Hollywood: Star Kid

On the first day of the New Year, Ryan's second single, ".fly", was officially released. Just like "he", no launch event was held for the single. After all, his first solo album would be released soon, and all the enthusiasm was better saved for that moment of eruption.

Ryan had long made it clear that all personal profits from this single would be donated to Princess Diana's charity foundation. Since this didn't touch Disney's cake, naturally, they had no objections.

The intense promotional campaign had not stopped since December. Both the quality of the single and the album gave Hollywood Records great confidence.

Ryan also demonstrated his influence among teenagers. With schools on break, record stores across the U.S. experienced a surge in business.

This song was of even higher quality than "he." After going through his voice change, Ryan's voice had become even more pleasant to listen to.

"I thought I couldn't hold on,

Life was just a melancholic song,

But now I understand the meaning of true love,

I've learned the most enduring weapon in life.

As long as I can see hope, I can succeed,

As long as I believe I can do it, nothing is impossible.

I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky,

Day and night, I envision this moment,

Spreading my wings and soaring…"

Faced with the booming sales, record store owners began playing this song in their stores, attracting even more attention.

In his previous life, this song had been the theme song for Space Jam, created for the basketball emperor. It was one of the best R&B songs in Grammy history. Although Ryan had made changes to the arrangement and reduced the Black music elements, the song's popularity remained unaffected.

Even without that movie, it would still be a hit.

As the new week arrived, Hollywood Records was buzzing with activity. Unlike before, many people now wore relaxed smiles. Since the label's founding, this was the happiest they had ever been.

Music director John Burns had arrived early at the CEO's office, waiting for the latest sales statistics.

"John, can you sit down?" said CEO Reed, dissatisfied as he sat behind his desk. "You walking back and forth is making it hard for me to focus."

"Work? You're still in the mood to work?" John Burns scoffed.

"Alright, alright, I'm anxious too…"

A knock came at the door. Reed's female secretary entered the office and handed a document to her boss.

"Is that the sales report?" John Burns didn't care about hierarchy at all and rushed to Reed's seat in two steps, leaning over to see the numbers on the paper.

1…2…6 — six digits — 211,213 copies!

Reed and John Burns let out a long breath at the same time, then revealed uncontrollable excitement. For a single to achieve such results in its first week was already outstanding.

"Unfortunately, it didn't surpass 'i.will.fly'. Compared to another song written by Ryan Jenkins, this one is clearly defeated."

"Oh, come on, John," Reed said with perspective. "In the recording industry, Ryan is still considered a newcomer. Whitney Houston is a veteran star."

"Alright, this result actually exceeds our expectations. Can we celebrate now?" John Burns looked toward the liquor cabinet. "I know you've been saving a bottle of Martell. Get it out already?"

"You sure you want to celebrate now?" Reed shoved him aside. "Don't forget, Ryan's album is about to be released!"

"I'll let you go this time. We'll celebrate when the album becomes a hit!"

Clearly, the success of this single gave John Burns great confidence.

Meanwhile, enjoying the New Year holiday, Ryan received a congratulatory call from the record company. He just smiled faintly. This song was a hit in his previous life. Selling this many copies was entirely normal. Besides, since all profits were being donated, no matter how many copies it sold, he wouldn't make a single cent.

And frankly, things like going back on donations or defaulting on charitable commitments — those were beneath him.

After hanging up, Ryan picked up a colored pencil and continued outlining a drawing. A sketch was nearly complete.

The drawing depicted a thin girl wearing a striped short-sleeved shirt. Her dark brown ** hair covered her sorrowful face. Under her bright eyes hung two trails of tears. Around her neck hung a distinctive silver sun-shaped pendant.

Ryan completed the final lines, then switched to a carbon pencil and wrote a single word: "Mathilda."

The door opened, and Nicole entered holding a few magazines. She walked over to the easel, glanced at the colored sketch, then looked at a framed photo in the glass cabinet. "This is… Nat?"

"Huh? Nicole." Ryan was a bit lost in thought while looking at the drawing and only now realized she had come over.

"Storyboard draft?" Nicole asked with curiosity. She knew Ryan was writing a script for Natalie. "Is the script done?"

"The first draft is finished," Ryan nodded. This script had been delayed for several months.

"Here." Nicole handed him the magazines. "The latest issues of Billboard and Rolling Stone."

