small breakthrough.