"Richard, good morning." "Good morning, Tony!"
In the morning, in Youth Park in the Bronx, Richard was wearing a gray sports sweatshirt, jogging briskly towards the morning light.
Along the way, he encountered many familiar faces, mostly elderly people, who stopped to greet him, welcoming the boxing champion who hadn't been around for a while.
When he met acquaintances, Richard would stop to chat for a few moments. He jogged and paused along the way, taking an hour to complete a lap.
Around ten in the morning, he walked into Alvin's boxing gym. He arrived early, and there were only two apprentices cleaning up the gym.
Richard greeted them and headed to the training area to start his workout. Over the past two years, he had trained in many places, some luxurious, some basic.
Comparatively, he still preferred the feel of the gym. Every time he returned here, he could quickly calm down and immerse himself in boxing training.
From 10:30 in the morning until 2:30 in the afternoon, he first did strength training, then practiced footwork and speed, and finally worked on boxing.
His T-shirt was soaked with sweat, and he felt fulfilled and satisfied.
While he was training, the group of kids in the gym didn't dare to approach him. They just watched him from the side, whispering, their eyes full of envy and admiration.
It wasn't until he finished training that the kids came over to greet him. Apart from Jim, he didn't know most of them well.
"Richard, can you give us some pointers?"
Alvin walked over with his hands behind his back and said.
"OK!"
Richard had the kids form teams and get into the ring to spar. After they finished, he gave them individual feedback.
Alvin had picked some good kids, but whether they could become champions depended on their ability to persevere. The most important thing in boxing is consistent persistence—99% persistence plus 1% talent equals a champion.
"How do you think they did?"
In the office, Alvin poured a cup of tea and asked.
"They have good physical attributes. Jim and that little guy named Daniel have some potential," Richard said with a smile.
Alvin shook his head. "But they don't match up to you and Paul. They lack your talent and discipline, and they don't have Paul's luck either.
Paul's potential was originally mediocre, and his willpower wasn't great either. But because he trained with you for five or six years, he went from an ordinary boxer to one who could compete for the international championship title. If we had another person like you, maybe one or two of those kids could become champions."
Richard chuckled, "Paul and I made each other better. Without him as my sparring partner, I wouldn't have become a champion either."
"The WBC championship challenge is coming up again. Do you think Paul has a chance of making it to the semifinals?" Alvin asked.
Richard thought for a moment and then smiled, "Paul has been training hard for a year. He's doing pretty well now, almost on par with John Ruiz. He should have a chance to reach the semifinals."
Alvin shook his head. "There are too many strong competitors in the heavyweight division. If another newcomer like you appears, he might have to wait another year."
Richard nodded in agreement; it was a fact.
There are many strong competitors in the heavyweight division. Besides the familiar champions, there are also the Klitschko brothers, Mike Tyson, David Tua, Hasim Rahman, James Toney, and others.
These guys are no less skilled than Lennox Lewis or Evander Holyfield. It won't be easy for Paul to win the championship belt. In the future, these men might also become his own opponents.
After chatting with the old man for a while, in the afternoon, Richard returned to Jackson Street. He talked with Susan and the neighbors about Los Angeles, and before he knew it, the sky had darkened.
——
"What did you do today?"
In the evening, when he returned home, Mrs. Bündchen, wearing an apron, walked out of the kitchen.
"Went on a date," Richard said with a smile as he took off his coat.
"With whom? Ivanka, Paris, or did Sally, Reese, and Jolie come to New York?" Mrs. Bündchen asked with a smile.
Richard smirked, "So you've always suspected I had something with them?"
"Didn't you? If you do, you can just say so. I won't be angry." Mrs. Bündchen smiled faintly.
Richard shook his head, hugged her, and kissed her. "Don't overthink it. I was out with Alvin, Susan, and some old neighbors from the Bronx—all of them over forty. Are you relieved now?"
"Was I ever worried?"
Mrs. Bündchen rolled her eyes at him and turned back into the kitchen.
Richard chuckled, washed his hands, and was about to help in the kitchen when his phone rang. It was a call from producer Neal Moritz.
Neal invited him over to discuss a new movie project. "Fast & Furious" was about to be greenlit.
Richard agreed.
"Richard, dinner's ready!" Mrs. Bündchen called from the kitchen.
"Coming."
Entering the dining room, the room was filled with a delicious aroma. After living together for over a year, Mrs. Bündchen had come to understand his tastes very well. Every meal was prepared with care, and Richard was very satisfied.
"There's a saying in a movie that to win a man's heart, you must first win his stomach. Darling, you've done it," Richard said with a smile as he raised his wine glass.
"Oh really? And how do you win a woman's heart?" Mrs. Bündchen asked with a smile.
Richard smiled lightly. "You'll find out tonight."
"Ugh, you're such a pervert!" Mrs. Bündchen rolled her eyes and clinked her glass against his.
Ding~ The next day around noon, Richard drove to Third Avenue, to Neal Moritz's office.
"Richard, you're here! Have a seat!" Neal Moritz greeted him warmly.
"Neal, are the roles for the racing series being cast yet?" Richard asked.
"Not so fast. We're just greenlighting the project for now. The casting won't happen until March or April next year. I called you over to discuss the roles. There are two male leads in the script—one is a cop, and the other is the leader of a street racing gang. Both roles suit you well. Take a look at the script," Neal Moritz said, handing him the script.
"Sure thing!"
Richard opened the script and began reading.
The story takes place in Los Angeles, where a series of truck hijackings occur on the city's highways.
The police suspect that these crimes are linked to a group of street racers.
To investigate, the male lead, Brian, is assigned to go undercover.
Brian, the first male lead, is a young, handsome cop with exceptional driving skills. He is tasked by his superiors to infiltrate a street racing gang and gather intelligence.
During his undercover mission, he helps the gang leader, Dominic, evade the police, earning his trust. As he gets closer to the gang, he falls in love with Dominic's sister and grows fond of the gang members. In the end, he lets Dominic escape.
The second male lead, Dominic, is the gang leader. He is portrayed as strong, muscular, highly skilled in driving, and a man of honor—a big brother type of character.
Richard read through the script several times and felt that both roles suited him. One was a handsome undercover cop, and the other was a muscular gang leader—both characters matched his persona.
"Neal, which role do you think I should choose?"
"That depends on you. Do you want to take the action star route or the handsome leading man route? If you're aiming for action roles, Dominic is a better fit for you," Neal Moritz suggested with a smile.
Richard nodded. "Then I'll go with Dominic."
"Alright, you're the top candidate for the role."
Neal Moritz smiled. "By the way, Richard, I heard you're quite skilled at directing action scenes. Are you planning to switch to directing?"
"No, not really. I just helped out in the action direction department while shooting 'Pitch Black,' offering some suggestions. Who told you I was good at action scenes?"
"Haha, that's exactly it. Don't forget 'Pitch Black' was a Universal project."
Neal Moritz laughed.
Richard remembered that Neal Moritz was also a producer at Universal.
"You know producer Ted Field?"
"Haha, we go way back. Last week, when 'Fast & Furious' was greenlit, Ted recommended you to me. He kept praising you, saying how great and dedicated you were. He made you sound so good that I started wondering if he was talking about the same person."
"Haha, Ted's a great guy."
Richard chuckled. He suddenly remembered something: in the future, he wanted to be a major producer. Now that a big producer was right in front of him, wasn't this the perfect opportunity to learn from him?
He definitely couldn't let this opportunity slip by.
——
(End of Chapter)