A Graduation Gift

Cassandra's eyes became glassy and the helplessness they depicted made her look like a lost child. Dylon detected her
sadness and was quite worried about her.
She was able to comfort and encourage others so that they saw things in a positive way. In spite of this, she had failed to
convince herself to embrace life. In a word, standers-by see more than gamesters. When one was in trouble, they found it hard
to think with a clear mind.
"You know, you don't have to always be in control of your life. Sometimes things won't go according to your plan, no matter how
hard you try. Besides, you are still young and you have a long way to go. There are a lot of things waiting for you. For example,
you haven't experienced the beauty of motherhood yet," he said encouragingly. "You will cross the bridge when you get to it.
Don't worry, just cheer up!" he added.
Despite his effort to straighten her out, Cassandra was frowning. Clearly, his words couldn't encourage her to see the brighter
side.
"What do you want to eat? It's my treat today,"
Dylon suggested with an intention of changing the topic. Few people could resist the temptation of delicious food, and he
believed that Cassandra was no exception. Deep down he hoped good food might put her into a better mood.
"The stinky tofu then..." Cassandra replied without paying him any attention.
This answer made Dylon's jaw drop and he looked at her in disbelief.
"Did I hear it right?" he asked after a few seconds. "Did you just say stinky tofu? Only stinky tofu?"
He was now torn between laughing and crying, but Cassandra ignored the surprised expression on his face. Still lost in her
thoughts, she nodded her head vigorously.
"Yes, you heard me. And not just any stinky tofu, I will name the place,"
she announced, pointing ahead and directing him to turn the wheel with an air of seriousness. By now Dylon had figured out she
wasn't joking.
'Alright, ' he thought, driving in the direction provided by Cassandra, all the way to a snack street.

It was not easy to find a place to park his car around the area. And when he finally found a spot, Dylon found it difficult to swing a
cat in the street.
It was really crowded with people and all kinds of food stands that kept producing swathes of smoke. Dylon was stunned by what
he saw and still found it hard to believe he had agreed to come to such a place. 'What a sacrifice, well...what an honor it is to
repay her!' he thought with a smile.
Cassandra, on the other hand, felt quite at ease over here. She seemed to know this place very well and seemed in control.
Looking behind, she gestured him to follow her.
The way she waved at him was cute and it filled Dylon with relief. At least for the time being she wasn't worried or sad. He felt a
victorious feeling surge in his heart for being successful in cheering her up. 'Alright, alright, I have finally done it, ' he thought
secretly. As long as his friend was happy, he was willing to do anything. He realized he was willing to like this place for her.
Cassandra seemed to be in a good mood now. As she kept walking, she watched out for the crowd yet it was unavoidable to
bump into others in this bustling street. After several close calls, Dylon thought it was necessary to look out for her. In order to
protect her, he reached out and put his hands on her shoulders.
Feeling his hands on her shoulders, Cassandra turned back and gave him a grateful smile. It was so bright that it looked like a
streak of sunshine on a cold winter morning. It twinkled like stars as she looked into Dylon's eyes.
'Well, it's not that bad since she is still able to smile like that, ' he breathed a sigh of relief.
However, this smile and the way Dylon treated Cassandra were truly eyesores for Rufus, who had been following them. His face
darkened and started manifesting a murderous look.
'How could she smile so sweetly at that man? A few moments ago, she was depressed. How did he manage to change her
mood so easily?' Rufus wondered with jealousy reeking from his body.
He had a sudden urge to beat that man up and take Cassandra in his own arms. Cassandra was his and no one else had the
right to touch her.
Not knowing about the presence of Rufus, Cassandra and Dylon wound their way through the narrow street. They walked until
they finally reached an old lady's stall.
"May I have two bowls of stinky tofu, please? With extra coriander, Granny,"

Cassandra said brightly. Her beautiful appearance along with her sweet voice had caught the attention of more than just one
customer. Many eyes were glued on her.
Dylon looked like a giant while he was sitting on the tiny stool beside the stall. He tried to smile but somehow his smile came out
looking awkward. He was over six feet and it just looked so funny to see him using those relatively undersized table and chairs.
Cassandra found it amusing and giggled whilst placing a hand over her mouth to hold back her laughter.
"This granny's stinky tofu is very popular. I came here often when I studied in a nearby school," she explained.
Cassandra was a bit afraid that Dylon might sniff at this kind of less-than-sanitary stalls since he studied medicine. She thought
he would be a bit of a neat freak. But at the same time she hoped he would be able to handle it. After all, she was aware that he
had experienced the terrible environment of the wild jungle. Hence he might be able to endure the humble environment here for
the tasty food.
Dylon looked surprised upon hearing her words.
"The No.1 High School is just around the corner. So you were a student there?" he then asked.
While he spoke, he watched Cassandra take two bowls of stinky tofu over from the granny. Slowly, she placed one on her table
and the other in front of him.
"Yeah. I was a resident student and could only go back home once a month. Due to this, I came to this snack street quite often,"
she replied with a nod.
Speaking of her high school life, she started to feel nostalgic. The memories of high school started to play in her mind. Stella was
her classmate then, and they still became besties after so many years. It must be fate. What a magical thing fate was!
"I was a student there, too! What a surprise!"
Dylon exclaimed in a very excited voice, his eyes lighting up.
"Really? What a coincidence!"
Cassandra echoed, blinking her beautiful eyes, which was glittering with excitement.
Having found something they had in common, the two began a nice chat about the school, the teachers and the gossips about
the mysterious librarian. Now it seemed like they had a lot to discuss about.

