Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 124 The Business Journey of the Republic of China: A Love Song of the Republic of China - Th

The old man sighed: "There are some things that it's time for you to know. Your parents didn't leave Southeast Asia voluntarily; they were forced into a huge conspiracy."

I was completely confused and asked nervously, "Conspiracy? What conspiracy? Tell me quickly."

The old man slowly got up, went into the house, took out a somewhat worn photo album, and handed it to me: "Take a look at this."

I took the photo album and gently flipped through it. Inside were many old photos, some with unfamiliar faces, and some scenes I had never seen before. In the middle of the album, one photo made me pause. It was a picture of a young couple; the man was handsome and dashing, and the woman was gentle and beautiful. Their features even bore a resemblance to mine.

"These...these are my parents?" I asked, my voice trembling.

The old man nodded: "That's right, these are your parents. Back then, they were prominent figures in Southeast Asia, running a sizable trading company. However, they inadvertently discovered a huge smuggling secret involving local dignitaries and gangsters."

Gu Zixuan and I exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

"The powerful and the underworld colluding to smuggle? How is that possible?" I said incredulously.

The old man smiled bitterly and said, "Child, there are many dark things in this world that you don't know about. Your parents decided to collect evidence to expose them for the sake of justice. But they didn't expect the news to leak out, and they were hunted down. To protect you, they had to secretly send you back to Jiangnan while they stayed behind to deal with the danger."

My heart felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer. I never knew that behind my supposedly impoverished background lay such a thrilling story.

"And then what happened? My parents..." I asked urgently, tears welling up in my eyes.

The old man's eyes were filled with sorrow: "Later, although they fought back with all their might, they were ultimately outnumbered. The shop was burned down, and they... their fate is unknown. For so many years, I have been searching for their whereabouts, but I have never heard of them."

I covered my mouth, tears streaming down my face. Gu Zixuan gently hugged me and comforted me, "Fangfei, don't be too sad."

After a while, I calmed myself down and asked, "So what does this painting have to do with all of this?"

The old man sat back in his rocking chair and slowly said, "Back then, after your parents discovered the smuggling secret, they hid some important evidence and clues in this painting as a precaution. They originally planned to come back and retrieve it after things calmed down. Unfortunately..."

My heart skipped a beat: "So, this painting contains clues that can uncover the truth of what happened back then?"

The old man nodded: "Yes. But so many years have passed, I don't know if the clues in this painting are still useful. However, since you have found me, perhaps this is fate, and maybe you can solve the mystery from back then."

Gu Zixuan and I studied the painting carefully, but after looking at it for a long time, we still couldn't find anything interesting.

"This painting looks very ordinary; there's nothing special about it," Gu Zixuan said, puzzled.

I suddenly remembered the small print on the back of the painting and quickly flipped it over: "Could it be related to this print?"

The small print read: "The stars have shifted in the South Seas, the light is sought in the old lands, numbers serve as the guide, and the truth will be revealed."

"What does this mean? The numbers are the starting point, but where are the numbers?" I frowned and pondered.

Gu Zixuan's eyes suddenly lit up: "Could it be that some elements in the painting represent numbers?"

We examined every detail of the painting again closely, and finally discovered some strange markings on the window of an old building in the painting. After some calculation, we obtained a set of numbers.

"Could these numbers be the key to the clue?" I said excitedly.

But where do these numbers point? We have no clue.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside. The old man's grandson ran in, looking flustered, and said, "Grandpa, something bad has happened! A group of people have broken in, and they don't look like good people."

My heart skipped a beat. Could it be that those people from back then discovered we were investigating the truth and came to stop us?

Gu Zixuan immediately stepped in front of me: "You guys stay inside, I'll go out and take a look."

He had just reached the door when he was stopped by a group of men in black.

"Who are you? Why are you trespassing on private property?" Gu Zixuan asked loudly.

The leader of the men in black sneered, "Hand over that painting, along with the clues you found, or don't blame us for being impolite."

The old man and I went outside, and I said angrily, "Who are you? Why are you harassing me like this?"

The man in black didn't answer my question, but pressed on, saying, "Stop talking nonsense and hand it over!"

Gu Zixuan remained unfazed: "Wanting something isn't that easy."

The two sides were locked in a stalemate, the atmosphere tense to the extreme. Suddenly, the men in black swarmed forward and began fighting Gu Zixuan. Although Gu Zixuan was skilled, he gradually found himself struggling against the overwhelming numbers of his opponents.

"Zixuan!" I was extremely anxious, but I didn't know how to help.

Just then, the old man pulled out a hunting rifle from somewhere and fired a shot into the air: "Stop it, all of you! If you dare to do anything else, I won't be polite!"

The man in black was startled by the sudden gunshot and stopped firing.

"You bastards, how dare you be so arrogant in Southeast Asia!" the old man shouted.

The leader of the men in black glared at us menacingly. "Consider yourselves lucky today. But don't think this is the end of it. We'll be back." With that, he led his men away.

"Grandpa, are you alright?" the old man's grandson asked worriedly.

The old man waved his hand: "I'm fine. It seems they've realized we're investigating what happened back then. We'll have to be even more careful from now on."

I looked at Gu Zixuan and said with heartache, "Zixuan, you're injured."

Gu Zixuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth: "I'm fine, just a minor injury. The most important thing now is to unravel the mystery of these numbers and find the truth from back then."

We went back inside and continued studying the numbers. After much thought, I suddenly had a possibility.

"Could it be related to the address of my parents' business back then? The shift of stars in the South Seas might be an indication that the address has changed, but the old location should still refer to the place where the business was located back then," I said.

Gu Zixuan nodded: "That makes sense. Let's go and find out where the old site of that trading company was."

After asking around, we finally found the old site of the trading company. It was an abandoned warehouse, overgrown with weeds, and looked very dilapidated.

"This is it. But how do we connect the numbers to this place?" Gu Zixuan asked, looking at the warehouse in front of him.

As I carefully observed the layout of the warehouse, I suddenly noticed some wear and tear on the warehouse door, as if someone had deliberately covered something up.

I stepped forward and vigorously wiped away the dust, discovering faint numerical markings on it that corresponded exactly to the numbers we had obtained.

"Zixuan, look!" I exclaimed excitedly.

Gu Zixuan walked over and looked at the number markings: "Could this be the password to open some secret place?"

We searched the warehouse for the corresponding mechanisms in numerical order. Finally, in a corner, we found a hidden compartment.

I took a deep breath and slowly opened the hidden compartment, inside which was a worn-out box.

"Could this contain evidence from back then?" I asked excitedly.

Just as I was about to open the box, I suddenly heard the roar of a car engine outside.

"Oh no, they're here again!" Gu Zixuan said warily.

We quickly hid the box, preparing for the impending danger.

A short while later, the group of men in black reappeared in the warehouse.

"Hand over the stuff, or you won't escape," the leader of the men in black said smugly.

Gu Zixuan blocked my way: "Don't even think about it! You wicked people will be punished sooner or later."

The man in black sneered, and with a wave of his hand, his men charged towards us. A fierce battle erupted once more, and the warehouse was thrown into chaos.

During the fight, I saw a man in black take advantage of the chaos to walk towards where the box was hidden. In a moment of panic, I rushed over to stop him without thinking twice.

"Don't even think about taking it!" I shouted.

But the man in black pushed me hard, and I fell to the ground, my head hitting the ground hard. Everything went black, and I lost consciousness.

"Fangfei!" Gu Zixuan shouted anxiously, fighting off the enemies around him as he ran towards me.

When I woke up again, I found myself lying in an unfamiliar room, with Gu Zixuan anxiously guarding my bedside.

"Zixuan, where am I? How is the box? How is the box?" I asked weakly.

Gu Zixuan held my hand: "It's good that you're awake. The box is still there, and we've temporarily gotten rid of those men in black. But they definitely won't let it go. We need to unlock the secrets inside the box as soon as possible and reveal the truth of what happened back then."

I nodded, though I was still very weak, my heart was filled with a longing for the truth.

“Let’s open the box and take a look now,” I said.

Gu Zixuan hesitated for a moment: "Your body hasn't recovered yet, why don't you rest for a while?"

I shook my head firmly: "No, I can't wait any longer. After all these years, I have to find out what really happened back then."

Gu Zixuan nodded helplessly and carefully took out the box.

Gu Zixuan slowly opened the old box, and time seemed to freeze at that moment. Inside the box lay a slightly yellowed diary and a small package wrapped in oil paper.

I eagerly reached for the diary, flipped to the first page, and read: "Today, my wife and I discovered a shocking secret: behind the prosperity of Southeast Asia, such dark dealings are hidden..."

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar handwriting in the diary, my hand trembled slightly. It was my father's handwriting, and between the lines, his shock and anger from back then were revealed.

"Zixuan, this is my father's diary." My voice choked with emotion as I began to read it word by word.

The diary details how the parents discovered the powerful and the underworld's collusion in smuggling, and their efforts to gather evidence. It also mentions the names of key figures and the locations of transactions; if this information were made public, it would be enough to cause a huge uproar.

"So that's how much my parents sacrificed for justice back then." Tears welled up in my eyes, and my respect for my parents grew even stronger.

Gu Zixuan gently patted my shoulder: "Fangfei, your parents are heroes. We must bring the truth to light."

Next, I opened the oil paper package, which contained some photos and documents. The photos showed people conducting secret transactions, and the documents detailed the list of smuggled goods and the flow of funds.

“This evidence is enough to expose them,” Gu Zixuan said, his eyes revealing determination.

However, before we could even feel happy, we suddenly heard a lot of footsteps outside.

"Oh no, they're catching up!" Gu Zixuan said warily, quickly putting away the evidence.

I stood up, still feeling weak, but filled with courage: "This time, we can't let them succeed again."