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.

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

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

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

a clear picture in her head of what she wanted, but she hesitated. She had a

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

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

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 all about what happened in her day. She clutched the bags in

Her calls were also unanswered. She felt his absence put a damper on her spirit and her mind was racing a mile a

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

days, he lived in the home of Tangs, but he told her that he would come to

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 the clock seemed very loud in the silence of the hall, and

she was enveloped in the warmth

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

stage. They had an almost ethereal sound as the

side, Horace said, "We must sponsor Miss Ke's next concert. It would be a good step to enhance our cultural influence and visibility. It

evidently satisfied with his idea,

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

had received an invitation to this concert, but going was

tickets for her previous show through her assistant,

adoration. It was all too familiar, as he too, had once been one of them. He closed his eyes as memories drifted back to

at her father's request. All at once,

was as if his past self was a

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

his musings as

is planning to appoint a spokesperson for the scenic spot, and they

hint of a smile was pulling on Horace's face as

had been digging for any

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

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

go to the Garden Villa to 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 arrived

all things, he had even left his phone at his office, so he had no way of

trying to find a more comfortable position as his

emerged in a golden dress. There was a beat of silence as the crowd held their breath at the sight of her. Everyone's

leaping on the keys. The music echoed through the