CHAPTER 81: MARIA WITHIN REACH

"I wouldn’t have guessed!"

Luis was a bit surprised.

"Want me to do the splits for you?!"

Maria said proudly, "Don’t judge me by how slim I am—I have abs, you know."

Luis laughed. "I’d actually love to see that. Both the splits and the abs. But I really wouldn’t have guessed you’re an athlete. I always thought athletes, regardless of gender, were all bulky with muscle."

"It depends on the sport. Some require gaining fat and muscle, others require losing fat and gaining muscle. Different events have different training methods."

"Some athletes get tanned as dark as charcoal, but we’re in the water all the time. Our skin gets soaked until it’s pale, almost like corpses."

Chattering away, Maria was very happy. She stuck out her tongue cutely and said, "Am I being a bit annoying? Back when I was training in the sports team, it was all girls, and the coach was really strict."

"When I got to university, I thought I’d have more freedom, but the training intensity actually increased. You have no idea how boring and gossipy a bunch of girls can be when they’re together."

"I’m not really interested in that stuff, but I am quite interested in your abs."

"Pervert!"

Seeing Maria’s coy expression, Luis knew this young girl was still within reach.

During their conversation, her phone rang a few times. Each time, Maria’s expression changed, and she immediately declined the call. Luis noticed that the number displayed didn’t even have a saved name. He joked, "Boyfriend? Did you have a fight? Why aren’t you answering?"

"What makes you think it’s a boyfriend?"

Maria widened her eyes in curiosity, as if she found it hard to believe.

"There’s no contact name, just a string of numbers. That’s suspicious!"

"Unless it’s delivery or takeout, even scam calls deserve to be answered. Hanging up that decisively means you recognize this number."

"We’re in the middle of breaking up."

Maria said irritably, "He’s a high school classmate. That bastard thought he could fool around with other girls while I was studying in the University, treating me like an idiot."

"Now he suddenly wants to reconcile? Reconcile my ass..."

Maria even cursed, angrily saying, "Long-distance relationships are just unreliable. And now he wants to explain? What’s the point? I’ve even seen their bed photos. He just sees me as a backup."

Regarding the lives of young people today, Luis neither approved nor criticized. After all, youth is a time of impulsiveness and high spirits, and all sorts of dramatic things can happen.

"Brother Luis, you’re so attentive."

Maria suddenly looked up, grinning playfully as she said something meaningful.

"Just normal observation, wouldn’t call it attentive."

Luis stretched lazily and smiled. "You’ll be returning to the Study in a couple of days. There must be plenty of handsome guys chasing after you. And with all the muscular men in your sports academy, it’s like heaven—exactly what many women dream of."

"Come on, most of us are in separate divisions. The majority are in women’s events, hardly any men."

Maria rolled her eyes and said bluntly, "I don’t know if it’s because athletes are mostly like beasts, but the relationships here are messy, and a lot of drama happens. Our campus is basically a girls’ school."

"As for sports students, forget it. The ones I’ve met have terrible tempers. Several of my classmates dated sports students from the same school—some got abused, beaten, and I heard there’s even been sexual violence."

Maria suddenly looked at Luis with a smile and said, "If I were to get a boyfriend, I’d definitely want someone gentle and considerate like you, brother."

"Not necessarily. Before they catch you, they’ll pamper you endlessly, but once they get you into bed, their true colors show."

Luis felt a stir in his heart from her gaze. Honestly, before getting system, he had been poor and only somewhat good-looking, with a thin build. Only Lily had been brave enough to love him back then.

Aside from his wife, Luis had never been with another woman before obtaining the System. Facing such sudden flirtation, he really wasn’t used to it.

"I admire you even more now, Brother Luis. You dare to speak such blunt truths."

Maria smiled even more charmingly and said, "Brother, you’re so gentle with me, yet so domineering when dealing with that bastard Connor. You really have two faces, and I like it more and more."

This was already a blatant seduction. Luis could feel his blood heating up.

But just as he was about to say something, the door suddenly opened, and David walked in, greeting them with immense enthusiasm, followed by his family.

Luis stood up, hugged them, and began chatting warmly. Maria sat to the side, immediately behaving obediently, without any trace of her earlier fox-like, seductive demeanor.

Though she couldn’t understand Spanish, watching Luis chat and laugh effortlessly with David, his family, and even the ten-year-old children, Maria’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

Sports academies generally have lower academic standards, but once athletes reach a certain level, they often regret their lack of education.

