Hours later, as the early morning light began bleeding into the sky, Grealish was completely passed out.
Theodore called a private driver to haul his teammate back to Birmingham before heading straight to the airport to catch a flight to Norway.
He had briefly visited last month, but it was only for a rushed dinner before heading back to camp.
Now, he could finally take a breath and go home properly.
At eleven in the morning, Theodore stepped through the arrival gates at Oslo Airport.
His parents, Xia Dongguo and Marianne Bjorn, were already waiting, with Dongguo clutching a massive bouquet of flowers.
"Theo, God, Dad is so damn proud of you," Dongguo yelled, pulling his son into a crushing hug. "That final was unbelievable, you really showed them what you're made of."
Marianne stood to the side, a fond smile on her face. "Alright, Dongguo, let the boy breathe. Theodore looks dead on his feet after that flight, so let's get him home so he can eat."
"Right, right," Dongguo agreed quickly. "Let's go, we've got a massive spread waiting for you at the house, a real feast."
After a half-hour drive, they pulled up to the family restaurant.
As they walked inside, dozens of local neighbors and family friends were already gathered.
"Theo, the whole neighborhood heard you were coming back today and wouldn't take no for an answer," Dongguo chuckled, gesturing to the crowd.
Before Theodore could even drop his bags, the locals swarmed him.
People were shoving Villa jerseys into his hands for signatures and pulling him into selfies left and right.
His stomach was twisting in knots from hunger, but he forced a smile and took the time to greet every single person.
After ten chaotic minutes, he finally managed to sit down in front of a hot plate of food, but his phone buzzed in his pocket.
He groaned and almost ignored it, but seeing his agent Jonathan's name on the screen made him pick up.
"Theo, congrats on the Double, mate," Jonathan practically yelled through the speaker. "I told you your potential was limitless."
"Jonathan, get to the point," Theodore sighed, staring longingly at his food. "I'm starving and a bit tied up right now."
"Right, right. Listen, have you heard of ERKE? They're a massive sportswear brand over in China, your dad's home country. I just wrapped up the final negotiations with their reps, and they want you as their new global brand ambassador."
Jonathan paused for dramatic effect.
"The endorsement fee is thirty million euros."
When Theodore heard the endorsement fee from ERKE, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"Aren't they on the verge of bankruptcy?" he muttered, mostly to himself. "It's insane they can offer that kind of money."
"What do you mean?" Jonathan asked, sounding confused on the other end of the line. "Theo, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Nothing, forget it," Theodore said, quickly changing the subject. "When do we sign the contract?"
"The day after tomorrow, but you'll need to fly to China for the signing since they're hosting a massive offline event for you."
"Right, no problem," Theodore agreed.
He had already planned to spend a portion of his offseason in China anyway, so the trip fit perfectly into his schedule.
After hanging up, Theodore finally sat down to enjoy the massive meal his parents had prepared.
At the family restaurant, Xia Dongguo was the head chef while Marianne handled the business side, meaning Dongguo's culinary skills were top-tier.
Even though the food had cooled down a bit while he was on the phone, the flavor was still incredible, and Theodore dug in like a starving man.
In less than ten minutes, nothing but scraped plates remained on the table.
Watching their son demolish the food, Dongguo and Marianne shared a warm, gratified smile.
"By the way, Mum, Dad, I need to fly out to China in the next couple of days," Theodore said, wiping his mouth.
"Jonathan just called about a massive endorsement deal, and I have to be there in person to sign the contract. Do you two want to tag along for a bit?"
"Hell yes," Dongguo said, his face lighting up. "It's been ages since I've been back, and your uncle was just bugging me to visit during the Spring Festival." He paused, his excitement dimming a fraction.
"But if we leave, we'll have to shut the restaurant down for the week."
"Who gives a shit if we close it?" Theodore laughed. "We've got money now, Dad. If you ask me, you two should just shut this place down for good and actually enjoy your lives."
Dongguo leaned in closer, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Speaking of money, Theo, how many millions are we talking for this deal?"
"Thirty," Theodore said, deadpan.
"What?" Dongguo blinked, nearly falling out of his chair. "Thirty? You mean thirty million RMB?" He stared at his son, desperate for confirmation.
