Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 95 Exquisite Attire: The Turbulent Times of the Republic of China – A Meeting of Fate, a Gam

Splendid Costumes: Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan's Turbulent Republican Era

Jedi strikes back

Looking at the somewhat empty workshop after the cancellation of orders, my heart was filled with anxiety and resentment. Those once-busy machines now stood silently, as if silently telling the story of our predicament. Gu Zixuan stood beside me, his eyes also revealing anger and determination.

"Fangfei, we can't just sit here and wait to die." Gu Zixuan clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "Zixuan, I know. But we're completely clueless right now. This mysterious organization is hiding too well." I frowned, my eyes filled with worry.

Just then, Xiaolan rushed over. Her hair was a little messy, and her face showed anxiety. "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, something bad has happened! The workers are starting to panic. Some of them are already discussing going to other factories to find work."

My heart tightened; this wouldn't do. If all the workers left, the textile factory would truly be finished. I looked at Gu Zixuan, and he nodded at me.

I strode towards where the workers were gathered, with Gu Zixuan close behind me. I stood in front of the workers, cleared my throat, and said loudly, "Everyone, don't panic. I know the textile factory is facing great difficulties right now, but we can't just give up like this. The textile factory that we worked so hard to build together can't be so easily destroyed by others."

An elderly worker stepped forward, his face etched with the marks of time. “Miss Lin, we don’t want to leave either, but we have no orders right now, and we still have to support our families.”

I looked at him, my heart filled with guilt. "Uncle, I understand everyone's difficulties. Mr. Gu and I are trying to find a solution, and we will definitely get the textile factory back up and running as soon as possible. I hope you can give us a little more time and believe in us."

Gu Zixuan also said, "Don't worry, everyone. We won't treat you unfairly. As long as we get through this difficult time together, and the textile factory develops well in the future, everyone's life will be better."

The workers, after hearing our words, began to whisper among themselves. After a while, the older worker said, "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, we believe you. We'll wait a little longer."

Gu Zixuan and I breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the workers with gratitude.

Back in my office, I sat down, rubbing my temples, pondering a solution. Gu Zixuan paced back and forth beside me.

"Fangfei, I think we should start with the orders. We need to find those customers who canceled their orders, find out the reasons, and see if there's any way to salvage the situation," Gu Zixuan said, stopping in his tracks.

I nodded. "That's one way, but those clients are definitely being threatened by a mysterious organization, so getting them to change their minds won't be easy."

"No matter how difficult it is, we have to try." Gu Zixuan's eyes were filled with determination.

So we started visiting each of the customers who had cancelled their orders. I wore a simple blue cheongsam, hoping to give the customers a sense of sincerity. Gu Zixuan, on the other hand, wore a dark gray suit, which made him look steady and reliable.

We first arrived at a large clothing store. The owner looked embarrassed when he saw us.

"Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, what brings you here?" the boss asked.

I smiled and said, "Boss, we'd like to ask why our order was cancelled? Our products have always been of very high quality."

The boss sighed. "Ms. Lin, Mr. Gu, it's not that I don't want to cooperate with you, but someone warned me that if I continue to cooperate with you, my shop can forget about staying in Shanghai."

Gu Zixuan and I exchanged a glance; it was indeed the case.

"Boss, do you know who is threatening you?" Gu Zixuan asked.

The boss shook his head. "I don't know either, I just received an anonymous call."

We visited several more clients, and received similar answers. This frustrated us, but it also strengthened our resolve to uncover the mysterious organization.

During a client visit, we unexpectedly ran into Su Jinran. He was walking out of a store and came over when he saw us.

“Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, it seems your investigation isn’t going very well,” Su Jinran said.

I smiled helplessly. "Mr. Su, this mysterious organization is too cunning; we can't find any clues about them at all."

Su Jinran pondered for a moment and said, "I recently received some information that may be helpful to you. I heard that this mysterious organization is colluding with a foreign chamber of commerce, and they are using this foreign chamber of commerce to manipulate the commercial market in Shanghai."

Gu Zixuan and I both lit up. "Mr. Su, do you know which foreign chamber of commerce it is?"

Su Jinran shook her head. "I'm not quite sure yet, but I'll continue to investigate."

"Thank you, Mr. Su," I said gratefully.

With this lead, we began investigating foreign chambers of commerce in Shanghai. During the investigation, we discovered a suspicious chamber—the Ross Chamber of Commerce. This chamber was very active in business in Shanghai and had connections with many influential people.

We decided to investigate the Ross Chamber of Commerce further. One night, Gu Zixuan and I sneaked into the Ross Chamber of Commerce's warehouse. I wore a black bodysuit for ease of movement. Gu Zixuan wore a dark coat and carried a small flashlight.

The warehouse was filled with all sorts of goods, and it was dimly lit. We carefully searched for clues inside. Suddenly, we heard footsteps.

"Someone's coming, hide quickly!" Gu Zixuan whispered.

We hid behind a large box, holding our breath. Then we saw several foreigners in black suits walk over; they were talking in hushed tones.

