belamy20

*Chapter 182: Lighters*

“.So give me reason to prove me wrong, To wash this memory clean, Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes”

At the Metropolis Theater, Link performed "Give Me Reason" with the band accompanying him. This was the New York premiere of Transformers 2, and Link was invited to perform the movie's theme song before the film started.

The performance ended with ent...

*Chapter 181: Conspiracy*

Link called Anna to inquire about Transformers 2 and the single.

Anna informed him that Transformers 2 had a first-day box office of $82.95 million and, after five days, grossed $201.2 million in North America, making it the second highest in the "Five-Day Box Office Record." The film also earned $162 million overseas.

Because the film was a big hi...

*Chapter 180: Chart-Topping*

After some derogatory remarks about Link appeared in the media, Link Music and Dynasty Promotions filed lawsuits against several media outlets and news websites, alleging that they spread false information and infringed upon Link’s reputation. They demanded public apologies.

At the same time, the two companies arranged interviews with more than a dozen Latino and African-American figure...

*Chapter 179: Public Relations

“Isn’t this a bit too much?”

In the Brooklyn area, at the Black Gold Music Club, Eminem looked at Kanye and the others and said, “Link has already made concessions. You guys shouldn’t keep targeting him. Continuing this way will only harm everyone. Don’t forget the rap battles of the ‘90s; both sides suffered massive losses in the end.”

“Em, do you think Link’s c...

*Chapter 178: The Underhanded Fight

Leaving the office, Link arrived at the recording studio. The studio wasn't far from the company, just about three kilometers away on Manhattan's Sixth Avenue—a twenty-minute walk or a short subway ride.

At the studio, Mars, Wiz Khalifa, B.O.B, Philip, Ali, and Lana were all present.

The studio had more than just recording rooms and music rooms; it also had a lounge, a bar,...

Chapter 177: Open Competition

After the match, Link returned to the Yorkville apartment. The spicy chicken wings on the table were still hot.

"Uh! Why are you back so soon?"

Selena, Taylor, Catherine, Mrs. Mandy, and Mrs. Andrea were surprised to see Link sitting on the carpet, devouring food with his head down. They glanced at the TV, which was still showing Link’s post-match interview.

Link was ...

*Chapter 176: Ambush (Two-in-One)*

"Link, Andre Rell's uppercut is tricky. Be careful."

At the match venue, Coach Brooks warned.

"I understand!"

Link nodded, threw off his towel, and entered the boxing ring through the ropes on the left side of the ring.

"Link! The champion!"

"Go, Link!"

"Link, you're the best!"

As he stepped into the ring, thousands of spectators cheered his name...

*Chapter 175: The Match Begins*

"Be careful when you get on stage. If you can't win, just surrender. Don't let anyone mess up your face."

In the Yorkville apartment, Taylor adjusted her suit and said.

"Surrender? Are you kidding? Do you know how strong I am?" Link replied, wrapping his arms around her slim waist.

Taylor gave him a sideways glance. "Don’t be too cocky. Even someone as formidable as T...

*Chapter 174: Punching Power Test*

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In the boxing training gym, Link stood in front of the punching power test machine, throwing ten powerful punches at the target. His expression gradually darkened.

Despite his new song topping the Billboard Rap Chart, his mood wasn’t exactly high.

Just moments ago, he had tested his punching power and average punch weight with the machine.

The ...

*Chapter 173: Eight Gold Medals*

In the fourth week after the release of "I'm the One," T.I. released his single "Dead and Gone," which received endorsements from rappers like Kanye, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne. The single's first-week downloads totaled 168,000, placing it third on the Billboard Rap Chart. Link’s "I'm the One" was pushed out of the top three, falling to eighth place, while singles from 50 Cent, Drake, and ot...

*Chapter 172: Joining Forces to Suppress*

In fact, it only took one day for Ivanka to obtain Mars' and his team's contracts from Atlantic Records, and not a single cent in breach of contract fees was paid.

Atlantic Records’ condition was to obtain the overseas distribution rights for Link's second album. Ivanka did not agree to this.

Link’s first album's overseas distribution was handled by Universal Music, and t...

*Chapter 171: The Young Man*

When Link arrived at the Link Music studio, he saw Mars busy in the recording room with two young assistants, one white and one black.

According to Mars, the white guy was named Philip Lawrence, a technician responsible for providing equipment, sound segment selection, and references. The black guy was Ali Levin, wearing glasses and handling harmonies and accompaniment.

They ...

*Chapter 170: Mutual Pursuit*

The next day, before Link had even reached the office, Anna called to say that someone named Bruno Mars was there to see him. By the time Link arrived at the office, he met the legendary Mars.

Mars was Latino, with coffee-colored skin, an afro hairstyle, and a height that seemed shorter than in his music videos—about 165 cm. He had two dimples on his face.

Compared to his p...

*Chapter 169: Changing Minds*

After discussing the film with Director Allen, Link drove to Brooklyn to chat with Eminem about music. By the time he returned to his Yorkville apartment, it was past seven. The streetlights on East 80th Street had come on, and mosquitoes were buzzing around.

As Link parked his car on the side of the road, he felt a bit tired but extremely relaxed. After a busy week, he had finally...

*Chapter 168: Box Office and Future*

Clap, clap, clap!

The movie ended, and the theater was filled with enthusiastic applause. Link saw everyone clapping and thought the film's box office performance should be good.

“Link, congratulations! You starred in a fantastic movie.”

Actress Lindsay Lohan approached him with a flirtatious gaze to congratulate him.

