"Remember me
Though I have to say goodbye
Remember me
Don't let it make you cry"
Noon, at the Jive Records studio in New York.
In the first recording studio, Britney was wearing headphones, fully engrossed in singing the song.
Outside the large glass window, Luca leaned against the mixing console, listening to Britney's voice through his own headphones.
Compared to the original version's clear tone, Britney's voice was sweet, sultry, and playfully distinctive, making it highly recognizable.
With his arms crossed, Luca nodded to the rhythm. Maybe it was his affection for her, but he felt Britney's version of Remember Me sounded better than the original.
Beep beep beep~
Suddenly, a harsh buzzing sound echoed in his headphones.
Luca looked up in confusion at producer Chris Carlson. Why was he pausing the session for no reason?
"Hmph!"
Mr. Carlson shot him an annoyed glance.
"...?"
Luca was baffled. He hadn't moved, so why was he being glared at?
Just because you're older and more experienced doesn't mean you can glare at me, he thought. If I get mad, I'll even fight myself!
As he was complaining internally, Mr. Carlson picked up the microphone and spoke loudly,
"Britney, dear Britney, this song has a melancholic tone. It's meant to convey sadness and longing. So why does your voice sound so cheerful, so excited?"
Britney must have said something in response because Mr. Carlson continued loudly,
"Don't make excuses. A few days ago, during recording, your mood was perfect—your expression was sorrowful, and your voice was filled with longing. But today, it's suddenly so happy, like you're ready to party. This happened the first time, then again the second and third time. Why?"
"Oh~ I know! It's because of him, isn't it?"
Mr. Carlson suddenly glared at someone. "It's definitely because of this guy. Ever since he arrived, your voice changed, and your focus shifted away from singing. You're ruining the song."
Luca smirked, "Mr. Carlson, I think she sounds great."
"You think?"
Carlson rolled his eyes. "This is a recording studio. Your opinion doesn't matter. Only mine does. I'm the music producer for this song, and you're just the songwriter."
Tsk~
The other studio staff chuckled softly.
"Okay, okay! Maybe I'll step outside?" Luca joked.
Carlson furrowed his brows and nodded, "That's a good idea. Mr. Kelly, please excuse yourself."
"...?"
Luca's face froze. Did I just dig my own grave?
He waved towards the soundproof glass.
Britney stuck out her tongue playfully, gave him a sweet smile, and blew a kiss.
"Go on, go on!" Carlson's face darkened further.
Luca quickened his pace out of the studio, lest the old man decided to punch him.
"Alright! The distraction is gone. Let's do it again!" Carlson called out enthusiastically.
"...?"
Outside the first recording studio, Luca shook his head. Old folks are so temperamental.
"Luca, come sit. I've got something to discuss with you,"
Britney's assistant, Felicia, followed him into the lounge.
"Is it serious?" Luca joked.
"Of course!" Felicia huffed, displeased. Who would discuss unserious matters with you, you shameless guy!
She pulled out a folder from her work bag. "Young and Beautiful was released this month, and it's doing well. Here are the sales figures from various platforms, along with your share of the earnings."
Luca took the folder and skimmed it. On Valentine's Day, February 14th, Britney had released her first single of the year, Young and Beautiful.
It sold 420,000 copies in its first week, topping the Billboard 200 chart and staying in the top five for three consecutive weeks.
This was Britney's second-best performance on the chart. Her best was Baby One More Time, which held the top spot for six weeks straight.
"This is just okay?" Luca looked at Felicia in surprise.
"What else did you expect?" Felicia glanced at him, her feelings a bit complicated.
Last year, after Britney's breakup, she wasn't in a good mental state, and she was at a crucial transition point in her career.
Her team, Felicia included, didn't object to Luca dating Britney, hoping he could help her bounce back.
Yes, they saw Luca as just a pretty tool.
But they hadn't anticipated that this tool was not only good-looking but also highly talented—he could even write hit singles.
'If only these two could stay together, it would be perfect,' Felicia thought. Too bad this guy is a total player, she fumed, glaring at him.
"What now?" Luca asked, confused as to why she was glaring at him again.
"Have you finished looking?" Felicia asked, collecting herself.
"Yes." Luca signed the paperwork and handed the folder back to her.
"The royalties will be deposited into your account by the end of the month. Keep an eye out," Felicia said as she clicked away in her high heels, leaving Luca alone in the lounge.
Luca touched his cheek. Still handsome, so why am I suddenly not liked?
Sigh, being this handsome is lonely!
He picked up Britney's guitar and began playing melancholically.
His mind drifted to the contract he had just signed. According to their agreement, songwriters would receive 5% of a single's earnings.
In the first month, Young and Beautiful sold 2.2 million copies, meaning his cut was $380,000.
At that rate, he could make over a million dollars a year by doing nothing else. What would happen if he wrote a few more hit songs?
He decided—he would continue to "borrow" songs. After all, plagiarizing songs is like cross-dressing; once you do it, you either stop or keep doing it endlessly.
But he only had a handful of complete movie soundtracks in his head. Finding the right song for Britney wasn't easy.
What should the next song be?
It was such a dilemma!
"Luca?"
As Luca, the master songwriter, pondered his next classic hit, a small hand waved in front of him.
He snapped back to reality to find a pretty face before him, and the air now smelled faintly of irises.
"Hey, Christina!"
It was none other than Christina Aguilera. She was dressed casually in a punk T-shirt and jeans, looking fresh and cute—though a bit petite and mischievous.
