Bab 95: Chapter 95: Premiere Ceremony**
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After dinner, due to the overcast weather, it was already getting dark before six o'clock.
Link saw Taylor in the living room and was relieved to have company for the evening. He wouldn't have to spend the night at the gym.
However, Taylor was a workaholic. She wanted to practice the new song on the piano, optimize the melody a bit more, and aim to produce a complete score by tomorrow to record the accompaniment in the studio. The deadline for the "Write a Song for Your Dream" event was next week.
Link had no choice but to see her off. He ended up doing an extra thousand push-ups at the gym that evening, but it didn’t seem to make much difference.
The next day, he had another matchâ€"his third professional fight. It was against a newcomer. With his temper flaring and time running short, Link ended the fight in just five seconds.
"Link, that was incredibly fast. At this rate, I doubt anyone will last ten seconds against you during the qualifiers."
Dino Duvall praised from the car.
"Not necessarily. There are strong contenders in the super middleweight category as well."
Link glanced at his watch and replied.
"Link, look at this!"
Simon from the front passenger seat handed over a document.
"Tyson is officially making a comeback. Franco received a contract from Tyson's agent this morning. According to what you said, we’re accepting the bout. The details of how to organize the match are being discussed."
Link glanced at the document and nodded.
Since Tyson was a heavyweight and Link was a super middleweight, there were two weight classes between them. Their match needed approval from the sports committee, making the process a bit cumbersome. However, the gap also made the fight highly anticipated, and the earnings from the match should be significant.
"Link, are you really going to fight Tyson? He's Tyson, the heavyweight champion. Even though he's retired, he's still Tyson. Aren't you worried about getting defeated?"
Dino asked, flipping through the documents.
"If I can’t beat someone who’s been retired for years, how can I become the world champion?"
Link looked at his fists and replied.
Despite speaking lightly, he took it very seriously. Tyson had been retired for over three years and could still punch at 1450 pounds. After some recovery training, his punching power might increase, potentially surpassing Link's 1500 pounds, making him a formidable opponent.
But the more daunting the challenge, the more excited he was. Competing against someone stronger than himself was more thrilling than a regular qualifier, and the idea of facing Tyson made him impatient.
Dino saw Link’s confidence and excitement and thought he was either a maniac or a true powerhouse, someone born for boxing. He also felt Franco might have discovered a gem.
Back at the Yorkville apartment, Link changed into a formal outfit and a bow tie. Under Selena's insistence, he sped to the Metropolitan Theater at 120 mph. The premiere of "Cinderella: The Magical Dance" was being held there.
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"Why hasn't he arrived yet? It was supposed to be 2 PM."
At the Metropolitan Theater’s plaza, Selena Gomez, dressed in a light yellow off-shoulder princess gown with curled hair, sat in a limousine, frequently checking her phone. She was supposed to walk in with the male lead, but since Link was coming, she stayed outside to wait for him.
"Link had a match today. It's already impressive that he's on time. Don't send him more messages."
Mrs. Catherine said from across the seat.
"I know. I’m not pressuring him."
Selena handed her phone to Catherine, looked in the mirror, and asked, "Catherine, do you think it will cause a stir if I walk in holding hands with Link? Will reporters think I’m his girlfriend?"
"You need to clarify that to avoid misunderstandings with the media and Link’s other girlfriends, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble."
Catherine wrote a few notes on a folder and handed it to Selena to handle the reporters.
Selena leaned against Catherine and mischievously smiled, "Catherine, did you notice your wording? You said ‘Link’s girlfriends’?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
"A huge problem. You used to tell me to stay away from playboys and that they were all jerks. But now, with Link, you seem indifferent to how many girlfriends he has, almost encouraging his flirtatious behavior. Is this really appropriate?"
Selena questioned Catherine.
Catherine pointed to the folder and said, "Link is only twenty. It’s normal not to take relationships seriously at that age. Not everyone becomes a responsible man right after hitting puberty.
Besides, he has the qualification to be flirtatious. At twenty, he became an Olympic champion and a millionaire through his own efforts. Who’s more outstanding in America than him?
There isn’t anyone. Boys like him, who are successful and wealthy, naturally attract many girls. Having multiple relationships is normal and can be beneficial for his future, so there’s nothing wrong with it."
"Having multiple relationships is normal?"
"Nothing wrong with it?"
