Father's Joy

As Millwall prepared for their midweek league match, they received some good news: the club's record transfer signing, Henry, had returned to training! 

After joining in the summer, he had been sidelined with injuries and hadn't spent any time in the stands watching Millwall play. Aldrich made sure he sat with the substitutes during matches, assigning him the task of analyzing the game, observing the team's cohesion, and especially focusing on the attacking patterns on the frontline.

Wenger managed to transform Henry from a winger to a center-forward in just two months, while Aldrich's expectations were more modest. He just wanted Henry to make a successful transition this season, believing that next season, Millwall's attacking power would rival the "Diamond Triad" that dominated the media's attention back in the 1998 Champions League final.

Currently, Henry was only engaged in light recovery training. During his breaks, Aldrich would have him stand at the sidelines to watch the team's attacking and defensive drills, specifically encouraging him to observe Klose's movements and contributions on the frontline.

In comparing Klose and Van Nistelrooy, the two central forwards currently featuring for the team, Klose aligns better with Aldrich's tactical vision. His ability to assist teammates is superior; he effectively creates cover for hidden attacking points on both flanks and behind the defense. In contrast, Van Nistelrooy embodies the traditional image of an exemplary striker who relies heavily on his teammates for firepower—he's the ultimate problem-solver on the pitch.

Aldrich knew what Henry was capable of, so he hoped Henry could not only score but also activate the team's overall offensive line.

That player who had once squared the ball to a teammate when one-on-one with the goalkeeper, drastically increasing the chances of scoring—that was the king of goals in the fabulously united Arsenal team from history.

Henry was very serious during training. Especially when Aldrich spoke to him personally, he took notes and reflected on the discussions, occasionally raising questions that Aldrich would answer in detail. When training was over, Jansen had compiled some videos for Henry to review at his leisure, focusing on the highlights of Millwall's past attacking plays, with an emphasis on positioning and decision-making by ball carriers in attack.

After finishing the Champions League match midweek, they had to face the league again, with an away match against Charlton. Millwall showed signs of fatigue, but fortunately, the match was in London, and the two clubs were relatively close to each other. Furthermore, there was little rivalry between them. Charlton was quite a peculiar team based in South London, surrounded by Crystal Palace, Millwall, and West Ham United to the northeast. However, they seemed to have a neutral relationship with everyone, with their derby matches lacking any real intensity or excitement.

Millwall managed to secure a narrow victory against Charlton with a long-range goal from Zambrotta, but they slipped to second place in the standings as Manchester United slaughtered Wimbledon 5-1 at home, overtaking Millwall in goal difference.

With the win secured, Aldrich felt there was no need to nitpick at the team's performance.

After returning home following the match, he was interrupted by a phone call while in the shower.

Upon answering, he realized it was Melanie, who seemed a bit whimsical today. Every now and then, he heard her laughter on the line, mixed with an inexplicable excitement in her brief sentences.

"What's got you so happy? Shouldn't you be feeling stressed? Halliwell just announced she's leaving the Spice Girls—don't you care?"

Aldrich lay back in the bathtub, phone in hand.

He wasn't particularly concerned about the entertainment world, but he did keep an eye on news regarding the Spice Girls in his spare time.

Just as the North American tour was about to begin, Geri Halliwell suddenly announced her departure from the Spice Girls, possibly retiring from the industry. This news meant nothing to someone like Aldrich, but for the group's fans, it was a devastating blow.

"Hehe, I'm not thinking about those things right now. Actually, I have some good news! You're sharp; guess what it is!"

Aldrich exclaimed dramatically, "I know! You've defected!"

"What do you mean?"

"Today in the Merseyside derby, Liverpool played Everton to a draw away. So, you've become an Everton supporter, which is why you're so thrilled, right?"

"Aldrich, you're insufferable! This has nothing to do with football—take another guess!"

"Did you sign a major contract with the record label?"

"Psh, that has nothing to do with my career! Guess again!"

Aldrich continued to guess, but no luck. He finally said with a mix of laughter and frustration, "Can't you at least give me a hint?"

"Alright then, here's a tiny hint: you need to think of two names."

Aldrich paused, confused, and sighed, "What sort of hint is that?"

"Hehehe…"

As her cheerful chuckle echoed in his ear, Aldrich suddenly stood up in the bathtub, splashing water everywhere.

His expression turned serious, gripping the phone tightly as he gasped heavily, finally stuttering, "Y-You, you, you're pregnant?"

"Yay! You got it right. Congratulations! You're going to be a dad!"

Aldrich's heart raced violently, and he excitedly asked, "Really? You're not joking, are you?"

"Really! I just got back from the hospital; it's absolutely true!"

"Wow! Wow… I'm going to be a dad? I'm going to be a dad…"

Aldrich, ecstatic, danced around in the bathtub, completely naked, like a madman.

On the other end, Melanie listened to him shout with joy, her laughter echoing through the phone and filling Aldrich's ears.

