Football: What Happened To Going To The Nightclub? I Have To Score

Josephine was still living in Su Luo's mansion. At least, according to her, she had a reason.

"I need to keep an eye on you. I don't care about myself, but the club has been overworking you. If anything seems off, I can send you for a check-up right away."

"It's definitely not because I'm accepting your absurd excuses," she added with a pout.

Su Luo could barely suppress a smile.

"Right, right, I'm busy with training, so I don't really have time to worry about other things."

If she was really that worried about him getting injured, she could just hire a nurse. But no, she had to be there herself, keeping watch.

Where had she learned to be so stubborn?

Su Luo hadn't noticed it before, but now he was starting to realize that women were like onions—layers upon layers of personality, each revealing something new when peeled away.

Now, there was another issue: Josephine was staying in London... and so was Taylor Swift!

Taylor had rented a suite at the Ritz-Carlton near Stamford Bridge for half a month. She claimed it was for work.

"The next album will have some British elements, so I'm here for inspiration," she said.

But Su Luo wasn't buying it. "Inspiration? You're a country music queen!" he teased.

Of course, her explanation made sense. She had been moving away from country music for years, experimenting with different styles—rock, R&B, jazz, electronic. Each time, she succeeded, earning praise, awards, and record-breaking sales.

He thought back on her albums: the dark and edgy Reputation in 2017, the colorful Lover in 2019, and the folky Folklore in 2020. Every shift was a success.

But something didn't add up. It was May 2017, and the Reputation album that was supposed to release in November wasn't even close to being finished.

Every time Taylor got an idea, she'd play a little on her guitar for Su Luo to hear. But none of those snippets sounded like they belonged on Reputation.

"Aren't you supposed to be working on that dark-themed album?" Su Luo asked, genuinely curious.

"Hmm? Dark theme? I don't have any plans like that," Taylor replied, looking confused. For a moment, she had that goofy, lost look that big stars sometimes show.

That's when it hit Su Luo. Right! The whole situation with the Reputation album hadn't happened yet.

In July 2016, Su Luo had just transferred to Chelsea and was busy adjusting to his new team. Back then, relying on memories of the future, he had helped Taylor avoid a major public scandal without even realizing it.

Back in 2009, when Taylor was just 19, she had won an award over Beyoncé. While she was giving her acceptance speech, Kanye West had stormed the stage, taking the mic to declare that Beyoncé's video was the best.

Taylor had been mortified, walking off stage in tears. From that moment, a feud between her and Kanye had begun.

Fast forward to 2016. Kanye had called Taylor, asking if he could mention her in one of his songs. But when the song was released, the lyrics were a direct insult to her. Taylor protested publicly, but then Kanye's wife, Kim Kardashian, released a maliciously edited recording of their conversation, making it look like Taylor had approved the offensive lyrics.

The internet turned on Taylor, thinking she was overreacting. For a long time, she faced online harassment and hate.

In the timeline Su Luo remembered, this scandal had devastated Taylor, leading her to create the darker, more aggressive Reputation album in 2017.

But in this version of events, Su Luo had used his connections to resolve things before they got out of hand. He'd asked his agent, Raiola, to find a hacker who could dig up the full, unedited recording of the conversation between Taylor and Kanye.

Raiola, who had deep ties in both football and other industries, had pulled it off. The truth came out, clearing Taylor's name before the internet could turn on her.

Now, thinking about it, Su Luo realized that this butterfly effect might have been more serious than he thought. By saving her from the scandal, he might have inadvertently erased the album Reputation from existence!

No wonder Taylor had been feeling uninspired lately. Her creative rhythm had been completely thrown off.

"Wait a second," Taylor said, narrowing her eyes. "You were the one who found that hacker last year, weren't you?"

She was barefoot, curled up on the sofa, her tall 1.8-meter frame looking surprisingly delicate. Her blue eyes locked onto Su Luo's, her gaze lazily curious.

"What hacker?" Su Luo tried to play dumb.

"The more I think about it, the stranger it seems. Right after I complained to you, a hacker magically leaks the full recording?" she pressed, clearly suspicious.

Su Luo was about to deny it, but Taylor cut him off.

"Never mind. I just wrote a new song. Want to hear it?"

"Eh?" Su Luo blinked in surprise.

"You've got a big match tomorrow. I'm cheering for you," she said with a smile. "Let me sing it for you."

"Sure, I'll listen," Su Luo replied, settling in to hear her play.

Taylor picked up the guitar next to her. The rare London sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her golden hair, making her seem to glow.

Just like Su Luo on the football field, Taylor was full of confidence in her music.

She began to sing, her voice soft and full of emotion:

"We can leave the Christmas lights up until January... This world belongs to you and me, and the rules are ours to make..."

