章 85: Chapter 85: First Time in New York
Rumble!
It was a gloomy morning in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York. The numerous skyscrapers were shrouded in dark clouds, resembling Gotham City in the Batman movies.
Cars on the road whizzed by, bringing gusts of cool wind and a few yellow leaves.
Link, wearing a red Nike sweatshirt and green sweatpants, was jogging along Fifth Avenue outside Central Park. As he ran from the Museum Mile to the Waldorf Astoria, it suddenly started to rain. This was the third rain since he arrived in New York.
At first, it was just a drizzle, but before he could run 300 meters, the rain intensified, and the air became hazy with mist.
Link quickened his pace and rushed to a bus stop, using the shelter of the awning to block the heavy rain.
Because he often lived in Miami, where there were sunny days most of the year, even when it rained, it was usually a heavy downpour that came at night and left by morning. It was rare to have the continuous drizzle like in New York, which left the roads wet and the air damp and chilly, making Link miss the sunny Miami.
"Are you Link Baker? The Olympic champion, Mr. Link Baker?"
As Link stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at the sky outside the awning, he heard someone talking beside him. It was the homeless man lying on the bench.
He was wearing dirty clothes, had a messy beard, and smelled bad. There was a worn-out backpack on the ground next to him.
Link didn't have any prejudice against such people because he had been in a worse situation than them for a while. At least they could leisurely lie on the bench outside Central Park and enjoy the rain and wind after going bankrupt, which he couldn't do.
"Yes, I'm Link. Do you know me, sir?"
Link remembered he had lollipops in his pocket and took one out, offering it to the homeless man.
"Haha, I see you every day, how could I not know you?"
The homeless man laughed and pointed to the scrolling advertisement on the bus stop.
Link looked back and saw it was the Tide detergent commercial he had filmed in Los Angeles not long ago. Although he didn't know why Procter & Gamble would choose a boxer as their spokesperson, their offer was $600,000 for two years, so Link naturally wouldn't refuse.
After the Olympics, the brand filmed the commercial overnight, and only five days later, the commercial featuring him was broadcast on TV and even on bus stop signs.
In the commercial, he was wearing a navy blue sweater and white casual pants, with a blue Tide detergent bottle next to him. The slogan was "Champion detergent, super cleaning power."
Link looked at his face, fair and clean, without any greasy feeling, and suddenly understood why Tide chose him as their spokesperson.
"Mr. Baker, why are you in New York? I heard you're from Miami."
The homeless man said.
"Yes!"
Link said, with a citrus-flavored lollipop in his mouth, "Do you know about the WBA super middleweight championship? I'm here to participate in the competition."
"Oh, I watched that episode of 'Following the Champion to Watch Boxing.' Man, I have to say, your punches are powerful, even more powerful than Tyson's. You will definitely become a world champion in the future."
"Thank you!"
Link smiled and bumped fists with him.
The M86 bus stopped in front of the bus stop, breaking through the rain. Link waved to the homeless man, ran into the bus, and took the slow bus back to the Yorkville apartment on East 80th Street, an affluent residential area adjacent to the Museum Mile and Central Park.
This apartment was arranged by Franco. It had two bedrooms, four bathrooms, a large terrace, and a gym. The decoration was quite luxurious, and based on the housing prices in this area, this apartment was worth more than three million dollars.
There was also a silver-gray Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the garage downstairs as his car.
These were all apologies from Franco.
According to the original agreement, Franco would move the Dynasty Promotion headquarters to Miami within the year, but currently, the company was short of funds. Establishing a new headquarters, training ground, medical and physiotherapy center, and building new channels all required a large amount of money.
After a meeting and discussion, everyone decided to first set up the headquarters in New York and establish a branch in Miami, gradually moving there when they had more money.
Link had no objections to this.
As a boxer, as long as there were matches and he could earn money, it didn't matter where he fought. Besides, if he wanted to make a name for himself in the United States, he couldn't just limit himself to Miami. He had to venture out to other places.
New York was one of the birthplaces of American boxing and the headquarters of boxing organizations such as the WBA, WBC, and IBF. Holding boxing matches here would attract many spectators and a broader market.
However, he and Franco had discussed that if he made it to the finals of the WBA championship, it would be best to hold the final in Miami, as he had more fans there. In terms of influence and economic benefits, it would undoubtedly be more suitable to hold it in Miami, and Franco agreed with his opinion.
When he returned to the Yorkville apartment on 80th Street, as soon as he entered the lobby, he saw a girl with wet hair sitting on the sofa. She was wearing a cream-colored hoodie and blue jeans, hugging her legs with her hands, her forehead resting on her knees, her golden-brown hair spread out on both sides, covering her cheeks.
