Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 108 Exquisite Attire: The Turbulent Times of the Republic of China, the Warehouse Dilemma, D

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

Subtitle: A Crossroads Choice

Hong Ye's question weighed heavily on our hearts like a boulder. The passage to the left was deep and dark, seemingly concealing endless unknowns; the passage to the right exuded a damp atmosphere, with a faint whistling wind. I stood at the fork in the road, my eyes scanning back and forth between the two passages, my heart filled with hesitation. Today I was wearing a beige cheongsam, the hem of which I nervously tugged at, my fingers unconsciously twisting the soft fabric.

Gu Zixuan stood beside me, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with deep thought. He glanced at the left passage, then at the right, before turning to look at Master Hong. "Master Hong, you should be very familiar with this casino. Which way do you think is safer?"

Hong snorted, a hint of annoyance on his face. "If I knew, would I need to ask you? I rarely use the casino's secret passages. If I hadn't been forced into this place by those police today, I wouldn't have come here."

Shen Wanqing whispered behind me, "Miss Lin, what should we do? If we choose the wrong path, we might be in dire straits."

I bit my lip, feeling like two little voices were fighting inside me. Left? Right? My intuition told me that both sides were fraught with danger, but we had to make a choice.

Suddenly, I remembered the difficulties I encountered at the textile factory. Whenever faced with a choice, I would make a judgment based on the situation at the time and my own experience. Now, although I'm in this unfamiliar casino passageway, perhaps the principle remains the same.

I took a deep breath, looked at the passage to the left, and said, "Let's go to the left. The passage to the left is dark, but it feels quieter, and maybe there aren't as many traps."

Gu Zixuan looked at me with trust in his eyes. "Okay, Fangfei, I trust your judgment."

Master Hong glanced at us, then waved his hand. "Then go to the left. If anything goes wrong, don't blame me."

We cautiously entered the passageway on the left. The passageway was filled with an old, worn atmosphere, and the lights on the walls flickered dimly, as if they might go out at any moment.

Gu Zixuan walked in front, cautiously observing his surroundings. I followed behind him, gripping his clothes tightly. Shen Wanqing held my hand; we walked very quietly, afraid of disturbing anything.

After walking for a while, we heard a faint ticking sound.

"What is that sound?" I asked nervously.

Gu Zixuan stopped and listened carefully. "It sounds like water droplets, but not quite."

Hong Ye said impatiently from behind, "Never mind what the sound is, hurry up and move. If the police catch up with us, we'll all be in big trouble."

We continued walking, and the ticking sound grew clearer. Suddenly, Gu Zixuan stepped on a mechanism.

"Watch out!" he shouted, pulling me and Shen Wanqing backward with force.

Just as we retreated, a volley of arrows shot out from the wall. If Gu Zixuan hadn't spotted us in time, we would probably be riddled with arrows.

"How could there be a trap in this passage?" I said in horror.

Hong Ye's expression also turned grim. "It seems the casino owner was prepared all along; no matter which path we take, it won't be easy."

Gu Zixuan carefully observed the surrounding walls and noticed some strange symbols. "These symbols might be the key to unlocking the next mechanism."

He began to study the symbols, while Shen Wanqing and I waited anxiously on the side.

After a while, Gu Zixuan seemed to have made a discovery. Following the clues of the symbols, he pressed several places on the wall.

Suddenly, a hidden door opened.

"Let's go in and take a look," Gu Zixuan said.

We went through the hidden door, which led to a small room. Inside was a table with a letter and a key on it.

I picked up the letter, opened it, and read: "If you want to know the truth, take this key to room number 3 of the dock warehouse."

"Who left this letter? And what is the truth?" I asked, puzzled.

Gu Zixuan took the keys and said, "No matter who it is, it seems we need to go check out the dock warehouse."

We exited through the hidden door and continued along the passage. Finally, we emerged from the casino's secret passage and onto the street outside.

However, when we arrived at warehouse number 3 at the dock, we found that the warehouse door was open.

We entered the warehouse, where a pungent odor filled the air.

"Is anyone there?" I shouted.

No one answered; only my voice echoed in the warehouse.

Suddenly, the warehouse door slammed shut.

"What's going on?" Shen Wanqing asked in alarm.

Just then, a voice came from the darkness: "You've finally come. Did you think you could find the truth so easily?"

Whose voice is this?

(End of this episode)

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

Subtitle: Warehouse Dilemma

The voice from the darkness was like a cold tentacle, instantly gripping my heart. I nervously looked towards the source of the sound, my eyes searching desperately in the shadows. Today I was wearing a deep purple cheongsam, the color of which seemed to be swallowed up by the dim warehouse, leaving only a profound sense of oppression.

Gu Zixuan shielded me behind him, his body tense like a cheetah poised to pounce. "Who are you? Why did you lead us here?" Gu Zixuan shouted, his voice echoing through the warehouse.

The person in the darkness didn't answer immediately, but instead let out a low laugh. The laugh seemed to come from hell, sending a chill down my spine.

