"Let's see if we can make some moves in the winter transfer window. The defense is still too weak, there's no one..." Thinking that Arsenal had lost another starting center-back, Fly felt a headache.
Arsenal absolutely had to buy players in this winter transfer window. Putting everything else aside, they needed at least one center-back reinforcement.
Although Koscielny wasn't seriously injured, it was better to be safe than sorry.
If something serious really happened to Koscielny and Arsenal had no one to replace him, that would be truly sad.
The current level of Arsenal's defensive substitutes was truly subpar; Fly seriously doubted if those guys even had the ability to establish themselves in the Premier League.
"Sigh, the squad still needs an upgrade. Cheap goods aren't good goods, and being stingy won't get you a good squad, it really is true..."
........
December 13th.
On the day of Arsenal's match against Manchester United, Taylor's 21st birthday arrived.
Since the match started at 8 PM, Fly couldn't celebrate Taylor's birthday during dinner.
After discussing it with Taylor, the couple decided to move the birthday party to noon.
For this birthday party, Taylor invited some of her good friends to London.
For example, Selena Gomes, Victoria's Secret supermodel and future sister-in-law of the United States' future big princess, Karlie Kloss, future Harley Quinn actress Margot Robbie, and others.
Fly's friends from Arsenal, Wilshere, Walcott, and Fabregas, all came to show their support.
Fly also invited the three newcomers, Griezmann, Blaise Matuidi, and Varane, to help them integrate into the team.
As for Hazard, the future Belgian king didn't like participating in such social events, nor did he like networking, so Fly could only give up after being politely refused.
Wilshere even joked next to Fly, "Fly, you're not going to make things difficult for Eden (Hazard), are you?"
Hearing this, Fly said with a strange expression, "No, Jack, do you really think I'm such a petty person?"
Wilshere chuckled and didn't reply directly.
Because in his eyes, Fly had always been someone who sought revenge for even the smallest grievances and enjoyed settling scores.
If anyone dared to provoke him, he would definitely make them pay!
It was precisely because of this stereotype that Wilshere felt Fly was rather petty.
However, upon closer thought, while Fly always got revenge, he couldn't really be called petty.
At least in Wilshere's interactions with Fly over the years, he still found this super-rich second generation to be very generous and magnanimous, not caring about many trivial matters.
Thinking of this, Wilshere felt instantly apologetic, but Fly didn't take it to heart, waving his hand and saying it was harmless.
He knew it was because his habit of confronting anyone on the field led his teammates to misjudge his personality.
The real-life Fly was completely different from the little devil on the field; Taylor was the most convincing person on this point.
A cute and clingy little puppy, how could he have any bad intentions?
Icicles hung from the floor-to-ceiling windows of the detached villa in North London Zone 3. Fly placed the last piece of gold leaf onto the three-tiered red velvet cake custom-made by "Patisserie Valerie".
The decorator used frosting to replicate the texture of a vinyl record, and an edible rose was placed beneath the crystal "21" on the top tier.
Outside the window, the cedar forest in Hyde Park was covered in silver. Taylor's agent, Tree Paine, walked out of the kitchen carrying a tower of Bollinger champagne:
"Abigail said they'll be here in ten minutes. Are you sure you don't need to get the fireplace burning more? Blake messaged and said her cashmere coat is almost frozen."
When the doorbell rang, Liz Rose appeared on the monitor screen holding a brown paper package, followed by Selena Gomes in a Moncler down jacket, Margot Robbie, and Blake Lively holding champagne.
The last to squeeze in was the British pop singer Ed Sheeran, known domestically as "Boss Huang," with snow on his shoulders. He was protecting a custom Taylor acoustic guitar, the 21 sapphires on the neck reflecting the midday snow light.
"Surprise!" Amidst the cheers, Taylor walked down the spiral staircase holding a guitar.
She had a Swarovski snowflake hairpin in her blonde hair and was wearing Christian Louboutin studded ankle boots under her Red Valentino red dress: "Oh my gosh, how did you guys... Fly, come quickly and help me greet the guests."
Since his wife had spoken, Fly, who had just finished being busy, could only obediently lead Taylor's friends into the living room.
"Wow, Fly, is this your and Taylor's home in London? It's absolutely huge!" Selena exclaimed, looking at the spacious interior of the house.
"Haha, it's alright. I couldn't afford this house, though Taylor could with her current income, but it's not worth it. If my dad hadn't bought it, I wouldn't even want to live in such a big house; it lacks a sense of warmth."
Hearing Fly's boastful remarks, Selena, Liz, Robbie, and the others couldn't help but roll their eyes.
