Eric was an honest man who had no intention of holding anything back. He taught without hesitation, starting from scratch.
"Let's say you've chosen a target, then just walk straight towards her and get straight to the point, without paying too much attention to the people around her."
"What if she were nestled in her boyfriend's arms?" Old Joe's boast left a deep impression on Alex.
Eric laughed. "You're not planning to just go up there and say you want a one-night stand, are you? That's too direct. You have to do it like this, pretend you're just looking for her, like: You are... uh..." He acted out a scene to get to know the girl, but his expression showed that he was trying hard to remember her name. "At this point, she would usually introduce herself, like, 'I'm so-and-so,' right?"
"Hmm." Alex mentally simulated the scene, and it made sense.
"Yes, yes, yes! I know you! Carl mentioned you." Eric put on his dramatic act. "Al is fine too, just name anyone. If the other person's boyfriend is around, just give them a common girl's name, like Jenny or Mary…"
"Mmm, and then?"
"Then you say: Carl said you have great artistic talent or sing well." Eric took out a stack of business cards. "At this point, you introduce yourself, point to the sign for Old Joe Music and say: I'm from the music company across the street, would you like to go up and audition? If they don't believe you, just give them your business card."
"That simple?"
"It's that simple. Just wait. About a third of the girls will come with me on the spot, a third will think about it for a few minutes to half an hour before coming with me, and the remaining third will call me within a few days."
"That means a 100% success rate!"
"Pretty much. The girl who calls might not come, so the success rate is about 80% or 90%."
"Won't their boyfriends and other friends try to dissuade them?"
"Idiot, most girls can't resist this kind of temptation. It's just a test, what's the big deal? If it really is an opportunity, wouldn't she seize it? If her female friends advise her, she'll think it's out of jealousy; if her boyfriend advises her, she'll think it's just male possessiveness. So even if she doesn't want to come with me at the time, she'll find a way to contact me again afterward, avoiding her boyfriend and friends."
"That makes sense!" Alex said, taking the lesson to heart. "But what if her friends and boyfriend insist on coming to the recording studio with her?"
"Then Carl should cooperate. He will keep 'unauthorized personnel' out, so you should try to build a relationship with Carl. He's a very easy person to talk to."
"Emmmm..." Alex recalled his first impression of Karl; the tattoos covering his face were indeed very intimidating. "And then?"
"Hehe." Eric chuckled. "Now that you've brought her here, it's even simpler." He sat down at the table opposite Alex . "The first trick is to get her to sit down and chat. For example, if she's sitting where you are now, I'll sit at the table and make some casual small talk while I let this…" He pointed to the inside of his thigh, "be right in front of her line of sight."
"Emmmm..." Alex realized that what was directly in front of him was indeed Eric's crotch, and the guy had even deliberately spread his legs.
"This is the most common hint. White people have been using it for hundreds of years. It's simple and effective." Eric shifted the blame. "At the same time, you have to do your best to boast about yourself, saying that you can package her well and make her famous, or that you can record singles or albums for her or something... Basically, just keep making empty promises to girls who dream of becoming stars."
Will they take the bait?
"Some of them will, they'll take the initiative to touch my legs, hehehe…maybe their boyfriends are still waiting downstairs at this time." Eric touched his leg, his smile becoming even more wicked. "But those who take the initiative are usually not good people. The rest are a bit more difficult to deal with, either because they don't understand hints or pretend not to understand."
"Continue, focusing on the difficult parts."
"
"Next is recording. We have to give her something in return, so let her go into the recording studio and sing one of her best songs." Eric walked to the mixing console. "After she finishes singing, you compare her original voice with the mixed version. It's like giving a girl plastic surgery. You show her that you have the ability to make her voice beautiful. This feeling is probably the same as her appearance being made more beautiful by you. Believe me, many girls will get wet on the spot."
"The effect is so good? Looks like I need to learn more about sound tuning..." Alex thought to himself.
"At this point, I would have the girl stand in front of the mixing console and try it out herself, giving her a live lesson. When she was playing with the mixing console like it was a game, I could gently hug her from behind, blow air into her ear, say some flirtatious sweet nothings, and then, I would touch her…" Eric hugged the air, performing very seriously.
What if I'm still rejected?
"Then let's bring out my go-to weapon!" Eric took out Chivas Regal, old Morgan's favorite drink, from the liquor cabinet. "After singing, do you want to have something to drink? After recording, do you want to celebrate with some alcohol? This is made with cheap brandy and vodka, it'll kick in fast! Of course, I'm a man of principle, I won't drug you."
Always on hand? I feel sorry for old Morgan!
"Of course, we can't drink too much either. It's easier to get things done when we're a little tipsy." Eric shoved the bottle back into his hand.
"What if it still doesn't work?"
"Well, there's nothing I can do then. If it's half-hearted, okay; if it's a clear refusal, then I guess I'll just have to let them go. After all, I'm a..."
"A person with principles."
"Yes, that's right. We must stick to the bottom line, otherwise things can easily go wrong."
"But…" Alex still felt something was off. "If you don't take responsibility afterwards, won't you be in trouble? A lot of girls won't let it go, right? Especially since you promised to release a single for someone and make them famous."
"Sigh, I'm just a small-time sound engineer, what can they do?" Eric's mood suddenly turned dejected as he lay back on the sofa. "Don't worry, most girls are quite practical. Once they realize I'm just a nobody, they won't waste their time on me."
"So they won't bother with minor characters too much, but what about the big characters? Like little Lowry?" Alex pressed.
"That would be completely different. If it were Little Lowry, the girls wouldn't let go. After Little Lowry's new album comes out, they'll even have to be wary of girls who are overly enthusiastic with ulterior motives. Actually, it's the same for you. The song you wrote,'Thrift Shop,' is really good. If those girls realize that you're a talented songwriter, believe me, it will be hard for you to shake them off."
"You've been talking for so long, and it turns out all your talk is useless to me, huh?!" Alex snapped, shoving the pen and paper back into his briefcase.
This time, Eric didn't give an answer. A few seconds later, a loud snoring sound rang out.