A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 179

"Please rest assured that I will personally settle the matter between Rufus and Amanda as soon as possible,"

Horace spoke in a respectful tone. It was rather strange that the owner of Tang Group, the most powerful real estate company in G City, presented himself in such a manner.

"Then we will have the money prepared and look forward to your good news,"

a raspy voice replied. Then, a loud beep sounded as he hung up the call.

Horace rubbed his forehead to analyze the information he had just received.

During the concert, Amanda proposed that the Tang Group would be taking over the construction of the new piano academy. She even invited Rufus to sign the contract already. This was somewhat peculiar as it showed that the two had some sort of past and could have been more than just friends.

Horace did not have much background information on Amanda. But based on what he deduced, as a female pianist who had been acknowledged internationally, she would have very powerful supporters.

It was highly possible that this group of investors were closely related to her.

It could be further concluded, from the ambiguous attitude of Amanda towards Rufus during the concert the other night, that the person she mentioned about to make her stay in G City was none other than Rufus himself.

With that in his mind, Horace knew that if he wanted the investment from their group to strengthen his own company, he should do everything in his power so that these two would marry each other.

Meanwhile, in Amanda's new studio in G City, there was an internal call for her coming from her assistant.

"Miss Ke, the Chairman of Tang Group is coming in for a visit, but he does not have any appointment set for today."

Amanda was actually browsing the news on the internet when she heard the call and it startled her a bit.

'The Chairman of Tang Group, Horace Tang is here? Isn't he out of our dealings with the Tang Group? Why would he come here?' she wondered.

"Ask him to come in!" Amanda ordered.

This was Rufus's father coming in and she was not ready for him. Amanda stood up and straightened her clothes as best as she could before her guest arrived in her office.

Just a few seconds later, Horace was led into the office by her assistant.

He was wearing a conservative dark business suit and looked spirited despite his old age. With an amiable smile, he greeted Amanda, "Miss Ke, I would like to apologize for visiting you without any prior arrangement."

Horace held a warm smile as he spoke. He seemed very friendly and for some reason she felt at ease to converse with him.

But, Amanda knew that he was the head of the Tang Group. No matter how harmless or amiable he appeared on the surface, she knew that nothing was as simple as it seemed.

"Mr. Tang, you do not have to apologize for anything. Tang Group is my biggest partner in G City. It is my honor to have you here!"

Amanda replied and smiled politely.

"Speaking of partnership, I have come to discuss our business today. May I know if the timeline for the construction is ready?"

Horace asked with a smile as well.

During the concert, Lionel was the one who went up the stage and signed the contract on behalf of the Tang Group. Rufus then reminded Horace that Amanda might not have the proper legal documents signed by the government, so the Tang Group had not started any discussion about the project. This was some kind of tacit rule within the industry.

However, the investors of Tang Group were so excited to see the progress that Horace had to come himself to get more details from Amanda.

Amanda knew that Horace was asking about the legal procedures, so she just smiled at the question then procured a stack of documents from the cabinet.

"This is the endorsement from the government. I have already chosen the site for the construction. We can start any time we please. I will be waiting for the representatives from Tang Group to come and confirm all the details with me."

Amanda projected an understanding smile and thought, 'Horace Tang, you sly old fox. You've kept silent for so long simply because you thought my studio and my project were not legalized. I'm planning to become the city's spokesperson of the Industrial Tourism District. Why wouldn't I get all the requirements done as soon as possible?' As a matter of fact, the documents had just arrived. It was convenient that Horace came now and his doubt could be addressed.

Horace became even more surprised as he flipped through the documents. 'This Amanda really is something. These requirements would normally take months, but she's done with them in a fraction of the time. She really must have a good background, ' he thought to himself.

However, suppressed any and all signs of his surprise, Horace he tried to speak in his normal tone, "Miss Ke, it is our honor to participate in the construction of your school. We will certainly assign our most capable team to build the school for you."

He then neatly folded the files and handed them back to Amanda.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Tang. The Architecture and Design Department of your company has received many great reviews and praises. I also heard that the department lead is Manager Qin. I will be very happy to have her work as the lead architect."

Amanda grinned, as she feigned ignorance to what had happened to Cassandra.

"Hmm, Miss Ke, that might be a bit complicated. But I do not want to hide anything from you. Due to family matters, Manager Qin is no longer part of our company."

Horace was a bit embarrassed about it, but he had to tell her the disappointing truth.

"Ah! I am so sorry to hear that. I didn't get the chance to work with Manager Qin. But... Isn't she the wife of Lionel Tang?"

