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

The moment Andrew heard the word betting, his face lit up with excitement as he immediately sat down.

"Haha! Of course, I'm betting! Tonight's match is the ultimate derby showdown!"

"This is the most anticipated match in the world before the World Cup even begins!"

"Real Madrid vs. Barcelona—eternal rivals in La Liga. From coaches to players, even their girlfriends, everything about them is a battle!"

"It's not just a clash between Guardiola and Mourinho; it's also a historic duel between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo!"

Gu Ran couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Andrew was right—at this point in history, 23-year-old Messi and 25-year-old Ronaldo were undoubtedly the two best players in the world.

A Real Madrid vs. Barcelona clash was nothing short of the peak of club football.

Andrew leaned in and lowered his voice. "Gu, I've set aside £1,000 in secret betting money. Follow my bet, and I guarantee you'll turn £1,000 into £2,450!"

A 2.45x payout was definitely tempting.

Gu Ran was just about to speak when Andrew continued.

"Trust me, Gu, bet on Real Madrid to win! I've been researching this match for over a week. I've analyzed everything—betting on a Real Madrid win is as safe as it gets!"

As he spoke, he confidently picked up a steaming hot dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth.

"It's not just because Real Madrid has home-field advantage, or because they have Cristiano Ronaldo, or even because they have Saint Casillas, the best goalkeeper in the world!"

"It's because Iniesta is suspended for this match due to yellow card accumulation!"

"I ask you, what is Iniesta?"

Andrew dramatically held up another dumpling in front of Gu Ran, as if that soft, white dumpling was Iniesta himself.

"Barcelona's entire game revolves around their Tiki-taka system. And Iniesta—he is the soul of Tiki-taka! Do you even understand Tiki-taka?"

With a snap, Andrew tossed the dumpling into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed it whole.

Gu Ran: Whether I understand it or not, Uncle, you're definitely not tasting any of these dumplings eating them like that…

Andrew smirked confidently. "Gu, just trust me this time. Bet £10,000 on Real Madrid to win! This is your chance to get rich!"

Gu Ran quickly interrupted, "No, Uncle Andrew, I have a feeling about this match. How about… you follow my bet instead?"

Andrew blinked. "A feeling?"

"Yes," Gu Ran said with a sly smile. "The same feeling I had when I made £80,000 in one shot."

"Hahaha!" Andrew laughed. "Gu, I've seen your 'feelings' before, and they are not reliable."

Gu Ran insisted, "Uncle, last time you followed me when I told you not to. But this time, I really, really have a strong feeling!"

Andrew narrowed his eyes. "And what exactly are you betting on?"

Without hesitation, Gu Ran replied, "Real Madrid to lose at home, combined with them receiving two red cards."

He still had vivid memories of this match from his past life.

Pepe, the infamous enforcer, was sent off with a straight red. Mourinho, enraged by the decision, was also ejected and forced to watch from the stands. In the end, Messi sealed the game with two goals.

Gu Ran originally wanted to include Messi scoring twice in his bet, but that would push the odds to over 300x, which seemed too risky. Instead, he settled for a safer bet—two red cards for Madrid plus a home loss, a simple two-leg combo bet.

Even with just these two conditions, the payout odds were already 145x!

Gu Ran decided to keep it simple—betting £1,000 for a potential payout of £145,000.

With that money, plus his leftover funds, he could live lavishly on his London trip and move out of the Turner house to rent a seaside villa.

Andrew, however, burst into laughter. "Gu, what did I tell you before? You really don't understand football! You seriously think Madrid will get two red cards in such an important match? What's your reasoning?"

Gu Ran shrugged. "My reasoning is… a feeling. Uncle, this kind of feeling is deeply rooted in Eastern mysticism. I can't explain it. Just trust me this time—I have a really, really strong feeling about this match."

Andrew waved his hand dismissively. "Gu, just because you guessed right once doesn't mean you'll guess right again. Betting takes analysis, not gut feelings. You need to study the game, like me, and not just hope for an upset!"

Gu Ran sighed. "Uncle, just trust me this once! Reverse betting is the way to a seaside mansion!"

Andrew shook his head firmly. "Gu, I barely recovered from the last disaster you put me in! I finally saved up my betting funds again—I'm not falling for your nonsense a second time! We're done talking about this. You use your 'feelings,' and I'll stick to my experience, my research, and my skill.

"Oh, and by the way—your dumplings? Yeah, they were just okay. I'm heading to my room to get changed. Gotta drive you and Sophie to school."

With that, Andrew slicked back his hair in a dramatic soap-opera-dad way and left.

Gu Ran sighed.

Uncle… I really wanted to make you rich too…

But alas, you ate too much dumplings…

Looking down at the table, Gu Ran's eyes widened.

Holy sht—he ate the whole plate!*

And he still called them "just okay"?

If they were actually good, would he have licked the plate clean and then eaten the pan too?!

Forget it.

He'd just place the bet himself.

Pulling out his phone, he entered £1,000 and confirmed the bet.

Done.

As he finished his breakfast, Sophie finally emerged from her room, panda-eyed and limping as she made her way down the stairs.

Gu Ran blinked. "Morning, Sophie… What happened to you?"

Sophie shot him a death glare. "What do you think happened?! This is all your fault!"

Gu Ran was utterly baffled. "Me?! What did I do?!"

Sophie huffed. "Don't play dumb! You know exactly what you did! Do I need to say it out loud?!"

The moment she thought about her poor, injured toe from last night, her eyes welled up again.

They were leaving for London tonight, and tomorrow was her big audition—and now, of all times, her toe was injured!

But the worst part?

Gu Ran still had the audacity to act innocent!

Completely lost, Gu Ran said, "Sophie, you really need to explain properly. You're making it sound like I actually did something terrible to you!"

Sophie stomped her foot in frustration. "Then tell me—why did you give me books?! Do you know how long I stayed up trying to figure out why you gave me those books?! I read all night! A full night!"

"And that's not even the worst part!"

"The worst part is—" Sophie gritted her teeth. "THE DAMN BOOKS AREN'T FINISHED! You gave me a series that isn't even complete! Just thinking about how I might have nothing to read tonight is driving me insane!"

Gu Ran quickly tried to soothe her. "Sophie, calm down! This was for your own good! Really! Don't you think… you're kinda like Sansa Stark?"

Sophie froze.

Her eyes burned with fury. "Sansa?! That brainless, romance-obsessed fool who let her entire family be destroyed while she daydreamed about boys? You think I'm like her?!"

Gu Ran grinned. "Exactly! So… do you want to audition for Sansa's role?"

Sophie took a deep breath.

Then, with perfect composure, she said, "Go to hell, Gu Ran."

And with that, she walked straight out the door.

Ding—

(End of Chapter)