A Graduation Gift

Cassandra held her breath as she took in Rufus's figure silhouetted against the soft light—the warm hues traced his skin and
gave him an ethereal glow as if she was beholding a vision. Her heartbeat picked up its pace, shivering as the sight of him
warmed her.
She looked down at the gift in her hands. At once, pain lanced through her chest.
"I...I can't. It's too precious. I don't deserve it," she said, tasting the bittersweet on her tongue.
The gift was much too priceless, as she knew that it was more than just a present. It was as if Rufus's feelings were stitched in
every thread. Cassandra closed her eyes against the feeling tugging at her chest. She would not be selfish.
He had kept his word. It was more than enough.
Rufus strode to Cassandra with slow steps, carefully coming closer to her.
"If you really think so, then be mine," he said softly, shading her from the sun. It was a futile act—the sun held no comparison to
his brilliance.
The nearness of him did not help Cassandra's pounding chest. She was left at a loss as Rufus once again declared his feelings
for her. But he was her brother-in-law. There was no way they could be together.
She stepped back and gathered her emotions, determined to keep them impervious.
"Mr. Luo," she started, "I am going to return the gift to you."
Rufus furrowed his brows at the way she addressed him. A shadow crossed in his dark brown pupils.
The smile on his lips died, like a candle blown out by the wind. Her words fell on him like a bucket of cold water.
It was a puzzle, even to himself, how much this woman would affect him. It was as if his body was automatically on the move
even before he could think about his actions. When he learned of the dress, his first thought was to get it for Cassandra.
He knew that Cassandra was feeling depressed. She had devoted all of herself to her design, but all she got was the accusation
of being a copycat.
Rufus had everything arranged carefully at the auction, taking all the steps he could to win her heart. Moreover, he wanted to
show the person behind this that Cassandra was no weakling—she had very strong backing and would fight back.

Rufus looked into her eyes, and at once he knew that he could not push her any further. She looked at him as if one more word
would make her break. And he did not want to be the reason for that expression. He took a deep breath and turned to sit in his
chair, steeling himself to act professionally.
"Director Tong and the government of G City are working together to build a super-large-scale nursing home in the suburbs to
solve the growing problem of excessive numbers of admission waiting in line. He, together with other people involved,
recommends you as the designer for the nursing home."
Rufus slowly explained the reason why he called for Cassandra, his face wearing an expression of seriousness.
Jenks Tong had already heard about the reason for Cassandra's suspension, but he insisted that Cassandra should be the
designer for the project. It came as quite a surprise.
It was expected that the group would not get huge profits from such government project, but there were other advantages. Once
the news came out, the public would look at them with favor; and if they got on well with the government, it would beneficial for
future connections.
The members on the board of directors also knew about this. Although there were some objections, an overwhelming majority
voted to appoint Cassandra for this project.
Jenks was very influential, and since it was him who had chosen Cassandra, the person in charge from the government had no
objections.
"Very well," Cassandra replied. "So does that mean I could return to my duties?"
Cassandra recalled her conversation with Jenks that night. She had let it slip that she was feeling caged and wanted to break
away. She knew he understood what she meant, but why did he help her?
"Go to meet Director Tong this afternoon and consult him about the design of the nursing home. You can start the design
tomorrow,"
Rufus said in a clipped tone. His voice was hard and there was nothing of the earlier softness in his eyes.
Cassandra knew that her refusal hurt him. She bowed politely and walked out of the office without saying anything more. At this
point, there was nothing she could say that would make him feel better.

