When Derek walked in, he was arrogant and overbearing. Everyone thought they'd have to endure not only Lucas's showing off but now Derek's as well.
But the next moment, Derek went straight to Jason Carter — the "ordinary simp" they'd heard about — bowed deeply, and respectfully greeted him, "Young Master Jason."
The entire room froze.
Several people blinked hard, even pinching their thighs to check if they were dreaming.
Ethan, however, wasn't shocked. He had already seen Jason's influence firsthand. Even major CEOs treated him politely; it was only natural that a second-generation like Derek would bow and scrape.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Lucas finally muttered, "Brother Bo… did you mistake him for someone else?"
Derek immediately frowned and snapped, "Young Master Jason is as distinct as the morning star — how could I possibly mistake him? Why didn't you tell me he was here? You even made him wait for me to start the meal. That's completely disrespectful!"
He turned to Jason, bowing again. "Young Master Jason, I truly didn't know. If I had, I would've come much earlier to greet you personally."
The entire table went silent.
Lucas's face stiffened; his Rolex suddenly didn't feel so heavy anymore. Derek's groveling attitude made him seem like a fool.
The other classmates were bewildered. Wasn't Jason supposed to be from a regular background? A guy who chased a girl for three years with nothing to show for it?
Why was a man like Derek — someone even Lucas called "Brother Bo" — this terrified of him?
Across the table, Tanya Covell, who had already written Jason off earlier, found herself intrigued again.
Tanya Covell: Favorability +5.
Ava Summers's calm eyes softened, filled with curiosity.
Ava Summers: Favorability +5.
Jason glanced lazily at Derek, who was still bowing beside him, and said evenly, "I'm fine. I'm not hungry after breakfast — but my classmates had to wait for you."
Derek's face drained of color. He immediately turned to Lucas."Lucas, what are you doing just standing there? Have the dishes served — now. It's my fault for being late. I'm just an outsider at this gathering, so even if there were only leftovers, I'd still be grateful to eat."
The humility in his tone made everyone freeze again.
Lucas's expression turned ugly. Derek's words not only humiliated him but made him seem like a fool in front of everyone — as if he'd made Jason Carter wait intentionally.
Still, Derek didn't give him the chance to react. He beckoned the waiter, ordered the best dishes on the menu, and said directly, "It's on me. I was late, so this meal's my apology. Everyone, please order freely."
The tension around the table eased instantly. The classmates exchanged glances — they no longer dared whisper gossip about Jason.
Several of them quietly realized the truth:
The so-called "simp" wasn't just someone with good looks — he was someone that even rich heirs treated with genuine fear and respect.
Someone opened the messaged app one of Jason Carter's old classmates:
"Hey, who exactly is Jason Carter from your class?"
"I'm not that close to him. He usually hung out with Eric and Tony. He was pretty easygoing — got along well with both the guys and the girls."
"I'm not asking about that. I mean his family background. I heard he's from an ordinary family and used to simp over a girl for three years without success. But I just saw him today — he's nothing like the rumors. He doesn't give off that vibe at all. Some rich guy literally bowed to him!"
"A rich guy? No way. His background really is ordinary. Tony's been to his house before."
At the same time, a short-haired girl sitting at the table secretly took a photo of the scene — the young man in the Omega watch bowing nervously to Jason — and sent it to her friend on WeChat.
The chat was with a contact saved as "Looks Don't Pay the Bills."
Chat history:
Short-haired girl:
"Hey, I heard Jason Carter's coming to the hometown reunion. Wanna come too? You haven't seen him in years, right?"
Looks Don't Pay the Bills:
"No way. It's too far. Besides, why would I go just to see him? He's not worth it anymore."
Short-haired girl:
"Wow, that sounds… personal. Still bitter?"
Looks Don't Pay the Bills:
"Not bitter — just realistic. I used to think he was handsome and even confessed back in high school. But after college, I realized looks don't matter. What counts is ability and money. I should thank him for not accepting me back then, or I'd regret it now."
Short-haired girl:
"You sound so cold."
Looks Don't Pay the Bills:
"That's not coldness, that's reality. He barely scraped into a mediocre college, and his family's just average. I'm at a top university in New York, already have job offers lined up for over $20k a month before graduation. We're just not on the same level anymore. I even deleted his contact. Thinking back, I was so naïve in high school."
Short-haired girl:
"I heard he chased some campus beauty in college for three years and failed miserably."
Looks Don't Pay the Bills:
"Of course. Simping gets you nowhere. If he had money, he wouldn't even need to chase girls — they'd come to him. When you see him, tell me if he still looks like the same broke simp."
Short-haired girl:
"Oh my god, I did see him! He's way more handsome than in high school — confident, calm, almost… elegant. There's no poor vibe at all. Totally different from the rumors."
Looks Don't Pay the Bills:
"You're just blinded by his face again. Don't let looks fool you. Check what brands he's wearing."
Short-haired girl:
"That's the weird part — no logos at all. No visible brands."
Looks Don't Pay the Bills:
"See? Exactly. He's still pretending."
The short-haired girl immediately sent the photo she'd taken — Jason Carter sitting calmly while a young man bowed to him in panic — and quickly typed:
"No, seriously, he's not pretending. You know Lucas, right? The rich kid? He was being super polite to his friend — who looked even richer — but that friend, when he saw Jason, literally started bowing and apologizing like crazy! Jason just sat there, cool as hell. He looked like a total CEO."
At a university dorm room in New York, a girl with a ponytail and glasses — pretty, in a bookish sort of way — stared at the photo her classmate sent, stunned.
Jason Carter in the picture was indeed nothing like the boy she remembered from high school. His once-casual posture now radiated quiet confidence. His eyes carried the calmness of someone who had seen the world, his demeanor steady and poised.
And the man bowing to him? Clearly terrified — sweat on his forehead, his expression tense.
"CEO" might have been an exaggeration… but the difference was undeniable.
The Jason Carter in the photo wasn't the boy who once quietly liked her.He was someone completely transformed — powerful, untouchable, and no longer the one who would ever look up to her.
There are 140 chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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