[Charismatic Protagonist + All Male Leads are Pure + Ambiguous Flirting + Rational Young Lady]
The female lead won't be abused; she doesn't like to compete but has her own methods.
Chapter 55 Miss Su
The hotel acceptance went smoothly, and Jiang Tingwan took Ruan Yue and Lu Yiqiao directly to the United States.
The concert was still in a few days, so they didn't go directly to LA, but planned to play in New York for a few days first.
But... Jiang Tingwan didn't expect that Lu Zhaoye would appear here.
As soon as she entered the villa, she saw the man sitting lazily on the rattan chair on the balcony, his long legs crossed, flipping through a magazine.
She raised her eyebrows. "Mr. Lu is very busy. Do you have time to come here?"
Lu Zhaoye said nonchalantly: "Why, only Director Jiang is allowed to take leave?"
Jiang Tingwan chuckled.
"That's fine, you can have a free bodyguard for free."
Lu Zhaoye nodded and said seriously: "That's true. It's not easy to hire a bodyguard of my level."
-------------------------------------------
The streets of New York were crowded with people. Lu Zhaoye put his hands in his pockets and followed the three girls not too far away, but his eyes were always vaguely on Jiang Tingwan.
She wore casual clothes today, a white sweater with jeans, and her long hair was loosely tied up. She seemed to have shed the elegance of the eldest daughter of the Jiang family and looked more like a young girl on vacation.
Lu Yiqiao enthusiastically took them through Fifth Avenue, while Ruan Yue looked around with sparkling eyes like a curious kitten.
Until they passed by a photo studio with retro decoration, Lu Yiqiao suddenly grabbed Jiang Tingwan's hand: "Wanwan! This photo studio is super famous! Let's go take pictures!"
Before Jiang Tingwan could react, she was pulled in.
The lighting in the photo studio is dim and it has been open to only a select group of people since more than 30 years ago.
Wooden photo frames display images of countless celebrities over the past century.
Lu Zhaoye leaned against the wall and watched the three girls get together to choose the background.
It was a rare occasion that he didn't wear a suit today. A black turtleneck sweater made his features look even sharper, making him look like a real bodyguard.
Jiang Tingwan was sandwiched between Lu Yiqiao and Ruan Yue. She smiled defenselessly for a rare moment and even cooperated by making a scissors hand gesture.
——Click.
The sound of the shutter clicked, capturing the vividness of the moment.
Jiang Tingwan sat on a retro leather chair nearby, waiting for them to select photos, and picked up a thick photo album to look through it.
The photo album is full of customers who have patronized this century-old store over the years, all of whom were either rich or noble.
She flipped through the photo album carelessly until her fingers suddenly stopped at a certain page.
——It was a yellowed Polaroid photo.
In the photo, two young women are leaning close to each other.
A man wearing a neatly cut windbreaker, with a cool and noble temperament, a faint smile on the corners of his lips, and a rare gentleness between his eyebrows.
The other one was wearing a soft beige sweater, looking gentle and bright, with a smile so bright that it seemed to melt the winter snow.
Jiang Tingwan's breathing paused slightly.
She won't admit her mistake.
That cold woman was clearly Jiang's mother from twenty years ago.
But Jiang Tingwan had never seen her look like this before.
It is not the aloof elegance at today's banquets, nor the calm self-control when facing family affairs, but the real joy that comes from the heart.
Who is that person next to her?
Jiang Tingwan stared at the photo, feeling a little dazed for a moment.
"Wanwan! How about this one?" Lu Yiqiao waved not far away, but she didn't hear it.
"Sister?" Ruan Yue came over and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Tingwan came back to her senses and looked up at her, only to find that Ruan Yue's eyes were also fixed on the photo, with a slightly stunned expression.
"You noticed it too?" Jiang Tingwan chuckled.
Ruan Yue hesitated for a moment: "See...what?"
Jiang Tingwan raised her eyebrows in surprise.
She thought Ruan Yue also recognized Jiang's mother.
But Ruan Yue just paused and pointed at the photo: "The person in it is really good-looking, do you know him, sister?"
Jiang Tingwan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Yes, Jiang's mother's temperament is different now, so it's normal that Ruan Yue couldn't recognize her.
“This is the mother.”
She said softly, her fingertips gently stroking the edge of the photo, "When she was young, she was indeed so beautiful that people couldn't take their eyes off her."
In the photo, Jiang's mother still has a lively look in her eyes and eyebrows, which is completely different from the elegant and aloof lady she is now.
"ah?"
Ruan Yue widened her eyes and looked carefully again, "Really? I didn't..."
Jiang Tingwan smiled.
Indeed, Jiang's mother is still elegant today, but she will never have such a lively expression again.
The years may not have left too many traces on her face, but they have completely wiped out the real smile in her eyes.
Jiang Tingwan suddenly felt a little dazed.
It turns out...did she ever have such a bright time?
"Wanwan! Come and choose photos!" Lu Yiqiao waved not far away.
Jiang Tingwan closed the photo album and gently stroked the leather cover with her fingertips.
She stood up, but couldn't help but look back again.
The smile of Jiang's mother in the photo was so gentle that it seemed almost unfamiliar.
——Who is that person next to her?
——And why has it never appeared again?
Before leaving, Jiang Tingwan still couldn't help it.
She tapped the photo with her fingertips and asked in fluent English: "Excuse me, can I take this photo away? This is my mother."
The white-haired old shop owner pushed his reading glasses and looked at her carefully for a moment, and suddenly he showed a look of realization: "Oh! Are you Miss Huo's daughter?"
Jiang Tingwan smiled politely without further explanation.
The old shop owner carefully took out the photos, and his wrinkled hands gently stroked the edge of the photo paper: "I haven't heard from Miss Huo and Miss Su for a long time."
"Su?"
Jiang Tingwan subconsciously repeated the unfamiliar surname and frowned slightly.
Just as she was about to continue asking, Lu Yiqiao jumped over from behind and grabbed her arm: "Wanwan! Come and look at this!"
Without further ado, he dragged her to the display area.
Jiang Tingwan looked back and saw that the old owner had already lowered his head to continue organizing the photo album, and the unanswered question was interrupted.
She carefully put the photo into the pocket of her wallet and gently stroked the edge of the photo paper with her fingertips.
——Ms. Su?
This surname, which had never been heard by anyone in the Jiang family, was like a stone suddenly falling into calm water, causing ripples in her heart.
Lu Zhaoye walked up to her without her noticing, his eyes fell on the wallet in her hand: "Did you find anything interesting?"
Jiang Tingwan closed his wallet nonchalantly: "It's just an old photo."
She turned to look at Lu Yiqiao and Ruan Yue who were fiddling with the camera, and put on a decent smile again, "Let's go, don't keep them waiting."
When I walked out of the photo studio, the New York sunset was dyeing the entire street golden.
Jiang Tingwan was walking at the end and couldn't help but look back at the sign of the century-old store.
Some secrets, like negatives sleeping in time, will eventually develop.