Chapter 54 Save Me?
The Huo family mansion was brightly lit.
Although Mr. Huo’s 80th birthday was not extravagant, the grandeur was no less impressive.
Various cars are parked neatly in the courtyard, and most of the guests coming and going are political dignitaries.
Tonight's waiters and private chefs all need to undergo a strict body search, which was specially arranged by Jiang Shixu.
Ever since the accident at the family reunion banquet, he dared not relax even a little. There was no clue about the mastermind behind the incident, and the only thing he found was that the waiter had fled overseas.
Jiang Tingwan got out of the car wearing a dark green haute couture cheongsam, while Ruan Yue beside her was wearing a light apricot dress. The two of them, one dark and one light, complemented each other.
She walked into the hall holding Ruan Yue's hand. She glanced at the crowd inadvertently and unexpectedly found a strange woman standing next to Jiang Shixu.
The man was wearing a neatly tailored black suit and had a cold and stern temperament, but Jiang Tingwan had no impression of him.
But she soon found out.
How could this be a female companion? She was clearly a female bodyguard.
Jiang Shixu only showed her up briefly, and then asked her to follow Jiang Tingwan closely.
If there is anything unusual, she will immediately take Jiang Tingwan to see the Huo family's medical team.
He is always like this, even his protection is flawless.
Jiang Tingwan withdrew her gaze and took Ruan Yue to wish Mr. Huo a happy birthday.
At the beginning, she specially bought this pair of peony double-handled vases and gave them away together with Ruan Yue. This was to symbolize pairs, good luck and good fortune, and also to imply the deep love between sisters. It is impossible to find fault with them and they cannot be compared.
Mr. Huo usually doesn't smile, but at this moment he smiled and praised: "Good! Good! You two are thoughtful!"
After giving the gift, Jiang Tingwan just walked into the hall, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Xie Duo walking towards her.
His injuries had not yet healed and his face was still a little pale, but he stubbornly wanted to get close to her.
However, before he could get close, Lu Zhaoye stepped in between the two of them, with a fake smile on his lips: "Master Xie, you recovered pretty quickly?"
Xie Duo's face darkened, but due to the situation he couldn't lose his temper, so he could only stare at him coldly.
Jiang Tingwan found it funny and didn't bother to pay attention to the two people's open and covert rivalry. She turned and walked towards the balcony.
The night breeze was slightly cool, and she just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard several young ladies talking in low voices not far away -
"See? That guy is down and out now, and can only get in with the help of a playboy."
"Didn't she look down on Jiang Tingwan the most back then? She kept calling her 'adopted daughter'. Now that she's so high and mighty, she doesn't even dare to look at her."
Jiang Tingwan followed their gaze and her eyes fell on a woman with delicate makeup in the corner.
That is the young lady of the Zhou family, Zhou Luoyao.
At a banquet many years ago, it was this woman who brought a group of daughters from wealthy families to mock her identity as an adopted daughter.
Now that the Zhou family has fallen on hard times, Zhou Luoyao can only rely on a playboy with a very bad reputation to barely squeeze into this banquet.
Jiang Tingwan frowned slightly and slowly walked towards the young ladies who were talking about something.
She said in a moderate voice, "You two better watch your words, or someone might say the same thing to you next year."
When the two daughters turned around and saw that it was her, their faces suddenly became embarrassed and they lowered their heads and walked away quickly.
Zhou Luoyao looked at this scene and sneered: "Ms. Jiang is so powerful now, there is no need for her to cry foul here."
Jiang Tingwan sat down beside her leisurely, with the corners of her lips slightly raised.
"You don't have to think so highly of yourself. I won't cry for you."
Zhou Luoyao was stunned for two seconds, then sneered.
"You pretended to be well-behaved when you were little, but now your true colors are finally revealed?"
"Does it feel good to see me make fun of you?"
"It's really nice."
Jiang Tingwan gently shook the champagne glass, "The Zhou family's jewel in the crown back then, now has to rely on a man to attend the banquet. Who wouldn't like to watch this drama?"
Zhou Luoyao suddenly turned around and glared at her.
"No matter how incompetent I am, I am not as 'powerful' as you. Back then, you had Jiang Shixu to protect you. Now you have Chen Guan in front of you and those two from the Xie and Lu families behind you."
"It's a pity that I'm not as good as you, and I can get so many people to work for me without paying anything."
Jiang Tingwan chuckled when he heard this and looked Zhou Luoyao up and down with meaningful eyes.
"After all these years, your vision is still so shallow."
"What do you mean?"
When Zhou Luoyao heard her contemptuous tone, a hint of anger flashed in her eyes.
