mijobooks Chapter 50 The Protagonist is Absent
Chapter 50 The Protagonist is Absent
Time flies, and it's already a Wednesday in February.
The day Neil Bogart threw a party.
Inside the cliffside cabin, Tino was helping Zik straighten his bow tie, adjusting the wrinkles in his collar, and giving him instructions:
"I heard there are quite a few industry bigwigs and reporters invited tonight. You'd better not drink, lest you say something wrong and make a fool of yourself."
Zik tugged at his bow tie in front of the mirror and obediently replied, "Okay, I'm not an alcoholic, don't worry."
"I'll keep an eye on him," Holly said with a smile, leaning against the doorframe.
Instead of renting a sharp suit like Zeke, she wore a sleek black leather jacket.
The Spiders have all arrived in Los Angeles, and their manager, Tino, has naturally come along, but he hasn't received an invitation to Neil's party.
As for the reason, no one can say for sure. Zik, however, is happy with it, since he feels more at ease without Tino around.
Zik straightened his suit and casually asked, "Amanda and the others really aren't planning to attend? It would be a shame to miss such a great opportunity to expand your network."
Holly shook her head slightly: "They feel so awkward. Amanda said that our band was supposed to be the stars of this party, but now we can only watch others enjoy the glory, and she can't get over it."
A wave of emotion washed over Qi Ke. The song "YMCA" was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, completely changing the fate of many people.
He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Amanda and the others hadn't been forced to give up singing this song.
Will they become as popular as Village People?
Will things be better than they are now, or will we fall into another predicament?
However, this feeling was fleeting, and he didn't feel too guilty.
After all, no matter what, they can't keep the name "Siren Band". Even without this song, they will eventually face the dilemma of changing their name and regrouping. Perhaps this is their fate.
With everything ready, Zeke drove Holly straight to Judy's house. Marco, an employee of Casablanca, had already gone to Neil's estate to help out; his job that day was as a valet, guiding guests to their parking spots.
The Mercedes pulled up in front of Judy's house. As soon as Zeke and Holly got out of the car, they saw Mrs. Foster waiting at the door.
She wore a well-tailored business suit and even at home, she wore exquisite high heels, exuding a powerful aura.
Seeing Holly beside Zeke, her face instantly darkened, and her tone became almost accusatory: "Zeke, didn't you say you could only bring one female companion to the party? Why did you bring someone else?"
Zeke was prepared and explained with a smile, "Madam, this is Holly, my date and also a signed artist with Casablanca. She has her own invitation."
Holly held up the invitation in her hand and waved it at the opportune moment.
Evelyn's expression softened considerably. Zeke had a female companion, so he clearly wasn't after her daughter.
She smiled and nodded, her tone softening. "I'm sorry, I misunderstood. Just call me Evelyn, Zeke."
After saying that, she turned and went into the house, gently pushing Judy out.
Qi Ke was a little stunned. Judy in front of him was completely different from the tomboy she usually was. She had changed into a light blue dress with a light skirt that accentuated her slender waist. She had light makeup on her face, her long hair was draped over her shoulders, and her eyebrows and eyes were gentle. She had become more girlish and charming, completely shedding her usual neatness and androgyny.
Judy's cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head somewhat shyly, whispering, "Let's go, don't be late."
Qi Ke snapped out of his daze, smiled and nodded, then led the two into the car and headed straight for Mount Holmby.
From afar, he saw a manor gate filled with all kinds of Mercedes-Benz cars, brightly lit and bustling with activity. It looked like a Mercedes-Benz dealership annual meeting was being held. Without even thinking, he knew he had come to the right place.
After successfully entering the venue, Zik looked around and secretly felt strange: there were probably hundreds of guests in the manor, and dozens of service staff in uniforms were busy serving drinks and snacks.
Strangely, not only were the other members of the Spiders absent, but even the six members of the Village People band, the main focus of the celebration party, and their producer Jacques Morali were all nowhere to be seen.
As he wondered what was going on, Zeke spotted Donna Summer in the crowd. She was dressed in a gorgeous gown, her makeup exquisite, and she was surrounded by a group of people. Two beautiful white women, one tall and one short, were like two wedges firmly planted on either side of her, talking loudly and gesturing wildly, their laughter shrill, making the surrounding air feel uneasy.
Donna was surrounded by a dense crowd, exuding the air of a diva with every gesture. She was composed, confident, and charismatic, becoming the center of attention wherever she went.
Upon seeing Zeke, the shorter woman beside Donna quickly approached, a warm smile on her face, and extended her hand:
"Hello, Zeke, I'm Susan Mona, Head of Public Relations and one of Donna's managers."
Zike quickly reached out and shook her hand, subtly observing her: her dark hair was neatly combed, and even in high heels, she was only a little over 1.5 meters tall, speaking with an extremely heavy New York accent.
