When Jason was surrounded by several beautiful female streamers, he was already the center of attention. Now that his identity as the new boss had been revealed, he shone even brighter — the stars in the eyes of the women around him practically sparkled.
Lewis was also a boss, but he was middle-aged, slightly overweight, with a balding head and a visible belly.
Though many female streamers wanted to throw themselves at him, it was purely for the sake of their careers — some even had to fight off a wave of physical repulsion while doing so.
But Jason was different. He was young, confident, and strikingly handsome. Getting close to him wasn't just about ambition; it came with genuine attraction. Being with a boss like that meant a bright career and personal happiness — a double win.
Looking at Grace beside Jason, the female streamers could only feel waves of envy.
"Mr. Carter, please, this way," Lewis said, personally leading the way. At this moment, he seemed more like a waiter than a CEO.
"Lewis, I told you, no need to be so polite," Jason said with a calm smile as he walked toward the front row of the banquet hall.
The banquet setup was already complete, and Jason's seat was naturally placed in the very center of the front row.
Grace and Alice's seats were arranged in the second row.
Lewis subtly gestured to the general manager, who immediately moved to bring their seats up to the first row.
Seeing this, Jason waved his hand to stop him, then casually put his left arm around Grace and his right around Alice, seating them both on the same large, custom leather chair with him — it was barely big enough, but they fit.
Jason looked back and said, "Ethan is my high school classmate. Please make sure he has a good seat."
Jason's deliberate mention caught Lewis's attention right away.
He glanced at the general manager again, and the manager, quick-witted as ever, immediately understood what he meant.
Ethan's seat was moved to the center of the second row, right behind Jason — the spot where Grace's seat had originally been.
After Ethan sat down, he still couldn't believe it. A B-tier contract streamer sitting this close to the front?
Leaning forward, he whispered, "Jason, man, what's going on? I remember your family being pretty average back in high school, right? How did you suddenly become the boss of a media company worth over 300 million? Don't tell me all that talk before about struggling was just a story — are you secretly loaded?"
Jason chuckled and replied, "What else could it be? Maybe I just worked my way up and became the new owner of VisionStar Media through effort alone."
Ethan snorted. "Yeah, right. There aren't that many real-life underdog stories. So you really are a rich second generation, huh? Jason, my man, look out for your old buddy, will you?"
Jason grinned. "Didn't we agree to look out for each other? A gentleman keeps his word."
Ethan froze — he'd been the one to say that earlier, and now Jason had taken it to heart.
His one small act of kindness had earned him a tenfold, even hundredfold return.
Jason wasn't just the boss — even Lewis, the secondary owner of the company, treated him with deference. That clearly meant Jason was the one in charge.
With his support, Ethan's future was practically secured.
Watching this unfold, Helly couldn't help feeling a rush of envy, jealousy, and regret. She was also Jason's high school classmate — she could've been in Ethan's position too.
She quickly edged forward, hoping Jason would notice her. And indeed, his gaze swept over her for a moment…
But it didn't linger for even half a second. He looked at her as though she were a stranger and turned back to the front.
The people Helly had pushed aside quickly squeezed past her again to find their seats, casting her sharp looks of irritation.
"Who even is she? Why's she pushing like that?" one of the female streamers whispered in annoyance.
"Her name's Helly, a B-tier contract streamer — barely any popularity. She got a few small-time sponsors to spend on her with that silver tongue of hers, but honestly, those sponsors don't have much influence," one of the female streamers whispered.
"A B-tier contract streamer should be sitting in the back row. What's she doing pushing forward? Totally inappropriate."
"Exactly. Some people really don't know their place."
"She keeps glancing at the new boss, Jason Carter. Don't tell me she's trying to cozy up to him? Please, she should take a good look in the mirror first — is she even worthy?"
Helly could vaguely hear the whispers around her, and her face flushed with anger. But these women were all A-tier streamers, much higher in rank than her. She couldn't afford to offend even one of them, let alone several.
So she swallowed her frustration, though her chest burned with humiliation.
Looking at Ethan sitting in the second row — surrounded by lights and respect — and then glancing at her own spot, being ostracized and ridiculed, Helly's regret grew heavier with every passing second.
Why hadn't she said something in the elevator earlier? Why did she turn away from Jason and act so cold?
If she'd just said one kind word, maybe she'd be sitting in the second row right now instead of being pushed to the back.
If heaven gave her another chance, she would've shown Jason her best smile — anything to fix that mistake.
But now it was too late.
Grinding her teeth, Helly refused to accept it. She shoved past two people and started walking toward the front row.
A female manager quickly blocked her. "Helly, don't go any further. Your seat's in the back."
Helly still tried to push through. "Manager Julia, I'm Mr. Carter's high school classmate."
She wasn't completely brainless — she knew this was reckless. But she was desperate. She clung to a tiny hope that Jason might remember her and overlook her coldness from before.
The female manager froze, unsure, then went to ask the general manager, who in turn consulted Jason.
Jason turned slightly in his chair, glanced back, and simply shook his head.
When Helly saw him shake his head, her heart plummeted. The manager returned and quietly escorted her back to her seat.
The scene immediately drew more whispers and snickers.
"You, his classmate? Dream on."
"A B-tier nobody trying to claim ties with the boss — that's delusional."
"Actually, she is his classmate," another said. "In the elevator earlier, Ethan even mentioned it. Said they should look out for each other."
"But apparently, she didn't know who Jason Carter really was back then — and she straight-up turned her back on him."
"What? She snubbed the boss?"
"Talk about being blind. That's looking down on a dragon while thinking it's a worm."
"So she brushed him off when she thought he was a nobody, and now she's trying to crawl back? Pathetic."
Helly returned to the back row, her face stiff and pale. The few other B-tier streamers she used to chat with didn't even look at her now. One of them even pulled out her phone and unfollowed Helly right there, in plain sight.
Panicking, Helly opened her streaming app — and her heart dropped. Every streamer from her company had unfollowed her. In less than a minute, she had been completely isolated.
Her blood ran cold as realization set in.
She had thought offending Jason would only cost her a promotion. She hadn't realized that offending the boss meant career death.
If she hadn't made a scene, Jason might've simply ignored her and let things fade. But her desperate stunt had made the situation public — and now everyone knew she'd turned her back on him.
Who would want to associate with her now?
One thought of pride had thrown her from heaven into hell.
In that moment, Helly's regret hit its peak — her stomach twisted with bitterness, her intestines metaphorically turning green with remorse.
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