Li Yufei: I am the Premier League's Best Player, the award is rightfully mine

He stayed in Nashville for about a week.

For the sake of his public image, Li Yufei didn't go strolling around the streets with Taylor.

Because in the eyes of the outside world, he was still an injured man.

If he ran out to shop with Taylor now, the media would definitely catch him on camera.

Then people would start questioning his professional attitude.

So aside from holing up at home with Taylor for a few days of rest, Li Yufei only accompanied her on a trip to Big Machine Records.

In this life, after Li Yufei and Taylor solidified their relationship, Li's Father casually bought Big Machine Records for 50 million US dollars.

The shares were then all transferred to the young couple, Li Yufei and Taylor.

Which meant Taylor was now essentially working for herself.

Koster, the man she'd clashed with over copyright disputes in her past life, had been demoted to vice president, specifically tasked with serving Taylor.

After all, faced with capital like Li's Father, small fry like Koster couldn't stir up any trouble.

Every time he thought about it, Li Yufei couldn't help but marvel that while his old man was stingy as hell with his allowance on a daily basis.

When it came to major matters affecting his and Taylor's careers, Li's Father never held back!

"Honey, I have to go to Milan for Fashion Week on the 26th this month. I'll come keep you company then."

As she was leaving, Taylor, wearing a gray patterned shirt, dark jeans, and beige boots, wrapped her arms around Li Yufei's neck and gave him a kiss.

"Got it, Sister. If you have time, remember to come see me in London. I don't want to be stuck alone at home for too long."

Li Yufei breathed warm air by Taylor's ear, then gently bit her earlobe.

"Of course, Sister will hop on a plane and be in London the moment she's free." Saying this, Taylor seemed to remember something, a strange look crossing her face as she added:

"But you need to show restraint, you know? You're at the age where you're still growing. Don't let your desires ruin your dreams."

Hearing Taylor say that, Li Yufei was suddenly a bit embarrassed.

"Sister, what are you talking about? I've never gone looking for other women. I've always been very restrained!"

Taylor tilted her head at that, staring at Li Yufei's face for a while until he felt like crawling into a hole, then she said dismissively:

"Mm, I know. You know yourself best, dear. You still need to break some bad habits. If you really can't take it, just call me. I'll come anytime."

Finally, with Taylor's snicker, Li Yufei completely cracked.

"Just you wait. Next time we meet, I'm going to sort you out good!" After throwing out that harsh threat, Li Yufei strode straight onto the plane.

Taylor kept laughing behind him, but she still waved her hand to say goodbye to her beloved.

The media paparazzi lurking outside had already snapped pictures of Taylor and Li Yufei entering the airport together.

Riding on Taylor's popularity, Li Yufei made another splash in the American entertainment media section.

Back in London.

Li Yufei saw Fleet Street's latest report on the England National Team's results:

"European Championship Qualifiers Round 1: England 4-0 Bulgaria."

"European Championship Qualifiers Round 2: England 3-1 Switzerland."

Gotta hand it to them—England was truly unstoppable in the qualifying stages!

As long as it wasn't the knockout rounds of the World Cup or the European Championship.

England's level could still be trusted.

After all, while Big England's record against strong teams was a complete mess.

They were rock solid at beating up on weaklings!

That was a stark contrast to Italy on the Apennine Peninsula.

Italy was the type that wasn't stable against weak teams, often tripping up when playing some lesser opponents.

But as soon as a major tournament came around, when they faced a strong team, Italy would transform directly into the "headache for everyone" Azzurri mode.

That was also why two great football illusions were born: "England is strong" and "Italy is weak."

After all, as long as England wasn't playing in a major tournament.

Their matches would show the oppressive feel of a top-tier powerhouse.

The results were also big-score demolitions of their opponents.

Watch enough of those matches, and you'd subconsciously assume England was incredibly strong.

Of course, Li Yufei believed the quality of England's players was absolutely beyond doubt.

Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Terry, Walcott, Milner...

These players had all proven themselves at their clubs.

They were definitely top-tier players you could rely on.

A big part of why they can't produce results for the national team is that none of them are willing to defer to each other.

On top of that, some players bring the grudges from their clubs into the national setup.

When the atmosphere inside the team is already that toxic, what's the point of even talking about results?

Isn't that just bullshit?

Li Yufei was already thinking about how he'd manage team relationships and boost cohesion once he joined.

It's tough—at least with his current credentials, those arrogant princes from various clubs, with their noses in the air, wouldn't give him a second look.

That's exactly why Li Yufei wasn't in a hurry to join the England national team.

He still needed to build up honors and experience to elevate his standing in football.

Once his status and reputation were solid enough, he could enter the England team and keep the riffraff in check.

As long as he made it in before the 2012 European Championship, that was fine.

The current qualifiers didn't need Li Yufei anyway—those England princelings could tear through them on their own.

As long as it didn't affect qualifying for the big tournaments, Li Yufei was temporarily adopting a "delay as long as possible" mindset.

As long as it didn't hold him back from chasing the ultimate glory with the national team, he didn't care.

It wasn't like he was dying to play for England anyway.

The fewer meaningless friendlies he had to play, the better—Li Yufei didn't want to waste his time on that.

The day after England's men's team beat Switzerland, September 9th.

Li Yufei won his first individual honor since joining the first team: the Premier League Player of the Month for August.

Holding a trophy shaped like a water bottle—black base, blue front, stainless steel back—for the photoshoot, Li Yufei gave an interview for the Premier League's official channel at the Colney Training Centre.

"Fly, congratulations on winning the Premier League Player of the Month for August."

"Did you know that this award breaks two records?"

"First, you're the youngest winner since the award was created."

"Second, you're the first player in Premier League history to win Player of the Month in their debut month."

"What are your thoughts?"

Normally, faced with a question like this, the winner would play it humble and low-key.

First, thank the Premier League for the recognition, then thank the club, the coach, and the teammates, and finally thank the fans for their support.

But Li Yufei never did things the usual way. He took the mic and said matter-of-factly:

"I deserve it, because I'm the best player in this league."

"The best player should get the Best Player award—that's just common sense."

"Of course, the Premier League's decision here is very wise, and it fully proves why this is the most professional league in the world."

The moment those words left his mouth, the reporter was stunned.

He'd rehearsed a thousand different responses in his head, but never imagined Li Yufei would say something so arrogant.

How dare he?

There was a full ten seconds of silence before the reporter snapped out of it and quickly asked, "Did you just say you're the best player in this league? Are you serious?"

Li Yufei nodded firmly, with no sign of backtracking.

The reporter exchanged a look with the cameraman beside him, and both of their eyes lit up with excitement.

Big news—here it comes!!!