The head of the PR department is TJ's direct supervisor. No wonder I haven't had a chance to see him in over a month since I arrived in Casablanca; he's been spending all his time with Donna Summer.
Susan didn't waste time with pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Zick, I'm Italian like you. Do you have any new projects lately? Donna really likes your style and has been wanting to work with you."
Qi Ke replied evasively, "I've been busy with publicity and school matters lately, so I haven't had much inspiration and haven't written any new songs yet."
There was no other way; I couldn't just use that French nursery rhyme to appease the disco queen, could I?
Susan was clearly not satisfied with the answer. She glanced meaningfully at Holly and Judy beside Zeke, took a card from her bag, handed it to Zeke, and whispered:
"Zick, you must remember that we Italians in Hollywood and the record industry look out for each other. We can only go further if we trust our own people. You should do the same and interact more with your own people."
Zeke took the business card, glanced at it, and asked, puzzled, "I understand, Susan, thanks for the reminder. What's the number on this?"
"Peter Chris, the drummer 'Catman' from the band KISS," Susan explained with a smile. "He's also of Italian descent and grew up in Brooklyn, just like you. He's currently working on his solo album and wants you to write songs for him, so I'm here to make the connection."
"Peter Chris?" Zeke's face showed surprise. "KISS is at the peak of his career right now, why is he already planning a solo album? Is he going solo?"
Susan smiled but didn't answer, only patting his shoulder: "These aren't your concerns. Just know this is a good opportunity. Remember to call him back. And," she winked mysteriously, "you need allies."
What do I need allies for? Filled with questions, Zeke said goodbye to Susan and quickly spotted Larry Harris in the crowd. He hurriedly led Judy and Holly forward: "Hi, Larry, where are the Village People?"
Larry sighed, holding his cup, and glanced at Judy before speaking, then touched his mustache.
Taking the opportunity, Zeke introduced, "Larry, this is Judy, my classmate. I brought her here to broaden her horizons."
Larry nodded without asking any further questions, clearly unfazed by the idea of bringing friends to parties.
"It's a long story," Larry said in a low voice, his tone wistful. "Village People is currently enjoying soaring popularity and sales, riding high on its success, but its internal relationships are a complete mess."
Zeke, Holly, and Judy exchanged glances, all showing expressions of surprise.
Larry continued, "I've heard a lot of rumors lately that Victor Willis, who plays the police officer and is the only straight man in the group, has been bullying the other members because he thinks he's the most talented in the group and looks down on the others."
"And there's something even more outrageous. Recently, some members complained to me that they're only getting paid $100 a week, and the internal conflicts within the team are escalating. Tonight, they're all absent as a form of protest."
"$100?!" Holly exclaimed in surprise. "Not even enough for basic living expenses. That's outrageous!"
"We know that too," Larry shrugged. "This amount of money isn't enough to keep people, nor can it get them fully committed to their work. Besides, there's the image issue. If it gets out that the members of a popular band are living such a meager existence, it will damage Casablanca's reputation."
"Doesn't the company care?" Zike frowned and clicked his tongue inwardly. Jacques Morali was really exploiting people too much.
"There's very little we can do, and we can't even take any action. We have absolutely no say in the personnel matters of the Village People. This group is wholly owned by Jacques Morali and his partner Bellolo. We are only responsible for the production, distribution, and promotion of the records, and we can hardly get involved in anything else."
"So they're not showing up today?" Judy looked a little disappointed. She had hoped to see the wildly popular band in person and take a picture with them.
"If they keep doing this, they'll abandon their upcoming promotions and tour. Is Jacques going to disband the group?"
Zik is more practical; this concerns his royalties.
"Not for now." Larry shook his head with a smile. "Village People are incredibly popular right now, with single and album sales directly rivaling KISS and Donna Summer. To be honest, we really don't want to cause trouble, and we certainly don't want to offend Jacques and Bellolo, so we can only keep quiet and pretend we didn't see anything."
However, I eventually had a frank talk with the two of them about the members' dissatisfaction. I explained that if the members really quit, they would suffer the biggest loss. Only then did they reluctantly agree to a small pay raise to appease the members temporarily.
Upon hearing that Village People could continue to earn money for him, Zeke instantly felt relieved.
He quickly asked, "Larry, where are Neil and Mr. Cooper? I need to speak with them."
Larry pointed to the second floor and said with a smile, "They're on the terrace; we can just go up there."
After saying that, he turned to Holly and started chatting, asking about the Spiders' album preparation.
Zeke nodded and led Judy up the stairs.
The stairs were covered with a soft carpet, completely absorbing the sound of footsteps. All around was quiet, and Zeke suddenly felt that a series of unusual events today were a bit off: Tino hadn't received an invitation, Village People were absent, Susan's sudden gesture of goodwill, and Larry's revelation about the band's internal strife all made him feel vaguely uneasy, but he couldn't figure out what the problem was.