Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion-Chapter 913 - 645: I Want to Perform on the Spring Festival Gala_2

Link said.

When it comes to promoting boxing domestically, Link holds a positive attitude.

Although after successfully expanding the market, foreign boxers will take away some money.

But from a long-term perspective, promoting boxing domestically has many benefits. First, it increases the base of boxers, and as more people in Huaxia take up boxing, there will be more top-tier talents. In the future, on the international stage, Huaxia might win more medals.

Moreover, boxing can strengthen the body and increase a person's determination and courage.

Decades later, when Huaxia men began to favor a more delicate aesthetic, from initially liking women who were pale, slim, and young, to later becoming pale and thin themselves, even to the point of not daring to fight back when bullied by women.

Practicing boxing might help alleviate this situation.

——

After the match, Bob Arum invited him to a party and even arranged for a few South American women to help him relieve stress.

Link agreed to attend the party but politely declined the women sent by Arum.

First, he didn't lack women and had no interest in those of unclear background.

Secondly, he and Bob Arum were collaborators, with the core focus on pursuing profits. He didn't want to leave any leverage in Arum's hands that could be used against him in the future, so it was better to be cautious.

After participating in the match and post-match promotional activities in Panama City, Link first followed the work team to the United States to process a green card, which would make it convenient for him to train and compete in the U.S. in the future.

Once those tasks were done, he returned to Huaxia in mid-December, where his new album "For You I Write Poems" was officially released.

In its first week, sales in the Mainland market reached 1.63 million copies, securing the top spot in weekly sales, while sales in Hong Kong and Taiwan Island were 470,000 copies, making it the weekly champion there as well.

In Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and other regions, it sold 320,000 copies.

Total first-week sales exceeded 2.4 million copies, outperforming the first-week sales of Jay Chou, Wilber Pan, JJ Lin, and S.H.E. The results exceeded all expectations.

The songs from this album received enthusiastic praise from music industry insiders upon public release. They lauded the songs for their exceptional quality, beautiful melodies, and profound, poetic lyrics.

Many fans claimed that upon listening to songs like "Where Has the Time Gone," "When You Are Old," "Father and Son," "Old Boy," "Cold," and "The Rest of My Life," they found themselves crying without realizing it.

Others said the songs were so sorrowful that they didn't dare listen to them a second time, yet they still wanted to keep the album as a collection, believing listening occasionally would be enjoyable.

Some fans even shared that playing these tracks during family gatherings moved their parents to tears as well.

There were also fans who praised the album for its extraordinary song quality, saying that every track was a masterpiece, so they went out of their way to buy a physical copy from a record store for their collection.

"Southern Weekend" reviewed the album, calling it the most emotionally stirring album of 2004. Regardless of whether it was about love, friendship, or familial ties, the emotions were deep and pure to the extreme. Link's vocal delivery and interpretation perfectly captured the nuances and emotions in the lyrics and songs, making the album even more magnificent, sincere, and deeply moving.

Pu Shu publicly complimented the album, saying it was utterly brilliant, a thousand times better than his own.

Zheng Jun admitted that after listening to the album, he felt ashamed, saying that while Link was constantly busy with training and competing, he still managed to create such beautiful songs in his spare time. He felt he should learn from Link.

Others like Xia Yu, Gao Xiaosong, Lao Lang, Zhou Xun, Liang Jingru, Mo Wenwei, and Lin Zhilin also publicly recommended Link's new album.

In the album's second week, domestic sales reached 2.12 million copies, with a collectible edition selling 80,000 copies.

In Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and other areas, sales not only didn't decline but increased, reaching 680,000 copies.

According to foreign media reports, international fans particularly loved the three English songs in the album, giving them extremely high praise. They believed Link's ability to perform English songs was outstanding, on par with top-tier male singers in the West, and expressed hopes that he would release a full English album.

Because of how well the album sold and how warmly it was received by fans, when Link returned to Huaxia, he didn't even have time to rest. He brought his promotional team to major cities, holding album signing events and meet-and-greets with fans. On one hand, this was to promote the album and boost its media exposure.

On the other hand, it was to thank fans for supporting official releases.

During the promotional activities, his manager Zhang Ying called, saying that CCTV had invited him to perform at the Spring Festival Gala, hoping he could choose one song from "Where Has the Time Gone," "When You Are Old," and "Father and Son" to perform.

Soon after, Princess called, saying that CCTV had invited her to perform at the Spring Festival Gala, and she planned to sing "The Rest of My Life," so she invited him to join her.

Link replied that he had already received the invitation from CCTV.

After a while, Princess called back, saying she had spoken to the CCTV director and learned that he could perform two songs.

Link agreed.

Not long after, Hundong Province Television also called, inviting him to perform at their provincial Spring Festival Gala. He mentioned that he would be participating in CCTV's gala and wasn't sure if he could make it.

They said it wouldn't be a problem as he could perform at the Lantern Festival Gala if he couldn't make it to the Spring Festival one.

Link agreed as well.

Opportunities like these were good things, so he would try to participate if his schedule allowed.

"Link, I really like your music. Could you please sign an autograph for me?"

Link was at a long table signing autographs when he heard a strange yet familiar voice. Looking up, he saw someone who looked like Huang Bo. Upon closer inspection, it really was Huang Bo.

"Thanks for the support! What's your name, brother?"

Link asked as he took the album from the person.

"Huh? You're asking me? My name is Huang Bo—Huang as in yellow, and Bo as in erudite."

Huang Bo replied quickly.

Link smiled lightly. After signing his name, he wrote on the back, "To my classmate Huang Bo, wishing you smooth sailing."

"Thank you!"

Huang Bo happily expressed his thanks and left with the album in his hands.