Chapter 801: Finally Met Him

“Boss, didn’t you ask us to find someone named Milo last time? We’ve found him.”

Listening to Ally’s words on the other end of the phone, Ethan Cole immediately showed a look of surprise.

Dove, after all the trials and tribulations, I’ve finally found you.

He eagerly asked, “Where is he now?”

“He happened to come to Empire City with his family for a vacation, and then he was discovered.”

“Good, arrange a meeting for me.”

After hanging up the phone, Ethan Cole got up.

After washing up and dressing neatly, he went out.

In a restaurant, Ethan Cole saw Milo, who was eating with his family.

Although he was only fourteen or fifteen, he was already a very standard handsome young man.

Seeing him, Ethan Cole couldn’t help but sigh, “The blue ball originally had an invincible path, why then resort to wearing overalls?”

Ally followed him there.

After listening to her boss, she looked completely baffled, indicating she didn’t understand.

Ethan Cole straightened his collar and walked towards the other party.

He was determined to have Milo in his pocket.

And he also wanted to replicate the path of his previous life a hundred percent.

After all, looking around the world, besides him, there wasn’t another artist who could play the same gag for five or six years without going stale.

And he was constantly coming up with fresh ideas.

He was the only one globally whose Sect Leader had passed away, but whose sect became more and more prosperous.

Who could give up such a man, a natural traffic magnet?

However, once he joined the company, I would have to impose restrictions on his behavior.

We can’t have a repeat of that fan-hyping incident from his previous life.

“Hello,” Ethan Cole said as he approached the table with a smile, “my name is Ethan Cole.”

Milo’s parents recognized Ethan Cole.

Ethan Cole’s fame was well known nationwide; nobody was unaware.

The moment they saw Ethan Cole, Milo’s parents got excited.

Ethan Cole said with a smile, “Sorry to disturb your meal, but I see that your son has an extraordinary bone structure and talent. It’s obvious he’s cut out to be a celebrity artist.”

“So, I wanted to ask if you would be interested in letting your son enter the entertainment industry?”

“Rest assured, the contract I offer will definitely not shortchange you.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Milo’s parents agreed without hesitation.

“No problem at all, Mr. Cole, we agree.”

“After all, this brat has never taken his studies seriously.”

“Can you believe that he only scored sixty-eight points in total on his last final exam?”

“We’ve broken several feather dusters at home on him.”

“Uh…” Ethan Cole didn’t know what to say for a moment.

The development of events was even smoother than he had imagined.

It took only a few hours to sign every aspect of the contract.

Then, Ethan Cole booked a ticket to Kolvern for Milo overnight.

First go there to train for two and a half years before coming back.

Ethan Cole could already foresee the future glory.

Just thinking about it excited him.

In the future, only I am allowed to eat the eggs laid by the dove; no one else is permitted to touch them.

Hmph!

---

The plagiarism matter continued to ferment.

But Ethan Cole didn’t take it to heart.

For him, Nicole Sharpe was just a little ant.

Even if it bit with all its might, it wouldn’t cause the slightest pain.

The very next day, he arrived at the film studio.

Hm.

The movie version of “Blue Star” began filming that day.

The entire group was under Ethan Cole’s sole direction.

So, from signing the contract to selecting the actors and starting the shoot, it only took a few days’ time.

Moreover, Ethan Cole had no intention of drastically altering the original plot, even saving money by not hiring a screenwriter.

The efficiency was frightening.

As the lead actress, Marina Winters arrived.

Coral Tides was after all a drama centered on a strong female lead.

The heroine in the drama is a girl who, because of various hardships, becomes villainous but ultimately reforms and returns to the right path.

The first scene to be filmed today marks the beginning of the heroine’s descent into villainy.

In typical dramas, turning evil simply involves wearing black clothes, applying smoky makeup, and giving a cold, angry stare to complete the transformation.

But Marina Winters’s look remained in a simple white outfit, without heavy makeup on her face.

She conveyed the transition into villainy solely through her facial expressions and gaze.

Compared to those cheap effects, it was incomparably better.

“Good, it’s really good, perfect!” the director exclaimed excitedly after filming the first sequence.

Ethan Cole was somewhat surprised as well.

Marina Winters’s acting was so impressive; it seemed she was born for this career.

Wait a minute!

Suddenly, Ethan Cole thought of something.

If Marina Winters was naturally such a good actor, then could their previous interactions have been just an act?

With this thought, Ethan Cole’s eyes involuntarily narrowed.

Although Marina Winters was busy filming, she kept an eye on Ethan Cole off-camera.

She quickly sensed the change in his expression.

And she had her suspicions.

However, she wasn’t panicked at all.

In terms of acting, she was confident she was second to none.

It was innate.

It was like having a sacred body in a fantasy novel.

Without the need for arduous meditation, one could level up rapidly just by eating and drinking.

After finishing her part, Marina Winters ran over to greet Ethan Cole: “Brother Cole, hello.”

Ethan Cole nodded with a smile.

Without concrete evidence, Ethan Cole wasn’t going to show any different emotions towards Marina Winters.

“I have something else to take care of, so I’ll be leaving now. Next time, I’ll invite Brother Cole and Sister Grace for a meal,” she said.

After speaking, Marina Winters waved her hand and left.

Her retreating figure looked very free and natural, without a trace of acting.

Ethan Cole watched her back for a while.

Then he suddenly laughed in relief.

He realized he had been stuck in a mental rut.

Even if everything Marina Winters did before was fake, what did it matter?

As long as his heart was with Grace Bennett, whatever she did was useless.

Having understood this, Ethan Cole no longer cared.

He called over the director and gave a few reminders.

The investment in this movie was quite significant.

Within QuickRead Entertainment, it was rare to have more than three movies a year with investment exceeding one hundred million.

If it failed at the box office, Ethan Cole might have to reprimand the director severely.

When Ethan Cole got home, he saw Grace Bennett doing yoga in the living room.

She was wearing a form-fitting yoga outfit that revealed her slender and proportionate body, with elegant curves in full view.

She was like a graceful cat demonstrating incredible flexibility while stretching her limbs;

Like a stream of water showing boundless fluidity in its flow.

In Ethan Cole’s mind, one hundred and eight positions appeared… of calisthenics!

Noticing Ethan Cole’s arrival, Grace Bennett stopped and stretched out her arms, “Hubby, I want a hug~”

Ethan Cole inhaled deeply, saying righteously, “I admit you’re somewhat attractive, but my heart is devoted to the nation and the people!”

Grace Bennett blinked her eyes, responding weakly, “But I am one of the people too, right?”

“You have a point there,” Ethan Cole nodded.

Then he dropped the act, rubbed his hands together, and chuckled: “My dear wife, here I come!”

Chapter 802: Are You Focusing on the Wrong Thing?

On the fifth day of the plagiarism scandal, the situation took a turn.

All those so-called pieces of evidence online were baseless.

The writers who had stepped forward to accuse others were also sued one after another.

Another development was that Nicole Sharpe was blacklisted.

He was suspected of multiple violations.

And the evidence was irrefutable.

There was no possibility of a comeback in his lifetime.

As for the stock price of QuickRead Fiction, it also rebounded.

In a way, Ethan Cole’s decision to deal with this woman early was essentially doing a good deed.

It prevented a bunch of investors from losing everything in the future due to her, resulting in bankruptcy and death.

He hoped those people would invest in his company instead.

Inside the office.

Ethan Cole checked the progress of the filming of “Blueprint” the movie.

He was somewhat surprised.

The progress had already reached 40 percent!

It had only been just over a week since filming began.

Ethan Cole was shocked.

This pace was simply too rapid.

Upon further inquiry, it turned out that Marina Winters was pushing hard.

She filmed for at least fifteen hours a day.

She even moved directly to the studio.

And she was very humble.

Every day after finishing her parts, she would either study her role or watch others perform and humbly seek advice.

Under her influence, the crew also became incredibly diligent, each one working hard.

This was just like when Chloe Winters first entered the industry.

Desperately working.

Truly sisters.

Ethan Cole shook his head and smiled.

Ethan Cole naturally wouldn’t oppose Marina Winters’s willingness to strive hard.

“Playing Chopin’s Nocturnes for you, commemorating my deceased love…”

The phone’s ringtone sounded.

It was a call from Isabelle Whitfield.

“What’s up?” Ethan Cole asked.

Isabelle Whitfield didn’t speak, and Ethan Cole faintly heard her sobbing.

His expression darkened slightly, “Is someone bullying you, Sister Isabelle?”

“I’ve been targeted with a defamation campaign,” Isabelle Whitfield cried. “Someone anonymously sent videos and photos to my email, take a look.”

“They also said they would publish the videos and photos online in half an hour.”

“They want to ruin my reputation forever.”

