Chapter 53: Prove It to Me, Huh?

Zach squatted down directly in front of Ethan Mercer.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Zach said mockingly, a cruel sneer playing on his lips. "You still wanted someone to come and save you, Ethan? Your wishful thinking has failed miserably."

"Brothers, keep beating him!" Zach ordered again.

It was pure, merciless abuse. Ethan knew nothing about martial arts or self-defense. The other side had far more people, and he had no chance to fight back at all. All he could do was hold his head tightly in his hands and curl into a ball, letting those people’s heavy fists and boots fall mercilessly upon his body.

Ethan screamed in excruciating pain.

This surrounding area was a scheduled demolition zone; the residents who used to live here had long since moved away, leaving it completely deserted. No one came to save him at all. By the time they finished, Ethan was beaten to the point of near death, lying motionless on the ground.

"Let’s go," Zach said, clapping the dust off his hands and nonchalantly stepping right over Ethan’s battered body.

Shaking violently and with his hands trembling uncontrollably, Ethan barely managed to pull out his phone and dial an ambulance for himself.

At the capital city Second People’s Hospital, Ethan’s mother Mrs. Mercer ran frantically over from her own medical ward the moment she heard the news.

Looking at her son lying on the hospital bed, she sobbed uncontrollably, her eyes red and swollen. "My son... how could you have been beaten so badly?! Who did this to you?! Call the police! You absolutely must call the police right now!"

"No, we can’t call the police," Ethan said nervously, his voice hoarse. "Mom, we can’t call the police."

Victoria Sterling’s shadow guards had explicitly warned him not to call the police. Furthermore, Zach came from a wealthy and powerful family; calling the police wouldn’t do any good anyway. Ethan’s own power and influence had not yet developed enough to confront them directly.

Ethan felt extremely frustrated and humiliated. In his previous life, no one had ever dared to treat him like this!

"Okay, Eathan, if you say we won’t call the police, then we won’t." Mrs. Mercer had always trusted her son implicitly. If he said he had his reasons for not calling the police, she believed him.

"But..."Mrs. Mercer frowned deeply, her face filled with worry. "Eathan, now that you’re injured , how are we going to pay for your medical expenses on top of mine?"

"Mom, don’t worry," Ethan reassured her quickly. "I have money."

He planned to go borrow another sum of money from short-term lenders to tide them over for a few days. Once that wealthy heiress invested in his algorithmic startup project, he would have tens of millions in income. Paying off these few hundred thousand in debts and medical bills would be a total piece of cake.

"Where did you get the money?" Ethan’s mother asked, her brows furrowed.

"I know how to structure high-yield investment projects and find venture capitalists. The investor I’m targeting is Chole, the sole heiress of the Xingyue Group," Ethan explained confidently.

"I know the Xingyue Group!"Mrs. Mercer said with immense pride. "That’s a huge, top-tier corporation. If you can secure an investment from the heiress of the Xingyue Group, we really won’t have to worry about money ever again. Eathan, you truly deserve to be my son—you are amazing."

"Mm." Ethan’s face was full of unshakeable confidence.

Suddenly, as if struck by a sudden thought, Ethan frowned.

Why had Victoria Sterling treated him like that last night?

He clearly disliked Victoria, so why did he feel such a strange, hollow sense of emptiness in his heart when Victoria completely ignored him yesterday? Could it be that deep down, he actually harbored some feelings for Victoria?

The moment the thought entered his head, Ethan shook his head violently.

No, impossible!

He could never possibly fall for Victoria Sterling! He loved Amelia ! In his previous life, Victoria had forced him away from the woman he loved, imprisoned him in her grand estate, and forced him to do things he didn’t want to do. How could he possibly fall in love with a domineering woman like that? That empty feeling in his chest definitely wasn’t because of Victoria!

"Eathan, come and have some warm porridge," Ethan’s mother said, offering a bowl.

Ethan snapped irritably, "I’m not hungry."

"Eathan, eat something. You haven’t eaten for so long, it’s really not good for your health," Ethan’s mother continued to urge gently.

Ethan impatiently shouted at his mother, "I already said I’m not eating! Are you deaf?!"

Perhaps because Ethan spoke too forcefully and yelled, a sharp, tearing pain shot right through his swollen face.

