Chapter 112: The Big News You Want

[Chapter 112: The Big News You Want]

"Maybe I got a little too excited, and since it was an internal forum, they might have spoken a bit boldly. You're not mad at the fans, are you?" Ryan said as he glanced at Taylor next to him. Taylor took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Of course not. It's all in good fun."

"That's a relief," Ryan replied as he typed away on the keyboard.

[Ryan: Heard someone wants to play some games?]

[5854: me!]

[10000: +1]

[167: +1]

The screen was filled with responses, and Taylor promptly shut her laptop, throwing herself onto Ryan and wrestling playfully with him.

However, just moments later, a new message appeared, and they both returned to their computers.

[3: Didn't expect it to be so lively here!]

[Ryan: Hello!]

What else is there to say? Just come and see.

...

"60K to buy a forum activation code? That's like a family's income for a year or even two," Taylor remarked, slightly astonished.

"Sometimes that amount might be pocket change for someone," Ryan casually replied. The differences in wealth among people could be astronomical.

"Calculating this way, the number of women who could afford such a price is very limited, and the user location is Arkansas, right?" Taylor speculated.

Ryan nodded in confirmation.

Taylor quickly typed "Arkansas, wealthy people, women," into Google.

"I think I know who it is!" Taylor exclaimed as the search results appeared.

Ryan barely glanced at it, not too concerned.

"Let's not forget, even if we're just speculating, if it really is her, she wouldn't want her identity to be exposed," Ryan said.

Taylor nodded in agreement. That was true. Ryan and this influential figure were merely singer and fan; she simply admired his talent and was showing her support.

"How much did you make this time?" Taylor looked at the scrolling screen and rejoined the chat.

"The serial number '3' sold for $60,000, plus I have about a dozen other sweet numbers which add up to around $20,000, and the first weekend standard edition sold around 60,000 digital copies, but I'm still waiting on the physical album sales. Assuming a 50-50 split, plus about 30,000 collectible editions..."

"Estimated gross profit...32+26+59+8, $1.25 million."

Taylor had her elbows on the table, but this news made her drop her arms down.

"Wait, how did it come to that much?" Taylor was genuinely shocked.

"The profit mainly comes from the collectible editions, and this is just an estimated gross profit; the physical sales might not be that high," Ryan explained, pulling Taylor closer.

Taylor knew that normally, collectible editions wouldn't sell that many, especially an EP collectible version -- no one had done that before. But Ryan had come up with the idea for a limited-time sale, and now that the news of the beta activation codes had dropped, the price of those numbers surged.

Ryan had clearly thought through every detail before implementing the plan step by step.

"Who could sell more than you?" Taylor pretended to sulk, though she wasn't genuinely upset. She was thrilled Ryan was doing so well; she just felt the pressure with her new album about to drop. This was Ryan's first big move since acquiring Big Machine Records, affecting not only his investments but her career as well.

"It doesn't matter how much you sell; just don't let the pressure get to you," Ryan encouraged, using his hands to gesture smoothly in the air. With Taylor's current following and the quality of her new album, losing money was out of the question -- only the amount she earned was up for debate.

"Hmm..." Taylor bit her lip and slowly closed her eyes.

Ryan guided Taylor to turn around and kneeled on the couch.

Taylor braced herself on the table, hastily covering the keyboard.

...

[13: (Twenty characters of nonsense)]

[13: (Thirteen characters of nonsense)]

[13: (Five characters of nonsense)]

The chat room quickly filled with gibberish messages.

[5854: Let's begin! Ryan and Tyler are on it!]

[167: Start what?]

[22222: What else could it be? It must be a game between adults.]

[10000: It's only 7 PM; young people have so much energy.]

[9864: Watching!]

[3: Watching!]

[15: Watching!]

[5854: Starting the timer, 1, 2, 3, 100...]

[167: Go, Ryan!]

[8733: Go, Ryan!]

...

Amidst the chaos, Taylor kicked back, accidentally pushing the laptop aside. She didn't even realize she hit a button while setting the computer off; the laptop camera turned on. The angle was off, so only Ryan could be captured in the picture, and only half of his body.

But that half was more than enough to imply everything.

...

[10000: Holy crap! Is this what an internal forum looks like?]

[167: !!!!!!!]

[5854: I'll go grab something.]

[3: That $60K was well spent!]

[22222: OMG, I didn't know Ryan was this amazing.]

[15: Wow, big show!]

[14: Who are you, 15?]

[15: And you are?]

[14: Private chat.]

...

The room was dimly lit, screen light illuminating everything, making it hard to see Ryan's face. There was no microphone or sound. The fans were just filling in the gaps with their imaginations. It wasn't long before Ryan got off the computer, and the camera captured him for less than a minute.

About an hour later.

...

"It's so hot; I'm sweating buckets," Taylor said hurriedly, fanning herself and nudging Ryan with her foot.

"Go grab me something to drink."

Ryan stood up and returned with two cans of soda.

Taylor gulped down half a bottle and let out a satisfied burp before rubbing her stomach.

"I can feel this heat running through me. Ryan, what do you think about creating a big news story to coincide with the album release?"

"Breaking up?" Ryan quipped nonchalantly as he sipped his soda.

Taylor sat up straight in surprise. "You really think that?"

Her tone changed.

"If you dare to leave me, I swear I'll...!" Taylor pretended to aim and jokingly poked Ryan in the forehead. Her voice was eerily calm, even a bit chilling.

"I was suggesting a fake breakup. You wanted a big news story, right? Besides, we're already tied together; how could we break up?" Ryan wrapped her in a comforting embrace.

"That's more like it," Taylor nodded. "The big news I was thinking of is... that kind of news." She felt a bit embarrassed.

"Unexpected pregnancy? That's a good idea," Ryan responded promptly, then added, "If you're releasing an album every two years, you owe me six kids. We could have a year off for each one."

"Cut it out; do you take me for a machine?" Taylor laughed, playfully poking Ryan's side.

After goofing off for a bit, Taylor lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Time's running out; the new album is about to drop."

"And you are not fit to be a mother now," Ryan said matter-of-factly, thinking that Taylor was just immature and that's why she said that.

Taylor, who was not even 20 years old, missed the implication in Ryan's words. She simply pondered aloud, "And being pregnant would definitely affect work. Plus, raising a kid is so much effort; it's easier to have a cat."

Ryan shook his head. "No need for any big news; I have faith in your songs."

"Yeah." Taylor nodded. The MV for her second single was getting ready to shoot, and she had already scheduled a time with Ryan. He was still set to play the lead role, and this time she wanted to showcase two characters in the MV.

At that moment, Ryan stood up and walked back over to the computer, turning on the screen.

"Taylor."

"What's up?" Taylor said, twirling her golden hair with her fingers.

"The big news you were hoping for may have just arrived!" Ryan's voice trembled slightly for the first time.

*****

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