Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 110 Exquisite Attire: The Turbulent Times of the Republic of China – Truth and Fake Are Hard

"Splendid Costumes: Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan's Turbulent Republican Era"

Subtitle: Difficult to Distinguish Between True and False

After returning from the abandoned dock, Gu Zixuan and I sat in the textile factory office, speechless. Today, I was wearing a navy blue cheongsam, the color of which mirrored my heavy mood—oppressive and somber. My fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of the cheongsam, my mind replaying the words I had overheard at the abandoned dock.

Gu Zixuan crossed his arms, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with deep worry. "Fangfei, can we really trust that mysterious man's words? If he truly wants to protect our textile factory, why is he involved with that old man who wants to control the textile industry?"

I shook my head, my mind filled with doubt. "I don't know either, Zixuan. It's all too complicated. But no matter what, we can't let their conspiracy succeed. Our textile factory is our life's work, and it's the hope of our workers."

Shen Wanqing came in carrying two cups of tea. She placed the tea on the table in front of us and said softly, "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, please have some tea first. Don't worry too much. Perhaps things will take a turn for the better."

I forced a smile and thanked her. "Wanqing, thank you. But the situation is tricky, and we have to figure out a way to deal with it."

Just then, a commotion broke out outside. The three of us exchanged a glance, then hurriedly left the office.

At the entrance of the textile factory, the mysterious man was arguing with several workers.

"I need to see Miss Lin and Mr. Gu. Please let me in!" the mysterious man said anxiously.

One of the workers shouted, "You liar, you dare to come back? We won't let you cheat Miss Lin and Mr. Gu again!"

I stepped forward and looked at the mysterious man. "What are you doing here?"

The mysterious man's face lit up with surprise when he saw me. "Miss Lin, I'm here to explain. What happened at the abandoned dock yesterday wasn't what you saw."

Gu Zixuan walked up to me and said coldly, "Then tell me, what is it?"

The mysterious man glanced at the workers around him and then said, "Ms. Lin, Mr. Gu, could we talk somewhere private? This matter is complicated, and I don't want too many people to know about it."

I thought for a moment, then nodded. "Come with me."

We entered a small conference room, and after closing the door, I looked at the mysterious man. “Now you can speak.”

The mysterious man took a deep breath and then said, “Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, that old man does indeed want to control Shanghai’s textile industry, but I approached him to learn about his plans and then thwart his conspiracy. He and I are not on the same side.”

I frowned and said, "How can we believe you? You've been hiding your identity and purpose all this time, and now you're suddenly saying this. It's hard to believe."

The mysterious man pulled a small notebook from his pocket and handed it to me. "Miss Lin, this is some information I've gathered about the old man's plans and the forces behind him. You'll understand once you take a look."

I took the notebook, opened it, and saw that it contained detailed records of the old man's business tactics and evidence of his collusion with the Japanese.

Gu Zixuan glanced at the notebook and then said, "Even if these things are true, why didn't you tell us before?"

The mysterious man sighed. "Because I wasn't sure if you were trustworthy from the start. And if that old man knew I had exposed his plans, my life would be in danger, and it would also alert him."

Gu Zixuan and I fell into deep thought. The mysterious man's explanation seemed to make some sense, but we still couldn't completely trust him.

Just then, the conference room door was suddenly kicked open. A group of men in black rushed in, led by the old man who had appeared at the abandoned dock.

"So, you're plotting against me here," the old man said angrily.

The mysterious man's expression changed upon seeing the old man. "How did you find this place?"

The old man sneered. "You think I don't know what you've been doing? You traitor."

Gu Zixuan stood in front of me and said to the old man, "You people who attempt to control the textile industry and harm national interests will not have a good end."

The old man looked at Gu Zixuan and then said, "Young man, don't be so naive. In this era, only the strong survive. Your textile factory will be mine sooner or later."

The atmosphere became extremely tense, almost dangerous. I was filled with fear, but also with unwavering resolve. We couldn't let this old man succeed.

Suddenly, the mysterious man rushed towards the old man, attempting to snatch a file folder from his hands. "This folder contains crucial evidence of his control over the textile industry; we can't let him take it!" the mysterious man shouted.

Chaos erupted in the conference room. The men in black rushed towards the mysterious man, while Gu Zixuan joined the fray to protect me and the mysterious man.

In the chaos, I saw the file folder thrown aside. I rushed over to pick it up, and just as I was about to open it, a man in black spotted me.

He lunged at me, trying to snatch the file bag back. I held onto it tightly, refusing to let go.

Just then, another gunshot rang out outside. Everyone stopped, wondering what had happened.

Has the police arrived, or has some new force intervened?

(End of this episode)

"Splendid Costumes: Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan's Turbulent Republican Era"

Subtitle: The Truth Behind the Gunfire

The gunshot, like the call of death, instantly froze the tense atmosphere in the conference room. I clutched the file folder tightly, my body trembling uncontrollably. I was wearing a light pink cheongsam today, the color of which seemed particularly delicate in this tense atmosphere, just like my current predicament. My eyes stared in terror at the doorway, unsure of what lay ahead.

