Julian felt the blood rushing to his head. He quickly looked away from the shaking headlights, casually stuffed the small note into his shopping bag, and turned to walk out of the specialty store.
After exiting the specialty store, Julian immediately searched for a bathroom. He needed to wash his face vigorously to regain his composure. A 17-year-old body is naturally prone to excitement, but it's nothing to be ashamed of; it merely indicates that he's a typical young man - quite a good one, in fact. Despite his youthful exterior, his soul remained mature and unfazed by such trivial temptations.
Julian folded the small note that bore the scent of Miss Shopping Guide's perfume in half and tucked it back into his shopping bag. The thought of the actual actress who played Max entering the scene made him pause for a moment, but he quickly pushed it aside. Julian had more pressing matters to attend to.
Once his shopping was complete, Julian found a nearby Asian restaurant to satisfy his cravings. He ordered a few dishes that reminded him of home, and enjoyed a hearty meal. After all, consuming lamb kidney pie, fish head pie, British sausages, and haggis pudding daily was becoming unbearable.
Following dinner, Julian dropped by an Asian supermarket to purchase some self-cooking convenience foods. The local cuisine was starting to wear on him.
As he arrived home, darkness had already enveloped the outside. Julian turned on the living room light to find Andrew sitting on the sofa, his hairless head buried in his arms. Julian was surprised, "Uncle Andrew, what happened?"
Andrew looked up, his eyes brimming with tears, "Julian, you're back...Manchester United crushed Liverpool 4-0, and Torres missed three great chances in front of the goal...my £1000 is gone!"
Andrew's sorrowful wails filled the room. Julian couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Andrew's peculiar haircut shaking as he cried. It seemed today's betting loss had hit him hard.
Julian set down his purchases and offered a comforting pat on Andrew's shoulder, "Look, Uncle, I was just saying, you can't win every time with a strategy like that. Betting isn't easy."
Andrew replied in an anguished tone, "But you won the first time you did it!"
Julian feigned innocence, "That was a fluke, a novice's luck. You've seen it now, I've lost too."
Andrew was on the brink of losing his temper, "You knew you'd lose and you still bought it?"
Julian shrugged nonchalantly, "It's just for fun, Uncle. Besides, I'm not short on money."
Andrew felt an overwhelming urge to hit something after hearing this.
Andrew sighed, saying, "It seems that I have to rely on my own betting method in the future. I thought Manchester United would win at least three times at Old Trafford! I could have won it all, my 1,000 pounds!"
Julian looked at Andrew sympathetically. "I hope you have better luck next time... Er, Uncle, do you still have any personal funds?"
Andrew cleared his throat, changing the subject. "Hmm, what are you buying, Julian?"
Julian replied, "Oh, it's just something you wouldn't eat. It's late, Uncle. I should get to my room to sleep. You should go to bed early too."
Andrew nodded, eyeing Julian's shopping bag. "Goodnight, then."
Julian returned to his room and emptied the contents of his shopping bags onto the table. At least for the next week, he could manage breakfast on his own.
Lunch would be at school, and dinner could be eaten out under the guise of training.
This way, he could avoid the elaborate British cuisine, like lamb kidney pie and haggis pudding, for a while.
The day had been quite productive. Besides the two high-level skills, he had five professional football training results to his name.
If he could get one talent point from Sophie tonight, his strength attribute would be enough.
Though still not as strong as Rusty Stripe in terms of strength alone, football is not just about one attribute.
Mindset, skill, and experience are crucial factors too.
A high strength attribute is only the foundation for competition.
Julian's mind raced as he thought of a plan. He would call Sophie at night and make her do push-ups, while simultaneously pointing out her mistakes to provoke her.
Sophie had been holding a grudge lately, and she was probably still upset from their morning encounter. If he teased her casually, her negative emotions would surely soar.
Everything was going according to plan.
The corner of Julian's mouth curved upwards confidently as he casually pulled out the brand-new Messi football shoes from his shopping bag. He took a deep breath, wiped them down, and then put them on and took them off, repeating the process.
---
12 o'clock in the middle of the night.
Julian placed his soccer shoes aside, picked up his phone, and sent a text message to Sophie.
[Sophie, it's time for you to come to my room.]
After waiting for a considerable amount of time, Sophie did not respond to the text message.
Julian couldn't help but frown: "Isn't this little girl asleep yet?"
If she really had fallen asleep, it would be a problem, and he would miss out on obtaining the talent bubbles.
Should he call her?
No, that's not a good idea. She would definitely be upset.
Julian searched for Sophie's number in his address book while contemplating his next move.
Just as he was about to call her, the door, which was slightly ajar, creaked open.
Julian was startled.
Sophie appeared in the doorway under the soft moonlight, her face as pretty as ever.
She was wearing suspender pajamas with a SpongeBob SquarePants print, her delicate collarbone and shapely feet on display, and her hair loose and fragrant from fresh shampoo.
The silvery moonlight danced across her muscles, casting a soft glow throughout the room.
Her light blue eyes shimmered like the surface of a pool, reflecting the silvery light.
Her flaming red lips added a striking touch of color to the scene, making her beauty even more captivating.
Julian couldn't help but swallow hard: "Sophie, you... you're here."
Sophie crossed her slender arms over her chest and spoke with an icy expression, "Julian, I was very upset with you at first, but... after thinking about it all day, I realized that I shouldn't be mad at you. We're not a real couple, so it's reasonable that you didn't take me with you to play. Whether you like me or not is your business. It doesn't affect me, so I'm not mad at you anymore."
Julian was at a loss for words.
What's going on here? This isn't how it's supposed to be!
Sophie, why aren't you angry?
You should be yelling at me!
You should hate me for looking down on you!
How can you not be angry when your negative emotion value should be at 100?
With less than 100 negative emotion points, how can I extract my talent points for free?
Julian spoke in a serious tone, "No, no, Sophie, you should be mad at me. What I did was really wrong!"
Sophie laughed, "So, you do know you're wrong?"
Julian was about to explain himself, but she continued, "Don't worry, it doesn't matter if I'm angry or not. If I get mad at you again, I'll take your last name."