Leon pulled out a chair and sat next to Kanye.
Kanye subconsciously shifted half a body length away, and the bodyguards around him tensed up even more.
They had all seen the famous music video for Billy, which featured a cast entirely made up of real street gangsters.
And right in front of them was Street Jesus, the man who firmly occupied the center spot in that MV and appeared like the ultimate boss at the end.
Facing the notorious Street Jesus, they didn't know what to do for a moment.
Just as the head bodyguard opened his mouth to say something, Kanye stopped him with a look.
Leon smiled and took out a cigarette. "Want a Huazi?"
"Huazi?" Kanye's eyes widened, his round eyeballs bursting with spirit.
The head bodyguard whispered a reminder, "Kanye doesn't smoke..."
But before he could finish, Kanye took the Huazi.
It wasn't that he didn't smoke.
It was just that compared to nicotine, he preferred the stimulation from weed and various opioids.
In this circle, there was an unwritten rule: when a rapper says they don't smoke, they're usually complaining that the stuff being offered isn't strong enough.
Kanye took the cigarette, the rich smell of flue-cured tobacco making him squint. "Bro, how do you have this? A lot of Americans aren't used to this taste, but it makes me nostalgic..."
There's a saying: adult social interactions start with a cigarette.
Leon successfully broke the ice with a cigarette.
"Nostalgic? You smoked this brand before?"
"It's like this..." Kanye's dazed eyes seemed to fall into some kind of memory. "This smell always reminds me of my childhood."
"Childhood?" Leon was even more confused.
"Yeah, I went to elementary school in China for a few years," Kanye said.
Leon completely didn't expect this connection, and the conversation between the two opened up instantly.
From cigarettes to Chinese food...
This scene shocked Phil into speechlessness.
"Bxxch," "Coward," "Snake"...
In private, Leon often casually threw these insulting words at Kanye.
Kanye's head bodyguard was equally shocked.
To smear Leon, this new generation hip-hop king had privately paid millions of dollars to troll farms.
But actually, the conflict between the two wasn't complicated.
Besides the guidance of big brother Diddy, the main reason was that Leon "signed in" with Kardashian's red lips at Diddy's party.
And that woman was the number one prey on simp Kanye's hunting list.
This kind of thing was common in the entertainment industry.
What made it hard for Kanye to let go was that it would be fine if Kardashian was with big shots like Diddy or NFL star running back Reggie Bush.
But Leon at the time was just a newcomer who had debuted for less than half a year, and was even only qualified to come to the party thanks to Beyoncé.
What right did he have?
Leon changed the subject, suddenly bringing up the Adidas endorsement issue: "Do you have inspiration for the Adidas Boost product yet?"
As soon as the question landed, Kanye's body shivered like he was taking a leak.
Realizing that they were still competitors, he quickly pulled himself out of the friendly atmosphere just now.
"Bro, I'm still looking for inspiration."
Leon continued, "Don't be nervous, this contract is in the bag for you anyway~ Everyone knows you're a design genius."
"If Adidas marketing director Thomas hadn't strongly wanted me to give it a try, I might have given up long ago."
"You know, I only fight battles I'm sure of winning."
Kanye was completely dizzied by this mix of praise and flattery.
His brain circuits were very unique. Since his debut, he had worn enough high hats like "Rap Genius" and "Next Superstar."
He was completely numb to these.
But if someone praised him as a genius philosopher, designer, or other titles outside of musician, he would be happy from the bottom of his heart.
In terms of design, Leon was a pure layman, while Kanye was already an industry veteran.
Not only did he launch the Air Yeezy 1 sneaker with Nike, but he also released a shoe named "The College Dropout" with the trendy brand Bape, named after his debut album released in 2004.
This shoe was very rare in the market, so the resale price was high.
Kanye let down his guard, crossing his arms. "Of course Bro... whether it's sports brands like Adidas and Nike, or LV and Gucci, their designs simply suck!"
"I'm going to design the most successful fashion sneaker in history for Adidas! The kind that beats AJ into the ground!"
"My inspiration is rxxing my brain right now, I can't stop at all!"
When discussing the topic of design, his face was full of arrogance, regaining a man's confidence.
His volume rose an octave, and there was light in his eyes.
"That's right Bro! I knew you were a genius designer!" The light in Leon's eyes was even more dazzling than Kanye's, like a laser radar.
Whether the other party was exaggerating was no longer important to him.
They were competitors.