Hearing footsteps, the girl looked up, revealing a pair of blue fox eyes and a beautiful face. It was Taylor Swift.
"Hey~ Link, why are you only back now?"
Taylor jumped off the sofa and rushed to him, asking.
"Taylor, why are you here?"
Link touched her rain-soaked shoulder, which felt a bit damp like his own. He asked about Taylor's purpose while leading her into the elevator.
"I'm here to record an album. I arrived yesterday afternoon. I asked you for your address a few days ago, and I took a taxi here as soon as I woke up this morning. I called you, but you didn't answer."
Taylor said, holding his warm hand.
"I was jogging in Central Park and didn't bring my phone. Remember to let me know in advance next time. Besides jogging in the morning, I spend most of my time at the main event training ground in Queens and don't bring my phone either."
"I got it. How long will you be staying in New York this time?"
Taylor leaned against him and asked.
"Probably one or two months, or even longer."
"Great!"
Taylor clapped her hands excitedly and looked up at him with a smile. "I'll be here for two weeks or more too. We can see each other often."
"Sounds good."
Link took Taylor back to the apartment and saw that her clothes were a bit damp, so he found her a white long-sleeved T-shirt and cropped pants. She was 180 cm tall, so they wouldn't be too long.
"Link, want to join me?"
Taylor stood in front of the bathroom, turned around, winked at him, and a blush appeared on her face with a hint of unnatural charm.
Link smiled slightly and pushed her into the bathroom.
Then he went to the kitchen and made shrimp and seafood pasta and a broccoli beef stew. Just as he put the food on the table, Taylor came out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel, her face still slightly damp.
She was wearing his long T-shirt and cotton pants, her figure a bit thin, but her rosy cheeks, fair skin, and beautiful smile added to her charm and youthful vitality.
"Link, am I a sexy girl?"
Taylor asked while drying her hair.
"Why do you ask?"
Link looked at her in confusion.
"Don't ask why, just tell me how you feel."
Taylor deliberately lifted the hem of her T-shirt, revealing a section of her fair belly and slender waist, looking a bit sexy.
Link smiled slightly. Nineteen-year-old Taylor was still taking the pure route, neither her figure nor her temperament could be considered sexy. But for girls, being sexy was very important. He praised her, saying, "You're not only sexy, but also a very hot girl."
"Really? Then why didn't you dare to come in when I invited you into the bathroom just now?"
Taylor sat down next to him and stared at him, asking.
"I wasn't afraid to come in, but are you sure you want to do that kind of thing in the morning?"
"Okay! I was just testing you to see if you were a horny guy. Very good, you passed."
Taylor patted his shoulder, smiled slightly, picked up a spoon to drink the stew he made, and repeatedly praised his cooking as being amazing, a hundred times better than the food her mother made, who couldn't do housework and only caused trouble.
Link picked up some pasta with a fork and asked, "Did you tell your mother before you came here? If you forgot, call her so she doesn't worry."
"I told her. I said I was coming to see you and told her not to bother me before noon. She's been behaving well recently. I've been out for so long, and she hasn't called once."
Taylor put her phone on the table and turned on the screen.
Link nodded and didn't say anything else. He knew that Mrs. Andrea didn't approve of his relationship with Taylor and roughly knew the reason, so he didn't actively pursue Taylor before, not wanting to cause trouble for either of them.
However, since the Olympics, Mrs. Andrea's attitude towards him seemed to have changed. The last time he called Taylor, Mrs. Andrea answered the phone, and her tone was much gentler, no longer as cold and distant as before.
Link was satisfied with this change. If he had ignored her attitude before and clung to Taylor, he would only have been strongly rejected. But now that he had proven his strength and ability through boxing, he didn't need to say anything more.
The change in her attitude was also one of the gains of the Olympics.
"What are you laughing at?"
Taylor asked, pretending to be angry, holding a spoon. "Are you laughing at me for being a glutton?"
"Of course not. I'm glad you like the soup I made. By the way, what song are you recording in New York? A new album?"
Link changed the subject and asked.
"No, it's a public service song, a song about dreams. But I don't like the songs the company has collected, and I want to write it myself, but I have no inspiration. Link, you're a world champion, a representative of the American Dream. Can you tell me your story and feelings? I want to find some inspiration from you, is that okay?"
Taylor asked with a smile, resting her chin on her hands.
"Of course, but let's eat first."
Link pointed to the toast on the plate and said.
(End of Chapter)
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