While taking a sip of his coffee, Fred leaned against the sofa. "Have you dug out anything on him yet?"
"No. The President invited me to attend the 50th anniversary of the founding of No. 1 High School in
October." Nathan threw the phone aside in frustration. He covered his face with his hands.
"President Jin, why are you doing this? Your rival in love is obviously no match for you, so why feel so
depressed?" Fred added a dramatic flair by placing a hand on his forehead, teasing his boss.
"You can go to work now," Nathan said gruffly. Now that Fred knew about Nathan's feelings for Mandy,
God knew how much jokes and teasing he'd suffer from the man. Nathan dropped down on his chair in
anger, playing with a pen that was on his desk.
Fred shrugged, but before he left the office, he gave another dramatic sigh. "The love and hate in you
young people confuse this old man." He pointed a finger to himself. "Good luck, my man!"
Nathan flung a pen towards Fred.
As if he knew this was going to happen, Fred turned around swiftly, grabbing the pen between his two
fingers without being bothered.
Fred played with the pen, rolling his eyes. "You could throw the pen as randomly as you want,
President Jin, but I do hope you're not that careless with your heart."
The pen was thrown in a perfect arc, landing right into the small container on the desk. Nathan rolled
his eyes at the performance.
As for the Martial Arts performance, only a few people in City A could be a match for Fred. Nathan's
Martial Arts had also been acquired from Fred. Because of this, Fred knew the man better than anyone
else.
At the JR Hospital
During her lunch break, Mandy and Jamie sat in the office to discuss their dissertation. Mandy had felt
jumpy recently, so her dissertation was not fully covered. Thanks to Jamie, who helped her to check it
and pointed out every single mistake, she made.
Mandy was quickly revising her papers, line per line while listening to Jamie speak.
"Doctor Zhou, are you going to get a Ph.D.?" Jamie asked with a smile.
"Of course." Mandy hesitated for a while. During her university years, all she ever wanted was to
receive her doctor's degree. After all, there was a gap between her bachelor's degree and Ph.D. When
she had met Daniel, she had given up on the idea of enrolling in a Ph.D. program in England. Now that
she thought about it, she felt a bit stupid about her decision.
"Go with me to sign up! Please? I might be the only one who'll sign up."
"Which school?"
"City A University."
Mandy nodded in agreement. Maybe this time, she could finally chase her dream as she wanted to in
the first place.
"Doctor Zhou, you're incredibly smart. Why did you come back after finishing your doctor's degree in
England?" Jamie asked casually, spinning the fountain pen in his fingers.
"At that time, I just wanted to come back." Mandy smiled, not finding in herself to tell him the real
reason behind it. It wasn't necessary to bring up the past anyway.
"I see. Besides, the tuition is so expensive in Britain. It is better now that we're working."
After Mandy finished revising her thesis, she pushed the documents back to Jamie. "Do you mind
checking it one more time? Please?" She smiled sheepishly. "There is something I need to deal with."
Jamie nodded. "Sure, don't worry about it."
Outside the hospital, the wind was so strong that Mandy could hardly open her eyes. She had to squint
all the way to the taxi. In that miserable state, she went to the Zhou Group Offices.
With Nathan's help, the business of the Zhou Group was flourishing. They have received multiple
orders this month. Stanley was elated to see the rising of sales, unaware of the reason behind his
recent success.
A few days ago, Mandy had still been hesitant to tell her father the news about Daniel. However, there
was just a week before the final sentence. If her father didn't withdraw the lawsuit, Daniel would end up
in prison.
Even though they weren't lovers now, or even friends, Mandy didn't want Daniel to be destroyed
because of her. Although she hated him, she couldn't help but sympathize with him.
At the CEO's office
Stanley was surprised to see Mandy as she came to the office. He was told by Madeline that she came
to visit yesterday, but he was too busy talking about partnerships and contracts, and he wasn't able to
acknowledge her.
"Mand, what brings you here?" Stanley beamed. It had been a while since he'd seen her, so he was
delighted that she'd come by the office.
"Dad, I actually came here to see you." Mandy placed her bag on the sofa, looking conflicted as she sat
down in front of him.
He looked at his daughter up and down. She had always been like this ever since she was a little girl.
Whenever she had something on her mind, she'd never stop thinking about it till she spat it out.
"Just say it, my silly girl." Stanley chuckled. Compared to Madeline's hot temper, he was much more
patient when it came to handling his kids.
"Father, promise me you won't get angry, okay? You have to listen to me." Mandy's face turned beet
red as her eyes glanced from left to right, suddenly taking interest in her shoes.
"Okay, what is it?" Stanley looked at her with a smile.
"It's about Daniel." She paused. "I was hoping you'd forgive him... He did something unforgivable, but
the Zhou Group didn't suffer any serious losses. Plus, he did this to our family because you had
purchased the company of the Zhao Family fifteen years ago. He did it with good reason. His parents
spiraled into depression and committed suicide. He lost his parents at such a young age. Dad, it is not
good for us to keep retaliating against each other, especially at a man who already has nothing to
lose."
Stanley shook his head, sighing. Sometimes, he hated the fact that his daughter was just too kind.
"I see, but, Mand, have you thought this through? Daniel might not be grateful for what you've done,
and he isn't the kind and loving man you thought he was. He is dangerous and despicable. Do you
really want to let him go?" He frowned, leaning back in his seat.
Mandy lowered her head and said softly, "Dad, I'm actually just here to ask for your opinion. I trust that
you'll make a better final decision."
"Silly girl, I know. Give me some time. I need to think about it." Stanley smiled dotingly. He only had one
daughter, so as a father, he couldn't help but feel protective over her. In fact, if she'd ask for the moon,
he'd find a way to pick it from the skies.
"Thank you, Father." She leaned her head against his shoulder. She missed spending time with her
dad.
Touching her hair gently, Stanley asked in a low voice, "Mand, tell me the truth. Who have you been
living with recently?"
"Dad, I'm living with a colleague of mine. Please tell mom to not overthink things. I'm really not capable
of doing the things she'd thought me doing." Mandy had been well prepared before she came here.
She knew that her father would ask her the question her mother had been throwing at her ever since
she had last seen her, so now, she was prepared with a better excuse.
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