Ultimate Tycoon: Building the Richest Empire with System and Heroines Chapter 78: Who was that girl?

The banquet was lively just seconds ago. Music, laughter, the clinking of glasses,

And then everything stopped.

All eyes turned to the dance floor, where Ethan stood with the masked girl who had been dancing with him. Their movents had slowed. Then... it happened.

Without warning, the masked girl grabbed Ethan by the collar and pulled him into a deep, full-blown kiss,not a peck, not sothing gentle,this was a full tongue invasion, lasting over two straight minutes.

"Wait, is this legal?"

"Bro... she’s eating him alive!"

Gasps echoed. The background music was still playing, but nobody heard it anymore.

So girls clutched their chest, feeling betrayed. A few even teared up.

Boys around the hall looked on in disbelief.

"Lucky bastard..."

"That’s a f*cking god right there..."

"I was born in the wrong tiline."

In a corner, a group of well-dressed boys stood huddled like it was a football team eting.

One of them whispered, "Natalie hayes’s sister called him brother in law , he even danced with the Jasmine carter and the other girl, they are all top notch beauty, now this masked chick?"

"From this day forward, I shall be his Fatty Wang. He is my god."

Across the hall, three girls stood frozen.

Natalie, glass in hand, jaw wide open:

"Who the fck*—!?"

Jasmine, brain on overdrive:

"Analyzing height, posture, dress cut, heel type, scent pattern... who is this girl...?"

And then there was Rhea.

The quiet one. The calm one. The soft-spoken support character.

She vanished from her spot like a gust of wind.

In the blink of an eye, she appeared beside Ethan and the masked girl like a character teleported straight from a cultivation novel.

"Who the fuck are you, bitch?"

She didn’t yell,she said it cold and sharp, like a knife hidden in velvet.

She softly pushed the girl away from Ethan, eyes still locked on her, lips trembling in restrained anger.

Then she turned to Ethan and snapped,

"You seed to be enjoying that a lot, huh?"

"Who is this chick? Do you even know her? Why would she do that suddenly?"

Ethan blinked. This side of Rhea? He had never seen it before.

"I’ve never seen her this pissed... well, I guess it’s kinda expected," he muttered in his mind.

He took a deep breath. "Yes. I know her."

More murmurs echoed through the room like wildfire.

"He KNOWS her?"

"God-tier rizz confird."

"Not even drama series have this much plot."

"Is this so kind of rich playboy cultivation system novel or sothing?"

Natalie stepped in next, face composed but her eyes burning.

She stared at the masked girl and asked calmly,

"We invited very few people here. We know all our guests personally.

So who are you with? And how did you get in?"

The masked girl chuckled softly, like she didn’t even consider it a real question.

She leaned closer, just enough that only Natalie, Rhea, Jasmine, and Ethan could hear her whisper:

"Entering was easy.

Your staff? Your security? All of them were lazy and dumb.

Even if they weren’t, there’s nothing I can’t bypass."

Natalie’s eyes widened. "What did you just say?"

Before she could snap, the girl turned to Ethan and said calmly,

"Ethan, can we talk? Alone. Just for a minute.

It’s urgent."

Instantly—

"Hey! Not now!"

All three girls,Rhea, Natalie, and Jasmine,spoke in unison.

"You better answer our questions first."

"You think you can just kiss soone and drag them away?"

"You owe us an explanation!"

Ethan raised his hand gently.

"Wait. I’ll tell you everything. Just give a minute.

Don’t worry,she’s not soone dangerous."

The girls didn’t like it, but the way Ethan said it, calm and assured, made them pause.

He gave a small smile to each of them. Then turned to the masked girl.

"Alright. Let’s talk."

But as they began to walk away, the cara phones around the hall finally ca back to life, capturing photos, whispers turning into trending topics, and one fat boy proudly declared—

"Even if I don’t get a girlfriend this year, I will follow him to the end.

Hail God Ethan!"

Ethan followed the masked girl silently, the noise of the banquet growing distant with every step. They reached the rooftop,quiet, open, touched by moonlight.

The girl turned to him.

Without a word, she slowly removed her mask.

Long black hair fluttered in the wind. Her eyes sparkled under the moon. That face... still as beautiful as ever.

Ethan’s lips curved into a small smile. "What did you want to talk about... Serena?"

She chuckled. "I knew you recognized ."

