A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1031 Finding Lin Zhengfu

"I would like to, but I can't find that person anymore."

"Who is it? I'll help you find it," Manager Liu said, patting his chest.

"You're not planning to sneak away, are you? Go tell on me later." Wu Mingqiang said, cocking the pistol in his hand.

"No, no, no, no, that's not what I meant! How could I possibly inform on them? I hate the Japanese myself!" Manager Liu stammered, terrified.

He calmed down and thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, tell me how you got here, and I'll try to find a way to take you to that person, alright?"

Wu Mingqiang thought for a moment and decided that this was a good idea. So he said, "Hayashi Masafumi of Mitsui & Co., Ltd."

"What? A Japanese person? Well, I'm sorry, I can't find him, I can't find him." Manager Liu was stunned for a moment, then quickly backed down and turned to run towards the car.

"Why are you panicking? He's Chinese, but he works for a Japanese trading company, just like you, doing things for money."

“Oh, like me… ptooey! How am I the same? He’s a traitor, but I’m not.” Manager Liu scratched his forehead and said with annoyance, “These days, it’s not easy to get close to traitors. What if someone sees me standing with him and thinks I’m colluding with them too? You know Guangzhou has an anti-traitor squad, they’re really powerful.”

"I don't care if he's a traitor or part of the anti-traitor squad, I just want to go back to Hong Kong. You figure something out, or I'll stay at your place. Manager Liu, you're my only friend in Guangzhou, you have to help me." Wu Mingqiang wasn't entirely trusting of Manager Liu, but if he rashly went out to find other connections now, it would probably be more dangerous. It was better to see if he could handle things with Manager Liu first. Anyway, he knew all about Manager Liu's family members, and he could manage them.

"Oh my god, do I owe you something?" Manager Liu complained bitterly.

"Manager Liu, we're stuck in Guangzhou. If we get caught, they'll inevitably investigate who harbored us, and that will implicate you too. Why don't you do us a favor and help us out? We'll definitely have someone bring you a reward from Hong Kong. Don't worry, we won't treat you unfairly." Gui'er didn't know Wu Mingqiang's intentions, but it seemed like she couldn't rely on anyone in Guangzhou right now, and she started to panic. She quickly pleaded with Manager Liu.

Manager Liu thought about it and sighed, saying, "Alright, I'll think of something. Let's go back to the hotel first, and you can stay in your original rooms."

When the three of them got back to the Aiqun Building, dusk had already turned half the sky red.

This time, Manager Liu led them through the main entrance. The doorman, seeing it was Manager Liu's car, only glanced at it before letting them through. A faint musty smell filled the elevator. The iron bars clattered shut on the fourth floor. Manager Liu smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry to trouble you two to stay in 403 for now. I'll go find a way to get in touch with Lin Zhengfu and let you know tomorrow morning." He then hurried downstairs, his leather shoes clicking rapidly in the corridor.

Wu Mingqiang called the front desk to order dinner, and the food arrived shortly after: a plate of roast meats, half a roast chicken, a plate of greens, two bowls of white rice, and a bottle of soy sauce. The skin of the roast chicken was amber-colored, and the roast meats were sliced ​​as thin as paper.

Gui'er picked up her chopsticks, but had little appetite, only picking out a few pieces of chicken, which tasted bland. Wu Mingqiang, on the other hand, ate heartily, finishing his rice in a few bites, and wiped his mouth: "I need to eat more, there might be some trouble tonight."

As night fell, the corridor was quiet, save for the distant shouts of Japanese sentries. Wu Mingqiang took out a thin wire and fiddled with the lock on the door of room 404 for a moment. With a soft click, the door opened. The room was covered in dust, and an old thermos sat on the table by the window. Several newspapers, dated last month, were piled in the corner.

“Miss, I found out this afternoon. No one lives in this room, so you’ll stay here,” Wu Mingqiang said, carrying Gui’er’s bundle in. “I’ll stay next door. If anything happens, knock on the wall three times.” He pointed to the drainpipe outside the window. “Although this building is high, you can climb down the drainpipe. If there’s any danger, you can climb down to the first floor through the drainpipe. It leads to the back alley. If you get blocked, you can use the back alley.”

Gui'er was surprised that he had even planned out an escape route. She nodded, watched him leave, and gently closed the door behind her.

Lying in bed, Gui'er was filled with emotion. She felt as if she had just woken up from a dream. She had gone through so much trouble to see Sha Yanxiao, only to have to leave in a hurry. She didn't know when she would see him again.

Although she couldn't fall asleep easily, she forced herself to close her eyes. Every now and then, she could hear the sounds of Japanese soldiers driving motorcycles, speeding and crashing through the room. These sounds annoyed her, but she had no choice but to endure them. She tossed and turned in bed for a long time before finally falling into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Gui'er heard a soft knock on the door and hurriedly went to open it, still half asleep.

It was Wu Mingqiang. He came in carrying steamed buns and soy milk and said, "Miss, I bought you breakfast. Eat quickly before anyone notices. If it gets any later and there's still no news from Manager Liu, I'm afraid I'll have to go out and figure something out myself. Be careful then, and listen carefully to what's going on next door. But don't show yourself. Just pretend you're not here either."

Gui'er nodded and said, "Okay, you need to be careful."

After Wu Mingqiang left, she had just closed the door when she heard a noise from next door.

"Mr. Wu, is Mr. Wu here?"

It was Manager Liu's voice. Gui'er quickly lay down on the ground and looked out through the crack in the door.

But she found two people standing outside room 403. Her heart jumped into her throat. Could it be that Manager Liu had really betrayed them?

They heard the door next door open, and then the two of them went inside.

Gui'er quickly took out her pocket pistol, loaded it, and opened the door latch so she could go out to provide support at any time.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door next door. Wu Mingqiang walked to Gui'er's room and called softly, "Miss, come out."

It seemed that an agreement had been reached. Gui'er breathed a sigh of relief, put the gun away, and opened the door.

Wu Mingqiang led her to room 403, where it turned out that Manager Liu had actually brought Lin Zhengfu with him.

"Oh my, Mr. Wu, you're being too cautious. You've actually hidden him next door. Miss, look, isn't this the manager of the foreign firm you know? I went through a lot of trouble, using up all my connections in Guangzhou, to find him."

"Manager Liu, you are indeed very resourceful and capable. I really have to thank you this time, thanks to you." Gui'er quickly flattered him.