The moment she closed the door, she heard a loud crash as Rufus's fist slammed on the desk. It was as if the impact went
directly to her and she jolted from surprise, but she didn't turn back.
'Rufus, ' she thought closing her eyes and breathing deeply, 'If I hadn't been married, I would have had accepted your love. But
the facts are against us. We can't be together.'
Victor was waiting outside. Upon seeing Cassandra come out, he nodded to her and hurried inside Rufus's office.
Rufus was holding his head and massaging the temple. Victor hesitated for a moment before delivering the papers in his hand to
him.
"Mr. Luo, I have gotten some clues about the case," he informed him.
Rufus brought his hand down from his head and looked over the papers.
"We started with the engineering department in H City and found out that the designer was an American. He had never been to
China before. According to his statements, he was not aware that his design had been plagiarized, and claimed that it was his
original design. Aside from this, he also commented that the Chinese were famous for their knock-offs."
As Victor explained his findings, a frown knotted in Rufus's forehead.
The designer was an American? It didn't make sense. After Cassandra returned home, he kept track of her whereabouts very
closely. She had never contacted anyone from any foreign country. Except for that business trip with him, she had never stepped
foot on foreign soil.
Moreover, she only interacted with the staff. It was impossible for the information to be leaked, unless... Perhaps there was a
mole.
Rufus was silent for some moments as he thought things over. "Go on with the investigation," he instructed Victor. "Check who
that designer usually is in contact with. I want a detailed report."
There was a mysterious glint in his cold eyes as he spoke.
Cassandra was not someone who would plagiarize a foreigner's design. She had too much pride to stoop to that level. The only
plausible explanation was that someone else stole her design. It could only be one of the people who worked around her.
He recalled her saying that insiders were out of this. At the thought, Rufus sighed helplessly.

For someone so mature, she could be so naive and gullible, which was one of the reasons why it was impossible for him to leave
her alone.
Cassandra went to Jenks's hospital in the afternoon. His secretary informed her that he was in a meeting and led Cassandra to
wait in his office.
It was a simple, and tastefully furnished space. A landscape painting hung on the wall, and was a testament to the owner's good
eye.
On the desk was a frame with a picture of a young couple and their son.
The man, who was possibly Jenks in his younger days, was smiling. His wife had delicate features, and the boy inherited their
good looks. He had curved eyebrows and a charming smile.
The door opened once again as the secretary led someone in and said, "Please wait in the office. Director Tong will come after
the meeting."
Then he left and closed the door.
Cassandra looked to the direction of the door and her eyes widened in amazement. The person who came in turned out to be
none other than Dylon Tong.
What a coincidence!
Dylon was evidently surprised as well, but a big smile broke in his face as he walked to her.
"Are you here to meet my father?" he asked.
What? Father?
Cassandra looked at the picture on the desk and then at Dylon. She remembered that Dylon knew a lot about animals, and
Jenks once told her that his son liked taking photographs of animals. 'So Dylon must be Jenks Tong's son then, ' she thought
amusedly to herself.
Looking at her wide-eyed expression, Dylon tapped her forehead gently with his forefinger.
"Hey, what are you thinking about? Why are you here for my father?" he asked again, smiling at her.

Cassandra was pulled back to reality at his question.
"Well, I have something to discuss with Director Tong. For work," she answered.
As they were talking, Jenks opened the door and came in. He smiled at Cassandra and Dylon, the warmth in his eyes mirroring
his son's. Their similarity was uncanny.
"Cassandra, I haven't seen you for some time. I heard you were not feeling well. Are you better now?" he asked though his
expression laced with worry.
His concern touched Cassandra and she smiled at him.
"Thank you for asking, Director Tong. I'm much better now."
As his father ignored him, Dylon touched his nose retreating to the sofa, then picked up a newspaper and began reading it.
It was only an initial discussion, so Cassandra did not mind Dylon's presence.
"Director Tong, I would like to ask you about your thoughts on the design of the nursing home,"
Cassandra began, sitting at the desk opposite him and taking out a pen and a pad for notes.
Jenks considered for a moment and then answered, "Well, it's a government project, and there is a large area allocated for it.
With the size, one of the main objectives is of its multi-functional feature. There should be with dormitories, canteens, and
entertainment facilities. Aside from these, we would also need an outpatient department for the medical staff..." he trailed off and
then turned to her. "Do you have any other new ideas?"
Jenks had always regarded Cassandra highly. He thought she was an honest woman and a skilled designer.
When he heard that she was involved in plagiarism scandal and got suspended, he knew there must have been a mistake. She
simply did not have it in her to do something like it. He wanted to help her out, so he appointed her as the designer of the nursing
home.
"So here is what I think..."
Cassandra drew on her pad quickly and then showed the sketch to Jenks.

"I did an ocular check there this morning. As you said, it's really a big area, but I think it will be wasteful if we don't make use of
the greening area. Why don't we designate a portion of the space for planting fruit trees or seedlings? The elders who are still
able to and interested can help with planting. Products from the trees can help create profits for the nursing home for their use
and make the best of their spare time at the same time."
Jenks listened as Cassandra explained her ideas. A smile formed on his lips. He knew he had made the right decision.