After speaking, she hung up the phone.

Then she sent the stuff to his email.

Ethan Cole opened it to see.

The background was in a high-end suite.

‘Ethan Cole’ and ‘Isabelle Whitfield’ hugged as soon as they met, gnawing at each other for over ten minutes.

Then there were some explicit scenes.

Throughout this process, the male and female leads in the video faced the camera multiple times.

Their faces were clearly captured.

They didn’t exactly look like Ethan Cole and Isabelle Whitfield; they looked exactly alike.

After critically watching it, Ethan Cole commented, “The female lead has a nice figure, but the male lead is obviously not as good as the real me.”

This must have been done using some sophisticated synthesis technology.

With current technology, it should be very hard to fake it so realistically.

Ethan Cole had the company’s top technical personnel handle it.

He then reassured Isabelle Whitfield, saying he would take care of the situation.

But soon, Megan Price, Daphne Reyes, and even Chloe Winters also received the same video.

It was just that the female protagonist had become them, and the male protagonist was Ethan Cole.

Who was trying to sabotage him?

If these things were released online, they would certainly cause a huge uproar.

Ethan Cole realized the severity of the situation and urgently mobilized all the technical staff of the company to decrypt the videos.

As long as they could find the flaws in these videos, they could prove everyone’s innocence.

Grace Bennett made a phone call.

As soon as he answered, her worried voice rang out, “Husband, I just received a few videos—someone is targeting us.”

Ethan Cole laughed, “You received them too? So, you’re not angry?”

Ordinarily, seeing one’s husband with another woman… would definitely make one lose their lychees right away.

But Grace Bennett seemed very calm.

“Because I know you’re not that kind of person,” Grace Bennett’s tone was filled with ease, “Those things are obviously fake.”

Indeed, only Grace Bennett would believe in him unconditionally.

Ethan Cole’s smile deepened, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle this.”

Ethan Cole was keeping an eye on the online situation while also monitoring the progress of the technical staff.

Half an hour later, sure enough, videos of ‘Ethan Cole’ cheating with a few female friends started spreading online.

However, netizens had also become much smarter nowadays.

They didn’t believe it immediately.

Because there had been too many rumors about Ethan Cole before that ended up being debunked.

The faces of the netizens had been swollen from the backfiring.

So now they had all become exceptionally cautious.

First, they sought help from some technical staff.

Only after confirming that these photos and images had no traces of Photoshop did they start blasting!

[Hehe, I never thought Ethan Cole was such a person]

[Indeed, rich people can’t possibly be honest, it’s all just for show on the internet]

[Poor Grace Bennett, just got married not long ago, and already cheated on, moreover, by three close girlfriends]

[Beast, really a beast, strongly condemn this behavior (if it were me, pretend I didn’t say anything)]

[Grace Bennett must be really sad now, I’m willing to take her in]

---

“Boss.”

The company’s technical director, trembling, walked into Ethan Cole’s office, “Those videos and pictures… I can’t find any flaws.”

“Hmm?” Ethan Cole squinted at the technical director, “Are you sure?”

This technical director was someone he had hired at a high salary, with an annual salary of five million.

And now he was telling him it couldn’t be decoded?

That couldn’t possibly be true, could it?

Although his face and physique were almost identical to his.

But Ethan Cole knew the sizes were different.

He was way larger than the impostor in the video.

Could he really use this as evidence?

That would be too—

It wasn’t impossible.

However, Ethan Cole was mainly considering that this might damage the self-esteem of other men.

After all, each of them was just over ten centimeters.

Suddenly seeing a twenty-plus centimeter one, wouldn’t they just shut down?

The technical director sensed the displeasure of his boss and hastily added, “Give me a little more time, I will definitely find a flaw.”

Ethan Cole waved his hand, “Hurry up, don’t let public opinion ferment further.”

The technical director ran off in a hurry.

Ethan Cole pulled several victims into a group chat.

To avoid Grace Bennett overthinking, he added her too.

He asked everyone to change their names, then Ethan Cole sent a message: Everyone stay calm, I’ve already asked the technical staff to urgently solve this issue.

Megan Price: What the heck, they should’ve found a body double with a better figure for me. Are my legs that thick? Is my waist that small? This is infuriating!

The others: ???

Sister, aren’t you focusing on the wrong thing?

Chapter 803: Everything Went Off Track

Ethan Cole was about to type a message to Megan Price telling her not to focus on some irrelevant matters.

Unexpectedly, the others in the group had already started discussing.

Isabelle Whitfield: Exactly, exactly, my impostor has such a thick waist, it’s practically slander against me.

Chloe Winters: I’ve even had laser surgery, this fake can’t get any faker.

Daphne Reyes: I… the impostor’s skin isn’t as fair as mine.

Ethan Cole: “…”

Grace Bennett: “…”

Sisters, why don’t you just go and tear them apart directly.

Ethan Cole originally intended to comfort them.

Little did he expect the group discussion to be led astray by Megan Price.

They all hated the rumormonger with a gnashing of teeth.

If you are going to spread rumors, at least find someone who matches your own condition in every aspect.

It’s utterly despicable.

This is tarnishing my reputation.

Indeed, there wasn’t a woman who didn’t care about her figure and appearance.

Especially Isabelle Whitfield.

She was sobbing over the phone just before, but now she’s turned into a tough woman.

Ethan Cole sighed, feeling very weary.

He simply left the group chat.

Another hour passed, and the online public opinion had fermented quite intensely.

There were all kinds of comments, very unpleasant to hear.

The stock prices of the several listed companies under the group naturally plummeted to a halt.

However, Ethan Cole didn’t care about these.

As long as he could crack the video, the falling stock price would rise back up quickly.

What he was now more interested in was who made these videos?

They’d actually confounded such a professional technical team under his company, failing to find any flaws at first glance.

The technical director came to Ethan Cole’s office again.

“Boss, I’m really sorry,” he said.

“The person or team that made these videos is simply a genius.”

“I clearly know these videos are fake, but I can’t find the slightest flaw.”

“If you want to fire me, I have no complaints.”

“Couldn’t your team of over a hundred professionals find a single flaw?” Ethan Cole said incredulously.

The technical director shook his head bitterly.

This was a huge blow to his career.

Ethan Cole: “Did you find out where these videos and photos were posted from?”

The technical director replied, “We found that. It was posted from an internet café in a small town.

But it’s an unregistered café, no ID card needed, anyone can go online, so we can’t trace who it actually was.”

“I understand,” Ethan Cole nodded, “Go back to work.”

The technical director rejoiced inwardly, thinking this meant he wouldn’t be fired.

Fearing Ethan Cole might change his mind, he hurried off.

Ethan Cole’s interest in the video maker grew even stronger.

This person was definitely top-tier talent, and he must find a way to get him on his team.

That way, a lot of dirty and tiring work could be left to him in the future.

Thinking this, Ethan Cole immediately sent a message to Harold Briggs.

He instructed him to put aside all his current tasks and go all out to find that person.

Then he reopened the a rival messaging app group he had just created.

The style had undergone a tremendous change.

Isabelle Whitfield: I think that male star called Lachlan Thackeray is really handsome, with his eight-pack abs too.

Chloe Winters: What’s so great about big and brawny? I prefer little puppies, obedient, well-behaved, and cute.

Megan Price: I also like the ones with abs, little puppies scram.

Chloe Winters: You flat-chested brainless thing.

Megan Price: How dare you, so presumptuous, watch my left hook! Right hook! Uppercut! Lowercut! Thomas Spin Kick! Tornado devastates parking lot! Utterly insane!! Kill kill kill!!!

Everyone: …

Really——Cao Pi and his father-in-law are speechless, and Zhen Ji’s dad is left without words.

Megan Price’s mental state is seriously concerning.

Ethan Cole: Stop freaking out, those video makers are too skilled, our company’s technicians can’t crack it, you have to prove your innocence yourselves.

Megan Price: I’ll go first!

A few minutes later, Megan Price posted a video on her TianTian Headlines and KuaiYin accounts.

In the video, Megan Price wore a black ladies’ suit and glasses, looking every bit the pure and innocent female teacher.

If she had a whip in her hand, that buff would be maxed out.

“Nobody actually believes that video is real, right? No way, right? No way?”

Megan Price started with a sarcastic opening line.

Then, she continued, “Come on, let’s analyze this with our litchi.”

“According to the ‘me’ in the video, compared to the object—a switch button—I am just up to neck level.”

“The switch button placement in these hotels is standard nationwide—1.5 meters.”

“Plus the height of a head, that’s at most 1.6 meters.”

“So what happened to the remaining eight centimeters of my real height of 1.68 meters, were they eaten?”

