How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 171 First Contact

It was late at night when Guo Zixing finally arrived. He had just finished dealing with Guo Ziyou's matter, which left him exhausted.

"how's it going?"

Guo Zixing nodded and gave Qingru a reassuring look, but Qingru kept giving him meaningful glances.

"what happened?"

"Why don't you go and see the Qiao family's young ladies first?"

Hearing Qingru's words, Guo Zixing was stunned for a few seconds, then nodded, "They're here to pick up Mrs. Qiao? I know Mr. Qiao isn't home."

"Yes, and they have been kind to me, Guo Zixing. I think Miss Qiao is a very good person."

Guo Zixing's attention wasn't on that. "A favor? What favor?"

Seeing this, Qingru no longer hid it, and gently lifted the cloak to show him the scratches inside.

"What's going on?" Guo Zixing asked angrily.

Qingru lowered her head and quietly told Guo Zixing what had happened that evening.

Guo Zixing clenched his fists, completely unprepared for the Zheng family's repeated acts of repaying kindness with enmity. "Is she really that kind of person?"

Qingru didn't say anything, but pushed Guo Zixing to see the Qiao sisters. "If it's not necessary, let them take Mrs. Qiao back. It's been a day and a night, and I'm afraid... she won't be able to hold on."

Guo Zixing nodded, handed over his work to Jiang Shen, and led his men to the morgue.

Once outside, Qingru went up and knocked on the door first.

"Miss Qiao, the bureau chief is here."

There was some noise inside, which I guessed was the Qiao sisters getting ready. A short while later, a maid came to open the door.

Mrs. Joe's body was placed separately, covered with a white sheet, and laid flat on the cold floor.

The Qiao sisters were dressed in mourning clothes and wore veils.

Upon seeing Guo Zixing enter, he explained, "My father strictly forbids me from showing my face to strangers. Please forgive me."

“No need for that, I understand,” Guo Zixing said, glancing around at his surroundings.

Mrs. Joe's cause of death has been determined, so there's no point in keeping her alive any longer.

Guo Zixing said, "The cause of death has been determined, and you can take Mrs. Qiao back now."

Miss Qiao stepped forward and replied, "Thank you, but the turmoil in the Zheng family has not yet subsided. I will wait until the truth comes out before I can bring my mother back in a dignified manner."

If it was secretly transported away at night, there's a lot to say; perhaps it was just bad luck, or perhaps there are other speculations. But if it were made public that Mrs. Qiao was murdered by a villain, it would silence the gossip.

Guo Zixing couldn't refuse either. The Qiao sisters were right; this matter had far-reaching implications and would definitely cause doubts and discussions.

Guo Zixing offered a few more words of comfort, and seeing that they were unwilling to interact with men, he did not force them to stay. He arranged for guards outside to protect their safety before leaving.

Qingru followed Guo Zixing out the door, and only then did Guo Zixing tell her about Guo Ziyou.

"You mean opium?" Qingru asked in surprise.

"Yes, smoking opium right under my father's nose, what do you think he was thinking?"

Qingru didn't reply, her mind preoccupied with what Jiang Shen had said: that Zheng's comprador's warehouse was hiding opium.

If the source really was Zheng's comprador, then how many people were involved in this whole affair?

Guo Zixing looked at Qingru, who was in a daze, and asked, "What are you thinking about? Why did you suddenly stop talking?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Qingru shook her head. "I'm just wondering, where did the second young master get it?"

When this matter was brought up, Guo Zixing was also full of questions. "Guo Ziyou said it was given by Ellie from the Jin Anna Ballroom, but where did Ellie's opium come from?"

"Isn't she a famous nightclub hostess? Maybe she's a customer?"

Qingru asked tentatively.

"I asked around, and her regular customers at the dance hall are mainly wealthy businessmen and powerful figures. Among them, the person she is closest to is a Japanese man."

Qingru's heart skipped a beat. "Who is it?"

“Naniwa Hayakawa, one of the owners of the Toyo Cotton Mill,” Guo Zixing replied.

