Jason walked through campus holding Julia's hand, with Holly and Megan at his sides. The combination alone was enough to make him the absolute center of attention. From the moment they stepped onto the main walkway, heads turned one after another. Whispers spread like wildfire.
Julia herself still felt like a blank sheet of paper. The only time she had been truly intimate with Jason was at the airport on New Year's Eve. After their last meeting in Riverport, they hadn't seen each other again. Now, being led by him openly on campus, her face flushed uncontrollably. Yet she didn't loosen her grip. Not even a little.
At the same time, she suddenly realized something—Holly and Megan had been holding Jason's hands just moments ago. She had taken one away without thinking. Feeling embarrassed, Julia subconsciously glanced at them and gave an apologetic look.
Did she want Jason all to herself? Of course not. She knew very well that Holly and Megan had met Jason far earlier than she had. It wasn't humility—it was kindness. A natural sense of guilt for taking something that had belonged to others first.
Holly and Megan were both momentarily stunned by that expression. They had felt a flash of jealousy at first, but seeing Julia's sincere, slightly flustered look, they couldn't stay upset. In fact, a strange sense of fondness rose in their hearts. Girls were often far more perceptive toward other girls than men ever were. They could clearly sense Julia's goodwill.
Especially Megan—having once lived a more calculating life—she could tell at a glance that Julia's emotions were pure, untainted by schemes or ambition.
The news spread through the campus forum almost instantly. From there, it exploded into every male dormitory.
"Jason's back. Megan came with him. Holly went to pick him up. And Julia was there too—someone saw them holding hands."
"I knew he was close to Megan and Holly… but since when was Julia involved?"
"And they were holding hands openly? No objections? Impossible."
"I have photos. Want proof?"
"No. I refuse to look. It's definitely photoshopped."
"Someone took a candid of Julia—she's ridiculously beautiful. Way better than her forum pics. She's the real campus belle."
"Let me see—holy crap. She's even prettier than Ava. We need a new poll."
"So that means he's got the two most beautiful girls in the department and the campus belle? And they're not fighting?"
"Does justice even exist anymore?"
Watching one top-tier girl fall for someone already hurt. Watching three was outright psychological torture. What made it worse was that none of them tried to hide it. They didn't fight. They didn't protest. They accepted it. That was the most unbearable part.
In the Finance Department's girls' dorm, Quinn learned the news from her roommate almost immediately. At first, she was happy. Then a quiet disappointment crept in. She felt like she was drifting further and further away from Jason.
Megan had returned with him. Holly had gone to meet him. And she hadn't even known. Jason hadn't messaged her at all. Now there was Julia too—beautiful, gentle, elegant.
Surrounded by women like that… what chance did she really have? If it were Megan or Holly, Quinn felt she could still compare herself a little. One had once been manipulative. The other was flirtatious by nature. But Julia… Julia made her feel inadequate. As if her own flaws were magnified in comparison to that calm, pure presence—like a white flower untouched by dust.
Quinn didn't know that when Jason's bankruptcy rumors first spread, Julia had transferred the entire $100,000 her family factory had just received straight to him without hesitation. If she had known… the gap would have felt even more crushing.
In the girls' dorm of the music department at the art academy, Ava heard the news as well. A faint smile appeared on her usually cool, distant face.
In the Information Management Department's dorm, Lily was scrolling through the forum when she suddenly shouted, "Emma! Jason's back!"
Emma was lying on her bed, face mask on, chatting with a guy on her phone. She barely reacted. Ever since she saw the news about Jason's "bankruptcy," she had completely cut off contact. The last message she had sent him still sat in their chat history: "Jason, since you're so determined, let's forget it. Can't I find a better boyfriend?"
During this time, she had already started seeing a wealthy man outside campus. He wasn't anywhere near as powerful as Jason once was—but at least his business was thriving. And more importantly… he was willing to spend money on her.
This time, Emma was much smarter. She didn't rush to expose her emotions or show dissatisfaction. Instead, she maintained an innocent, indifferent attitude, deliberately keeping her new boyfriend hooked. Her time in the socialite training program had not been wasted.
"So what if Jason's back?" Emma said slowly, her tone casual. "What does that have to do with me? He's been gone since New Year's. He's probably buried under the mess from his bankruptcy."
As soon as she said that, Lily and her boyfriend exchanged a subtle, strange glance. When the news of Jason's "bankruptcy" first spread, Lily had already asked Josh about it. Josh had analyzed the situation carefully and concluded that the news was almost certainly fake.
A few days ago in California, Lily had even run into Jason personally. She had seen his status with her own eyes—far more extravagant than before. Not only that, Jason had casually handed them a massive business opportunity, one that could completely change their future. That alone was enough to prove that bankruptcy was nothing but a rumor.
Lily and Emma were no longer on the same side. And out of caution—partly because she didn't want to trigger Emma's jealousy—Lily had never told her the truth.
At this moment, the two of them looked at Emma as if they were watching a clown perform on stage. Completely unaware of reality.
Lily scrolled through her phone and said with obvious surprise, "The key point is—Jason didn't come back alone. Megan came back with him. Holly went to pick them up. And Julia went too." She paused deliberately. "Someone even took candid photos of Julia. Turns out she's far more beautiful than in the old voting photos. She's the real campus belle now. And she's also Jason's woman."
Emma frowned. Her expression turned confused. "That makes no sense. Jason's almost bankrupt. Why are Holly and Megan still following him? Are they blind, or did they miss the news? And Julia—why would she throw herself at him too?"
Emma only hesitated for a moment before reaching her own conclusion. These women had gotten used to spending Jason's money. They were addicted to the lifestyle. They didn't realize yet that he was about to fall.
Just wait, Emma thought coldly. When Jason really goes bankrupt, these foolish women will be crying their eyes out. When that happens, she would bring her current boyfriend to watch. She would watch them humiliate themselves.
Holly and Megan had been so arrogant before. She would crush them. As for that new campus belle—Julia? She'd step on her too.
Most importantly, she wanted to see Jason embarrass himself. Back then, when she tried to reconcile and showed him kindness, he had ignored her completely. After he went bankrupt, she would deliberately show up with her successful boyfriend, flaunt everything in front of him, make him lose face, make him regret everything—and then leave gracefully.
In her mind, the ending had already been written. She just didn't know yet that she had misunderstood the beginning entirely.
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