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

The next morning, Gu Ran woke up early, ate breakfast, and took a taxi to school.

The entire Southampton Private School was buzzing with energy. Banners with "Go Buckhorn Stags!" were plastered all over the campus.

Of course, there were also some… odd ones.

"Gu Ran, my hubby, I love you!"

"Gu Ran, you're my little cutie!"

"If you win, we'll all marry you!"

Gu Ran completely ignored them.

The morning training session was the final preparation before the big match. Instead of their usual small practice field, today's training took place in the full-size Buckhorn Stags home stadium.

Even though Southampton Private School wasn't a prestigious elite academy, their field maintenance was top-notch.

Gu Ran stepped onto the freshly trimmed grass, took a deep breath—his condition felt great.

When training ended, Coach Carter checked his watch and suddenly announced,

"Alright, everyone, gather up. Golden Fleece's spoiled brats are almost here. We need to go greet them at the gate."

"What?!"

"Coach, all of us?"

"Why do we have to do that?!"

"When we went to Manchester, they didn't greet us. When we played Tonbridge, they didn't even acknowledge our arrival!"

"Exactly! Coach, don't give them special treatment!"

The players were furious.

Carter's voice turned serious. "I know you don't want to, but this is tradition. Home teams should always welcome visiting teams. I don't care what other schools do, but in Southampton, we uphold tradition—because tradition is our pride."

Silence.

Though they were still pissed, they couldn't argue with that.

"Let's go," Carter said, leading the way.

"Yes, Coach," the players reluctantly followed.

They stood at the school's front gate for over ten minutes before Golden Fleece's team bus finally arrived.

"Goddamn. These posh bastards really know how to show off!"

"They didn't take the train and transfer like normal teams. No, they rolled up in their own luxury school bus!"

"Wait… they actually have their own team bus?"

"Only pro clubs have those! They barely play a handful of away games a year, and they have their own damn bus?!"

"Ugh. Just looking at it pisses me off."

The Golden Fleece team came from Rugby School, one of the nine elite public schools in England. While Tonbridge School had a higher academic ranking, Rugby School was far superior in social status.

Tonbridge students were nobles.

Rugby School students were aristocracy.

Tonbridge's students looked down on commoners.

Rugby School students looked down on Tonbridge's 'country aristocrats.'

It was a clear social hierarchy.

The luxury bus finally came to a stop at Southampton's front entrance.

The Buckhorn Stags players stood in formation, ready to uphold Carter's "glorious tradition."

But the arrogant Golden Fleece players didn't even bother getting off the bus.

They lounged in their seats, not acknowledging the home team's gesture at all.

Some even mocked them from inside.

"Driver, keep going! Why did you stop?"

"Ugh, this place stinks! It smells like dead fish!"

"I swear, if I step out, I'll puke!"

Their entire team held their noses in disgust, refusing to get off.

Then, the bus driver actually restarted the engine, trying to drive into campus.

Carter's expression darkened.

The Buckhorn Stags clenched their fists.

These arrogant brats had zero respect.

They disregarded Southampton's traditional welcome.

And now, they wanted to drive straight through campus like they owned the place?!

This was beyond insulting.

At that moment, bubbles began dropping—white, blue, all over the place.

Gu Ran scanned them quickly.

Nothing useful yet.

But that didn't matter.

Today, he was going to steal every last drop of training progress from these clueless rich boys.

Before Carter or anyone else could react, Gu Ran stepped directly in front of the moving bus.

**Head held high, arms crossed—**he stood his ground.

"Is this Asian kid suicidal?!"

"Run him over!"

"He's just an Asian! I'll cover his hospital bill!"

The Golden Fleece players inside the bus laughed and shouted.

The driver revved the engine, trying to scare him off.

Gu Ran didn't even flinch.

He smirked, raised his chin, and flipped them the international greeting gesture.

Arrogant little rich kids don't understand respect?

No problem.

Today, their Chinese daddy would teach them some manners.

Before the driver could hit the gas again, the entire Buckhorn Stags squad stormed forward, blocking the bus!

Gu Ran wasn't alone.

At that moment, the team moved as one.

Carter, who had been angry before, now smiled proudly.

Yes.

This is how it should be.

We follow traditions.

But when they trample on our pride, we stand together and fight!

Carter stepped beside Gu Ran.

The entire Buckhorn Stags squad erupted.

"GET OFF THE BUS!"

"GET OFF! GET OFF! GET OFF!"

The roar was so powerful, the bus windows vibrated.

Then, the Southampton students who had gathered joined in.

"GET OFF THE BUS!"

"GET OFF! GET OFF! GET OFF!"

The Golden Fleece players turned pale.

They had never seen anything like this.

Just as the tension peaked, the bus door finally opened.

Golden Fleece's coach stepped out first.

Carter motioned for his players to step back.

This was their home field.

If a fight broke out, Southampton would forfeit the match 0–3.

They couldn't afford to lose like that.

And Golden Fleece's coach knew it too.

He stepped forward, rubbing his bald head with a smirk.

"Hello, Carter. Long time no see."

Carter smirked back.

"Wilkinson. Last I saw you, you were still working for Aston Villa."

The Buckhorn Stags chuckled.

"Aston Villa" had another meaning: villains, thugs.

Carter was insinuating that Wilkinson was a hired goon.

Wilkinson's smirk stiffened.

"I've been coaching Golden Fleece for quite some time now. Apologies, Carter. I didn't realize you were waiting for us. I thought these were just regular students."

The sarcasm was obvious.

Golden Fleece's players were tall and muscular—many had rugby backgrounds.

Compared to them, Southampton looked weak.

Carter laughed.

"Oh? My bad. I also didn't realize that Golden Fleece's bus was full of squealing piglets."

Boom.

Wilkinson and his players' faces darkened.

Bubbles exploded everywhere.

Damn, rich kids really couldn't handle insults.

Gu Ran casually scanned the drops—and hit the jackpot.

Golden Fleece's training was focused on "Dynamic Contact Training."

Unlike regular training, this included rugby-style tackling, physical clashes, and stamina-building.

And their training quality was elite.

Gu Ran silently grabbed seven "Dynamic Contact Training +10" bubbles.

His muscles immediately felt tighter.

His Talent Points hit 4.

Gu Ran grinned.

Still three more pickups left today.

Hopefully, during the match, he could steal a high-value skill.

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