“This is Doubt No. 1, and Doubt No. 2, the ‘me’ in the video doesn’t have my thunder thighs.”

Saying so, she even stuck out her waist.

“Lastly, Doubt No. 3, the ‘me’ in the video was too sloppy, something I couldn’t do.”

“To sum up, this video was fabricated using extremely high grafting techniques.”

The video ended here.

Not long after this video was released, many people watched it.

Some brainless individuals didn’t care about the technical analysis and just went on a rampant tirade.

But more were rational netizens.

They verified according to the clues provided by Megan Price.

And indeed found several inconsistencies.

Subsequently, Daphne Reyes, Chloe Winters, and Isabelle Whitfield also released clarifying videos in succession.

And provided their own analysis for comparison.

They were reasonable and evidence-based.

Seeing their idols finally speak up, their fans supported them promptly.

Then Grace Bennett also released a statement, saying she completely believed her friends and her husband, who would never do anything inappropriate.

Finally, Ethan Cole also released some new content.

His contribution was just two photos.

One was of him wearing tight pants.

The other was the ‘him’ from the video, with the key part pixelated.

But the outline was still discernible.

Putting the two photos together for comparison, the differences were stark.

Seeing these comparison photos, netizens blew up the chat.

‘Daily River Ridge Version’: I observe the outline of his tight pants, a clear display of his extraordinary endowments! Strong as an ox, shaped like a dragon and tiger! At least a notch above the one pixelated.

‘Zhen Ji’s Lusciousness’: Mr. Cole looks quite capable, huh.

‘Fifty Sitting On The Ground Absorbing Dirt’: It’s just a man, you all, hold yourselves back a bit, it’s just a minor scene aaaaaah, slurp slurp, all of you back off, watch my Star Absorption Technique!

‘Sexy Female Flatbread’: Mr. Cole is also in a hurry, clearly over twenty centimeters, yet rumored to be just over ten.

‘Missing Your Grandpa’: However, it’s not good with pants on, Mr. Cole, please take your pants off.

Chapter 804: You Are All Beyond Saving

This time, the PR crisis ended in a way no one had expected.

Chloe Winters sent Ethan Cole a a rival messaging app message, “Hey, do you still have any photos of you in tight clothing? I’ll pay top dollar, a friend wants to see.”

Ethan Cole: Scram quickly.

Chloe Winters: Okay.

Soon, Isabelle Whitfield also sent a a rival messaging app message: Ethan Cole, are you really over twenty centimeters?

It’s not me asking, it’s a friend…

Ethan Cole: Don’t make me lose my temper.

Isabelle Whitfield: Okay, I’ll step back now.

Megan Price followed suit: Give you one million, let me have a look.

Ethan Cole sent a bunch of bleeding knife emojis.

Dammit.

These female thugs.

Ethan Cole felt a severe headache.

Kind of regretting, what was that all about?

Now, for sure online there were loads of female thugs scrutinizing his picture, even…

The thought alone was terrifying.

Grace Bennett rushed to the office.

She came specifically to comfort her hubby.

More than an hour later, Grace Bennett went home.

She arrived clueless and empty-handed.

She left full of smarts and understanding.

The comforting effect was absolutely maxed out.

Afterwards, Ethan Cole focused on finding the instigator.

Finding him meant finding the mastermind behind the scenes.

Ethan Cole was very satisfied with Harold Briggs’s efficiency.

By six o’clock that afternoon, he had found the person.

In the neighboring city, he was brought directly to Ethan Cole.

He was a fairly handsome man, but not one ten-thousandth as much as the audience’s master, a young man in his early twenties.

Even after being caught, he had a defiant look on his face and an unyielding demeanor.

Ethan Cole sat in front of him and asked lightly, “What was the purpose of doing this?”

“Hmph!” The man snorted coldly, “You can give up on that idea, I won’t say a word!”

“Oh, is that so?” Ethan Cole stroked his chin and thought: “This can actually be easy to guess.”

“Just after I had Nicole Sharpe taken in, this incident occurred.”

“So, it’s very likely her unwillingness to give up, a last-ditch effort before going down.”

While saying this, Ethan Cole kept his eyes fixed on the man.

Yet he saw that the man’s expression remained unchanged, without any anomalies.

Ethan Cole smiled and continued, “Whether or not it’s related to her, I’m blaming this grudge on her.”

“I’ll use some evidence I haven’t yet released to ensure she gets a few more years inside.”

The man finally couldn’t remain calm any longer and shouted angrily, “Despicable villain, this has nothing to do with her, you can’t take your anger out on her!”

Case solved.

It was indeed because of Nicole Sharpe!

Ethan Cole continued analyzing, “Did she ever do you a favor, so you decided to stand up for her?”

The man looked at Ethan Cole and suddenly found him incredibly intimidating.

It was so easy for him to guess his real motives.

Seeing the man’s expression, Ethan Cole knew his conjecture was almost certainly correct.

He sat with his legs crossed, laughing, “As long as you cooperate honestly, I will no longer target Nicole Sharpe.”

“Fine.” The man gave up resisting: “Ask whatever you want.”

Ethan Cole: “What’s your name?”

“Dick.”

Ethan Cole glared, “You dare curse at me?!”

The man’s forehead pulsed with blue veins: “What I mean is, my name is Dick—short for Richard!”

“Ugh,” Ethan Cole was momentarily speechless, “Whoever named you must be a genius.”

Dick Byrne snorted coldly.

Because of his name, he had often been ridiculed, and it seemed to inexplicably diminish him when facing his peers.

Ethan Cole didn’t mock the other’s name, but instead asked some basic questions.

Where was he from, his exact age, his educational background, his major, and how many people were in his family.

The guy was an orphan who had studied computer science.

Two years ago, he was involved in a car accident where the perpetrator fled the scene, and just so happened to be seen by Nicole Sharpe, who then paid for his medical expenses.

Since then, Dick Byrne had been loyally following her.

Once Dick Byrne had roughly finished explaining, Ethan Cole understood.

Nicole Sharpe knew of this person’s capabilities, so she manipulated him into serving her continuously using psychological manipulation tactics.

This time when Nicole Sharpe was suddenly arrested, she had no time to instruct Dick Byrne to create trouble.

It was Dick Byrne himself who found out about Ethan Cole and then started slandering him.

Latter, Ethan Cole made Dick Byrne demonstrate in front of him how he had created that almost indistinguishably fake video.

Dick Byrne did as asked.

In less than an hour, Dick Byrne had photoshopped two completely unrelated people into one.

He had even optimized their height and physique.

Ethan Cole was astounded.

Dick Byrne’s hand speed was incredibly fast.

It was practically lightning-fast.

Ethan Cole couldn’t handle it.

He must have been single for at least twenty years to have that kind of hand speed.

“Hmph!” Dick Byrne snorted coldly: “If I had ever met those few women around you in real life, there wouldn’t have been any flaws.”

As for Ethan Cole, he wouldn’t mention it.

Damn, twenty centimeters, was this even human?

He was simply a beast.

I won’t say who I am jealous of.

In Ethan Cole’s eyes, Dick Byrne’s value was comparable to a gold mine!

This kind of skill couldn’t be possessed by just anyone; it required tremendous talent.

Dick Byrne seemed to see through Ethan Cole’s thoughts and said coldly, “Don’t think about making me serve you. It’s impossible in this lifetime, even if you plead or even kill me.”

This guy was clearly a tech geek, had never been in a relationship, and was quite stubborn.

Of course, forceful methods wouldn’t work.

Ethan Cole sent a message to Isabelle Whitfield, asking her to come over.

Before long, Isabelle Whitfield, dressed very innocently and cutely, walked in.

Loose blue jeans + white t-shirt + white sneakers + a single ponytail + a face deliberately made up to look pure.

As soon as she walked in, she stunned Dick Byrne.

Then, embarrassed, he lowered his head and his cheeks turned red.

For a guy who had never even held a girl’s hand, Isabelle Whitfield’s outfit was absolutely lethal.

Ethan Cole had to admit that Isabelle Whitfield’s get-up scored high points.

He pointed at Dick Byrne and said, “This is the person who used technical means to create inappropriate videos to frame you.”

“You, why would you do this?” Isabelle Whitfield widened her eyes.

Covering her mouth, she said incredulously, “Did I do something to hurt you?”

“No… no.” Dick Byrne shook his head vigorously, at a loss for words.

“Plop!” “Plop!”

Isabelle Whitfield was an actor too, crying on cue.

Big tear drops suddenly fell like a kite without a string, continuously dropping.

Her voice quivered with sobs, her expression a mix of heartbreak: “We have no grievances, why would you do this to me?”

“I’ve never even dated. If this isn’t cleared up, how will I ever get married?”

“Wuu wuu wuu, are you trying to ruin me?”

