Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

Lincoln Arts Center is located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York, boasting numerous renowned theaters, opera houses, concert halls, and outdoor music venues. It is the largest arts venue in the world.

Michael Jackson's concert rehearsal was taking place at the Metropolitan Opera House, which is also one of the largest performance venues at Lincoln Arts Center, capable of accommodating over five thousand people.

However, each show of MJ's comeback concert was expected to have an audience of over sixty thousand, making the opera house clearly insufficient. The actual concert venue was at Madison Square, which could hold more than one hundred thousand people.

When Link and Selena followed MJ's assistant into the opera house, the dress rehearsal had already started.

Familiar music filled the stage with a rhythmic "boom-boom," it was one of MJ's signature songs, "Billie Jean."

MJ himself was on stage performing the moonwalk, wearing a black sequined jacket, followed by over a dozen dancers in black suits, moving fluidly and looking incredibly cool.

He glanced around but did not see the dancer that resembled 'Xu Jinjiang.'

Additionally, MJ's movements were very flexible during the dance, not at all inferior to the backup dancers, and he certainly did not seem to be ill.

Link began to doubt his memory, wondering if he had mixed up the dates of Jobs's and MJ's deaths.

"Mr. Baker, please wait here for a moment, the dress rehearsal will take about ten more minutes,"

said MJ's assistant.

"Alright!"

Link nodded, took Selena by the hand, and they stood over fifty meters away from the stage in the audience seats, watching the rehearsal from a distance.

There were many staff members present, besides MJ and the sixteen dancers on stage; below the stage, there were three to four hundred people responsible for lighting, sound, stage design, live directing, stage art direction, security, and there were even more than ten doctors and nurses.

Link looked around and noticed it was a bit quiet. He glanced down at the young girl beside him. Selena was staring wide-eyed at MJ on stage.

"What's the matter, dumbstruck?"

Link waved his hand in front of her and asked.

"You're the one who's dumbstruck."

Selena gave him a sideways glance, shook his hand she was holding, and asked, "Is he really MJ?"

"Not too sure, could be his stand-in. Big shots all have doubles,"

Link said with a crooked smile.

"Are you really going to perform on stage with MJ?"

"Not sure."

He didn't know when MJ had died, or if this concert had taken place, everything was uncertain.

"If you perform on stage with MJ, what do you plan to perform?"

Selena asked.

"Sing and dance! I can do both."

"Are you sure? MJ was the King of Pop and a world-class dance master. Both his singing and dancing are top-level. Aren't you worried about being overshadowed by a boxer like you performing alongside him?"

"Of course not, I'm also great at singing and dancing, okay?"

Link retorted.

Selena turned back to look him up and down, then shook her head with a tilted mouth.

Link rubbed her hair in dissatisfaction. Initially, he hadn't felt particularly nervous about MJ's invitation, but after Selena's reminder, he suddenly felt a bit anxious.

Selena had a point – MJ was top-level in both singing and dancing, and an iconic performer in the music world.

As a newcomer to music, Link had average singing abilities and an ordinary dance foundation, and to perform on a world-class stage alongside a top-tier legend, he had a 90% chance of being completely outclassed.

And this type of overshadowing was something he couldn't improve in a short time with effort; simply put, he felt powerless.

Thinking about this, Link suddenly realized that accepting MJ's invitation may not have been a good idea.

"But don't worry, Britney had just started out when she performed with MJ at Madison Square. That show was not bad, so your performance with MJ will probably not be too poor either."

Selena seemed to notice his anxiety and said reassuringly with a pout.

Link thought about it and realized that was true. Britney, only 20 at the time, could perform with MJ, so why should he, a world boxing champion, be afraid?

It was all because Selena was stirring the pot, unsettling my mind!

Link patted her forehead lightly; without her chattering, he wouldn't have broken out in a cold sweat.

Selena puffed out her little round face and glared at him.

"Mr. West, please wait here for a moment.

Link heard someone speaking behind him, turned around, and saw several familiar faces.

There was the square-jawed Kanye West, dressed in an all-black tracksuit, wearing a black cap, his expression gloomy and brooding.

Following him were three thin-faced African Americans: Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Usher, and several rap singers with big gold chains and tattoos on their arms, a group of over ten people.

Kanye and his entourage noticed Link as well and stopped in their tracks, looking at him with a provocative gaze.