"Holy crab, Fly, please stop discouraging us like this! We poor folks can't compare to a rich young master like you!" Robbie said in annoyance.
They were all Taylor's best friends and had known Fly for a long time, so they weren't so formal when speaking, focusing on being casual.
"No, I'm the poor one. You know I've been living off Taylor for the past few years. How can my meager salary support anyone?" Fly waved his hand, giving his girlfriend a lot of face.
After hearing this, Selena and the others teased him endlessly.
The fact that Fly was living off Taylor was practically public knowledge in the entire American entertainment industry, not a secret at all.
Fly didn't intend to hide anything. Wasn't it just living off his woman?
So what? Got a problem?
If they had the guts, they should find someone to live off too!
If they didn't have that ability, they should shut their mouths. Fly didn't care at all about envy, jealousy, or hate.
Soon after, some of Fly's teammates also arrived.
Fly introduced Wilshere and the others to Taylor's friends so they could get to know each other.
Since they were all celebrities anyway, there was nothing to be embarrassed about.
Furthermore, in terms of status at the scene, Taylor and Fly undoubtedly had the highest.
None of Taylor's best friends were on the same level as her.
Currently, Fly's fame and traffic alone were more than the entire Arsenal team combined.
Even with a superstar like Fabregas present, he was overshadowed and dimmed by Fly's radiance during this period.
In the eyes of the media, although Fly hadn't won anything yet, his status already surpassed that of World Cup winner Fabregas.
Fly accepted this seemingly unfair situation with peace of mind.
After all, based on Fly's current net worth and ability, he deserved to enjoy this status.
What's more, he had recently achieved a miracle for a non-black race; the European media and even the global media had long since praised him to the skies.
Let alone Fabregas, even Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, if not for their solid accumulation of honors, would probably have been demoted by the media to be inferior to Fly by now.
Fly, currently at the center of the media storm, had his every move become almost a focal point for the outside world.
For example, the media outside had already gone crazy spreading news about this birthday party celebrating Taylor's birthday. If it weren't for the complete and tight security guards, Fly wouldn't even have needed to hold the party.
Seeing the sheepskin photo album Liz gave, with the cover embossed with a photo of Taylor performing at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville when she was sixteen, Fly couldn't help but sigh, "These women are so thoughtful; the gifts they choose are something men just can't compare to."
Fortunately, the gifts given by Blake, Ryan, and the others were relatively normal and didn't have such special significance.
Selena, on the other hand, gave a Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra necklace. The back of the pendant was engraved with "1989.12.13--2010.12.13," and it came with a hand-knitted scarf, "The 'doesn't look like a luxury item' gift you wanted."
"Wow, thank you, Selena, I love you." Taylor excitedly accepted the gift from her best friend and then exchanged cheek kisses with her friend.
Boss Huang, Ed Sheeran, gave Taylor a modified double-neck guitar, with a sky-blue moonstone the same color as Taylor's eyes inlaid in the nylon string area.
As for the gifts given by Fly's teammates, they were completely different from the previous ones.
After all, Fly's side consisted of rough guys who didn't understand such intricacies; their gifts were typically jewelry and cosmetics, which men generally considered suitable presents for women.
Taylor also thanked each of them, even asking her assistant to note down these players so she could return the favor later.
Don't think only Chinese people have the custom of returning gifts; foreigners with a little wealth also do.
People who genuinely try to freeload off banquets and parties, while they might gain some small advantages, will leave a bad impression on the host, and they will likely never have the chance to freeload again in the future.
Taylor and her best friends also exchanged gifts; there was never any one-sided giving.
In this world, besides her closest relatives, the only person she didn't need to exchange gifts with was Fly.
But even so, Fly still had to expend energy and physical labor, so from this perspective, it couldn't be considered freeloading.
After all, living off someone requires physical labor, which is quite draining; this can also be considered a form of contribution.
After Fly's teammates finished giving their gifts, he, as the male host, presented Taylor with a string of antique keys hanging on a platinum chain.
Just as everyone felt puzzled, Fly said somewhat hesitantly, "Darling, I had someone buy the attic in Camden where you wrote songs for the first time in London. Consider it your time capsule. I hope you like it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the scene fell silent.
Taylor's group of best friends were surprised that Fly could be so thoughtful, while Fly's rough teammates were amazed that the little devil on the football field was so sensitive in real life.
Alright, to be honest, how would Fly know all this? This gift was purely something he thought of after consulting his mother.
That's why he was hesitant when speaking, feeling a bit guilty. He wasn't sure if his girlfriend could tell.
Taylor stared at Fly's face for a few seconds, then a smile curved her lips, and she stepped forward to take Fly's gift.
"Hani, thank you, I love you, Forever..."