Chapter 805: Ethan Cole Is Out of Line Again

Looking at Isabelle Whitfield as she cried a shower of tears like a pear blossom washed by the rain, a thick sense of guilt surged to his heart.

Dick Byrne wished he could slap himself twice.

Damn it.

He had actually made such a cute girl cry.

Of course, if it were another kind of situation that made her cry, he wouldn’t feel guilt but rather a deep sense of accomplishment.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Dick Byrne stood up, his face red as he kept apologizing to Isabelle Whitfield.

“Heh.” Ethan Cole sneered, “You think a simple apology will suffice?”

“You should know, apart from her, there are three other girls who have never been in a relationship.”

“The videos you sent out, although they have been clarified, are still a blemish.”

“Maybe in the future they will be rejected by people, never get married in their lifetime.”

“You, you have ruined the lives of four innocent girls.”

As his words ended—

Dick Byrne covered his chest, staggering backward continuously.

He felt choked.

He seemed to have indeed gone too far!

At that moment, he was only thinking about helping Nicole Sharpe take revenge, without considering too much.

Isabelle Whitfield didn’t accept Dick Byrne’s apology, turned her back on him, leaving only her beautiful back to Dick Byrne.

Seeing the timing was about right, Ethan Cole said, “If you have a conscience, then stay here.”

“Work for me as atonement.”

Dick Byrne instinctively wanted to nod in agreement.

But then he reacted, “Why should I work for you if I want to atone? Shouldn’t I be helping them instead?”

“Bang!”

Ethan Cole suddenly slapped the table and stood up, startling Dick Byrne.

Ethan Cole glared at Dick Byrne, “Have you forgotten that I am also one of the victims?”

“You framed me just after I got married, almost making me lose my wife!”

“Do you have any idea how much money I spent on my wedding?”

“Ten billion, a full ten billion to marry my wife!”

“If my wife and I were to divorce, would you pay that money?”

Dick Byrne’s face turned deathly pale.

At this moment, Ethan Cole, standing on the moral high ground, bombarded Dick Byrne with indiscriminate firepower.

Isabelle Whitfield shook her head secretly.

How could Dick Byrne, this naïve young man, be a match for Ethan Cole, an old hand who had been through many battles in the business world for years? A sure loss.

Right now, Dick Byrne was surrounded by immense guilt.

His entire body was shaking uncontrollably.

He felt as if he had committed an unforgivable sin.

Ethan Cole watched as the timing ripened.

Then he spoke in a softer tone.

He approached and patted Dick Byrne’s shoulder, “It’s not scary to make mistakes as a human being, what’s scary is not knowing how to repent.”

“Now I’m giving you one last chance. Come to my company, work for me.”

“You won’t need to stay long, just half a year, and you can leave if you want.”

“Really?” Dick Byrne looked a bit doubtful.

Half a year wasn’t long, it would fly by in the blink of an eye.

Ethan Cole: “Of course, we can put that condition in the contract.”

Under Ethan Cole’s verbal and emotional assault, Dick Byrne successfully signed a seemingly fair contract filled with countless loopholes.

Isabelle Whitfield shook her head secretly.

Done for.

You, young man, will be played by Ethan Cole for life.

Looking at the contract in his hands, Ethan Cole was completely satisfied.

Having brought down a top technology expert, he was in a good mood.

So he was no longer concerned with what he had done before.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you out to eat, to welcome and cleanse you.”

With that, he threw his arm around Dick Byrne’s neck and walked outside.

Before leaving, he gave Isabelle Whitfield an affirming look.

Isabelle Whitfield pouted, “Hmph, heartbreaker, you toss them aside after using them—wait, he hasn’t even used me yet… I really want to have a ‘go’ with him, sigh.”

---

Ethan Cole first took Dick Byrne to a high-class revolving restaurant.

That kind where each person spends two hundred thousand.

Dick Byrne was at such a place for the first time and was incredibly nervous.

Ethan Cole smiled warmly, comforting him not to be nervous.

Dick Byrne took a deep breath, “Are you trying to corrupt me in this way?”

“I’m telling you, I won’t be fooled!”

A hint of amusement flickered in Ethan Cole’s eyes, but he said, “No such thing, this is just where I usually dine.”

“Yeah, just like you go for a five-dollar stir-fried rice noodle meal.”

Dick Byrne immediately felt like he’d been hit hard.

This damned rich person.

Dick Byrne had the kind of extravagant dinner he hadn’t experienced in his previous twenty years.

Even though he kept saying no, his stomach was so full he could barely walk.

It also thoroughly exposed Dick Byrne to a corner of high society.

After that, Ethan Cole took Dick Byrne to a clubhouse.

When he saw the rows of beautiful ladies in qipaos and black stockings standing at the entrance, Dick Byrne turned to run.

But Ethan Cole caught him in one move, his smile bordering on a tease, “Why run? I’m just taking you for a foot wash.”

“Just a foot wash?” Dick Byrne was astonished.

He had thought…

“What else?” Ethan Cole asked knowingly.

“Cough cough.” Dick Byrne tactically coughed twice, “I thought there might be other services, and I am a decent person, you know.”

The corners of Ethan Cole’s mouth rose slightly.

They walked into the clubhouse.

Ethan Cole called over the manager and whispered a few instructions in her ear.

The manager nodded.

And led Dick Byrne into a private room.

Before long, a gorgeous woman around one meter seventy-tall with a stunning figure walked in.

Dick Byrne’s eyes were locked onto her.

The woman, though not dressed scantily, still managed to give off a very fiery vibe.

For someone pure-hearted like Dick Byrne, the impact was tremendous.

“Hello sir, I am masseuse number 66, may I serve you?”

Dick Byrne nodded subconsciously.

And then—

Dick Byrne was pushed over by the masseuse, and then—

An hour later, the masseuse left.

Leaving Dick Byrne alone to savor the experience.

So that’s what do feels like.

He was instantly smitten.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

Another girl came in.

This time it was a petite girl who could very well stir up a man’s protective instincts.

“Hello, brother, I am masseuse number 88, may I serve you?”

“Ah?” Dick Byrne was stunned, “There’s more?”

“Mhm.”

Dick Byrne opened his mouth, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

With a mixture of being pushed and yielding, he soon felt the joy of being embraced.

That night, a total of six girls entered Dick Byrne’s room, one after another.

They brought him experiences he had never had before.

And just like that, an innocent young man made a huge leap forward.

What Dick Byrne didn’t know was that his interactions with the girls had been secretly recorded.

All these videos were now in Ethan Cole’s possession.

With this material, Ethan Cole could control Dick Byrne forever.

No escaping his palm.

With that, Dick Byrne’s story came to an end.

Ethan Cole went to take a satisfying shower.

Coming out, he saw Grace Bennett doing stretches in the living room.

Watching her kneel in front of the TV, her body flexible as she made various movements,

Ethan Cole suddenly found himself wanting to experience the fortune of riding…

Chapter 806: Every Netizen is a Talented Individual

Time quickly reached the day before the seven-day National Day holiday.

Outside, it was bustling, with people everywhere going out and about.

The film version of “Coral Tides” would officially premiere tomorrow.

The promotional work for the movie had already been released.

However, the online response was lukewarm.

The main reason was that the original work’s fans didn’t trust the live-action adaptation very much.

They felt that for such a theme, unless the author played the role themselves, it couldn’t possibly retain the original flavor.

But as soon as Marina Winters released a video, the popularity suddenly spiked.

“Hi everyone, I’m Marina Winters, currently a freshman at Meridian University.”

Marina Winters in the video was radiant and sunny.

Clad all in white, with her fair, cool-toned skin, she was dazzlingly bright.

“Um, besides the identities mentioned above, I have another one that nobody knows about.”

“That is—I am the ‘Demon Queen’ that everyone is familiar with.”

“I starred in the live-action ‘Coral Tides,’ which was produced by compressing the plot of the original work.”

“I can assure you all, it’s definitely going to be exciting.”

“I hope you’ll support us when it premieres tomorrow, thank you.”

Once this video was released, it immediately dropped like a bombshell on the internet.

[Wow, the ‘Demon Queen’ is so young and fresh]

[Ahhh, I always thought the ‘Demon Queen’ was at least in her thirties or forties]

[The ‘Demon Queen’ is actually at the same university as me]

[Ah, I’m right there today]

[The person above is so gross, but if you’re in, I’m in too]

[I’ve already booked tickets for tomorrow’s movie]

[Ahhh, the ‘Demon Queen’s’ first movie, I must support it; I’m gonna book an entire showing for the ‘Demon Queen’ with my eighty-year-old girlfriend later]

---

The related trends quickly soared to the top of the hot search lists.

Marina Winters’s fanbase on SwiftStream also grew at an impressive rate of tens of thousands per minute.

