Soccer to Hollywood

The spring breeze of May blows southward along the port of Southampton, following the path of the Titanic, towards the vast and deep English Channel. On the quaint and tidy streets by the port, people come and go. Although it's not yet summer, the streets are already filled with youthful and stylish mini-skirts.

Ronald stands outside the Costa coffee shop on the corner of the street, his eyes wide open like light bulbs, staring blankly at the reflective glass of the coffee shop.

He's not really looking at the fluttering mini-skirts in the wind, nor at the blond couple inside the café, engaged in a conversation full of animated expressions.

He's just looking at himself in the reflection of the glass.

A young, handsome, yet thoroughly confused self.

He pulls out his iPhone 4 to check the time: 11:38 AM, May 20, 2010...

Could it be that I've been reborn?

And not just reborn, but reborn back to my high school days in 2010 when I was studying in the UK?

Just a few minutes ago, Ronald's last memory was from November 17, 2022, when he witnessed two of his soccer buddies, whom he regularly played with, join a local county team and unexpectedly knock out team in a match. He and the other teammates partied until they blacked out...

And now, waking up, he's standing outside a Costa café in Southampton?!

Everything happened too suddenly...

I haven't even had the chance to watch the Qatar World Cup!

Feeling the familiar sea breeze of Southampton and looking at the slightly youthful face in the reflective glass, Ronald tries hard to control his emotions.

But in the end, he couldn't hold back...

He bursts out into a silly grin.

I've hit the jackpot... I've really hit the jackpot!

After reading so many web novels, it's finally my turn to be reborn!

So many regrets and unresolved feelings from the first half of my life, so many wrong choices...

Now I can finally...

Wait, hold on! Don't jinx it!

No matter what, I've already gained 12 years of youth!

"Beep beep beep—"

Just at that moment, the ringtone of the iPhone 4 suddenly rings.

Caller: Sophie Turner.

Ronald's eyebrows twitch slightly, as a memory from the past floods back.

Sophie Turner, Ronald's classmate during his study abroad in the UK, and also the daughter of his landlord.

Sophie was the school beauty at Southampton's private high school. Not only was she outstanding in both academics and behavior, but she also showed remarkable acting talent at a young age, becoming the star actress of the school's drama club.

And no one could have known that in just half a year, Sophie Turner would land the role of "Sansa" in the iconic TV series *Game of Thrones*, and through her brilliant acting, she would become a world-famous star.

Before his rebirth, Ronald naturally wouldn't have known that Sophie would become a global star.

Back then, he was a typical bookworm, solely focused on studying hard to get into the University of Southampton.

He didn't pay much attention to the landlord's pretty daughter's acting endeavors, until years later, when he saw *Game of Thrones* on screen and realized he had brushed shoulders with a future superstar...

Ahem...

After a brief moment of self-mockery, Ronald quickly adjusts his emotions and answers the phone.

"Good afternoon…"

Before Ronald can finish his greeting, Sophie's annoyed voice comes through: "Shit! You've been standing outside the coffee shop grinning like an idiot for a full five minutes, and now you greet me with a 'good afternoon'? Ron, do you want the whole school to laugh at me for dating a moron?"

"Uh…"

Ronald suddenly remembers that in the past, he and Sophie did have a "relationship" that lasted a whole month.

Of course, it was a fake relationship.

Sophie had asked her tenant, Ronald, to pretend to be her boyfriend and go out on dates with her occasionally to ward off the persistent advances of an upperclassman.

In Sophie's view, these immature boys were just little brats, not worth her time as a goddess.

As a token of gratitude, Sophie agreed to help Ronald with his "English Poetry Recitation" whenever she had time, correcting his accent. Today, this café was the place of their first "public date."

Of course, in the previous life, this fake date lasted only four weeks before Sophie got the opportunity to audition for "Game of Thrones." After that, she never returned to school until Ronald graduated from high school. The two of them then went on to live in two different worlds, with no further contact.

"..."

After a brief silence, Sophie on the other end of the phone angrily said, "I said so much, and you only responded with a sound? Even if we're just acting, you should respect the contract we signed, right? Hmph, you only know how to study and solve problems all day long. In real life, you can't even pretend to go on a date? Can you please come in now? Stop dawdling outside!"

After saying that, she hung up the phone.

Heh, this little girl has quite a temper, huh?

Ronald smiled wryly, put his phone in his pocket, and pushed the door open to enter the café.

Inside, the lighting was dim, and the aroma of coffee beans filled the air. The romantic melody of "Titanic" was playing in the background.

As Ronald looked around for his "girlfriend," he didn't notice a waitress carrying a tray hurriedly walking towards him.

Coincidentally, the waitress was also focused on keeping the coffee cups on the tray steady and didn't notice Ronald standing in the aisle.

Clang!

The two collided.

Ronald quickly helped the waitress steady the tray. Fortunately, the tray was saved, but the cups on it still fell to the ground, spilling coffee everywhere.

"I'm sorry, sir!" The waitress quickly apologized.

"It's okay."

Ronald instinctively responded, and suddenly, a system prompt sounded in his mind.

"Ding~"

"You received 38 points of negative emotion from Tina Simpson. Bubble is generating..."

Tina Simpson is the waitress in front of him?

38 points of negative emotion?

Who would have thought that this polite person would have so much resentment inside...

Well, it makes sense. After all, the coffee spilled, the floor needs to be cleaned, and a new cup of coffee has to be made. Worse yet, the customer might rush her, and the boss might scold her.

Wait!

Bubble?

???

Could it be that not only have I been reincarnated, but I also got a cheat...

Ronald's heart started to race, and then he noticed that at some point, a dark gray bubble had appeared at the waitress's feet!

The bubble was about 20 centimeters in diameter... Ronald looked around and found that neither the waitress, who had crouched down to clean up the mess, nor the other customers who were glancing in their direction, showed any signs of surprise.

Am I the only one who can see this?

Ronald quietly walked closer to the bubble and nudged it with his foot.

The dark bubble shattered instantly upon contact, turning into a stream of light that flowed into Ronald's body.

"The host has acquired the skill: Hand-Brewing Technique +1 from the shattered bubble. Today's collection progress: 1/10."

...

Hand-Brewing Technique?

Ronald felt a strange sensation flooding his mind and instantly understood the skill: It allows continuous hand-brewing of coffee, milk tea, and other mixed drinks for an hour without feeling hand fatigue.

Ronald: "..."

Why would I need a skill to "continuously hand-brew coffee and milk tea for an hour"?

It's not like I'll be working in a coffee shop!

And what's the big deal about hand fatigue?

Is this even a skill?

This is ridiculous!

Ronald couldn't help but complain inwardly.

"Ron, over here! Why are you still standing there like an idiot?"

In the corner of the café, a tall, strikingly beautiful girl called out to him.

It was 16-year-old Sophie Turner.

Don't be fooled by her age; Sophie was already 175 cm tall, with blonde hair, blue eyes, a perfect face, long legs, and a slim waist. The only thing she was lacking was probably the A-cup she had on her chest.

Because they were supposed to be on a date, Sophie Turner had put on some beautiful makeup. When she stood up, her pink A-line dress and her long, ivory-like legs were especially eye-catching next to the coffee table.

At this moment, Sophie had her long arms elegantly crossed in front of her A-cup, her slightly chubby face clearly showing her displeasure.

"Ding~"

"You received 17 points of negative emotion from Sophie Turner. System bubble is generating..."

"Is that even possible???"

Ronald, who felt like he had done nothing, was stunned for a moment. Then he quickly realized what was happening, and with a strange expression, he walked straight towards the bubble near Sophie Turner five meters away...

end.