The moment Lucas saw the system notification, his breathing paused.

Then his eyes widened slightly.

A surge of excitement exploded inside him.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for receiving a rebate of $4 million!]

Four million dollars.

Just like that.

He was shocked and had not expected it.

When the incident happened, he knew the girl was beautiful, but he had not bothered checking her stats because of her arrogant behavior.

The frustration from earlier instantly disappeared.

His mood improved so dramatically that he almost wanted to thank the woman for nearly running him over.

As expected...

The Infinite Rebate System never disappointed.

Looking toward Nina, Lucas briefly considered something.

Should he just pay the remaining amount too?

After all, if spending money could trigger a tenfold rebate, then paying even more would only benefit him.

Besides, judging from the way she dressed and carried herself, she clearly came from money.

A girl like her probably would not care much about a few hundred thousand dollars.

Just as Lucas was about to speak, Nina suddenly misunderstood his expression.

Seeing him stare in her direction, she instinctively frowned.

Was this guy trying to flirt with her now?

Or worse...

Ask for her number?

After everything that had happened?

Her face immediately showed visible disgust.

"Eww."

Without another word, she quickly got into her car.

VROOOM!

The sports car sped away almost instantly.

Lucas stood there speechless.

He blinked twice.

"What the hell?"

He had not even said anything yet.

Why did she look at him like he was some creep?

Lucas shook his head helplessly.

Forget it.

At least the rebate worked.

That was all that mattered.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Lucas continued walking through campus casually.

The afternoon breeze drifted gently through the shaded roads of Ashford University.

Students passed by in groups, laughing and chatting loudly about classes, gossip, relationships, and exams.

Yet Lucas suddenly remembered something.

It had been a few days since he last talked to Sofia.

For some reason, the thought of her elegant smile suddenly crossed his mind.

Without overthinking, Lucas pulled out his phone and called her.

The call connected quickly.

"Hello?" Sofia’s soft voice came through.

"Are you free?" Lucas asked casually.

There was a brief pause.

"Mm. I’m at the school cafeteria right now."

Then her voice softened slightly.

"Why?"

Lucas smiled faintly.

"Nothing much. Thought I’d come see you."

The moment Sofia heard those words, her heartbeat sped up unexpectedly.

For some reason...

She suddenly felt happy.

"Okay," she replied softly, trying to sound calm. "I’ll wait for you."

After ending the call, Sofia lowered her phone and stared blankly for several seconds.

Her lips curved upward slightly.

Truthfully speaking, she had thought about Lucas several times over the past few days.

Especially after seeing him together with Mia.

Mia was beautiful.

Very beautiful.

The kind of girl who naturally attracted attention wherever she went.

That moment had quietly planted insecurity inside Sofia’s heart.

Maybe Lucas had already met someone better.

Maybe he was no longer interested in her.

Maybe...

She had simply overthought everything.

Several times, Sofia had wanted to message him first. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

But in the end, she stopped herself.

She was still a girl.

She had her pride too.

The last thing she wanted was to look desperate.

At the very least...

She wanted to preserve what little dignity remained.

The moment the call ended, Sofia immediately stood up.

Then, almost instinctively, she rushed toward the restroom.

Looking into the mirror, she quickly fixed her makeup.

A little lip gloss.

Some powder.

She adjusted her hair twice before staring at herself carefully.

Does this look okay?

No...

Maybe too plain?

She fixed it again.

For some reason, she suddenly cared far more than usual.

Meanwhile, Lucas headed toward the school cafeteria.

The place was crowded as usual.

The smell of grilled meat, fried food, and fresh drinks filled the air.

Students moved back and forth carrying trays while loud conversations echoed throughout the room.

Then Lucas spotted her instantly.

Sofia sat near the window.

Her posture was elegant, her back straight, her long legs crossed neatly beneath the table.

Even sitting casually, her figure stood out effortlessly.

Her soft hair rested gently over her shoulders, and the sunlight falling through the cafeteria windows made her look even more beautiful than he remembered.

Almost instinctively, Lucas slowed his steps.

Not bad...

Very not bad.

The moment Sofia noticed him, her beautiful eyes immediately lit up.

And then she noticed something else.

Lucas was staring.

Actually staring.

Not politely.

Really staring.

For some reason, instead of feeling uncomfortable...

She felt strangely happy.

At least that meant he still found her attractive.

Lucas finally walked over.

Before he could even speak, Sofia smiled softly.

"Don’t worry about paying today."

Her voice carried a rare hint of confidence.

"Whatever you want, my treat."

Lucas blinked in surprise.

"You’re treating me?"

"I’m the one who called you."

Sofia raised an eyebrow slightly.

"So?"

Lucas laughed helplessly.

"No way. I should be the one paying."

"No."

"I said I’m treating."

"You’re impossible."

"And you’re stubborn."

The two quietly argued back and forth, drawing curious glances from nearby students.

After all, Sofia was one of the recognized beauties in the Finance Department.

Seeing her bicker so naturally with a guy immediately attracted attention.

Eventually, Lucas surrendered.

"Fine," he said helplessly. "You win."

Truthfully, he had originally planned to pay anyway.

A little spending meant a little rebate.

But honestly...

It did not matter.

There would always be another opportunity.

Soon, the two ordered food and sat together while chatting casually.

The atmosphere felt surprisingly comfortable.

Warm.

Natural.

Like neither of them wanted the conversation to end.

Then suddenly...

Lucas noticed a familiar figure walking toward them.

His expression changed slightly.

Of all people...

That bitch, Jessica.