Rhythm and Ray: A DJ’s Journey

[Chapter 66: Cheese Pizza]

"I definitely know you," Ryan said with a polite smile.

"You are no worse than Leo when he was young, and you are even stronger than him. Can I touch your arm?" She came right up wanting to feel.

"As you can see, I'm working right now," Ryan said, pointing to his headphones.

DJs always liked to wear one earpiece on stage, not because they wanted to be different, but because having one earpiece allowed them to listen clearly during transitions without missing a beat.

"So later...," she quickly rattled off a three-digit number.

"What?" Ryan replied, clearly having not heard.

"The room number," Paris Hilton said with a giggle.

"Sorry, but I'm not a guest, so I'll be working late," Ryan made an excuse. With him and Joel, there were six DJs at the party, all taking turns to perform.

"I'll be waiting for you," Paris said, turning and walking away.

She brushed past Joel, who turned back to check out her form-fitting dress.

...

"I just snagged some of those desserts, they were tasty. What did she say to you?" Joel asked.

Ryan shrugged and told him the room number. "There's a beautiful lady waiting in there for you. I've already covered it, you can just enjoy yourself."

Joel shook his head. "Ryan, I know I owe you a lot, but that's a bit too generous."

"Are you going or not?"

"How could I not when you've set it up so nicely?" Joel smiled.

To show his gratitude, Joel jumped on the DJ booth, giving Ryan some time to move around.

...

Ryan was dressed in all white too, blending into the crowd. He looked to the left and saw Mariah Carey chatting with Jermaine Dupri, then to the right, where Mary J. Blige was quietly talking with two female singers from Diddy's label. Behind the three, Ryan noticed musician Tommy Lee and producer Russell Simmons, as well as Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls with her current boyfriend Hamilton. It seemed like everyone was busy.

"Stop just standing there like a statue. Go grab a drink, or find some interesting girl? Or maybe a suitable collaborator. Who knows, your fortune might change because of this party," a voice came from behind.

Ryan turned around to see Scooter, dressed in white too.

Scooter pointed to a nearby white guy.

"Robin Thicke, often called the whitest guy with soul. His dad is Alan Thicke, rather famous back in the day. At least in this venue, he's the best singer of soul here," Scooter casually pushed Ryan.

...

Ryan steeled himself and walked over, grabbing a glass of Ciroc to enjoy. As one of the sponsors of the party, the venue was full of the brand's logos. After Irina left the night before, Ryan did some digging and found out that Diddy holds half of the shares of Ciroc's North American branch.

Standing next to Robin was LL Cool J, a veteran artist from Def Jam. They were engaged in conversation when Cool J first spotted Ryan, nudging Robin.

"Ryan! Get over here! I saw your song on the Billboard!" he exclaimed, playfully imitating a Harlem shake and then pulling Ryan into a warm hug, flashing a bright smile.

"What have you been up to?" Robin casually asked, glancing at Cool J, exchanging a knowing look.

"Busy with new music."

"New music? Of course, I think it's probably almost as good as that last one," Robin mused. He didn't mention Tremor because it was mainly only buzzing in clubs and at parties in the U.S., not yet as popular as it was in Europe.

Then, Robin naturally inquired about Ryan's new song.

When Ryan mentioned he was looking for a collaborator, Robin immediately offered his help, saying his third studio album, Something Else, would drop in the second half of the year, and he wanted to experiment with different styles.

It felt like they hit it off immediately, to the point where Ryan thought the collaboration invitation was surprisingly smooth.

Mid-conversation, Scooter joined in, helping to set timelines and project details. Within ten minutes, the two had officially agreed to collaborate.

During this process, more guests arrived in pristine white Rolls Royces, making the party crowd denser.

Robin was practically treating Ryan like a good friend at this point. He wrapped an arm around Ryan's shoulder and whispered, "The white party only happens during the day. At night, it turns into the freak-offs. Way more entertaining than these pretentious folks in white."

Ryan didn't respond but used his DJ work as an excuse to slip away.

...

Joel was still manning the DJ booth. Behind the booth was a makeshift lounge for DJs. Ryan walked over and noticed a female DJ waiting her turn. Dressed in a way that suggested she was around Taylor's age, she had delicate features that definitely fit the description of a "beauty."

A female DJ was quite the rarity. While there were women in clubs, most were just for show, not unlike go-go dancers. Of course, a few were the real deal, and considering the scale of the party, Ryan figured this one was the latter.

Encouraged, he approached her. Interestingly, she introduced herself as Ray.

"What a funny coincidence. You can call me Rachel," she explained, smiling.

In their exchange, she mentioned she was also an avant-garde photographer and casting director, sporting quite a title collection.

This reminded Ryan of Paris Hilton, who had many titles: singer, socialite, artist, heiress. In a way, that wasn't necessarily a good sign; it indicated a person more focused on socializing than substance.

"Casting director?" Ryan asked curiously.

"I help photographers find models," Rachel replied, dropping a few names of avant-garde photographers, none of which Ryan recognized.

Ryan nodded, and they continued to chat amidst the increasing crowd, as guests began arriving in droves.

"Why are you hiding here? I've been looking for you everywhere," a stranger suddenly appeared behind Ryan, seemingly looking for Rachel.

It was a bald Black man with a strangely youthful face. He kissed Rachel passionately on the cheek, putting his arms around her waist.

Then he leaned in to share something with Rachel, keeping their voices low and their heads close. Ryan had no idea what they were discussing.

"Okay, just as you said, the cheese pizza will be delivered this evening. We have important guests today." He glanced at Ryan as he left.

At that moment, chaos erupted outside...

Ryan suddenly realized, was that Diddy?

*****

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