She faked a surprised look on her face.

"They've divorced, actually. They found that they weren't suited for each other."

Horace became even more embarrassed as she went deeper and personal into the issue. How could he keep still as he revealed such embarrassing family issue to an important business partner?

"I do understand. Problems will arise if they don't suit each other,"

Amanda replied in a pitiful yet understanding tone. That was enough for her, so she stopped interrogating and went back to the matter at hand.

"But, I do trust the Tang Group. Even without Manager Qin, I'm sure the you can still provide me with amazing results. I will work and communicate closely with your team and be clear with my expectations,"

Amanda said, as she returned to her business style of speaking.

"Not a problem. I do have one more request, if you don't mind. May I ask when would you be free for dinner? My wife is a huge admirer of yours and loves your piano performances. Maybe we can host you some time?"

Horace invited while he kept the amiable and calm smile he had held throughout the conversation.

Amanda was overjoyed with Horace's invitation. It was rather unexpected but it was still something she had wanted for so long.

"That sounds great! I can make it whenever it is convenient for your family," Amanda agreed straight away.

The sweet smile on her face made her seem so innocent. How could she even reject the offer to get closer to Rufus?

Horace, of course, had his own plan. He wanted to invite Amanda for a dinner after Rufus was back. This would be a perfect chance for him to observe what the relationship between the two was like. If possible, he would create more opportunities for them to interact and forge a stronger relationship.

Now that he had achieved his goals for this visit, Horace rose from the chair and excused himself. After he had gone out of the office, Amanda continued browsing the news. One particular video caught her attention.

A reporter was interviewing the rescue team after the earthquake in A City. At the back of the rescue team stood a familiar figure.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she maximized the screen to take a closer look. After some scrutiny, Amanda found the person who seemed to be examining the collapsed building was none other than Cassandra.

'That's very weird. Why is she in A City?' Amanda wondered.

The screen then changed and the reporter started to introduce the volunteers who joined the rescue work. Another person stood out from the crowd. It was Rufus!

He was signing on the confirmation sheet for the driver who transported emergency goods and materials, then the reporter asked him, "Excuse me, sir. I heard that you have donated a great deal of emergency goods and materials, under the name of your company, to the victims of this earthquake. May I know what are your views on the relief efforts by your company?"

The eyes of the female reporter began to glisten as she looked at Rufus with admiration. After she finished asking, she turned her microphone towards Rufus.

"We are just trying our best," replied Rufus in a cold tone.

With an undeterred face, he kept his sentence short. But the reporter was obviously expecting more, both for herself as well as for the viewers, so she tried to probe deeper, "May I know whether your company is going to support the rebuilding work afterwards?"

Though the question had become a bit awkward, she wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"Sure," answered Rufus.

Again, his answer was short. The reporter realized that there was nothing much she could obtain from this man, so she withdrew the microphone in quiet embarrassment.

This was one of the top videos for the day, just because of Rufus's stern way of answering and the reporter's silly way of asking. While everyone else were laughing at the interview, Amanda gritted her teeth, and her eyes were blazing with fire and jealousy.

'Cassandra is helping out in the disaster-struck A City with Rufus? No wonder I can't find him anywhere in this city!

I thought he was overseas to resolve certain issues for TY Group, but I couldn't have imagined that he actually went to A City with Cassandra doing volunteer work!' she exclaimed to herself.

As she searched related news, Amanda found out some hot comments.

"This handsome guy is the CEO of Tang Group, the largest real estate company of G City. He is cute, wealthy and most important of all, single!" "Don't miss out the chance to be the female lead in the story—Mr. CEO Falling in Love with Me. Girls, volunteer in A City. Quick!"

"He is sweet, handsome, and rich! Please take me, Mr. CEO!"

"Oh honey, you are so cute! I love you already!"

"This is a rich guy! He is so unique. I can't believe such a person ever exists around us!"

…

Rufus became an overnight sensation after his clips of volunteering in A City were shown all over the country. The fervent crowd then started to research more about this young CEO which spiked the number of searches for the Tang Group.

From what Amanda knew of Rufus, he wouldn't be bothered by these kind of rumors. However... Sometimes, the bias of the rumors can be a subtle thing, which she decided to make use of.

A sly grin crept up her cheeks. She randomly created a web account and typed away.

After she sent out her message online, Amanda picked up her phone to make a call.

"Is this Business Newspaper? You know that Mr. CEO being talked about lately? I have a great piece of information for you about him!"