The next day, around 11 a.m.
Gu Ran woke up naturally in Anne's gentle embrace.
So satisfying!
Hollywood princess, conquered!
Last night was... absolutely wild.
Right now, aside from feeling amazing, the biggest sensation was hunger.
The match yesterday afternoon was intense, the expensive dinner last night didn't fill him up, and then there was the whole night of... exertion. He was starving.
Thankfully, his young body was strong enough; otherwise, he might not have been able to handle it.
Gu Ran looked at Anne, who was still asleep, her face flushed with lingering passion, and felt a surge of desire.
He couldn't resist kissing her cheek.
Honestly, the ancient saying that "beauty is a feast for the eyes" really holds true.
Just looking at Anne made Gu Ran feel less hungry, and he even wanted to draw her again.
Anne, who had been secretly kissed, let out a soft, seductive moan and tightened her arms around Gu Ran, nuzzling her cheek against his arm.
Holy crap...
Gu Ran couldn't help but feel his heart flutter.
He patted Anne's waist and hips, "Annie, my little lazy princess, time to get up."
Even though it was still a holiday and he hadn't had enough of Anne, he needed to get back early and return to training mode.
The intel on the semifinal match must have already been sent to his email, and Gu Ran was eager to find out who their next opponent would be.
As much as he adored the goddess, he couldn't let himself get too carried away.
Football was his true life goal!
Gu Ran patted Anne's firm waist and hips again, "Annie, get up."
After being urged twice, Anne finally opened her eyes, looking utterly enchanting, and said in a sultry voice, "You're so annoying… Gu, is there anything you're not good at?"
Gu Ran chuckled, "Alright, alright, let's get up. We'll grab something to eat, then go home and sleep some more."
Anne cooed, "I don't want to eat here. I want to go home and eat the food you make for me."
Gu Ran playfully lifted her chin, "Fine, fine, I'll cook for you when we get home. Now, get up."
Anne finally sat up with a smile, "Ouch—"
She held her slender waist, her eyes filled with mock resentment, "My back is killing me! I can't get up. I don't care! You have to carry me!"
"Alright, alright!"
Faced with Anne's coquettishness, Gu Ran had no choice but to pick her up and carry her off the bed.
Anne glanced at the torn stockings scattered on the floor and lightly punched Gu Ran's chest, "...No wonder you bought so many stockings at once. You had this planned all along!"
Gu Ran quickly defended himself, "I swear, Annie, I'm not that kind of person!"
It's mainly because of my stocking skill!
I had no choice!
Anne, however, looked rather pleased, "Whatever kind of person you are, you're my man now, Gu Ran."
Gu Ran smiled, "And you're my woman."
Anne gazed at him with deep affection, "I wish I could tell the whole world! I want to tell everyone I know and everyone you know!"
Holy crap… no!
I really… just want to play football!
Gu Ran quickly said, "Annie, you're a big star. This kind of thing could affect your career. We can't be reckless."
Anne's excitement faded, and she looked down, "I understand. I'm still under contract with my agency, and it explicitly states that I can't date or get married… Gu, I feel so guilty. Our relationship can't be public."
Gu Ran hugged her, "I don't care about any of that. As long as we're happy together, that's all that matters."
Anne looked at him with teary eyes, "Gu, you're so good… so selfless."
Gu Ran smiled, "Alright, let's get dressed and go home."
"Okay!" Anne nodded happily.
The two got dressed amidst playful banter.
Anne applied some light makeup and chose a pair of black thigh-high stockings to wear.
Gu Ran felt his hunger vanish, and his stocking-removal skill began to itch.
"Alright, we're ready to go," Anne said after finishing her makeup, standing up gracefully.
Even though she was wearing the same outfit as yesterday, Gu Ran couldn't help but feel that Anne had become even more alluring.
Maybe it was the… nourishment from last night?
Gu Ran chuckled to himself, left a couple of pounds as a tip for housekeeping, and then led Anne, who looked thoroughly satisfied, out of the room.
Before, when Gu Ran held Anne, his hands stayed still. Now, he could move them however he wanted.
Anne leaned softly against him, not resisting but rather enjoying it.
After last night's… artistic endeavors, she had been completely conquered by Gu Ran.
"We hope to see you again!"
Amidst the cheerful farewells from the hotel staff, Gu Ran and Anne left the Ritz.
Once in the car, Anne took off her cumbersome sun hat and passionately kissed Gu Ran.
Gu Ran laughed, "What's this for?"
Anne wiped her lips and said playfully, "I'm a little hungry. Tasting your lips will tide me over until we get home."
Holy crap…
So the goddess is a bit of a tease too!
Gu Ran grinned, "Well, I'm hungry too. What should I do?"
Anne shrugged, "Then I'll let you taste me too."
Gu Ran cleared his throat, "I want milk."
Anne blushed, "You're so bad, Gu! How did I not notice this before? Just drive properly!"
I am driving properly.
Gu Ran chuckled, started the car, and drove out of the parking lot…
About an hour later, the Porsche Cayenne slowly pulled into the garage of the Sand Dune Villa.
Finally home!
As soon as they got out of the car, Anne wrapped her arms around Gu Ran's neck, hanging onto him.
Gu Ran patted her waist and hips, "What's this? Not hungry anymore?"
Anne cooed, "We can eat later… Right now, I want something else… At the hotel, I was worried about the soundproofing, so I held back."
Holy crap…
Too much!
I can't take it!
