Aldrich returned to the hotel at around 11 PM. After checking in at the front desk, he grabbed his room key and stepped into the elevator, heading up to his suite. This top-tier hotel suite was incredibly luxurious and as comfortable as home. Aldrich turned on the lights and collapsed onto the bed. Although he had managed to sleep a bit on the plane, it had been restless, and now he felt a bit dazed.
Thud, thud, thud...
Suddenly, Aldrich's eyes shot open; the faint sound of footsteps in the room made him alert.
"Is it a thief?"
He quickly rolled over to sit up, grabbing the cordless phone from the nightstand as a makeshift weapon.
"Who's there?! Don't come any closer, or I'll make you regret it!" Aldrich shouted, only to be momentarily taken aback.
Standing at the foot of the bed was Melanie, wearing a sheer lace nightgown. Her slender figure was barely concealed, and her deep brown hair cascaded down her shoulders. Despite wearing little, she appeared to have put in considerable effort into her appearance, especially with the intoxicating fragrance that enveloped the room.
Aldrich's reaction amused Melanie. She pointed to the petite cordless phone and said, "If I were a burglar, would you really plan to use that against me?"
Aldrich tossed the phone aside, lunging at her like a predator, pulling her into his arms. In her peals of laughter and squeals, he fiercely pressed his lips against hers.
They both knew what was about to happen next. At first, Melanie simply held Aldrich's head in her arms, but soon she took the initiative to remove his shirt. When she saw his chiseled eight-pack abs, she was utterly stunned.
Aldrich stood up, teasingly showing off his physique and proudly said, "When I was ten, I did a hundred sit-ups every day for a month. The next month, it was two hundred, and after a year, a thousand!"
With a flushed face, Melanie gasped, "Didn't you want to be a coach when you were young?"
Aldrich chuckled, "Well, I needed a backup plan. If I couldn't be a coach, I could always model. I'll be fine as long as I can support myself. Besides, I may not be vain, but I'd like to have some charm in front of girls."
"You're already very vain!" Melanie laughed.
Aldrich lay back down, closing his eyes. "Hey, how about you do a backflip? Just like in those music videos."
"I'm afraid I'll crush you!"
Melanie straddled him and leaned down, and they began to kiss again.
In a passionate embrace, their bodies intertwined, they quickly lost all their clothes in the heat of the moment.
As the saying goes, when it comes to women, it's all about the body, and Melanie, as a sporty girl, had remarkable flexibility and stunning skin, especially in all the right places. Although her bosom wasn't especially prominent, Aldrich couldn't get enough of her, especially due to her incredible bounce.
Their breaths echoed in the room. As Melanie reclined, waiting for Aldrich's embrace, the excitement overwhelming him, Aldrich suddenly paused, puzzled. He looked at her body quivering beneath him, gently pressed his hand on her soft butt and asked, "Honey, why are you shivering? Are you having issues? Is it too stimulating?"
With her cheeks flushed, Melanie turned her head to look at him and, finally shyly shutting her eyes, said, "It's going to hurt the first time! I'm a little scared."
Aldrich scratched his head and asked, "Are Liverpool girls this conservative?"
"Please! I was only nineteen when the Spice Girls formed. I didn't have time to date; I had to train in singing, dancing, and acting every day. Not every Liverpool girl has endless time to hit the club in a bikini! F*** you, Aldrich! Hurry up! Don't leave me in suspense; this isn't pleasant. Just how bad will the pain be?!"
Aldrich raised one hand in a mock salute and said seriously, "Sorry, but I can't answer that question."
Inside, he couldn't help but admire Melanie. Many achieve success through both talent and hard work, and perhaps it was her past efforts that allowed her to enjoy immense success in the music industry even after the Spice Girls disbanded. She was, after all, set to become the female artist with the most number-one singles in UK chart history.
Melanie found Aldrich's gesture amusing and buried her face in the pillow, saying, "You're definitely gay! And at a time like this, still… ah… it hurts!"
"Ah… it hurts!"
Aldrich pressed against her, and Melanie frowned, sweat on her forehead. She lifted her head to see Aldrich right in front of her, exhaling sharply and laughing through the pain, "What are you yelling about? I'm the one in pain!"
Aldrich gazed into her eyes without flinching, whispering, "I'm really in pain too; it's too tight."
Melanie's face turned crimson as she bumped her forehead against his, gritting her teeth, "You're not much of a man."
"Aha! Well then, let me show you whether I am a man. Here's a little secret: I'm still a virgin!"
