In London today, football fans had two burning questions:
How long will Crystal Palace's winning streak continue?
When playing on two fronts, what will happen when they face a Premier League side in the FA Cup?
Crystal Palace quickly answered the first question.
They secured a terrifying 13th consecutive league victory!
It was the final match of the year, right after Christmas.
An away game against Millwall.
What followed was an all-out massacre.
Millwall, who started the season in mid-table, had steadily declined and were now flirting with relegation by mid-season.
And just five minutes into the match—
Kai struck first with a thunderous long-range goal, opening the scoring!
Once again, Crystal Palace fans went wild for their young Eagle King.
Lately, Kai had developed a habit of scoring long-range screamers, igniting the fanbase into a frenzy.
This supernova forward, who seemingly starts every match with a built-in "1–0 advantage," had become the nightmare of every Championship defense.
Before the first half ended, Clyne added another goal — his first of the season!
At halftime: Crystal Palace 2–0 Millwall.
In the second half, Holloway rotated the squad again.
Kai assisted Zaha for a goal, then scored one himself from a scrappy box situation, calmly slotting it in.
Final score: 4–0 Crystal Palace!
A perfect way to close out the year.
From a team struggling to survive at the start of the season, Palace had now stormed into 2011 with an unprecedented 13-game winning streak!
Media headlines exploded:
"Crystal Palace's Terrifying Streak Continues!"
"Kai Dominates the Championship in Assists – Now Enters Top 10 in the Scoring Chart Too!"
"Supernova Kai – Is He About to Rewrite History Once More?"
As the year turned over, Palace players enjoyed a short 2-day break.
Kai finally had time to relax.
He slept in that morning, had lunch at the villa with Fan Sijing, and in the afternoon…
Under Mendes' arrangement, Kai took part in a luxury watch brand commercial shoot.
This was Mendes testing the commercial waters with Kai's exceptional image.
To represent luxury watches or fashion, a footballer needed a tall and handsome appearance—Kai was a perfect match.
Thanks to his explosive half-season performance, Kai had become one of the brightest new stars in English football.
His natural popularity made him a dream for advertisers.
The commercial fee?
A cool £2 million, effortlessly earned.
Just like that, Kai officially became a millionaire in England!
Mendes was extremely satisfied.
He believed Kai's commercial potential was massive, not just limited to football brands.
When the shoot was done, the brand generously gifted Kai three luxury watches, all worth a fortune.
"Next, my goal is to build up your momentum and push hard to win the European Golden Boy Award at the end of January!"
Mendes briefed him over the phone.
Kai was surprised:
"But Balotelli's market value is twice mine, maybe even more..."
Mendes chuckled.
When it came to awards like the Golden Boy or Ballon d'Or, publicity and media traction were key—and he was a master of it.
Back when Cristiano Ronaldo was still at Sporting CP, Mendes had hyped him into a £12 million transfer to Manchester United—a record-breaking fee at the time.
And this time, he had personal motivation too.
Because Balotelli's agent was none other than the legendary Raiola.
To Mendes, this was more than a publicity war—it was a battle between two super-agent titans.
As January arrived, England grew colder.
Rain and fog wrapped London in their icy grip.
But football's passion burned hot enough to fight off the chill.
Two days later—
At Selhurst Park, under a gentle snowfall, the stadium buzzed with electric energy.
Crystal Palace began their FA Cup campaign—facing their first opponent:
Charlton, a League One side.
Once home to players from Longguo, Charlton was familiar to many Chinese fans.
Chinese commentators were in the stands, taking constant snapshots.
"Remember midfielder Zheng Zhi? He played in England just a few seasons ago!"
"Charlton's a small fish in League One—they're miles below Kai's level now!"
"Of course! If the Premier League is one tier above the Championship, then the Championship is at least three levels above League One! The English Championship even has higher commercial value than the Eredivisie!"
On the pitch, amid the passionate roars of Palace fans,
Crystal Palace opened their FA Cup campaign with a devastating win.
Even with a half-strength squad, they smashed Charlton 6–0!
Kai had two goals and four assists—
He was involved in all six goals.
It was a performance that set Selhurst Park ablaze once again.
On the sidelines, Holloway pumped his fists with joy.
FA Cup: First Round — Won!
The FA Cup is a single-elimination tournament.
Lower-league teams clash in the early rounds.
Premier League and Championship teams enter from Round 3.
By defeating Charlton, Palace advanced to the Fourth Round!
Their march had begun, starting right at Selhurst Park.
Palace fans were elated, eager to find out who their next opponent would be.