Alex had also been sleep-deprived these past few days, and soon he was snoring along with Eric.
I don't know how much time had passed, but I was sleeping soundly when I was suddenly awakened by a loud argument outside. In my drowsy state, I only heard a series of swear words starting with F.
"What's wrong?"
He rubbed his eyes and got up. Eric had opened the recording studio door and was leaning against the doorframe watching the commotion. No wonder he had been woken up.
Eric turned around, put his index finger to his lips as if to say something, and then tossed over a colorful piece of paper.
It turns out to be the cassette cover for Lowry's first album. The design isn't particularly outstanding. The main character, Lowry, is dressed in a hip-hop style, holding a microphone in one hand and pointing coolly forward with the other. The title below is Lowry's full name: 'Lowry II'.
Alex thought for a while before realizing the implied meaning of the cover: 'Al has nothing to do with the new album.' You see, the promotional posters in Old Joe's music hall have always featured Lowry and Al. Lowry is the main focus, but Al can't be ignored. But now...
He listened carefully, and sure enough, the person shouting outside was El.
As I walked over to Eric, I saw many new album covers and lyric sheets scattered in the hallway outside, seemingly discarded by someone.
Picking up a lyric sheet, Alex remembered that the new album originally had fifteen songs, plus his thrift shop, making a total of sixteen. But this lyric sheet only had lyrics for thirteen songs, meaning that old joe had secretly removed three songs, and these three songs…
He racked his brains for a moment, and sure enough, the songs that were removed were the three that had the strongest presence on El's record.
Just then, Carl ran past the door, and three seconds later, El's cursing stopped abruptly.
"Wow…" Eric followed.
Alex hid behind him.
In Old Joe's office, the messy furnishings were broken all over the floor. Al, with bloodshot eyes, was tightly restrained by Karl, who also gagged him with his hand. But he still refused to give up and kept twisting his body trying to break free, while his feet were still trying to reach towards Old Joe.
Joe, Pablo, Lowry, Tony, and others were all there. There were several clear footprints on Joe's pink suit. Lowry, who was being protected by Tony, had a blank expression and seemed to be thinking about something.
"Calm down, Al!" Pablo kept trying to persuade him. "This is a decision we've made after careful consideration, and it's good for everyone! You also want the new album to be a big hit, right? As long as the new album does well, it's actually a good thing for you. It's only three songs, and you're in the other songs…"
After a few minutes, perhaps having gained a deeper understanding of Karl's fighting prowess, El finally gave up struggling and gradually calmed down.
"Let him go," Pablo waved his hand.
Carl released his hand.
"BullSHXT!" Al had indeed calmed down, straightening his disheveled clothes. "If I hadn't accidentally seen the samples sent by the factory, would you have kept it from me until the new album release? Don't just say nice things, you're all liars! I was blind."
"Hey! It's not a matter of cheating or not, business is business," Pablo said.
"Yay, yay..."
Pushing Carl aside, Al walked out, saying, "I've seen through you all. You rich and powerful N*Gs, you call us 'family' and 'brothers' all the time, but when it comes down to it, all you know how to do is spout that white guy 'Business is business' nonsense..."
"Hey!" Pablo tried to call out to him, "Where are you going? The promotion for the new album is about to start!"
"Don't even dream about having me in your publicity!"
Pablo's temper flared up too. "Stop fooling around, you idiot! I'm your manager, you have to follow my instructions!"
"You've been fired."
El didn't turn around, leaving everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.
"That idiot!" Pablo cursed.
Old Joe took off his pink suit jacket and sat back down at his desk. "You have to keep him in line. We can't let him go out and talk nonsense right now."
"How am I supposed to handle this! It's all because of your terrible idea!" Pablo unbuttoned two buttons at the top of his shirt collar and circled around a few times. "You!" He snapped his fingers at Tony, "Go and persuade him to come back. If you really can't, at least keep him calm!"
"What can I do..." Tony muttered, seeing that Pablo was about to get angry again, he had no choice but to chase after him.
"Nobody's buying into hip-hop beatboxing anymore. Even without APLUS's new song, I'm actually planning to reduce Al's presence on the album." Old Joe told the truth. "Lowry's target audience is young women, and Al's looks are just a nuisance."
"People who are ugly have no rights!"
Alex thought to himself, after hearing this, his life should get back on track. He had nothing to do with the new album promotion, and Pablo and Little Lowry even needed to deliberately downplay his influence on the song "thrift Shop". So, the credit program was restarted!
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. When he returned home, he saw Al again. He and Tony were playing Super Mario in the room.
The two guys played until midnight and still wouldn't stop. Al gradually calmed down and started talking more and more, even shouting and yelling with Tony.
Alex lay on the bed, on the verge of tears. He had just bought the Famicom and the small TV from the second-hand market, and now he deeply regretted it.
I can't sleep at all; I feel like I'm being brainwashed by the clinking sounds of coins being collected in the game.
Of his $4,500 income, $2,500 went to buying a car and other used items. He gave $500 to his Aunt Susie, and deposited the remaining $1,500 in the bank, which bought him a checkbook. He hadn't yet decided how to spend it. He had also specifically inquired about taxes; his income from January to April of this year would be taxed in April of next so there was no need to rush.
The next Flash back was uncertain, and according to his agent, Hayden, record royalties couldn't be expected to be settled quickly; delays of a year or two were common. Especially after the Al incident, Alex had gained a deeper understanding of Old Joe and Pablo's integrity. He instructed Hayden to keep a close eye on the royalties and prevent them from engaging in any underhanded tactics. This was also closely related to Hayden's own interests. He assured Alex that he shouldn't worry, as they were backed by a top-tier American agency, and William Morris was no pushover—that was the advantage of signing with a major company.
At 2 PM, the two brothers in front of the TV still showed no signs of stopping.
"Hey, Al."
Alex decided he couldn't let them get away with it any longer, otherwise his academic aspirations would be in jeopardy. "What are your plans next?" he asked.
"I haven't decided yet."
Al put down the controller. "I'll just keep working at the restaurant and keep getting by. I don't have any gang connections, so I can't do anything to them. I'll just treat it as a dream of becoming a star."
"WTF, so Zen?" Alex thought to himself. But as long as Al doesn't cause trouble or go out and talk nonsense to the media, it's actually in his best interest. After all, he's really afraid of this kind of negative news during the album promotion period, and since the number of songs on Little Lowry's album has decreased, the percentage of royalties he can get has increased.
"You're a good brother, it's okay. I'll talk to Lori later, we're all family." Tony was thick-skinned. "Go back and apologize to Pablo, say you were just saying things in anger during the day…"
"Don't you understand?" Al was shrewd. "I made such a scene during the day, and Lori didn't say a word. Don't you know his attitude? The album went from being for both of us to being for him alone. He's the biggest beneficiary. Business is business. Pablo has clearly abandoned me."
"Uh…" Tony didn't know what to say. "It's okay, brother. You should rest for a couple of days and think it through." He then said to Alex , "Al doesn't want to stay at Little Lowry's anymore. He can sleep in my bed for the next few days. I'll go stay at Little Lowry's."
"What!?"
Alex looked at El, who had picked up the controller and continued his "battle," with a puzzled expression, and helplessly covered his head with the blanket.