In the UK, the largest duty-free retailer is actually DFS Group, but strangely, they don't operate a single store in Britain—their main markets are Hong Kong and Macau.
The reason? Simple.
Opening a duty-free shop in the UK isn't complicated. As long as you have enough capital and pay the required deposit to HM Revenue & Customs, you can obtain a duty-free business license.
Many large British department stores have one or two standalone duty-free shops.
The reason people always talk about shopping at airport duty-free stores is simply because they offer a wider selection of luxury goods.
So, for Claire, opening a small duty-free shop at Lyme Valley Stadium wasn't a big deal.
The inventory would be straightforward: imported beer + imported cigarettes.
If football fans didn't buy these in bulk, Claire was willing to chop his own head off and use it as a ball.
---
The day passed quickly, and Claire noticed something peculiar—ever since Jessica Jung returned to Korea, the wound on his back had been healing remarkably fast.
Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Claire muttered under his breath:
"Does... doing that actually help wounds heal faster?"
"What are you doing sneaking around in the morning?!"
A sudden voice from behind nearly gave Claire a heart attack. He spun around to see Lucy Pinder standing there.
Claire scowled. "How did you even get into my house?! And since when is walking around my own home considered 'sneaking'?"
Lucy, unfazed, ignored his outburst and instead leaned in suspiciously, sniffing him like a bloodhound.
Claire's guilty conscience kicked in. Even though Jessica had left two days ago, he wasn't about to underestimate a woman's sixth sense.
"What the hell are you doing?! Since when is sniffing people a normal morning greeting?"
He quickly retreated to the dining room, but Lucy narrowed her eyes, her expression turning triumphant.
"You're acting weird."
Claire stuffed his mouth with a potato pancake and grumbled, "I'm not acting weird! You're the one being paranoid!"
"Every time I've brought you breakfast before, you always drank water or coffee first before eating. But today, you went straight for the food."
She crossed her arms.
"Tell me the truth—did you and Jessica do something in this house?"
Claire nearly spat out his coffee.
Lucy smirked at his reaction. "Hah! I knew it! Men can never control their lower halves!"
"If you dare bring another girl home, I'll personally invite Danielle Sharp from school to camp outside your door and monitor you 24/7!"
Claire groaned and collapsed onto the sofa.
"Oh, for God's sake, Lucy! Give me a break! I have a meeting with Steve Chen, the founder of YouTube, later!"
Lucy froze mid-rant.
"Wait… the Steve Chen? The young billionaire worth $1.4 billion? How do you know him?"
---
Truthfully, Claire was just as confused.
Originally, the meeting was supposed to be with Edgar Bronfman Jr., his boss at Warner Music. But Bronfman had canceled last minute, calling Claire personally:
"I'm swamped with Warner's new projects and can't make it to the UK."
"But there's a big shot who insists on meeting you in person to thank you. Just host a simple dinner at your place—I'll send you his contact details. Costa will bring him over."
When Claire found out it was Steve Chen, the co-founder and former largest shareholder of YouTube, he immediately called Costa Mayol for context.
Here's what happened:
YouTube, at the time, was drowning in copyright lawsuits from Hollywood studios, media giants, and music labels. With just 75 employees, they couldn't handle the legal onslaught.
After 20 months of struggle, the founders had no choice but to sell.
The buyers? Yahoo and Google.
- Yahoo offered $1.1 billion but wanted to retain some management control.
- Google bid $1.65 billion for a full acquisition.
Steve Chen was torn—until Claire's viral bar performance with Cristiano Ronaldo caught his attention.
That moment made Chen realize YouTube's untapped potential: not just as a platform, but as a star-making machine.
In the end, Chen chose Google—not because of the higher bid, but because he feared Yahoo's ad-heavy model would ruin the user experience.
Claire's sudden rise, fueled by YouTube's algorithm, was no accident. Warner Music simply capitalized on the traffic.
---
Lucy listened in awe.
"So… your fame was just luck and corporate chess?"
Claire shrugged. "Pretty much. That's showbiz—most 'overnight success' stories are just well-timed PR."
Before he could elaborate, Lucy suddenly jumped up, excited.
"You're both Asian-Americans! I know a great restaurant—I'll go order takeout!"
Claire reached out to stop her, but Lucy, still in her jeans, had already bolted out the door.
---
Dennis Irwin (Claire's uncle) emerged from nowhere.
"Lucy's a good girl, isn't she?"
"HOLY SH—!"
Claire fell flat on his ass.
Irwin sighed. "I thought you'd grown up, but you're still the same jumpy kid."
"You're my uncle! Can't you act like a normal adult? If I told people the legendary Manchester United 'nice guy' is actually a sneaky old man, who'd believe me?!"
As Claire got up, a realization struck him.
"Wait… did you give Lucy access to my house? And how did you know about Jessica?!"
Irwin leisurely checked his phone before replying:
"I'm thirsty."
Claire handed him water.
"I'm hungry."
Claire shoved a plate of pancakes at him.
Irwin took a bite and nodded approvingly. "Patience, kid. Your mother had it. Your father? Not so much."
Claire rolled his eyes. "Oh, so now you're lecturing me? Maybe I should stop funding your stadium then!"
Irwin's expression darkened. "That's different! And stop dodging—Lucy's a great girl. Just marry her already! Focus on football, not flings!"
Claire tuned out the rest.
What baffled him most was how a full-blooded Irishman had memorized so many proverbs, like "There are three forms of unfilial conduct, of which the worst is to have no descendants."
He'd heard enough.
---
Before meeting Steve Chen, Claire had imagined many versions of the tech mogul—polished suits, elite demeanor.
But the man who showed up at his door looked more like a tired 40-year-old IT worker in casual wear.
"Hi, I'm Steve Chen."
"Mr. Chen, I'm Claire. You can also call me Li Yifeng."
The two men shook hands awkwardly at the doorway until Costa Mayol broke the ice.
"Haha! Let's head inside. I heard this villa costs £2,700 a week—even Rihanna didn't get this待遇 when she signed with Warner!"
Chen chuckled and followed them in. After a quick tour, he settled onto the sofa and got straight to the point.
"I wanted to thank you and Edgar for the advice. Without you, YouTube wouldn't have sold for $2.4 billion."
Claire relaxed at Chen's bluntness. "Honestly, I'm just as surprised. If YouTube hadn't pushed my content, I'd still be just another footballer."
He hesitated before adding:
"I've always thought YouTube could be more than just a platform. Why not create an ad network and a creator fund? Reward top creators directly to encourage quality content."
"But… I guess it's too late now, since you've already sold."
Chen's eyes widened. Costa stared at Claire like he'd grown a second head.
"OH. MY. GOD." Chen suddenly slammed the table. "You're a genius! That's— That's exactly what we should've done!"
His outburst startled everyone, even Lucy, who peeked in from the kitchen.
"Sadly, YouTube's gone now. But… what do you do again?" Chen squinted at Claire, then noticed the wall of football jerseys.
"Oh. You're a player? Damn, what a waste! You should be in tech—you've got the mind for it!"
Claire's face reddened. "I just… happened to live through the internet boom."
"Wait, you're only 20, right?" Chen rummaged through his pockets, pulled out a pen and paper, and scribbled something.
"Here. A recommendation letter for the University of Illinois and University of Hawaii. Study there in your off-seasons. It'll help you after football."
Claire took the letter, stunned.
Chen grinned. "I was struggling with what to give you. My friends said you'd want a Nike deal, but this? This feels right."