As long as he stole the other party's ideas and left the other party with no way to go, wouldn't he win for sure?
As for the subsequent sales of the sneakers, Leon didn't care at all.
Selling well would be best, but the most important thing right now was to first secure that contract of 3 million dollars a year.
Kanye showed a dazed look again, staring at Leon in confusion.
He didn't understand why the other party was about to lose the contract but was even happier than himself.
Now he couldn't stop the car.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Kanye continued, "I plan to use Boost technology to design an unprecedented shoe, a sneaker that completely overturns the tone set by the AJ series!"
"I've already told Fendi designer Virgil Abloh about this idea, and soon he will start putting this great sneaker on paper based on my thoughts!"
After listening, Leon hesitated no more and struck decisively!
"You will definitely succeed Bro!"
He extended his right hand, tightly gripping Kanye's right hand and shaking it up and down.
Just like he did to Dan Reynolds, the lead singer of Imagine Dragons, at the Made in America Festival.
Kanye didn't have time to react at all before his rough black hand was tightly clasped by Leon.
Immediately after, their brains seemed connected by an invisible data cable.
Leon's consciousness invaded Kanye's inspiration treasure trove.
It was full of naked women and imaginative positions everywhere...
Besides that, he discovered that Kanye not only dreamed of being a singer and a designer...
Even becoming President was one of his goals.
In this inspiration treasure trove, there was even a campaign speech fantasized by the other party...
"Adidas..."
"Yeezy Boost series..."
Ten seconds later, Leon's consciousness returned to reality.
The head bodyguard kept shaking Kanye's body. "Kanye..."
"Fxxk! What did you do to him?"
Kanye rolled his eyes back, his thick lips twitching incessantly.
The aftereffects of being exploited were much more severe than Dan Reynolds' at the time.
Phil watched dumbfounded from the side, completely unaware of what had happened.
"I didn't do anything... maybe this guy overdosed on drugs." Leon spread his hands. "I think he'll recover soon."
About twenty more seconds passed.
Kanye's eyes refocused, and his consciousness returned to normal.
"Fxxk, what happened to me just now..."
"Man, maybe I should remind you to consume less of those damn drugs for inspiration." Leon patted the other party's shoulder. "Doing this does you no good; your genius brain itself is a treasure trove of inspiration."
This friendliness left Kanye speechless.
He stared at Leon for a long time, finally letting go of the grudge in his heart, and said sincerely, "Thank you Bro... listen, we might have had some misunderstandings before, but those are in the past..."
"It's nothing." Leon interrupted him. "It's a complicated circle, I understand, but there's nothing between Miss Kardashian and me, just pure friends."
Even experienced the close-up magic of "disappearing rolling pin" personally and you call that nothing?
This sounded a bit strange, but indeed wasn't anything fresh in this circle.
Even though hundreds of millions of people worldwide watched that famous celebrity tape, it still couldn't stop Kardashian from changing boyfriends like changing clothes.
Even more ironically, these people were invariably well-known figures in sports or entertainment.
Ever since Kanye dated model Amber Rose, his obsession with curves reached a peak.
Often some strange thoughts uncontrollably popped out of his head.
He often made his girlfriend wear revealing clothes, not minding the greedy eyes of others at all.
Leon continued, "Heard Humphries is going to get engaged to Kardashian. If you want to do something, I'll support you."
"Maybe the three of us can sit down and talk. That basketball-playing bastard can't compare to you in talent or looks!"
Kanye's heart warmed, realizing his perspective was too small.
He held Leon's hand and said sincerely, "Bro, watch out for Diddy."
Afterward, Leon simply went through the motions on stage.
Whether it was Take Me to Church or the songs from the Demons album, he had sung them to death.
The purpose of the rehearsal was to mesh with the band.
After returning to the luxury apartment in Beverly Hills, Leon pulled Robbie into his arms.
"Honey, why are you so happy?" Robbie looked confused. "Is the movie problem solved?"
"Not yet." Leon shook his head.
Although he was holding a blonde doll in his arms, his mind was full of those strange sneakers drifting about.
His gaze swept across and caught the disappointed expression on Robbie's face. "Can you ask that bastard Sam out? I want to talk to him."
"I could..." Robbie whispered. "But now doesn't seem like a good time. Director Sam hates me right now..."
"Don't you read gossip magazines?"
"Magazines?" Leon spat lightly. "Fxxk, those paparazzi only use outrageous headlines for attention. I don't have time to read that stuff."
