Chapter 254: The Annual Rich List

And I was like baby, baby, baby, oh~

Like baby, baby, baby, oh~

Like baby, baby, baby, oh~

At noon, in Los Angeles, at the Pier Cafe, the bright sunlight shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the sofa, making Link feel warm and drowsy as he flipped through a magazine.

He had been busy with concerts in South America, Australia, and other places recently, with little time to rest.

After returning to Los Angeles, without a packed schedule or the need to rush to the next concert after finishing one, he suddenly relaxed, both physically and mentally. In this comfortable environment, he inevitably wanted to sleep.

Because of this, he often fell asleep leaning on Taylor while watching TV with her these two days, waking up with music scores and lyrics all over his face and neck.

Like baby, baby, baby, oh~

Like baby, baby, baby, oh~

"Hey! Bob, can you change the song? Don't keep playing baby, baby, baby. Don't you find it annoying?"

Link put down the magazine in his hand and looked back at the cafe owner behind the counter.

Bob was a nerd in his thirties who did nothing but read books every day. If it weren't for his capable and virtuous wife, Lillian, this cafe would have closed down long ago.

Bob raised his head from behind the counter, pushed up his glasses, and said, "This song is very popular recently, everyone is listening to it. Don't you like it?"

"Change it to another one. Listening to it too much can be annoying."

"Alright!"

Bob scratched his messy hair, moved his fingers, and changed the song on the music player.

It's been a long day without you my friend, And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again

"Don't play my songs either. Play some light music."

Link sighed helplessly.

He had been performing concerts abroad recently, and he had to sing "See You Again" and songs from his two albums every time he went on stage. Singing them too much could also be tiring.

Bob fiddled with the music player for a while and put on Richard Clayderman's piano piece "Ballade pour Adeline." After changing it, he asked Link how the music was, and Link said it was okay.

"How's your novel going?"

Link asked casually.

"Not much. Don't listen to Lillian's nonsense. I'm not writing a novel, just some reading notes."

Bob blushed and said awkwardly.

Link shrugged and didn't ask any more questions. He picked up another magazine and continued reading.

After the New Year, various magazines began to publish their 2009 annual lists. Link was one of the most influential figures in America last year, appearing on more than ten lists in one go.

Including "Business Magazine"'s "30 Under 30 Most Influential People,"

"Fortune Magazine"'s "40 Under 40 American Billionaires,"

"Sports Illustrated"'s "2009 World Sports Athlete Income Ranking,"

"Billboard"'s "2009 European and American Music Singer Income Ranking,"

"The Ring Magazine"'s "2009 Boxer Income Ranking,"

"Forbes"'s "2009 Top 10 Charity Stars,"

"People Magazine"'s "World's Most Beautiful Faces" and "World's Sexiest Men" lists, etc.

According to the data given by several magazines, his income was divided into three parts.

First, last year, his total income from boxing and swimming was about 95 million US dollars, ranking second in the "2009 Sports Income Ranking."

The champion was Tiger Woods, with a total annual income of 99.73 million US dollars, including 7.73 million in annual salary + 92 million in commercial income.

The third place was Phil Mickelson, a golfer, with an annual income of 52.92 million US dollars.

The fourth place was British football player David Beckham, with an annual income of 45.2 million US dollars.

Second, last year, his total income from music was about 87 million US dollars, plus advertising revenue of 110 million US dollars, ranking second in the "2009 European and American Singer Income Ranking."

The champion was Michael Jackson, with about 180 million US dollars.

Taylor ranked 12th with an income of 36.5 million US dollars.

Third, last year, in addition to boxing and singing, there were also film salaries, Dynasty Promotion company shares, and Link Music shares. The market value of these two companies had increased several times last year, becoming star companies in the industry.

"Fortune Magazine" estimated his net worth at 3.2 billion US dollars, placing him 32nd on the "40 Under 40 Self-Made Billionaires Annual List."

The people ahead of him were all god-level figures, including the two founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook.

This time, Link's frequent appearances on the lists greatly increased his fame in the United States.

He was no longer the poor beach boy of the past, but a real billionaire.

"Time Magazine" featured him as the cover figure for the beginning of 2010.

"Time Magazine" believed that he was the representative of the new American Dream, a boxing superstar, a new king of the music scene, and the most influential youth idol in the United States. He had a great influence on young people, and they believed that he would continue to play a huge role in American society in the next decade, so it was very appropriate to put him on the cover of the beginning of 2010.

Link didn't care much about this fame. He found that with more halos, just like the amount in his account, it was just numbers, which would make people feel numb and slack.

"Mr. Baker, this is your coffee."

Lillian, the cafe owner, personally brought a cup of hand-ground coffee and gently placed it on the table.

A strong aroma of burnt coffee mixed with the mellow aroma of chocolate and a hint of fresh milk filled his nostrils, making it smell delicious.

This was one of the reasons why Link often came here to relax.

"Lillian, your craftsmanship is amazing."

Link praised, smelling the coffee aroma.

Lillian, the cafe owner, stroked her hair and smiled slightly.

She was a Colombian immigrant in her twenties, with dark skin, ordinary looks, and a sturdy figure, but she was skillful and attentive to her guests.

"Lillian, I have another guest who will be here soon. Please make another mocha."

"Okay, Mr. Baker!"

Lillian left with the tray.

Link noticed Bob eavesdropping behind the counter and advised him to temporarily give up the idea of writing a novel and try writing a screenplay instead. As long as there were good ideas, there would be no shortage of people who appreciated them.

Bob still blushed and said he wasn't writing a novel, just writing for fun.

Ding! The doorbell rang, and a middle-aged woman in a blue ladies' suit walked in.

She was in her thirties, with a round face and ear-length short hair. She wore a pair of round metal-rimmed glasses, and her bright green eyes were very recognizable through the thin lenses.

She exuded both the seriousness and shrewdness of a financial professional and the elegance and loveliness of a young wife.

A somewhat contradictory woman.

"Cathie, over here!"

Link raised his hand and greeted her.

This was Cathie Wood, the manager of ARK Invest.

Last year, after participating in the Olympics, Link had a sum of money and wanted to invest in Wall Street, so he asked Katherine, Franco, and Mandy to recommend a company.

Based on their recommendations, he chose ARK Invest, one of the top three asset management companies in terms of strength. At that time, Cathie Wood was the one who received him.

At that time, he saw her round face and thought she looked easy to bully, not like a shrewd financial manager, and had some doubts about her ability.

However, after talking with her, he found that her professional level was quite good, so he handed over more than ten million dollars of his signing bonus to her to manage, with a trial attitude.

Later, Cathie Wood made several good moves, making his wealth on paper grow more and more, and their cooperation continued to this day.

Today, he wanted to have coffee with her to discuss investment plans for the upcoming period.

For example, Tesla, which was planning to go public.

Currently, Tesla's market value was less than 1 billion US dollars, and after going public, it would only be 1.7 billion. However, 15 years after going public, Tesla's stock price would increase by 4400%, and its market value would exceed 500 billion US dollars, making it more valuable than Amazon.

Whether he could take action in advance to acquire a large portion of the stock and become a multi-billionaire or even a trillionaire depended on the analysis of Cathie, a professional, and the specific operation would also be left to her.

(End of chapter)