I Just Wanted to Play Soccer, But I Became a Hollywood Heartthrob

As the group of medical students struggled to come up with an answer, a girl in a black spaghetti-strap dress stepped forward. "Professor, I know. The most important part of a professional player's medical exam is… heart testing."

Gu Ran glanced at her—she had an air of charm, somewhat reminiscent of Ronaldo's ex-girlfriend.

Seeing him look her way, the girl boldly responded with a flirtatious smile.

Hmph, trying too hard.

Gu Ran kept a straight face and turned his head away.

Maria nodded approvingly. "Excellent answer! That's my star student! Everyone, take note—when assessing an athlete, whether it's for a professional club or an amateur team, the most crucial factor is not height, weight, lung function, or even muscle capacity. It's the heart."

"The heart is the most vital organ in the human body, and even more so for an athlete."

"Without a healthy heart, playing sports is out of the question. Becoming a professional player? Impossible."

"That's why the first test we conduct is a heart exam."

"This is the latest cardiac monitoring device. I will attach the electrodes to Gu Ran's chest to monitor his heart's condition throughout the entire medical examination."

"Gu Ran, please lie down on this bed so I can attach the electrodes."

Gu Ran, already numb to the situation, walked over and reclined.

Maria professionally pointed to his chest. "The heart is positioned slightly to the left in the thoracic cavity. If you're unsure of the exact location, the simplest method is to feel for the area where the muscle is pulsing the most—right here."

She placed her hand on Gu Ran's chest, securing the electrode in place.

A few of the female students let out a soft, sharp intake of breath.

Maria continued, "This device efficiently and accurately detects potential heart conditions, helping to prevent sudden cardiac incidents during high-intensity play. Now, let's check the monitor—you can see that Gu Ran's heartbeat is steady and strong. I can even feel the power of his pulse."

"Additionally, when a cardiac monitor isn't available, doctors can rely on a stethoscope."

"A long time ago, before stethoscopes were invented, physicians diagnosed heart conditions by pressing their ears directly to the patient's chest. Like this—"

Maria leaned down, resting her ear against Gu Ran's chest.

His heartbeat involuntarily picked up speed.

"Hmm, strong and steady. Even just from listening, I can tell that your heart is in excellent condition."

Maria smiled and straightened up, addressing the students. "Important information here—the stethoscope was invented by René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec. Make sure you remember this name for your exams."

After completing the heart test, Maria reviewed the monitor's results and nodded. "Congratulations, Gu Ran. Your heart is in great shape. Normally, I'd also require an ECG, an echocardiogram, and a family history questionnaire… but given the time constraints, I'll skip those steps."

"However, you'll need to keep the electrodes attached until the full examination is complete."

She then grabbed another set of sensors. "Next up is the musculoskeletal stability test. Aside from visible external muscles, we need to assess key areas like the lower back and pelvis, as these regions are often the root causes of hamstring and adductor injuries."

As she spoke, Maria applied the muscle sensors to Gu Ran's back and thighs.

Pointing at different areas, she explained, "This is the vastus lateralis, this is the vastus medialis, here's the vastus intermedius, and finally, this is the rectus femoris. Together, they form the quadriceps muscle group at the front of the thigh."

To provide a clearer demonstration, she lifted the hem of Gu Ran's shorts slightly.

Several female students let out exaggerated gasps.

A few of the bolder ones even whistled.

At that moment, Gu Ran felt completely numb.

Most people who get reincarnated start off as prodigies, dominating the field from day one, taking on Ronaldo and Messi.

Why is my journey starting with absolute social death before I even begin my professional career?

I have sacrificed too much just to play football.

Just let the ground swallow me whole already…

Maria secured a series of sensors along his thighs. "Gu Ran, you'll need to perform ten jumps to test your muscle elasticity."

Without hesitation, Gu Ran executed ten smooth vertical jumps.

Thanks to his well-trained body and past muscle memory, his jumps had a natural explosiveness to them.

The female students erupted into excited chatter.

"Wow! He jumps so high!"

"His whole body looks like solid steel!"

"He looks amazing when he jumps! I think I'm in love!"

A few had already started fangirling.

Just moments ago, Gu Ran had felt an unbearable level of embarrassment. But as he basked in their admiration, the feeling of social death gradually faded, replaced by a subtle sense of pride.

The muscle testing machine quickly generated a report.

Maria reviewed it and nodded approvingly. "Excellent. Gu Ran, your quadriceps are strong and well-developed, and your bone structure remains stable during movement."

She retrieved a pen from her coat pocket and signed off on the muscle and skeletal stability test, writing down the assessment: Fit for competition.

"Next, we move on to the third test—isokinetic strength evaluation."

Maria led Gu Ran to a specialized joint extension chair and secured straps around his shoulders and ankles.

Turning to the students, she continued her lecture. "What is isokinetic strength? In technical terms, it refers to movement at a controlled speed. No matter how much force a muscle generates, the limb moves at a constant, preset velocity—excluding initial acceleration and final deceleration."

"In simpler terms, this test evaluates whether the muscles and joints can maintain force at a steady speed."

"The knee joint is one of the most complex joints in the human body and plays a crucial role in football, bearing heavy loads during play. It's highly prone to injury and degradation. Since its primary function is flexion and extension, its performance is greatly influenced by the surrounding muscles."

"The isokinetic strength test provides a comprehensive measure of muscle power, explosiveness, endurance, joint flexibility, mobility, and overall stability."

"The reference range for this test is between 50% and 80%. If a player scores below 50%, it indicates insufficient muscle strength, increasing the risk of injury in high-intensity matches. Conversely, exceeding 80% suggests poor muscle and ligament elasticity, which also raises the risk of injury. Ideally, a professional player's isokinetic strength should be maintained around 70%."

After finishing the explanation, Maria turned to Gu Ran. "Gu Ran, I need you to perform ten repetitions of knee flexion and extension. The machine will gradually increase resistance with each rep."

Gu Ran took a deep breath and nodded in preparation.

In his previous life, despite playing street football for years, he had never experienced such an advanced medical evaluation.

A slight sense of nervous anticipation crept in.

Maria activated the isokinetic strength machine. As soon as Gu Ran felt the resistance, he started executing controlled knee flexions and extensions.

With each repetition, the resistance grew stronger. By the final rep, his muscles tensed visibly, the quadriceps on his thighs flexing powerfully.

One word—solid.

The female students covered their mouths in amazement.

Tsk, these girls have no idea what they're looking at.

Maria smirked, casually flicking her hair back before subtly wiping the corner of her mouth, then pressed the button to complete the test.

The machine instantly generated the results.

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