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.

international business which had engaged in industries of all aspects. If that was the case…she turned to

'Uncle' earlier, as if she was related to him. Somehow, she felt

this time, even as she stumbled over her words. Jasper felt even more uncomfortable at the sudden show of formality. 'So Uncle sounds better...' he

the designs she had in mind. In reality, Cassandra already had a clear picture in her head of what she wanted,

unbelievably low price. She silently thanked him for his graciousness. Now, she could get the things she needed without

on her feet and wore a smile on her face. Today seemed like her lucky day. She had already crossed out two tasks from her

by the market, she decided to buy some chicken to stew with tea. It would be good to celebrate this day with Rufus.They could have tea together and she would tell him

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

a time before when Rufus didn't

he told her that he

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 silence

was enveloped in the warmth of Rufus's arms.

hall in G City, Amanda's

They had an almost ethereal sound as the melodies echoed through the

step to enhance our cultural influence and visibility. It would be good to show our involvement in community matters, or people would start calling us as uncultured

was evidently satisfied with his idea, and sank back

to come to this concert

an invitation to this concert, but going was the last thing

in the past. Amanda had sent him two tickets for her previous show through her assistant, but he gave

her concerts. He remembered the crowd's faces when she played— mesmerized, and in absolute adoration. It was all too familiar, as he too, had once been one of them. He closed his eyes as memories drifted back to

had seemed to make his world brighter and more beautiful. But that happiness lasted a short time. He could still remember 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

the way things were before. The knowledge brought him no feelings at all. It was as if his

A pang of pain

musings as he replied

has it that the local government is planning to appoint a spokesperson for the scenic spot, and they

pulling on Horace's face as he heard

the investor, he had been digging for any

Rufus— young, beautiful, talented, and from a good family. If he could pair them up, marriage would naturally fall into

and unresponsive about this. He sat on

this holiday. He glanced at his watch for the hundredth time that evening. Given the time, it would be close to midnight when

anxious, waiting for him; and of all things, he had even left his phone at his office, so he had no way of reaching

shifted 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 as she crossed the stage and sat

her fingers leaping on the keys. The music echoed through the