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With the mentor lineup of 50 Cent, Kanye, and Cardi B, plus Kim Kardashian as the host, Leon basically finalized the team for the show.
Each person had a vastly different personality, and each had their own unique skills.
The quality of the contestants remained unknown for now, but this mentor lineup guaranteed that the show would be full of drama.
That was exactly what the public loved to see.
"I'll handle Kanye. The script and other issues are up to you; you're the professional when it comes to reality shows," Leon said.
Sean was already overwhelmed with joy. The surprise from the boss was too big—handing the chief director job directly to him.
He immediately patted his chest and promised: "Don't worry, I'll build a top-tier team to handle these things."
Time was tight. Leon gave Sean less than half a month to prepare.
Within half a month, he had to secure the filming crew, script team, prop team, and filming location.
The show's promotional campaign would also proceed simultaneously.
If everything went smoothly, the pilot episode could air as early as the end of August, just catching the tail end of the summer season.
With the The Rap of America project moving from a PPT to reality, Leon was in a great mood.
He bought a bunch of ingredients at an Asian supermarket, wanting to cook a Chinese meal to reward himself.
Although there were many Chinese restaurants near Tribeca, due to the high rent, most were fast food joints.
They added sugar and oil like they were free, catering to the white palate.
No matter what ingredients went into the wok, what came out was a plate of batter-fried sugar-oil mixture.
He skillfully cut the pork belly into cubes and prepared various auxiliary ingredients.
Americans had no idea how to handle this cut of meat; most chose to smoke it into bacon.
Thanks to online tutorials and a unique affinity for Chinese food deep in his soul, the entire cooking process was very smooth. Even the most difficult step of caramelizing sugar went without a hitch.
After adding the seasonings, he added water and covered the pot.
The rest was left to time.
Leon casually turned on the TV, collapsed onto the sofa, and started scrolling through social media.
He sent a picture to Kim Kardashian on Facebook—that famous photo of her balancing milk on her butt.
She replied almost instantly with a shy emoji.
"You can be shy?" Leon was highly skeptical of this and replied: "Amazing butt, it conquered the world."
Half a minute later, Kardashian replied: "Thank you so much! And Mr. Sean! I didn't expect this set of photos to get so much attention."
As soon as this sexy photo set came out, it triggered crazy ridicule from global netizens on Twitter: "The Photoshop is too fake," "Such a big butt is unbearable to look at," "Looks like a magic pagoda candy"...
But Kardashian didn't care at all; she only cared about traffic.
For traffic, she didn't even care about the leak of her sex tape, let alone a set of photos.
Seeing this, Leon quickly typed on the screen: "You have an opportunity to work with me and Sean again right now. Are you interested?"
Kardashian replied instantly with a string of messages: "Of course!" "Oh my God, I'm so happy!" "How do you want me to repay you?"
She didn't even ask about the content of the work, which was exactly as Leon had guessed.
Traffic is the lifeblood of the Kardashian family, and Leon is a traffic machine.
No woman in the Kardashian family would refuse an opportunity to work with Leon.
Leon kept her in suspense and replied: "You'll know soon. I'll have my secretary send the job offer to your email later."
"I'm looking forward to it~ Just as much as I looked forward to our first [intimate contact] at Diddy's party." Kardashian used a red lip emoji, full of teasing.
When Leon saw this message, Kanye's dazed expression flashed through his mind.
He changed the subject and asked: "How are your two sisters? How have they been recently?"
Kardashian replied: "Haha, they had a falling out~ Kendall has been showing off about filming the MV with you to others! Kylie didn't speak to her for three days because of this."
Just as Leon was chatting happily with Kardashian, the doorbell rang.
Through the peephole, he saw Taylor.
As soon as he opened the door, Taylor threw herself into Leon's arms and planted a lipstick mark on his face. "I'm back, Honey~"
"Why so sudden?"
Leon was a bit confused. He chatted with Taylor on social apps every day.
Her updates were still stuck on last night's concert in Toronto, yet she was back in New York by noon today.
This meant Taylor hadn't rested for a moment.
"I missed you~ Don't you miss me?" Taylor said while taking off her boots, eyeing Leon like a fox.
Leon's mind immediately went to the possibility of a "surprise inspection."
