The Road to Superstardom: Starting as a Singer

"Um."

Huang Weijie responded lightly, tapping his pen on the paper as if considering a chord.

Suddenly, he frowned. "Don't move around. We just finished eating; it's too early."

Kristen Stewart squirmed restlessly in his arms, and upon hearing this, she let out a disappointed "Oh~~", but instead of leaving, she nuzzled her head against his neck and gently sniffed.

Huang Weijie always has a clean, sun-kissed scent, similar to fresh grass, which smells very nice.

After smelling it for a while, her eyes rolled around, and her body began to move slightly again.

Huang Weijie was focused on modifying a note when she nuzzled him, which distracted him a little. He was about to say something to her when he felt the weight in his arms lighten.

Looking down, he saw that Kristen Stewart had slid down and was squatting beside his legs.

What are you doing?

Christine Stewart didn't answer. She just looked up, glanced at him with her misty, gray-green eyes, then frowned and went about her business.

"Christine."

"Hmm?" she mumbled in response.

"Looking at others while eating is basic courtesy. Look up." Huang Weijie's voice was a little tense. He threw his pen onto the notebook, reached out and stroked the top of her brown hair with a little force.

Kristen Stewart paused for a moment, then slowly raised her eyes, her long eyelashes seemingly damp with moisture.

Huang Weijie gasped, then gritted his teeth. "Thank you for the generous gift... How have you improved so much? Christine, tell me honestly, have you betrayed me in these three months on set?"

Kristen Stewart rolled her eyes, too busy to speak, and instead expressed her contempt for the stupid question with even more vigorous actions.

After a long while, Huang Weijie pursed his lips, clenched his teeth, and pressed down on her head with a little force.

After finally letting out a long sigh of relief, he turned around to get the trash can.

"Jace, get me a piece of paper." Kristen Stewart's voice had a slight nasal tone.

Huang Weijie casually grabbed a few tissues and handed them over, but his movement suddenly stopped. He turned his head in disbelief and looked at the girl who was wiping her mouth with the tissues.

"Wow!?!" His eyes widened. "You...you swallowed it?!"

"Hmm," Kristen Stewart tossed the tissue into the trash can, stood up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a flirtatious wink. "Haven't you always wanted this? To prove that I belong to you completely."

Huang Weijie, in a moment of clarity, remained unmoved by the flirtatious glances. Instead, he frowned and pressed on, "Fuck! You didn't actually sleep with someone on set, did you?"

His mind was uncontrollably filled with gossip commonly found in the entertainment industry.

People are always hypocritical.

If he were on set and met a suitable person, he wouldn't rule out a casual fling.

But when it comes to his own girlfriend, it's a different story.

Huang Weijie doesn't want to be cheated on during his relationship.

Kristen Stewart's expression instantly shifted from alluring to speechless. She released her grip and punched him in the chest: "Fuck you! Can't you be a little more rational? Do you think I'm some kind of slut who sleeps with other people while filming a movie?"

Seeing that she was really angry, Huang Weijie relaxed his brows.

Yes, we've known each other for almost a year now. Although Christine is a bit aloof and rebellious, she's quite pure in matters of the heart. She's not the kind of girl who's overly materialistic or has a chaotic private life.

Seeing that Huang Weijie remained silent and was only looking at her thoughtfully, Christine Stewart moved closer again.

Huang Weijie was startled and quickly pressed his hand against her forehead: "Hey! Even tigers don't eat their cubs! You can't do this!"

Kristen Stewart, her forehead pressed against his, was both amused and annoyed: "Come on! Why didn't you say that when you were pressing my head down? Let me kiss you! Just once!"

"NO! NO! NO!"

The two of them, like children, one leaning forward while the other blocked with his hand, laughing and pushing each other around the room.

Somehow, the commotion started at the desk, then moved to the bedside, and finally to the bathroom.

By the third time, Kristen Stewart was too exhausted to even move a finger and lay on the bed, weakly begging for mercy.

"I was wrong, I was wrong, please don't come anymore, we have filming tomorrow..."

There was no way around it; although Huang Weijie's body was still growing and developing, teenagers are at their most vigorous.

......

After it's over.

Huang Weijie walked to the window and looked at the brightly lit city.

The sign on the Hollywood Hills in the distance is faintly visible.

May 20th is his birthday.

That day, "Baby" will be officially released.

He didn't know if the song would sweep the globe as he remembered.

But he knew he was ready.

In the days that followed, Huang Weijie enjoyed the sweetness of his girlfriend's return after their brief separation, while also making final preparations for the release of "Baby".

After discussions between Huang Weijie and the director, it was decided that the music video would adopt a youthful and slightly street-style narrative.

The filming location was chosen on the outskirts of a bustling shopping mall in Los Angeles and in several brightly colored neighborhoods.

In the music video, Huang Weijie wears a brightly colored T-shirt and jeans, a baseball cap, and dances and skateboards to a lively rhythm, showing a sunny yet slightly shy smile to the camera.

Interspersed throughout is a simple storyline: he tries to attract the attention of a girl he meets at a shopping mall (played by Kristen Stewart), and he and his friends pull off a series of clumsy yet adorable little tricks.

The camera work extensively utilizes handheld tracking shots and rapid editing, creating a dynamic and energetic feel that perfectly matches the song's light and playful tone.

