Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

"Link, good job out there!"

Outside the HBO television station, Simon Curtis stood by the car door in a suit, pulling it open with a smile.

"You've worked hard too."

Link sat down in the van, pulled off his tie, and sighed.

In recent days, he and Simon had been running around attending TV shows and media interviews nonstop, and had shot five commercials at the brands' urging. It was indeed quite exhausting.

But in the days after the Olympics had ended, his account also swelled by 3.5 million US dollars in endorsement and appearance fees, plus over a million from the sports committee and the boxing association, making almost 5 million US dollars from a single Olympics.

This money didn't include ancillary income from the matches, as per the original contract, where Dynasty Promotion couldn't partake in the distribution, only Franco and Simon were entitled to an agent's cut.

"Hey, Link, how about we have a match together?"

Just as the vehicle was about to start, a red Ferrari F50 convertible pulled up next to them, and Tyson shouted out to Link.

Link glanced at his car, "Mike, are you planning a comeback?"

"Yeah, I am planning it, but it's tough to find a suitable opponent. You have both fame and skill; how about we fight a match? Our fight would definitely draw a large crowd," Tyson asked, tilting his head.

Link thought to himself, this guy must really be in need of money to come and leverage the popularity of a world champion like himself, but Tyson's proposal wasn't bad. Despite his retirement, his fame in boxing was unmatched, and competing against him could be very lucrative.

"No problem, you can have your agent get in touch with Dynasty Promotion. Once everything's agreed upon by both sides, we can fight anytime," Link replied.

"Haha, it's settled then."

Taylor punched the air towards him and drove away in his sports car in a cloud of smoke.

Link smiled lightly and couldn't help but admire how, even in severe debt with millions owed, Treyson, as claimed in the news, still owned a limited edition F50 valued at over 2 million US dollars. Although he could afford it, he wouldn't spend so much on a car.

"Simon, if Tyson's team contacts us, accept the match. Fighting Tyson has always been a dream of mine, and I want to face him while he's still not too old," Link said.

"Sure!"

Simon nodded, pulling out his phone to note it down.

The van drove from Burbank in the northern part of the 'World Media Capital' Los Angeles, heading south for over half an hour, arriving next to Hollywood Boulevard at Bird Street's White Oak Apartments, where Link stretched lazily after getting out of the car, bought a bunch of red Persian chrysanthemums from a roadside flower shop, and knocked on Gal Gadot's door.

Before coming, he had texted Gadot, who had responded that she was at home reading a script. He rang the doorbell twice.

Hearing footsteps inside, Gadot immediately opened the door with a bright smile.

Her brown chestnut hair flowed freely, barefoot, wearing a white tank top with black yoga pants, a forehead band, still tall and athletically built.

"Gal, this is for you."

"Thank you!"

Gadot smiled slightly, took the bouquet, and asked, "What made you think to buy me flowers?"

"I thought you might like them," Link said with a light chuckle.

"Yes, they're beautiful, I really like them," Gadot said as she kissed him, pulling him inside.

Back in the living room, Gadot yanked out the wilting tulips and tossed them into the trash, replacing them with the Persian chrysanthemums.

Link leaned on the counter, watching her move around the living room with her slim waist and long legs, easygoing and unpretentious. This was indeed a big reason why Link had sought her out again after arriving in Los Angeles.

"How was the movie audition?" Link asked, hanging his coat on a rack.

"Not so good. I'm tall, tough-looking, which may not fit Hollywood directors' aesthetics; I've failed two auditions," Gadot said as she brought out a cup of pomegranate juice and fruit pudding from the kitchen, placing them on the wooden craft table for him to try.

Link tasted a piece; it was an ice cream kiwi pudding, sweet, tender, and instantly melting in his mouth—a very nice flavor. "You're like Charlize Theron or Angelina Jolie, suited for leading roles in action movies," he suggested.

Gadot, sitting cross-legged on the carpet, laughed, "I just want to land a supporting role now, to kill the boring hours. Leading role is too far-fetched for me right now."

Link pondered. 'Wonder Woman' was still a few years off, and he wasn't sure what suitable roles there might be for Gadot at this stage, although Franco had previously mentioned he had connections in the entertainment industry and could assist with movie roles.

"Don't be discouraged, there are many opportunities."

"I understand. Enough about me, how is your work? You've been all over the television with interviews and commercials," Gadot said, pinching his arm.

"The interviews and commercials have wrapped up; only 'Deep Sea Quest 2' has a few days of filming left. Had I known there would be so much work, I should never have taken on this movie," Link said, leaning on the couch.

"While others dream of such roles but don't get them, you find them too numerous; you're indeed a big star now," Gadot teased.

Link smiled gently, wrapping his arm around her waist, recalling something, "There's an HBO reception at the Beverly Hilton Hotel tonight. Do you have time to accompany me?"

"Sure!"

Gadot didn't hesitate and gave him a warm kiss.

The living room was a whirl of spring light while the Persian chrysanthemums in the vase bloomed even more brilliantly.

——

"Scene 62, Shot 2, Take 2!"

"Action!"