"Wait for me! I'm coming to find you right now."

Aldrich quickly hung up the phone, booked a ticket, and called the club to ask for a two-day leave. Fortunately, there were no matches in midweek.

When he confirmed he would soon have a child, a wave of uncontainable joy surged within him. At that moment, he realized he wanted kids; he hoped for a family of his own, a complete family to call his own.

On the way to the airport, Aldrich called Arthur.

The old hooligan hadn't returned home yet, still out with friends drinking. When Aldrich called, the noise in the bar made it hard for Arthur to hear what was being said.

He moved to a quieter spot before answering, "Son, what did you just say?"

"I'm going to be a dad! Melanie is pregnant."

"Oh, is it yours?"

Aldrich, sitting in a taxi, felt a sense of helplessness at Arthur's question.

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me?"

"I didn't mean that, but hasn't she been abroad?"

"She came back last month, and calculating the time, it's pretty much right for her to start showing. Damn it, why am I explaining this to you? I know you don't like her…"

"Alright, since you're sure it's your kid, I'm happy for you. Son, congratulations! You're about to experience the pain of being a dad like I did; raising you guys was no easy feat. You have no idea how hard I worked."

"Is that so? Didn't you say I was found in a dumpster?"

"…"

After hanging up the phone, Arthur shut his eyes and couldn't help but grin.

When he returned to the main hall of the bar, he hopped onto a table and exclaimed, "Tonight, it's all on me!"

His old pals were left speechless. Amelia clutched his pant leg, close to tears, saying, "Hey, are you drunk again?"

We've got money, but this isn't how you spend it!

However, Arthur was perfectly sober. Amidst the cheering, he jumped down from the table, hugged his wife, grabbed a beer bottle, and toasted with his old friends while laughing heartily, "Aldrich is going to be a dad; little Hall II is on the way!"

He had enough self-awareness not to call Aldrich's child Hall III. The achievements Aldrich brought to Millwall were beyond comparison, and simply having a son like this was enough for him to feel proud—there was no need to embellish himself further.

Amelia, too, was dumbfounded with pleasant surprise.

His old friends nearby joked, "The baby hasn't even arrived! How do you know it's a boy? If it's a girl, will she still be Hall II?"

Arthur shrugged and said, "I have three sons, and my eldest has a son too. That's the proud tradition of the Hall family."

"Statistically, it's impossible for it to always be boys…"

"Statistics, my ass. You were selling dirty videos on the streets without even graduating elementary school; what do you know about statistics?"

"Hahaha…"

After chatting among themselves, the group raised their glasses to celebrate Arthur and Amelia.

After the initial joy, Amelia quietly asked Arthur, "Who's having a baby with Aldrich?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and replied, "Chisholm."

Amelia pouted but didn't say anything more.

Neither of the old couple liked that pop star, not because of her looks or personality, but because she was a singer with no time to spend with Aldrich. They felt sorry for their youngest son and hoped he would have a woman who could always be there with him; that's what life should be like.

Just as they had never liked the supermodel girlfriend Andrew brought home, which led to Andrew remaining single to this day. Even when he had brief relationships, he wouldn't bring anyone home just to avoid trouble.

While Aldrich waited in the airport lounge for his flight, he kept sending messages to his friends.

Strangely, he rarely shared personal things, like his birthday or career achievements. But today, he was eager to let the whole world know that he was going to be a father. It brought him immense joy.

Barnett and Andrew both called him right away; Barnett happened to be in America and offered to pick him up at the airport.

He was slightly out of his mind today.

While waiting in line to board the plane, he turned and smiled at the middle-aged woman behind him. She looked at him warily, but he held out his hand and said, "I'm going to be a father."

The woman looked confused, shook his hand stiffly, and congratulated him vaguely. She looked at Aldridge's face for a while and shook her head.

In her mind, she thought: The young man is quite handsome and resembles that prominent young Englishman, but what a shame—he seems a bit off.

When Aldrich boarded the plane, he eagerly shook hands with the flight attendants, repeating, "I'm going to be a dad!"

The flight attendants thought he was making advances, awkwardly maintaining their smiles. After Aldrich found his seat, the attendants whispered among themselves, cautioning one another, "Watch out for that man."

Aldrich was oblivious, unaware that he had been branded a "creep."

The flight from London to New York wasn't short, but Aldrich felt no urge to sleep; he was restless with excitement.

How unfortunate! The seat next to him was empty, and there was no one to chat with to pass the time.

With nothing else to do, Aldrich began planning his future.

Now that he was going to have a child, he couldn't stay in that small apartment anymore. It felt too cramped. To put it simply, he didn't want to compromise on his child's upbringing, even if it seemed inconsequential until the child grew up.

He enthusiastically wrote down his future life plan and carefully guarded the piece of paper as if it were a diary. However, he never expected that this piece of paper covered with dense handwriting would eventually become waste paper.