"They treat me well, do you think the reward is just whether I like it or not?" Jiang Tingwan said calmly.
"Have you ever thought that if I stand next to Shen Guan and smile, Shen's stock price can rise by 3 percentage points; Lu Zhaoye took over my hotel project, which is equivalent to giving him the most valuable advertisement; when I get along with Xie Duo, no one will think that he is insignificant as an illegitimate child."
Zhou Luoyao's face gradually turned pale. Jiang Tingwan continued, "I thought you would be smarter. You chose to be a dodder instead of being a top student in the finance department."
Although she went abroad that year, she had heard that Zhou Luoyao was studying in one of the best finance departments in the country.
Her abilities are not bad, but she never expected to end up like this.
Zhou Luoyao clenched her fingers tightly into her palms, and after a long silence, she said self-deprecatingly, "What else can I do? The debt my family owes will never be paid off even if I start working."
Jiang Tingwan lowered her eyes and looked at the champagne swaying in the glass, and said lightly.
"Come to Jiang's Capital to find me next month and I'll lend you the money."
"ha?"
Zhou Luoyao obviously didn't expect her to say that, as if she had heard a huge joke.
"Miss Jiang, are you pitying me? Are you pretending to be kind? Are you trying to be a saint and save me?"
"Yes, isn't it obvious?" Jiang Tingwan nodded frankly.
"Or does this make you uncomfortable? But since you've followed him, you won't still emphasize your self-esteem in front of me, right?"
She stood up gracefully, leaving behind her back.
"It's up to you whether you come or not. Everyone has their own aspirations."
She certainly had no intention of saving others, nor did she want to see her fall into the quagmire.
But she knew that helping someone at this moment was the most powerful way to win people's hearts.
Zhou Luoyao's words were harsh back then, but she is a straightforward person and would not backstab anyone. Once she came to her senses, she knew right from wrong.
If you can keep someone like this around, maybe he can be of use at a critical moment.
In the financial industry, ability and connections are both crucial, and Zhou Ya has both.
Besides, it wouldn't matter if I helped her one.
But rather than saying some high-sounding words, she enjoyed watching Zhou Luoyao being rendered speechless.
Just think of it as getting back some interest for the adopted daughter who was ridiculed back then.
-------------------------------------------
Jiang Tingwan had just taken a few steps when she ran into Chen Guan head-on.
The man's slender figure was leaning against the pillar, his suit jacket casually draped over his arm, his tie slightly loosened, and he obviously looked like he had just returned from a long journey abroad.
"Miss Jiang has a sharp tongue but a soft heart." Chen Guan smiled, his eyes fixed on the direction where she had just talked to Zhou Luoyao. "She may be harsh in words, but secretly she is paving the way for others."
Jiang Tingwan didn't comment and casually took a glass of champagne from the waiter's tray.
"I thought you were going to stay abroad for a long time, so I was planning to take advantage of the opportunity to grab your market share."
Shen Guan nodded seriously.
"It was because of this worry that I rushed back without stopping."
He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, "I hope Miss Jiang will show mercy and spare me."
This pretended pitiful tone made Jiang Tingwan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Mr. Shen, is he going abroad to study talk show?"
"I learned it specifically to make you happy." Shen Guan looked at her bright smile, the tenderness in his eyes almost overflowing.
Of course he wouldn't tell her that he had secretly returned home once on the day of the car accident.
At that time, he was sitting in a black car downstairs in the hospital, and he didn't even notice that the cigarette at his fingertips had burned to the end.
In order to avoid being noticed by his second uncle's spies, he didn't even dare to enter the ward. He just sent people to repeatedly confirm that she was safe and sound, and then hurriedly flew back abroad.
When he heard that Xie Duo had blocked most of the attack for her, he actually felt an absurd panic.
He was afraid that she would fall in love with the illegitimate boy and that he would never have another chance.
In business, he has always been good at bargaining.
But he was so stingy about his heart for her that he was unwilling to share it with anyone.
"What are you looking at?"
Jiang Tingwan turned her head following his gaze and happened to see Xie Duo and Lu Zhaoye looking over here together.
Xie Duo's eyes were scorching, while Lu Zhaoye narrowed his eyes dangerously.
The corners of her mouth twitched, and she waved to Shen Guan decisively: "I'll go first."
She turned around and plunged into the crowd of socialites, allowing the gazes of the three men behind her to intertwine into an invisible battlefield.
The banquet hall was filled with light, and Jiang Tingwan was greeting several wealthy ladies with ease, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Chen Guan still standing there.
He adjusted his cufflinks leisurely, but his eyes followed her figure through the crowd of people toasting each other.
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