The double standard was glaringly obvious.
Selena rolled her eyes secretly.
Ding-ding!
Selena’s phone rang. It was Link calling to say he had arrived and asking where they were.
Selena quickly got out of the car, lifted her gown, and saw a silver Mercedes parked nearby. Link, dressed in a brown Dior suit with a sophisticated hairstyle, looked tall and fit, his arm muscles bulging.
In an instant, Selena thought Catherine was right. Link was so handsome, rich, and successful at just twenty. Having a few girlfriends seemed normal. But she shook her head, realizing such thoughts were wrong and shouldn’t be influenced by Catherine.
"Link, over here!"
Link strode over, looked her up and down, and said, "Nice, you look beautiful, like a Disney princess."
"Thank you! You look very handsome too!"
Selena curtsied gracefully, holding her gown.
Link smiled slightly, greeted Catherine, briefly mentioned the match, and then led Selena onto the red carpet.
Tall and handsome, and pretty and cute.
As they walked out, they caught the attention of all the reporters. How could Olympic boxing champion Link Beck be walking the red carpet with Disney’s new star, Selena Gomez? Were they dating? This was big news.
Dozens of cameras flashed, capturing the moment continuously.
Fans also watched them in surprise, unsure whether to ship this seemingly perfect pair.
"Mr. Link Beck, may we interview you?"
A reporter called out loudly.
Link checked with Selena, who nodded eagerly. Since being led by Link onto the red carpet, she had found it surprisingly easy, feeling completely at ease and safe.
Link led Selena to the interview area.
"Mr. Beck, can you tell us about your relationship with Selena? Are you two dating?"
A New York Post reporter asked.
Link glanced at Selena and smiled, "Please don’t misunderstand. Selena is my sister."
"Wow!"
There was a gasp from the crowd. Everyone knew Link was an orphan, a fisherman’s son. How could he be Selena’s brother?
Moreover, their last names were differentâ€"Beck and Gomezâ€"and Selena’s skin was wheat-colored, with her father being Mexican. While Link had a tan, it was from sun exposure, and he didn’t have Latino heritage.
"Mr. Beck, is Selena your half-sister?"
A Hollywood Reporter journalist asked.
"No, she’s my cousin. Selena’s mother is my mother’s younger sister."
Oh! The confusion cleared up. Although cousin relationships weren’t as exciting as dating news, it was still an interesting tidbit.
"Mr. Beck, we heard you had a match today. How did it go?"
An American Press reporter asked.
"I won. The match ended in five seconds. Also, everyone, today is Selena’s movie premiere. You should be interviewing her."
Link stepped back, highlighting Selena.
Selena was pushed to the forefront but still held on to him, her cheeks flushed.
"Selena, how does it feel to have an Olympic champion brother?"
A reporter asked.
"Very great! I’m very happy."
Selena smiled sweetly.
"Selena, many girls would require their boyfriends to first beat their brother before deciding to date them. Would you do that?"
A reporter joked.
Selena smirked, "I don’t think anyone could beat Link. He’s an Olympic champion and the best boxer in the world."
"Selena, does Link have a girlfriend? Do you go shopping together?"
An Entertainment Weekly reporter asked.
Selena glanced at Link, winked, and asked how he wanted to answer. Link shrugged, leaving it up to her.
Selena smiled, "I haven’t met Link’s girlfriend yet. If he has one, I think we’d go shopping together."
"Selena, tell us about your new movie. What kind of role are you playing?"
"Okay!"
Selena answered a few more questions, waved goodbye to the reporters, and then she and Link entered the Metropolitan Theater hand in hand.
"Link, you were amazing on the red carpet. You didn’t seem nervous at all."
Selena said happily.
"Of course. With tens of thousands of spectators at a match, if I got nervous, how could I win?"
"Yes, you’re amazing."
Selena, like a little fan, thought he had only strengths, completely forgetting her earlier criticism about his numerous girlfriends.
Thanks to book friend Yuehua for the 500-point reward. I wanted to chat about the recent plot. Previously, I often wrote about fake, serious, and nonsensical main characters, with a lot of frivolous elements, not caring much about values and character settings. This is my first time writing a more serious protagonist, and I’m not very adept at balancing tone and actions. Please bear with
me, and I’ll pay more attention in the future.
(The End of this Chapter)
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone