Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 149: A Love Song of the Republic of China - Shanghai's Tumultuous Business Conference a

Hearing the commotion outside, my heart jumped into my throat again. Gu Zixuan reacted quickly and whispered, "Everyone, don't panic. Find a good place to hide and see what happens."

We hurriedly searched the room for places to hide, the tense atmosphere like an invisible net enveloping us. I hid behind a large wooden crate, nervously observing the movements outside through the gaps.

The footsteps grew closer, each step feeling like a blow to my nerves. With a bang, the door was violently kicked open, and a group of Japanese soldiers rushed in.

"Where are they? Search them!" a Japanese officer roared, his face contorted with rage.

The Japanese soldiers began searching the room. My heart pounded, and I dared not breathe. Gu Zixuan was behind another bunker not far away, his eyes revealing calmness and vigilance as he gripped his gun tightly, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

"Sir, there's no one here," a Japanese soldier reported.

"Impossible! Search thoroughly!" the Japanese officer insisted.

Just then, a soldier spotted the corner where we had hidden our supplies and excitedly shouted, "Sir, there's something here!"

The Japanese officer walked over, looked at the supplies we had seized, and a smug smile appeared on his face: "As expected, they're here. Take all of these supplies with you!"

"You can't take it!" I couldn't help but rush out and shout angrily.

When the Japanese officer saw me, he was taken aback at first, then revealed a lewd smile: "So you're a pretty Chinese woman. If you behave yourself, maybe I can spare your life."

“You…” I was so angry that I was trembling all over, but I didn’t know how to retort.

Seeing this, Gu Zixuan rushed out from behind the cover and stood in front of me: "You bunch of robbers, how dare you rob people of their property in broad daylight!"

A Japanese officer sneered, "In Shanghai, the Great Japanese Empire can do whatever it wants. You who resist will not have a good end."

"Zixuan, watch out!" I saw the Japanese officer raise his gun and aim it at Gu Zixuan, and my heart jumped into my throat.

Just at this critical moment, a larger commotion suddenly erupted outside. The Japanese officer's attention was drawn to it; he frowned and said to his soldiers, "Go see what's going on!"

Several soldiers ran out, and a moment later, one of them ran back in a panic to report: "Sir, something terrible has happened! We've been attacked!"

The Japanese officer's expression changed drastically, and he immediately led his soldiers out.

"Phew..." I let out a long sigh of relief, almost collapsing to the ground. Gu Zixuan hugged me tightly: "It's alright, don't be afraid."

"That was really close," I said, still shaken.

"It seems someone is helping us in secret," Gu Zixuan said, his eyes filled with doubt.

We stepped out of the room and found the outside in chaos. It turned out that members of the underground chamber of commerce had received the news and rushed to our aid.

"Young Master Gu, Miss Lin, are you alright?" a leader of the underground business association asked.

"We're alright, thanks to your timely arrival," Gu Zixuan said gratefully.

"The Japanese army is becoming increasingly arrogant; we can no longer sit idly by and wait to be killed," said the head of the chamber of commerce. "By the way, we've heard some important information about the Japanese army's economic conference."

"Oh? Tell me quickly," I asked eagerly.

"The Japanese military's purpose in holding this economic conference was actually to force Shanghai's business community to sign a cooperation agreement. Once this agreement was signed, Shanghai's economy would be completely controlled by the Japanese military. Moreover, they also invited some foreign business representatives, hoping to use this opportunity to demonstrate their 'achievements of rule' in Shanghai to the international community," said the head of the chamber of commerce.

“Their ambitions are truly considerable,” Gu Zixuan said, frowning. “We absolutely cannot let them succeed.”

"So how are we going to sneak into the meeting?" I asked.

The head of the chamber of commerce smiled and said, "We already have some solutions in place. We found a patriotic person who has connections with foreign business representatives, and he can help us get invitations to the conference."

"That's wonderful!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"However, even if we manage to infiltrate the meeting, how will we expose the Japanese army's conspiracy?" A-Qiang raised a crucial question.

Everyone fell into deep thought. After a while, I suddenly came up with a solution: "We can produce some materials exposing the crimes of the Japanese army and distribute them to the foreign business representatives at the meeting. Let them know what the Japanese army has done in Shanghai, so that they will not easily cooperate with the Japanese army."

“That’s a good idea,” Gu Zixuan nodded. “But it takes time to produce the materials, and we need to ensure that the content is true and convincing.”

“I’ll take charge of creating the materials,” I said. “I’ll finish it as soon as possible.”

“Okay, then I’ll contact that patriot and get the invitation letter as soon as possible,” Gu Zixuan said.

Over the next few days, I devoted myself entirely to compiling the materials. I collected a large amount of evidence of the Japanese army's burning, killing, looting, and seizure of businesses in Shanghai, and compiled it into a detailed report.

"These materials must be shown to more people so they can know the true face of the Japanese army," I muttered to myself as I sorted through the materials.

Gu Zixuan also successfully obtained the invitation.

"We got the invitation! We finally have a chance to sneak into the meeting," Gu Zixuan said excitedly.

"What about Su Yao? We can't forget about her," I said, my worry for Su Yao not diminishing for a moment.

