恶霸鲁尼 奖学金

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[ In Jane\'s Subconscious… ]

Vincent was caught off guard by Jane\'s violent reaction. He didn\'t expect her to punch him hard. He thought she would excitedly accept him with open arms after knowing he was Sizzling August, her virtual friend, and her mentor.

This was the price he got for pretending to be someone else whom he was not. Jane was about to walk away when Vincent hastily grabbed her elbow thus stopping her.

"Where are you going? We\'ve just reunited. You can\'t leave." Vincent said, a cheeky smile plastered on the corners of his lips.

Jane shot him a cold sharp glare. She was upset with him and mad because this guy just disappeared like a bubble without saying goodbye to her.

And who would have thought that her virtual friend was a leader of the King Stallion Mafia? She felt the need to abort this mission and leave. She couldn\'t kill him.

She knew that her identity might be compromised if she continued staying there. However, Vincent was not yet done messing around with her. He was enjoying this interaction with her.

\'You can\'t escape from me,\' Vincent thought to himself.

"Let go," Jane said sternly. 

"I want to apologize for ghosting you. You can punch me again. But please stay longer." Vincent faced her as he released her hand. He urged her to punch him again if this was the only way to pacify her.

Jane gazed at him from top to bottom. She raised her hand, throwing another punch at his face. Vincent just closed his eyes, waiting for her fist to hit him. But seconds had passed, he didn\'t feel any pain.

He opened his eyes again and met Jane\'s intense gaze. She just stood there silently observing him. Vincent\'s heart skipped a beat for some unknown reason.

\'Why is she looking at me like that?\' Vincent didn\'t know why he suddenly felt conscious with her penetrating gaze.

"Explain," Jane coldly said.

"But promise me that you will stay longer. We have a lot of things to catch up on." Vincent smiled at her.

Jane arched her eyebrow and said, "I\'ll stay depending on your explanation. I will listen first."

Vincent held her hand and pulled her to the bench. The two sat down together. Vincent was silent for a moment as he was thinking of the best explanation he could give her. He didn\'t know why Nathan stopped communicating with her.

"I know no excuses will make you forgive me for what I\'ve done. It\'s just that… I have to deactivate my account. I focused on leading my people. Again, I apologize for my actions. But I have never forgotten you, Shining Star. I didn\'t expect that fate would bring us here together."

Jane didn\'t say a word. She just reminisced about the past. She could understand if he became busy because he was leading a big organization such as King Stallion Mafia.

Since Jane didn\'t say a word, an idea popped up in his mind. "Do you want to play with me… for old times\' sake."

Vincent believed that playing with her would convince her more about his identity.

Jane frowned at his suggestion. "We don\'t have computers here."

"I can make it happen with just one call," Vincent replied, smiling cheekily at her.

"Flexing your power and influence," Jane murmured.

"Huh? What did you say?" Vincent heard that she said something. However, her voice was so low that he couldn\'t hear clearly.

"Nothing," Jane shrugged her shoulders.

Vincent let out a husky laugh before calling someone. After a few seconds, three men in black suits arrived. One was holding two laptops while the others were holding a table.

They set them up in front of Jane and Vincent. The two started switching on their respective laptops. The two began playing their usual online game. 

Jane was amazed because this guy hadn\'t changed a bit when it came to his gameplay. Vincent defeated her twice but she won against him once. They lost track of time. 

After playing five rounds, the two finally stopped. "Are you hungry?" Vincent closed her laptop.

Jane still couldn\'t believe that the Sizzling August she had been looking for was now with her. Vincent made another call, asking his men to bring some food from the banquet.

"Shall I call you Star? While you can call me August." Vincent suggested. They refused to divulge their first name. Vincent was still cautious of her. He knew how capable Jane was. She could be as deadly as him– a dangerous assassin.

"Fine. Let\'s do that."

It did not take long before their food was served. Vincent even ordered his men to secure the garden, not allowing anyone to enter. He wanted to be alone with Jane.