He laughed softly. "Of course I did."

But then, her smile faded.

Her expression turned serious,almost heavy.

"Ethan... it’s serious. Really serious this ti."

Ethan’s smile vanished too.

Serena took a small breath, trying to steady her voice.

"The people who were after you,the ones behind the bus attack,they’ve figured it out.

I can’t fool them anymore."

Ethan’s brows furrowed. He rembered the explosion.How she saved him that day.

"I didn’t expect them to find ... I thought I was one step ahead.

But now they’re after my life. So I ran. I’ve been hiding, fighting in the shadows."

Her voice trembled slightly at the end. But she steadied herself.

"I ca here tonight because I had to warn you.

I knew they’d never expect to appear at the Hayes family banquet.

I knew they wouldn’t think I’d et you here, of all places.

So I took the risk."

Ethan stood still, staring at her.

She was doing all of this,for him?

He rembered every ti she appeared—on that bus, in the alley, back then in school... always protecting, always watching. Never asking anything in return.

"Why?" he thought. "Why does she take all the risk for ?"

He stepped closer to her.

Then gently, he placed his hands on her cheeks.

"You know... I never said thank you."

Serena blinked, eyes wide.

"Thank you for always saving ."

"Thank you for always being there."

"But now,I don’t want you to do this alone."

"Don’t take all the risks. What if sothing happened to you?"

His voice was calm, but underneath was real pain.

Serena looked at him, her eyes soft.

Then she stepped into his arms and hugged him.

"I know you’re capable. You’ve changed a lot."

"You’re strong. But you have to beco stronger. Much stronger."

"For now, I’ll handle it alone. But if you want to stop risking everything,

Then hurry up and catch up, Ethan."

Her voice dropped into a whisper.

"And don’t worry about . I’m not going to die easily."

The hug tightened. Her body trembled slightly now.

Then, she whispered:

"Ethan... I really love you.

Every mont, every life... I want to be with you."

Ethan could feel her sincerity,raw, real, and breaking.

He hugged her tighter.

They stayed like that, heart to heart, for a long minute.

But then Serena gently pulled away.

"I have to go now. It’s already ti.

Go back,the girls are probably waiting for you."

Ethan asked, "Don’t you feel jealous?"

She just smiled.

"Bye, Ethan."

And then,she jumped off the rooftop.

With a silent grace like a shadow, she vanished into the night.

Ethan stared after her.

"I won’t let you carry it alone. Not anymore."

Back at the Hall

Ethan returned to the main hall. Rhea, Jasmine, and Natalie were waiting just outside, arms crossed, faces sharp.

The mont he arrived—

"Who was that girl?"

All three asked at once.

He looked at them, then turned to Natalie.

"I lied to you."

Natalie narrowed her eyes. "About what?"

"The bus incident."

Now all three girls leaned in.

"What do you an?"

Ethan exhaled.

"The bus attack was planned. It wasn’t an accident.

It was ant to kill .

If Serena hadn’t been there... I would have died."

Their expressions changed imdiately.

"What?!"

Jasmine’s eyes widened. "Soone... wanted to kill you?"

Ethan nodded. "I don’t know who they are or why they’re after .

But they won’t stop.

And now... because she saved , they’re targeting her too."

The air grew quiet. None of the girls had anything to say. Their earlier jealousy had completely vanished.

Jasmine spoke first, softer this ti.

"But... who is she? Why is she doing all this?"

Ethan replied, his gaze distant.

"Her na is Serena.

We’ve known each other a long ti.

She was... my girlfriend."

All three girls blinked.

"What?"

He continued.

"But sothing happened. She vanished.

I ca to this city just to find her.

And then,I saw her again on that bus.

As for how she knows everything, or what she’s caught up in...

I don’t have all the answers."

anwhile, Outside

Far beyond the banquet walls, Serena stood on a high ledge, watching the stars.

Her voice, soft and filled with emotion, escaped her lips.

"Ethan... it’s the 20th loop.

I’ve failed every ti. Either I died,or you did.

Fate has never been on our side."

She clenched her fists.

"But this is my last loop.

If I fail now,I’ll cease to exist."

Her eyes shimred with unshed tears.

"But I’ll try my best.

Even if I disappear...

Please, Ethan, don’t forget ."

A single tear rolled down her cheek as the wind swept her hair.