Chapter 195: Ethan Stars in the MV

"Ethan, are you serious?!" Giorgio frowned.

"Of course. You'll get 80% of the revenue, and you won't have to worry about the promotional costs. All you need to do is handle the distribution." Ethan, having his own advertising channels, was making use of them.

"That's outrageous! If word gets out, our reputation will be ruined!" Giorgio crossed his arms, objecting.

"That's easy. We can start with a 65% agreement, and then sign a supplementary agreement for an additional 15%." Ethan immediately came up with a solution.

Giorgio remained silent for a moment. "You're something else, Ethan. Are you really that confident she'll be a huge hit?"

"It's not about being a huge hit." Ethan waved his hand. "She's going to stay popular. I believe in her talent."

"I believe in my own talent, too!" Suddenly, a voice interrupted from nearby.

Turning around, they saw Taylor Swift, who had just stepped out of the recording studio and was standing not far from them.

It was no longer fitting to call her "Little Taylor," as her body had grown quickly.

When they met last year, she was only 1.4 meters tall, but now she was already 1.6 meters. Her overall appearance had also matured a lot, and she was gradually becoming the top female singer she was destined to be.

"Ethan! This is the first time you've come to see me in months!" Taylor complained, before walking over and grabbing Ethan's hand, leading him toward the recording studio.

As they walked, she continued, "My album is already halfway done. It's almost ready for release!"

"I know, don't worry. I've already started arranging for the release, but we still need to shoot the MV."

"Right! The MV! Ethan, why don't you be the male lead in my MV?"

Ethan was taken aback. He didn't expect Taylor to ask him that and frowned. "Why?"

"Uh…" Taylor hesitated. "Well, you're handsome, so you'd be convincing as the male lead. Plus, we're familiar with each other, so maybe my performance will be better."

Ethan glanced at her, but didn't pursue it further, sensing that her reasons weren't entirely genuine.

After listening to Taylor's album, Nathan Chapman approached Ethan for his feedback.

"I don't see any problems with the songs," Ethan nodded. Nathan had done an excellent job with the album; both the instrumentals and vocals were much improved compared to Taylor's previous work.

Ethan sensed a cash cow, then turned back to look at Taylor. "But we need to set your makeup first."

"What do you mean? Don't you think my makeup looks good now?" Taylor, with a young girl's mindset, immediately misunderstood.

"No, it's great, but for the public, we need a makeup look with more impact and recognition. It'll leave a lasting impression."

"Okay, when do we do it?"

"Right now."

Ethan had already contacted Hollywood's top makeup artist, Ke Shaun, the same person who had done his Oscar look.

When Taylor walked into the makeup room, she was immediately stunned by the array of makeup tools and the staff.

"Is this the treatment top stars get?" She sat down, gazing at Ke Shaun, feeling that his makeup was already far superior to her own.

"Of course, darling!" Ke Shaun grinned, placing his hands on the chair. "You're the first one to enjoy such treatment."

"First?" Taylor asked, instinctively.

"Yep, darling. You're the first girl Ethan personally called me out for makeup."

Taylor beamed with pride upon hearing this.

"That's the smile I love, oh darling, you're making my heart melt…" Ke Shaun exaggerated as he called his assistant over.

"Alright, let's get this sweetie a gorgeous look!"

Meanwhile, Giorgio was still negotiating with Ethan.

"Ethan, I really can't agree to 80%. If it doesn't work, then you'll have to find another company for distribution." Giorgio was getting frustrated with Ethan's bold offer but his business sense held him back from being too direct.

"How much can you accept?" Ethan countered.

"Seventy percent. That's the max."

"Seventy-five percent then. Let's both make a concession."

"What? I've made two concessions already!" Giorgio was stunned by Ethan's audacity.

Ethan, however, remained calm. "You'd better think carefully. If you miss this opportunity, you might lose a lot of money."

Giorgio was once again stunned by Ethan's confidence.

Although he knew Ethan had always been confident, hearing him say such things before the song had even been released was hard to fathom.

But after listening to Taylor's music, Giorgio could tell it was good. It could be a hit.

After some thought, Giorgio hadn't set the specific split yet, but he had already made up his mind to secure the album's distribution rights.

At that moment, Taylor came out of the makeup room.

Ethan's eyes lit up as he saw her wearing a white dress, her wavy golden hair framing her face. The makeup was fresh and natural, and her eyes sparkled.

Giorgio marveled, "She looks amazing."

His comment made Taylor nod, but her gaze was still on Ethan, waiting for his opinion.

"You look great, Taylor." Ethan rubbed his chin. "But I think there's still room for improvement. Ke Shaun, make the eyeliner a bit longer, more defined. You can make the eye makeup a bit heavier, and the lipstick should be darker."

"Alright."

Taylor went back into the room, and ten minutes later, when she came out, Giorgio was surprised.

The Taylor in front of him now looked even better. Her eyeliner and red lipstick gave her a more mature appearance, shedding her youthful image.

Ethan nodded, "This looks much better."

Taylor now resembled the later version of herself, though there were still differences in face shape and temperament—after all, she was still young.

Taylor stared at herself in the mirror, somewhat mesmerized. She looked better, and it seemed Ethan really cared about her image.

Once the makeup was settled, Ethan started planning for the MV shoot.

The album was named after Taylor's full name, "Taylor Swift," with the lead single being "Tim McGraw."

Ethan didn't plan on making drastic changes to the MV; the original style suited her songs well. He just needed to adjust the shots and make them more beautiful.

However, Taylor insisted that Ethan play the male lead.

"Please, Ethan." That evening, when Ethan was driving her home, Taylor kept pleading.

Ethan, a little helpless, saw that Taylor was insistent and finally nodded. "Alright, alright. I'll do it."

