Grealish turned around and complained to Jonathan.
"Old man! I'm also a player under your agency. When I signed my endorsement contracts before, why didn't you personally deliver the contract to the training ground for me? Every single time I had to drive all the way to the other company's office to sign! It's so unfair!!"
After hearing Grealish's loud complaint, Theodore Bjorn and Jonathan Barnett could only look at each other and smile awkwardly.
Afterward, Theodore took out the heavy contract, glanced over the final details to ensure everything matched their agreement, and quickly signed his name on the dotted line.
From this exact moment on, Theodore Bjorn became a millionaire!
After paying his taxes and deducting Jonathan's five percent commission, Theodore still received a net payout of over two million euros.
For a 17-year-old kid, this money basically meant he had achieved financial freedom.
The moment the afternoon training session ended, Theodore opened his banking app and specifically transferred one million euros straight to his parents' account.
...
Norway.
The Fjord Tavern.
Xia Dongguo stood behind the wooden bar, staring completely blankly at the one million euro balance glaring back at him from his bank card screen.
"Dongguo! Stop staring at your phone! Customers are here, hurry up and get to the kitchen to cook!" Marianne kept urging him from the floor.
"We already have one million euros sitting right here in the bank! Why bother cooking?!" Dongguo suggested to his wife, his eyes wide.
"How about we just close up and travel the world instead!"
However, this grand suggestion was quickly and firmly rejected by Marianne.
"This is Theodore's money! Not the money you earned!" Marianne scolded him sharply. "Let me tell you right now, Dongguo! We cannot touch this money!"
"If Theodore gets a bad injury and has to retire early, this money will be his pension! We are just keeping it safe in the account for him!"
Marianne was a traditional, fiercely practical mother.
She simply couldn't bear the thought of spending her son's hard-earned money on luxuries.
After hearing her scolding, Dongguo slowly stood up and sighed.
"Although you are usually overly cautious about these things, what you said does make some sense!" Dongguo admitted. "But using a little bit of Theodore's money to renovate the shop shouldn't be too much to ask, right? Probably around fifty thousand euros would be more than enough!"
Marianne thought about it for a moment and finally nodded.
"Fine. We just spend these fifty thousand on the restaurant repairs! The rest of the money cannot be touched!"
...
England. Birmingham.
Aston Villa was gearing up to face their next massive challenge.
It was the 33rd round of the EFL Championship.
Aston Villa would host West Bromwich Albion at Villa Park.
It was another incredibly strong Championship side.
The "Baggies" had been a staple Premier League team for years, finishing 20th in the top flight last season and unfortunately suffering relegation.
However, this season West Brom had performed very strongly in the second division. They were currently sitting comfortably in 4th place in the Championship!
They arrived at Villa Park carrying massive momentum, remaining completely unbeaten in their last 10 matches.
Just like Brentford, West Brom was a direct heavy-hitting competitor blocking Aston Villa's path to the promotion spots.
Therefore, this match was one that Dean Smith's squad absolutely had to win.
..
February 17, 2019. 8:00 PM.
The massive Midlands clash between Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion was about to begin.
In the stands of Villa Park, the die-hard home fans had already started singing the team anthem early.
Due to the squad's red-hot form in recent matches—having secured four consecutive victories—more and more fans were flocking to watch the matches live at the stadium.
Furthermore, tonight's opponent was a fierce local rival. This resulted in Villa Park boasting a massive attendance rate, filling up to ninety percent capacity!
Tucked safely in the stands, Dilraba and her father Mulati had once again come to watch Theodore's match live.
Tomorrow morning, Dilraba and her father would be ending their vacation and flying back home.
So, she decided that after this match concluded, she would invite Theodore out for a proper meal as a final way to thank him for saving her father in the alley.
Up in the television gantry, the broadcasting lights flipped on.
"Welcome, viewers from around the world tuning into the Sky Sports broadcast, to the 33rd round of the 2018-2019 EFL Championship season!" Gary Weaver announced into his microphone.
"I'm Gary Weaver, and joining me tonight is Don Goodman!"
"Let's start by introducing the starting lineups for both of these in-form teams," Weaver continued.
"Aston Villa, playing at home, continues with their trusted 4-1-4-1 formation."
"Goalkeeper: Lovre Kalinić! He has been the team's starting goalkeeper holding down the fort this season."
"The four defenders are: Hutton, Elphick, Mings, and Kortney Hause."
"The single defensive midfielder anchoring the pivot is Mile Jedinak."
"The four attacking midfielders: Theodore Bjorn, Conor Hourihane, John McGinn, and Jack Grealish."
"The lone striker leading the line: Tammy Abraham!"
"In their last four Championship matches, Aston Villa has won every single one of them, securing four consecutive victories!" Weaver noted.
"Especially in the previous match against Brentford, where the team, trailing 1-3, relied on Theodore Bjorn's exquisite passing to defeat the Bees 4-3!"
"As for the away team, West Bromwich Albion," Don Goodman took over, reading the graphics.
"Manager Darren Moore has deployed an aggressive 4-3-3 formation."
"Goalkeeper: Sam Johnstone."
"The four defenders: Kieran Gibbs, Ahmed Hegazi, Craig Dawson, and Mason Holgate."
"The three midfielders operating the engine room: Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore, and Rekeem Harper."
"The three forwards up top: Jacob Murphy, Jay Rodríguez, and Hal Robson-Kanu!"
"West Brom is an incredibly strong team in this division," Goodman added. "In their last 10 matches, they have achieved 5 wins and 5 draws, remaining totally unbeaten! They currently sit in 4th place in the Championship standings!"
"Alright! The starting players from both teams have now stepped onto the Villa Park pitch! The match is about to begin! Let's look forward to another outstanding performance from the 17-year-old Norwegian youngster Theodore Bjorn in this key clash!"
At this exact moment, the global viewership on the official international broadcasts had reached over 5 million people!
This massive spike in viewership was largely thanks to viral social media short videos.
After the previous match against Brentford, Theodore Bjorn's passing highlights became a massive hit online, attracting a large number of casual and non-football fans who wanted to witness the teenager's performance live.
After the referee blew the whistle and the match began, a cold, familiar mechanical voice suddenly echoed in Theodore Bjorn's ears.
[Ding! Mission issued: Help the team achieve five consecutive wins!]
[Ding! Mission reward: Gain 3 free attribute points!]
'So stingy!' Theodore thought to himself. 'Only three points?!'
Upon hearing the system's slightly reduced reward, Theodore couldn't help but complain internally.
On the pitch, West Bromwich Albion, who took the opening kickoff, immediately launched an aggressive attack toward Aston Villa's goal.
Midfielder Jake Livermore looked up and launched a precise long pass that quickly found Jacob Murphy on the left flank.
This West Brom winger possesses exceptional running speed and elite dribbling ability.
Soon enough, Jacob Murphy showcased his talent.
With a brilliant, lightning-fast step-over, he instantly bypassed Aston Villa's right-back, Alan Hutton!
After beating his man, Jacob Murphy resolutely cut inside, opening up his body to take a shot on goal.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, Aston Villa's defensive midfielder Mile Jedinak promptly stepped across and appeared directly in front of Jacob Murphy.
He threw a heavy block, successfully denying Murphy's shot on goal!
After the shot was deflected, the loose ball fell kindly to an Aston Villa player.
The midfield maestro, John McGinn, cleanly controlled the ball!
At this moment during the fast transition, McGinn looked up and saw he had two primary passing options: Jack Grealish making a run on the left wing, and Theodore Bjorn finding open space on the right wing.