"No, Dad," Theodore smirked. "Thirty million euros."
The clarification hit Dongguo like a freight train, leaving him speechless while Marianne let out a quiet gasp.
"Christ, Theo, that's an insane amount of money," she murmured.
"See? This is exactly why I'm telling you to stop killing yourselves in this kitchen," Theodore said, grabbing his empty plates and tossing them into the sink to wash.
"Just retire and enjoy the ride."
"We're keeping the restaurant open," Dongguo argued, recovering from his shock. "That's your hard-earned money, son. Your mother and I still prefer to earn our keep with our own two hands."
"You're a stubborn old mule, you know that?" Theodore teased, drying his hands. "So, are you coming to China or not? Because I'm booking the flights right now."
"Of course we're going," Dongguo laughed, clapping Theodore on the shoulder.
...
The next morning at eight, Theodore arrived at the airport with his parents, dressed in a sleek black tracksuit with a cap and dark sunglasses pulled low over his face.
Seeing the incognito getup, Dongguo couldn't resist a jab. "Theo, what are you wearing? Are you auditioning for the next James Bond movie?"
Theodore didn't take the bait, just adjusting his sunglasses. "You'll understand when we land in Beijing."
Eight hours later, the flight touched down at Beijing Capital International Airport.
The second Theodore wheeled his suitcase through the arrival gates, a sea of claret and blue caught his eye.
A massive crowd of fans wearing Aston Villa jerseys was waiting, and before he could even process the scene, the mob surged toward him.
"Theo, over here. We love you, mate."
"Holy shit, it's actually him, sign my shirt, please."
"Theodore, you're a legend."
Hundreds of screaming fans instantly surrounded him, creating a human wall that made it impossible to take another step.
Standing off to the side, Dongguo and Marianne watched the chaos unfold in stunned silence.
"Jesus Christ, is our boy really this famous?" Dongguo muttered, quickly pulling out his phone to record the madness.
Theodore didn't push the fans away, doing his best to sign as many shirts and pose for as many quick photos as he could manage.
However, the sheer volume of people created a massive bottleneck at the exit, and the handful of airport security guards were practically useless against the frenzied crowd, which only seemed to be multiplying by the second.
Just as things were getting out of hand, Jonathan pushed through the mob, flanked by security staff from ERKE.
With the extra muscle, they finally managed to pry Theodore away from the crowd and shove him into a waiting black transport van, allowing him to finally catch his breath.
"Bloody hell, son, how did you get so popular over here?" Dongguo asked, sliding into the seat across from him.
"You must be Theodore's father," a sharp-looking middle-aged man interjected from the front seat.
"Your son is the biggest name in Chinese sports right now. Even Yao Ming didn't draw this kind of rabid attention at the airport." The man introduced himself as Richard Li, the Director of Operations for ERKE.
"Well, damn," Dongguo whistled, looking back at Theodore. "No wonder you were dressed like a spy with the hat and glasses. Too bad it didn't do anything against that mob. Looks like being famous is a pain in the ass."
Theodore could only offer a helpless, exhausted smile as the van pulled away from the curb.
...
About half an hour later, the van pulled up to the ERKE headquarters.
Richard led Theodore and his parents straight up to the executive offices, where an assistant immediately slid the massive endorsement contract across the boardroom table.
Even though Jonathan had already combed through the legal jargon, Theodore was meticulous about his career and took the time to read through the final terms himself.
Satisfied that everything was in order, he grabbed a pen and signed his name on the dotted line.
"Thank you for trusting ERKE, Theodore, it's an honor to have you on board," Richard said, shaking his hand with a firm, excited grip.
"The pleasure is mine," Theodore replied. "What time is the public signing event?"
Richard glanced at his watch. "Five o'clock this afternoon. I've already arranged a five-star hotel for you and your parents to crash at so you can sleep off the jet lag. The driver is waiting downstairs to take you over."
"Sounds good."
The hotel was only a ten-minute drive from the headquarters, keeping them close to the action.
The second they got their room keys, Theodore crashed on his bed to get some much-needed rest, while Dongguo and Marianne decided to stretch their legs and explore a nearby park in the city.
---------
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