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.

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 almost reeled from

related to him. Somehow, she felt awkward when she

'President Li, ' this time, even as she stumbled over her

the designs she had in mind. In reality, Cassandra already had a clear picture in

she needed were offered to her at an unbelievably low price. She silently thanked him for his graciousness. Now, she could get the

she bounced on her feet and wore a smile on her face.

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

were also unanswered. She felt his absence put a damper on her spirit and her

before when Rufus didn't call or send

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

at the 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

her dreams, she was enveloped in the warmth of Rufus's

City,

filled the room as the choir sang on the stage. They had an almost ethereal sound as the melodies

must sponsor Miss Ke's next concert. It would be a good step to

satisfied with his idea, and sank back to his seat.

at his watch and counted the seconds. He hadn't planned to come to this concert at all. However, Horace asked his

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

tickets for her previous show through her assistant, but he

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

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. That morning, he felt as if he had once again found freedom after being at

that Amanda wanted to go back the way things were before. The knowledge brought him no feelings at all. It was as if his past self was a

Cassandra, bringing up the image of her drunk and in tears. A pang

musings as he replied to Horace.

government is planning to appoint a spokesperson for the

a smile was pulling on Horace's face as

the investor, he had been digging for any information

he read. She would be the perfect match for Rufus— young, beautiful, talented, and from a good family.

Rufus remained silent and unresponsive about this. He sat on his chair

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

him; and of all things, he had even left his phone at his

more comfortable position

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

took a deep breath and started playing, her fingers leaping on the keys. The music echoed through the halls, playing