A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1117 Liu Lanfang Visits the Sick

Liu Lanfang immediately stood up, her face beaming with a smile, her voice softening slightly: "Mr. Wu, you've finally arrived. Gui'er's illness seems quite serious; you must be exhausted." As she spoke, she moved closer to Wu Mingqiang, her hair almost brushing against his arm. "I was just telling Gui'er that if she has any difficulties, she should just let me know. If you're too busy, I can come and lend a hand."

Wu Mingqiang moved half a step to the side to create some distance and handed the food box to Ding Xiang: "Thank you for your concern, Miss Liu. We can take care of you, Miss. We won't trouble you."

Liu Lanfang acted as if she hadn't heard, took out a small brocade box from her handbag, opened it, and handed it to Wu Mingqiang: "By the way, my father brought back some cigars from France the other day. He said they were top-quality. I thought you might like them, so I saved a box for you." Her fingertips brushed against the back of Wu Mingqiang's hand intentionally or unintentionally, her eyes filled with undisguised warmth.

Wu Mingqiang did not accept the offer, but simply said, "I appreciate Miss Liu's kindness, but I am not used to smoking cigars."

Gui'er watched from the side, her feelings complicated. Anyone with eyes could see what Liu Lanfang meant by her posture, yet she acted so arrogantly, as if she was certain that no one would dare to contradict her.

Liu Lanfang was met with a rebuff, and the smile on her face faded a little, but she still refused to leave. Instead, she said to Gui'er, "Gui'er, take good care of yourself. I'll come to see you another day."

Before leaving, she turned back and winked at Wu Mingqiang, "Mr. Wu, come visit me sometime. My dad would like to talk to you about business."

Wu Mingqiang didn't respond. After she left, he said to Dingxiang, "Throw away the fruit and the box."

Gui'er smiled and said, "There's nothing wrong with the stuff, why waste it? I think that cigarette is good. If you don't smoke it, you can give it away as a favor."

Wu Mingqiang smiled and said, "Alright, then we'll listen to Miss. She suddenly came to the pawnshop at noon today, saying you didn't go to school and that your teacher said you were sick. She asked me to tell her which hospital you were in, saying she wanted to visit you. I didn't want her to disturb your rest. But if I didn't tell her, she wouldn't leave the shop. I had no choice but to tell her. I also told her that you would be discharged from the hospital soon and that she didn't need to bother coming to visit, but she still came anyway."

Gui'er glanced at the bag of fruit, which contained the cheapest bananas. In contrast, the cigars given to Wu Mingqiang came in a very exquisite box, clearly worth a lot of money. It seemed that Liu Lanfang's real intention was not what it seemed.

After staying in the hospital for a day and a night, Gui'er was finally discharged. Wu Mingqiang, Acheng, and Dingxiang all advised her to rest for a few more days, but she was afraid of falling behind in her studies, so she insisted on going to school.

When she returned to school, some classmates politely came up to ask her what was wrong. Gui'er told them that she had a chronic stomachache, so it was nothing serious.

As she walked out of the classroom alone, Chen Muli quietly came over and asked her, "How are you feeling? Why did you suddenly take sick leave?"

Gui'er said a little embarrassedly, "It's a stomach ulcer. It might be related to my mood. I've been feeling down lately."

Chen Muli took out a few pages of paper and gave them to her, saying, "These are the notes I organized for you yesterday. Take them back and look at them yourself. Is it because of your brother's situation? I heard the war situation on the mainland isn't very good."

“I can’t get in touch with my brother,” Gui’er said sadly.

"...Gui'er, you must be strong. Actually, I have been corresponding with your brother for many years. I have known about you for a long time. In his letters, he described in detail how he met you and how he brought you home. He said that he felt like he was suffocating in the Marshal's Mansion. If it weren't for you, he would not have been able to endure it. You are like his angel. I believe that as long as he lives, he will definitely come to find you. So you must take good care of yourself."

Gui'er knew perfectly well that these were just Chen Muli's words to comfort her, but she still felt very comfortable after hearing them.

"Thank you, Professor Chen. I will take care of myself."

“If you need any help, you can come to me. The country is in crisis right now, and I know that even if your brother arranges capable men for you, it will still be very difficult. As long as I can help, I will definitely help,” Chen Muli said earnestly.

Gui'er thought of Wu Mingqiang and Liu Lanfang's matter, hesitated for a moment, and still didn't say anything. Although Chen Muli meant well, he was just a professor. If he offended a traitor, he probably wouldn't have a good ending.

Afterwards, Gui'er tried her best not to think too much and resumed her daily life. However, she was still worried about when the organization would send someone to take over the work in Hong Kong. Even if they did come, she had no way of knowing. So she could only actively participate in the activities of progressive youth organizations on campus.

After Wu Mingqiang found out, he always used her poor health and the fact that she almost got caught by the police last time as reasons to advise her to stop.

That day at the dinner table, Wu Mingqiang once again advised her: "Miss, I know you are a patriotic person, but we should just participate in fundraising and charity sales. Please don't go out into the street with a sign like last time. What would have happened if I hadn't arrived in time? Not all the police know me. Nowadays, the situation is getting more and more chaotic. There are rumors that the Japanese are probably unwilling to delay any longer, and it may be just a matter of a few months."

"A few months?" Dingxiang was so surprised that the soup spoon in her hand clattered into the bowl, splashing a few drops of rice water. "Then...then should we pack our things and run away? Didn't they open a branch in Macau? Can we hide there for a while?"

Acheng frowned as well: "Brother Qiang, is this news accurate? Do the Japanese really dare to touch Hong Kong? This is British territory."

Wu Mingqiang took a bite of rice, chewing without saying a word, but his brows were furrowed, which didn't seem like he was talking big.

Gui'er looked at him, her doubts growing stronger—she had heard rumors of the Japanese invasion, but no one had ever spoken with such certainty, even specifying a timeframe.

“Little Angkor,” Gui’er put down her chopsticks, “where did you hear this news from?”

Wu Mingqiang looked up and met her gaze. He paused for a moment before saying, "A few days ago, Liu Lanfang's father came to talk business with me. He let slip something over drinks. He said that Japan is already mobilizing troops, and Hong Kong is probably doomed."

“Boss Liu?” Gui’er frowned even more. “How could he know all this? Have the Japanese trusted him that much?”

“He’s close to the Japanese,” Wu Mingqiang said, his voice deepening. “I heard he often deals with people from those consulates and has better information than we do. He also said that the British look powerful, but they’ve long since given up on defending the city. If a real war breaks out, they won’t last more than a few days. He also said that after Japan enters Hong Kong, they will definitely need to find a group of people to maintain order, and he wants to get a position.”

Isn't this just plain blatant a desire to become the head of a traitorous regime?