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.

TY 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.

she was related to him. Somehow, she felt awkward when she thought about

as 'President Li, ' this time, even as she stumbled over her words. Jasper felt even

for the designs she had in mind. In reality, Cassandra already had a clear picture in her head of what she wanted, but she hesitated. She had a limited budget, and she

an unbelievably low price. She silently thanked him for his graciousness.

she felt very pleasant as she bounced on her feet and wore a smile on her face. Today

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 all about what happened in her day. She clutched

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 her spirit and her mind was racing a mile a minute thinking about where he could

was very unusual. There had never been a time before when Rufus didn't call or send her a message if he couldn't come home.

days, he lived in the home of Tangs, but he told her that he would come to visit on the evening of Lantern Festival.

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

in the

in the largest concert hall in G City, Amanda's performance was had paused into an

They had an almost ethereal sound

would be a good step to enhance our cultural influence and visibility. It would be good

with his idea, and sank back to his seat.

his face expressionless. He glanced at his watch and counted the seconds. He hadn't planned to come to this concert at all.

in his seat. He also had received an invitation to this concert, but going

had sent him two tickets for her previous show through her assistant, but he gave them to Victor

watched countless of her concerts. He remembered the crowd's faces when she played— mesmerized, and in absolute adoration. It was all too familiar,

he had been captivated by her beauty and her elegance. At one time, she 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

go back the way things were before. The knowledge brought him no feelings at all. It was as if his past self was a stranger. He had no desire

in tears. A pang of pain clutched at his heart. He never

voice broke through his musings as

it that the local government is planning to appoint a spokesperson for the scenic

a smile was pulling on Horace's face as he heard the words.

had been digging for any information he could find about

more than satisfied about the things he read. She would be the perfect match for Rufus— young, beautiful, talented, and from a good family. If he could pair them up, marriage would

unresponsive about this.

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 arrived

left his phone at his office, so he had no way

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

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

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