At the Finance Institute, Shenna sat through her lecture with a glazed expression.She had never liked this major—her parents chose it, not her. Still, she was sharp enough that even half-hearted studying earned her excellent grades.
Bored, she opened the University forum, something she normally never read—except now, she occasionally checked it for one reason:
Jason Carter.
Her mind drifted back to the night of her grandfather's birthday banquet—the night Jason whisked her away on a rebellious "escape":
Shopping.Escape rooms.Roller coasters.Stargazing at an observatory…
That night had carved itself into her heart.
She had originally planned to hang out with him again, maybe even see where things could go.
Then she learned he had more than one girlfriend.
"Hmph. Casanova." Shenna scrunched her nose—but still clicked the forum, unable to resist checking on him.
She soon saw the rumor thread claiming Jason was on the verge of bankruptcy.
She scrolled casually… then closed it, expression flat.
Growing up in a wealthy family and studying finance, she could tell immediately:
The post was nonsense. Almost cartoonishly so.
But after closing it…
She waited ten seconds.
Then reopened it—this time logging into an alt account she'd created.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she wrote a long, sharp, professionally detailed rebuttal explaining point by point how absurdly wrong the rumor was.
Only after posting did she finally relax.
At Art Institute
Jin had just stepped out when her roommate Elsa gasped at the thread about Jason.
But Jin, who rarely cared about gossip, simply frowned.
She had met Jason only twice—but each meeting left a startling impression.Especially when he bought the coronet and ceremonial robes with an air of old-world sincerity.
She had thought he was "traditional."She didn't expect he was so traditional he might as well have come from a feudal dynasty.
She didn't want to deal with a man juggling multiple women, no matter:
How handsome he was.How magnetic his presence.How rare his antique treasures were.
She didn't want to be strung along.
She told herself to ignore him entirely.
Yet after a moment… she clicked the rumor thread anyway.
She finished it in seconds, snorted lightly:
"Serves you right. Waste money on so many women instead of antiques. Wouldn't it be better to spend it all on relics? Isn't that more fulfilling?"
But rereading it, something felt off.
The post didn't mention Jason's existing antique treasures at all. If he was truly bankrupt, he would have sold those pieces first—and she knew very well he hadn't sold any.
Instead…
He kept acquiring more.
Her brows furrowed.
"But if he keeps living like this, he will burn through everything eventually…"
Then she remembered hearing that a female streamer was now living in Jason's Mountain villa.
"Does she even know how to maintain antiques? Or appreciate them?"
The more Jin thought about it, the more uneasy she became.
High-Speed Rail Station
Tanya Covell, waiting for her train, saw the rumors about Jason's impending bankruptcy.Her expression froze, then darkened. Without hesitation, she sent a message to Lu Jie, whom she had ignored for days.
Tanya Covell: Favorability –60.
University Piano Room
Ava Summers saw the news on her phone.She blinked once, unimpressed.
Her skepticism was strong—she ignored the rumor entirely.
Ava Summers: Favorability unchanged.
New Work
A top student with a ponytail and glasses—above-average looks but not system-qualified—saw the rumor and let out a cold laugh.
She hadn't gone to the hometown association event, but her friend had, and posted photos of Jason driving a Bugatti Chiron.
Back in high school, she had a crush on him for his looks.But after she "grew up," she believed handsomeness was worthless.
Then suddenly, Jason had turned into an untouchable billionaire overnight?
Her pride couldn't handle it.
Now, seeing him "bankrupt," she finally felt balanced again.
Unfortunately for her, she didn't meet the system's appearance threshold. Her emotions meant nothing to Jason's stats.
Meanwhile, Julia saw the rumor through a classmate.
And in the next moment, Jason's phone buzzed—
She transferred him $100,000.
Jason stared at the notification, speechless, and immediately called her.
"Julia, why did you send me money? And where did you even get that kind of money?"
Julia's voice trembled with urgency and guilt:"Because the factory's been doing well lately, and this month's payments just arrived. It's not much, but it can help. Jason… did you go bankrupt because you invested too much—for me?"
Julia wasn't like Holly, Mia, or Megan—she had never lived in Jason's world of supercars, mansions, artifacts worth hundreds of millions.She had no concept of that scale of wealth.
To her, bankruptcy was real.Fear was real.And love made her irrational.
Often, when a person falls in love, their IQ drops sharply.
Jason couldn't help it—he laughed softly.
"Your family should barely have savings right now, right? If you give me the factory's income, how is it supposed to operate? What about your parents' future recovery costs? You said you weren't like your dad—why are you acting like a little saint too?"
Julia's voice was soft but unwavering:
"My parents' bills were covered by the Caleb family. And the factory kept enough for circulation. When next month's money comes in, I'll transfer it to you again. Whether you're bankrupt or not, you shouldn't go hungry.
And I am different from my dad… because you're not just anyone."
This girl.
This stubborn, unwavering, loyal girl.
Her resolve made Jason want to get off the plane immediately, rush back, and hold her tight.
"Silly girl," he said gently, "it's fake news. I'm not going bankrupt. I'll return the money—use it for yourself. Don't shortchange your life. Eat well, dress well. Be obedient."
He sent back $1,000,000.
Julia didn't exhale until she confirmed he was indeed fine.
Then—
She transferred back $900,000.
"I don't need that much. I don't understand investments either. You keep it and spend it."
Her favorability score never moved—Jason already had her heart completely.
As for Victoria
Her secretary didn't even bother showing her such a low-quality rumor.
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