*Chapter 389: Net Worth of Two Billion*

After James left on a small boat, Link lay on the sofa, flipping through magazines.

By March, The Expendables had gradually been pulled from theaters across North America. It had grossed $130.3 million in North America and $297 million globally, with screenings still ongoing in several countries and regions. The film ranked 18th in the North American box office chart for 2010.

Meanwhile, Palm Beach Productions' The Gossip Plan had earned $71.41 million in North America and $122 million worldwide. Although it ranked 38th in the annual North American box office, it was considered the biggest box office surprise of 2010.

Palm Beach Productions earned over $48 million from the film's box office share, DVD, home entertainment, and cable TV royalties, nearly twelve times the production cost.

More importantly, the lead actress, Emma Stone, had become a big star in the entertainment industry thanks to this film, her fame rivaling that of the Four Little Flowers.

Having appeared in both movies, plus the earlier release Valentine's Day, Link had three films with global box office hits this year. The media hailed him as having an extraordinary box office appeal.

The first three months of each year are the awards season in the entertainment industry, with nominations or invitations to numerous awards such as the Golden Globes, Grammys, Oscars, People's Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and Critics' Choice Awards. Link had received nominations or invitations to all of them.

However, due to personal matters over the past two months, he had only attended the Grammys.

At this year’s Grammys, he led with 12 nominations and ultimately won three awards: Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best Pop Male Artist, making him the biggest winner of the event.

In addition to the Grammys, he also won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Action Movie Actor (The Expendables), Teen Choice Award for Best Movie Stealer Male Actor (The Expendables), Best Kiss Male Actor (Valentine’s Day vs. Taylor), and Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor in an Action Movie (The Expendables), among others.

It was a remarkable collection of awards.

His own music label, Link Music, and Palm Beach Agency’s actors had also been highly successful in various music and film award ceremonies, winning over twenty awards.

Aside from the awards news, he checked the latest Billboard data.

In November of the previous year, Lana Del Rey released her second album, Born to Die. The lead singles "Dancing with Your Ghost" and "Born to Die" topped the Billboard Hot 100, with the former holding the top spot for three consecutive weeks.

The album was a surprising hit, selling 224,000 copies in its first week in the U.S., reaching number one on the album chart, and currently, sales in the U.S. had reached 1.137 million copies, making it Lana’s second platinum album.

The album had performed even better overseas, topping the charts in nine countries including the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and Australia.

By March, eleven countries had cumulative sales exceeding 500,000 copies, with Australia leading at two million copies sold.

The album had globally sold 8.37 million copies, with diamond certification just around the corner.

Lana was considered the undisputed queen of Link Music.

Following Lana, Bruno Mars released his second studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, in early February. The first promotional single, "Grenade," was released in mid-January and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks, making it Mars' third number-one single after "Nothin' on You" and "Lighters."

The second promotional single, "Just the Way You Are," was released alongside the album in mid-February. It quickly gained popularity, selling 860,000 copies on its first day and holding the top spot for six consecutive weeks.

The album’s first-week sales in the U.S. reached 341,000 copies, making it the number one album on the Billboard 200 and holding the top spot for three weeks. Currently, the album had sold 924,000 copies in the U.S., surpassing Lana’s sales, though its overseas performance lagged slightly behind hers.

Despite the success of Lana’s and Mars' albums, fans and media had not forgotten the man behind the scenes.

Both singles were penned entirely by him, and the market success was immense.

Now, whether it's fans, peers, record companies, or media, he was regarded as a musical genius, a master, and a godfather-like figure.

Rumors had it that he could compose a hit song effortlessly, and anyone who sang his songs would become famous.

People said his music set the market trends; to ensure album sales, one only needed to follow his musical style or mimic the new album styles of Link Music’s artists.

The media had made him sound almost mythical.

Aspiring artists wanted to join Link Music like never before, sending hundreds of song samples each week, hoping to catch his eye and become the next Lana, Mars, or Wiz Khalifa.

Following the success of the two albums, Link Music’s market value had comfortably surpassed $600 million, with the latest valuation between $620 million and $650 million.

Due to his massive influence on the American music scene and pop culture last year, his popularity was soaring. Time magazine had once again listed him as one of the "Top 100 People of the Year," "Time Icons," and "Top Ten Internet News Personalities."

People magazine had also named him "Sexiest Man of the Year," "Top Influencer in American Pop Culture," and "Music Superstar."

In Rolling Stone magazine’s annual music power ranking, he was listed sixth, right behind the heads of major record companies like Universal Music, Sony Music, and Warner Music, with Ivanka Trump ranked ninth.

His rising fame had led to a decrease in negative media coverage, focusing more on his public appearances and less on his scandals.

In Japan, media no longer covered his relationship with Sasaki Nozomi but shifted to reporting on their business activities.

Sasaki Nozomi had also received several honors earlier this year, including Most Beautiful Female CEO, Vice President of the Tokyo Lingerie Association, and Vice President of the Tokyo Charity Association.

Nozomi had undergone a significant transformation in her status, from an exploited artist to a respected figure. She had no regrets about leaving her former career behind.

Link kissed her cherry-like lips, unfastened her bikini strap, and as the yacht rocked, the two moved together on the deck like a pair of fish.

*(End of Chapter)*