Although they had been verbally sparring in the media for over a month, this was the first time they stood face to face like this in private.

"Hello!"

Link greeted them politely with a nod and continued watching the stage with Selena.

Kanye and a few others stood by their seats next door, separated by an aisle.

Then they heard someone whispering next door, wondering whether to go and mess with him. We outnumber him, does anyone call him stupid? That guy is a champion boxer, the kind who can kill with one punch. Even with more people, we're no match for him. Someone said I brought a knife, and the rest looked at him in shock. You came to the MJ rehearsal with a knife?

"Quiet down!"

Kanye West glanced at his companions, and with a dark expression, asked Link, "How did you get here?"

"I think we're here for the same reason."

"MJ invited you to perform? Impossible, why would he invite a racist to his show?"

Kanye said angrily.

"Racist? Are you talking about me?"

Link raised his eyebrows and asked.

"Yes, you!"

"Give me solid evidence, or I'll hold a press conference as soon as I get out, telling all the media that Kanye West is falsely accusing me of racism again, trying to stir up trouble. I think this will be big news."

Link snorted coldly.

"You!"

Kanye glared at him furiously, knowing that if Link held a press conference, given their fame, this would definitely become a hot news story again, and then Link could sell even more albums based on this news.

No way!

He absolutely couldn't let him leech off his popularity.

"Alright, I take back what I said. You're not a racist for now, but how does a newcomer like you qualify to participate in MJ's concert?"

Kanye said resentfully.

This time, before Link could reply, Selena huffed and with a smack of her lips said, "Link is no newcomer, his first album went double platinum in the United States, and he's been leading you all on the Billboard charts. If he's a newcomer, what does that make you, a no-name?"

"Well said!"

Link complimented, patting Selena's braids.

"I'm just telling it like it is. These old singers who debuted years ago, relying on their many fans, gang up to bully a newcomer like you, they really have no shame."

Selena spoke dismissively, pouting her lips.

Pfft!

Kanye nearly burst with anger at Selena's words. What did she mean by calling them old singers, saying they have no shame?

This young girl's words stung even more than Link's.

Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and a few others heard this and glowered, muttering under their breath as if they were performing a rap.

Selena stuck out her tongue at them, hugging Link's arm and hiding her face behind his body.

Link smiled lightly, "It's okay. In a forest, it's often the tallest tree that's most attacked by the fierce winds. Take me or MJ, for example! On our way to fame, we've both faced much criticism, but it's okay. As long as we continue to do the right things and keep at it, we will only get stronger and become indestructible."

Selena nodded somewhat understandingly, "Will people be jealous of me in the future?"

"Definitely. You're so pretty and cute, you can sing, dance, act, and most importantly, you have a very, very handsome brother. In the future, the line of people jealous of you could stretch to France."

Link joked.

Selena covered her mouth, laughing heartily, teasing him for being vain.

Kanye fumed silently on the side, only to hear the brother and sister laughing and joking, his face turning black with rage.

"Hey, Link Baker, you just compared yourself to MJ, saying you're as good as him. You think you're on par with MJ?"

50 Cent said disdainfully.

"Perhaps not impossible!"

Link declared confidently.

"Haha, guys, did you hear that? This guy says he can stand shoulder to shoulder with MJ in the future."

"Psshh, what a loudmouth, the media's right about him."

50 Cent and the others scoffed with a mix of cold mockery and heat.

Link just smiled lightly and shook his head at Selena, signaling her not to speak. Arguing about it was meaningless. Only by taking it seriously, working hard, and striving to achieve it, would it be meaningful.

"OK!"

"Take a break!"

A person with a headset shouted from below the stage.

The music on the stage came to an abrupt halt, and the dancers on stage began to come down. MJ's assistant ran below the stage and said something, pointing at Link and Kanye's direction. MJ, wearing sunglasses, looked over with a smile, but his face seemed a bit stiff.

"Hey, Mike!"

Kanye waved his hand and glanced at Link before walking over quickly.

Link remembered that last year, MJ released the "Thriller 25th Anniversary" album, which included contributions from artists like Kanye and Akon. From this perspective, it seemed that only he was not familiar with MJ.

But he didn't care. For someone as 'great' as MJ, his thoughts were different from ordinary people's. His invitation to both Link and Kanye was probably to ease the conflict between them, a very positive goal.