After exchanging polite greetings, the group got straight to business.
The vice dean first suggested holding a formal commendation for Jason, even mentioning the possibility of a celebratory event.
Jason shook his head. A public ceremony would surely make the whole campus aware of his donation—and while that might increase his reputation among the students, especially the popular girls, it would also make him a target. High praise at first could quickly turn into criticism or jealousy later. Better to stay low-key, he thought, letting the school leaders know without making a public spectacle.
Still, the vice president insisted on a simple signing ceremony. After all, this was a first donation of two million dollars—and a plan for ten million over the next ten years. Something of that scale deserved formal attention.
Jason walked toward the conference room alongside the vice president, the finance director, and Professor Miller. Eric followed behind quietly, feeling completely invisible next to the group of senior administrators.
When they arrived at the conference room, Jason was seated next to the vice president himself—essentially on equal footing. Work-study students were assigned to serve tea and water, including Johnson.
Johnson had never been in the presence of so many university leaders at once, and her hands shook slightly as she prepared to pour tea.
She remembered the senior's instructions from the student association: always serve the highest-ranking guest first. She was about to pour tea for the vice president when she glanced at Jason.
Her whole body froze. What… how is he sitting on equal terms with the vice president?
"Johnson! Are you zoning out?" the vice president knocked lightly on the table to snap her back to attention.
Johnson finally composed herself and carefully poured tea for both Jason and the vice president, still stunned inside.
In her mind, she recalled the hot spring trip last semester—how she had dismissed Jason's potential back then in favor of some trivial crush on another student. Seeing him now, commanding respect from the top administrators, she felt a pang of regret. That hot spring trip had been a rare chance to notice someone extraordinary, and she had ignored it.
The donation signing ceremony went smoothly, all parties smiling and exchanging pleasantries. Jason was awarded an honorary certificate, though he accepted it with quiet modesty.
After the ceremony, Dean Carter of the School of Engineering approached Jason with a polite smile. "Jason, if you ever have questions about your studies or need guidance, feel free to come to me directly."
Jason nodded respectfully. "Absolutely, Dean. I'll definitely seek your advice in the future."
Stevens, the university finance director, added, "You are always welcome to visit the Finance Office to oversee the use of your donations anytime."
Jason gave a polite nod. "Thank you. I'll make sure to keep up with the progress."
Eric, standing quietly nearby, could barely comprehend what she had just witnessed. For a student to command such respect and access, even from senior administrators, was almost surreal. She realized, once again, that Jason's abilities—and his influence—were far beyond what most people could imagine.
"I am completely confident in Mr. Stevens abilities, and I can rest assured that everything will be handled properly," Jason said. He didn't call him Director Stevens—"Teacher Stevens" sounded more appropriate, warmer, and closer in relationship.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Jason headed downstairs. As he walked, teachers in the building greeted him warmly, nodding or bowing slightly.
In the corner, a handsome young man holding a stack of papers watched Jason's back in disbelief.
Isn't he just a student? Why are all the school leaders treating him with so much respect?
Curious, he turned to the Youth Committee advisor standing next to him. "Excuse me, who is that boy, Mr. Collins? Why are the leaders so polite to him?"
Mr. Collins glanced at Jason and smiled faintly. "Just know his name is Jason, and he's destined to become a VIP in our Finance Department here at Eastbridge University. When someone of his caliber is involved, even the dean and the vice president pay attention. Judging by how polite he is, he seems well-bred and capable."
The young man's jaw dropped. VIP in the Finance Department? And even the dean and vice president are involved? He felt completely outmatched—how powerful must this student's connections be?
The handsome boy's eyes widened. This was Harrison, the student council president, and he now realized why the name felt familiar.
He pulled out his phone and checked the latest student council documents. There it was—Jason's name at the top of the expulsion list. No wonder the face was familiar—he had seen it before—but he couldn't reconcile that this was the same Jason being treated with such deference by the university's top administrators.
Harrison's face went pale. How could this even be? At first, he hadn't thought much about Jason's presence on the expulsion list. But now, seeing the gravity of the situation—and realizing that Jason was essentially untouchable to anyone in the student council—he panicked.
Even the dean must be polite to Jason, let alone the secretary, the finance director, or the vice president. Jason had the backing of superiors of the highest rank.
It was unthinkable—he, a mere student council president, had tried to expel someone with such enormous influence.
Harrison didn't have time to figure out who had initiated the expulsion, so he immediately made a phone call. "Jack, has the expulsion meeting started?"
"Everything's ready, just waiting for—"
"Stop," Harrison interrupted, his voice sharp. "Delete Jason's name from the expulsion list immediately. Now. And find out who even tried to expel him."
Jack's voice wavered, shocked by Harrison's intensity. "Who is this Jason…? Why is Ju Qian making such a fuss—"
"Don't question it!" Harrison barked. "Just do it, now! If you hesitate, we won't even hold the positions of student council president or vice president for long!"
Jack hurried to comply, trembling at the force of Harrison's command.
Even as he acted, Harrison couldn't stop staring after Jason, who was already walking out of the building, calm and collected, completely unaware of the chaos he had just triggered in the student council.
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