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

This show of affection was driving Rusty insane.

"You weak-ass Asian! Tell me, what's your specialty?! I'll challenge you right now! I'll prove to Sophie that I'm the strongest!"

Compared to Rusty's impatience, Gu Ran remained calm and composed.

With a knowing smile, he gently lifted Sophie's delicate chin with his finger.

A jolt ran through Sophie's body like an electric shock. She wanted to resist, but somehow, her body instinctively leaned closer to him. Her voice, unexpectedly soft and affectionate, escaped her lips.

"…Mm."

Gu Ran smirked.

"At this point, I might as well tell you the truth."

Although his words were meant for Rusty, his eyes never left Sophie's clear blue gaze.

"The truth is… Sophie and I have been living together for nearly a month now."

"Sophie's parents know all about it. In fact, they welcomed me and treated me as part of the family."

"Isn't that right, Sophie?"

"Mm," Sophie nodded immediately, without thinking.

After all… it was true.

Of course, Gu Ran conveniently left out the part where he was actually paying rent to live there.

Swoosh!

Every single person in the café whipped their heads toward Sophie.

This was breaking news!

Southampton Private High School's most innocent, most well-behaved school beauty had already been…

Sophie suddenly realized something was wrong.

Wait… wait… wait.

Did I just nod to that?!

If she didn't clarify, wouldn't that mean she was admitting everything?!

Her face turned bright red, and she wished she could dig a hole and bury herself in it.

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Ran raised an eyebrow at Rusty with an expression that screamed, "You get it now, right?"

The café erupted into chaos.

Meanwhile, Sophie fully grasped what Gu Ran had just implied.

Furious, she pinched his waist—hard.

Damn, that stung!

Yet, Gu Ran remained completely unfazed, maintaining his flawless "authentic" smile.

Rusty, on the other hand, stood frozen, processing everything.

"…What do you mean?" He blinked in confusion, then turned to his boys. "What did he just say…?"

Are you serious?!

Do you really need someone to spell it out for you?!

Gu Ran internally screamed in frustration.

Luckily, one of Rusty's friends leaned in and whispered the answer into his ear.

Rusty's eyes went bloodshot in an instant. It was unclear if he wanted to cry or kill someone—maybe both.

At that moment, a familiar notification popped up.

Ding~

"Sophie Turner's negative emotion: 9 points. Generating system bubble…"

Wait, no way… is "Emotional Release" acting skill about to unlock?!

But with only 9 points, it probably wouldn't drop a high-level skill bubble.

And Sophie—I'm literally helping you here, why are you upset?! Also, why are you pinching me?!

Seriously, what goes on in this girl's head?

Gu Ran glanced down and saw a small, dull-colored bubble forming at Sophie's feet.

Before he could collect it, another notification rang out.

Ding~

"Chris Dick's negative emotion: 85 points. Generating system bubble…"

85 points?!

Holy crap! This guy gets worked up way too easily!

This was the highest negative emotion score he had seen so far!

Gu Ran was delighted—he spotted a large, glowing sky-blue bubble forming at Rusty's feet.

A professional skill bubble for sure!

And it wasn't just Rusty—his entire gang started generating bubbles.

Ding~

"Willard Zachary's negative emotion: 31 points. Generating system bubble…"

Ding~

"Milton Lawson's negative emotion: 35 points. Generating system bubble…"

Ding~

"Buck Fred's negative emotion: 38 points. Generating system bubble…"

Ding~

"Payne Lyle's negative emotion: 44 points. Generating system bubble…"

Ding~

"Hanselton Chester's negative emotion: 55 points. Generating system bubble…"

Gu Ran scanned the café—Rusty and his gang were surrounded by floating bubbles of various sizes.

One thing was clear: only people within five meters of him could drop bubbles.

Even though the café's other customers were clearly affected by the PDA, they didn't drop anything.

This confirmed it—the system's range was five meters, at least for now.

Once that restriction lifted, who knew what kind of rewards he could collect?

Gu Ran's excitement grew.

Who knew that faking romance could farm this many skills?!

How many professional football skills would he get from these?

No time to overthink. He had to collect them all!

First, he casually tapped Sophie's small, gray bubble with his foot.

Then, he confidently strode toward Rusty and his boys, swiftly touching every bubble in range.

Seven bubbles burst into streaks of light, flowing into Gu Ran's body.

Ding~

"Host has obtained a skill from a damaged bubble: Stockings Removal Technique +1. Today's collection progress: 4/10."

…What?

Stockings Removal?!

That had to be from Sophie.

Why is this even a skill?! Do people really need a technique to take off stockings?!

I could do it with my hands. Hell, I could do it with my teeth!

Clearly, 9 points wasn't enough to generate a useful skill.

What a waste of a collection slot!

Ding~

"Friendly Reminder: When using Stockings Removal Technique, the process will be smoother and more refined. However, due to your lack of proficiency, you have a high chance of tearing the stockings."

…

Okay.

Now it wasn't just useless—it was criminal.

Ding~

"Host has obtained a training result: Core Muscle Training +10 hours. Today's collection progress: 5/10."

Oh?

This was a new type of collection!

Finally, something legit!

So instead of direct skills, professional athletes could drop training progress!

Others had to grind for 10 hours—he could instantly absorb the benefits.

This system was insanely broken!

Ding~

"Host has obtained a training result: Upper Body & Back Muscle Training +10 hours. Today's collection progress: 6/10."

Ding~

"Host has obtained a training result: Juggling Training +10 hours. Today's collection progress: 7/10."

Ding~

"Host has obtained a training result: Long-Pass Tactical Play +10 hours. Today's collection progress: 8/10."

Ding~

"Host has obtained a skill: Exam Cheating Technique +1. Today's collection progress: 9/10."

…The hell?!

How did that sneak in?!

The first few skills were gold, but why the hell did he get a cheating skill?!

Before he could complain, the system provided an explanation.

"Friendly Reminder: When taking a written exam, you can now use personally crafted cheat sheets to improve your score. However, success is not guaranteed, and the risk of getting caught is significantly increased. Side effects may include anxiety, dizziness, and nausea."

…

Excuse me?

I still have to make my own cheat sheet?! The score boost is only "possible"?! And the risk of getting caught is even higher?!

Who the hell designed this garbage skill?!

Too late to undo it—it was already part of his nervous system.

Sigh…

Well, at least his actual grades were good enough to never need it.

Now, only one last skill bubble remained.

Rusty's 85-point bubble.

Please, for the love of everything, let it be worth it.

(End of Chapter)