Manhattan Reborn 1978

new York.

42 Eighth Avenue, at the intersection of Eighth Avenue and 660nd Street, Manhattan.

Zina Osevia Art Store, second floor.

John Houston, his wife Cissy Houston, and their daughter Whitney Houston sat side by side on the couch, looking down at the contract in their hands while listening to the meticulous lawyer's explanation.

Mr. Bachwin, nicknamed "Moospot", also held a contract in his hand and looked at it.

Zina and her old friend Aretha Franklin were sitting by the window not far away, drinking rich Brazilian coffee in the morning light.

Aretha turned her head and glanced at the high-rise buildings outside the window, smiled and sighed: "You will still enjoy it!"

Zina said with a hint of laziness: "I'm just taking a break from my busy schedule."

"Oh?" Aretha put down her coffee cup and asked curiously.

"I've been here a few times, but haven't I seen your group of friends coming over?"

Zina lowered her head and took a sip of coffee, raised her eyebrows and smiled: "Business is business, friendship is friendship."

"You said you came here several times and never bought anything!"

"..." Aretha was speechless.

She picked up her small bag next to her, took out her wallet from it, and "showed" it to Xina.

"At the end of last month, I have been using my credit card to get by..."

"If I don't get paid this month, I won't even be able to pay the electricity bill at home."

Zina was so surprised that her smile disappeared, and she frowned and asked, "Clive Davis, the president of Arista Records, hasn't settled your performance payment yet?"

"No.."

"Didn't Clive Davis give you a huge signing bonus?"

"That money has been spent long ago~"

"Um...where are the singles recorded in the Power Plant studio last time?"

"You also earned a reward for teaching Madonna!"

"The money is gone too?"

Aretha said nothing, took out a few more bills from her wallet and threw them on the small table.

Zina glanced at them, shook her head slightly and sighed: "This weekend, one of my friends is hosting a birthday dinner."

"If you don't mind..."

"Okay!"

"How much can he give?"

"About 1000 knives..."

Aretha couldn't help curling her lips and said: "Another stingy rich man... Huh?"

Zina doesn’t think so: “A few years ago, if you were willing to attend such a private birthday party, everyone would probably be waving a check worth tens of thousands of dollars.”

"But now you only need to sing one song, and I will give you 1000 dollars."

"That's a lot!"

Aretha also understood the dilemma she had been in for the past two years. She put away her wallet and bills silently, jokingly with a wry smile on her lips.

"Can I get more money if I sing more songs?"

"..." Zina didn't answer immediately. She thought about it seriously and nodded lightly.

"I can help you fight for it~"

"However, don't put too much hope in it."

"My friend has made it clear that he will ask Frank Sinatra to come over and sing some songs for free..."

"That old bastard?!"

"Hasn't he been touring California and Las Vegas to make money?"

"Are you actually willing to do it for free this time?" Aretha complained angrily.

"Haha~" Zina smiled without saying a word, picked up the coffee and took a sip.

No one is to blame for her old friend's current predicament, she can only blame herself for playing a good hand of cards to pieces. .

. . .

"Bell bell~"

Just when the lawyer had finished explaining all the terms of the contract and was about to get Whitney's father, John Houston, to sign, the phone rang rapidly.

Zina seemed to have been paying attention to the phone. When she heard it ringing, she immediately ran over and picked up the phone.

"Yes, it's me."

"Okay...Okay!"

"How long will it take you to arrive?"

"So fast?"

"Okay~ I will always be in the store."

Putting down the phone, Zina glanced at a few people excitedly, then looked at her old friend Aretha and smiled.

"The artwork I obtained from my friends in Paris will be arriving soon."

"Do you want to stay and enjoy it with me?"

"Uh... forget it~" Aretha thought for a while and finally shook her head.

"I'm not interested."

"Hahaha~"

Zina smiled and waved to Mr. Bachwin and others, then went downstairs by herself.

----

Southeast Texas, Houston.

West of downtown, 19 Piney Point Village, Piney Point Village, Memorial District.

David stood on the street and extended his hand to Bill Gutfreund and smiled.

"You came all the way here, stayed for just one day and then left? Do you want to be a trapeze artist?"

Bill smiled and shook his head, held David's hand and shrugged, teasing: "Are you talking about the Superman who wears red underwear outside?"

"Hahaha~" David smiled and hugged Bill, whispered a few words, and watched him get into the car.