His intimate behavior with Beyoncé at the charity dinner in Los Angeles had been noticed by many celebrities present.
And Taylor was famously popular, with many friends in both the entertainment and modeling industries.
It wouldn't be surprising if such news reached her ears.
However, this was more of a joke. Beyoncé was the guide for Leon's music career, a fact known to everyone in the industry.
"Of course, I think about you every day," Leon said. "But why didn't you tell me in advance that you were coming back?"
"I wanted to give you a surprise~" Taylor pouted, then suddenly, as if discovering something, her eyes sparkled:
"It smells so good. What is that smell?"
"I'm cooking." Leon pointed towards the kitchen, where steam was rising from the pot of braised pork.
"You? Cooking?" Taylor's eyes widened round as if hearing a terrifying ghost story.
"Is that strange?" Leon reached out and ruffled her blonde hair. "I'm a kid who grew up in Brownsville, not like you girls from wealthy families who get fed when hungry and clothed when cold... In the community where I grew up, you have to rely on yourself for everything."
He kept a serious face while saying this, not mentioning a word about the days he spent freeloading at Bonnie's rental apartment.
"Alright~ I really want to taste what weird flavor your cooking has." lectured like this, Taylor rolled her eyes.
"No problem. I'm just worried you'll fall in love with that taste and pester me to cook for you every day." Leon glanced at his watch. "It needs about another half hour."
"That long? Are you conducting some terrible experiment?" Taylor teased.
American white cuisine pursues speed and rarely uses stewing methods.
Dishes cooked by stewing are generally considered big meals, more common at weddings and holiday dinners.
"Chinese food. I told you I like Chinese food," Leon explained.
"Now I'm looking forward to it even more~" Taylor walked into the living room and casually threw her handbag on the sofa. "I haven't eaten anything yet to catch the flight."
While speaking, she suddenly noticed the Elder Wand displayed in the living room cabinet.
Taylor took the wand down curiously. "Is this the first edition Elder Wand you bought for $1 million?"
"That's right."
Taylor showed a look of wonder, constantly playing with the Elder Wand in her hand.
Obviously, she was also a fan of the Harry Potter series.
Suddenly, as if thinking of something, her face turned from sunny to cloudy. "You stingy guy never gave me any gifts..."
No woman dislikes gifts, even if that person is Taylor Swift.
Leon took the wand from Taylor. "I'll give you a gift right now. You've seen Harry Potter, so you know the Elder Wand possesses the most powerful magic in the world, right?"
Taylor nodded, full of curiosity about the mysterious gift.
Leon pointed the Elder Wand at himself, slowly moving it towards his lower body, chanting, "This magical power can change everything... including our bodies, allowing humans to break through the shackles of flesh..."
His mystical words confused Taylor until her gaze locked onto where the Elder Wand was pointing.
She immediately realized the magic he was talking about was the "Engorgio" spell.
"Leon!" A blush spread like wildfire from her fair neck up to her face.
There's an old saying in the East: "A short separation beats a newlywed phase," and America has the slang "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
Looking at Taylor's girlish shyness, Leon felt his throat burn.
He threw the Elder Wand onto the sofa, suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist, and pinned her onto the sofa.
Taylor's voice was as faint as silk, every breath accompanied by a hot current. "Give it to me..."
The two were so engrossed in their emotions that they forgot about the braised pork stewing in the pot.
"Crap..." Remembering this, Leon quickly got up and lifted the lid. "It's okay..."
If it had stewed for a few more minutes, the sauce in the pot would have dried up.
The state was just right now.
"This..." Seeing the oily meat chunks, Taylor hesitated to stick her fork in.
Leon skillfully picked up chopsticks and started eating. "Try it; it's not as greasy as you think."
Pork has long been considered an unhealthy ingredient in the eyes of celebrities.
Taylor didn't want to ruin the atmosphere, so she braced herself, picked up a piece of meat, and took a cautious bite.
Her originally awkward expression instantly relaxed, and her eyes lit up. "It seems pretty good..."
After the first taste, the German genes in her body seemed to be activated.
A plate of braised pork was quickly polished off.
"I think I've reached my calorie intake goal for three days..." Taylor lay on the sofa clutching her stomach, looking like she had given up on life.
