The Road to Superstardom: Starting as a Singer

Huang Weijie and Taylor Swift were both very efficient and completed all the scheduled recordings before evening.

At the end, Huang Weijie checked the time and invited Taylor Swift, "Thanks for your hard work today, Taylor. How about we have dinner together? I know a good Italian restaurant nearby, the food is pretty good."

"Of course, I'd be more than happy to."

Taylor Swift readily agreed.

After spending a day together, she had accepted Huang Weijie calling her that.

Taylor Swift expressed her delight at having a Chinese nickname.

The restaurant is located on a relatively quiet street in Beverly Hills. The decor is in classic Tuscan style, with warm yellow lighting, dark wood furniture, and a faint aroma of toasted bread and herbs in the air.

Huang Weijie had booked a small private room in advance, which offered a secluded environment.

The two ordered seafood pasta, pan-fried lamb chops, a vegetable salad, and a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice.

While waiting for the food to be served, we naturally started chatting.

The conversation started with the song they had just collaborated on, and then extended to their respective musical preferences.

Huang Weijie discovered that Taylor Swift had an almost obsessive pursuit of narrative and emotional details in lyrics, while Taylor Swift was surprised by Huang Weijie's clear understanding of pop music market trends and the integration of arrangement styles, which was not like that of a sixteen-year-old boy at all.

After discussing music, the conversation turned to relationships...

Taylor Swift suddenly blinked her big eyes, a hint of probing curiosity in them, and asked, "Jace, someone like you... um, I mean, have you ever had a girlfriend?"

Undeniably, after just one day together, she developed a great interest in the boy in front of her.

Huang Weijie raised an eyebrow and forked a piece of salad: "Of course. Why do you ask?"

Taylor Swift was slightly surprised: "I thought you were going to say no."

"Oh?" Huang Weijie smiled, put down his fork, and said, "What makes you have this misconception? Is it because all the Asian men you meet are too reserved and shy, while I seem... a little different?"

"Wow~ To be honest, Jace, if I didn't know you were Chinese, I would really find it hard to believe that you would be so... confident, cheerful, and straightforward. You're quite different from some of the Asians I've seen in the news or met before."

"Hey Taylor Swift, you're in this industry too. How much of the image created by the media, or some stereotypes, is 100% credible?"

Taylor Swift smiled and her eyes crinkled at his words: "You're right, my thinking has been a bit stuck in a rut."

"Well then, I've answered. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?" Huang Weijie took the initiative.

"Hmm...not yet."

Huang Weijie laughed and pointed at her twice with his index finger: "Hey, you're lying."

Taylor Swift paused for a moment, but quickly replaced it with an innocent expression: "What?"

"You have a boyfriend, and if I remember correctly, his name is Joe Jonas?"

Taylor Swift's lie was exposed, but she didn't panic at all. Instead, a sly smile appeared on her lips as she retorted, "So you're that interested in me? You even knew that?"

She was a little excited. The boy in front of her was not only handsome and talented, but his conversation was also full of attractive humor.

Taylor Swift instantly felt that her boyfriend was just average.

Huang Weijie shrugged, looking quite frank: "Actually, it's mainly because you're an important collaborator. Before collaborating, it's appropriate to do some basic research on your background and public image. After all, this could affect the nature of our collaboration and public reaction."

Taylor Swift sighed and rubbed her forehead: "Hey, you didn't have to be so blunt."

Huang Weijie smiled faintly: "I'm sorry, honesty is probably one of my few virtues."

Taylor Swift's curiosity was piqued: "So what other good points do you have? Wait, don't say I'm handsome or talented, I already know those!"

Huang Weijie was amused by her serious expression and laughed twice: "Hahaha, then I'll take that as a sincere compliment."

"Tell me already!"

Huang Weijie stopped smiling, pretended to think seriously for two seconds, then looked at her and said clearly, "Lustful."

Taylor Swift: "...?"

Huang Weijie: "?"

The next second, she realized what she meant, covered her mouth, and let out a burst of cheerful laughter: "Hahaha~ Are you serious? Jace, what kind of advantage is that?"

Huang Weijie said seriously, "Of course it counts. I think that's probably my biggest strength. But..."

He then changed the subject, saying, "I'm very picky about this; it depends on the person I'm talking to."

Taylor Swift stopped laughing, her blue eyes sparkling: "What do you mean?"

"Only works on beautiful women."

