A Graduation Gift

Cassandra felt a dull pain stabbing at her back and waist. Sighing out loud, she could feel tight knots in her muscles. It was indeed not an easy job to manage a business.

"Cassandra?"

A familiar voice called out to her. She looked up and met a man's concerned gaze. He seemed very familiar, and it took Cassandra a moment to recognize him.

"Oh, Uncle… Uncle Jasper!"

She hesitated on using the honorific, unsure of how to address him. Calling him 'Uncle-In-Law' did not seem very appropriate as she hadn't married into Rufus's family yet. At the same time, 'Brother' would sound too intimate, and so she settled for 'Uncle'... The only problem was that Jasper looked too young to be addressed as such.

Sure enough, he gave her an awkward look upon her greeting. He signed inwardly, 'Am I that old?'

At this moment, a man in a suit strode to his direction and bowed before him respectfully.

"President Li, we didn't expect that you would be coming today. Is there anything I could do for you?"

Cassandra peeked at the name tag on his chest. It bore the title "Supervisor".

But her thoughts were elsewhere instantly. 'What? President Li?' Cassandra tried to hide her surprise upon hearing the man call Jasper 'President'.

"I have checked the reports. Good work,"

Jasper said to him, with calm and formal air. It was as if a different person was standing in front of her. She failed to find any trace of the laughter and playfulness he had on the night of New Year's Eve.

The man visibly brightened at the president's acknowledgement.

Then, Jasper turned to Cassandra and asked her softly, "Are you here to shop for anything?"

His voice pulled Cassandra from her thoughts and back to reality. "Oh, I'm here to pick up some supplies," she managed to reply.

Jasper waved a hand at the supervisor, and in an instant he was at his side, wearing a big smile.

"Give Miss Qin the cost price of all the products. Charge the remaining balance cost to my account,"

he instructed. The supervisor nodded repeatedly.

"Well, thank you so much for your help, President Li," Cassandra uttered with gratitude, stunned by his generosity.

Not once had it crossed Cassandra's mind that Jasper would be the president of this huge mall.

Group, an international business which had engaged in industries of all aspects. If that was the case…she turned to Jasper with wide eyes. That must mean that Jasper was the president of TY Group. Cassandra

as if she was related to him. Somehow, she felt awkward when she thought about how it might have seemed to

made sure to address him as 'President Li, ' this time, even as she stumbled over her words. Jasper

enthusiastically gave recommendations about which brands were best for the designs she had in mind. In reality, Cassandra already had a clear picture in her

at an unbelievably low price. She silently thanked him for his graciousness. Now, she could get

light as she walked out of the mall. It was a good day and she felt very pleasant as she bounced on her feet and wore a smile on her face. Today seemed like her lucky day. She had already crossed out two tasks from

stew with tea. It would be good to celebrate this day with Rufus.They could have tea together and she would tell him all about what happened in her day. She clutched the bags in her hand and

by and it was 9:00 in the evening, but there was still no sign of Rufus. Cassandra checked her phone. No messages. Her calls were also unanswered. She felt his absence put a damper on

a time before when Rufus didn't call or send

her that he would come to visit

clock, she stood up and put the dish she had cooked in a pot to keep it warm. Then, she slumped back on the couch and waited. The sound of the clock seemed very loud

in the warmth of Rufus's

hall in G City, Amanda's performance was had paused into an interlude.

They had

concert. It would be a good step to

his idea, and sank back to his

to come to this concert at all. However, Horace asked his driver to wait for him right outside the office building and insisted on

received an invitation to this concert,

for her previous show through her assistant, but he

remembered the crowd's faces when she played— mesmerized, and in absolute adoration. It was all too familiar,

how distraught he was when she broke up with him at her father's request. All at once, his world turned gloomy, as if she took all the light with her. It took him a long time to move on. One day, he woke up to find every trace of her gone from his heart.

It was as if his past

the image of her drunk and in tears. A pang of

through his musings as

the scenic spot, and they have

a smile was pulling on Horace's face as he

with the investor, he had been digging for any information he could find about Amanda Ke.

would be the perfect match for Rufus— young, beautiful, talented, and from a good family. If he could pair them up, marriage

about this. He sat on his

have dinner with her on this holiday. He glanced at his watch for the hundredth time that evening. Given the time, it would be close to midnight when he

anxious, waiting for him; and of all things, he had even left his phone at his office,

in his seat, trying to find a more comfortable position as his mind wandered to

the crowd held their breath at the sight of her. Everyone's eyes were fixed on her

leaping on the keys. The music echoed through the halls, playing a melody that was vibrant as spring.