Robbie got up and went back to the bedroom, taking out a copy of The Hollywood Reporter.
She said worriedly, "You better look at this..."
Leon took the magazine casually. Just a few pages in, he saw Robbie's eye-catching photo.
The headline read—"'Street Jesus' Leon's Girlfriend Margot Robbie aggressively pressures new 007 director Sam Mendes."
"These damn paparazzi..." Leon shook his head helplessly.
The content inside was almost identical to the actual course of events.
There are no walls that don't leak wind in the entertainment industry; nothing escapes these pervasive paparazzi.
Polished by the media, the article completely painted Robbie as a shrew making unreasonable demands relying on her boyfriend's power.
Causing the movie start to be delayed just to fight for personal screen time.
And Director Sam became a victim under the terrifying reputation of the "Al Capone of the Entertainment Industry."
"Ever since Billy became a hit, the actors on set look at me differently," Robbie said.
"How do they look at you?"
"Take Leonardo for example. He used to ask me out for afternoon tea alone frequently~" Robbie showed a playful smile. "Because of your current notoriety, he hasn't made such requests again."
"I'm not that petty," Leon said. "You're not my slave. If it's just afternoon tea, I won't interfere."
Robbie jumped on Leon like a happy rabbit, couldn't help but plant a kiss.
Leon immediately felt something was wrong; it seemed every time he faced this woman, he inevitably had to hand something over.
The sofa creaked and shook.
Twenty minutes later, Robbie snuggled on Leon's chest, drawing circles with her finger.
"If it really can't be done, forget it. I'm already happy to get this role."
Leon nodded. Judging by the current situation, there really wasn't a better solution.
Something is better than nothing.
To have even ten minutes of face time in a super IP like 007, Hollywood actresses would be willing to sacrifice everything to fight for it.
Robbie continued, "I have a date later, want to come with me?"
"A date?" Leon quipped. "If it's a guy, do you think he can still eat with me there?"
"Of course not!" Robbie raised her pink fist and punched him. "It's Miss Kate Winslet. She's wanted to meet you for a long time."
"Want to meet me?" Leon hesitated.
Although he found it hard not to be tempted by the name Kate Winslet, he always disliked participating in Robbie's nutritious-less Hollywood social events.
She became a world-class superstar with the role of Rose in Titanic, and even became the enlightenment goddess of countless teenagers.
"She's been entangled in various troubles recently. She drew a lot of strength from your songs."
Hearing this, Leon was a bit puzzled.
Although Kate's romantic history had been quite rough recently, her career was soaring.
She was winning awards until her hands went soft.
In 2009, she won the Academy Award that her partner Leonardo dreamed of.
For a top-tier mature woman who had struggled in the entertainment industry for nearly 20 years, divorce simply couldn't be called a trouble.
Robbie sighed and continued, "Regarding the issue of child custody, Miss Kate is very troubled..."
Hearing this, Leon's brain spun rapidly.
A rare word flashed in his mind—"Weakness."
For men and women in a divorce event, especially a well-off family like the Winslet couple, the child is their only weakness.
It is the last bridge for communication after a couple divorces.
Maybe this was the best opportunity to negotiate with Sam Mendes.
"I think I'd be happy to meet Miss Kate..." Leon said. "The light and shadow she left in Titanic are immortal."
Two hours later, Robbie's eye-catching Dodge Viper stopped at the entrance of a high-end British restaurant on Rodeo Drive.
The restaurant waiters followed the French example, bowing and scraping warmly from the moment they entered.
"Thank you." The waiter took Robbie's jacket and put it on the hanger. She rubbed her hands and introduced proudly, "This is my boyfriend Leon~"
Leon had just taken off his coat when he saw the blonde beauty before him.
Wearing a black turtleneck sweater, golden curly hair, hoop earrings hanging from her ears.
Her figure was curvy.
But being curvy was very different from women like Kardashian.
Kate cupped her chin, cherry-colored lipstick on her lips.
Every breath was accompanied by the rise and fall of her chest.
She looked Leon up and down with interest. "You look very different from what the entertainment magazines say..."
" The Al Capone of the entertainment industry? Maybe that's just their rhetoric to smear you..."
Leon froze for half a second, then smiled. "It's my honor to meet you."
Although Kate had long passed her prime blooming period in her twenties, every smile and frown of hers sent a message—
This woman was fully ripe.