"This shipment must be transported away as soon as possible, and we can't let anyone find out about it," a foreigner said.

"Don't worry, as long as we proceed according to plan, those Chinese businessmen are no match for us," another foreigner said with a smile.

A thought suddenly struck me: Could these goods be related to their manipulation of the commercial market?

After the foreigners left, we emerged from behind the crates and approached the goods. We opened one crate and found some documents and ledgers inside. I picked up a ledger, flipped through it, and saw some strange transaction records, many related to companies in Shanghai, and the transaction amounts were huge.

“Zixuan, these might be evidence of their market manipulation,” I said excitedly.

Gu Zixuan nodded. "We'll take this evidence back and expose their conspiracy."

Just as we were about to leave, the warehouse lights suddenly came on. We were surrounded by a group of foreigners.

"Who are you people? How dare you steal things here!" a foreigner said in broken Chinese.

I clutched the ledger tightly, staring at the foreigners. "We're not stealing; we're exposing your conspiracy."

The foreigners burst into laughter upon hearing my words. "Do you think you can leave here alive?"

Gu Zixuan shielded me behind him, watching the foreigners warily. "Don't be so arrogant. We will definitely make this evidence public."

The two sides were locked in a stalemate, and the atmosphere was extremely tense. Suddenly, a burst of gunfire rang out from outside. The foreigners' expressions changed, and they began to scatter, preparing to deal with the situation outside.

Gu Zixuan and I seized the opportunity and rushed out. As soon as we exited the warehouse, we saw a group of people dressed in black exchanging fire with the foreigners. We didn't know who these people were, but we couldn't worry about that now. We took advantage of the chaos to escape the Ross Chamber of Commerce warehouse.

Back at the textile factory, we carefully examined the ledgers and documents. We discovered many shocking secrets: the Ross Chamber of Commerce profited immensely through price manipulation, market monopolies, and threats against businesses. Furthermore, they colluded with some Shanghai gangsters, including Boss Hong, who was also one of their pawns.

"Fangfei, now that we have this evidence, we must find a way to let everyone know about this conspiracy," Gu Zixuan said.

I nodded. "But what should we do? The Ross Chamber of Commerce is very powerful. If we expose them directly, we might be in danger."

Just as we were pondering a solution, another uninvited guest arrived at the textile factory. It was a woman dressed in a gorgeous cheongsam, her eyes exuding a mysterious aura.

“Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, I know you’ve obtained something interesting. I’d like to make a deal with you,” the woman said.

I frowned. "Who are you? What's the deal?"

The woman smiled. "Who I am is not important. I can help you safely expose the Ross Chamber of Commerce's conspiracy, but you must give me a portion of the textile factory's shares."

"Splendid Costumes: Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan's Turbulent Republican Era"

A gathering of great forces

I watched the woman in the gorgeous cheongsam before me warily. Her appearance was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, disrupting our original plans. Her cheongsam was deep purple, embroidered with exquisite gold thread patterns, and a dazzling gemstone brooch adorned her collar, shimmering mysteriously in the dim office light.

“Who exactly are you? How can we trust you to help us expose the Ross Chamber of Commerce’s conspiracy?” I asked, frowning and staring intently at her.

The woman smiled gently, a slyness that was hard to fathom. "Miss Lin, you don't need to know who I am. You don't have many choices right now, do you? You want to expose the Ross Chamber of Commerce, but with your own strength, you probably won't be able to do it, and it will even be life-threatening. I can provide you with protection so that you can successfully bring the evidence to light."

Gu Zixuan stood beside me, his expression serious and cold. "Why did you do this? You want the textile factory's shares; it can't be just to help us."

The woman tilted her head slightly, looking at Gu Zixuan. "Mr. Gu, I naturally have my own plans. However, this is a win-win situation for both of you. You gain safety and justice, and I gain the benefits I want."

I was conflicted. The woman's suggestion was appealing, but handing over the textile factory's shares to someone of unknown origin was far too risky. I glanced at Gu Zixuan; his eyes were also filled with hesitation.

“We need time to think about it,” I said.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "You don't have much time left. The Ross Chamber of Commerce will soon discover the evidence is missing, and they'll do everything they can to deal with you."

After saying that, she left a business card and departed. I picked up the card and looked at it; it only had one name on it—Shen Wanqing—and no other information.

"Zixuan, what should we do?" I looked at Gu Zixuan, feeling utterly helpless.

After a moment of contemplation, Gu Zixuan said, "Fangfei, this woman is suspicious, but what she said also makes sense. We are indeed in great danger right now, and if we don't expose the Ross Chamber of Commerce as soon as possible, all our previous efforts will have been in vain."

I bit my lip. "But giving her the shares is like asking a tiger for its skin. If she has any bad intentions, our textile factory will really be ruined."

Just as we were hesitating, Xiaolan rushed in. "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, something bad has happened! A group of people have arrived outside, claiming to be from the Ross Chamber of Commerce, and they want to see you."

My heart sank; they'd found us so quickly. Gu Zixuan took my hand and gave me a reassuring look. "Don't be afraid, Fangfei, let's go out and see what's going on."