Chapter 673 - 669: How Come It’s a Girl?

The New Year holiday was wonderfully relaxing and pleasant. The family got together every day, going out to eat whatever they fancied. No one had to rush around, and no one had to clean up.

The result: everyone gained five pounds!

In the coffee shop on the first floor of Aetherium, Ethan Sterling pushed open the door, snow dusting his hair. He shook himself off at the entrance before looking up and peering inside.

During the Spring Festival, the major shopping districts in Lorcain started reopening one after another from the second day of the New Year. Everywhere indoors was packed with people.

"Ethan!"

Jameson Stone stood up and waved. Seeing him, Ethan Sterling smiled and walked over. "You’re a hard man to get ahold of! It’s already the fourth day of the New Year and you’re only just now meeting me!"

Jameson Stone explained, "My relatives came over for the holiday. My cousin is a gaming god, so I had him help me practice. I have to train hard, otherwise how am I supposed to be a match for your team?"

"Did it work?"

"Of course. I’m Grandmaster rank in the Canyon now." Jameson Stone’s excitement suddenly grew. "Oh, right, Ethan! I was watching all sorts of skilled streamers at home these past few days, and I found one who I think goes to our university."

"A streamer from Lorcain U? A skilled one?"

Jameson Stone nodded and took out his phone, pulling up the person’s profile. "Look!"

Holly Assistant, Male, 20 years old, IP: Lorcain, Lorcain University!

Followers: 1,309.

"He’s a Support player? How come he only has a little over a thousand followers?"

"Support streamers don’t get many viewers in the first place, but this guy is seriously good. Check out the highlight videos on his profile."

Ethan Sterling casually clicked on one and started watching. As he did, the corners of his mouth turned up in an unconscious smile.

"See? I wasn’t lying, was I? The guy has several national server-ranked Support heroes. He even broke into the top fifty on the national server playing Support. His skill level is close to yours and Helen White’s."

Ethan Sterling nodded, but then had a second thought and said uncertainly, "But he only wrote Lorcain University on his profile. It doesn’t necessarily mean he actually goes to our school. A lot of people just make that stuff up."

"I sent him a private message, but he didn’t reply." Jameson Stone pouted. "Only a thousand followers and he’s already acting all high and mighty."

"I have a way to make him reply."

"You do? What is it?"

"You didn’t send him any gifts, did you?" Ethan Sterling asked.

Jameson Stone shook his head. "What money do I have to send him gifts? When I watch his stream, almost no one sends him gifts. His channel doesn’t have many viewers to begin with."

At this, he finally realized. "You’re going to send him gifts?"

"Yeah. If I send enough, he’ll definitely have to follow me back, right? Then I can ask him if he’s from Lorcain U."

"You rich people and your simple, brute-force methods."

Just then, Helen White walked into the coffee shop. She was wearing a long, white down jacket, its hood trimmed with fluffy fur, which made her look a bit cuter than usual.

"Helen."

Seeing Helen White, both of them stood up to greet her.

Helen White glanced at the two of them, her eyes finally landing on Ethan Sterling. "You sounded really excited in the voice message you sent me. Is something good going on?"

Ethan Sterling gestured for her to sit down, then said with a smile, "It’s definitely good news. I’m just not sure if you’ll be interested."

"There aren’t many things that can get me interested."

At that moment, the coffee shop manager personally walked over with a coffee. "Mr. Sterling, your hot latte."

The manager’s respectful demeanor made Helen White do a double take. Then she heard Ethan Sterling ask her, "Helen, what would you like to drink?"

Helen White snapped back to her senses. "A mocha, I guess."

"Another hot mocha, please."

"Of course. Right away, sir."

"Ethan, you’re not a Gold Card member here, are you?" Helen White finally couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked.

She had wanted to ask last time, when the restaurant was about to waive her bill, but given the setting and the other people present, she had been too embarrassed to ask.

But seeing the coffee shop manager personally serve him today...

’My own father is a Gold Card member, but he never receives this level of deferential treatment!’

When she saw Ethan Sterling shake his head, her breath caught. "A Platinum Card, then?"

"Helen, you can stop guessing," Jameson Stone said, looking at Helen White. "This whole Aetherium place is Ethan’s family’s."

Helen White: "?"

"To be precise, it’s my sister’s," Ethan Sterling explained. "I just have a black card with no credit limit, so I can spend whatever I want."

"The beautiful woman from last time who said she’d comp my meal? Your actual sister?"

Ethan Sterling nodded.

Helen White blinked, a look of pure shock on her face. "No wonder..."

"Let’s not talk about that. Back to business." Ethan Sterling pulled the conversation back on track and took the two tickets his sister had given him from his jacket pocket. "Interested?"

Helen White took them, a skeptical look on her face. But when she saw what they were, her eyes flew wide open. "Holy shit!"

Her reflexive outburst was louder than she intended, drawing curious glances from those around them. Helen White quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, but she couldn’t hide the light shining in her eyes. "Are you serious?"

Seeing her reaction, Ethan Sterling knew she was interested. Very interested.

Ethan Sterling just smiled without saying a word, raising his eyebrows with a hint of smug satisfaction.

"You actually managed to get tickets? And for the front row of the VIP section, no less! You..." Helen White was so excited she was at a loss for words. "You’re inviting me to go?"

Ethan Sterling nodded. "Yep. Interested?"

"Of course!" Helen White agreed without a moment’s hesitation. "Even if this is a sugar-coated bullet, I’ll take it!"

"What’s going on?" Jameson Stone was completely lost. He craned his neck to look at the tickets and gasped. "Tickets to the Grand Finals? Aren’t the finals in Occidenta this year?"

"I’d go even if they were on The Moon!" Helen White slapped the tickets in her hand and looked at Ethan Sterling, declaring breezily, "You provide the tickets, I’ll cover the flights and hotel!"

"Sounds good. As long as you’re willing to go, that’s all that matters!" Ethan Sterling was just as easygoing.

Jameson Stone looked at Ethan Sterling, then at Helen White, then pursed his lips and blinked.

’Did they just hit it off like that?’

In reality, Ethan Sterling was still holding on to one last fantasy of getting Helen White to join his team. If this trip together didn’t work out, he planned to give up completely.

"Jameson, you’re not mad, are you?"

After Helen White left, Ethan Sterling looked at Jameson Stone and asked.

Jameson Stone looked baffled. "What would I be mad about?"

"The tickets!" Ethan Sterling explained quietly. "I was originally going to take you, but..."

"I wouldn’t have gone anyway." Jameson Stone shook his head. "Going abroad, the plane tickets, the hotel—it all costs money. I don’t have the cash, and I can’t let you pay for everything. Even if you hadn’t invited Helen, I wouldn’t have gone."

"Besides, I know what you’re up to. You still want to give it one more shot, right?"

’He really does understand me,’ Ethan Sterling thought, nodding.

Jameson Stone smiled. "Helen is worth it. And it looks like you really hit the mark with her this time. Maybe there’s a real chance!"

Ethan Sterling smiled too. "I’ll give it my best shot."

That night at nine o’clock sharp, Ethan Sterling opened the "Holly Assistant" stream. But the moment he did, he froze. The person who was streaming was...

’How is it a girl?’