When the award ceremony ended, the art gala slowly dispersed.The crowd of students, guests, and performers trickled out of the grand hall — laughter fading into the soft hum of the night.
Jason rose calmly from his front-row VIP seat, ready to leave.
Before he could take more than two steps, Mia approached — graceful, confident, but with an unusual warmth in her eyes.
"Jason," she said softly, stopping in front of him. "Thank you."
It was just two words, but her voice carried genuine emotion.Compared to her usual cool, professional demeanor, this version of Mia was disarming — softer, radiant even.
She wasn't smiling broadly, just a small curve at the corner of her lips. But for someone who rarely smiled, that tiny shift made every guy in the room freeze.
Mike, Jordan, and a few of Jason's friends all turned to stare.
Jordan's jaw dropped.What the hell just happened?
They all knew Jason had hired Mia to give him private piano lessons before. Sure, she was stunning, but she'd been as cold as the keys she played. Jason never seemed bothered — barely attended half his lessons anyway.
And yet now… this?This was not the same distant music major they knew.
Jordan subtly raised his phone, snapped a picture, and sent it to their group chat.Within seconds, the message read:
"Bro… she thanked him. With a SMILE."
Jason, meanwhile, remained his usual composed self.He simply nodded and said, "You're welcome."
Calm, casual, polite.Almost too polite.
Mike nearly groaned out loud. Dude, are you made of steel?
But what shocked them more was Mia's reaction — she didn't seem offended by his cool tone at all. In fact, she tilted her head slightly, as if looking for something else to say, hesitant but smiling.
When she couldn't find the words, she simply nodded and walked away.
Jason didn't stop her. He just watched for a moment, then turned back toward the exit.
His friends stared at him in disbelief.This guy is unshakable.
Before they could start teasing him, another figure approached — elegant, poised, and breathtaking in a classic art-school way.
Oli, the music department's rising star from Eastbridge Academy. She was surrounded by a few of her classmates, all of whom looked curious — and maybe a little envious.
"Mr. Carter," she said with a polite smile, her tone soft but steady. "I just wanted to thank you. Earlier tonight, you were the auctioneer for that collection of antique art pieces, weren't you?"
Jason paused, surprised. Then he smiled faintly. "Yeah. That was me."
Oli's eyes lit up.So it was him.
[Oli: Favorability +5]
"I thought so," she said, her smile deepening. "I've studied antique craftsmanship for years, especially hand-sculpted art. You handled that auction beautifully."
Then she hesitated for a moment before adding, "Actually, there's a large-scale art auction coming up next week. Lots of handcrafted pieces — rare American folk art, ceramics, even some old European carvings. If you're interested, I could guide you through the exhibit."
Jason raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You'd be my guide?"
Oli laughed softly. "If you don't mind, yes. I know the art, but I'd need your name to get in. They don't usually let students in without sponsor credentials."
Jason nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds fair. Let's exchange contacts then."
She took out her phone and opened her QR code. He scanned it.A soft ding confirmed the connection.
"Perfect," Oli said, her tone gentle and sincere. "Then I'll see you at the auction."
She waved slightly before turning, her skirt swaying lightly as she walked away with her classmates.
Jason's friends just stood there in silence.
Then, Mike finally muttered, "You've gotta be kidding me…"
Two top-tier campus beauties — Mia and Oli — both showing genuine interest in one night?
Jordan groaned. "He didn't even try!"
Still not satisfied, he quickly sent the picture of Jason and Oli exchanging contacts to their group chat — this time captioned:
"Level Two: He's collecting artists now."
A few blocks away, Ryan sat at home scrolling his phone, already bitter after losing his shot with Mia earlier in the semester.
When the pictures popped up in the group chat, his jaw clenched.
Mia… smiling? At Jason? Oli too?!
Meanwhile, across the room, another person was just as shocked — and miserable.
Luce sat at the edge of the hall, watching the entire interaction play out.
He had tried to get Jinyi's attention for months, barely managing a few polite conversations. And yet Jason Carter, who barely even tried, had every girl in the room drawn to him.
He turned toward Jinyi, hoping she'd look disgusted by Jason's attention.
Instead, she looked impressed — eyes bright, expression soft, admiration clear.
[Jinyi: Favorability +5]
Luce's jaw went slack.What the hell is going on tonight?
It felt like the entire world was bending around one man — Jason Carter — and he was the only one left watching from the sidelines, choking on disbelief.
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