"Wait!" Ethan suddenly grabbed his mother’s hand tightly. "Mom, go get me a mirror."🪞

"Hurry up! I need it right now!" Ethan demanded anxiously.

"Okay, okay!" Ethan’s mother happened to have a small hand mirror in her bag, so she quickly pulled it out and handed it to him.

Ethan held up the mirror and stared at his reflection. His face was covered in various dark purple bruises, cuts, and severe swelling, making it completely impossible to recognize his original features.

"I understand now!" Ethan blurted out, a sudden realization washing over him.

"Eathan, what do you know?" Ethan’s mother asked, her face full of doubt and confusion.

Ethan replied with absolute certainty, "I know why Victoria didn’t save me last night, and why she ignored me like that!"

"In my past life, she fell in love with me at first sight simply because my face happened to fit her specific aesthetic preferences perfectly. Last night, she didn’t save me because my face was so severely beaten and swollen that she couldn’t even recognize my true appearance—so she didn’t realize it was me! Yes! That must be it!"

When he had rushed up to Victoria’s car last night, he had been terrified of being dragged back to her estate and locked up, but because Zach was about to beat him to death, he had no choice but to reveal himself. But now, he was alive.

Ethan felt a massive wave of relief wash over him again. Thankfully, Victoria hadn’t saved him last night! Otherwise, he would definitely be locked up inside her rose manor right now.

Ethan’s mother frowned in complete confusion. "Eathan, what are you even talking about?"

"Nothing." A relaxed, triumphant smile appeared on Ethan’s swollen face. From now on, all he needed to do was avoid Victoria Sterling as much as possible until he built his financial empire.

---------------

Meanwhile, back at Capital University, Julian Vance finished taking a warm shower, sat down at his dormitory desk, and immediately began studying his university textbooks.

This photographic memory and exceptional comprehension ability granted by his system were remarkably useful. He could read ten lines at a single glance and finish an entire dense textbook within an hour, becoming thoroughly familiar with every piece of complex knowledge inside. If he continued studying like this, he really could secure first place in the upcoming departmental exams.

Who would have thought that Julian Vance would one day become a top student? He had to admit, this feeling of mastery was actually pretty great.

Julian was probably far too engrossed in his studies to notice that Victoria Sterling had already quietly entered his dormitory room. She didn’t disturb him; instead, she sat gracefully on a wooden chair to the side, resting her delicate chin on her hand, watching Julian with a soft, fond smile in her deep eyes.

"Finally finished reading this Chapter," Julian murmured to himself an hour later. He put down his pen, stretched his arms, and sighed softly. "Phew, I’m really exhausted."

Victoria’s sultry voice suddenly echoed from directly behind him. "Julian, do you have anything else to do right now?"

"No, that’s all for tonight," Julian answered subconsciously.

Holy crap! Wait!

That voice belonged to Victoria!

Victoria was actually in his room?!

Realizing this, Julian turned his head stiffly, only to see Victoria looking at him with a breathtaking, playful smile.

Julian: "!!!"

"Victoria, when did you get here?" Julian couldn’t help but wonder to himself—is she genuinely addicted to climbing up dorm balconies?!

"Judging from Julian’s’s expression, it doesn’t seem like you wanted me to come," Victoria said, raising a slender eyebrow.

"How could that be?" Julian denied subconsciously. "In the two days I’ve been back at school, I’ve been thinking about you constantly, Victoria."

In truth, Victoria’s suspicion was completely spot on—he really hadn’t wanted her to come over tonight! It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy her company, but rather that her physical appetite was simply overwhelming. Without missing a beat, she would pull him into intense physical intimacy, and his body was struggling to keep up with the demand!

He seriously doubted whether the Victoria in the original novel had truly liked Ethan Mercer at all. Otherwise, how could a woman so intensely driven by physical desire keep Ethan locked up for two whole years without even holding his hand once?

"I don’t believe you," Victoria murmured.

She stepped forward and sat directly on Julian’s lap, hooking her soft, elegant arms around his neck.

"Julian, if you want me to believe you, then let me see just how thirsty my Julian really is for me," Victoria whispered, her warm, sweet breath brushing directly against Julian’s sensitive neck.