Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: She Came Back to Him

It was 11 a.m.Skyview Residence.Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the living room.Ethan Cole sat on the sofa.His phone lay on the table.On the screen was the viral video.Views—Had exceeded three million.Likes were already in the hundreds of thousands.The comments were still flooding in.He watched for a while.No strong emotion.To him—These were just numbers.What mattered—Was what came with them.Influence.At that moment—The doorbell rang.Ding dong.Soft.But it broke the silence.Ethan frowned slightly.No one should know he was here.He stood up.Walked to the door.Looked through the peephole.The next second—He paused.The person outside—Was Chloe Carter.She stood there.No heavy makeup.Her hair tied casually.She looked less polished than usual.More… worn.Ethan stayed silent for two seconds.Then—Opened the door."What is it?"His tone was calm.Like speaking to a stranger.Chloe looked up.The moment she saw him—Her eyes trembled slightly."Can I… come in?"Ethan looked at her.Then stepped aside."Say what you need and leave."Chloe nodded.Walked in.The door closed.The air turned quiet.She stood in the middle of the living room.Her eyes scanned the place.The window.The sofa.The view.Everything felt unfamiliar.And… expensive.Her heart sank slightly."You… moved here?"Ethan didn't answer.He sat back on the sofa."Get to the point."Chloe bit her lip.As if gathering courage."Ethan… can we start over?"Silence filled the room instantly.Ethan looked at her.Said nothing.Her voice became more urgent."I know I was wrong that day.""I shouldn't have said those things.""And I shouldn't have… deleted you."She lowered her head.Her voice softened."I thought… you really had nothing left.""I was scared…"Ethan suddenly smiled.Very faint.But uncomfortable."So you left."Chloe didn't deny it.Her silence—Was the answer.Ethan leaned back.Looking at her calmly."You weren't afraid I was poor.""You were afraid—""That I would stay poor forever."Those words hit.Chloe froze.Because he was right.Her eyes turned red."Then what about now?""You've turned things around.""We can start again…"Ethan shook his head slightly."Too late."Two simple words.But like a blade.Cutting off everything.Tears fell from Chloe's eyes."Ethan… I really loved you…"Ethan looked at her.And felt it was almost ironic."Five years.""You didn't choose me.""And now—""You're not choosing me.""You're choosing money."Those words broke her completely.She couldn't say anything anymore.Only her quiet sobbing filled the room.At that moment—Ethan's phone vibrated.He glanced at it.A system notification.[Ding!][Emotional impact detected][Influence +500]Ethan's eyes shifted slightly.A new prompt appeared.[Influence can be converted into real-world returns]He tapped it.The interface refreshed.[Current Influence: 580][Convertible Amount: $58,000]Ethan paused for a second.Then—Confirmed.His phone vibrated.A bank message appeared."Deposit received: $58,000.00"Ethan looked at the number.And smiled.This time—Not because of money.But because—He understood the rules.He stood up.Walked to the door.Opened it."You should go."Chloe looked up.Eyes red."Is there really… no chance?"Ethan looked at her.His tone calm."The moment you deleted me—""It ended."He said no more.Chloe stood there.Like something had been hollowed out of her.A few seconds later—She walked out slowly.The door closed.Silence returned.Ethan walked back to the living room.Stood by the window.Phone still in his hand.His balance—Had increased again.He murmured softly."Influence…""More useful than money."Meanwhile—Elsewhere.Zhou Cheng sat in his car.Watching the video on his phone.Views—Had exceeded five million.His expression turned colder."Still can't suppress it?"His assistant sounded nervous."The platform says… the heat is too high."Zhou Cheng let out a cold laugh."Then don't suppress it."He raised his head.His eyes dark."Push it.""I want to see—""How long he can stay on top."A bigger storm—Was quietly forming.And Ethan—Was standing right at the center.Unmoved.