### Chapter 194: A Forceful Retort

That night, Kevin Merida, the executive editor of the *Los Angeles Times*, took off his glasses, prepared to go to bed, when a loud phone ring interrupted him. His wife gave him a nudge, complaining that he hadn't turned off his phone and urging him to answer it quickly.

With a sigh, Mr. Merida put his thick glasses back on and went outside to take the call.

The call was from James, a reporter in the entertainment section. James informed him that just moments ago, Link had posted a tweet responding to Lil Wayne and the recent online rumors.

James believed this tweet had significant news value and might become a major story tomorrow. He suggested Merida take a look and decide whether to write a report on it.

Mr. Merida sighed again. In the pre-internet days, hot news would emerge only every few days or months. Sometimes, when there was no good news, fake news would be created.

With the advent of the internet, hot news emerged daily or even multiple times a day. To handle this, news professionals like him had to work harder than ever. Gone were the days when they could count on a few days off each month; now weekends and after-hours were no longer guaranteed. They were constantly busy, but they had to accept these changes.

The arrival of the internet era had brought unprecedented challenges to traditional media like newspapers. If they couldn't adapt, they would eventually become obsolete, leading to job losses and financial ruin—an awful prospect.

Mr. Merida opened the Twitter app on his computer. Since he followed Link, he quickly found the tweet posted ten minutes ago.

In the tweet, Link wrote: "Regarding the recent accusations from Lil Wayne and others about my ability to hype myself up, I have a positive response.

Yes, I'm skilled at self-promotion. For this, I went to China and won an Olympic gold medal. I competed in the WBA super middleweight title fight and won the world championship. I participated in the World University Games, breaking four swimming records and winning eight gold medals, plus seven gold medals in the World Championships.

Yes, I'm skilled at self-promotion, so I wrote an album to fulfill my dream of becoming a singer. Thanks to my fans' support, *The Fighter* has sold over five million copies worldwide.

Encouraged by my fans, I wrote a second album. Currently, the album's North American sales have exceeded 1.9 million copies, with two singles topping the charts, sixteen songs making the Hot 100, and *I'm The One* reaching number one on the rap charts.

Yes, I'm good at self-promotion, but I'm even better at letting my achievements speak for themselves."

Mr. Merida read through it and felt that Link still had more to say, but due to Twitter's 280-character limit, he could only express so much.

Nevertheless, this tweet conveyed Link's attitude toward the recent rumors—one of disdain. Given his achievements in boxing and sports, any one of them could have made him a sports star, let alone being a popular singer with two bestselling albums.

Did someone like him need hype?

Yes, he did! But not for himself; it was the media and America that needed it.

The media needed to use his news to attract audience attention and sell news products. America also needed his story to sell its culture and image, sharing the American Dream with the world and attracting more talent.

The recent media hype about Link was driven by interests. His growing fame meant that both criticism and praise had buyers, so the media couldn't avoid reporting on him. Even large newspapers like the *Los Angeles Times* pretended to be objective in their coverage.

They commented on Lil Wayne and others' remarks on the CBS show but didn't criticize them or defend Link. They only provided neutral comments acceptable to both Link and Lil Wayne's fans. This approach avoided offending either side and prevented legal disputes. It also meant that if the dispute continued, the media would benefit from the increased need for public relations, selling more newspapers.

Mr. Merida was hoping the dispute would persist. The more it continued, the more news he could cover and sell.

But times had changed.

Mr. Merida put down his phone and wiped the sweat off his face with a towel. Since the advent of blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, the media's control over public discourse had diminished significantly.

Public figures could now use social platforms to express their views directly to specific audiences without relying on traditional media. 

Like Link's tweet. 

Ten years ago, he would have needed to contact a TV station or newspaper, pay a public relations fee, and arrange for an interview to express his views or attitudes through media channels. 

Now, Link could just tweet at will.

With over eight million Twitter followers, even if only a fraction were active users, the spread was impressive, comparable to a major newspaper.

Link had openly expressed his skepticism about recent rumors. Even with only 280 characters, his message was potent and beyond question, even for major media outlets.

According to Mr. Merida's understanding of public sentiment, Link's strong response would make it hard for the media and online critics to sustain their attacks. The focus would likely shift back to the feud between Link and East Coast rappers.

Mr. Merida called his editors and reporters, instructing them to pull the critical articles about Link from tomorrow's paper and replace them with an article praising Link's achievements. The new piece would discuss whether his current fame was due to self-promotion or genuine talent, concluding that it was well-deserved.

After making several calls, Mr. Merida checked the time. It was past nine in the evening, and he had to prepare articles for the next day. He had mixed feelings about Link—appreciating the news he provided but resenting the timing of his tweet, which meant extra work.

Along with Mr. Merida, many news professionals had to wake up to check Link's tweet and the subsequent comments. In just three hours, the tweet had garnered 1.04 million likes, 158,000 retweets, and 115,000 comments.

Many newspeople were shocked by these figures. Despite it being evening, Link's tweet had quickly gained massive support, demonstrating his high fan engagement.

Most comments were supportive. Some people marveled at his achievements, believing that with his looks, talent, and ability, he didn't need hype to become a big star. Others encouraged him to participate in more events, win more titles, and release more albums to continue promoting himself and annoy the haters.

Some fans were considerate, urging him to get some sleep and not be affected by the negative news, assuring him of their unwavering support.

Among the comments was a special one with over 30,000 likes, suggesting Link avoid tweeting in the early morning or late evening, as user activity was low during these times, affecting effectiveness.

Mr. Merida and other news professionals liked this comment, agreeing with the advice.

The next morning, Link woke up and responded to this comment, apologizing for the timing and acknowledging the advice.

At the breakfast table, Taylor, scrolling through her phone, asked, "When did you post this tweet?"

"After the third time I was done, during the break."

"Feels like you're bragging. To sum it up, aren't you saying, 'I'm so great, I don't need hype'?"

Taylor teased with a smirk.

"Isn't that the truth?"

Link replied, stuffing bread into his mouth, grabbing Taylor's phone, and urging her to eat quickly. Taylor gave him a look and, while he wasn't paying attention, playfully punched him.

After breakfast, he dropped Taylor off at the recording studio for vocal practice and then went to a nearby boxing gym for training.

In addition to promoting his album, shooting a music video, and filming for *Valentine's Day*, he also had a boxing match coming up.

Link was set to face WBC super middleweight champion Karl Froch in a WBA-WBC world title unification bout.

Karl Froch, a 32-year-old British boxer, had a record of 26 wins, 1 loss, and 24 KOs. His only loss was to Mikkel Kessler in a WBA European title fight last year. However, in the first half of this year, Froch defeated several top contenders and won the WBC world title.

Nicknamed "The Cobra," Froch was known for his speed and powerful jabs, making him a formidable opponent.

Another important point was that Froch's management had agreed to the fight but insisted on holding it in London. The disadvantage of fighting abroad was that if Link didn't knock out Froch within twelve rounds, even if he had a clear advantage, there was a significant chance of losing by decision.

Thus, before the fight, Link needed to dedicate time to training to maintain optimal fighting condition.

Thanks to SwiftVwing for the support and comments!

(End of Chapter)