"Yay!" Taylor happily threw her arms around his neck, suddenly full of energy.

Back home, her brother Austin, seeing his sister jumping around, asked from the couch, "Taylor, what's going on? Are you happy because your album has a confirmed release date?"

"Not yet! But my MV is about to start filming!" Taylor stood on the stairs and announced to her mother and brother. "Once the MV is done, my single will be released!"

"That's awesome!" Her mother, Andrea, wearing an apron and covering her mouth with both hands, said, "I can't believe I'll really get to see my daughter's MV filming. It's incredible."

"Yeah, I remember it wasn't too long ago that Taylor joined Angel Declaration." Austin shrugged. "But now I've joined Angel Declaration too, shooting for the girl groups every day. It's exhausting."

After they marveled at her news, Taylor continued, "What do you think of my makeup?"

"I was just going to say, it looks great," Austin remarked, thinking it looked better than the Angels in the hot group.

Andrea nodded. "It does look good, honey. I think it suits you."

"Of course it does. Ethan got Hollywood's top makeup artist to do it for me!" Taylor said proudly as she bounded upstairs.

That evening, when her father Scott returned home from work, Taylor showed off her makeup again and shared the news of her album release.

"Good job!" Scott said, eating his steak. "When it's out, our whole family should go together. It'll be a nice family event."

Unexpectedly, Taylor frowned. "No need. We'll just trouble Ethan."

"How could that be? We can drive ourselves and prepare our own food." Scott was oblivious to the fact that his daughter was beginning to distance herself from him.

Taylor lowered her head, eating her salad, feeling a bit disheartened.

She had originally wanted to do something a little more daring in the MV, but now it seemed that hope was lost.

Three days later, on the outskirts of New York.

There was a huge lake, a sapphire gem embedded in the ground. Ethan thought it was beautiful and clean, perfect for Taylor's MV.

Wherever he went, the camera followed, allowing him to observe the shot composition at any time.

The crew was busy setting up tripods, lighting rigs, and cranes.

The assistant director, still the familiar Jose, had been working with Ethan since they shot Nelly's MV.

He had limited ability, though, and while he was fine handling MVs, he struggled with films, so Ethan only called him for music videos.

Offstage, Taylor's family was gathered by their car, watching the MV preparations.

Taylor, meanwhile, was in the crew's car getting her makeup done.

Once her makeup was finished, the makeup artist called Ethan in for his makeup.

Ethan's makeup was simple; it was just a matter of tidying his hair to make him look younger.

After he finished and stepped out, everyone who saw Ethan was quite surprised.

He looked incredibly young. Though they knew their boss wasn't that old, after his hair was styled, his beard shaved, and a little makeup applied, Ethan looked like a high school student.

"Really handsome!" Taylor, watching from the side, was so enchanted she almost had stars in her eyes. She was glad she hadn't made the wrong choice.

"Is everything ready?" But as soon as Ethan spoke, everyone snapped out of it.

"Ready!"

"Then let's start shooting."

Ethan sat in front of the camera. The MV was divided into two main parts: one where Taylor Swift sang alone by the lakeside, and another featuring their intimate interactions.

They first shot Taylor's solo part.

And this time, Taylor quickly understood why Ethan was called a "set tyrant."

"Mos! Your lighting is off! If you make such a rookie mistake again, I'll hang you from the lights!"

"Props, I asked for a brown guitar, why is it black? FXXK! Go find one!"

"No? How about you paint your body brown and let Taylor use you as a guitar! If there's none, go buy one! Let's shoot the next scene!"

"Taylor! Don't sing so softly. Sing louder! You're heartbroken, not enjoying yourself!"

"Don't put your hand on your thigh, it makes you look like a long-armed ape! Too stiff!"

"Stop these useless little movements, follow my directions strictly!"

"Don't hesitate! When I say 'OK,' that's when you should leave the position. Got it?"

"SHXT, don't jump up!"

Taylor felt a little aggrieved. This was the first time she had been scolded so harshly, not even a producer would talk to her like that.

But she still managed to complete her scenes well because she didn't want anyone to see her give up.

However, in her heart, she wondered if Ethan didn't care at all about her feelings.

But when the scene shifted to their part together, her mindset changed again.

"Lean in together, yes, Ethan, you need to hold Taylor." Jose directed their positioning according to Ethan's storyboard, but as Ethan looked over at Taylor's family, who were happily watching from a distance, he couldn't help but smile.

He felt like he was doing something morally questionable.

On the other hand, Taylor was fully immersed in the scene. She leaned in to hug Ethan's neck, gave him a light kiss, then faced the camera and continued singing.

But Ethan immediately shouted "Cut!"

Taylor thought she had made a mistake and was about to explain when she saw Ethan rush over to the monitor.

A few seconds later, after reviewing the footage, Ethan cursed, "That was awful, just SHXT! Let's do it again!"

Everyone nearby couldn't help but laugh, feeling that the director was so harsh even on himself.

Taylor felt much better after hearing that. It turned out Ethan wasn't targeting her; he was just being realistic.

"OK, let's redo this shot!" Jose called out with a smile, and everyone eagerly awaited to see how many times Ethan would want to redo a take when he was acting himself.

However, that thought was quickly dashed a few minutes later.

Ethan quickly got into character. In front of the camera, after Taylor kissed him, he gently stroked her hair, gazing at her with loving eyes before looking off into the distance.

He looked just like a real lover, and no one could find fault with it.

"Alright, this take is good!" Jose, watching the handsome couple on screen, thought Ethan really should try acting. He might even win an Oscar.

But obviously, Ethan didn't have that idea. He just wanted to finish the shoot quickly to avoid Taylor getting too handsy.

This girl had almost gotten her hand inside his shirt already. Ethan felt like she wasn't acting but was playing for real!