“I’ve been trying to find a way,” Gu Zixuan said. “I’ve already sent people to scout the area near the secret prison to see if we can find an opportunity to rescue Su Yao.”

"I hope we can rescue Su Yao as soon as possible," I said.

Finally, the day arrived for the Japanese military's economic conference. I wore an exquisitely designed cheongsam, a blend of traditional Chinese elements and modern fashion, which made me appear both dignified and elegant. Gu Zixuan, on the other hand, wore a sharp suit, looking handsome and composed.

"Let's go. We must successfully expose the Japanese army's conspiracy," Gu Zixuan said, his eyes filled with determination.

When we arrived at the meeting venue, the Japanese soldiers at the entrance conducted a strict inspection of us.

"Who are you?" a Japanese soldier asked.

Gu Zixuan calmly handed over the invitation: "We are representatives invited to attend the meeting."

The Japanese soldiers checked the invitation letter, found nothing unusual, and let us in.

Inside the conference room, brightly lit, high-ranking Japanese military officers and business representatives from various countries were chatting and laughing.

"Let's find an opportunity to send out the information," I whispered to Gu Zixuan.

"Yes, we'll find a suitable time after the meeting starts," Gu Zixuan said.

Just then, a Japanese military officer stepped onto the stage and began to speak: "Gentlemen, we are holding this economic conference today to promote the economic development of Shanghai. The Great Japanese Empire will provide ample room for development for Shanghai's business community..."

As I listened to his words, my heart was filled with anger. These invaders were still here, shamelessly talking about so-called "development."

“Now is an opportunity,” Gu Zixuan said, and we began to quietly distribute the materials to the foreign business representatives around us.

"What is this?" a foreign business representative asked, taking the documents with a puzzled expression.

“Sir, this is what the Japanese army did in Shanghai. Please take a closer look,” I said with a smile.

Just as we were distributing the materials, a Japanese soldier noticed our actions and immediately ran over to report: "Sir, they're distributing some strange things!"

The Japanese officer's expression changed drastically, and he immediately came over: "What are you doing?"

Gu Zixuan calmly said, "We are just showing the representatives some real information."

"How dare you cause trouble here!" the Japanese officer said angrily. He waved his hand, and several soldiers surrounded us.

“You’re just trying to cover up the truth. These crimes can’t be concealed!” I said loudly, staring directly at the Japanese officer without fear.

"Arrest them!" shouted a Japanese officer.

Japanese counterattack

The Japanese officer's face was ashen. He pointed at me and Gu Zixuan, his anger barely contained: "How dare you spread rumors at a meeting of the Great Japanese Empire! Guards, arrest them!"

The surrounding Japanese soldiers immediately swarmed forward, and Gu Zixuan and I were completely surrounded. My heart tightened, but I didn't feel fear, because we had already distributed the information to most of the foreign business representatives.

"Sir, we are simply revealing the truth," Gu Zixuan said calmly, his eyes resolute and fearless.

"The truth?" The Japanese officer sneered. "What you call the truth is nothing but fabricated facts!"

Just then, a foreign business representative stood up, holding up the materials we had distributed: "These photos and evidence are authentic, and we cannot turn a blind eye to such behavior."

The other delegates also began to whisper among themselves, clearly moved by the contents of the document. The Japanese officer's face grew even more grim; he realized his plan might be ruined.

Uncovering the conspiracy

"You are interfering in the internal affairs of the Great Japanese Empire!" The Japanese officer tried to salvage the situation, but his voice was no longer so confident.

I stepped forward and faced all the representatives: "Ladies and gentlemen, we are not interfering in internal affairs, but upholding justice. These documents prove the atrocities committed by the Japanese army in Shanghai, and we cannot allow such behavior to continue."

Gu Zixuan continued, "We hope that with everyone's help, the world will understand the true face of the Japanese army and jointly resist this act of aggression."

The foreign business representatives began to discuss the matter, and their attitude clearly shifted, leaning towards us. Seeing this, the Japanese officer knew his plan had failed and left the meeting room in a fit of rage.

Rescue Su Yao

After the meeting, Gu Zixuan and I immediately began preparations to rescue Su Yao. With the help of the underground chamber of commerce, we located the exact location of the secret prison and developed a detailed rescue plan.

On a dark and stormy night, our group approached the secret prison silently. Gu Zixuan and A-Qiang were responsible for providing backup outside, while Su Yao's younger sister Xiao Mei and I infiltrated the prison.

After a tense and exciting struggle, we successfully rescued Su Yao and made our safe escape. When Su Yao saw us, her eyes glistened with tears: "Thank you, I will never forget your kindness."

New Challenge

Although we successfully exposed the Japanese army's plot and rescued Su Yao, new challenges arose. The Japanese army began to intensify its attacks on us, making our operations even more difficult.

Gu Zixuan and I both know that this war is far from over. We must be stronger and braver in order to survive in this turbulent era.

"No matter how many difficulties lie ahead, we must work together." Gu Zixuan looked at me with unwavering determination in his eyes.

I nodded, my heart filled with confidence: "Yes, we will face all of this together."

Since uncovering the Japanese plot and successfully rescuing Su Yao, our lives have become more intense and fulfilling. The Japanese army's relentless advance has put us under unprecedented pressure, but it has also ignited our fighting spirit.

Changes in business activities