Rusty led his gang into the Costa café with a menacing demeanor.
The once tranquil and pleasant café instantly fell silent. All the patrons glanced nervously, fearing that catching the wrong person's eye might bring trouble upon themselves.
Only Ronald remained seated with his back turned, completely unaware that his "rival" was closing in.
Ronald was still happily engrossed in studying his bubble system.
—Ronald had pretty much figured out the underlying logic of the system. Next, it was all about making full use of the negative emotion system, collecting as many free skills as possible, especially professional ones.
However, Southampton seemed like a small place without many skilled or famous individuals.
Southampton did have a well-known local football team, though...
As Ronald was lost in thought,
A large, iron-like hand suddenly clamped down heavily on Ronald 's shoulder.
Ronald gasped in pain, almost swearing out loud .
Frowning, Ronald turned around, only to be met with Rusty's ferocious face.
The moment Rusty saw Ronald 's delicate features, his anger flared up, "So it's just some weakling! And you think you're good enough to be Sophie's boyfriend?"
Ronald had a vague memory of this guy nicknamed "Rusty" from twelve years ago.
Rusty's real name was Chris Dick, and he was the main center-back of the Southampton Private School football team, the "Stag Iron Horns."
This guy was built like a tank, standing at 1.88 meters tall and weighing 93 kilograms, with both muscle and fat—a high school version of Harry Maguire, the "Little Aircraft Carrier."
The key thing was, Rusty had a tendency to lose his temper. In a school league match, he had once tackled the referee and chased the opposing forward all the way to the locker room.
The tough guys behind Rusty were also some of the top troublemakers on the Southampton school team.
It could be said that everyone at Southampton Private School, including the teachers and students, feared them and tried to avoid them whenever possible.
In the previous life, Ronald had no interaction with Rusty and his crew.
Because in that life, Ronald had quietly and uneventfully finished his lunch with Sophie, and then quietly and uneventfully left. There was no situation where Sophie stormed out and was spotted by Rusty and his gang.
But now, after being reborn, fate had changed.
"Rusty! What are you doing?" Sophie ran in with a worried expression, quickly pushing Rusty's hand off Ronald 's shoulder.
Seeing Sophie's concern, Rusty was instantly consumed with jealousy. "Sophie, why are you so worried about him? Tsk tsk, does this weak guy really need you, a girl, to protect him?"
Rusty's buddies immediately joined in, whistling and making all sorts of mocking noises.
Ronald 's brow furrowed slightly.
He had been busy thinking about how to find useful skill bubbles and hadn't wanted to deal with someone like Rusty. But now that Rusty had started taunting him, he couldn't let it slide.
Ronald was about to speak when Sophie quickly grabbed his arm, "Ron, don't pay attention to them, let's go."
As Sophie held onto Ronald 's arm, she subtly pinched his arm with her fingers, signaling him not to act impulsively.
However, Ronald just smiled at Sophie, showing no intention of leaving.
"Trying to leave?"
Rusty blocked the way with his iron-like body, a vicious grin on his face. "How could we let the school beauty of Southampton Private High be taken by a weakling like you? Unless you personally say you're breaking up with Sophie, don't think you'll be walking out of this café today!"
As he spoke, Rusty clenched his fist tightly.
The joints in his fist cracked loudly, and the muscles under his sports shirt bulged exaggeratedly.
The tough guys behind him all assumed fighting stances, legs spread, chins raised, eyes glaring at Ronald .
If this had happened twelve years ago, such a situation would have left the bookish Ronald at a loss, trembling with fear.
But now, Ronald had twelve more years of life experience and wasn't the least bit fazed by such a minor scene.
Not only was Ronald unafraid, but he also felt a hint of excitement.
This was a great opportunity to earn some professional skill bubbles!
"You're Rusty Rod, right?" Ronald said with a hint of amusement. "I've heard you're quite reckless. Now that I've met you, it's clear the rumors aren't exaggerated."
Rusty Rod sneered. "Even though you're trying to compliment me, don't think I'll let you off the hook."
What the...?
Did he just take being called reckless as a compliment?
Ronald was momentarily speechless. It seemed that to get under Rusty Rod's skin, he'd need to be more direct and less subtle.
"Rusty Rod, aren't you curious why Sophie chose me?" Ronald asked with a smirk, then turned to look at Sophie with a gaze full of tenderness and affection. There wasn't a trace of acting in his eyes—it was genuine.
Sophie couldn't help but shiver slightly. This was the first time she'd felt such real emotions of love.
Rusty Rod's face, however, darkened considerably.
Ronald gently took Sophie's hand, which was looped through his arm, and continued to show off their affection: "The answer is simple—I'm handsome."
As soon as he said this, a few onlookers in the café actually nodded in agreement.
Ronald stood tall at 1.8 meters, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. His naturally handsome face bore a confident, mature smile with a touch of gentlemanly charm.
Even the guys behind Rusty Rod couldn't help but nod in secret, acknowledging Ronald 's good looks.
Rusty Rod wasn't having it. "Handsome my ass! Sophie, look at my muscles!"
He rolled up his sleeves, revealing biceps as thick as a thigh, his muscles bulging and creaking as if they were about to burst.
Sophie's heart raced as she felt Ronald 's teasing squeeze on her hand, his daring and flirtatious behavior making her blush and her pulse quicken.
Now, *this* is what it means to be truly manly…
She glanced at Rusty Rod's bulky muscles, mixed with a bit of flab, and couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Then Sophie, with a playful pout, turned to Ronald and teased, "Stop it! It's not just because you're handsome that I'm dating you."
Ronald responded with a doting smile, "I know, I was just about to introduce Rusty Rod to my other talents."
That mature, affectionate smile nearly made Sophie Turner fall for him on the spot.
Was this really the same bookish Ronald ?
How did he suddenly become so charming?
Could it be… he really has fallen for me?
Why didn't I notice it before?
No, no, I can't start dating so soon!
Sophie clutched her chest with one hand, trying to steady her racing heart, while her other hand still lingered on Ronald 's arm, reluctant to let go.
Their interaction might have seemed ordinary, just a few simple words, but the way they looked at each other, their subtle expressions, and small gestures—it was a public display of affection!
Everyone in the café felt like they were being force-fed dog food!
Ronald secretly breathed a sigh of relief: *Ha! So this is what they call Stanislavski's system of acting: the sense of truth. So effective!*
end.