"Luca, what are you doing here?" Christina asked, glaring at him.
"Britney's recording here. I just came to observe," Luca said, gesturing toward the studio behind him.
"Is that so? You're pretty brave, showing up here with a girlfriend and still hanging out with Britney. Aren't you afraid Britney's fans will beat you up?" Christina teased.
"I'm not worried. Britney and I are colleagues now. We're together for work," Luca replied with a smile.
"Work? You're an actor. What are you doing in a recording studio for work?" Christina was skeptical.
"Don't forget, I'm also a songwriter," Luca said, strumming the guitar.
"Oh?" Christina blinked, suddenly remembering.
This was the guy who helped Britney score another No. 1 single. And apparently, Britney's new song was also written by him, though he used a pen name, so no one knew.
"Luca, you're pretty good at writing songs," Christina said, sitting down next to him.
"Thanks, I'm just okay," Luca replied, discreetly moving away. Christina was trouble, and it was best to keep a distance.
"...?"
Christina was annoyed. What was that about? Was this jerk afraid she'd take advantage of him?
Suppressing her anger, she continued, "Can you write one for me? I'll pay well!"
Luca thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "Sorry, Christina. Britney is my muse. I only get creative when I'm with her, and I only write for her."
Christina pursed her lips. "Muse, huh? You just want to sleep with her."
"No, we're truly in love!" Luca replied.
"Love? Then why don't you two get married?" Christina retorted.
"...?"
"Ha! Men!" Christina smirked, leaning closer to him. "Come on, be honest. Have you ever wanted me?"
"You?" Luca shook his head. "No. Even if I slept with you, I'd be the one losing out."
"What?!"
Christina angrily kicked him a few times. "You shameless jerk! A small-time model and actor like you would lose out by sleeping with me, a pop diva? Do you even have any shame?"
"Nope! Why would I need that? Is anyone's face as good-looking as mine?" Luca shot back.
"...!"
Christina was trembling with anger. She couldn't understand why every time she saw this jerk, she got so mad, sometimes she just wanted to kill him.
Creaaak~ The door to the lounge opened, and Britney walked in.
Tears welled up in Christina's eyes.
"Christine, what's wrong?" Britney asked curiously.
"Boo-hoo~ Britney, that shameless Luca touched my chest!" Christina sobbed, covering her not-so-full chest.
"Really?" Britney looked at Luca.
Luca shrugged, holding a guitar in his arms.
Britney smiled slightly. "Christine, it's okay. Don't you always complain about your chest being too small? Let Luca touch it, and maybe it'll grow."
Luca nodded silently, thinking, Touch it to make it bigger, touch it and it'll grow.
"You—you guys!" Christina was unusually furious. How could her best friend say something like that?
She stomped her foot and stormed out. But after a few steps, she stopped and turned around, winking at Luca. "Luca, remember our little secret. Don't forget to keep it, okay?"
"Secret?" Britney asked, curious.
Luca was confused for a moment. What secret? "Britney, there's no secret between us," he quickly clarified. But thinking about how this might look suspicious, he had no choice but to explain.
He smiled wryly. This is definitely a trap. How sneaky!
But as a descendant of Chinese wisdom, a little trick like this was nothing. "Britney, how about I tell you a story from Chinese history?"
"Sure!" Britney said, leaning on his shoulder with a smile.
Luca organized his thoughts and began slowly, "More than 1,800 years ago, during the late Han Dynasty in China, warlords were fighting for control. One warlord, Peter Cao, wanted to attack another warlord, Jack Ma."
He told the story of Cao Cao's altered letter to Han Sui.
In the year 221, Cao Cao led his army to attack Ma Chao in the west. Before the battle, he met privately with Ma Chao's ally, Han Sui, which made Ma Chao suspicious.
Then, Cao Cao sent a letter to Han Sui with some intentional alterations in key places, making sure that Ma Chao would see it.
Ma Chao thought Han Sui had deliberately altered the letter, and despite Han Sui's explanations, they grew suspicious of each other, allowing Peter Cao to defeat them easily.
"Wow~ The Chinese are so clever! Using people's natural suspicions to create division. There's no way to explain that kind of situation," Britney marveled.
"Exactly. This story is just like what Christina said earlier. If I told you there's no secret between us, would you believe me?"
"You told that whole story just to explain that?" Britney laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck affectionately. "Honey, you don't have to do all that. I know what Christine is trying to do, and I trust you. Even if there was some 'secret,' it wouldn't matter to me. I don't think she could steal you from me."
Britney spoke confidently.
"Thank you, Britney. But Christina is dangerous."
Luca sighed with relief, thankful for the ancient wisdom that had helped him avoid a trap.
"Ha, you don't need to be afraid of her. Next time she tries something, just push her down and take her on the spot! And then snap a picture like this, like this…"
"…"
Outside the lounge, Christina was eavesdropping. She had hoped to hear an argument but was shocked by what she overheard instead.
"Ugh! What a pair of scumbags!" Christina clenched her teeth and slammed the door shut.
Bang!
Outside, Britney and Luca exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
"Britney, stop laughing and get ready!" Mr. Carlson shouted with a scowl.
"Coming, coming, geez, you're so naggy! Mr. Carlson, you must be going through menopause," Britney teased.
"…"
Britney left, and Luca continued to practice his guitar, hoping to find some inspiration.
(End of Chapter)