Her voice was mesmerizing, and Su Luo found himself drawn into the song, completely focused on her. Taylor's performance was heartfelt, and it left Su Luo captivated.

But just as he was lost in the moment, she abruptly stopped.

"That's all I have for now. What do you think? Good, right? No more for now!" she teased with a playful grin.

Although she was older than Su Luo, Taylor Swift always stuck out her tongue playfully, like a little girl, whenever she was around him.

As Su Luo carefully listened to the melody, something about it felt familiar. Even though he wasn't a die-hard fan in his past life, he had heard some of the most famous songs.

Wait… this song sounded like Lover, the title track from her album of the same name!

Wait a second… Did she just create it two years ahead of schedule?

Su Luo had unintentionally influenced the creation of an album. But in doing so, did he inspire a different one?

"Do you know where this song came from?" Taylor asked, raising her chin in triumph.

Before Su Luo could respond, she couldn't help but reveal the answer herself.

"Remember? Before Christmas last year."

Su Luo thought back. Right, before Christmas, he had invited some of his teammates to his mansion to watch the UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw. Taylor had surprised him by showing up unannounced, and the two had spent a few happy days together.

So this song... is it about that time? Su Luo looked at Taylor and couldn't resist kissing her.

As the melody of Lover filled the room, it felt like a perfect montage of background music.

"If you're having trouble with your feet, don't push yourself too hard," Taylor said softly, her eyes full of concern.

"..."

"Remember, even if you don't win the championship, there's always next year. But an injury could be far more serious."

Wembley Stadium, players' dressing room.

Chelsea's team had finished warming up and was now changing into their kits, making final preparations for the big game. Su Luo's phone rang—it was Josephine.

Her voice was cool as usual, but there was clear worry in her tone.

"If you're injured, don't try to be brave."

Su Luo chuckled to himself. He wasn't injured at all; his body was in top condition. But he decided to let her worry a little longer before she rushed back to Berlin.

Yesterday, he had spent time with Taylor, and now Josephine was on his mind, worried about him.

He couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.

"Don't worry," Su Luo reassured her. "I'm ready to play. We'll talk more after the game."

"..."

Just before he hung up, Josephine added, "Luo, you have to win. I want to see you lift the trophy."

Her voice had softened, losing its usual indifference.

"When the time comes, I'll let you hold the FA Cup trophy for me. It's an easy win," Su Luo teased.

But as he ended the call, his face grew serious again. Manchester City had been Chelsea's underdog all season, and Su Luo had helped lead his team to beat them decisively four times.

Chelsea had the upper hand in morale, but anything could happen in the final. No matter what, he had to give it his all—because that's what it meant to be a professional player.

"Welcome to the 2016-17 FA Cup Final at the new Wembley Stadium!" the announcer's voice boomed over the speakers.

"This historic competition will crown a new champion today! It's the Blues of Chelsea versus the Blue Moon of Manchester City! Their Premier League rivalry has now reached the FA Cup stage!"

"Who will emerge as the better side? We'll find out soon!"

From the first whistle, Manchester City launched an aggressive attack on Chelsea.

"Both teams know each other well; there's no need for cautious probing. From the very first minute, they're targeting each other's weak points!"

"Let's see how this play develops—"

Su Dong's booming commentary woke up many fans who had started to doze off.

Jack Grealish dribbled down the left, bypassing Willian, and shifted the ball to the right.

De Bruyne received it, but instead of passing, he took a direct shot!

Kanté, David Luiz, and Rüdiger couldn't close him down fast enough.

"Kevin De Bruyne!!"

"And it's in! He's scored! Courtois couldn't stop it!"

"Manchester City have struck first with a brilliant goal! They lead 1-0!"

Pep Guardiola was ecstatic. After being humiliated by Chelsea so many times, he finally had the upper hand. He celebrated wildly, pumping his fists in the air.

But when he glanced over at Chelsea's bench, he saw that Antonio Conte was still calm, standing with his hands in his pockets, smiling slightly.

Following Conte's gaze, Guardiola's eyes landed on the blue jersey with the number 7—Su Luo.

While Manchester City's players were still celebrating, Su Luo quietly retrieved the ball from the back of the net and began walking it back to the center circle, step by step.

Guardiola's smile slowly faded, replaced by a growing unease.

In football, they say that a 1-0 lead is the most dangerous score. But when it came to Su Luo, this rule didn't apply. Even a 5-0 lead wasn't safe if this Chinese man was angry.

If you didn't believe it, just ask Atlético Madrid—they were a bloody example.

Is he serious now?

Guardiola's joy was quickly replaced by dread. There were still 88 minutes left in the match. Plenty of time for Su Luo to turn the tide.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can visit my Patreon page:

Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel

I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!

There are 150+ advanced chapters available for you to read.

Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Check out my new One piece fanfic!

[One Piece: Invincible Starting From The Fruit Of Words]