“Thank you!”

Link smile...

*Chapter 167: The Movie Premiere*

*[Wednesday, Billboard Magazine Interview! Vanity Fair Exclusive Interview!]*

Swipe! A colorful pen made a bright red X across the schedule.

Link smiled lightly. The joy of a busy schedule was something only someone like him could truly understand. He adjusted his tie in front of the mirror, put on his sunglasses, and left the apartment.

At noon, a silver-gray ...

*Chapter 166: The Classic Beauty*

“Mr. Becker, are you off work?”

In the afternoon, at Link Music, Link received a call from Graham and was preparing to head to the recording studio when he bumped into a tall, slender girl in the hallway. She stopped and waved at him.

“You’re... Lana?”

Link looked at her, unsure.

“Mr. Becker, don’t you recognize me?”

Lana spread her arms and...

*Chapter 165: Rapper*

“How does it feel?”

Outside the Metropolis Theater, Link asked the silent Selena. Since meeting MJ, Selena had turned into a quiet, speechless person, speaking very little.

Selena tugged at his hand, blinking her big eyes. “It feels strange. It wasn’t as great as I imagined, but he’s a really nice person. I don’t know how to rate it.”

Link smiled gently. ...

*Chapter 164: The King of Music*

“Lights! It’s too dark here!”

As Link and Selena walked over, a beam of light illuminated the front row of the audience seats.

Kanye and a few others were chatting warmly with MJ offstage. They were gathered around MJ like devoted fans meeting their idol, their eyes filled with admiration and eagerness.

Link glanced at MJ in the middle of the crowd. He was tall an...

Chapter 163: Rehearsal Scene

The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It houses numerous renowned theaters, opera houses, concert halls, and outdoor performance spaces, making it the world's largest performing arts complex.

The rehearsal for MJ's concert was taking place at the Metropolitan Opera House, one of the largest performance venues in ...

Chapter 162: The Little Assistant

"Link, the agency is open for business. We currently have twelve employees, including three agents and five assistants. The next step is to sign artists. Do you have any recommendations?"

At the dinner table, Katherine and Mandy talked about the agency.

Last time, Link suggested starting an agency to sign and nurture potential artists. In the future, he could also place his a...

Chapter 161: The Punching Bag

Seeing that it was still early, Link took the opportunity to visit the Big Falls Bar that Ivanka had mentioned and met the second person she recommended.

The man was a white rock singer named Orlando Nathan. He sang well and looked decent, but he was thin with a tired face, clearly a drug addict.

Link decided against signing him. He might be talented, but he was also a troubl...

*Chapter 160: Sister Thunder*

By six in the evening, as it was time to get off work, the entrance of Roortop Bar began to get crowded.

The more than ten booths on the second floor were gradually occupied by patrons.

In one of the booths near the reading rack, Link sat with his legs crossed, listening to the conversation between Eva and the female singer across from him.

The female singer, in her twe...

Chapter 159: The Singer

In the afternoon, after finishing their training, Link drove to the Rooftop Music Bar on Third Avenue in Manhattan. He had met with director Darren Aronofsky here before and had been back a few times since, finding the environment and location convenient. However, today, Ivanka had also chosen this place for their meeting, which surprised him. He couldn't help but wonder if she was keepi...

Chapter 158: A Lesson

Thump! Thump! Thump!

In the brightly lit boxing training gym, Link, wearing a thin T-shirt and red athletic shorts, with hand wraps and gloves on, repeatedly punched the black leather sandbag hanging from the beam.

Punch after punch, the sandbag made muffled sounds as he hit it, but didn't swing much.

The sandbag was filled with iron sand, sawdust, sea sand, wheat, and ...

Chapter 157: Singing a Song

"Link, go ahead. I haven't seen your concert before. Let us see how you perform on stage."

Ms. Faith Hill said with a smile.

"I haven't seen Link's concert either, but I saw his performance at Lady Gaga's concert in Miami, the one where he ripped off his suit. It looked amazing."

Carrie Underwood said, shaking her wine bottle.

Link also recalled that concert in Mi...

Chapter 156: Music Festival

After Mario and Reggie won the gold medals, Coach West bought them each a Porsche as a reward.

With their new sports cars, the two often went out for joyrides and even secretly participated in underground racing in the Everglades. Unfortunately, they were caught by the West Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and fined over three thousand dollars, causing a minor scandal.

Afte...

Chapter 155: Award Ceremony

During the two-hour lunch break, Link and Dino played basketball at the stadium. At two o'clock, they returned to the competition venue to watch Mario's final match.

In the final, Mario's opponent was also a Latino boxer, Cosme Arnold, who was lean and muscular, 182 cm tall, with an arm span over 192 cm.

Just by looking at his physique, he seemed to be an agile, technical box...

Chapter 154: The Match

The 2009 USA Boxing National Championships was held in Louisville, Kentucky, in the Midwest.

Kentucky may seem unremarkable among the states, but it is the hometown of Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC.

Louisville may also sound ordinary, but it's the birthplace of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

The championship was held at the Cardinal Stadium, a large multi-purpose sta...

Chapter 153: Scores

"Mr. Baker, the SAT scores are out. Have you checked them?"

As Link was leaving Link Music, a young man dressed as a reporter, holding a camera, ran out from the opposite cafe and blocked his way.

Link leaned against the car door and asked, "The SAT scores are out?"

"Yes, they came out yesterday. Mr. Baker, why don't you check them now?" the young man smiled.

Link...