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

"Ding—"

"Detected 100 points of negative emotions from Sophie Turner. Generating system bubble…"

A bright red talent point bubble appeared in the exact spot where Sophie had been standing moments ago. Gu Ran was shocked and overjoyed. Two talent point bubbles from Sophie in a single day! It seemed like she had spent the entire night drowning in negative emotions. Truly worthy of being my ultimate talent point generator. This was perfect—his stamina attribute would finally reach the passing mark.

Excitedly, Gu Ran grabbed the perfect red bubble and immediately allocated the talent point to his stamina attribute. His stamina jumped from 59 to 60 points. With that, his strength, power, and stamina had all officially reached the passing threshold of 60. His fatigue from yesterday's match vanished rapidly, and his body felt fully recovered.

Gu Ran took a deep breath, feeling a new surge of energy coursing through his body. Amazing. After playing an intense match against the Pirates, he had gained two stamina talent points in just one day. That was equivalent to 200 hours of dedicated stamina training. Even Messi and Ronaldo would be jealous of that kind of progress. If he could just collect 70 more hours of football-related training progress, he would earn another talent point. That would bring his total to 10 talent points, allowing his personal rating to level up to C. The path to stardom was officially unlocked.

With a deep breath, Gu Ran quickly cleaned up his dishes and left the house with a spring in his step. As soon as he stepped outside, the door to Andrew and Sally's room cracked open slightly. Sally whispered, "Did you hear what those two kids were talking about just now?" Andrew frowned, "Yeah…"

Sally sounded almost giddy. "From what Sophie said… it sounds like something happened last night between them?" Andrew had the expression of a father who had just lost his daughter. "Isn't this moving a little too fast? Yesterday, we just said we wouldn't oppose their relationship, and now… that brat already…? But wait—why didn't I hear anything last night?"

Sally scoffed, "You sleep like a pig. What could you possibly hear? Now hurry up and go start the car!"

In the car, Gu Ran lowered his voice and spoke to Sophie. "Sophie, no matter what misunderstandings we had before or how angry you were at me, I just want to say I'm sorry. I never meant to upset you, really. And don't worry—when we go to London this afternoon, I promise I'll do everything I can to make it up to you."

His tone was genuinely sincere. After all, he had been milking Sophie for talent points for a while now, and with her about to spread her wings and become a star, he actually felt a little reluctant to let her go. So tonight, in London, he was determined to give Sophie the most unforgettable night of her life.

Sophie turned her head away, muttering, "…I don't need anything."

But her heart was racing. This was the first time Gu Ran had ever said something so… romantic. They would be staying in a hotel near the audition site tonight. Did he mean…? Sophie's cheeks flushed as she let her imagination run wild.

At that moment, Andrew slumped into the driver's seat, sighing so heavily that it drowned out the car engine. Gu Ran asked, "Uncle, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

Andrew clutched his chest dramatically. "I feel… suffocated."

Gu Ran nodded seriously. "Maybe don't eat so many dumplings next time."

After lunch, the main players of the Bucks' Steelhorns dragged their exhausted bodies onto the training field. Yesterday's match had been brutally intense, especially in the final moments when everyone fought tooth and nail for every ball. Even the team captain, Bread, who had the best stamina, almost couldn't get out of bed this morning.

But Gu Ran? He was bursting with energy. It was as if he hadn't even played a match yesterday. Yet, he was the most aggressive player on the field, earning a 7.1 match rating.

As usual, before official training started, Bread led the team in warm-up exercises. Every day, they began with a 15-minute warm-up jog, followed by 15 minutes of stretching. During Gu Ran's first training session with the team, he had barely kept up with the pace.

But this time? He not only kept up—after five minutes, he felt they were too slow, so he took the lead and ran at the front. He kept picking up speed, his body getting more excited the faster he went. Halfway through the run, he increased his pace again.

His teammates tried to keep up at first, but one by one, they fell behind. They were still recovering from the last match. But Gu Ran? His speed was ridiculous.

By the time the 15-minute warm-up jog ended, Gu Ran had run an extra lap compared to the others. Even more shocking—he was only slightly out of breath.

Bread bent over, gasping for air. "Gu… you… how the hell are you so strong?!"

Another teammate, Shui Men, was just as stunned. "Yeah, Gu… yesterday, you were just as exhausted as us! How the hell did you recover so fast?"

Gu Ran kept a straight face and casually replied, "Oh, nothing special. I guess… my girlfriend just took really good care of me. Why? Didn't your girlfriends take care of you last night?"

Ding, ding, ding, ding—

As soon as Gu Ran said those words, system bubbles exploded all around him. The entire team had already been feeling defeated after being outrun, but now? Hearing Gu Ran flex about his "girlfriend's care" was the final straw.

Especially Rusty. Rusty didn't even have a girlfriend. And his bubble was a vibrant blue.

Gu Ran quickly locked onto the locations of eight bubbles. This afternoon's training would be split into different drills, making it harder to collect bubbles within the five-meter range. Plus, after training, he was heading to London with Sophie. So this time, he wouldn't wait—he'd pick them up right away.

He was only seven training bubbles away from earning another talent point. He needed to grab at least seven white bubbles now. As for the final bubble? He'd collect it later after ranking up to C.

During warm-up exercises, Gu Ran subtly moved around, touching the predetermined white bubbles one by one. Seven white bubbles collected—each contained stamina training, upper-body strength training, shuttle-run training, core training, etc. These were basic training results, nothing as special as Albert's "Dynamic Dribbling" skill bubble.

But Gu Ran welcomed them all. The moment he collected the seventh white bubble…

Ding—

"Reminder: The host has accumulated 100 hours of specialized training. You have received 1 talent point."

Gu Ran immediately assigned the talent point to Stamina. His stamina rose from 60 to 61. The moment he allocated the point, his entire body felt lighter. His stamina cap had expanded, and every last bit of fatigue disappeared.

Before he could even celebrate—

Ding—

"Congratulations, host! After your relentless effort, your Personal Rating has upgraded from D to C!"

Gu Ran grinned. He was officially a C-tier player now. And this was just the beginning.