Li Yufei had been in Nashville for almost a week.
To protect his reputation, he hadn't gone out on the streets with Taylor.
As far as the public was concerned, he was still injured.
If he went shopping with Taylor now, the media would surely snap photos of them.
Then people would question his professionalism.
So aside from spending a few days relaxing at home with Taylor, Li Yufei had only accompanied her on a visit to Big Machine Records.
In this life, after Li Yufei and Taylor had confirmed their relationship, Li's Father had casually bought Big Machine Records for 50 million USD.
In the end, all the shares had been transferred to the young couple, Li Yufei and Taylor.
That meant Taylor was now working for herself.
Koster, who had eventually fallen out with her over copyright disputes in Li Yufei's previous life, had now been demoted to vice president and was specifically assigned to serve Taylor.
After all, in the face of a mogul like Li's Father, a small fry like Koster couldn't stir up any trouble.
Whenever Li Yufei thought about it, he couldn't help marveling that although his old man was usually incredibly stingy with his allowance, he never hesitated when it came to major matters affecting his and Taylor's careers!
"Darling, I'm going to Milan for Fashion Week on the 26th this month. I'll come see you afterward."
As she was leaving, Taylor, dressed in a gray patterned shirt, dark jeans, and beige boots, wrapped her arms around Li Yufei's neck and gave him a kiss.
"Got it, sis. If you have time, remember to come see me in London. I don't want to be left alone for too long."
Li Yufei breathed into Taylor's ear, then nipped her earlobe.
"Of course. As soon as I have some free time, I'll hop on a plane to London." At that, Taylor seemed to remember something. With a strange look on her face, she added, "But you need to control yourself, all right? You're at an age when you're still improving as a player. You can't let your desires ruin your dream."
Taylor's words left Li Yufei feeling rather awkward.
"Come on, sis, what are you talking about? I've never chased after other women. I've always been very restrained!"
Taylor tilted her head and stared at Li Yufei's face for a while. Only after he was thoroughly embarrassed did she give him a perfunctory reply:
"Mm, I know. As long as you know, darling. You still need to break those bad habits. If you really can't take it, just call me. I'll come running whenever you need me."
Taylor burst out laughing, and Li Yufei was utterly defeated.
"Just you wait. Next time we meet, I'm going to teach you a lesson!" After throwing out that threat, Li Yufei headed straight onto the plane.
Taylor kept laughing behind him, but still waved goodbye to her beloved.
The paparazzi lying in wait outside had already snapped pictures of Taylor and Li Yufei entering the airport together.
Riding on Taylor's fame, Li Yufei had once again grabbed some attention in the American entertainment media.
After returning to London,
Li Yufei saw the latest results for the England National Team, published by Fleet Street:
"European Championship Qualifier, Round One: England crush Bulgaria 4–0."
"European Championship Qualifier, Round Two: England beat Switzerland 3–1."
There was no denying it: England were truly invincible during the qualifiers!
As long as they weren't playing in the knockout stages of the World Cup or European Championship,
England's form could be trusted.
After all, while the Three Lions had a dreadful record against strong teams,
they were very reliable when it came to crushing weaker opponents!
That stood in stark contrast to Italy on the Apennine Peninsula.
Italy were the sort of team that couldn't consistently beat weaker sides and often slipped up against them.
But as soon as a major tournament came around and they faced a strong team, Italy transformed into the Azzurri—the side that gave every opponent a headache.
That was why the Football World had two great misconceptions: "England are strong" and "Italy are weak."
After all, as long as England weren't playing in a major tournament,
their matches had the intimidating feel of a top-tier team.
The results were often huge wins, too, thrashing their opponents by wide margins.
After watching enough matches like that, people naturally started to assume England were incredibly strong.
Of course, Li Yufei believed there was no question that England's players were talented.
Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Terry, Walcott, Milner...
They had all proven themselves at their clubs.
They were unquestionably top-class players who could be relied upon.
The main reason they couldn't get results with the National Team was that none of them respected one another.
On top of that, some players brought their clubs' rivalries into the National Team.
The atmosphere within the squad was awful. How could they expect to achieve anything?
Wasn't that ridiculous?
Li Yufei was already thinking about how he could ease tensions within the squad and build team unity once he joined.
It would be difficult. With Li Yufei's current standing, those arrogant princes of their respective clubs wouldn't take him seriously.
That was also why Li Yufei wasn't in a hurry to join the England National Team.
He still needed to build up his honors and experience to improve his standing in the Football World.
Once his status and reputation were high enough, he could join the England National Team and keep the petty troublemakers in check.
In any case, he only needed to join England before the 2012 European Championship.
England didn't need Li Yufei for these qualifiers. Their band of princes could tear through the opposition on their own.
As long as his delay didn't affect their qualification for the tournament, Li Yufei was content to put it off for as long as possible.
As long as it didn't get in the way of his pursuit of the highest honor with the National Team, he didn't mind.
It wasn't as if he particularly wanted to play for the England National Team.
The fewer meaningless friendlies he had to play, the better. Li Yufei didn't want to waste his time on them.
The day after the England men's team beat Switzerland, on September 9,
Li Yufei won his first individual honor since joining the first team: Premier League Best Player for August.
Holding the trophy, which had a black base, a blue front, and a stainless-steel-colored back, and looked like a water bottle, Li Yufei posed for photos and gave an interview to the Premier League at the Colney Training Centre.
"Fry, congratulations on being named Premier League Best Player for August."
"I don't know if you realize it, but your win has broken two records."
"First, you've become the youngest winner since the award was established."
"You're also the first player in Premier League history to win the monthly award in the very first month of his debut."
"How do you feel about that?"
Usually, when faced with a question like this, the winner would respond modestly and keep a low profile.
First, they would thank the Premier League for recognizing them, then their club, coach, and teammates, and finally the fans who supported them.
But Li Yufei had never been one to follow the usual script. Taking the microphone, he said with complete confidence:
"I deserved it, because I'm the best player in this league."
"The best player should win the Best Player award. That's only right."
"Of course, the Premier League made a very wise decision. It proves the Premier League's professionalism as the best football league in the world."
The reporter was instantly stunned.
He could have rehearsed his questions ten thousand times and still never have expected Li Yufei to say something so outrageous.
How could he dare?
The scene fell silent for a full ten seconds before the reporter recovered and hurriedly asked, "You just said you're the best player in this league. Do you really mean that?"
Li Yufei nodded decisively, showing no sign of taking it back.
The reporter exchanged a glance with the cameraman beside him. Excitement flared in both their eyes.
Big news was here!!!
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