Jason Carter didn't hesitate long — he had already decided which Halloween costume he was going to wear. The whole "Versailles act" of pretending to be conflicted? Yeah, that wasn't him.
Meanwhile, Emma stood downstairs holding candles, humiliated. She had been trying to confess her feelings in her own dramatic way, but Jason hadn't even spared her a glance. And now, with three other girls openly giving him couple costumes, her face burned with shame. She turned and left in despair, the sting of rejection sharper than she'd expected.
She couldn't help but wonder: had Jason really felt anything for her before she chose to follow Josh?
Josh himself didn't last much longer. After watching Emma leave, he slunk away too, phone buzzing in his pocket. He answered reluctantly — it was a call from his family. At first, his face paled, but then he let out a long breath and nodded obediently.
Turns out, the video of him kneeling on the ground with bloody knees had already gone viral online. Most people were tearing into him, mocking him. But, as always, there were a few strange voices online — self-proclaimed "purists" — who twisted it around, saying Jason was cold-hearted for not forgiving him despite Josh being humiliated so badly. Some even tried to frame Jason as the bad guy.
Josh nearly cursed out loud. Are you trying to kill me?
Fortunately, his family had been monitoring everything closely. He stepped in quickly, suppressing the negative chatter before it could spiral. Now, Josh just had to record a clarification video, admit his mistake again, and move on.
They also warned him: rumors about Jason buying 300 acres of land were risky. That kind of talk could attract official attention, and if word spread further in the school, things could get messy fast. Luckily, most of the people who knew about it weren't likely to blab.
In short, Josh's kneeling apology might have backfired, but they had already set up ways to contain the fallout, making sure Jason wouldn't face trouble.
When everything finally settled, Jason sat back in his dorm and opened his panel, ready to ride the wave of good fortune and draw a few rewards. This time, he didn't just spin once — he went for four consecutive draws.
The roulette wheel stopped, flashing his prizes:
+5 Attribute Points
Thousand-Year Ganoderma
Moonlight Cloud Bloom
Spirit Gathering Array
Jason grinned. He started by adding the five attribute points:
Physique: 20
Strength: 18
Agility: 18
Spirit: 17
It didn't look like much at first glance, but once stats got this high, every single point was like breaking a new limit of the human body. Progress was slow — but every step counted.
Then he checked the other three rewards:
Helth Potion: Will make the body healthy protecting from all kind of illness, regeneration will speed up.
Tip: If you gift this alongside clothes to a girl, her health will improve and she'll think even more highly of you.
Moonlight Flower: A rare flower that only blooms under a full moon, absorbing lunar energy. Calms emotions.
Tip: Best gifted to women, especially when paired with clothing. It'll make them radiant, glowing, and even more captivating.
Spirit Array: It subtly improves spirit over time.
Tip: Presenting this on a girl's birthday will definitely leave her touched to the core.
Jason leaned back, smirking to himself. Tonight had been a mess — girls, drama, and jealous stares. But with rewards like these in his pocket, tomorrow looked like it was going to get even more interesting.
After Jason Carter reviewed the rewards, he made up his mind quickly.
The system's suggestions? He brushed them off. He wasn't going to let some AI voice tell him how to live his life. He'd follow his own mood.
Moonlight flower was only suitable for women, so he set it aside for his mom. The Helth potion would go to his dad. Neither treasure boosted his fighting ability much, but they'd both help with health and longevity — and that mattered too.
The Spirit Array, though — that he kept for himself. Following the system's guidance, he activated it, letting it weave into his body.
The change was subtle: a faint lightness in his chest, a soft comfort in his limbs, like a slow infusion of fresh energy. Nothing dramatic, but he could feel it. This was the kind of power that accumulated over time.
The next evening was Halloween.
Jason slipped on the zombie costume Holly Larson had given him. He had reasons.
He wasn't going to wear the prince outfit Quinn gave him — too much drama with her and Ivan, and honestly, the thought soured him. As for Megan's Titanic couple set, she was too calculating for his taste. Jason wasn't the type to half-commit while pretending otherwise.
Holly, on the other hand, was lighthearted and fun. He never thought of her as a serious girlfriend candidate, but at least there was no pretense with her. She was easy to hang out with.
So Jason texted Quinn and Megan separately, politely saying he couldn't celebrate Halloween with them.
In the girls' dorms, Quinn was already dressed up in her princess gown, waiting for his reply. When her phone buzzed, she opened the message with a smile — only for her heart to sink instantly.
Ever since Jason had stepped in to help her during that incident with Ivan, she'd been thinking about him day and night. But lately, she felt his warmth toward her fading.
At first, she thought she was imagining things. Maybe he was just busy. But now… the message proved otherwise.
"Quinn, what's wrong? You look pale," asked her roommate.
Quinn's voice was low. "I don't know why, but since that day… Jason's been lukewarm with me."
"That can't be," she said. "He literally bought a company for you.
Quinn. Guys don't do that if they don't care."
Quinn shook her head, staring at the floor. "That's what I told myself too. But the more I think about it, the more I feel like… maybe it wasn't about me. Maybe that money isn't a big deal to him. And deep down… I think he might resent me. I gave him a prince outfit, and he wouldn't even wear it."
"Don't overthink it," Lily tried to reassure her. "Not everyone likes Halloween. You didn't care about it before either — you just wanted an excuse to be closer to him."
Meanwhile, across campus, Megan sat with her phone in hand, reading Jason's short text.
Unlike Quinn, Megan wasn't devastated. She was too sharp, too self-aware. She instantly understood the truth: she'd overplayed her hand. Or maybe she never had control to begin with — Jason had been the one steering things all along.
For years, Megan had kept her emotions in check, even when Jason casually dropped tens of millions on a restaurant for her. Sure, she'd ranked him at the top of her "options list," but never let her guard down. In fact, she almost demoted him once — because no matter how dazzling someone was, if you couldn't lock them down, what was the point?
But now, staring at that message, she realized she'd failed. Jason wasn't going to be caught, and she was the one left feeling played.
Worse, after tasting the luxury of his world — the cars, the parties, the aura of being with someone untouchable — how could she look back at the other guys on her list? They suddenly felt cheap, unworthy, almost laughable.
Yet Megan wasn't the type to settle as someone's side girl. That had never been part of her plan.
For the first time in years, she felt torn — rationality said to let go, but her heart clung stubbornly to the impossible. And it hurt more than she'd ever imagined.
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