The traffic generated by revealing her identity at this time was truly fearsome.

Everyone was about to go on vacation, which meant more time for surfing the net.

The two words ‘Demon Queen’ signified absolute traffic!

By eight o’clock in the evening, Marina Winters’s SwiftStream account had surpassed fifty million followers.

It set a new record.

It was estimated that for a long time to come, no one would be able to break it.

The discussion topics online were almost all about the ‘Demon Queen.’

But as soon as the clock struck eight, many platforms suddenly began promoting another movie set to premiere tomorrow called “Youth.”

Armies of paid posters flocked in masses and quickly snatched away a good deal of the ‘Demon Queen’s’ popularity.

Ethan Cole also noticed this incident right away.

But he couldn’t be bothered to care.

Many movies were to be released over the short holiday, and promotional tactics abounded.

However, the simplest and most cost-effective was still paying for traffic to set the tone.

But the situation wasn’t over yet.

Selena Han suddenly called.

“What’s up, Selena?” Ethan Cole pressed the answer button, speaking in a languid tone.

As expected, Selena Han was furious: “You’re the big sister, your whole family is big sisters!”

Even though Selena Han was of a certain age, she could not accept being called big sister.

Ethan Cole rolled his eyes: “Out with it, if you’ve got something to say.”

“Huff, huff, huff!” Selena Han was taking deep breaths, and then said coldly: “I want to discuss something with you, can the release of ‘Coral Tides’ be postponed?”

Ethan Cole: “Hmm?”

Selena Han explained: “My niece made a movie called ‘Youth,’ and it’s also premiering tomorrow.”

“The biggest competitor is ‘Coral Tides’ now.”

“She’s always wanted to make a movie that performs well, and I want to make her wish come true.”

“No problem,” Ethan Cole smiled, “give me three billion, and I won’t just delay it, I could make sure it never gets released.”

Facing Ethan Cole’s mocking tone, Selena Han wasn’t angry, “Consider it a favor I owe you, or I could repay you with my body if you prefer.”

Ethan Cole: “Nice thought, don’t bother thinking about it next time.”

Seeing that playing nice didn’t work, Selena Han tried a softer approach, “Please, Mr. Cole~ Brother Cole~ Daddy Cole~”

With a ‘snap,’ Ethan Cole hung up the phone.

He really couldn’t stand an old woman’s coquettish behavior.

Seeing Ethan Cole hang up on her again, Selena Han said coldly, “Hmph, I won’t give in easily this time.”

This time she was determined to help her niece, Willa Han, boost the movie’s box office performance.

She wasn’t truly scared of Ethan Cole.

Moreover, having watched the movie Willa Han starred in, she found it to be of good quality.

With her help, winning the box office championship was very likely.

During the mini-holiday, Ethan Cole and Grace Bennett had no plans to go out and play, choosing to stay at home instead.

It’s only the working folk who need to make the most of the holidays to travel.

The wealthy like them can go anywhere they please, anytime they like.

There was no need to join the masses and make a fuss on holidays.

The first morning of the mini-holiday.

As soon as Ethan Cole woke up, he leaned over to Grace Bennett’s ear and said, “Wife, I’m craving fish.”

Grace Bennett was still half asleep, mumbling a response, “Husband~ Fish in the morning?”

“Yes,” Ethan Cole’s eyes brimmed with mirth, “Your fish is rich without being oily, the broth carries a faint fragrance; it’s indeed the finest soup under heaven.”

Being praised like this by Ethan Cole, Grace Bennett slowly opened her eyes.

Though still a bit sleepy, if her husband wanted to eat fish, she’d get up and make it.

Ethan Cole pressed down on Grace Bennett, who was trying to get up, “You don’t have to cook, it’s ready-made.”

“Huh?” Grace Bennett was puzzled, “I don’t remember having fish in the fridge.”

“Indeed, there’s none in the fridge,” the smile in Ethan Cole’s eyes grew thicker, “but it’s available elsewhere.”

Grace Bennett quickly realized where the fish Ethan Cole mentioned was.

She became incredibly embarrassed.

With both hands covering her face, she dared not look at Ethan Cole.

Ever since they got married, it seemed like her husband had ventured further and further down a certain path, never to return.

But as his wife, all she could do was comply unconditionally.

Ethan Cole lay on the living room couch, scrolling through his phone.

In the wee hours, all movies were released one after another.

‘Coral Tides’ had the highest number of screenings.

But—

The first day’s box office was only second place, ninety million.

The top spot was ‘Youth,’ raking in one and a half billion, far ahead of the rest.

Without a doubt, Selena Han had manipulated the ticket sales.

This was not uncommon.

As soon as he went online—

Sure enough, a horde of promotional accounts was advertising ‘Youth.’

[This movie is so touching]

[I used up two big packs of tissues]

[Both the lead actors are very attractive, and their chemistry is great, it’s much better than ‘Coral Tides’ next door]

[How can the trash ‘Coral Tides’ compare to ‘Youth’?]

[It was great to watch it with my girlfriend at dawn, and I watched it again with my wife in the morning, still so moving]

[Hold on, the guy above, let me straighten this out]

---

Chapter 807: Role-Playing with the Wife

Ethan Cole looked at these marketing accounts online, along with the comments, and found it amusing.

The tactics were not very clever.

He wasn’t worried at all.

Because his own side hadn’t even gone all out yet.

Grace Bennett, Daphne Reyes, Isabelle Whitfield, Chloe Winters, and others had not yet started promoting “Blueprint.”

Another factor was that the ‘Demon Queen’s fan base had not yet made its move.

On the first day, Isabelle Whitfield started helping with the promotion online first.

By noon, the box office had achieved a comeback.

First place: “Blueprint,” total box office 193,588,888.

Second place: “Youth,” total box office 160,586,856.

Third place: “The Overbearing CEO Fell in Love with Me, Short, Ugly, and Fat,” total box office 60,000,000.

Ethan Cole couldn’t hold back his laughter when he saw the third place.

With such neatly rounded numbers, no one would believe you weren’t inflating the numbers.

Alright, alright, so now we’re being brazen with the wash trading, huh?

After a brief look, Ethan Cole lost interest.

He couldn’t possibly lose this battle.

Unless Selena Han was willing to spend two or three billion to hype up her niece,

she wouldn’t stand a chance against Marina Winters.

During the seven-day mini-holiday, Ethan Cole only spent a little time on the movie “Blueprint.”

The rest of the time, he was playing role-playing games with his wife.

Day one: Cook.

Day two: Sailor.

Day three: Student.

Day four: Teacher.

Day five: Overbearing Female CEO.

Day six: Friend’s wife.

Day seven: Young nanny.

On the eighth day, Grace Bennett ran off to stay at Daphne Reyes’s house.

After seven consecutive days of role-playing, Grace Bennett felt it was too embarrassing.

On the eighth day, when Ethan Cole wanted to continue, Grace Bennett, overwhelmed, took off.

Ethan Cole smacked his lips, a bit regretful.

During the seven days of the mini-holiday, he lived a heavenly life.

He was almost reluctant to work hard, only wanting to be with his delicate wife every day.

Alas.

Indeed, the temptations of wine, wealth, and women could easily corrupt a person’s will.

He had to move giving up drinking up his agenda.

Arriving at the company,

the first thing he did was to check the total box office of “Blueprint” after the mini-holiday.

“Not bad,” Ethan Cole said with a smile after checking, “it’s broken thirty billion.”

“Blueprint” started to explode from the second day of the mini-holiday.

The first day was about accumulating word-of-mouth.

The second day brought in a terrifying tally of five billion at the box office.

It simply ground the other movies released during the same period into the dirt.

The competition wasn’t even close.

It was also an eye-opener to witness the terrifying traffic that came with the label ‘Demon Queen.’

The first movie was a huge success.

By the time it had been in theaters for a month, the total box office should break forty billion.

Ethan Cole decisively contacted Marina Winters to meet.

Marina Winters hadn’t seen Ethan Cole for a long time.

They hadn’t even contacted each other on a rival messaging app.

As a top-tier green tea expert, she naturally wouldn’t foolishly make advances,

but would use her charm and abilities to improve her status in Ethan Cole’s eyes.

Moreover, she hadn’t contacted Ethan Cole during this period, nor had she said anything typical of a green tea.

She successfully dispelled some of Ethan Cole’s suspicions about her.

The next step was to increase opportunities for collaboration with Ethan Cole.

That way, they could meet frequently.

That’s right.

She wanted to follow the path of developing feelings over time.

After receiving an invitation from Ethan Cole, Marina Winters showed a smile on her face.

She took a bath, changed into clean, neat clothes, and then went to meet her appointment.

No makeup was applied.