Not far away from them, Rufus had been carefully watching them. He had clearly observed the way in which Dylon had looked at
Cassandra. This had magnified his irritation. Standing right beside a barbecue stall, he was covered in chocking clouds of
smoke. But he would rather get choked by the smoke than move away from the spot from where he could see them clearly.
Rufus was at war with himself as he watched them relish and talk. 'Should I rush up and take Cassandra away from that man?
Standing here and watching them is killing me, ' he thought restlessly.
He was right about one thing. There had been tenderness in Dylon's eyes when he looked at Cassandra who was eating the tofu
slowly and carefully. He saw the sauce that got on the corner of her lips. Without thinking, Dylon stretched out his hand and tried
to wipe it off for her. But before he could touch her face, a man's voice distracted them.
"I'll have four roasted chicken wings!"
said a man at a nearby barbecue stall, who was reeking of booze.
Cassandra glanced in his direction and then froze all of a sudden.
The man was wrapped up in a black coat, wearing a big hat and a scarf which covered nearly half of his face. In spite of this, she
recognized him. His face was not easily forgotten for her.
'Joel! It is Joel!' her mind screamed.
Following?her?eyes, Dylon looked at the barbecue stall, but he couldn't figure out what exactly had happened.
"What's the matter, Cassandra?" he turned back and stared at her.
Hearing their conversation, Joel, while still drunk, looked up at them. And the moment he saw Cassandra, an expression of
shock came into his face.
The next thing they knew, they were both watching each other. Cassandra realized she had to act quickly. She got up from her
seat right away, but Joel took to his heels.
"Help me!" she cried and grabbed Dylon's arm anxiously. "Catch that man! He has stolen my design!"
Even before Cassandra had finished speaking, Dylon was off like a shot.
The street was packed with people so it wasn't easy for Joel to run without bumping into people. Within seconds, Dylon caught
up with him, and was about to get him by the collar.

While a fight was about to begin, a figure rushed out from the side, stuck out a foot and tripped Joel over. The drunk man fell to
the ground immediately, and rolled over to the side of the road before hitting on a cart. He then lay there groaning. His entire
body was aching and it felt impossible to even stand up.
Cassandra ran to catch up with them and this made her seem out of breath. Another surprise look crossed her face when she
saw the third person who was present. She had no idea how Rufus got here.
He stood there straightening his suit, without looking at the man wailing on the ground. She knew immediately that it was Rufus
who brought Joel down.
"Rufus? What... What brings you here?"
she asked with a confused look on her face. She blinked her eyes like she couldn't believe it was actually him.
"I just happened to pass by,"
he replied, feigning an indifferent look. He had no desire to continue this talk so he kept frowning. Seeing what happened
between she and Dylon, he was already deeply unhappy. But at the same time he just didn't want to admit that he had been
following them. He wanted to hide his concern.
As for Joel, Rufus never expected that he would be able to capture him today.
This was something he had been wanting to do. In fact, he had sent people to track him down. His sources had discovered that
Joel was hiding in a rented house in town. He intended to catch him when the right time came. But since the opportunity was
presented before him, now seemed like the right time.
He realized this must have lifted her mood. 'There must be a sense of accomplishment in her heart, ' Rufus thought. She had
found both the proof and the culprit. Now she could go back to the office with pride.
"Who on earth is he?"
Dylon asked. It seemed to him that he was the only one who didn't know what was happening here. But he realized one thing
after he watched Joel squirm on the floor in agony.
'Whoever this man is, he has great skills and succeeded in causing harm without any effort.' Seeing Rufus's nonchalant look,
Dylon shuddered a little. 'How did he manage to do that?' he wondered.

Slowly, Dylon tried to get a good look of Rufus. He realized Rufus had perfectly-shaped eyebrows and a sharp nose. But this
extremely handsome face was devoid of any expression. It seemed people had a tough time reading him since he was good at
hiding his emotions.
'Wait a minute... Isn't he Rufus Luo, the current CEO of the Tang Group?' it suddenly dawned upon Dylon. After he figured that
out, he remembered seeing his picture on the same magazine where he had discovered Cassandra. His photographic memory
could guarantee that it was this same man.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Luo. Excellent?Kunfu!"
Dylon praised sincerely, extending his hand to Rufus with admiration. However, Rufus passed a quick glance at his hand but
didn't bother to shake it.
This embarrassed Dylon a lot. For a split second, he didn't know what to do. 'Should I insist or should I take my hand back?' he
asked himself. In the end, he could only withdraw his hand and scratch his head. Rufus seemed least bothered about Dylon, and
his focus was on Cassandra.
Fortunately, Dylon had a pleasant personality and did not take Rufus's indifferent attitude to heart.
Rufus then summoned his men to take Joel away. Before they left, he advised the men what to do with him.
"Warn him to be careful before he speaks. Don't let him say things that are better left unsaid!"
After he was done, his focus was back on Cassandra. There was still a grim look on his face.
"You are so lucky today," he said grumpily. "You might have only alerted the enemy if I was not here to help."
Somehow his words annoyed Dylon instead of Cassandra. 'How can you be so cocky? I was about to grab him and would have
done it even if you hadn't come! I would be the hero if it weren't for you!'
Dylon's mind screamed but he bit his tongue and decided to stay silent. There was something scary about Rufus's gaze. It
contained a cold and distant look.
The man standing in front of him was incredibly calm and aloof, to the extent that it made people terrified.
Seeing Joel being taken away, Cassandra hastened to follow, but was stopped by Rufus at once.
"There's no need. Our company will handle it. You don't have to get involved anymore," he ordered.

The fact that Joel had once made advances on Cassandra infuriated him. He couldn't let Joel ever look at her with his dirty eyes.
This woman was his and his alone! No other man had the rights to lay a finger on her.