It seems Anne has been holding back for a long time too!
Without another word, Gu Ran carried Anne into the master bedroom.
Gu Ran allocated his remaining 1 skill point to his stamina attribute.
Stamina: 68!
Some of the stamina he had depleted earlier was also restored!
Additionally, there was the Iron Body: Iron Skin +2.
And so…
Anne had expected a quick snack, something that would last a few minutes, maybe ten or fifteen.
Instead, she was treated to a full-course banquet, complete with "steamed lamb, steamed bear paw, steamed deer tail, roasted duck, roasted chicken, roasted goose, braised pork, marinated duck, soy sauce chicken, and cured meats"!
All hard dishes!
Anne was on the verge of tears…
By 4 p.m., Anne finally fell into a deep, satisfied sleep.
Gu Ran stretched contentedly and headed to the bathroom to recover using the cryotherapy chamber and sauna.
My young body is getting stronger and stronger…
After leaving the sauna, Gu Ran looked at himself in the mirror and silently marveled.
Once he had recovered, Gu Ran went to the kitchen and made himself a cup of instant noodles.
As for Anne, she probably wouldn't wake up for a while, so he didn't need to cook for her yet. He'd take care of that later.
While eating his noodles, Gu Ran opened his laptop to check his emails.
As soon as he opened his inbox, he felt a headache coming on.
His inbox was flooded.
Most of the emails were from fans of the GR Fan Club, and the content was often explicit, with some even suggesting group activities—two at a time, three at a time…
Some emails had no content, just pictures.
Tsk tsk…
Gu Ran filtered out all these emails.
After cleaning out his inbox, only a bar bill and the team's intel remained.
Gu Ran opened the bar bill first—£13,792.
Huh, these guys finally learned to spend a bit more.
Gu Ran didn't bother checking the details and paid the bill directly.
Next up was the key info—the internal intel on the semifinal match from the school team:
On June 15th, the national high school championship semifinal, the Southampton High School Bucks and Steel Horns would face off against the Rosall High School Angel Wings at home!
Holy crap!
Finally, a home game!
This was great news!
Having the semifinal at home would definitely give them a mental boost!
As for the Rosall High School Angel Wings?
The name "Angel Wings" sounded so cringy!
Gu Ran clicked on the detailed info and began studying it carefully.
Rosall High School was a prestigious private school located in the northern port city of Liverpool, often referred to as the northern "Eton College."
Rosall High School was a Catholic school, which explained the "Angel Wings" name for their team.
Historically, Rosall's team wasn't particularly famous, and their track record was mediocre.
As a prestigious school's team, in over a hundred years, they had only made it to the semifinals three times.
Just based on that record, the Angel Wings weren't much stronger than the Bucks and Steel Horns.
After all, Southampton High wasn't a prestigious school, and the Bucks and Steel Horns didn't have any semi-professional youth players.
In contrast, at least half of Rosall High's team were semi-professional players.
Comparing the two, the Bucks and Steel Horns were still more impressive.
However, based on the attention they were getting, the Angel Wings were the most talked-about team in this year's national high school championship.
Despite their lackluster historical performance, the Angel Wings had been outstanding this year—they were undefeated, having won every match in the group stage and knockout rounds to reach the semifinals!
The Bucks and Steel Horns, while also strong, had one draw in their record.
In yesterday's quarterfinal, the Angel Wings defeated the powerful Eton College Buckingham team 2-1, causing a major upset!
This year's quarterfinals had two dark horses!
In terms of being a true dark horse, the Bucks and Steel Horns were the stronger contender.
After all, the Bucks and Steel Horns were a true student team—no money, no influence, no high scholarships to attract semi-professional players. They had fought their way through the national championship purely on passion and grit.
However, the Rosall High Angel Wings were getting more attention.
The Angel Wings team had been rebuilt this year. Previously, Rosall High didn't recruit semi-professional players, but starting this year, they changed their approach and began collaborating with Everton Football Club, bringing in players from Everton's youth academy.
Everton and Liverpool Football Club were both based in the port city of Liverpool, and the two clubs were fierce rivals.
Everton's history was even longer than Liverpool's, and like Southampton, Everton was one of the original 12 professional clubs in England.
Liverpool Football Club actually split off from Everton.
Nowadays, Everton wasn't as glorious as it once was, but a hundred years ago, Everton was the pride of Liverpool.
Of course, times had changed.
Now, Liverpool FC was the city's main team, and it had the most die-hard KOP fans in the Premier League.
Despite Liverpool's massive fanbase, within the city itself, only 66% of fans supported Liverpool, while 24% remained loyal to Everton (the remaining 10% supported other teams—this data is from August 2012, close to the current 2010).
In England, many fans were born into their loyalty, passing it down through generations. Their loyalty wasn't swayed by performance or relegation.
That was true dedication.
Geographically, Rosall High was closer to Everton, and their newly appointed principal happened to be a die-hard Everton fan. So, the rebuilding of the Angel Wings team was entirely handled by Everton.
Because of this, the Angel Wings were seen as a promising team.
Compared to the Angel Wings, the Bucks and Steel Horns, despite their strong performance, were still not expected to go all the way.
Reading this, Gu Ran couldn't help but smirk.
It seemed that the June 15th match would be a showdown between two dark horses!
Only the winner would be the true dark horse!
Gu Ran slurped up some noodles and continued reviewing the Angel Wings' player roster.
One name immediately caught his eye:
Center Back: Tyias Browning!
(End of chapter)
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