Otis Parker walked up to David from a short distance away, with a calm expression but some "emotion" in his voice and tone, and asked.

"Beetle and I have arranged the matters at hand... Are you sure you want me to go?"

"Yes!" David nodded without any hesitation and said with sincere eyes.

"I can't think of a more suitable candidate than you for this trip to Paris."

"...Okay!" Mr. Parker was stunned for a few seconds, controlled his expression well, showed a gentlemanly smile, and asked in a low voice.

"Cowardly, is it also your disguise?"

"..." David rolled his eyes helplessly, pointed at his heart, and said with a wry smile.

"I never thought that I would always be favored by Lady Luck and God..."

"Most people who drown are good swimmers..."

"Similarly, most people who think they are smart will make the stupidest decisions in the world."

"Otis, you and me too!"

"..." The smile on Mr. Parker's lips "frozen." .

He turned to look at Bill Gutfreund sitting in the car and nodded silently.

David stepped forward and held Mr. Parker's arm, and said meaningfully: "If you just want to stand outside the fence and be an audience, I respect your wishes."

"No!" Mr. Parker suddenly exuded an inexplicable aura and shook his head slightly.

"I'm tired of being an audience member."

David opened his arms and smiled: "The world's largest amusement park has opened its doors~ Even if you know the brightness and darkness inside, you still have an obsession with it?"

The smile on Mr. Parker's lips became "vivid" again, he nodded and said, "What do you need me to do?"

"Do what you have to do."

"that's it?"

"Correct!"

David looked around, lowered his arms and showed a bored and helpless expression: "The Social Darwin school tells us that we must use the perspectives of survival competition and natural selection to explain the laws of social development and the relationship between humans."

"American society is based on the survival of the fittest!"

"Because these people who left their hometowns and came to the United States are all the strongest and most ambitious people."

"But in my opinion, true social Darwinism is a collection of related social theories, just like existentialism is a general term for some closely related philosophical thoughts, not a separate philosophy."

"A person who can truly possess this kind of wisdom must have gained it through constant trial and error while accepting life challenges and seeking spiritual balance."

"For example: He will gradually learn to question the rules of the world we live in and allow himself to see in them most of the rules that are based on nonsense passed down from generation to generation."

"Then, he will try to build a prototype of his own spiritual and ideological world, and learn to consciously accept or reject universal rules, thereby accelerating his own growth."

"But... it's a pity!"

David glanced at Elena who was standing not far away, shrugged to Mr. Parker and said, "None of this is of much help to you."

"Because, I'm late..."

"But I think it's not too late for you."

“When climbing mountains, people always worry about their own dignity~”

"When going down the mountain, it's hard to stay open-minded and calm."

"You were once satisfied with your ambitions, but you also failed at the bottom of the mountain..."

"These are the most valuable experiences in your life, and they are also the source of motivation for you to get back on your feet~"

“It’s in the imaginary unknown, an area that’s off-limits to everyone.”

"Except those who are forever looking behind the curtain of the dull and almost impenetrable reality to find the life that lies behind us!"

"I want to go first."

"are you coming?"

After Mr. Parker "drank" the bowl of poisonous chicken soup, his expression was very calm, but his eyes were already dancing with small flames, and he smiled.

"Do what I should do?"

"Correct!"

"Without any strings or constraints attached?"

David turned to look at Bill sitting in the car, thought about it seriously, and replied: "Any chance of anything happening will lead to many inevitable consequences."

"As long as you know what you are doing, then go ahead and do it~"

"I will always be here, waiting for your good news!"

"Ha ha.."

"Hahaha~"

"Ahahahahaha~"

Mr. Parker seemed to have heard the most beautiful "joke" in the world, and his "crazy" side was completely "exposed". .

David, who had been mentally prepared for this, couldn't help but took half a step back, shook his head with a wry smile.

"Hey~ I'm not married yet and I don't have children."

"Hahahaha~ok!"

Mr. Parker wiped away the "tears" from laughter with his hands, opened his arms and shouted: "Me too!"

"..."

. . .

Send away the "freed" Mr. Parker, and the "worried" Bill Gutfreund.

David stood on the street in a daze and asked Elena in a low voice: "Am I too naive?"

Elena smiled and held his arm: she teased in a low voice: "You just used the word innocence in the wrong place and with the wrong person!"

David curled his lips and rolled his eyes at her. He smiled and shook his head: "It seems that I still need to study more."

"Hahaha~"