A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 176

Hearing the very familiar voice from behind, Cassandra couldn't believe her ears.

The voice was low yet sweet, the sexy laziness on it was so persistent that it lingered through Cassandra's senses. It was the voice that would melt her heart every time she heard it.

Longing to see the face that bore the voice, Cassandra slowly turned around and saw Rufus standing behind her. Her eyes betrayed the mix of emotions she felt upon seeing him, she suddenly felt excited and wanted to wrap him around her arms.

"Ru... Rufus... Why are you here?"

Cassandra could hear her voice trembled as she asked Rufus. He was so unpredictable and she was not expecting him to be here, thus she didn't know what to say or how to react.

'How could it be possible? Hasn't he been staying in G City all this time? Is he supposed to be mad with me after assuming that Dylon and I had an intimate relationship?

Haven't we already broke up by the misunderstanding? Are we in a cold war because neither of us would speak first? Why did he suddenly show up?' These questions baffled Cassandra. She wanted to ask Rufus for answers so as to clear her heavy head, however, looking at his face, she deemed it wise to just stay silent.

Driving on her way to A City, whenever she saw a miserable scene caused by the tragic earthquake, Cassandra was relieved to think that Rufus was not with her to witness all of these.

For some reasons, she didn't want Rufus to see such incidents because it would break Rufus's heart seeing so many innocent people suffering. Cassandra knew that despite his strong personality Rufus had a soft spot for victims of calamities like this.

There were too many casualties reported around the earthquake-affected region. People were gnashing and weeping along the streets, mourning for the loss of their loved ones. When one saw too many deaths, he would be miserable at first but would become gradually insensitive in the end. Cassandra could take it all but she didn't want Rufus to withstand any of it, not at all.

Cassandra knew that Rufus was a much deeper person compared to her. She didn't want him to see any scene of suffering, anything miserable.

"You don't have to go in. You can stay outside and give us instructions on what to do with the help of the real-time cameras."

The rescuers immediately handed the communication devices to Cassandra when they heard that Cassandra could help them rescue the survivors.

"This is the headset. This one is the walkie-talkie. And with this, you can view our exploration in real time on the screen. You can tell us the way through the walkie-talkie until we find the survivors trapped inside the building."

The rescuer talked a-mile-a-minute in giving instructions to Cassandra and looked at her with a stern face when he finished. He assumed that she followed him along the way.

"Did you get it? Again, we thank you and appreciate your help! It really matters to the people here."

With that, the rescuers turned around and walked inside the building. Cassandra looked down at the devices on her hand. She put on the headset, checked on the walkie-talkie and wiped off the dusty screen of the hand-held monitor.

"Walk to the left. There is a weak spot on the right. It will collapse easily. The path to the left will take you a little longer but it is safer.

This is a corridor. The security room should be on the edge of the corridor. Go straight!"

Cassandra fixed her gaze at the screen. With the weak light in the building, she guided the rescuers inside from time to time.

On the screen of the device in her hand, the rescuers slowly approached the security room. The door had been distorted. When they kicked the door open, they found a man inside the room, he was unconscious and his legs had been trapped and pressed by a heavy cabinet.

"Great! We found him!" Cassandra exclaimed in joy. "Now, Dylon, it's your turn."

Cassandra immediately handed the monitor, the walkie-talkie and the headset to Dylon, and winked at him.

"After you pulled him out, cover his eyes with a cloth because the sudden dazzling light will hurt his eyes when he went out of the darkness."

Dylon said as he put on the headset. He started to teach the rescuers how to perform basic first-aid. After that, they carried the man out.

Cassandra turned to look at Rufus who had fixed his eyes on her all this time when the rescuing commenced. He seemed to be mesmerized at the turn of events. However, realizing that Cassandra was now looking at him, Rufus slowly raised the corners of his lips and smiled.

"I'm glad you are here!"

Such a simple sentence seemed to pass through every obstacle between them. The day before yesterday, they were separated by a long distance but now they were just feet apart and appeared to be pulled closer.

"Hey, you! How could you do this to yourself?"

Rufus narrowed his eyes and gazed at Cassandra's innocent yet tired face. "Don't you know how dangerous it is in there," he added in a voice full of concern for her.

He had no idea that she was so bold to bring her staff to A City and volunteered to help with the rescue mission.

Learning about what Cassandra had done, Rufus didn't sleep at all and made his way to A City. He started looking for her the moment he got here. Now when he finally found her, she was planning to go rescue people who were trapped inside a fallen building. 'What did she think of her life? How could she not treasure her own life?" Rufus asked himself in disbelief.

Cassandra, however, just stuck out her tongue. She definitely knew what Rufus meant but was not taking it seriously.

