[Chapter 9: Gossip and Promotion for Numb]
Beep! Beep! Even before 8 a.m., the phones of both Linton and Cameron rang at the same time. When Linton picked up, he saw it was Mira calling.
"Linton, did you go on a date with Cameron yesterday and bring her home?"
"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 time you go on a date, could you try to dodge the paparazzi? If it's a public date, give me 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 announcement. But honestly, I wouldn't recommend it; your career is just getting started."
"What else?"
"You could just not confirm or deny it and let the media whirl things up. That could work out better, but make sure you talk to Cameron and reach an agreement, and then let our agents communicate too."
...
At that moment, Cameron finished her call.
"Michelle (Cameron's nickname, also middle name), 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 me first, how do you want to cooperate?"
"Just don't confirm or deny, let the media 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 came just at the right time since we're starting the promotion for your second single tomorrow. The media's going to eat up the angle that you and Cameron 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 Cameron. "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 Cameron off at her apartment before hitting Universal.
...
After finishing his promotional activities in the evening, Linton picked up Cameron and headed to the small villa. No matter how reporters pressed him, he avoided discussing anything about their relationship.
Driving Cameron back to her apartment, they encountered a swarm of reporters who immediately 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 Cameron off at her apartment, he knew there would be photographers waiting again. Cameron stepped out of the car, and cameras started flashing, the same questions were hurled at them, but they still stayed silent.
Cameron 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 handsome man and a beautiful woman fell in love during the drama, which was a great topic. The media 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 camera 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 time.
The public relations personnel first introduced the achievements of Baby. The total sales volume 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 overtime 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 came here because of his fame. They didn't expect that he would release another single of such high quality in such a short time.
As entertainment reporters, they still had some basic judgment. Although Numb may not surpass Baby, at least it was not too far behind. This also meant 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 Cameron, Linton played it cool, saying only that Cameron 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 Cameron was solidified, despite not being explicitly confirmed.
...
"Breaking: Genius singer Linton is dropping a heavy new work."
"Explosive: Rising star Linton's new song is exhilarating."
"Awesome, rising star Linton's new song aims for the top of the charts."
Just writing anything will generate traffic, not to mention the gains from scandals. What? Linton didn't give a direct answer. Doesn't that mean there was no denial? No denial meant it was a presumption, which would become 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 come over and help with the promotion on their own initiative. More importantly, these reporters have taken the initiative to recommend Linton.
The original promotional slogan prepared by Universal before was just "Rising Star in the Music Industry," but now it became, 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 time. And the timeliness 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 Cameron again from her apartment. They didn't dine out, instead heading straight to the villa.
Mira had prepared dinner for them, and they shared a bottle of wine. Cameron looked very excited; the scandal had greatly boosted her.
She already run 3 announcements that day, and her agent said that the next week's announcements were all full, which was unimaginable before.
Linton also briefly explained the situation at Universal. After their meal, 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 Cameron 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 improvement in his performance alongside Cameron over the weekend.
...
With dawn breaking, Cameron lay on Linton's chest, bright-eyed and energized. She exclaimed, "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 me what skincare products I'm using! Isn't it bizarre? Can our time 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 resumed their photo shoot for magazine covers. Daniel, grinning, approached Linton with several newspapers in hand.
"The journalists who came 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 mentioned 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 American 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 Cameron 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.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.