At the age of eighteen, a girl is at her most delicate and beautiful.

Especially for someone of Marina Winters’s caliber.

Even without any cosmetics, she was already breathtaking.

The meeting wasn’t just between the two of them, as Ethan Cole also called Grace Bennett over.

It was for work, reasonable and justifiable, so Grace Bennett naturally couldn’t refuse.

But—

She wasn’t foolish, and also invited Daphne Reyes to come along.

Otherwise, she might suffer at the hands of her boss tonight.

Ethan Cole, seeing that Grace Bennett had brought Daphne Reyes too, itched with irritation.

He gave her a ‘warning’ look.

Grace Bennett guiltily averted her gaze and dared not look Ethan Cole in the eye.

Yeah.

As long as I don’t look at him, he’s not angry.

Ethan Cole sneered in his heart.

You can hide on the first day, but not on the fifteenth.

After all, everything that builds up will ultimately be borne by her, and she won’t be able to escape it.

“Congratulations, Brianna,” Ethan Cole raised his glass to Marina Winters, “The movie was a huge success, I toast to you.”

“Thank you,” Marina Winters replied with a sweet smile and clinked glasses gently with Ethan Cole.

Then she downed it in one gulp.

“Ha, that’s spicy.”

Marina Winters stuck out her little tongue and kept puffing air, looking extremely cute.

Of course—

Ethan Cole could tell at a glance that Marina Winters’s tongue wasn’t as delicate and tender as his wife’s… and certainly not as… cough, cough.

Daphne Reyes curiously asked, “Based on the current box office, how much can Brianna make from it?”

The girls around Ethan Cole were very fond of Marina Winters.

So they were also very happy to see her succeed.

Ethan Cole made a rough estimate and said, “She can probably take home about three hundred million after taxes.”

If it were any other film company, she definitely wouldn’t be able to get that much.

Because there are many entities to share profits with.

And you have to pay theaters and the like.

But on Ethan Cole’s side, everything from production to sales is integrated.

So basically, over ninety-five percent of the net profit from a movie is earned by the company itself.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” Daphne Reyes’s beautiful eyes sparkled with surprise, “Brianna is only eighteen, and she’s already a billionaire.”

“It’s all thanks to the help of all the sisters and Brother Cole,” Marina Winters said modestly.

Ethan Cole also smiled and said, “Not bad, you’ve already achieved fame and success, yet you’re still so humble. Your future is limitless.”

Ethan Cole also had high hopes for this young girl.

Beauty, talent, and emotional intelligence.

Her place on the list of the wealthy was guaranteed in the future.

Only, Ethan Cole didn’t know that if it weren’t for Marina Winters investing all her fortune in the field of intelligent driving,

With her previous assets, she could have already been on the domestic rich list.

After dinner, Ethan Cole conveniently signed the contracts for the next few comic-adapted movies with Marina Winters.

She would star in three of them and play the second female lead in one.

The profit-sharing model remained the same as before, with Marina Winters taking a 20% cut.

Afterward, Ethan Cole suggested that they all go out for karaoke.

After all, according to the tradition of the people in the country, when you make money, you celebrate and have fun.

And it wasn’t a small amount of money.

Nobody objected.

Marina Winters asked if it was okay to invite her cousin too.

After receiving an affirmative answer, she went to call Chloe Winters.

Ethan Cole also called Isabelle Whitfield over to join them.

The more, the merrier.

“Grace, what a coincidence to see you here!”

Just as the group had reached the lobby, a voice filled with surprise came from behind.

Chapter 808: Shocking Ethan Cole for a Hundred Years

Everyone turned around, just to see a woman who was one meter eighty tall, with golden wavy long hair, walking over with a twist in her waist.

“What a coincidence.” The woman looked at Grace Bennett with a surprised expression.

“May I ask who you are?” Grace Bennett looked at the woman in front of her with confusion.

She’s so tall.

This is the first time I’ve seen such a tall girl in real life.

And… er, I don’t know whether to call her sturdy or voluptuous.

Plus, on closer inspection, she looked somewhat familiar, yet I couldn’t recall where I had seen her before.

Ethan Cole recognized who this person was.

Without making a sound, he positioned half his body in front of his wife.

“Stop teasing me, Grace,” the woman said pinching her fingers together, her voice whining, “I’m Hazel Prescott, but now I’ve changed my name to Liu (Qiang) Jiao, hee hee hee.”

Grace Bennett involuntarily stepped back a few steps, her face filled with horror.

“Liu, Liu, Liu, Liu… Qiang?”

Was she hallucinating from a lack of sleep last night, or had the world turned into something she couldn’t understand?

Ethan Cole’s face revealed a ‘that explains it’ expression.

It seems Hazel Prescott, oh no, now called Liu (Qiang) Jiao.

Having rid herself of worries, she had accepted reality.

Her current outfit — not bad.

“Oh, Grace, don’t make that face, it’ll make me sad,” Liu (Qiang) Jiao said, biting her thick lips, “Aren’t we good sisters?”

Grace Bennett: °.°·(((p(≧□≦)q)))·°.°

Marina Winters and Daphne Reyes understood as well.

The two girls also had an expression as if they had seen a ghost.

In any place, this was indeed an explosive situation.

“Grace, where are you guys heading?” Liu (Qiang) Jiao bashfully asked, “Can you take me with you?”

Grace Bennett was so shocked that she was left speechless.

All Ethan Cole could do was to put on a smile and say, “Scram.”

“Hey, what are you doing?” Liu (Qiang) Jiao whined pitifully, “You’re being mean, boo hoo hoo.”

Ethan Cole: “…”

Indeed, after that thing, her entire temperament had undergone an earth-shattering change.

“I… I still have something to do, we’ll talk next time,” Grace Bennett said and then fled in panicked haste.

Clearly, she had been scared by Liu (Qiang) Jiao.

“Ah.” Liu (Qiang) Jiao’s face was full of melancholy, “I’ve already become so ladylike, why doesn’t Grace want to hang out with me?”

“Forget it, forget it, I’ll just go for some beauty treatments first and then find a few handsome guys for a music party, tee hee hee.”

Thinking this way, Liu (Qiang) Jiao’s mood suddenly improved.

She swayed her serpentine waist and left.

Ethan Cole caught up with Grace Bennett.

He saw her with a face still doubting life itself.

He couldn’t help but laugh, “This isn’t anything new, why such a big reaction?”

“I don’t understand,” Grace Bennett argued, her large eyes without spirit, “How can a perfectly good man turn out like this?”

“Maybe…” Ethan Cole bluffed, “she finds being a woman more joyful, something you can deeply relate to.”

Grace Bennett’s face turned red again, “Husband, stop making such jokes, I can’t handle this~”

Ethan Cole thought, neither can I.

It had been three years from dating to marriage.

Grace Bennett still blushed and became shy at the drop of a hat.

Which man could withstand that?

After singing in the karaoke bar for several hours, the group went out for a late-night snack.

“Wanna play Throne Legends?” Chloe Winters suggested.

“Sure.” Marina Winters was the first to raise her hand.

With the help of the popularity of the quick tunes, Throne Legends had become quite the hit.

The peak concurrent online users had already surpassed ten million.

In the computer world, the development of the internet over the last decade or so has produced only a handful of games with over ten million concurrent online players, and those games are notoriously difficult.

But now, with the move to mobile, that challenge has been greatly reduced.

Ten million is just a starting point.

Of the six, only Daphne Reyes had never played, so she watched the others.

Ethan Cole chose Zhao Yun to jungle.

Grace Bennett picked Yao, with all she needed to do being perched atop her mount.

Marina Winters took the top lane with Guan Yu.

Chloe Winters in the mid lane with Wang Zhaojun.

Isabelle Whitfield went bot lane as Little Luban.

At the start of the game, Zhao Yun went straight to the enemy’s blue buff to counter-jungle.

Since this game had only recently become popular, many of the strategies that seemed standard to Ethan Cole were not yet widely known.

After Ethan Cole had cleared the enemy blue area of jungle creatures, he returned to his own jungle.

The enemy jungler, playing Dian Wei, when faced with the empty blue area, first thought the game had glitched.

By the time Zhao Yun had finished clearing his own jungle, he was level five.

Bot lane, Little Luban was being bullied under his turret by three enemies.

In his past life as well as this one, Little Luban was the character everyone loved to hate and found easiest to kill.

Ethan Cole: “Little Luban, step out of the tower and draw all three of them together.”

As soon as he stepped out of the tower, he was instantly killed.

Zhao Yun immediately followed with an ultimate, his second ability a flurry of stabs, killing all three enemy heroes instantly.

“Wow, that was amazing,” Marina Winters said excitedly.

Zhao Yun then went back to counter-jungle the enemy’s blue area again.

