I Just Wanted to Play Soccer, But I Became a Hollywood Heartthrob

Damn. This saleswoman was way too open.

Gu Ran felt his blood rushing as he quickly shifted his gaze away from the swaying lights in front of him. Without a second thought, he shoved the small note into his shopping bag, turned, and walked out of the store.

Once outside, he immediately found a restroom, splashed cold water on his face, and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

Being seventeen again really did make him more... easily excitable.

Nothing wrong with that—it just meant he was a perfectly normal young man. Maybe even an exceptional one.

Of course, his body might be young, but his soul was that of a seasoned veteran.

Little temptations like this? Nothing to me.

Now, if the actual actress who played Max had come onto me…

Heh, well, that would be a different story.

Gu Ran folded the small note, still carrying the faint scent of the saleswoman's perfume, and tucked it neatly into his bag.

After buying his gear, he stopped by a Chinese restaurant and treated himself to a familiar, satisfying meal.

Once his stomach was full, he strolled through a nearby Chinese supermarket, picking up some easy-to-make food for himself.

No way he was going to keep eating things like kidney pie, fish head pie, English sausages, or lamb offal pudding.

By the time he finished dinner and headed home with his shopping bags, the sky had already gone dark.

When he entered the living room and turned on the lights, he was met with the sight of Andrew slumped over on the couch, his nearly bald head buried in his arms.

Gu Ran's first reaction was a jolt of surprise. "Uncle Andrew, what's wrong?"

Oh. Right.

Definitely a gambling loss.

Andrew lifted his tear-streaked face and looked at him with a pitiful expression. "Gu, you're finally back… Manchester United crushed Liverpool 4-0. Torres missed three open goals… My £1,000 is gone! Waaaah! I can't cry in the bedroom, or your Aunt Sally will find out! She's got nails, you know!"

Andrew was truly heartbroken.

But Gu Ran couldn't help it—watching Andrew's bald head bob up and down as he sobbed reminded him of a certain Chinese sitcom character, and he had to fight the urge to laugh.

Too bad I already maxed out my pick-up progress for today…

Setting down his bags, Gu Ran patted Andrew's shoulder reassuringly. "Uncle, see? I told you—my way of betting on upsets was bound to lose."

Andrew wiped his eyes, looking even more aggrieved. "But you won the first time!"

Gu Ran's face remained sincere. "That was pure luck. Beginner's blessing. Look, I lost this time too, didn't I?"

Andrew sighed. "Then if you knew you were going to lose, why bet at all?"

Gu Ran shrugged. "For fun. You know I'm not short on money."

Andrew clenched his fist. He really wanted to punch this kid.

Sighing, Andrew muttered, "Looks like from now on, I should stick to my own betting strategy… I knew Manchester United was going to win by at least three goals at Old Trafford! I would have won! My £1,000…"

He grabbed what little hair he had left, still grieving his loss.

"Better luck next time," Gu Ran said sympathetically. Then he suddenly paused. "Wait… Uncle, you still have secret savings?"

Andrew coughed violently. "Ahem, ahem—oh hey, Gu, what did you buy?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just food you wouldn't like," Gu Ran skillfully deflected. "It's late, Uncle. I'm heading to bed. You should rest early too."

Andrew eyed the shopping bags. "Oh… Well, I'm not that picky… Alright, good night."

"Good night!"

Back in his room, Gu Ran unpacked his groceries.

At least now he had enough supplies for a week's worth of breakfasts.

Lunch was covered at school, and as for dinner, he could just say he had training and eat out.

With that plan in place, he could officially say goodbye to kidney pies and offal puddings.

Of course, all of this would only work if he made it onto the school team tomorrow.

Still, today had been a productive day.

Not only had he acquired two elite football skills, but he had also gained five professional training results.

If he could get a talent point from Sophie tonight, his Strength stat would finally reach a passing level.

He might still be behind Rusty in terms of raw strength, but football wasn't just about physicality.

Mentality, technique, and experience mattered just as much.

Strength was just the foundation—but the higher it was, the better.

The key was making sure Sophie's negative emotion levels hit 100 tonight.

He quickly formulated a plan: call Sophie over, make her do push-ups, nitpick her form, and push her buttons.

She had been in a sour mood all morning, and he had already pissed her off earlier.

Her negative emotions had to be at a high level already.

A little prodding, and she'd definitely explode.

Simple.

Everything's under control.

Gu Ran smirked, feeling confident. He picked up his brand-new Messi football boots, breathed on them, wiped them clean, put them on, took them off, and repeated the process again and again.

—

12:00 AM.

Gu Ran put down his boots and picked up his phone.

[Sophie, come to my room.]

He waited.

And waited.

But there was no reply.

His brows furrowed. Did she fall asleep?

If she was out cold, that would be a problem—he wouldn't be able to collect his talent point.

Should he call her to wake her up?

Wouldn't that piss her off even more?

…Actually, that might be a good thing.

Grinning, he scrolled to Sophie's number and was about to press call when—

Creak.

The slightly ajar door swung open.

Gu Ran blinked.

Bathed in soft moonlight, Sophie stood at the doorway, her expression cold and unreadable.

She was dressed in a SpongeBob SquarePants camisole nightgown, her delicate collarbones and bare feet visible beneath the dim glow. The scent of fresh shampoo lingered in the air.

Silver moonlight cascaded over her skin, casting a gentle glow across the room.

Her light blue eyes shimmered with a hypnotic, wave-like intensity, and her fiery red lips added a striking contrast to the serene atmosphere.

Gu Ran swallowed. "Sophie, you… came."

Sophie crossed her arms, her face indifferent. "Gu Ran, I was really angry at you earlier, but after you left, I spent the whole day thinking about it. I realized that I shouldn't have been mad at you in the first place. After all, we're not actually dating. You going out without me is completely normal. Whether you like me or not has nothing to do with me. So, I'm not mad anymore."

Gu Ran: "…"

What the hell?!

Sophie, you're supposed to be angry!

You're supposed to yell at me!

You're supposed to be furious that I ditched you!

If you're not mad, how am I supposed to get your negative emotions to 100?

If your emotions don't hit 100, how the hell am I going to farm a free talent point?!

Sophie, you need to follow the damn script!

Gu Ran quickly tried to salvage the situation. "No, no, no, Sophie, you should be mad at me. You should! I was definitely in the wrong!"

Sophie smirked. "So you admit you were wrong?"

…Huh?

Wait, Sophie, hold on—I didn't mean it like that!

I wasn't trying to apologize! I was trying to make you mad!

Before he could explain, Sophie laughed softly. "Well, it doesn't matter whether you admit it or not. I'm truly not mad anymore. And if I ever get angry at you again, I'll take your last name."

Gu Ran: "…"

What kind of plot twist is this?!