Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 116 Exquisite Attire: The Fog of the Republic of China Thickers, an Unexpected Turn of Event

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

The fog thickens and difficult choices become more and more complicated.

When the investigators mentioned that the letter sender was connected to a foreigner, Gu Zixuan and I both realized that this matter was far more complicated than we had imagined. I sat in the textile factory office, my fingers unconsciously tapping on the desk, trying to untangle this tangled mess of thoughts. Today, I deliberately chose a dark gray cheongsam, as if only this could match my heavy mood at this moment.

"Zixuan, the forces behind this are actually connected to foreigners. What exactly are they trying to do?" I looked up at Gu Zixuan, my eyes filled with confusion and worry.

Gu Zixuan stood by the window, gazing into the distance, his brow furrowed. "I've been thinking about this too. Judging from all the signs before, they seem to want to completely destroy our textile factory, and there might even be a bigger conspiracy."

Li Minghui chimed in, "Whatever their purpose, we can't just sit idly by. The most urgent thing is to follow this lead and see if we can find the mastermind behind it all."

Chen Feng nodded. "That's right, we can't let them lead us by the nose. I think we can start with that foreigner and investigate his activities and relationships in Shanghai."

As we were discussing this, Shen Wanqing suddenly rushed in, looking flustered. "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, something terrible has happened. A group of people have arrived outside, saying they want to buy our textile factory."

My heart tightened, I exchanged a glance with Gu Zixuan, and then immediately got up and walked outside.

A group of people were standing at the entrance of the textile factory. At the head of the group was a man in a fancy suit. Beside him stood a tall foreigner with blue eyes, a high nose, and an arrogant expression.

"Who are you people? Why are you trying to acquire our textile factory?" Gu Zixuan asked loudly.

The man in the suit smiled slightly, but his eyes revealed a hint of disdain. "My name is Zhang Yaozong, and this is Mr. Smith. We've heard that your factory has been struggling recently, so we'd like to lend a helping hand and acquire it to help it continue to grow."

I said angrily, "Our textile factory is doing just fine and doesn't need your 'help.' Please leave!"

Zhang Yaozong sneered. "Miss Lin, don't be so stubborn. You're facing difficulties with raw material supply and various troubles right now. It's your good fortune that we're here to take over."

Smith also said in broken Chinese, "If you know what's good for you, you'd better sign it quickly, or you'll regret it."

Gu Zixuan stood in front of me, fearlessly saying, "Don't even think about it. We will not sell the textile factory to you."

Zhang Yaozong's face darkened. "Fine, since you won't agree, then don't blame us for being impolite. From today onwards, I will make your lives increasingly difficult."

After saying that, they left with their men.

"These people are despicable! They actually tried to take advantage of my misfortune," I said angrily.

Gu Zixuan comforted me: "Fangfei, don't be angry. The more they act like this, the more it proves that our persistence is right. We must not let them succeed."

However, in the days that followed, the textile mill faced increasing pressure. Although new suppliers of raw materials were found, prices were driven up significantly, leading to a substantial increase in costs. At the same time, some low-priced similar products suddenly appeared on the market, taking away many of our orders.

"This can't go on, our cash flow is about to break down." I looked at the financial statements and said anxiously to Gu Zixuan.

Gu Zixuan also looked worried. "I know. We must find a way to reduce costs and improve product competitiveness."

Just when we were racking our brains over the textile factory's problems, my mother's condition suddenly worsened. I rushed to the hospital in a panic, and seeing my mother lying weakly in the hospital bed broke my heart.

"Mom, you must get better." I held my mother's hand, tears streaming down my face.

The doctor called me aside and said with a serious expression, "Ms. Lin, your mother's condition is very serious. We suspect she has been poisoned with a slow-acting poison, but we haven't found an effective treatment yet."

I was struck dumb, my heart filled with anger and grief. "How could this happen? Who could be so cruel as to do this to my mother?"

I know this must be the work of those mysterious people again.

Back at the textile factory, I told Gu Zixuan and the others about my mother's poisoning.

"These bastards are absolutely insane!" Li Minghui said angrily.

Chen Feng gritted his teeth and said, "We can't sit idly by any longer. We must find the mastermind behind this and make them pay the price."

After some discussion, we decided to focus our efforts on investigating Mother's poisoning. Perhaps starting with this clue would uncover the truth behind the whole conspiracy.

We searched everywhere for clues, asked everyone around my mother, and checked everything she had recently come into contact with, but we found nothing useful.

Just when we were feeling hopeless, a mysterious person contacted us.

“I know the truth about your mother’s poisoning. If you want to know, come to the abandoned warehouse in the western suburbs tonight at midnight. Remember, only the two of you can come, and don’t tell anyone.” A deep voice came from the other end of the phone.

After discussing it with Gu Zixuan, we decided to keep the appointment as requested by the mysterious person.

That night, Gu Zixuan and I arrived at an abandoned warehouse in the western suburbs. The warehouse was pitch black and eerily terrifying. We cautiously entered, and suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness.

"You've finally arrived." The mysterious voice echoed in the silent warehouse, sending chills down everyone's spines.

"Who are you? How do you know about my mother's poisoning?" I asked nervously.