Such a cute response to counter his anger immediately melted the coldness of Rufus's heart. He suddenly reached out to seize Cassandra's arm and pulled her against his chest. For a moment he was grateful that she was safe and held her even tighter.

Cassandra was caught off guard. She wanted to protest but was held silent as soon as her face touched his firm chest.

Once again, she heard his heartbeats. They were as loud as thumping drumbeats and as fast as rushing river waters. Cassandra knew that his heart beat faster this time because of her. She had worried him and angered him for not telling him of her plan of helping people at A City.

Cassandra let out a sigh that was almost unnoticeable and wished that Rufus would not end the embrace. She just stood against his chest, silently.

At that moment, it seemed that nothing could disturb the two of them, not even the earthquake. They both wished that they could be hugging each other like right now till death parted them away from each other's arms.

Dylon rushed to meet the rescuers when they lifted the stretcher out. Rufus reached out to rub Cassandra's hair and whispered in her ear, "Let's go home. Go back with me."

He was a little relaxed this time. He didn't look as cold as earlier. The warmth of their embrace somehow subsided his worries and fears.

"Rufus, there's something that I need to talk with you."

Cassandra pulled herself away from Rufus's chest and looked up into his eyes.

"What is it?"

Rufus raised his eyebrows. He noticed the hesitancy masked on her face.

"I... I don't want to go back yet. I want to stay here for now as a volunteer! These people need my help."

Cassandra gathered her strength and tell him her decision. Her eyes wandered at first when she talked. She was afraid to look directly at his eyes at the thought that what she was about to say would provoke his anger.

She knew that Rufus would definitely object so she had been well prepared. No matter what he would say, how fiercely he would object her decision, she would stay to help with rescue work in A City.

Inside those collapsed buildings, there might still be many survivors waiting for rescue. They were hopeless and helpless stuck in the darkness. They must be terrified, being tortured physically and mentally.

Since she knew so much about the building structure, Cassandra believed that she would be a great help.

With stubbornness in her eyes, she didn't plead with Rufus to let her stay because she knew she would stay even if Rufus wouldn't agree with her decision. She would definitely not leave.

But unexpectedly, the cold man slowly smiled and looked into her eyes, "Then, I'll stay with you."

She had never seen him smile that way before; and the way he said the words, "I'll stay with you" relieved Cassandra and encouraged her even more to do the noble cause.

In her mind, she thought of the moment when she volunteered to enter the wrecked building, a sudden voice shouted from the behind, "I'll go with her." It was Rufus and his face slowly appeared in front of her. She imagined it like in the movies—a hero stepped up and came for her rescue. Cassandra suddenly felt touched. She was grateful to Rufus for being with her, especially during times of crisis.

Cassandra stared at Rufus—the features of his face that she loved most, the creases of the corners of his lips, and the dark mysterious eyes he had—all of these made Cassandra want to hug him.

In his eyes, there were many emotions. But there was one thing that was as same as hers—resolution.

"We'll share cold spells, storms, and thunder.

We'll share mists, hazes, and rainbows.

Seemingly always apart, but also forever interdependent.

Only this can be a great love.

The loyalty is here:

I love not only your strapping stature, but also your firm stand, the earth beneath you..."

Cassandra slowly and endearingly recited the poem 'To the Oak Tree' to Rufus. "Did you remember that too, Rufus?" she asked.

"To love you, I won't only love you but also the things you insist. My dear Cassandra," Rufus adding, beaming with softness.

Cassandra felt relieved. This moment was so romantic and her happiness was so genuine; she couldn't help tears of joy from falling down her eyes.

The conflicts between them, no matter they were misunderstandings or truths, were now wiped out. Maybe that was how it was when you truly loved someone.

All they knew this time was they trusted each other, they protected each other, they stared at each other, and most especially they were made for each other.

Ambulances and emergency convoys around them came and left. Cries were everywhere.

Cassandra took a deep breath and turned around to continue helping the rescuers. Rufus stayed beside her.

"Hello. My name is Cassandra Qin. I am an architectural designer. Since I learned much about the buildings, I hope I could be a volunteer to help you here!"

Cassandra looked at the rescuers with a firm and persistent face, eager to help them out.

"Okay, go with Dr. Tong and work with us. Welcome to the team and thank you for being a volunteer."

They just witnessed and recognized the professional performance of Cassandra. They were thankful to welcome her when they heard that she would stay to help.

Cassandra turned around and showed Rufus an 'OK' gesture. Rufus smiled at her with his hands in the pockets.

Amidst the land of disturbance, the clouds of dust, the cries surrounding them, Rufus's smile was like a beam of sunlight that lightened up everything for Cassandra.

"Oh, Rufus, you're my Apollo. You're the sunshine of my life. You are my hero!" Cassandra mused herself.

Both of them were staring at each other in the midst of the turmoil and chaos. They gave each other the firmest belief and the truest heart.