"Damn it! He even pretended to be okay with it!" Rusty Stripe was both ashamed and furious.
There's no way Julian could have told anyone to flip the ball 361 times for the first try when Rusty Stripe had only managed 50 at most.
It was Rusty Stripe himself who had helped Julian into the limelight with his own hands.
Julian, on the other hand, had no intention of pretending. He was dead serious about giving it another go.
The dopamine rush from playing football is incredibly addictive!
Moreover, Julian wanted to push through his current limits.
This dribbling was far from the peak he had reached in his past life.
In his previous life, his highest record for dribbling a ball was 874. Today's result was less than half of that.
If one were to analyze the reasons, the first would be that Julian wasn't wearing the appropriate shoes. Secondly, he hadn't stretched properly before attempting the feat.
However, the most crucial reason was that his reborn body still lacked coordination and flexibility, and his physical condition was not up to par.
To be able to flip the ball over 300 times in one go is already considered an extraordinary achievement.
But if he were to perform the exercise without any fancy tricks, it shouldn't be a problem to manage five or six hundred bounces.
Although his physical condition in this life is somewhat lacking, he is still...young!
Being young means being full of vitality!
"I'll do it again, I'll do it again!" Julian dashed off to retrieve the ball.
"No need! That's enough!" Rusty Stripe said dejectedly, his cheeks flushed. "Damn foreigner, I admit...you win."
Julian couldn't help but wonder, "Why are you giving up so quickly? Or...does that last one not count, and you want me to try again?"
Sophie's almond-shaped eyes widened, and she rushed over to give Julian a firm pinch. "That's enough!"
Rusty Stripe, with his face hidden by his hands, grumbled, "It's too insulting! You've humiliated me once, and now you want to do it again?"
Julian hastily said, "That's not what I meant. I just think...football is pretty simple."
That sentence was the real act of pretending, not his request to try again.
As expected, Rusty Stripe glared at Julian with burning anger. "Damn foreigner, don't push your luck! Playing football isn't just about dribbling a ball! If you have the guts, come and play a real match with me!"
Real football bouts? Julian's interest was piqued.
This was an excellent opportunity! If they could win over the main central defender in front of the entire football club, there would be a high likelihood of them joining the school team.
And once they were part of the school team, they could participate in the All England High School Cup, allowing them to face national football experts.
Julian considered the situation and made a decision. "You're right, Rusty. A simple dribble isn't all there is to football. I accept your challenge. Let's have a real football match on the school field on Monday."
Rusty Stripe gave a thumbs up. "Great! Me and the lads from the football club will be waiting for you! See you on Monday!"
He turned to walk away, his entourage following him.
Julian and Sophie were left alone in front of the coffee shop.
"Let's go," Julian said, his gaze fixed on the system rating he was eager to check at home.
Sophie's heart fluttered slightly, unsure of what he meant by that. "Where are we going?"
Julian replied, "Home, of course."
Sophie's face flushed with embarrassment. Did he really want to...
Ahh, why did I set that "at his mercy" flag earlier?
Julian walked away, seemingly oblivious to Sophie's inner turmoil.
Sophie called out to him angrily, "Julian!"
Julian turned around with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong?"
Sophie, her head hanging low, whispered, "But...my parents are home."
Julian's eyes lit up with understanding. He had forgotten that she had set that flag.
Sophie marched over to him, her cheeks burning. "You...you go die!"
Julian's heart skipped a beat. What was going on?
Why did she suddenly get so upset?
Sophie raised her head and glared at him. "What are you doing? Are you just going to ignore me?"
Julian was perplexed. "What do you mean?"
Sophie stormed off ahead of him, her emotions on the brink of reaching 90 points. Julian realized that he could no longer collect her negative emotion bubbles today.
They arrived at Sophie's house in Lingang District, a neat and tidy residence with a well-kept lawn.
Inside, her father, Andrew, was engrossed in the "Southern Football News."
Julian greeted him politely, as he had always done in the past.
Andrew looked up and said, "Our guest is back. What do you want for dinner tonight? I'll ask Aunt Sally to make it for you."
Julian replied, "Thank you, Uncle Andrew, but I don't have any special requests."
Andrew called out to the kitchen, "Sally! Gu wants lamb kidney pie, but only half-rare! And some baked oysters! Don't forget the big mustard and onion with mashed potatoes, and end it with haggis pudding!"
Sally's voice echoed back, "Okay, I'll get to it right away!"
Andrew winked at Julian. "Gu, you're 17 now. How about we have a drink together tonight?"
Julian's mind raced as he recalled the city derby between Southampton and Northampton in his previous life.
In that timeline, Southampton, a League One team, would face off against Northampton, a team in the fourth-tier League Two.
Though Southampton was the stronger team and would be promoted to the Championship at the end of the season, tonight's game would be a domestic cup match, and anything could happen.
This was the perfect time to use his rebirth advantage!
Andrew leaned in closer and whispered, "I've bet 1000 pounds on Southampton to win!"
Julian felt a twinge of excitement. This was his chance to do something significant!