He started a new conversation with her. "Do you have any plans tomorrow?"

"I\'m going back to Country M," Jane informed him. She had no reason to stay there.

Vincent\'s expression changed when he heard that. He was reluctant to let her leave. 

"Why? Can\'t you spend more time here… with me? I\'m going to tour you around the city. Or do you prefer beaches and mountains?" Vincent consulted her. He was begging her to stay.

Jane was contemplating whether to accept his invitation or not. But after a while, Jane stood up. It\'s time for her to go. "I\'m glad to finally meet you, August. But I\'m sorry. I can\'t stay here for long." 

A faint smile could be seen on her face. She was sincere when she said those words. She felt relieved now knowing that he was safe and sound. Sizzling August was alive. Nothing bad happened to him.

Vincent was stunned once again when he saw her smile. He felt like he was being mesmerized by her emerald eyes. He couldn\'t take his eyes off her.

Vincent also stood up. He could sense that Jane was planning to leave. He just found himself pulling Jane into a hug.

Jane\'s body stiffened the moment she was engulfed by Vincent\'s arms. She didn\'t know if she wanted to push him away or just stay still. In the end, Jane just let him embrace her.

A few minutes later, Vincent broke the hug and he looked at her intently. "We will meet each other again. Let\'s keep in touch."

Jane just bobbed her head. "Okay."

She was about to leave but Vincent blocked her way once again.

"What now?" Jane asked him with disbelief. It seemed that Vincent had no plan of letting her leave.

"I want to see your face. Can we remove our masks?" Vincent suggested.

Jane was at a loss for words for a moment. She was also curious to find out what he looked like.

"May I?" Vincent moved closer to her, asking her permission to remove her mask. Their faces were just a few inches away from each other, almost kissing each other.

Jane raised her hands, placing them on his chest. She stopped him from getting closer to her. He was already invading her personal space.

Instead of staying away, Vincent grabbed her hands, guiding them to his face. 

"You can remove my mask first," he said, trying to make her feel comfortable. He would respect her decision if she didn\'t want to show her face. Besides, he had already seen her picture. He did all sorts of background checks on her. But he had to pretend that this was the first time he would see her face.

Technically, this would be his first time seeing her face up close. He just wished Jane would allow him to see her face. He already made all the necessary preparations for this meet-up. 

On the other hand, Jane just looked at him with an indescribable expression on her face. Her eyes were fixed on his face which was covered with his masquerade mask.

Jane who was witnessing and recalling this memory couldn\'t wait to unmask Vincent. "Take off his mask. This is your opportunity to find out his identity." Jane was talking to herself.

She thought that recalling this memory would help her uncover more truths about her past. Did she fall in love with the leader of the King Stallion just because he introduced himself as Sizzling August?

\'Why do I feel like Nathan and I experienced the same thing? Monica stole my identity as Shining Star. And now, this King stole Nathan\'s identity as Sizzling August.\'

There were lots of questions in Jane\'s mind right now.

\'How did he know that I was Shining Star? Did he intentionally use Sizzling August to lure me? Is this a trap? How did he know my relationship with Sizzling August? Who is this man?\'

As Jane asked those questions, she kept watching herself in her subconscious as she began to remove Vincent\'s mask. Her heart was filled with anticipation. This was the moment of truth. Who is the King? Jane slowly removed Vincent\'s mask, revealing his face to her. 

Her mind went blank the moment she saw that face in her subconscious.

\'What the hell is this?!! Nathan? Why am I seeing Nathan\'s face?\'

Jane couldn\'t understand why she was seeing Nathan\'s face in her memory.  \'No way… what is the meaning of this?\'

Something was not right. Was her memory distorted? Why was she seeing Nathan\'s face? How could he become the leader of the King Stallion Mafia?

Little did she know, Vincent was a master of tricks. His schemes were not simple. He could deceive her as long as he knew her weaknesses. He would grab every opportunity to take advantage of his target.