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

The moment the Golden Fleece team heard they had to eat at Southampton Private School's cafeteria, they erupted in protest.

"What? You expect us to eat with commoners?"

"We are the elite of Rugby School! Peasants shouldn't be eating with us!"

"Coach Carter, this is an insult!"

"Hah! I knew it! You Buckhorn Stags must be planning some trick to mess with us before the match!"

Carter smirked coldly. "Tricks? You really think you're that important? Here at Southampton, from the principal to the students, we all eat the same food. Why should we make exceptions for you? You can choose not to eat—I don't care. We've provided a lunch that meets FA standards. If you don't like it, take a left, take another left—there's a KFC nearby. I hear it's perfect for 'noble' tastes like yours."

The arrogant aristocrats were on the verge of exploding with rage.

Bubbles dropped like crazy.

Damn.

Carter was really pulling his weight today.

Two minutes, and he had forced another round of bubbles out of them.

Unfortunately, Gu Ran only had three more pickups left for today. He had to save them for the match.

Gu Ran stared at the glowing bubbles scattered around, feeling a deep sense of loss.

"Enough!" Wilkinson, Golden Fleece's coach, finally intervened. "Let's settle this on the pitch."

The Golden Fleece players immediately straightened up.

"Yeah! The coach is right!"

"We'll crush you on the scoreboard!"

"Hah! Buckhorn Stags are gonna get destroyed!"

"Our bench players could beat them blindfolded!"

"Beat them? You're being too kind! We'll score in double digits!"

"Stags, enjoy your peasant food while you can—you're about to get slaughtered!"

"Haha, today's a great day for our captain Jolly to boost his top-scorer stats!"

The so-called Jolly—Jolly Walsh, their captain—snorted in disdain. "Pfft. I have no interest in padding my stats against weaklings. That would be embarrassing."

The Buckhorn Stags clenched their fists so hard their knuckles cracked.

The Southampton students watching nearby also rolled up their sleeves, ready to brawl.

Gu Ran studied Jolly Walsh.

Blond, lean—not as physically imposing as some of the Golden Fleece brutes, but he carried himself with arrogance.

According to the team's scouting report, this guy was one of Golden Fleece's top three players.

More importantly—he wasn't just a school player.

He was already training at Aston Villa's Youth Academy and was set to sign a professional contract after this tournament.

In the first two group-stage matches, Jolly scored four goals.

He was just one goal away from being the top scorer of the entire championship.

And he was acting like he couldn't be bothered to even play?

Damn, what a show-off.

And in front of me?

Gu Ran locked onto him.

A mental target appeared in his mind.

At that moment, Carter raised a hand, signaling his players to step back.

For the Buckhorn Stags, Carter was the true boss.

One gesture—and even the most furious players calmed down.

Wilkinson, Golden Fleece's coach, twitched.

He was a well-known high school coach.

But when it came to controlling the locker room, he was nowhere near Carter's level.

Carter smirked at Wilkinson.

"Yeah. We'll settle this with the score."

Then, with a grin full of malice, he added, "By the time we're done, your Golden Fleece will be a bunch of bald sheep."

Silence.

Golden Fleece's players and coach froze.

The entire Buckhorn Stags team erupted.

"HAHAHAHAHA!!"

"COACH CARTER, YOU'RE A LEGEND!"

"BALD SHEEP! BALD SHEEP!"

The Southampton students joined in.

"BUCKHORN STAGS—"

"UNDEFEATED!"

The chants shook the 1,200-seat stadium.

Gu Ran was speechless.

Carter!

You just stole my line from yesterday!!

But before Gu Ran could confront him, Carter patted his shoulder.

"Gu, you saw those Golden Fleece brats. They need to be humbled."

"This match is on you. You have to give it everything you've got."

Gu Ran nodded firmly.

"Coach, don't worry. I won't let you down."

"Good!" Carter beamed. "Alright, let's eat!"

Gu Ran: ???

Wait.

Wasn't I here to confront HIM?!

How did I get PUA'd again?!

Meanwhile, the Golden Fleece team split into two factions.

Some players—mostly benchwarmers who were actually starting today—wanted to just eat at the cafeteria and focus on the game.

But the regular starters, who weren't even playing today, refused.

They demanded to book a steakhouse instead.

Wilkinson sighed.

Of course, as a coach, he wanted them to rest and train properly.

But…

He didn't have the authority to force these aristocrats to do anything.

Eventually, he gave in and took them to a high-end restaurant.

By the time school ended at 2:30 PM, Southampton students flooded the stadium.

For Buckhorn Stags, this was their first home game in the group stage.

At the start of the tournament, nobody believed in them.

But after securing one draw and one win on the road, the entire school was behind them!

Today, if they could hold Golden Fleece to a draw—they would qualify!

The students went all out.

They filled the stadium, screaming and chanting, hyping up their team.

On both sides of the stands, hundreds of jazz drums were set up.

Southampton didn't have a cheerleading squad.

Because today—every single student was the Buckhorn Stags' cheer squad!

The stadium DJ grabbed the mic.

"BUCKHORN STAGS—"

The students roared back:

"UNDEFEATED!"

The stadium trembled.

Both teams hadn't even come out to warm up yet, but the atmosphere was already electric.

Now, normally—this was the time for the away team to come out and warm up.

But—Golden Fleece was nowhere to be seen.

Multiple Southampton staff members had already tried to call them out.

But they ignored them.

Disrespect.

Absolute disrespect.

Golden Fleece didn't think they even needed a warm-up to beat Buckhorn Stags.

When Carter heard this, he sneered.

"They don't want to come out? Fine."

"We won't give them a warm welcome either."

He turned to his team.

"Buckhorn Stags—onto the field! Warm up!"

"YES, COACH!"

The team charged onto the pitch.

The moment they stepped on the field—

The entire stadium erupted.

Students stood up and cheered.

The drums thundered in unison.

The entire arena shook.

Gu Ran felt his blood boil.

His cells buzzed with adrenaline.

His veins pumped with excitement.

This feeling…

This was it.

This was HIS home turf.

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