boxer to hollywood

Ring! Ring! Ring!

"What's up?"

Under the shade of the poolside awning, Link put down the Hemingway collection in his hand and answered the phone on the table.

It was Ivanka calling, telling him that "Sorry" had received a good response after its release, and asking if he wanted to create a "breakup album" for his next album, with themes of "cheating", "apology", "breakup", and "single man".

Link knew she was teasing him, so he told her that he had only broken up once and couldn't gather enough songs for an album. He would consider it after breaking up a few more times.

"Okay, let's not talk about the album for now. How are things with you and Taylor?"

"You're very concerned about this?"

"Of course, I'm the CEO of Link Music. I need to know your current emotional state so that I can formulate the next promotional strategy based on your situation. If I'm not clear about the situation, I'll make wrong decisions and waste the company's funds."

"Well, I don't know how to answer this question. Yesterday, I apologized to Taylor and got her forgiveness. I persuaded her to come back, and she said she needed a day to think about it. So, my relationship with Taylor is like Schrodinger's cat, whether we break up or get back together depends on what Taylor says."

"So you worked overtime last night to produce 'Sorry' to move Taylor and give her a reason to come back? I didn't realize you were such a sentimental scumbag."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Link smiled helplessly.

Ivanka continued, saying that if Taylor agreed to get back together, he should remember to tell her. If not, he should also let her know, as it was part of her job.

Link said he understood.

He hung up the phone and looked at his cell phone.

There was still no response from Taylor, but the new song "Sorry" released in the morning had been played over 1.04 million times on iTunes and downloaded 47,000 times, easily topping the iTunes daily download chart.

In the comment section, fans' comments on the song were mostly positive.

Some said that although he was a bit of a scumbag, his creative ability was second to none in the music industry, and they advised him to cheat a few more times and write more good songs.

Some thanked him, saying they had just been caught cheating by their girlfriends and didn't know how to apologize, and his song made it much easier.

Some even said that this song was comparable to the apology song "Apologize" by OneRepublic.

His Twitter account was also very lively.

Fans left comments saying the new song was very good, that he was amazing, and the best singer in pop music.

Tens of thousands of fans even went to Taylor's Twitter to apologize on his behalf, saying that he just made a mistake that any normal man would make, and hoped that Taylor wouldn't take it too seriously.

This incident was also reported by online media, saying that after the idol cheated and was dumped, tens of thousands of fans apologized for him, which was unique in the entertainment industry.

Ding-dong!

The phone received a message from Taylor.

"I'm sorry, I thought about it all night, but I still can't accept you cheating on me."

Seeing this message, Link almost crushed his phone. After saying and doing so much yesterday, all he got was a "sorry"?

Link: "I promise I will never cheat again."

Taylor: "The book says that men cheat either once or countless times. At the Grammys, you could mess around with another woman backstage after just twenty minutes apart. In the future, when you go on tour and we're separated for a week, a month, or even longer, it's hard to imagine how many times you'll cheat."

Link: "The first two times were accidents."

Taylor: "Link, stop making excuses. Even if you don't cheat, every time you leave, I can't help but overthink and imagine you messing around outside. It's very painful for me, can you understand that feeling?"

Link was helpless. Taylor was too opinionated. Once this kind of person made up their mind, ten oxen couldn't pull them back.

Taylor sent another message: "Link, I'm sorry. You're a good man, strong, brave, humble, and kind. You're also the best guy in the world. I know that leaving you, I will definitely regret it in the future, but for the sake of my dream, I have to leave you. You're too good, it's easy for me to indulge in you. Your protection and care for me also make me lose my desire for freedom. I love you, but I love music more."

Link: "Okay, let's break up!"

Link was a little disappointed. He originally thought that what he said yesterday could move Taylor and turn things around, but Taylor was stronger than he imagined and more decisive.

Taylor: "Link, you're very talented in music. I hope you can continue to sing and create, write more good songs, and don't give up music easily because of me, that would be a pity."

"We'll see." 

Link tossed his phone aside, donned his goggles, and plunged into the azure pool. After swimming back and forth for more than ten laps, he felt much cooler.

Upon emerging, he saw Ms. Anna standing by the poolside, a briefcase in hand.

"Anna, what's up?" Link asked, drying his hair with a towel.

Ms. Anna nodded. "It's about Usher's new album. During their promotion, they claimed this album was meticulously crafted over two years, with 15 top producers collaborating. They initially projected first-week sales to exceed 1 million copies, but it only reached 410,000, falling far short of expectations.

Professional media like Rolling Stone criticized the album as subpar, with a loose structure and disconnected songs, as if many songs were haphazardly pieced together. Its overall quality is significantly inferior to your love album.

However, on the CBS late-night talk show yesterday, Usher, Kanye West, and producers Jermaine Dupri and The Runners targeted you. They claimed you create news and hype with each new album release, disrupting the market and driving out good music, preventing many excellent albums from achieving success and hindering talented musicians from thriving.

Kanye West even called you a 'poisonous weed' in the music industry and urged fans to stop supporting you. Coincidentally, you tweeted 'Sorry' this morning, and Kanye, Usher, and others retweeted it, claiming you acknowledged your mistakes and apologized to them. Even though many fans pointed out you were apologizing to Taylor, they insisted on their interpretation."

Link listened, his head filled with dark clouds. These guys were clearly riding on his popularity, shameless in their pursuit of album sales.

"Usher and Kanye are both signed under SB Entertainment. What does Scooter have to say about this?"

"Usher and Kanye have personal brand marketing contracts with SB Entertainment, a type of commercial brokerage agreement. Their record deals are with Jay-Z's Roc Nation. SB Entertainment has no control over this matter.

However, I contacted Mr. Braun, and he believes this kind of comparative hype benefits us too. Just like your chart battle with Jay-Z last year attracted extensive media coverage, and both your albums ultimately sold well," Ms. Anna explained.

"Alright, let's ignore it for now. Let them hype it up." Link nodded and lay back on the lounge chair, resuming his reading.

(End of Chapter)