As much as she enjoyed eating it, she was suffering now.
"Eat whatever you want; you're too thin now." Leon played with Taylor's thigh.
"Don't lie to me." Taylor huffed softly. Her plump thighs had been a sore point for a long time.
As long as she didn't pay attention to weight management for a while, the thigh issue would be brought up and mocked by haters.
"I really think so. The user experience is great," Leon said solemnly.
A flush flashed across Taylor's fair face.
She quickly turned her head away to change the subject. "Want to go out for a movie together?"
"A movie?"
Leon was a bit surprised. He didn't expect the popular diva to be obsessed with such a simple dating method.
"The final chapter of Harry Potter is showing. Aren't you a Harry Potter fan too?" Taylor said. "Emma Watson invited me to the movie premiere a few days ago, but I was busy flying to Canada then, you know~"
The popular Taylor was also best friends with British actress Emma Watson.
But Leon didn't like this woman at all.
Although the two had no contact, Emma often made some laughable remarks on social media.
For example, a true independent woman must discard any feminine traits.
Even if a woman is very successful in her career, as long as she has a hot body, she cannot be called an independent woman.
A hot body is a submission to male aesthetics.
In short, "big boobs are guilty."
This led to tension between her and J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, who is a conservative.
In addition, she often showed off her scholar persona on social media.
Emma claimed to be accepted by both Oxford and Cambridge, but she eventually chose Brown University, an Ivy League school that "reached new heights of leftism."
However, it is common knowledge that one cannot apply to Oxford and Cambridge at the same time. Besides the UCAS system not allowing it, there are objective factors such as high admission requirements and long assessment times for these two universities.
These two universities are the only ones requiring the submission of a personal statement before October 15th each year.
But dislike aside, Leon had no right or ability to interfere with Taylor's social circle.
He could only pray that she wouldn't be led astray by these crazy leftists.
The two arrived at an AMC theater in Lower Manhattan and were immediately shocked by the scene before them.
Posters and promotional images for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 were everywhere in the theater.
The two main actors, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, had completely lost the innocence and naivety of the first movie.
The former indulged in alcohol, and the latter was a demonized leftist, often exposed in drug scandals.
Even the most advanced makeup techniques couldn't cover the emptiness in their pupils.
They were no longer the original Harry and Hermione.
There was a long line at the ticket window; tickets for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 were hard to come by.
"Looks like we won't be able to see this movie today." Taylor pushed up her sunglasses and pouted helplessly.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 took in nearly $170 million in North American box office in its opening weekend.
The midnight screening harvested $43.5 million, breaking the $30 million record of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse;
Opening day $92.1 million, breaking the $72.7 million record of The Twilight Saga: New Moon;
Breaking the $116 million 3D movie opening week record of Alice in Wonderland;
Breaking the $158.4 million July opening record of The Dark Knight.
Although it shattered a series of records, as the final chapter of a super IP series, this result was not surprising.
Warner Bros. President Jeff had set a global box office goal of $1 billion.
"I have a way." Leon smirked, having anticipated this situation.
He looked around the theater and finally fixed his gaze on a sneaky Mexican man.
Scalping is an ancient profession, existing as early as the Roman era.
In the Colosseum, merchants could obtain seats originally reserved for Senate nobles through scalpers.
He walked over to the man, and a minute later, he held two IMAX tickets in his hand. "Done~ Let's go in."
During the movie, Leon's attention was never on the plot, but focused on the shooting techniques and technology.
Since almost all viewers knew the ending of the story, the level of filmmaking became incredibly important.
The final chapter of Harry Potter continued the high standards of the series. Magnificent special effects, shocking grand scenes—every frame burned with the smell of money.
"Oh my God..." When seeing Snape killed by Nagini on Voldemort's orders, Taylor covered her mouth.
The character of Snape was extremely charismatic, and many die-hard Harry Potter fans in the theater shed tears over his fall.
Seeing Leon indifferent to this scene, Taylor asked curiously: "Don't you like the character Snape?"
Leon shook his head.
"Then who is your favorite character, Voldemort?"
"No, it's Harry Potter."
This answer surprised Taylor greatly. She stunned for a few seconds and asked: "Why?"
Leon tilted his head. "Because he is the final winner."
"By the way, he also had three kids."