"From the moment I met you, you've been a complete liar! You're way too skilled; do you think I'd believe you?"
"Believe me, I'm truly a virgin—it's been around ten years since I've been involved with a woman!"
"Can you please stop joking at a time like this? Honey, it feels a little weird."
"Then let's go for it!"
That night, the two revelled in the exuberance of youth, tirelessly exploring their newfound passion in bed.
The next morning, Aldrich and Melanie set out hand in hand, joined by their companions, roaming the streets of New York City. Their imposing group attracted a lot of attention wherever they went, with agents from modeling agencies approaching them to hand out business cards; men and women alike were invited.
Who could blame them? This crew looked effortlessly stylish in casual wear.
They toured Rockefeller Center, ascended the Empire State Building, and took in a Broadway show. Aldrich was thrilled with this trip, at least the days were filled with laughter, and the players and their families wore smiles of happiness.
On the weekend three days later, Aldrich and his friends arrived at the Arizona Sun Devil Stadium. The 30th Super Bowl was about to take place here.
The Super Bowl is the unofficial biggest holiday in the United States, a true national event. Since it is a single-elimination game held on just one day, it later became recognized by Forbes as the most commercially valuable sporting event in the world. Classic commercials are aired during this event, along with the biggest musical artists performing at halftime.
The boastfulness of "hundreds of thousands of dollars per second" is genuinely showcased on the Super Bowl stage, where thirty-second commercials can indeed be valued in the millions of dollars. Converted to RMB, it turns out to really be hundreds of thousands per second.
In the luxury box at Sun Devil Stadium where Aldrich and his friends watched the game, they felt relaxed. The women chatted about their experiences in the past few days. Melanie wasn't the type to cling to men; she was independent and had a strong will, never needing to hover around Aldrich. He liked this way of interacting. Standing in front of the box window, he looked down at the stadium, which had nearly eighty thousand seats filled to capacity. The cameras inside the luxury box frequently scanned the corners of the stadium during this grand American event, which featured various high-profile guests from all walks of life—including sports, politics, music, and film.
Aldrich was unfamiliar with any of the celebrities; all he wanted was to appreciate a thrilling Rugby match.
The two teams vying for the championship this year were the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"Boss, thank you. I've really enjoyed these past few days with my family," Nedvěd said as he approached Aldrich.
Aldrich smiled over his shoulder, saying, "No problem at all. Life is about balancing work and leisure. If you can enjoy both, it makes life a lot happier."
"Boss, do you like watching Rugby?"
The still-single Pirlo also came over, followed by Schneider, Larsson, Ballack, and others.
They were all dressed in suits. After the game, they would head straight to the airport and return to London.
Aldrich crossed his arms and smiled, "I can't say I'm a fan, but I watch it occasionally. Football from the UK has transformed into what Americans call Rugbyand has become the most popular sport here."
When it comes to American sports, perhaps in a decade or so, everyone will directly refer to the NBA. However, in the United States, the NBA has never surpassed the popularity of Rugby and baseball; in fact, even before the commercial promotion of the NBA, it was less popular than professional ice hockey.
Aldrich specifically called Pirlo over and quietly asked, "How has training at the club been over the past few months?"
Pirlo replied honestly, "It's been alright. I can meet Coach Nagy's requirements, but I don't quite understand what my role is in the game. Boss, every player wants to be the key player, and I do too."
Aldrich nodded in agreement, saying, "Hmm, you're right. Do you know which position on the football team is typically the star?"
Pirlo shook his head.
"The quarterback. This position embodies American mainstream values and is considered the brain and soul of the team. Just look at how often the quarterback is chosen as the Most Valuable Player; it eclipses all other positions. The biggest matchups in football are often referred to as the 'Super Bowl of Quarterbacks,' similar to how we talk about clashes between two star number 10s in football."
Pirlo pondered this. He knew Aldrich had a purpose in sharing this with him, so he waited for more.
Aldrich continued, "In football, we have defined the number 10 and number 9 players, even the 9.5 position, but traditionally, the number 4 position was never truly defined until a Dutchman introduced his tactical philosophy at Barcelona. That man was Cruyff, and during his tactical experimentation, he saw success with a player named Guardiola. Guardiola was instrumental in Barcelona's four consecutive league titles and their ascension in Europe. The Dream Team created by Cruyff is still fresh in our minds, especially since it happened just a few years back. Andrea, perhaps you didn't pay attention to football before, but today, just relax and enjoy this Super Bowl matchup. Pay close attention to the quarterbacks and their roles on the field, and then I'll tell you whether you can be a key player in football in the future."