Shen Wanqing gripped my arm tightly, her hand trembling slightly, and I could feel her fear. "Miss Lin, I'm so scared," she whispered.

I patted her hand and comforted her, "Wanqing, don't be afraid. We're here." But actually, I was also filled with fear myself.

After a while, the voice sounded again: "Mr. Gu, Ms. Lin, we meet again."

As the sound rang out, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness. When he stepped into the light, I was surprised to find that it was none other than the owner of the Li family's textile factory, the one who had once competed with us for orders at the textile factory.

"It was you? Why did you do this?" I asked angrily.

The owner of Li's Textile Factory sneered. "Miss Lin, do you think you can easily steal my business? You've ruined my plans, so naturally I won't let you get away with it."

Gu Zixuan frowned and said, "Your plan? The fact that your improper methods have been exposed is your own problem, you can't blame anyone else."

The owner of Li's Textile Factory snorted. "You think it's that simple? I have the support of the Japanese. By ruining my plans, you're going against the Japanese."

I was startled. The Japanese influence in Shanghai was complex and intertwined. We had already had many conflicts with them, and now we were getting caught up in this trouble again.

"What do you want?" I asked.

The owner of Li's Textile Factory looked at us and then said, "It's very simple. You transfer the textile factory to me and leave Shanghai, and I'll spare your lives."

"Impossible!" Gu Zixuan and I said almost at the same time.

The textile factory is the culmination of our hard work; how could we possibly give it up so easily?

The owner of Li's Textile Factory's face changed. "You're refusing a toast only to suffer the consequences. You won't leave here alive today."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a group of thugs emerged from various corners of the warehouse.

Gu Zixuan looked at the thugs, his eyes filled with determination. "If they want our textile factory, they'll have to step over my dead body first."

After Gu Zixuan finished speaking, he rushed towards the thugs. His fists, filled with anger, slammed into them.

I couldn't just sit and wait to die. I saw some tools nearby, so I picked up a wooden stick and hit one of the thugs in the leg.

Although Shen Wanqing was scared, she mustered her courage and threw some odds and ends at the thugs.

In an instant, the warehouse was filled with the sounds of fighting and shouting.

Gu Zixuan was very skilled; he took down several thugs. However, the enemy outnumbered us, and gradually, we began to struggle.

I was extremely worried when I saw Gu Zixuan being attacked by several thugs. I rushed over without thinking, wanting to help him.

Just then, a thug attacked me from behind. Caught off guard, I was kicked to the ground.

"Fangfei!" Gu Zixuan shouted angrily when he saw me being beaten down. He tried to come to my rescue, but was stopped by the other thugs.

I fell to the ground, feeling a sharp pain in my abdomen. I struggled to get up, but found it difficult.

When the owner of Li's Textile Factory saw me being knocked down, he laughed triumphantly. "Miss Lin, you'd better behave yourself."

Just when we were in dire straits, we suddenly heard a burst of gunfire outside.

The thugs stopped when they heard the gunshot, their faces showing expressions of terror.

The owner of Li's Textile Factory also changed his expression. "What's going on?"

The warehouse door was suddenly kicked open, and a group of people rushed in. The leader was a man in military uniform.

"None of you are allowed to move!" the man shouted.

My mind was filled with doubt. Who were these people? Were they here to rescue us, or were they here to cause new trouble? This question lingered in my mind like a fog, filling me with both anticipation and fear about what was to come.

(End of this episode)

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

Subtitle: A New Turning Point

The group of people who suddenly burst in were like a whirlwind, disrupting the already tense atmosphere in the warehouse. I lay on the ground, the pain in my abdomen making me dizzy, but my eyes were fixed on the intruders. The dark purple cheongsam I was wearing today was covered in dust, just like my disheveled appearance.

Gu Zixuan also stopped what he was doing. He looked at the people warily, his body slightly hunched, ready to deal with any new dangers that might arise.

The man in military uniform at the head of the group scanned the scene in the warehouse, his gaze lingering on us for a moment before turning to the owner of the Li's Textile Factory. "Mr. Li, you're getting bolder and bolder, daring to imprison someone in the concession and even use thugs."

Upon seeing the man in military uniform, the arrogance on the owner of Li's textile factory vanished instantly, replaced by a fawning smile. "Sir, you've misunderstood. It's just a small misunderstanding; we're simply resolving some business disputes."

The man in military uniform sneered. "A commercial dispute? Using so many thugs and injuring people, this isn't what a commercial dispute should look like."

A thought struck me. This man in military uniform seemed to be here to help us, but what was his true identity? I endured the pain and slowly stood up. Gu Zixuan hurriedly came over to support me.

“Sir, thank you for showing up. But why did you come here?” I asked.

The man in military uniform looked at me and said, "Miss Lin, we have been paying attention to the situation at your textile factory. Your textile factory has a certain influence in the development of national industry, and we cannot stand by and watch you be persecuted by these lawless people."

Gu Zixuan frowned and asked, "And you are?"

The man in military uniform saluted. "I am Battalion Commander Chen from the Nationalist Army. We received information that you might be in danger, so we rushed over."