Huang Weijie's performance in front of the camera surprised even the director.

That natural youthful energy and camera presence made him seem like a complete newcomer.

The filming of the music video for "Baby" wrapped up in the arts district of East Los Angeles. The last shot was at dusk, with Huang Weijie standing in front of a colorful graffiti wall, giving the camera a bright smile, before the director yelled "Cut".

"Perfect!"

The director watched the playback on the monitor and nodded in satisfaction. "Jace, you have a great sense of the camera. Go back and get some rest; you'll be busy from now on."

Huang Weijie took the water and towel handed to him by his assistant and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Los Angeles in May was already quite hot, and after shooting all day, I was indeed a bit tired.

But he can't rest right away.

"Have you booked the plane tickets?" he asked his assistant.

"It's booked, Jace, a flight to Philadelphia at noon on the 17th," the assistant replied quickly.

Huang Weijie nodded.

May 18th is the graduation ceremony for the Curtis Institute of Music's pre-college program.

Although he has long focused his main energy on pop music and record labels, his years of study at the Curtis Institute preparatory school have laid an incredibly solid foundation in classical music theory for him. This background and "origin" will be a great asset and talking point in the future.

More importantly, his grandfather, Huang Shengchang, would fly directly from China to Philadelphia to meet him.

......

Philadelphia International Airport, afternoon of May 17.

Huang Weijie was wearing a baseball cap and carrying a backpack, while his assistant followed behind carrying a suitcase.

Exit through the arrival gate.

He spotted Huang Shengchang standing in the crowd of people waiting to greet passengers.

Huang Shengchang, who is nearly sixty years old, has become more composed in recent years due to his frequent travel between China and the United States. He is wearing a well-fitting dark jacket and his hair is neatly combed, but there are more white hairs on his head than in the past two years.

He was craning his neck to look around, his face showing obvious anticipation.

"Grandpa!" Huang Weijie quickened his pace and walked through the crowd.

Huang Shengchang turned his head upon hearing the sound, and upon seeing his grandson, a smile immediately spread across his face, deepening the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

He stepped forward, patted Huang Weijie's now broad and muscular shoulders forcefully, and looked him up and down carefully.

"Haha, Jay! It's only been almost two months, and you seem to have grown taller again." Huang Shengchang's voice was somewhat wistful. "But you seem to have lost a little weight. Have you been too busy and not eating well lately?"

"No way, I've actually gained two pounds." Huang Weijie laughed as he took off his sunglasses, revealing his increasingly deep and beautiful light brown eyes. "Grandpa, you look great, but you should probably dye your hair."

"Why bother dyeing it? I'm already old enough to be white, it doesn't matter to me."

Huang Shengchang waved his hand dismissively, "The car's outside, let's go back to the hotel and settle in first. What do you want to eat tonight? Grandpa's already asked around, there's a new Cantonese restaurant nearby, I heard it's pretty authentic."

"Haha, okay, let's give it a try."

On the way to the hotel, the grandfather and grandson chatted about their recent lives.

During the conversation, Huang Shengchang also asked about the details of the song release preparations, and Huang Weijie answered them one by one.

Upon arriving at the hotel room, the assistant handed Huang Weijie his luggage and then left.

Watching his grandson pack his luggage deftly, Huang Shengchang suddenly said, "Jie, tomorrow you'll officially graduate from Curtis. Time really flies; it seems like just yesterday you were that little kid pointing at the TV and saying you wanted to sing."

Huang Weijie paused, turned around, and saw his grandfather sitting in a chair by the window, gazing at the Philadelphia street scene outside, his profile looking somewhat wistful in the afternoon sunlight.

He walked over and sat down opposite his grandfather: "Yes, it's been eleven years. If it weren't for your continued support, Grandpa, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Huang Shengchang shook his head, then turned his gaze back to his grandson's slightly childish face.

"It's because you have talent and are willing to work hard. All Grandpa can do is give you a push and support you from behind."

He paused, his voice lowering, "The road ahead... will become wider and wider, but also more and more complicated. Grandpa is just a businessman, and I don't understand your circle very well. The outside world is developing too fast, and I'm afraid Grandpa will understand less and less, and won't be able to help you much."

These words contained concern, pride, and also a subtle sense of loss and helplessness.

He watched his grandson grow from a dependent child into a teenager about to venture out into the world on his own.

While I felt gratified, that feeling of "being needed" was slowly fading away.

Huang Weijie felt a warmth in his heart and reached out to hold his grandfather's hand, which was resting on his knee.

Those hands were still large and strong, but the skin had become somewhat loose.

"Grandpa, you've given me so much! Without you, I wouldn't even have had the chance to come to America to study music. The support you've given me has never been just money; it's confidence, the knowing that no matter how high or far I fly, you'll always be there for me. That's enough!"

Looking into his grandson's sincere eyes, Huang Shengchang squeezed his hand tightly in return. His eyes welled up with tears, and his lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only gave a heavy "hmm" and patted the back of his hand: "You little rascal, hahaha! You've grown up, and you're even comforting me now."

The atmosphere relaxed again.

That evening, the two went to the Cantonese restaurant. Huang Shengchang ordered a table full of dishes and kept urging Huang Weijie to eat more.