Chapter 652 - 648: The Third School Team

"Absolutely not!"

Ethan Sterling raised his hand, his expression serious. "I would never do anything to pressure you. It’s all up to you."

Seeing him act this way, the smile on Helen White’s face deepened. ’This Ethan Sterling is pretty interesting.’

’His personality is really likable, though. He’s calm and patient, yet cheerful and funny. He approaches everything with a serious, rational mindset. It’s rare to find a guy with a personality like that.’

She popped a piece of cauliflower into her mouth, then rested her chin in her hand and looked at Ethan Sterling. A thought occurred to her, and she asked, "Does your team have an investor yet? If not, I might be interested in helping out."

"Help me?"

Helen White nodded. "That’s right. My dad’s company only got into the esports industry in the last couple of years. They’ve invested in a few mediocre professional teams with very little return. I think you have a lot of potential, though. If you need investment, I can ask my dad if he’s interested."

"In that case, you’re a little late," Jameson Stone chimed in, trying to hype Ethan up. "Ethan’s team isn’t even fully formed, but we’ve already been fully funded by an investor with a keen eye! Our Ethan is a hot commodity!"

"Oh? Really?" Helen White looked slightly surprised. "You already have a backer? Not bad. Your team is still just an idea, yet you have an investor willing to be that bold! But you really do have a lot of potential. I’m sure plenty of club coaches who watched your performance in the Collegiate League are interested in you."

Then, Helen White asked curiously, "Which group invested in you?"

Ethan Sterling paused before answering a little sheepishly, "My sister."

Helen White: "..."

Later that afternoon, Owen Griffin received some news.

"So she’s not his girlfriend?"

"No."

"Then what’s their relationship? I’ve never noticed any other girls around Ethan Sterling besides that Renee Reid."

"The girl’s name is Helen White. She’s a sophomore, which makes her our senior."

Owen Griffin fell into thought for a moment. ’If she’s not his girlfriend, then this isn’t interesting anymore.’

"Owen, should I go dig up some more info?"

"Dig up what?" Seraphina suddenly appeared behind Owen Griffin, looking at the two of them in confusion.

The guy reacted quickly, replying with a casual smile, "Oh, nothing. Owen wants to buy a new game console and asked me to see if I could find a hookup for it."

Seraphina gave them a suspicious look. Seeing Owen nod, she couldn’t help but sigh. "Didn’t you just buy two last month?"

"But this is the new model. The games are different."

Seraphina acquiesced, pursing her lips. She didn’t interfere much with Owen’s hobbies. After all, he came from a wealthy family and had been doted on his whole life. As far as she was concerned, he already treated her more than well enough.

"You joined the Esports Club? You’re forming a team?"

A moment later, Seraphina suddenly asked.

Owen Griffin was taken aback. "How did you know?"

Seraphina just pulled out her phone and showed him a post from her feed. Someone was putting out a call on Owen’s behalf, inviting skilled players to join his team.

Owen was silent for a couple of seconds before nodding. "Just for fun."

Seraphina felt a flicker of unease. The news that Ethan Sterling had led the university team to great success was the talk of Lorcain U, so she had naturally heard about it.

Now Owen was forming a team too. She didn’t know if the two events were related, but she subconsciously hoped that Owen and Ethan wouldn’t cross paths.

"What’s wrong? Are you upset?" Owen feigned ignorance, pulling Seraphina into a hug. "I’ll still spend plenty of time with you," he coaxed. "Besides, with the team, my schedule will be more consistent. You can hang out with me at our base, and we’ll get to spend even more time together."

"I love gaming, you know that!"

Seeing the eager look on Owen’s face, Seraphina couldn’t bring herself to spoil his mood. In the end, she only warned, "Don’t let your core classes slide!"

"Definitely. My grades have always been great!" Owen smiled and kissed Seraphina’s forehead. "You have class this afternoon, right? I’ll walk you there."

Seraphina nodded, and her uncertainty began to fade.

The renovation of the Esports Base was in full swing. Since Ethan had classes, he couldn’t always be on-site to supervise. Golden Blade, Monkey, and Caelum acted as both laborers and foremen. The renovation crew itself had been hired by Cecilia Sterling through Mr. Young; they were all master craftsmen used to working on major projects.

Brendan Harris came by today as well. His wife hadn’t been admitted to the hospital yet, so he had some time on his hands. When he heard Ethan was renovating a place, he couldn’t help but come over to lend a hand.

Right in the middle of their work, a staff member from property management emerged from the elevator with Owen Griffin.

The sounds of hammering and electric drills echoed down the hallway, and Owen Griffin couldn’t help but frown. "Why is it so noisy?"

The staff member explained with a placating smile, "The other Lorcain U team has been renovating lately. We’ve had constant complaints from the entire building, but there’s nothing we can do. They’re working within the legally permitted hours. Even though the noise is disruptive, we don’t have the authority to interfere. All we can do is give them reminders."

With that, they arrived at the entrance to the Ethan Sinclair Team’s base. The staff member stood outside and knocked on the glass door. "Hey guys, it’s getting too loud! Keep it down a bit."

Monkey and Caelum were on either side of a wooden plank, holding it steady, while Golden Blade was bent over, butt in the air, sawing away. The three of them looked up at the sound, and their eyes landed squarely on Owen Griffin.

’This kid...’

’Isn’t that the rich kid who shat his pants?’

The three of them pulled their eyes away from him and glanced at each other. A snort broke the silence, and then they all burst out laughing, doubling over.

Owen Griffin looked on, completely baffled. ’Were those three guys just looking at me?’

’The fuck are you laughing at?’

He instinctively touched his own face and asked the staff member, "Is there something on my face?"

"No." The man shook his head, too busy to engage. Business was more important. He quickly gestured for Owen Griffin to follow him. "Please, come with me. The unit I have to show you is excellent; I’m sure you’ll be satisfied. Plus, it’s convenient to have all three of Lorcain U’s teams on the same floor..."

Owen Griffin shot a suspicious glance at the three men, who were still laughing, then followed the staffer, his expression darkening.

Caelum was laughing so hard tears streamed from his eyes. "Blade, that kid didn’t recognize you at all!"

"Of course he wouldn’t. The bar was dark and the lights were blinding. That kid was so drunk he could barely keep his eyes open. I bet he’s forgotten the whole thing."

Monkey laughed until his throat was hoarse. "What’s that kid doing here at Solara Tower?"

The men all looked at each other. None of them knew the answer, but they all agreed they had to tell Ethan about this.

"Golden Blade!" Brendan Harris called out as he emerged from inside.

"Yeah! Uncle Brendan!"

Brendan Harris held out a bag of screws and instructed him, "Run to the hardware store. We need twenty packs of this type and size. Hurry back, Mr. Marshall’s waiting for them."

"You got it, I’m on my way!"