Gu Zixuan also stopped what he was doing. He quickly stood in front of me, like a solid wall, blocking any potential danger from the doorway. His eyes were alert and resolute, and his tall, handsome figure was full of power at that moment.

Taking advantage of the moment, the mysterious man broke free from the man in black and moved closer to me and Gu Zixuan.

The old man's face turned extremely ugly, and he shouted to his men in black, "Go and see what's going on!"

After receiving the order, the man in black carefully moved towards the door.

Just then, a figure suddenly rushed in. It was Chen Yu, Gu Zixuan's reporter friend who worked at the newspaper. He was holding a gun, panting, and his face showed a resolute expression.

"Don't move!" Chen Yu shouted.

The old man frowned when he saw Chen Yu. "Who are you? How dare you cause trouble here?"

Chen Yu sneered. "Who I am is not important. What's important is that your conspiracy will not succeed today."

Gu Zixuan's face lit up with surprise when he saw Chen Yu. "Chen Yu, what brings you here?"

Chen Yu glanced at Gu Zixuan and said, "Zixuan, I've been investigating this old man. I discovered that he not only colluded with the Japanese, but was also secretly manipulating many business conspiracies in Shanghai. Today I received news that he might be a threat to you, so I rushed here."

I was overjoyed; Chen Yu's appearance was like a ray of dawn in the darkness.

However, the old man remained calm. He looked at Chen Yu and said slowly, "Young man, do you think you can stop me? You're overestimating yourself."

As he spoke, he winked at one of the men in black beside him. Suddenly, the man in black drew a knife from behind his back and lunged at Chen Yu.

"Watch out!" I couldn't help but shout.

Chen Yu reacted quickly, dodging the attack from the side and then firing a shot at the man in black. The man in black fell to the ground.

This shot shattered the temporary calm, and the two sides were once again locked in a fierce standoff.

Gu Zixuan looked at the old man and said angrily, "Aren't you going to give up? Your conspiracy has been exposed."

The old man laughed. "Mr. Gu, you're too naive. In Shanghai, I have plenty of ways to make you disappear."

I gripped Gu Zixuan's arm tightly, my heart filled with worry. "Zixuan, what should we do?"

Gu Zixuan gently patted my hand to comfort me. "Fangfei, don't be afraid. We still have evidence."

As he spoke, he looked at the file folder in my hand.

The old man seemed to realize the importance of the file folder, and his eyes turned greedy. "Hand over the file folder, or you'll all die."

I hugged the file folder tighter and said firmly, "Impossible!"

The mysterious man said from the side, "Once the evidence in this file bag is made public, you won't have a place to stand in Shanghai. You should give up."

Enraged, the old man shouted at his men in black, "Take the file bag from me!"

The men in black surrounded us again.

Gu Zixuan and Chen Yu stood back to back, preparing to defend themselves against the attack from the men in black. The mysterious man also joined our side, his eyes filled with determination.

Just as the man in black was about to pounce, a series of orderly footsteps suddenly sounded.

"Don't move! We are the police!" a stern voice rang out.

The arrival of the police changed the situation once again. The men in black stopped in their tracks, their faces showing hesitation and fear.

The old man's face turned pale; he knew his fate was sealed.

The police rushed in and quickly brought the situation under control. The lead officer walked up to the old man and said, "You are suspected of commercial conspiracy and collusion with the Japanese. Come with us."

I breathed a sigh of relief after the old man was taken away by the police.

Gu Zixuan looked at the mysterious man and said, "Now you can explain everything clearly, right?"

The mysterious man nodded. "Actually, I'm a business investigator, specializing in investigating business scum like the old man. I approached you to gather more evidence, and also to protect your textile factory."

I looked at the mysterious man, and my doubts gradually dissipated. "Thank you."

However, the story does not end there.

A few days later, I was inspecting new fashion samples in the textile factory workshop when a worker rushed over.

"Miss Lin, something bad has happened. We've discovered some problems with the textile factory's accounts; it seems someone is tampering with them in secret."

My heart sank. Who would tamper with the textile factory's accounts at this time?

"Splendid Costumes: Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan's Turbulent Republican Era"

Subtitle: Accounting Mysteries

The news the worker brought was like a bolt from the blue, exploding in my ears. I stared at him, wide-eyed in disbelief. I was wearing a pale purple cheongsam today, its elegant hue now seemingly tainted by this sudden bad news. My hand unconsciously went to my chest, where it felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down, making it hard to breathe.

"You're saying there's something wrong with the accounts? How is that possible?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

The worker said anxiously, "Ms. Lin, I'm not entirely sure about the specifics either. It was Old Li, the accountant, who discovered it. He's waiting for you in his office right now."

I didn't have time to think about anything else and hurried towards the office. Gu Zixuan also rushed over after hearing the news; his steps were quick, and his face showed worry.

When we arrived at the office, Old Li was sitting at his desk, his brow furrowed, with a pile of ledgers spread out in front of him. He stood up when he saw Gu Zixuan and me come in.

"Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, please take a look at these accounts," Old Li said, pointing to the ledgers.