The game ended in less than ten minutes.

Ethan Cole got twelve kills with zero deaths.

The enemy, having only killed Little Luban for first blood, was left wondering if they had encountered a cheater.

Daphne Reyes found the game quite interesting and decided to download it as well.

She planned to practice by herself first, so she could later join everyone in team play.

After ten straight matches, Ethan Cole carried game after game, successfully leading his friends from bronze tier to silver.

Ethan Cole yawned: “It’s almost 1 a.m.; time to go home and rest.”

Isabelle Whitfield was still eager to play more.

She really wanted to tell Ethan Cole that she wanted more games.

But fearing she might get metaphorically killed for saying it, she reluctantly gave up the idea.

Ethan Cole looked towards Grace Bennett.

Grace Bennett instinctively stiffened up: “Last night my cousin had a nightmare, so tonight I’m going to sleep with her.”

Daphne Reyes: “When did I have a nightmare, and how come I don’t know about it?”

Then she saw Grace Bennett winking at her non-stop.

“Oh, oh, oh,” Daphne realized, “Right, I had a nightmare last night.”

Ethan Cole couldn’t be bothered to expose Grace Bennett’s little ruse.

After returning home alone, Ethan Cole washed up and went to sleep.

Isabelle Whitfield also went to Daphne Reyes’s place.

The three girls didn’t go to sleep right away after their baths.

Sitting on the sofa, they drank beverages, snacked, watched melodramatic TV shows, and let out occasional peals of silvery laughter.

“Grace,” Isabelle Whitfield asked curiously, “Why did you suddenly come to live with Daphne? Did you have a fight with Ethan Cole?”

It didn’t seem that way.

The newlyweds were in the sweet phase of their marriage.

Grace Bennett was too embarrassed to explain and beat around the bush.

Isabelle Whitfield was relentless.

She even pinned Grace down and tickled her.

Finally, unable to take it anymore, Grace Bennett confessed: “He wants too much, I can’t keep up.”

Chapter 809: The Congenital Shyness Holy Body

“Me going?” Isabelle Whitfield’s eyes lit up, “Is it that explosive? What are the details? Come on, tell me.”

Daphne Reyes turned her head away in embarrassment.

But her ears pricked up quietly.

Grace Bennett closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

How could she talk about such an embarrassing thing?

Isabelle Whitfield shook Grace Bennett’s body, “Aren’t you telling me, Grace? Tell me, I really want to know. How did he make you unbearable?”

Grace Bennett: “…”

If she had known, she would never have said those words just now.

Daphne Reyes ‘saved’ Grace Bennett in the end.

“Okay then.” Isabelle Whitfield was a bit disappointed.

But she quickly thought of something else.

She took out her mobile phone and opened the shopping app.

“Come here and help me see which styles are good.”

Daphne Reyes and Grace Bennett came over.

But when they saw what Isabelle Whitfield had searched, both sisters’ faces turned red instantly.

Then they ran off in a fluster.

“Huh?” Isabelle Whitfield, with a face full of question marks, said, “It’s strange. I can understand why Daphne is shy, but Grace has been through so much, why is she still shy?”

Could it be the legendary innate shyness physique?

---

Ethan Cole had just laid down when Derek Hayes called him.

“Ethan Cole, ah ah ah, I’m in so much pain, Natalie is pregnant and won’t help me, nor will she let me go out, I’m going crazy.”

“Come up with a plan quickly, save the child, it’s so hard for me.”

As soon as the call connected, Derek Hayes’s wailing could be heard.

It seemed that although the last incident didn’t result in Natalie Brooks catching them in the act, it had significantly increased her control over Derek Hayes.

Ethan Cole thought for a moment, then said, “Every team needs to have the following types of people:

A leading sheep, a combative wolf, a valiant tiger, an incessant deer… an incessant deer… an incessant deer… you get it?”

“Hiss, I get it, you’re awesome.” Derek Hayes was pleased with himself and hung up the phone, then went to the bathroom to do as Ethan Cole had suggested.

Ethan Cole: “…”

In view of this, he had indeed trained Grace Bennett well.

Yet, Grace Bennett occasionally had a rebellious side, too.

Like today, when she absolutely refused to go home with him.

He snorted, thinking of teaching her a lesson the next time they went home.

Making you not come home, making you not come home, making you not come home…

The next morning, Vernon Castellan called Ethan Cole.

He said that the university was completely finished.

The unveiling ceremony was set for October 15th.

Ethan Cole was thrilled.

He said he would head over right now to take a look.

This was the first university building project he was involved in, so he had to check it out in advance.

He sent a message to Grace Bennett for the record, and then Ethan Cole took a helicopter to Kingsport.

Grace Bennett didn’t wake up until almost eleven o’clock in the morning.

After they went to bed last night, Isabelle Whitfield wouldn’t let her sleep.

She kept asking her this and that.

All about matters between the sheets.

And asked some questions that easily made one blush and feel embarrassed.

That made Grace Bennett have no choice but to play dead.

It wasn’t until four or five in the morning that she managed to sleep.

Grace Bennett couldn’t understand when Sister Isabelle had become so cheeky.

Or maybe she had always been this way, just hiding it well before?

She turned on her phone and saw the message Ethan Cole had sent a while ago: Honey, I’m so heartbroken you didn’t come home, off to Kingsport for a business trip, wuwuwu.

Who could imagine that a domineering CEO with a height of six feet and a robust physique would be so good at acting coquettishly?

Grace Bennett knew that Ethan Cole was pretending to be pitiful on purpose, but she still felt a pang of guilt.

She made a phone call to Ethan Cole.

“Wifey~”

“Hubby, how long will you be in Kingsport?”

“Ah, that depends on when you come home. If you don’t come home for a month, then I won’t come home for a month either.”

“Don’t, I’ll come back soon.”

“Alright then, see you tonight. Love you, wifey. Tonight, let’s discuss some water-related topics together.”

Grace Bennett couldn’t help but blush: “You’re so annoying, always being so suggestive.”

Ethan Cole confidently said, “What’s wrong with being a bit naughty? How are you?”

“Um…” Grace Bennett was at a loss for words.

After hanging up, she turned around to see Isabelle Whitfield staring at her with mischievously gleaming eyes.

Grace Bennett: “…”

“Grace, tell me, what are ‘water-related’ topics?” Isabelle Whitfield asked with a gangster-like grin.

Grace Bennett wanted to run.

But she was quickly caught by the swift Isabelle Whitfield.

“Hee hee hee, young lady, where do you think you’re running to?” Isabelle Whitfield asked with a wicked smile, “Come on, spit it out to your sister.”

Grace Bennett trembled: “Sister, please spare me.”

She felt like she had entered a den of wolves.

Daphne Reyes had also woken up.

But she didn’t dare to open her eyes.

Isabelle Whitfield had thoroughly exposed her rogue tendencies last night.

Even Grace Bennett, who was already married, couldn’t stand it, let alone her who hadn’t even held a man’s hand?

Seeing Grace Bennett’s defiant look, Isabelle Whitfield decisively changed her strategy.

She sighed and said, “Well, if you won’t talk, then I can only tell everything to Megan Price; she’d definitely be interested.”

“Don’t.” Grace Bennett panicked: “Isn’t it enough that I’ll tell you?”

---

Ethan Cole arrived at the entrance of Coleridge University.

He looked around first.

Various shops, supermarkets, small hospitals, etc. had been constructed simultaneously.

A plaque was covered by a red cloth.

This was to be unveiled by Ethan Cole personally on October 15th.

Vernon Castellan knew Ethan Cole was coming, so he waited at the entrance early.

Upon seeing Ethan Cole, he didn’t put on any airs at all.

With a cheerful face, he invited him inside to take a tour.

The entire school’s interior design was a blend of Tang and Ming dynasties styles.

The overall impression it gave was beautiful and grand.

Ethan Cole felt like he had entered a modern-day palace.

It took him over an hour to roughly view the entire interior of the school.

Ethan Cole was very satisfied with all aspects.

As for other issues, like recruiting excellent teachers, Vernon Castellan was entirely responsible.

As a private university, it needed to be profitable.

This was a point Ethan Cole and Vernon Castellan discussed.

They decided that for the first three years, the focus would be on building a good reputation.

Moreover, Ethan Cole had also made a guarantee.

Students graduating from Coleridge University would be given priority to enter QuickRead Group.

Vernon Castellan was delighted.

With Ethan Cole’s guarantee, at least by next September when school starts, the university could recruit a batch of students, ensuring a basic level of security.

“Oh, there’s one more thing,” Ethan Cole remembered something and smilingly said to Vernon Castellan…

Chapter 810: Honey, You’ve Been Duped Again

“Oh, by the way, Mr. Castellan, I have a friend who’s teaching at Meridian University. Maybe we could have her come over here?” Ethan Cole suddenly suggested.

