Chapter 126: A Benevolent Breakup

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"Link, hurry up! The game is about to start!"

On the beach, a bikini-clad girl waved at him. She was a top-notch beauty with blonde hair, fair skin, a hot figure, and a pretty face.

This was Amber Hilton, Link's new girlfriend, a 22-year-old actress who had appeared in TV shows like "The O.C." and movies like "Northern Wind." In Hollywood, she was considered a third-tier actress.

He met her at one of Paul Walker's parties.

This woman was young and beautiful, with a great figure and looks. However, after meeting Taylor, Ivanka, and Gadot, he realized that even top-notch beauties had different levels.

Taylor was talented, smart, and beautiful, with an artistic temperament. Apart from being too busy, she didn't have any major flaws.

Ivanka came from a wealthy family, with looks that scored eighty or ninety, and a body that scored ninety-nine. She had good manners, insight, and ability, but she was a bit domineering. Other than that, she was fine.

Gadot had a good personality and was straightforward, but she valued marriage a lot. Link couldn't give her what she wanted and didn't want to keep wasting her time.

Amber was also a top-notch beauty, but she had many issues: not much education, no depth, and she often used foul language, wasting her top-tier looks.

"Link, what are you looking at?"

Amber stepped on the sand, wearing a blue bikini that showcased her hot figure.

Link walked over, patted her on the firm butt, and pulled her to continue playing volleyball.

â€"â€"

In the afternoon, they returned to the beach house in Santa Monica. Mandy approached and handed him a folder.

"Link, I'm going to take a shower. Hurry up and join me."

Amber kissed his face and hummed a tune as she went upstairs to the bedroom.

Mandy glanced at her, wanting to warn Link about this woman. Amber seemed very scheming.

But considering that Link was not a fool and hadn't made any mistakes with women yet, she decided not to say anything.

Link opened the folder and felt a bit overwhelmed. The first few pages listed over thirty event invitations, including performances at the Grammy Awards, the American Music Awards, the Latin Music Awards, and MTV music shows.

There were also over twenty concert invitations, mostly for guest performances.

Additionally, there were dozens of city book signings and more than ten advertisements to choose from. Completing all these tasks would take half a year, which was too busy.

Link shook his head. "Mandy, I have training schedules every day. I don't have time to travel to so many places. Cut the events and concerts by half, and don't accept any endorsements under five million."

Mandy hesitated before saying, "Link, 'The Fighter' is still on sale. Doing more promotional activities and signings can boost album sales."

"I understand, but I have other work to do, like boxing and acting. I don't have much time for album promotion."

Link thought for a moment and said, "Try contacting Dynasty Promotions. See if we can arrange boxing matches in various cities. We could combine the matches with album signings and promotional activities."

Selling albums during boxing matches?

Mandy seriously considered it and found it highly feasible.

Link was a world boxing champion with fans all over the world. Since the release of "The Fighter," he had gained many music fans as well.

If he went to a city for a boxing match, boxing fans would attend, and music fans would come too. Combining the two would create more loyal fans, boost album sales, and attract more people willing to pay to watch the matches.

"We can also bundle sales. Buy tickets, get an album; buy an album, get match tickets," Link suggested.

Mandy nodded and noted his idea.

"Mandy, one more thing. I've already written five songs for my second album, all about love. If things go well, I can release another album later this year. Please ask Mr. Grayo to keep collecting songs."

Considering he didn't have much time for promotion, Link planned to release more albums and singles to maintain his popularity in the music industry.

After releasing seven or eight hit albums, he believed he could become a top-tier singer.

After Mandy left, Link went upstairs to the bedroom and found Amber sleeping on the bed, covered only by a towel, exposing her fair and slender body. She was indeed a stunner.

Link shook his head, covered her with a blanket, and went to the gym to work out.

The next day, Link held a small concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, singing only ten songs to an audience of just over ten thousand. Afterward, he held a signing event and sold 12,000 albums.

This number surprised the person in charge of the Los Angeles record company.