International competitions require strong foreign language skills. As professional athletes, they become acutely aware of the advantages and disadvantages involved. Not understanding international rules can be a significant disadvantage.

Sports academies do have Language teachers who teach specialized knowledge, but their proficiency is only so-so.

Maria once witnessed a supposedly highly proficient teacher sweating profusely when asked for directions by a foreigner at the school gate. It goes to show how daunting language barriers can truly be.

But after acquiring this skill, Luis’s Spanish was on par with a native speaker’s. He could even adjust to regional dialects and use words that hadn’t even been updated in dictionaries yet.

It was incredible... only simultaneous interpreters had this level of skill, right?

Maria watched, mesmerized. Though she didn’t understand a word, the delighted and approving expressions on David’s family’s faces told her just how skilled Luis was.

Luis held the menu, translating each item for David’s family. David laughed heartily, and the whole family was in high spirits.

After chatting for a while, Luis called the server over to order: "grilled lamb chops, ten grilled bratwursts, ten beef sausages... ten stuffed mushrooms, and ten fried calamari, too..."

He didn’t order any basic items like grilled chicken wings. These dishes were somewhat standard in European-style barbecue, but what followed were items like bacon-wrapped dates and grilled deviled eggs. The only relatively normal thing was grilled oysters.

Beer was served alongside the order—unbranded, locally brewed draft beer from a nearby brewery.

David’s family cheered again. After toasting with them, Maria couldn’t help but ask, "Brother, why didn’t you order any meat skewers or something normal?"

Luis shook his head and said, "This family isn’t normal. Actually, customs vary from place to place. There are things like surströmming and fermented seabirds abroad that we can’t comprehend."

"David’s family did their research before coming. They thought organ meats were the limit."

"But then they tried many bizarre dishes and other things ranked highly on foreign websites, and it drove them crazy. I’ve already asked the restaurant to buy some pickled herring from a Scandinavian deli down the street to satisfy them."

"There’s no blood pudding or tripe stew around here, but they want to try local weird delicacies. These guys..."

"How should I put it? They call themselves brave food adventurers—they don’t want ordinary food. The owner of this place is from Eastern Europe and has things like pig’s ear terrine and jellied pork, which happen to satisfy them."

Luis smiled and said, "Since you’re treating, this won’t even cost much."

"Brother, you’re really thoughtful. I was worried at home for so long, afraid you’d pick a place that was too expensive."

Maria said coyly, "I looked it up when I got back—David is actually a high-level HR executive for the flagship store in the Asia-Pacific region. I never expected him to come to a small street stall like this."

As they spoke, cheers and applause erupted from the private room.

It turned out the fried calamari skewers had arrived. David’s daughter was the first to stand up and eat one, and everyone applauded her.

Luis and Maria exchanged a knowing smile and joined in the applause. David’s daughter wasn’t exactly pretty, but she wasn’t ugly either. At that moment, wiping her mouth, she smiled with clear pride.

David suddenly raised his glass and came over, chattering away.

Maria didn’t understand but felt a bit flustered under David’s amused gaze, faintly sensing that his words were related to her.

Luis stood up and clinked glasses with David, who burst into laughter. His daughter seemed to say something else, sounding displeased.

"Brother, what are they saying?"

Maria, already slightly tipsy, tugged at Luis curiously.

Luis had downed three glasses in a row, clearly apologizing for something. The tall foreign girl across from them drank with him but seemed to be joking—probably not actually angry.

Even without understanding the language, their expressions hinted at the general idea, which was quite amusing.

Luis’s face was already flushed from alcohol. He smiled and said, "David’s daughter said she’s very interested in me. She’d be thrilled if I could accompany her on her graduation trip. She’d change her visa immediately and travel with me for a month or two, with David covering all the expenses."

"So direct, huh?"

"Foreigners aren’t as reserved or hesitant. They’re mostly like this."

"Then what did the bald guy say to you??"

Maria asked this question, and Luis smiled, using his finger to playfully lift her chin. "The first thing he said was that his daughter mentioned if you don’t mind, the three of us could travel together. Of course, she hopes I can keep up."

"Aside from thinking I’m great, she also thinks you’re great. She believes you must have a fantastic figure."

"Psychos!"

Maria’s face turned bright red upon hearing this. She simply couldn’t comprehend these guys attitudes toward sex.