Chapter 56: The Realignment of Assets
The aftermath of Professor Vance's abrupt removal left the economics department in a state of absolute chaos. Classes were informally dismissed for the afternoon as faculty members scrambled to understand the sudden, massive restructuring of their department's endowment. For the students, it was an unprecedented scandal, but for Vivienne Jameson, it was a terrifying confirmation of a reality she was beginning to find impossible to ignore.
She stood in the manicured courtyard of the campus, her eyes scanning the crowds of departing students. She was looking for Ethan. The things he had said in that classroom—the precise, chillingly accurate description of Black Global Holdings' operational strategy—couldn't be a coincidence.
"Vivienne!"
She turned to see Charles Lang jogging toward her, his face flushed with frustration and anxiety. "Did you see what happened in there? It's insane. My father just called me—our company's secondary credit lines were officially frozen by the regional clearing house ten minutes ago. The exact mechanism that broke Vance is crushing our logistics routes right now."
"Leave me alone, Charles," Vivienne said coldly, her mind entirely focused on a different matter.
"Vivienne, listen to me!" Charles persisted, stepping into her path. "This isn't just about university politics. The new owner of the Golden Dragon Hotel is hosting the introductory charity gala tomorrow night. Everyone who is anyone in Shu City is going to be there. My family managed to secure a tier-three invitation. Your family has a VIP slot, right? We need to align our interests before this mysterious chairman completely redefines the city's commerce."
"I have no interest in aligning anything with you, Charles," Vivienne replied, her voice cutting through his panic like a blade of ice. She bypassed him without another word, her eyes locking onto a tall figure walking toward the campus gates.
It was Ethan. He was walking alone, his hands casually slipped into his pockets, entirely disconnected from the panic vibrating through the student body.
Vivienne quickened her pace, her heart hammering against her ribs. She left the courtyard behind, following him out past the stone arches until they reached the quieter, tree-lined avenue outside the university perimeter.
"Ethan!" she called out, her melodic voice carrying a rare touch of desperation.
Ethan stopped. He turned slowly, his clear eyes locking onto her face. His expression was calm, patient, and completely unreadable. "Vivienne. Is your grandfather's condition stable?"
Hearing him immediately ask about her grandfather's health—rather than gloating about the chaos in the lecture hall—made Vivienne catch her breath. She took a few steps closer, stopping just a few feet away from him.
"He is stable," she whispered, her eyes searching his face for any sign of the boy she thought she knew. "The doctors said the specialized equipment in the secondary suite saved his life. I... I wanted to thank you again properly."
"You already did," Ethan replied smoothly. "There's no need to dwell on it."
"Ethan... what happened in the lecture hall today," Vivienne began, her voice trembling slightly as she stepped closer. "The things you said about Black Global Holdings... about the clearing house. How did you know those details? Even the dean didn't understand what was happening until the endowment was bought out."
Ethan maintained his composure, his expression like smooth marble. "When you spend enough time analyzing the market from the outside, the patterns become obvious, Vivienne. Wealthy families think their power is absolute, but it's just a network of paper contracts. If you find the master thread, the whole structure unravels."
Vivienne stared at him, her intelligence racing to connect the pieces. "You're hiding something. My family thinks you just won a lottery and got lucky with an investment fund. But a lucky student doesn't command hospital directors, and a lucky student doesn't predict the exact financial collapse of a department faculty ten minutes before it happens."
Ethan took a step forward. The shift in his stance was subtle, but the sudden, raw intensity of his presence made Vivienne's breath catch in her throat.
"The world is full of things people choose not to see because it disrupts their comfort, Vivienne," Ethan said, his voice dropping to a low whisper. "Your family has spent generations at the top of Shu City. Tomorrow night, at the Golden Dragon gala, your father and your elders will step into a room to meet the new reality of this city. My advice to you? Tell them to leave their pride at the door."
Before Vivienne could formulate a response, Ethan turned and walked toward an obsidian-black G-Wagon parked at the curb. He slid into the driver's seat, leaving her alone on the pavement. His mind wasn't on her beauty or her shock; it was firmly fixed on his internal interface. The acquisition of the university real estate had just ticked his system up again. The numbers were climbing, and the threshold of 2,000 SP was within absolute reach.