DUMPED BY MY GIRLFRIEND, CHOSEN BY A SUPERSTAR

The black sedan cut through the heavy Aethelgard traffic. Ethan Vance sat in the back, staring out at the unfamiliar city skyscrapers. After three years of handling a long-distance relationship over video calls, he had finally reached his limit. He had transferred to Aethelgard University to surprise his girlfriend, Chloe, and put an end to the distance for good. He was wearing a plain, slightly oversized gray t-shirt and cheap black trousers—his usual comfortable, low-profile look.  

​As the sedan turned a sharp corner near the high-end shopping district, a massive, gleaming storefront caught his eye. The gold lettering across the glass facade read HVXL International. It was the newest flagship luxury boutique in his global empire, acquired by his corporate team just last week. As the sole owner and chairman of the multi-billion-dollar brand, the entire place belonged to him, though none of the local staff had ever seen his face.  

​The sight of the boutique reminded him that he hadn't picked up an arrival gift for Chloe yet, so he leaned forward to speak to his head of security.  

​"Pull over a block away from the boutique, Vance," Ethan instructed.  

​The car crawled to a smooth stop out of sight of the main crowd. Commander Vance turned around from the front passenger seat respectfully. "Is everything alright, Chairman?"  

​"Everything is fine," Ethan said, pulling a backpack onto his lap. "Go inside the boutique and grab the limited-edition starlight watch we just released. The one covered in pink diamonds."  Ethan hand him his black card.

​"Understood, sir," Vance nodded. 

​The bodyguard stepped out of the car and walked toward the storefront. A few minutes later, he returned and handed Ethan a beautifully wrapped, unmarked velvet box. Ethan slid it safely into his pocket, smiling as he imagined Chloe’s reaction to a multi-million-dollar masterpiece.  

The head of his personal security detail, Commander Vance, who had served Ethan's family for years, sat in the front passenger seat. He glanced back through the rearview mirror, checking on the young chairman.

"We are five minutes away from the campus, Chairman," Commander Vance reported respectfully.

Ethan simply nodded while sliding the priceless watch box safely into his bag.When the van finally pulled up to the entrance of Aethelgard University, Commander Vance stepped out first. He opened the back door for Ethan and reached in to carry his backpack.

"Mr. Ethan," Vance said, looking up at the campus buildings. "Aethelgard University is considered a prestigious school by ordinary standards. But even so, a place like this is still far beneath you. You don't need this education. If you wanted a degree, you could have gone to the absolute best of the best institutions in the world. I still do not understand why you chose this particular college."

Ethan sighed, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I know, Vance. But getting a degree isn't my reason for coming here. I wanted to be closer to Chloe. Three years of being apart across the world has been too long. I'm ready to make things official, and today, I'm finally going to tell her who I really am."

Reaching into the front pocket of his backpack, Ethan pulled out a small photograph. In it, a younger version of him and Chloe were smiling brightly under a summer sun. He stared at her face for a moment, his eyes softening as he admired the picture before sliding it safely back into his bag right next to the luxury watch box and the other gifts he had gotten.

Commander Vance sighed softly, nodding in understanding, though a look of concern crossed his face. He handed the backpack over to Ethan. "Sir, don't you think you would want to change out of those clothes into something better first? Your shirt and trousers are quite plain and not your usual style."

Ethan looked down at His unbranded gray t-shirt and his black cotton trousers "I can't right now," Ethan dismissed casually, slinging the backpack over one shoulder. "I've already missed my first class because of the delay. I'll see you later, Vance."

Before the bodyguard could utter another word of protest, Ethan turned and walked away, picking up his pace and leaving his security detail behind.

As he walked onto the campus grounds and headed toward the grand university hall, Ethan immediately noticed a frenzy taking over the campus.

The closer he got to the main entrance of the grand university hall, the more crowded it became. Hundreds of students were clustered around the building's massive glass doors, forming a dense, chaotic wall of people. Students from all directions were streaming toward the hall in a hurry.

Ethan overheard two girls running past him.

"Hurry up! She’s already pulling up!" one girl yelled over the noise.

"I can't believe she actually transferred here!" the other replied excitedly. "The queen of social media is actually going to be in our school!"

Ethan smirked slightly, a knowing smile spreading across his face. "Chloe is going to be so happy when she finds out that the popular influencer has officially transferred to her school."

He knew exactly who they were talking about. The influencer in question was a big online celebrity with tens of millions of followers, and she happened to be Chloe’s  idol. Chloe talked about her constantly during their long-distance phone calls. Ethan had secretly pulled a few corporate strings to arrange the influencer's transfer to Aethelgard University, purely as a hidden gift to make his girlfriend happy.

Just as Ethan reached the edge of the crowd inside the grand hall's lobby, a sleek, custom-painted luxury sports car pulled up right at the building's entrance.

The main hall doors swung open, and the popular influencer walked in.

The entire hall erupted into screams and cheers. Phones flew into the air as hundreds of students desperately tried to snap a photo. She was stunning, dressed in a flawless designer outfit, walking with the practiced grace of a supermodel.

She smiled and waved at the crowd, but her eyes scanned the sea of faces in the lobby. Suddenly, her gaze locked onto a specific spot.

Her eyes spotted Ethan.

To the shock of the entire crowd, the famous influencer walked past the cheering student body and walked straight through the path that opened up for her, directly toward the guy standing in the plain gray t-shirt. The crowd fell into a stunned silence. Hundreds of eyes followed her every step until she stopped right in front of Ethan.

Without warning, she put on a bright, dazzling smile and looked him dead in the eye. "Hi there. My name is Cynthia Rose. I am an Honors Business Major maintaining a perfect 4.0 CGPA, and I currently have forty-two million followers across my social platforms."

Before Ethan could even process what was happening, Cynthia gracefully stretched out her manicured hand for a handshake. Completely confused by the sudden introduction, Ethan blinked. He hesitated for a second before slowly stretching out his own hand to meet hers. "Uh hi. I'm Ethan Vance. Business Administration. My CGPA is technically a perfect 4.0 as well, though I just transferred in today."

Cynthia gripped his hand, her eyes locking onto his plain appearance, the dust on his trousers, and his unbranded clothes. She let out a small, evaluating hum, looking him up and down.

"Well," Cynthia said, a small smile on her lips as she released his hand. "You're not exactly what I was expecting, but you'll do."

Ethan frowned, his confusion deepening. "What? What are you talking about?"

Cynthia leaned in slightly,"What I mean is... you're my new boyfriend."

Ethan’s frown deepened,"What?!"