Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

After buying a box of fresh Swiss porcini mushrooms and raw ham from the neighboring Walmart, Link returned home and prepared four dishes and a soup. Just as he was about to message Taylor to ask when she would be home, the sound of the door unlocking came from outside.

Taylor walked in with her guitar case, an armful of golden ponytail, wearing a white color-blocked jacket, moving lazily inside.

"It smells great, what delicious food have you made?"

Taylor hung up her jacket and walked into the kitchen, planting a kiss on his face.

"Porcini pigeon soup, it's my first time making it. Try it later and give me your feedback."

Link lifted the lid off the steamer, and a delicious aroma filled the air.

"Pigeon? Is it a Times Square pigeon?"

"Maybe, do you want to eat it?"

"Of course, I want to eat it. Back when I played guitar in the square, pigeons often defecated on my guitar case. I've always wanted to have a taste of them."

Taylor said, swinging her fist.

Link smiled gently and served her a big bowl of thick soup. The pigeon meat was so tender and had stewed for so long that it had almost all disintegrated, leaving behind only the delicious broth and a few bits of porcini and ham. Overall, the taste was quite good.

Every time Taylor took a sip, she would praise Link, saying his culinary skills were no worse than those of a Michelin-starred chef. Opening a restaurant on Fifth Avenue would surely bring in a million a year.

Link knew his level of cooking and naturally wouldn't let her flattery get to his head; otherwise, he might really end up as a house husband.

"How's the preparation for your second album going?"

Link asked.

"It's set to release in the middle of next month. Today I was shooting the album cover and promotional posters at the studio. Posing all day has almost killed me," Taylor said as she lay on the table, propping up her face with one hand and sipping soup with the other, looking utterly drained.

"Have a bath after eating, and I'll give you a full body massage."

"Great!"

Hearing about the massage immediately perked Taylor up, and she sped up her eating.

----

The day after Link had spoken with Ivanka, she called him expressing her willingness to collaborate, provided that she could see the songs he had, to verify if they were indeed as good as he had claimed.

Link had no objections and sat in the living room, holding his guitar and singing while he recorded two short audio clips of new songs to send to Ivanka. Less than half an hour later, Ivanka called him.

After negotiation, Link invested 3 million US dollars, and Ivanka invested 2 million. Together, they acquired a small record company, renaming it Link Records, to release "Despacito" as well as Link's future songs.

To ensure the quality of the records, Ivanka hired a headhunting company to poach a gold-medal music producer and three managers from the top five record companies.

The producer's name was Graham Goodall, a 45-year-old Jamaican-American.

A graduate of Colombia University with a master's in Music Management, he was once a singer and had worked as a record producer for famous bands like U2 and Bon Jovi. With twelve years at Sony Records, he had extensive work experience.

After joining Link Music, his base annual salary was five hundred thousand US dollars, with a 3% album producer royalty. The other three management members also received generous packages, with annual salaries of over three hundred thousand US dollars and a 3% company share dividend.

After meeting these individuals, Link felt that partnering with Ivanka was the right decision. She had honed her skills on the business battlefield for many years and with Old Thomp's guidance, her savvy and vision far surpassed his own.

If left to his own devices, he definitely wouldn't have been able to find such elite talents in such a short time.

Besides these four individuals, Link also pulled some strings to invite Mandy Gomez, Selena's mother, to be his artist manager.

Mandy had also been Selena's manager for two years before she and her husband Adam Gomez opened a fashion retail chain, which they ran for seven or eight years and made some money. Unfortunately, the financial crisis hit, and the chain, which peaked at fifteen stores, dwindled down to three this year.

Mrs. Mandy was planning to return to her previous career, continuing as an artist manager.

Upon hearing about her situation, Link invited her to become his manager, and Mrs. Mandy gladly accepted.

"Link, you're having my mom as a manager, do you know what that means?"

In the recording studio, Selena with her hands in her pockets, said with a beaming smile.

"What?"

"Asking for trouble!"

Selena turned to glance at her mom and Catherine, took Link's arm, and whispered in his ear, "Let me tell you a secret, my mom is as fierce as yours. In fourth grade, I once secretly had a little cocktail. She scolded me for half a day when she found out and nearly hit me. You're looking for trouble by having her as your agent."

"You still remember being scolded by your mom six or seven years ago?"

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"Of course, I have a really good memory."

Selena tilted her chin up and hummed proudly.

"It's not that you have a good memory, it's just that you've been scolded too little."

Link gave a light smile, greeted Catherine who had just arrived and went into the studio to continue recording "Despacito." The version recorded previously in Miami had some problems with the music, mixing, and others due to hurried timing and the temporary producer not being professional enough.

After the establishment of the record company, Graham Goodall and the main creative team had modified and perfected the mix, presenting Link with a more refined version.

After listening to it, Link felt it was closer to the original and readily accepted this version.

Go

Sí sabes que ya llevo rato mirándote

Tengo que bailar contigo hoy

In the studio, Link with headphones on, sang earnestly into the microphone while producer Graham Goodall stood at the console, listening to Link's voice and occasionally providing adjustment suggestions.

Through the soundproof glass, Ms. Mandy watched Link singing and said to Catherine with a smile, "It's really hard to imagine that someone like him could be a world boxing champion."

Catherine also watched Link without blinking an eye, "When I first heard he was participating in boxing matches and even won the Golden Gloves championship, I was more surprised than anyone. Before, when I saw him, he was so rebellious, reckless, and idle; I thought he was beyond hope. But now he's more outstanding than anyone his age. Maybe boxing really can change a person."

"Should I also take up boxing?" Selena leaned over with her round face between them, speaking up.

Ms. Mandy pushed her forehead gently and continued, "Link is too outstanding. My only concern is that he might pick up bad habits. There are many in the entertainment industry who find fame young but start going downhill in their careers due to a lack of self-discipline. I worry Link might end up like that."

"No need to worry, Link doesn't smoke or drink, let alone touch drugs. He exercises and trains daily and basically has no bad habits. He's more sensible than his peers and has strong willpower. He won't go astray," Catherine assured her.

"Catherine, that's a bit of an absolute statement,"

Selena interrupted, "Don't forget Link is a playboy; he admitted that himself."

After some thought, Catherine addressed Mandy, "Link is still young and likes to have fun. Just keep an eye on him for me. Whenever he encounters women with impure intentions, remind him not to get fooled."

Ms. Mandy nodded.

Selena waved her hand, "Why can't we help Link learn to be a faithful man?"

"Link is still young; dating more can help him mature. He doesn't need too much meddling," said Catherine.

"I want to find a boyfriend, several of them!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Selena said stubbornly.

Ms. Mandy and Catherine looked at her with deep gazes, causing Selena to stick out her tongue nervously, "I'm just kidding. I'm not a bad guy like Link."

After two days of recording, the new version of "Despacito" was successfully produced, including both Spanish and English versions.

After two days of recording, the new version of "Despacito" was successfully produced, including both Spanish and English versions, and was re-released on Amazon Digital Music Store and iTunes Music Store.

In just one week, the new single's online download count broke through 200,000.

According to the profit-sharing standards between independent musicians and platforms, each song download costs US$1.26, and Link's music gets to keep 65%, along with revenues from streamings, such as on YouTube.

The first week's income exceeded two hundred thousand US dollars, making Link marvel at the speed of making money as a singer.