The mysterious man smiled. "Who I am is unimportant. What matters is whether you want to save your mother?"

Gu Zixuan looked at him warily. "What are your conditions? Just say it."

The mysterious man said, "It's very simple. Hand over the evidence you have of those people's crimes, and I will tell you the formula for the antidote."

I was furious. "You're in cahoots with those people! We're not going to give you the evidence."

The mysterious man sneered. "Then you can wait to collect your mother's corpse."

After saying that, he turned around and left.

"Wait!" Gu Zixuan called out to him. "How do we know if you're telling the truth?"

The mysterious man stopped. "You have no choice. Either hand over the evidence and save your mother, or watch her die and continue to oppose us. You have ten minutes to consider."

During those ten minutes, I was caught in extreme pain and inner turmoil. On one side was my beloved mother, whose life hung in the balance; on the other side was the evidence we had painstakingly collected, which concerned the interests of countless people and the upholding of justice.

I looked at Gu Zixuan, my eyes filled with tears. "Zixuan, what should I do? I can't just watch my mother die, but all our efforts..."

Gu Zixuan gripped my hand tightly, his eyes filled with pain and struggle. "Fangfei, I don't know what to choose either. But no matter what we choose, it's too difficult..."

Ten minutes passed quickly, and the mysterious man said impatiently, "Time's up. Have you made up your minds?"

What should Gu Zixuan and I do? Should we hand over the evidence to save our mother, or uphold justice and give up her life?

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

Life-or-death choices and unexpected turning points

Faced with the mysterious man's interrogation, I felt as if I were in a dark abyss, surrounded by an inescapable predicament. Every breath was heavy with pain, and my heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, aching terribly.

Gu Zixuan's hand trembled slightly, yet he still held mine firmly. His gaze flickered in the darkness, revealing a mixture of conflict and resolve. "We can't hand it over. Once we hand over the evidence, all our previous efforts will be in vain, those bad guys will continue to roam free, and who knows how many more people will be harmed."

Tears streamed down my face, my voice trembling with sobs: "But what about my mother...? I can't watch her die. Zixuan, this is so hard for me..."

Gu Zixuan pulled me into a tight embrace, his voice trembling in my ear. "Fangfei, I understand your pain. But if we hand over the evidence, it might not just mean our defeat, but also plunge more innocent people into misery. Isn't that the meaning of all our efforts to fight this?"

I shook my head desperately in his arms, the pain in my heart almost consuming me. "I know these things, but my mother is the closest person to me in this world. How can I just watch her die because of me..."

The mysterious figure impatiently urged from the side, "Time waits for no one. Have you made up your minds yet?"

Gu Zixuan raised his head, looking at the mysterious man with a resolute glint in his eyes. "We won't hand over the evidence. You can leave now; we won't be threatened by you."

The mysterious man sneered. "Fine, this is your own choice. Then you'll regret it." With that, he turned and disappeared into the darkness.

I collapsed into Gu Zixuan's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Zixuan, did I do something wrong? Is there no way I can save Mother anymore...?"

Gu Zixuan gently patted my back, trying to comfort me. "Fangfei, we did nothing wrong. We can't bow down to evil forces. Maybe there are other ways to save Mother."

However, at this moment I am filled with despair and cannot see a glimmer of hope.

Back at the hospital, I sat by my mother's bedside, my heart aching as I looked at her increasingly haggard face. Her breathing was weak and rapid, each breath feeling like it was tearing at my heart.

"Mom, you must hold on. Your daughter will definitely find a way to save you..." I said softly, holding my mother's hand, tears streaming down my face.

Over the next few days, Gu Zixuan and I searched everywhere for ways to save our mother. We visited all the well-known doctors in Shanghai and even tried some folk remedies, but nothing worked. Our mother's condition worsened; she fell into a coma, and her vital signs grew weaker and weaker.

Meanwhile, the situation at the textile mill was getting worse. Rising raw material prices and fierce price competition in the market led to fewer and fewer orders, pushing the cash flow to the brink of collapse.

“Fangfei, the textile factory’s funds can only last for a month at most. If we can’t find a solution, we…” Gu Zixuan said to me wearily, his eyes filled with helplessness and anxiety.

Looking at the haggard Gu Zixuan, I was filled with guilt. "Zixuan, it's all my fault, making you suffer all this with me. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have..."

Gu Zixuan interrupted me, saying gently, "Fangfei, don't say that. We're in this together. No matter what difficulties we encounter, we'll face them together. I believe there will always be a way."

Just when we were feeling hopeless, a turning point suddenly appeared.

An elderly man who claimed to be an old friend of my mother found us. He looked at my mother, who was lying unconscious in the hospital bed, his eyes filled with sorrow.

“I’ve heard about her. We did charity work together at church back then. She was a kind-hearted person. I have a prescription here that might save her.” The old man said, pulling a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handing it to me.

I excitedly took the prescription, as if grasping at a last straw. "Really? Are you sure this prescription will work?"

The old man nodded. "This was given to me by an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor. It's said to be incredibly effective for all sorts of difficult and complicated diseases. I've always carried it with me, hoping to have the opportunity to help those in need. Now it seems it's time to put it to use."