Chapter 145: The Principle of Return

"Massage parlor?" Zhang Qiu exclaimed. "I mean, is this really necessary? What are you after?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's for the money," Cassandra said lazily. "When I worked at the convenience store, I heard you could earn far more at a massage parlor. Cui Ge needed better nutrition, and he needed tuition for elementary school."

"So all that training to become an Animagus was just so you could safely earn money at a massage parlor?" Zhang Qiu tapped the table thoughtfully. "No wonder you needed a flexible, escape-friendly animal form—birds are perfect."

"Of course, I only took green jobs, because back then I still loved Dak. But even just green job income far exceeded what I made at the convenience store."

"What's a green job?" Zhang Qiu asked, confused.

"It means no sex work," Cassandra cut the topic short with blunt simplicity, then continued talking about Cui Ge's childhood.

"So what does 'sex work' mean?" Harry turned to ask.

"You're not old enough to understand this question," the doctor evaded awkwardly.

"Every time I came home, Cui Ge would be sitting quietly on the tatami, even though I always returned late—he'd wait for me, eyes wide open." She burped. "Uh, sorry. I remember you originally wanted to ask about Dak, right?"

"It's fine. I'm curious about your Muggle life too."

"I shouldn't have gone off-topic. Let me talk properly about Dak." Perhaps because of the alcohol, Cassandra's face was flushed crimson.

"The first time I met him was in the Magic School library. I was deeply fascinated by the magical world then, spending every day there. At first, he just sat at a nearby desk. After about a week, when I'd grown completely familiar with his face, he sat down beside me one night."

"Dak isn't a student at the Magic School, is he?" Zhang Qiu asked while taking notes.

"No, he was an exchange student from Ilvermorny. They often hold such exchange programs—I see blonde, blue-eyed foreigners at school every year, but he was the first to speak to me."

"Were you already this beautiful in third grade?" Zhang Qiu asked, tone tinged with skepticism.

"No, I was utterly unremarkable then. My hair was always messy from neglect, and because I was obsessed with studying, I had no friends."

A strange feeling spread through Harry, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact doubt.

"Alright, let's get back to Dak. What do you think made him fall for you?" Zhang Qiu continued the thread.

"Honestly, I don't know," Cassandra sounded uncertain. "I was still a bookworm back then, always trying to study hard to seem less Muggle. If I had to guess, maybe my face shape always suited American tastes…? I'm not sure."

"Anyway, after we started dating, things moved quickly. It was almost the sweetest time of my life—every night we'd go to the lawn to watch the stars, curled up in his arms…"

"So after dating for a while, you began trying love." Zhang Qiu gestured for her to skip the intimate details. "I want to know your frequency and timing."

"Hmm, talking about this here…"

"It's fine. These British people don't understand Chinese."

"Alright, if you really want to know." Cassandra fell silent for a moment, then continued. "Our first time was the day after Christmas. I remember clearly—Dak said he really liked my thigh-highs…"

"Maybe you don't need to recount every detail," Zhang Qiu said, embarrassed as he flipped through the pages.

"You're so boring." Cassandra lazily sipped her drink. "The first time he tried to be gentle, but I still hurt—had to rest nearly a week. After that, we did it almost every weekend until late January, when he said he was leaving at the end of term."

"Late January? End of term?" Zhang Qiu paused. "Oh, right—I forgot domestic schools divide terms by Spring Festival."

"What's Spring Festival?" Harry whispered.

"The most important traditional Eastern holiday, usually around early February," the doctor explained succinctly.

"Since the exchange program was ending, we were both reluctant to part. Dak promised that once he returned to America, he'd find a way to transfer schools." Cassandra continued. "But after that, I never heard from him again."

"Can you be certain when you conceived?" Zhang Qiu flipped through his diary.

"Cui Ge's birthday is October 27, 1982, so it must have been one of the times in January," Cassandra recalled vaguely. "I started feeling unwell in May, went to the school clinic for a checkup—and found out I was pregnant. The clinic teacher told me I could secretly have an abortion and pretend nothing happened."

"But you chose to keep him," Zhang Qiu nodded gently. "That was a noble decision."

"Yes. I was deeply in love with Dak then, so I refused the teacher's offer. That meant I had to drop out and could hardly ever return to the magical world again." Her voice carried a hint of regret, but quickly hardened. "Now, what comforts me is that Cui Ge is truly well-behaved. I don't regret keeping him."

"Cui Ge is actually two years younger than you? He started school a year early?" Harry realized belatedly.

"Starting a year early isn't a big deal… oh, but according to his actual birth date, he skipped two grades." The doctor stroked his chin. "And yet he still completed first grade smoothly—he's truly an exceptional child."

"You know the rest—I came home pregnant, nearly drove my grandfather to death." Cassandra spoke with quiet sadness. "Then I raised Cui Ge alone. I could take extra shifts at the massage parlor, but treating my grandfather's illness drained most of my savings… In the end, I still couldn't afford elementary school tuition—he had to watch TV every day at the grocery store."

"Last July, Donald came. When he found me, I thought Dak had returned—but he wasn't."

"How did Donald find you?" Zhang Qiu narrowed his eyes.

"He just showed up at my house. When I got home from work, I found him waiting at the door." Cassandra said. "He told me Dak went missing during that exchange trip—when he went to Africa in the second half of the term…"

"Let me confirm again," Zhang Qiu suddenly sat upright. "You met Dak in September 1981, had your first sexual encounter in December 1981, parted in February 1982, and gave birth to Cui Ge in October 1982. Correct?"

Cassandra counted on her fingers, calculated briefly, then nodded. "Correct."

"And during that time, only you two knew about your relationship—even when you were expelled from school, the administration didn't know who the father was?"

"Huh? Really? Now that you mention it… yeah, I guess so." Cassandra blinked. "They never asked. Come to think of it, our relationship must've been obvious…"

"From this entire story, I've found three problems. I don't know how you've interpreted them." Zhang Qiu flipped back a page in his diary. "First, the exchange program with Ilvermorny was initiated by the Magic School—meaning they never went to Africa in the second half of the term; they returned directly to America. Second, even if that year's itinerary was unusual, how did Donald know about you if Dak disappeared in Africa? Third, suppose he learned about you through correspondence with Dak—why did he wait until last year to come find you?"

"I don't know. Maybe there's some other reason," Cassandra avoided his gaze. "Maybe he didn't have money or something…"

"The Fontroy family is one of the wealthiest in modern America. Donald's pocket money exceeds the lifetime earnings of most Yingzhou residents. Even if he couldn't come himself, he could easily hire a professional agent or send a family steward to find you."

Cassandra fell silent.

"More importantly, if he came to find Cui Ge last year, then logically and emotionally, he shouldn't have left you alone in Yingzhou. And even now, unless you come to him, you're still stuck there, aren't you?"

"Actually, he told me his elders dislike me," Cassandra said morosely. "He advised me not to appear openly near Cui Ge, so I dare not use Daisy's name—I just want everyone to call me Cassandra."

"That's strange, isn't it? Dak has been missing in Africa for years—effectively dead. For Cui Ge, the last bloodline, and you, his widow, no noble family would be as cold as you describe."

"But…" Cassandra's face turned pale. She forced out the rest: "He at least gave me money so I wouldn't have to work anymore."

"For a family like Donald's, one million yen is barely a week's allowance. And you think that compensates for your entire past?" Zhang Qiu scoffed.

"He also told me not to cause trouble—if the elders disapproved, he said he couldn't help much…"

"It's time to face reality, Cassandra." Zhang Qiu sighed. "Whether you believe it or not—Donald is Dak."