He was referring to Megan Price.

Megan Price wasn’t really teaching much at Meridian University anymore; she was just marking time and often took leaves.

And she was just an ordinary instructor.

Since that was the case, it might be better to bring her to his own university.

Give her a slightly higher position, like a director or deputy director; it would also be a way to repay her for her past kindness to him.

This was no big deal, and Vernon Castellan agreed without hesitation.

He was thinking of the substantial investment Ethan Cole had made in the school.

As long as it wasn’t something like stuffing her into the position of president or vice-president, everything else was negotiable.

Even if the person coming in hadn’t even finished middle school.

Ethan Cole rushed back to Empire City the same day.

Looking forward to giving Grace Bennett a surprise when the time came.

Returning home, as he opened the door, the anticipated sweet welcome of his petite wife rushing to give him a big hug happened.

The expected dinner and then another dinner scenario did not ensue.

In the living room, Grace Bennett, Daphne Reyes, Isabelle Whitfield, Marina Winters, and Chloe Winters, a few girls, were lying there playing games.

What met the eye were inviting bare legs, tempting ab lines, fair skin, and both fishnets and thigh highs on display.

“Ah, come save me; I’m surrounded by enemies.”

“How can you be so silly; the enemy has totally scouted out the jungle.”

“Come to the top lane to support me, I’m about to get blasted.”

“Wuwuwu, we lost again, and I dropped a rank.”

---

“Have all of you eaten yet?” Ethan Cole asked with a smile, his gaze not constantly fixed on them.

“Mr. Cole~”

“Brother Cole~”

“Husband, you came back without even telling me in advance.” Grace Bennett put down her phone and was about to get up to cook.

“No worries.” Ethan Cole smiled: “Continue playing, I’ll cook. What does everyone want to eat?”

“Anything is fine.”

“I want salt-baked shrimp.”

“Make a sauerkraut beef pot.”

Apart from Marina Winters, who was too shy to order, the others all requested a few dishes.

Ethan Cole nodded, took note of the orders, and then headed to the kitchen.

“Brother Cole can cook?” Marina Winters glanced in the direction of the kitchen and said with mild surprise.

Grace Bennett nodded: “Yeah, he cooks much better than I do.”

“Brother Cole really is talented,” Marina Winters sincerely said: “So wealthy yet so approachable, and he dotes on Grace so much.”

A blissful smile appeared on Grace Bennett’s face.

She felt that in her last life, she must have saved the galaxy to have met such a good man like Ethan Cole in this life.

With a man helping to cook, the five girls continued their gaming.

Naturally, they lost more than they won.

“Time to eat.”

An hour later, Ethan Cole brought the meals he had cooked to the table.

The girls stopped what they were doing upon hearing the news.

Seeing the delicious food in front of them, Marina Winters could not help but exclaim, “Just looking at it makes me hungry; thanks for the treat, Brother Cole.”

She behaved graciously, and no one suspected or figured out that she had any improper intentions toward Ethan Cole.

Everyone sat down.

“Husband~” Grace Bennett, after serving Ethan Cole a piece of meat, said: “Can you possibly add a six-player, seven-player, or even ten-player mode in ‘Kings’ later on?”

“That way, when we have so many people, we can all play together.”

“Hmm, that’s worth considering,” Ethan Cole thought aloud: “I’ll enlarge the map then.”

“Thank you, husband.”

“And tonight~”

Grace’s face flushed, and she hastily gave Ethan Cole more pieces of meat, preventing him from saying anything outrageous.

With so many people around, she couldn’t stand being teased.

The others also all had expressions that said, “you know what I’m talking about.”

After dinner, Ethan Cole asked a few of them if they were free on the 15th to go to Kingsport for Coleridge University’s unveiling.

He didn’t mention that he had invested in the school, merely saying it was for business needs.

Now, the girls around Ethan Cole each had money, social influence, and status.

Most importantly, none of them had any scandals, maintaining completely positive images.

When these people attended the unveiling together, the level of social attention would be unprecedentedly high.

After dinner, the girls washed the dishes together.

Ethan Cole stood on the second floor and shouted down to the kitchen, “Wife, where is my white shirt? I can’t find it. Come help me look for it.”

“Okay~”

Grace hurried upstairs.

“Bang!”

However, as soon as she entered, the door was locked behind her.

Then Grace’s mouth was covered.

Grace realized she had been tricked and tried to push Ethan Cole away.

But her strength was naturally not enough to succeed.

She struggled for a bit then gave up.

Their skin tightly pressed together through the fabric.

Grace could distinctly feel Ethan Cole’s body temperature rapidly rising.

The atmosphere around was filled with ambiguity, making Grace’s pretty face turn even redder and hotter, and her breathing became more rapid.

“Don’t~” Grace, feeling Ethan Cole’s mischief, tilted her head back, temporarily escaping his grip, “They are still outside, they’ll find out.”

Ethan Cole said with a half-smile, “Find out what?”

Grace, “Find out you are a big bad guy.”

Ethan Cole, “Then I’ll show you just how bad I can be right now.”

Grace, “I was wrong, please let me go, wuwuwu, we must go out, otherwise they will really guess.”

Seeing her pitiful look, Ethan Cole really wanted to tease her mercilessly.

But he still let her go.

He pinched her nose, “Fine, I’ll let you off for now, but if you dare leave tonight, huh, you’ll be responsible for the consequences.”

Grace shrank her neck.

She had actually been planning on that.

Now, that plan was immediately thwarted.

After Grace left, Ethan Cole called Megan Price to discuss the school matters.

“Yo yo yo, still the head, thanks a lot,” Megan Price said sarcastically.

Ethan Cole also told her the name of the school.

Even through the screen, Ethan Cole could smell the jealousy.

He couldn’t help but touch his nose, “Megan, you…”

“Enough, enough, spare me the extra talk,” Megan Price interrupted him, “I got it, I’ll resign from Meridian University tomorrow, but I won’t be coming on the 15th.”

She didn’t want to see Ethan Cole and Grace flaunting their love.

“Alright, shall we leave it at that?”

“Get lost, you sleaze,” Megan Price hung up first.

Ethan Cole gave a bitter smile.

Right now, his most troubling relationship was with Megan Price.

And frustratingly, Ethan Cole couldn’t do anything about her.

Ethan Cole thought to himself, the best thing to do was to get Grace pregnant sooner rather than later.

By the time the child was born, seeing such an adorable baby might change Megan Price’s mind.

After the girls finished washing the dishes, they sat for a while then sensibly left.

As soon as they left, Ethan Cole instantly transformed into a complete beast…

Chapter 811: Why Don’t You Smile? Were You Born Not to Smile?

Ethan Cole pulled Grace Bennett back to the room to exchange cultures.

He was like a gushing river.

Every point he made was on point.

Things naturally fell into place.

There was a method to their madness.

Their roots grew deep and steadfast.

Finally, they looked at each other and smiled.

Both of them learned a lot of useful knowledge during the exchange.

That’s how people are, learn until you can’t anymore.

The next morning when she woke up, Grace Bennett went to the restroom and came back with a big smile on her face.

“What happened?” Ethan Cole asked curiously.

Grace Bennett danced with joy, “My period came.”

That meant she wouldn’t have to endure the hardship of those days for the next week or so.

“Grace, you’re celebrating too soon,” Ethan Cole said with a smile, “I’ll leave you speechless.”

The smile on Grace Bennett’s face froze immediately.

Ethan Cole: “Keep smiling, why did you stop, is it because you were born without a love for smiling?”

Grace Bennett: “…”

---

On the morning of October 14th at 10:30 AM, a group of friends arrived at the airport.

Ready to set off for Kingsport.

Because of too many people including bodyguards and assistants, the helicopter couldn’t fit everyone.

So they had to choose to fly commercial.

To avoid being mobbed, they were fully incognito.

Once they passed security, they took off their disguises.

“Brianna,” Grace Bennett’s attention was drawn to the bag she was carrying, “your bag is so pretty.”

The other girls also chimed in:

“Yes, I wanted to ask about it earlier.”

“The design is really unique too.”

“This bag is from a very niche brand,” Marina Winters said with a smile, “It’s called ‘Turnip Sack’, and it’s very comfortable to carry.”

Grace Bennett: “The name is a bit weird, but I want to buy one too.”

Isabelle Whitfield: “Then I also want an ‘Turnip Sack’.”

Daphne Reyes: “The bag looks pretty, get me an ‘Turnip Sack’ too.”

Chloe Winters: “Everyone is getting an ‘Turnip Sack’, it seems out of place if I don’t.”

Ethan Cole: “???”

“What’s wrong?” Grace Bennett noticed