Casper had a hunch that the young man before him was not just any other rich kid coming from a wealthy family. He showed no sign of fear just now; looks like heâs seen the world.
After being forgiven by Felix, the young man turned around, and the frustration on his face earlier on had vanished. He flung the leather bag on his shoulder and walked over to Casper, giving him a thumbs up. âNever have I yielded to anyone who showed off in front of me, but I have to say that youâre the first person who convinced me of your ability today.â
âConvinced? Iâm just keeping a low profile,â Casper grinned and waved his hand in modesty.
âAlright, low profile it is then. We shall consider this matter ironed out now. Let me introduce myself. Iâm Joshua Smith, and Iâve come to Horington to settle something,â Joshua was all smiles as he reached out his hand to Casper.
âNice to meet you. Iâm Casper Simpson.â Casper shook his hand as though they were old friends who hadnât met each other in a long time.
âCasper, youâre my friend now. I still have matters to attend to, so I got to go now. Letâs grab a drink together when we have the chance next time,â Joshua returned excitedly. After exchanging contacts with Casper, he hailed a taxi and left.
Looking at the taxi driving away, Casper laughed softly as he wiped his forehead with his right hand. He had never expected that the matter would be solved in such a way.
Even though Joshua looked like a suave rich kid, he was not overbearing at all and seemed nice.
Just then, Felix walked over to Casper with the wads of notes Joshua gave him and said, âCasper, you take the money. I donât think I should keep it.â
âJust take it. You can keep it for your family expenses or as the capital to start your own business in the future.â
Needless to say, Casper would never take the money. After some persuasion, he asked Felix to take it and put it in the bank.
As to how the money should be allocated and used, it was up to Felix, so Casper wouldnât really care about it.
Looking at the Maserati which he had damaged, Casper was extremely upset in that instance. He had fun smashing and crashing the car, but now the car was hisâ¦
Casper could feel the pinch now that he became its owner.
In fact, Casper had been contemplating buying a relatively humble car for his own use, but that Maserati which cost three million and eight hundred thousand was now his.
Nevertheless, before he could drive the car, he had to fix it first.
âFelix, accompany me to send this car for repairs. It is now my other lover.â Looking at the totally disfigured Maserati, Casper walked around the car in discouragement and waved at Felix.
When Casper was a senior in high school, he had already obtained his driverâs license. Hence, he was totally unafraid of the traffic police.
He drove the car to the after-sales service center and proceeded with the formalities to transfer the ownership of the vehicle to himself and the formalities of its repairs. The center was managed by a pretty manager, and as soon as she saw the deformed condition of the car, she quoted a five hundred thousand reparation costs to Casper.
âWhat the f*ck? Itâs that expensive?â
Casper was absolutely remorseful and upset. If he had been aware that it would cost so much, he would have exerted lesser force and not smashed the car so violently. It was regrettable that even the repair alone would cost him a full five hundred thousand.
âMr. Simpson, this is the lowest price we can offer. Rest assured, weâll fix it for you and restore it to its original condition,â the pretty manager said in a direct manner.
âAlright, get it fixed then.â Casper waved his hand and turned his head away from looking at the car as it would remind him of the exorbitant price he had to pay.
After settling everything, they were told to return to the center after half a month to get the car. Then, Casper hailed a taxi and rushed back to the campus with Felix.
When they reached the university, the last class before noon had already started.
When the class was over at noon, Casper didnât go for lunch with Felix and the others, instead, he came to the back of the hill. When he got there, he saw Amelia sitting by herself on the lawn under the big tree, overlooking the calm water of the lake. A faint smile appeared on her face from time to time.
Upon hearing the noise behind her, Amelia hurriedly turned around and found that Casper had come. A sweet smile bloomed so brightly on her face as though it was mid-spring.
âYouâve come. Here, itâs shadier under the tree.â Amelia waved at Casper and beckoned him to sit over under the tree.
It was afternoon and it was the hottest hour. Exposing oneself for an extended period of time under the sun would lead to one getting a heatstroke.
Casper paused for a brief moment as he thought Amelia wouldnât come in such weather. Therefore, he was taken by surprise.
âThis is for you.â When Casper finally sat down, Amelia reached out her slim arms and handed over a plastic container to Casper.
Taking over the container, Casper took a glance inside and saw that there were slices of honeydew and other fruits including apples which were aptly placed within. It looked just like a fruit platter. It was so neat that anyone looking at it would have a better appetite.
Casper knew all too well it was the product that came from the heart and effort of the girl before him.
âDid you buy them? Fruits are very expensive nowadays. Donât buy them for me anymore.â
Casper knew that Amelia wonât have much money to spare. Hence, buying that assortment of fruits would be costly to her. It made him feel quite sorry for her.
Over their conversations the night before, Casper got to know that Amelia was from a humble background. Now that the fruits are all being sold at a high price, does she really have enough money to even buy food after spending so much on these fruits?
âThis didnât cost much. I bought them from the fruit stand, and because half of them had gone bad, the vendor sold them to me at a cheaper price.â
And as if she was worried that Casper would mind, she added in particular, âDonât worry. Iâve disposed of the spoiled ones and have cleaned them many times. Theyâre safe to eat. Quick, taste them.â
âI see. Thank you very much.â
Casper was moved. He couldnât help but visualize the image of that pretty girl cleaning the fruits attentively.
âYouâre welcome. Come on, take a bite and see if theyâre delicious,â Amelia urged as she waved her hand and looked at Casper expectantly. That was the first time she made a fruit platter for a boy.
Therefore, she put her heart and soul into it and was especially earnest.
âLetâs eat together. I canât finish them on my own,â after picking a few of them, Casper handed the container back to Amelia and said.
âNo, itâs fine. Iâve eaten a lot just now. Itâs all for you.â Amelia turned to look at Casper sincerely.
To her, the boy in front of her needed the fruits even more than her, as he seemed to look a lot slimmer compared to other men.