A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1073 Spy Scandal

Upon hearing this, Deng Meixiang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I thought it was something serious. You don't need to pay attention to them. They'll just gossip; they won't dare to do anything to you. I heard you were introduced by Lao Huang's friend, right? Then they can't touch you, don't worry."

When Gui'er heard her address Huang Xiangli as "Old Huang," she couldn't help but secretly speculate that Yun Jie's claim that she was Huang Xiangli's mistress was probably not unfounded.

"What were they talking about there? I'm just curious. After all, we'll be working together, and I'll correct any mistakes I make."

"Actually, they just suspect you're a Japanese spy."

"What? Me? A Japanese spy?" Gui'er was completely baffled. What could possibly make her compatriots suspect her of being a Japanese spy?

"That's why I said you don't need to worry about them," Deng Meixiang said.

"No, I just don't understand. How could they think there are Japanese spies in our trading company? This is a British trading company."

"Sigh, what's so strange about that? Actually, I also think that there should be Japanese spies in our trading company, but I don't know who they are. But it's definitely not you, because Old Huang told me a long time ago that the person who introduced you here is very important. You are from our Chinese side, and he asked me to take good care of you."

Gui'er was stunned, almost dropping the egg tart in her hand, and asked, "Are there really Japanese spies in the foreign firm? How could you say that?"

Deng Meixiang glanced towards the door and lowered her voice: "At the staff meeting a while ago, the boss (the owner of the trading company) said personally that several recent arms orders to Southeast Asia have been going wrong, either being intercepted or disappearing en route. After investigating, they suspect there's an informant inside." She tapped the table with her finger. "Think about it, British trading companies deal with either high-ranking military and political officials or wealthy businessmen. If the Japanese want to gather intelligence, where else would they go but these people?"

"Then...didn't they find anything?" Gui'er's heart sank.

"How easy is it to find out?" Deng Meixiang curled her lip. "Those compradors who run field missions are always running to Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Who knows if they have any private contact with the Japanese? Even some of us who sit in the office have had meals with people from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce. Who can tell if it's just socializing or collusion?" She glanced at Gui'er. "You just arrived, and you were introduced by Mr. Du. They don't know your background and are just guessing."

Gui'er's palms were sweating profusely: "This is too scary, there's a spy hiding next to me..."

"What are you afraid of? Just do your job well." Deng Meixiang patted her arm. "Old Huang said that if anything happens, he will protect you. Besides, you're just a temporary clerk, you don't have access to core information, so it's useless for spies to be watching you."

Even so, Gui'er felt a weight on her heart. She hadn't expected Japanese spies to have infiltrated so deeply. Suddenly, it occurred to her: if this were true, could there also be Japanese spies around Mo Gansheng? Her first thought was to go to Chen Zhongyu's apartment to warn him.

So he said to Deng Meixiang, "Oh, I see. Meixiang, thank you for telling me. You can take these unfinished egg tarts home to eat. I have to go now." After saying that, he hurriedly paid the bill and rushed to Chen Zhongyu's apartment.

When she arrived, she found the door locked and wouldn't open no matter how much she knocked. Usually, Chen Zhongyu would have been home from get off work by this time. Just as she was wondering what was going on, a person who looked like an apartment cleaner came up the stairs carrying a broom, sweeping as he went. Seeing her hesitating in front of Chen Zhongyu's door, he asked, "Miss, are you looking for Mr. Chen?"

She said, "Mr. Chen and Miss Lin took a boat to Macau early this morning. Mr. Lin said they should go there to relax."

Gui'er paused, then turned and went home.

Back at the villa, Wu Mingqiang was sitting by the living room doorway, reading a newspaper while waiting for her. Seeing her return, he closed the newspaper and smiled, saying, "Miss, you're back. You're a little late today. Dinner is ready. Was work hard?" Seeing her serious expression, he quickly asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

When Gui'er mentioned the Japanese spy's infiltration of the trading company, his brows immediately furrowed: "I see. I've heard about it before. I've heard that they probably have people in the docks, customs, and even the Hong Kong government, not just the trading company. Detective Zilong caught one recently. He said he worked at the post office and was responsible for opening letters destined for the mainland."

"What happened next?" Gui'er asked quickly.

“What can we do? The Japanese government puts pressure on us, so we’ll just let them go. They’re already conducting military exercises right next door, so letting a few spies in is like child’s play.” Wu Mingqiang interrupted her, his tone turning serious. “Miss, you should speak less and ask less questions in the trading company, and don’t tell anyone about your own situation. The Japanese have a keen sense of smell, and even the slightest disturbance could cause trouble.”

Gui'er frowned, feeling helpless about many things.

Seeing this, Wu Mingqiang comforted him, saying, "Look at this chaotic world, it's not easy to survive. Don't be reckless. If you really want to deal with it, wait until Mr. Chen and the others return from Macau."

After that, Gui'er continued to go to work at the foreign firm every day. Manager Huang probably heard from Deng Meixiang that everyone suspected she was a spy, so he explained the situation for her, and everyone stopped gossiping about her behind her back. Her work ability was impeccable, but ever since she learned that there might be a spy in the foreign firm, she had been somewhat uneasy. After finally completing a month's work, even though it wasn't time for school to start, she ignored Manager Huang's attempts to persuade her to stay and resigned early.

I went to see Dong Yujun again and went shopping with her a few times, but it was ultimately boring.

That day, Wu Mingqiang suddenly said to Gui'er, "Miss, since you're bored at home, why don't you come to Macau with me? Our house there has been renovated and we can go there to inspect it."

Gui'er thought that she might be able to see Chen Junyu and Lin Peishan if she went there, so she agreed and even called the Lin family to get their address in Macau.

While helping pack her luggage, Dingxiang said shyly, "Miss, can I go to Macau with you? I've never been there before. I heard there are many foreigners' houses there, more than in Hong Kong."

Gui'er smiled and said, "In that case, let's leave Sister-in-law Aying and Liujin here to watch the door. You and Brother Acheng can come with me. The house should be big enough for us."

Upon hearing this, Dingxiang happily changed into a newly tailored homespun cheongsam and packed some snacks. She then grabbed Acheng's hand and they happily prepared to set off.

Wu Mingqiang coughed and said, "You two are treating this like a picnic, aren't you? We have serious business to attend to."

Gui'er smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Let's all go for a walk and relax."