Qingru fell silent.

"What's wrong?" Guo Zixing asked, frowning.

Qingru smiled bitterly, "Don't you think this name sounds familiar? He visited my father when he was in prison. He was the mastermind behind the Dongyang Textile Factory when I infiltrated it to find evidence. And this time, Ai Li was also a regular customer. Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence? How come he's involved in every single incident?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Zixing felt a chill run down his spine.

Qingru, however, did not notice his reaction and continued, "If he really is the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, then this person is truly too clever for his own good."

Guo Zixing pondered, "What you said isn't without reason." He made a mental note of this person and decided to investigate Ai Li's cause of death first thing tomorrow morning.

There were so many things to do today, and so many things to sort out. It was already quite difficult to even manage to get everything organized.

After settling the safety of the Qiao sisters and the guards of the Zheng family ruins, Guo Zixing casually found a room to rest in.

Guo Zixing, Qingru, Jiang Shen, and the Zhang brothers were also in the outer room. The group of people made do and rested for the night.

After they fell asleep, Jiang Shen quietly went downstairs.

Qingru was still lightly awakened the moment Jiang Shen moved.

"I'm getting up in the middle of the night, hehe, don't worry," Jiang Shen whispered.

Qingru intuitively felt that he wasn't going to get up in the middle of the night, but rather that someone from his organization had arrived, so she nodded and kept a watchful eye on him.

After Jiang Shen went downstairs, he headed straight for the back mountain, carefully avoiding any spies along the way.

The back mountain was pitch black, the road was difficult to walk on, and the moonlight was not bright at all.

"Ouch!" Jiang Shen almost tripped. When he got up, he saw that there were several burly men's corpses lying on the ground.

He was startled. "Is there security here?"

"Pfft~"

The sound of a snake's tongue came from over there, and Jiang Shen hurriedly went in the direction of the sound.

A person was huddled in the dense thicket. He was covered with a coat made of grass, vines and leaves, and wore a straw hat. Once he disappeared into the woods, he was hardly noticeable unless you looked closely.

"Why are you dressed like that so late at night? Nobody can see you."

Jiang Shen muttered to himself, and only when he got closer did he realize that he had never seen this person before.

"Be cautious, better safe than sorry," the man said, glancing around warily with his small, round eyes darting about.

"Who are you? Where's Old Yin?"

The man countered, "Do you add sugar to your braised pork?"

“Yes,” Jiang Shen replied. “Quickly tell me who you are?”

"It doesn't match up, I'm leaving now."

"Wait a minute," Jiang Shen quickly stopped him, "I had a brain freeze just now, let me think. First, caramelize the sugar, then add the meat, put it in a pot with five-spice powder and star anise, bring it to a boil over high heat, then simmer until it thickens. Then the young men and women can eat it all up. Right?"

The man nodded. "That's more like it. My name is Qin Mo, and I'm your new informant. Old Yin has gone out of town."

"Where's the thing I asked you to get?"

"Here it is, take it, don't lose it." Qin Mo handed him a package.

Jiang Shen reached out and grabbed it, saying, "I understand."

"By the way, Lao Yin said if this doesn't work, then we'll talk in person when he gets back."

"In person? In whose person?"

"Of course, we should call you your superior. Old Yin said that we've been pawns in this whole affair, and we can't just take the blame for nothing. We have to clear our names. This is a task assigned to you by the organization."

"I understand," Jiang Shen replied perfunctorily, weighing the item in his hand before preparing to leave.

Qin Mo pulled him aside and earnestly instructed him, "I'm serious, you must clear our names, the things that happened afterward weren't done by us."

"Okay." Jiang Shen waved his hand and took the things down the mountain.

Qin Mo then disappeared into the darkness once more, walking alone.

Jiang Shen is back.

Qingru was the first to notice; she saw that Jiang Shen had an extra bundle around his waist, which looked bulging.

Jiang Shen sensed her gaze and defiantly raised his head.

Qingru closed her eyes and ignored him.