In the Universal Studios in Los Angeles, on the set of "Deep Sea Quest 2", Link stood in a crowded soundstage surrounded by crew members, with three cameras aimed at him, and lights and microphones surrounding him. The indoor temperature was very high.

Link looked at the male lead opposite him and said, "Buddy, I mean no harm, I just want to team up with you once. I'll provide the yacht and the salvage equipment. How about we team up to retrieve the sunken treasure?"

"Sorry, I don't know what treasure you're talking about."

The man playing against him was a broad-faced, handsome brunette named Chris Carmack, a model-turned-actor, 185 cm tall, who had acted in "The O.C. Season 1" and played a pretty but insignificant role in "Unlucky Cupid". His acting was mediocre.

"Buddy, are you planning on keeping it all to yourself? That's not a good idea," Link said as he grabbed the male lead's arm.

The male lead coolly turned his head to look at him.

Link let go of his hand, stepped back to show he meant no harm.

"Cut!"

"Link, well done, you're a really good actor."

After wrapping up the scene, director Stephen Herrick took off his headphones, led the applause, and the other crew members cheered and clapped as well.

Link waved his thanks, walked behind Stephen, and watched the scene he had just shot. Frankly, there wasn't much acting to speak of, and his counterpart's performance was stiff, hardly deserving the applause.

Sitting next to Stephen, he said, "Stephen, are you sure this is okay? I've heard that other directors, even when working with Oscar Best Actor level actors, would do several takes, yet I, a newcomer, am done after just two takes?"

Director Stephen Herrick laughed, "It's fine, Link, this is a commercial film; it doesn't require much acting prowess."

"Are you sure?"

Link regretted taking on the role, from the script to the dialogue, the actors, and the director's attitude, none of it seemed likely to make a blockbuster movie, much less receive an Oscar nomination. Doing such films seemed to only deplete his own reputation without much benefit.

Director Herrick seemed to notice his hesitation and smiled, "Link, do you know the barrel principle?"

Link nodded but did not fully understand what he meant.

"Making a movie is the opposite of the barrel principle, which states that the amount of water a barrel holds isn't determined by the longest or the shortest stave; ideally, they should be the same length. If I'm strict with you, I have to be strict with the other actors to prevent their performances from looking even worse.

"If this were an art film, I'd insist that every actor be perfect, and I might even replace those who aren't up to par. But this is a commercial film, primarily selling points like sunny beaches, attractive men and women, action, and adventure, not acting prowess. As long as your performances aren't too rigid to be believable, it's generally fine," explained Director Herrick.

Link got the idea—he and the rest of the cast were average at best, so expectations couldn't be set too high.

If they were, it would mean replacing actors, but given the male and female leads were cast by the producers, the director didn't have the power to replace them. So, Herrick felt compelled to compromise as well.

While Link understood, he could not agree, as it felt like a waste of his time and would damage his popularity. The role did pay, but he wasn't short on money.

"Stephen, this is my first role with lines, and I'd really appreciate it if you were stricter with me since I am genuinely interested in acting," he said.

"Ha ha, no problem, I'll judge your performance by the standards of a third-rate actor from here on. If you don't pass muster, I'll ask for a reshoot, how about that?"

Director Herrick laughed.

"Okay!"

Link made a thumbs-up gesture.

In the performances that followed, Director Herrick indeed became stricter with him, frequently correcting his lines, expressions, and body language, sometimes even demonstrating the acting himself.

Director Herrick, who had directed "Life Because of You," which earned an Oscar Best Actor nomination in 1996, did have some directing prowess.

After shooting for eight days on set, which felt more exhausting than boxing training, he nevertheless learned a lot: like how to position himself, how to look more handsome on camera, and how to handle scenes dominated by the male lead or seduction attempts by the female lead.

Unlike in "Fast & Furious 4," where he only learned how to pose for the camera and nothing else.

After staying in Los Angeles for about two weeks, Link then traveled to New York to prepare for a professional competition.

In New York, through a wealth manager at Morgan Investments, he converted his 12 million US Dollars into about 100,000 shares of Amazon stock.

Due to the financial crisis, the US stock market had evaporated $5.3 trillion from October last year to September this year, with the New York Stock Exchange's S&P 500 index dropping 40.6% by August and nearly 300 banks going bankrupt.

Under these conditions, internet tech companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google were not spared, experiencing their biggest declines since the internet bubble in 2000.

Amazon's total market value fell from 37 billion in May '07 to 23.8 billion US Dollars, nearly a 40% drop, with Amazon stock also falling from a high of 241 US Dollars last year to 119 US Dollars now.

Link didn't know the lowest value of Amazon stock during the 08 crisis, nor did he know how much it would rise next year, but he knew that when Jeff Bezos became the world's richest man in 2019, Amazon's valuation exceeded 1 trillion, with the stock surpassing $2000 per share.

Purchasing 100,000 shares in 08 could net him two to three hundred million US Dollars in ten years, a much better investment than keeping money in the bank.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

As for other high-tech stocks, besides Facebook, he didn't know much about others and didn't dare to invest in them. Since Facebook wasn't publicly listed yet, there wasn't a way to invest early, so it was simpler to invest in Amazon stocks.

After spending his money, Link felt much lighter.