"The Fighter" sold 97,000 copies in its first week. Now, in Los Angeles alone, it sold 12,000 copies in half a day. How many would it sell in the second week?

Moreover, Link signed over 12,000 times on-site, an impressive speed.

Ordinary singers' hands would get stiff and swollen after signing two or three thousand times. Link signed 12,000 times, averaging over thirty times per minute without stopping.

Incredible.

The news spread widely, reporting both the massive album sales and Link's signing speed, almost setting a new Guinness World Record.

These two stories were very captivating and successfully drew a lot of attention.

However, some people doubted Link's signing speed. A couple of days later, the record company held another signing event at the Los Angeles Museum.

The event attracted over 30,000 onlookers, with more than 20,000 buying albums to get them signed. There were boxing fans, music fans, and some curious reporters.

Link sat at a table, signing continuously from morning until afternoon, signing 18,000 albums.

When the data was published, it sparked more media discussion. Selling 18,000 albums in one day wasn't impressive by itself; artists like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Britney Spears had sold hundreds of thousands in a single city in one day.

But a singer signing 18,000 albums in one day was unprecedented.

The media marveled that while other singers relied on their voices, Link relied on his hand speed. As a world boxing champion, his strength and endurance were indeed impressive.

Link was also a bit speechless. As a singer, he wished the media would focus more on his songs rather than his hand speed.

Ring, ring!

After finishing the signing event, during a break, Link received a call from Taylor.

Since they broke up over the phone, they hadn't spoken for a week. Seeing Taylor's call, Link hesitated to answer. Breaking up over the phone wasn't a good habit.

"Hi, Taylor, still in the UK?" Link asked.

"I saw the news in the papers."

Taylor's voice was flat, making it hard to gauge her emotions.

"The news about signing 18,000 albums in one day? Even UK media reported it? These journalists have too much time."

"No, the news about your new girlfriend."

Taylor emphasized the words "new girlfriend," sounding angry.

Link rubbed his forehead. He dated Amber quickly after breaking up with Taylor to cut ties cleanly and avoid complications.

"Are you talking about Amber? Yes, we're dating."

"I don't agree!"

Taylor said.

"What?" Link asked, confused.

"I said I don't agree. I don't agree with your breakup proposal, and I don't agree with you dating another woman. You're my boyfriend. Until I agree to break up, you're still my boyfriend."

Taylor's voice was firm, surprising Link.

In the news, Taylor often broke up once or twice a year and then wrote songs about her ex-boyfriends, without hesitation, much like poets and writers who loved for the sake of writing.

Link prepared for Taylor to write about him after their phone breakup, but her sudden change of heart and refusal to break up caught him off guard.

He didn't know how to maintain the relationship while avoiding hurting her.

"Taylor, we're both too busy. Being in a relationship isn't suitable. You should understand that."

Besides being busy, when they weren't, they lived in different places. Having Taylor as a girlfriend felt like being single.

After much consideration, Link called Taylor, who was abroad, to break up. He wanted to break up in person, but Taylor's tour wouldn't end for another six months.

"I don't understand. I don't think being busy is the main reason. Don't you love me? Weren't we happy together?" Taylor asked.

Link took out a lollipop from his pocket and put it in his mouth. "Living together was great, but it was too short. After you left, I was alone every day. It felt terrible. Do you understand?"

Taylor said nothing.

Link sighed, "I could have secretly dated other girls while you were away and continued our relationship when you returned, but that would hurt you more. I thought long and hard before making that call."

Taylor remained silent.

Seeing Mandy signal that the signing event was about to start, Link said, "Taylor, you're an amazing singer destined to be a superstar, even achieving greater heights. Keep working towards your goal. I have another signing event. We'll talk later."

"I don't agree!"

As he was about to hang up, Taylor shouted, "I don't agree to break up. You're still my boyfriend. I'll finish my work abroad soon and come back to you. Wait for me."

Link felt helpless. He had made it clear, so why didn't she agree? Would she give up her career and return home?

He didn't think Taylor would give up, nor did he want her to. Continuing the relationship seemed pointless.

(Chapter end)