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

Sophie knelt on the floor, tears streaming down her face, clutching her now swollen big toe.

Just moments ago, as she had leaned forward toward Gu Ran's bed, her bare toe had slammed into something hard and unforgiving.

It hurts so much!

One second, she had been the picture of elegance, and the next, she was a disheveled mess, writhing on the floor in pain.

Luckily, Gu Ran hadn't woken up.

If he had, he would have been scared half to death by the sight of her in this state.

"Gu Ran, you bastard! What the hell is this thing?! Why is it so hard?!"

Wiping away her tears, Sophie finally spotted a neatly wrapped gift box on the floor.

Immediately, the pain vanished from her mind.

This… this is the gift he got me!

It was such a big box—surely, whatever was inside must be expensive, right?

Let me guess… Flowers? A plush toy? Maybe makeup? Perfume? Stockings? Or some sparkling jewelry?

Ugh, no! I don't even like such cliché gifts!

Clutching her racing heart, Sophie delicately knelt beside the box and excitedly unwrapped it.

Inside, tied with a neat ribbon, were four volumes of A Song of Ice and Fire.

The first book, A Game of Thrones. The second, A Clash of Kings. The third, A Storm of Swords. The fourth, A Feast for Crows.

Perfectly arranged.

Sophie blinked.

Wait… what?

She must have opened it wrong.

Taking a deep breath, she closed the box, then reopened it.

Game of Thrones… Clash of Kings…

Still the same.

Sophie was frozen in disbelief.

Gu Ran's gift to me… is books?

Are you kidding me?!

He had said she would "absolutely love it"—where on earth did he get that confidence?!

Giving books as a gift? What is this, the 1920s?! Is this how great-grandparents used to flirt?!

For a moment, she had the urge to throw the books straight at Gu Ran's head.

No—calm down.

People always said southern girls had bad tempers, but she, Sophie, was not a hot-headed girl.

Maybe… maybe Chinese boys were just shy. Maybe Gu Ran had hidden some romantic message inside the books. Maybe… a diamond ring was tucked inside?

Sophie quickly flipped through the books—nothing.

Gu Ran, I hate you!

If I ever talk to you again, I—!

Frustrated, she stomped her foot—only for the pain in her toe to send her doubling over in agony.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

Gu Ran, this is all your fault!

Fine! She would accept this stupid gift.

She would read these books cover to cover and figure out exactly what kind of message he was trying to send her!

Huffing, she grabbed the books, limping her way out of Gu Ran's room.

—

"Ding—

Detected: 100 points of negative emotional value from Sophie Turner. System energy bubble forming…"

Gu Ran was fast asleep when the notification echoed in his mind, waking him up.

On the edge of his bed, a perfect, glowing red energy bubble had materialized.

Rubbing his eyes, Gu Ran stared at it.

What the hell…?

Did I… just get a free talent point in my sleep?

No way… this has to be a dream!

No matter—he grabbed it anyway before rolling over and falling right back asleep.

—

The next morning, Gu Ran woke up feeling sore all over.

Every single muscle in his body ached.

The fatigue from yesterday's game had fully caught up with him.

This was the price of having low stamina.

The higher his stamina, the less fatigue he would feel and the faster he would recover.

For a regular person, the level of exhaustion he experienced yesterday would take five days to a week to fully recover from.

Even for a newly trained athlete like himself, it would still take at least three days.

But in three days, the next match of the group stage was coming up.

He could only accelerate his recovery by increasing his stamina attribute.

Sigh… leveling up a single stat is never easy.

Gu Ran massaged his sore arms and sighed.

If only I had someone to give me a massage…

Back in his previous life, after playing casual football matches, he and his buddies would always hit up a proper massage parlor—

Wait.

Something had happened last night.

Didn't I pick up a talent point in my dream?

Focusing his thoughts, Gu Ran checked his stats.

Holy shit!

His talent points had indeed increased by one!

No way… I can get talent points in my sleep?!

No—something wasn't right.

Then, he noticed the opened gift box on the floor.

So Sophie was here last night…

That meant the extra talent point must have come from Sophie!

But… why?

Why would a girl gain negative emotions after receiving a carefully chosen gift from a guy?

It made no sense at all.

Forget it.

A free talent point was a free talent point.

Grinning, Gu Ran immediately allocated it to his stamina stat.

His stamina attribute increased from 58 to 59!

Taking a deep breath, he could already feel the fatigue dissipating faster.

But it still wasn't enough.

To fully recover, he needed one more talent point.

And right now, his best bet for that was milking more emotional reactions out of Sophie.

Otherwise, he'd have to rely on training hours—another 70 hours of football training would give him another talent point.

Once his stamina hit 60, he'd be able to recover in just a single day.

Additionally, he was just two talent points away from reaching a C-level rating.

Tonight and tomorrow, he had to accompany Sophie to her audition in London.

Getting a firsthand look at a future celebrity's rise to fame? That actually sounded like fun.

Gu Ran couldn't help but look forward to it.

Of course, before heading to London, he needed to make some quick cash.

It wasn't just about enjoying the trip—it was also about preparing to move out once Sophie left.

For the past few days, he had been deliberately losing bets on purpose to trigger high payout odds.

Tonight was the perfect time to cash in.

The Champions League semifinals—Real Madrid vs. Barcelona.

He still remembered this match vividly.

Time to make a move.

Groaning, Gu Ran struggled out of bed, leaning against the wall as he made his way out.

While brainstorming betting strategies, he made himself a nutritious Chinese-style breakfast.

Just as he sat down, still sore from last night, Andrew shuffled out of his room in a red-and-white striped bathrobe, yawning.

"Morning, Gu."

"Good morning, Uncle Andrew."

"What's that you're eating?"

"Eggs, steamed dumplings, milk, and mixed fruit."

"Huh. That looks… good. Is it?"

Gu Ran took a bite of a dumpling and nodded. "It's alright. Not as good as the ones back home, but I can't be picky."

Andrew leaned in, curious. "When you say 'alright,' how good is that, exactly?"

Gu Ran explained, "Like, not amazing, but definitely not bad either."

"Oh, by the way, Uncle Andrew, tonight's the first leg of the Champions League semifinals—Real Madrid vs. Barcelona. Want to place a bet?"

—

(End of Chapter)