Wenger: This Kid Will Surpass Messi and Ronaldo

At the post-match press conference, Hodgson faced the Fleet Street reporters, his face slightly flushed.

He kept feeling that the bastards in the audience were looking at him with mocking, scornful eyes—even though he couldn't see it.

But he had a strong feeling they were. A very strong one!

"Mr. Hodgson, before the match you said Li Yufei was just a kid and nothing to worry about, and that Liverpool would teach him a lesson. Do you still feel that way now?"

The first to ask a question was a reporter from The Times, Britain's most influential newspaper.

Such a pointed question right off the bat made Hodgson's expression turn extremely grim.

"I don't think there was anything wrong with what I said before. Li Yufei is not even eighteen yet. He's still a minor. What's wrong with saying he's a kid at this point? Sorry, nothing!"

"As for this match, the kid did play well! But the main reason was that we had a player sent off in the first half. From the fortieth minute onward, the match became an unfair contest."

"I'm not saying there was anything wrong with the referee's decision, but sending a player off with more than half the match still to play was clearly unreasonable!"

"We held on until the eighty-third minute before falling behind. I'm proud of my players."

Several more reporters then asked questions about Li Yufei.

But Hodgson had clearly lost patience with them, and eventually left in a hurry.

On the other side, Wenger lavished praise on Li Yufei during his interview:

"This kid is even better than I imagined! I admit that I thought I'd given him as much credit as possible, but in the end, I still underestimated him."

"I can only say that this is what a true genius looks like! He doesn't need the polish of professional matches to put in a brilliant performance."

"I'm genuinely delighted that Arsenal have secured a talent like him!"

The reporters immediately followed up: "Do you think Li Yufei is good enough to start now?"

Hearing the loaded question, the old man smiled faintly, looking calm and refined. "We still need to evaluate him further. At the very least, Li Yufei has already proven that he has the ability."

The reporters hadn't gotten the answer they really wanted, so they tried to stir things up again: "Where do you think Li Yufei's potential ceiling lies? Could he surpass Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?"

Wenger thought it over, then slowly replied, "There's no point discussing that right now. Leo and Cristiano have already become true legends."

"Li Yufei is only a newcomer. He still needs time to prove himself, but I have complete confidence in him. His future is full of promise."

Seeing that Wenger wouldn't take the bait, the reporters were annoyed.

But they had made up their minds: once they got back, they would "slightly rework" Wenger's words. Surely Mr. Arsene wouldn't mind.

Once the press conference was over, reports about Liverpool and Arsenal's match quickly spread across Britain, then gradually reached other countries in Europe.

After returning to the dressing room, Li Yufei showered off the sweat, then headed home with his girlfriend.

"Darling, you were amazing today! Come on, let your big sister reward you!"

Taylor gazed at Li Yufei excitedly, then gave him a sweet kiss.

Li Yufei wasn't about to let anyone get the better of him. While Taylor paused to catch her breath, he reached out with his left hand, held the back of her head, and leaned in for a passionate French kiss.

Taylor was startled for a moment, but soon lost herself in it.

The temperature inside the car rose rapidly.

Before long, the young couple were embracing and kissing passionately in the car, oblivious to the world around them...

(I know you don't want to read this, so I'll skip it, hehe...)

The next day.

News about Li Yufei had taken Britain by storm, and the media in Europe's other major footballing nations were reporting on him too.

<The Times: Arsenal's Super Talent Li Yufei Adams Scores Twice on His League Debut, Directly Involved in Three Goals!>

<The Guardian: Nepotism? Super-Rich Kid Li Yufei Adams Says, "I Rely on My Ability Alone!">

<The Daily Telegraph: Arsène Says Li Yufei Adams Will Surpass Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to Become the World's Best Player!>

<The Sun: American Country Pop Princess Taylor Swift Watches Her Boyfriend's Premier League Debut in Person; The Two Are Suspected of Getting Frisky in a Car After the Match>

He was famous. After yesterday's match, Li Yufei had become a sensation!

He had already been a highly watched young talent. Now, in his league debut, he'd delivered an almost perfect performance against a European powerhouse like Liverpool.

How could the media possibly pass up such a great story?

It was fair to say that from now on, Li Yufei had truly become a celebrity.

Early the next morning, Li Yufei got up.

After his morning run, he picked up his phone and saw a flood of reports about himself.

The articles were mostly similar. Some were more serious, focusing on football.

Others tried to stir up controversy, using the two superstars Messi and Ronaldo as kindling.

Of course, none of that was a big deal.

It wasn't until Li Yufei saw the article in The Sun that his face darkened. He was speechless.

"Damn it, that fucking Sun really knows its audience!"

Li Yufei had heard about The Sun's reporters—or, more accurately, its paparazzi—and their knack for digging up celebrity scandals back in his previous life.

They were usually the first to report footballers' scandals.

And their reporting was remarkably accurate!

You could say The Sun was a gossip rag masquerading as a football newspaper.

When it came to football news, its articles were basically toilet paper, good for wiping your ass after a shit.

But when it came to scandals, you could believe them without question!

"Darling, what are you looking at?" Taylor had just woken up and was still groggy as she hugged Li Yufei from behind, leaning her little head over to glance at his phone.

But because Taylor was nearsighted, she couldn't make out the tiny text on the screen. She buried her face in the back of Li Yufei's neck and mumbled:

"Read it to me. I don't want to look. I'm too sleepy..."

Li Yufei shook his head fondly and read out the article from The Sun.

Taylor didn't care at all. She just nodded, looking completely unfazed. "That's it? What's the big deal?"

"Ever since we went public, I never expected we'd still be able to enjoy a quiet life together."

"At the very least, those annoying media outlets are bound to keep writing about us. Just like David and Victoria back then."

"Darling, does it bother you?"

Li Yufei quickly shook his head. Was she kidding? Why would he be bothered?

The media were helping him raise his profile. He was delighted—why would he care?