Ryan sat aside to browse the magazines while Nicole flipped through the finished storyboard sketches, which were all drawings of a little girl clearly based on Natalie.

"Whoa~" Ryan let out a cheer. He was certainly happy that his song had achieved good results. ".fly" had taken the second-place spot, only beaten by a towering presence — Whitney Houston's "i.fly". Could it really compare to "I Will Always Love You"? Even if both songs were written by him in this lifetime, his vocals, though maturing, still had a gap compared to Whitney Houston's.

Besides, "i.fly" had the backing of Space Jam. Even though Ryan didn't like basketball, he knew that lacking the basketball emperor did affect the song's impact.

But this song mainly served as a prelude to the album. As long as it maintained its current momentum, that was enough.

".fly" was Ryan Jenkins' second single. Unlike the playful, sarcastic tone of "he", this R&B-style song had a clear inspirational vibe.

"Ryan's clear voice carries a hint of huskiness. The song's intro gives off a subdued heaviness, but as the melody progresses, his voice swells like the rising tide — tumbling, leaping — moving toward vast openness. At its peak, he soars high!"

He then flipped open Rolling Stone magazine. Compared to Billboard, Rolling Stone often focused more on the artist.

"Ryan's voice is like a spark before total darkness — full of light, hope, and pursuit — eventually reaching the light. He and his song are like meteors streaking across the dark night, displaying brilliance, or like a morning star in the darkness, guiding lost travelers."

"This song mirrors Ryan's life: beginning in darkness and coldness, gradually moving toward light, and finally soaring. It's one of the best R&B songs in history."

"From the few songs he's already released, it's obvious that this boy is overflowing with musical talent. Let's look forward to his first album!"

After reading these two magazines that practically praised him to the skies, Ryan had no interest in flipping through the rest. He went straight to the dressing room, changed into workout clothes, and dragged Nicole to the gym to play some table tennis. As the saying goes, balance between work and rest is the way to go. He had been rushing to complete Léon: The Professional lately, so now it was time to relax.

".fly" hadn't slowed its momentum. Through word-of-mouth and heavy radio play, the second week of sales didn't decline. In fact, they experienced a small surge, nearly hitting 240,000 copies sold.

Everyone at Hollywood Records was full of confidence. They now truly believed they could carve out a solid share of the record market.

Many media outlets, while praising the song, also expressed great anticipation for Ryan's debut album.

"Yes, I'm really looking forward to Ryan's first album. I hope that day comes soon. We can't wait," said a fan interviewed on TV — voicing the thoughts of many young people.

Of course, not all voices were filled with praise. Some expressed complaints.

"Ryan's songs are really good, but I want to see the fourth Harry Potter book sooner. The New Year is already well underway, and neither Ryan nor the publisher has told us the release date. I'm worried he's focusing too much on music and movies, forgetting about us readers."

Not only individuals, but also several fan organizations voiced their wishes to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as soon as possible.

At the same time, some movie fans chimed in, saying that ever since Terminator 2, Ryan hadn't taken any new acting roles. They were eager to see his excellent performances on the big screen again.

Although part of this buzz was driven by behind-the-scenes efforts from the record label and publisher, Ryan could clearly feel that his influence among American teenagers was expanding. That was a good thing, wasn't it?

By mid-January, AlienForm Magazine's publishing branch stepped up first, holding a press conference to announce that the fourth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, would hit major bookstores across North America and the UK starting February 1st.

Harry Potter fans were overjoyed and wished that tomorrow were February 1st.

However, this drew objections from Hollywood Records. The release of Goblet of Fire would significantly overlap with their album promotion timeline, and they worried it could impact sales.

"Ryan, you should consider postponing the release of Goblet of Fire!" Reed even made a special phone call to press the issue.

"I'm sorry, Reed. The contract for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was signed long ago," Ryan sighed. It was impossible to postpone it — the publishing agreement had been finalized back in October of last year.

"Isn't there any other way?" Reed still wasn't giving up.

Ryan curled his lips. He didn't believe the book and the album would hurt each other. In fact, he thought the two might even create a synergistic effect. Besides, with black-and-white contracts laid out, what did they expect him to do — pay a breach-of-contract fee?

"Reed, I've already declined the North American book signing events organized by the publisher. That's the only compromise I can offer."