Female Novel
Chapter 5517
Upon hearing Maria’s words, Jagoan instinctively turned his gaze to the worn black photo album sheheld.
At a glance, it was obvious that this photo album had some age to it.
Over the past decade or so, with the rapid evolution of smartphones, everyday people haveunknowingly digitized their entire image collections. The days of buying various-sized photo albumsand meticulously converting each image, as they had done two decades ago, were long gone.Photographs were now neatly tucked into digital folders.
Jagoan remained clueless about the album’s contents, so he accepted it from Maria and delicatelyopened the first page.
The initial image that leaped from the page featured two youthful figures standing in front of the Statueof Liberty in the United States.
The man in the photograph bore an uncanny resemblance to Jagoan himself, yet his attire belonged toa bygone era, featuring a knitted sweater and white jeans unique to that time.
This was none other than Jagoan’s father, Bruce. The woman by his side, in her twenties, exuded aslender grace, her light beige trench coat billowing stylishly. Her curly perm, all the rage back then,retained its timeless allure. The wind tousled both her clothing and hair simultaneously, lending her anair of elegance, beauty and a dash of rustic charm.
Unable to contain herself, Maria sighed, “The Young Master’s mother was truly exquisite…”
Jagoan nodded subtly and couldn’t resist teasing, “Have you never seen my mother before? She wasquite a sensation in her day.”
Maria shook her head and continued, “I once delved into Young Master’s mother’s life story. It’s trulyremarkable. She enjoyed unparalleled popularity in the realms of technology, finance and venturecapital twenty or thirty years ago…”
As she spoke, Maria’s voice softened and she added, “In fact, my life trajectory is the polar opposite ofthe Young Master’s mother. She soared to fame in Silicon Valley and the internet era, becoming atrendsetter, while I emerged after the internet’s rise. I was concerned that Morgana’s ability to acquireinformation would skyrocket due to this widespread trend, distancing her from the outside world and thetiming couldn’t have been more mismatched.”
Jagoan nodded in understanding before flipping to the album’s second page.
On this page, a photograph captured the Young Master’s parents, still against the backdrop of theStatue of Liberty. Bruce stood tall and proud, while Lily nestled beside him, her arms outstretched foran affectionate embrace. Bruce reciprocates the gesture, wrapping an arm around Lily.
The left and right quadrants of the page held four group photos, each featuring the couple in variousposes, graceful, playful, or amusing. Yet, in every frame, their affection for one another radiatedpalpably.
Maria couldn’t help but sigh, “The Young Master’s parents must have had an incredible bond. It’s trulyenviable.”
Jagoan nodded and shared, “These must be images capturing their love story. In fact, their affectionremained undiminished from what I can remember. They never had a quarrel and even whendisagreements arose, one of them would yield before things escalated.”
Curious, Maria inquired, “So, who usually caved in first?”
Jagoan pondered briefly before answering, “It wasn’t particularly one-sided. They shared an unspokenunderstanding in life and could always gauge the other’s resolve accurately. If they sensed that theother was more steadfast on a matter, they’d yield appropriately. It was a balanced dance.”
Maria sighed, “Such a harmonious relationship, balancing each other at all times, is genuinely rare.”
Jagoan agreed with a nod, turning the album’s pages to reveal the third.
This time, the upper left corner of the left page featured a photo of a quaint antique shop. Its designcarried a touch of nostalgia, with a somewhat British-style door and a circular sign board. Emblazonedon the signboard in Chinese characters was the word ‘ancient.’
Maria gestured toward a placard beside the shop’s entrance and said, “Young Master, this store islocated in Queens, New York.”
“Really?” Jagoan responded with curiosity. “I can’t quite make out those details at this resolution. Thetext is a bit unclear to me.”novelbin
Maria explained, “My family resided in Queens. The size, color and placement of this placard resemblethe early styles in Queens. I’m not certain if they still use this design today.”
She paused for a moment and added, “New York…”
Jagoan’s memory jogged, recalling something his uncle had mentioned a few days prior. His parentshad purchased a set of antique books in a New York antique store. Among them was the ‘Preface tothe Apocalyptic Book.’
Piecing together the information, Jagoan excitedly declared to Maria, “This must be the antique shopwhere my father acquired the ‘Preface to the Apocalyptic Book’!”
Maria shared his enthusiasm, remarking, ” ‘The Apocalyptic Book’ and ‘Preface to the ApocalypticBook’ must share more than just a coincidence. The Young Master stumbled upon the ApocalypticBook in an Aurous Hill antique shop, while your father found it in a New York antique store. There’scertainly a deeper connection between the two!”
Jagoan nodded and mused, “In this vast world, it’s highly improbable for two profoundly mysteriousscriptures to land in the hands of a father and son with only two individuals in between them, spanningten years and half the globe…”
Having said that, Jagoan refocused on the album, turning to the lower left corner of the page.
There, a photograph portrayed Bruce alongside a younger man in front of the same antique shop. Inthe picture, they stood back-to-back, each offering a thumbs-up to the camera.
Maria pointed to the man beside Jagoan’s father and asked, “Does the Young Master recognize thisperson?”
Jagoan shook his head and replied, “No.”
Maria then surmised, “He must have had a close relationship with the Young Master’s father. You werequite young at the time, so maybe you didn’t notice him?”
“No,” Jagoan asserted firmly. “I have no recollection of this person from my childhood. At least notbefore my parents and I left Eastcliff. I’d definitely remember someone like him, but… there’ssomething oddly familiar about his face. I just can’t put my finger on it.”
Deep in thought, Maria suggested, “Familiarity usually doesn’t stem from nothing. Perhaps you’ve seenhis relatives, which could explain the sense of recognition. Or it’s possible that the person in the photo
has undergone significant changes compared to when you last saw him, such as weight gain, balding,aging, or maturation.”
Jagoan concurred, “What you say makes sense, but I’m drawing a blank on any concrete clues.”
Pursing her lips, Maria inquired, “Could the Young Master permit me to retrieve the photos? Theremight be something written on the back. In the past, people often inscribed notes on the reverse side ofphotos as mementos.”
Jagoan nodded and said, “Of course, please go ahead.”
With utmost care, Maria extracted the photo and examined its reverse side. She exclaimed in surprise,“Young Master, there is indeed writing on the back of this photo paper!”
Jagoan accepted the photograph, his eyes scanning the Kodak-branded white paper bearing ahandwritten line, ‘In Queens with Cole, 12.11.’