Chapter 17: Don't Use the Heartthrob Smile Recklessly!

"Oh, nothing much," Gunnard replied nonchalantly to Sophie's questioning. "Your dad just asked what I wanted for lunch, and I told him I had plans for both lunch and dinner, so I wouldn't be eating at home."

Sophie frowned, "You two talked about lunch for five minutes? And you both looked so excited?"

Gunnard shrugged, "Was it that long? I didn't notice. Anyway, I'm heading out."

Sophie looked surprised, "You're not studying? Where are you going?"

"I'm not studying today," Gunnard replied. "I'm preparing for tomorrow's match against Rusty."

Sophie pursed her lips, "Wait for me, I'll come with you. After all, we do have... an agreement."

Gunnard smiled, "You just don't want to eat at home, right?"

Sophie insisted, "Wait for me. I need to change and do some quick makeup."

What the heck! It's almost noon. If you change clothes and put on makeup, neither of us will escape lunch today!

Gunnard quickly waved his hand, "You're too much trouble. Let's pause the agreement for today and resume tomorrow—I'm leaving now."

With that, he turned and dashed out the door.

Sophie stomped her foot on the stairs in frustration, "Gunnard, how dare you say I'm troublesome? And you unilaterally paused our agreement? You better not come back! Never come back! Or you'll see how I deal with you! Gunnard—did you hear me?"

Andrew poked his head out of his room, frowning, "Sophie, is that any way to talk to Gunnard? He is... our tenant, after all."

Sophie snapped back, "Mind your own business!"

Andrew quickly retreated back into his room...

After rushing out of the house, Gunnard flagged down a taxi and headed to Southampton's largest sports store.

With £700,000 at his disposal, Gunnard was feeling pretty good. He could move out of Sophie's house and finally avoid the odd British cuisine. He could even buy a car and show off a bit in front of his classmates.

But none of that was Gunnard's priority. As he often said, making money was just a means to live—football was his true passion. The feeling of adrenaline and dopamine rushing through his veins during sports was incomparable!

Although the food at Sophie's house wasn't great, Sophie herself—a future star—was like a treasure trove for accumulating talent points!

If everything went smoothly, he could rack up talent points every night until Sophie went to audition for *Game of Thrones*!

So, even though he had money now, Gunnard wasn't planning on moving out of Sophie's house just yet. As for buying a car, that could wait until his football career was back on track.

With the match against Rusty tomorrow, he needed to gear up.

As soon as Gunnard walked through the doors of the sports store, a sales associate with a figure reminiscent of Max from *2 Broke Girls* approached him.

Before she could say anything, Gunnard spoke up, "I'd like a pair of Lionel Messi signature F10 TRX FG football boots."

These were the boots Gunnard had dreamed of in his past life but had never been able to afford!

The sales associate gave the young Asian man a skeptical look, her tone laced with doubt, "Messi's signature boots... they're expensive, you know. £1,999. Are you sure you can afford them?"

"Are you underestimating me?"

Gunnard smiled confidently, "Remember, you can doubt anyone's purchasing power

The saleswoman, who had a figure resembling that of Max, was momentarily stunned.

Although the young man before her looked youthful, his every movement exuded the charm of a mature man.

The saleswoman quickly switched to a charming smile, "Oh, you're customer! Alright, handsome sir! Please take a seat in the VIP area here and relax. I'll go get the shoes for you right away!"

Gunnard added in a deep voice, "Wait, also bring me two pairs of football socks, two pairs of shin guards, and two sets of training clothes. All of the most expensive ones."

"Of course, sir! Please wait a moment!"

The saleswoman hurried off to gather the items, while Gunnard leisurely sat on the VIP lounge sofa, sipping tea.

It wasn't long before the saleswoman returned, arms full of boxes, and rushed back to Gunnard's side.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" The saleswoman knelt down beside Gunnard, "Sir, let me help you try on the shoes first."

"Sure." Gunnard nonchalantly extended his foot, enjoying the high-quality service from the British saleswoman.

Ahhh... So comfortable...

These really are Messi's special edition!

As soon as Gunnard put on the shoes, he immediately felt as if Messi himself had taken over his body!

The shoes had a great fit, with a strong wrap-around feel. The FG soles were quite firm, ideal for natural grass, providing excellent grip and quicker acceleration.

The saleswoman, still kneeling, tied the shoelaces for Gunnard and looked up to compliment him, "Sir, these shoes look incredibly handsome on you! I mean, you were already very handsome, but now you're even more so, to the point where one can only look up to you!"

Haha!

This brunette saleswoman sure knows how to sweet-talk... Those headlights, wow!

Gunnard couldn't help but look down at her with a smile.

That smile had an unexpected effect— the saleswoman, who was gazing up at him, suddenly felt as if she'd been electrocuted. Her expression changed as she looked up at Gunnard with a newfound admiration.

Oh no!

Gunnard suddenly realized that he had unintentionally activated his "Heartthrob Smile" skill!

He quickly wiped the smile off his face, cleared his throat, and said, "I'll test the feel."

"Of course—"

Before the saleswoman could finish, Gunnard suddenly accelerated and sprinted out of the store!

Gunnard was confident in his speed; in his previous life, his speed was what made him the striker of the amateur team, with all his teammates praising his swiftness.

The saleswoman watched with starry eyes as Gunnard dashed out, "So handsome, even when running... Wait, where did he go? Come back! Sir! Come back! I can't afford to lose £1,999! Help! Someone's stealing shoes!"

She shouted as she clumsily chased after him outside the store.

The intense running made her "headlights" almost pop out.

Just as the saleswoman reached the door, she collided head-on with Gunnard, who had run back.

With Gunnard's strength, how could the saleswoman stand a chance?

The collision nearly burst her "headlights," and she staggered, about to fall.

Gunnard reacted quickly, catching the saleswoman in time.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." The saleswoman blushed, clutching her racing heart, "Sir, you nearly scared me to death!"

Gunnard replied calmly, "What, did you think I was going for a zero-cost purchase?"

The saleswoman burst into laughter, "Zero-cost purchase? Sir, that's the first time I've heard such an amusing term."

Gunnard said, "Don't worry. I just needed to test the feel of these shoes. For such an expensive pair, I had to sprint to get a real sense of how they feel."

The saleswoman now understood and gave a flirtatious smile, "And how do they feel?"

Feels... big.

No, feels... soft.

No, that's not right. Should I say, feels great...

It's all mixed up, the more I think, the messier it gets.

Gunnard cleared his throat, maintaining a calm expression, "They feel fine, quite comfortable. I'll take these. Go ahead and wrap them up for me, and the socks and workout clothes too. No need to try those on."

"Certainly, sir!"

The saleswoman was overjoyed!

This was the first time she had encountered such a straightforward customer!

Not only straightforward, but also handsome, mature, and most importantly, wealthy!

She brought out the card machine, "The total is £4,785. Please enter your PIN here."

Gunnard casually entered his card PIN.

"Transaction successful."

The saleswoman handed Gunnard's card back with both hands, and as she did, she threw him a flirtatious wink.

Gunnard took the card and noticed that beneath it was a small piece of paper with a phone number written on it.

The saleswoman raised her eyebrows suggestively and playfully nudged him, "Call me~"

...

end.