Taylor Swift burst into laughter again, laughing so hard tears were almost streaming down her face: "Hahaha~ Jace, you're hilarious! I really... I've never heard anyone 'praise' themselves like that before!"

Huang Weijie smiled without saying a word, raised his glass of sparkling grape juice to her, and said with a smile, "Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."

When a handsome guy says he's "lustful," girls might see it as a funny self-deprecating joke, but for an ordinary person, saying "lustful" is sexual harassment.

Huang Weijie understands this better than anyone else.

Dinner continued in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

When dessert was served, the two chatted like old friends.

However, Huang Weijie did not intend to continue the conversation in depth, as talking too much would make it less mysterious.

Just as he was about to call the waiter to settle the bill.

Taylor Swift suddenly called out to him.

She placed her hands on the table, leaned slightly forward, and still had a smile on her face, but her eyes had changed; they were more direct and bolder.

Taylor Swift looked at Huang Weijie and asked softly, "Jace, am I considered beautiful?"

"Of course! You're definitely a beauty, Taylor Swift. You know, that nickname translates to 'beautiful woman' in Chinese culture, right? There's no need to even think about whether you're beautiful or not, OK?"

Huang Weijie spoke rapidly and incessantly, his expression slightly exaggerated.

But Taylor Swift fell for his act, her smile widening even more. She then asked, "Then why aren't you 'lustful' towards me?"

The air in the private room seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Huang Weijie glanced at her, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, and started pulling again: "Because you have a boyfriend, Taylor Swift."

"That's no longer the case."

Huang Weijie looked at her but didn't reply immediately.

A few seconds later, he suddenly smiled and leaned back in his chair: "When I was a kid, I watched a Chinese martial arts movie. There was a line in it that really stuck with me. Do you know what it was?"

Taylor Swift was a little confused by his sudden change of topic and subconsciously asked, "What?"

"The more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to lie!"

Huang Weijie finished speaking, word by word, then looked Taylor Swift up and down, and concluded with feigned seriousness, "A woman as beautiful as you must be very good at lying. So, I don't believe you."

Taylor Swift was taken aback at first, then realized what she meant and burst into laughter.

Even though Huang Weijie's eyes clearly showed mockery and "disdain," she felt a strange sense of happiness.

She laughed for a while before stopping. Then, as Huang Weijie got up to leave the private room, she also stood up, took a few quick steps, and blocked his way.

"One last question," Taylor Swift looked directly at him, their heights almost the same under the light, "If... I mean, if I really didn't have a boyfriend, what would you do to me?"

Huang Weijie shrugged, walked past her, and placed his hand on the doorknob: "These are all hypothetical questions. I don't answer those kinds of questions. Let's go, it's getting late."

Taylor Swift looked at his tall figure, pouted, but still followed him.

When they reached the relatively quiet corridor near the restaurant entrance, she quickened her pace and blocked his way.

"Well... can I at least give you a hug? To celebrate our successful collaboration today?"

Huang Weijie looked at her, sighed helplessly, and finally opened his arms: "Okay."

Taylor Swift immediately moved lightly and nestled into his arms.

However, the imagined scene of "a little bird nestled against a man" did not appear.

Huang Weijie, who is 16 years old this year, is 178cm tall, while Taylor Swift, who is 18 years old, is also 178cm tall.

The two embraced, almost eye to eye.

Huang Weijie gently wrapped his arm around her waist, and could feel that the girl's body was slender but not thin.

He whispered in her ear, "Judging from your appearance, you might even grow taller in the future."

Taylor Swift rested her head on his shoulder, and you could smell the refreshing scent of soapberry.

She chuckled softly, her warm breath brushing against his neck: "What's wrong? Feeling pressured? Afraid I'm taller than you?"

Huang Weijie loosened his embrace, took a step back, looked at her, and confidently raised an eyebrow: "Just kidding! I can still develop for several more years. There's an old Chinese saying, 'If you haven't seen someone for three days, you should look at them with new eyes.'"

It means that people change a lot after a period of time apart. Just you wait, maybe soon it will be your turn to look up to me!

Taylor Swift released her grip, but instead of immediately backing away, she met Huang Weijie's eyes, which were very close to hers.

The warm yellow light in the corridor reflected in her azure eyes, as if starlight had been sprinkled in.

She said softly, with a hint of barely perceptible anticipation, "Okay, I'll wait."