Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 86 A Dream of Brocade: A Legendary Business Journey in the Republic of China - Fashion Sampl

The morning sun shone into the textile factory courtyard. I stood by the window, watching the busy workers, but my heart was filled with gloom. The words of the government official yesterday haunted me like a ghost, and the unknown contents of the whistleblower's report hung like the Sword of Damocles over my head. Gu Zixuan walked in, his hair disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, clearly having also spent a sleepless night.

"Fangfei, we can't just sit here and wait to die." His voice was weary but firm.

I bit my lip. "Zixuan, but we don't even know what the report is about. Where do we even begin?" I frowned, my eyes filled with helplessness.

Gu Zixuan paced back and forth in the room, then suddenly stopped. "Fangfei, I think we can start with an internal investigation. If we don't have any problems ourselves, we can handle whatever he reports."

I nodded. "Okay, let's get started now."

So, we gathered the heads of all departments in the factory and began a thorough self-examination. While checking the accounts, I discovered that the whereabouts of several small sums of money were somewhat unclear. My heart tightened, and fine beads of sweat appeared on my forehead.

"What's going on with these payments?" I asked the accounting supervisor, frowning.

The accounting supervisor stammered, "Ms. Lin, this... this might be due to some errors in the recording."

I looked into his eyes, my heart filled with doubt, but I still said, "You need to find out the truth about this as soon as possible. Every penny must have a clear destination."

During the busy self-examination, Su Wan'er brought some snacks. They were plum blossom cakes she had made herself, emitting an enticing aroma.

"Fangfei, Zixuan, why don't you eat something first? You've been busy for so long," Su Wan'er said gently.

I gave her a grateful look and took a piece of plum blossom cake. The sweet taste spread in my mouth, as if injecting a bit of strength into my tired body and mind.

Just as we were diligently conducting our self-examination, an important business partner suddenly visited. His face was grim, and as soon as he saw me, he said, "Ms. Lin, I've heard some bad rumors about your textile factory, and I'm very worried about our cooperation."

I was startled and quickly said, "Please don't worry, those are all rumors, we are investigating."

He snorted coldly, "Miss Lin, I expect you to give me a reasonable explanation. If you really have a problem, I can't risk my business."

Gu Zixuan stepped forward and said sincerely, "You are an important partner of ours, and we have always operated with integrity. Now that someone is maliciously slandering us, we will definitely find out the truth and clear our textile factory's name."

However, this partner didn't seem to believe us. He shook his head and said, "I'll give you three days. If you can't give me a satisfactory answer after three days, I'll have to terminate the cooperation."

After saying that, he turned and left. I watched his retreating figure, feeling a wave of despair. Just then, a worker rushed over, "Miss Lin, something bad has happened! There's a group of people causing trouble outside, saying our textile factory is an illegal operation."

Gu Zixuan and I exchanged a glance and hurried towards the factory gate. There, we saw a group of people shouting and holding signs with defamatory messages about us. My face turned deathly pale; Zhao Tianming must be behind all this.

Gu Zixuan held my hand tightly, giving me strength. He looked into my eyes and said affectionately, "Fangfei, don't be afraid, I'm here." His eyes were full of determination and love, which gradually calmed my panicked heart.

Su Wan'er stood beside me and loudly told the troublemakers, "Don't be misled by rumors. Our textile factory has always operated legally." Her face showed courage and fearlessness, which moved me deeply.

I know that in this difficult time, their love and friendship are my strongest support. I took a deep breath and said to Gu Zixuan and Su Wan'er, "We must find a way to solve this problem and not let Zhao Tianming succeed."

We started trying to disperse the rioting crowd while simultaneously intensifying our investigation into the source of the rumors. However, just then, another piece of bad news arrived. One of our major clients suddenly cancelled a large order, which was undoubtedly a further blow to our cash flow.

I felt dizzy and almost lost my balance. Gu Zixuan quickly supported me, "Fangfei, we'll get through this."

However, my heart was filled with worry.

In the Shanghai morning, fog blanketed the streets and alleys. I stood at the entrance of the textile factory, watching the direction the group of troublemakers had gone, my heart filled with resentment and worry. Gu Zixuan gently patted my shoulder, and I turned my head to see his tightly furrowed brows.

"Fangfei, we need to find a solution as soon as possible. The textile factory won't last long if things continue like this." His voice was low and hoarse, and his eyes showed anxiety.

I took a deep breath and clenched my fist. "Zixuan, I know. We can't let Zhao Tianming destroy everything we've worked so hard to build."

We returned to the office and began to reassess the current situation. Su Wan'er also rushed over, her eyes red, clearly anxious about the textile factory.

"I just inquired and it seems that the major client who canceled the order has been threatened," Su Wan'er said, writing down what she had learned on a piece of paper.

I frowned. "A threat? It must be Zhao Tianming's doing. Just how far does he want to push us?"

After a moment of contemplation, Gu Zixuan said, "We need to do two things now: first, find evidence to prove our innocence; and second, find a way to stabilize our existing clients and partners."

I nodded in agreement. “Then let’s divide the work. I’ll go and discuss with the designers to see if we can design some new and more competitive fashion samples to attract new customers. Zixuan, you go and contact the family’s connections to see if you can find out about Zhao Tianming’s conspiracy from the sidelines. Su Wan’er, you continue to appease those partners who are still hesitant.”

Over the next few days, the designers and I worked day and night in the studio. Watching the fabrics gradually transform into exquisite fashions under their skillful hands, a glimmer of hope ignited in my heart.

One day, I was busy in my studio when Gu Zixuan walked in. He was wearing a sharp suit, his hair was neatly combed, but he looked tired.

"Fangfei, I have news." He walked to my side and said in a low voice, "I found out through family connections that Zhao Tianming seems to be colluding with a foreign force, and they want to monopolize Shanghai's textile industry."

My eyes widened, my heart filled with shock and anger. "How could he do this? This is not only going to ruin us, but also to damage the interests of the entire industry."

Just as we were discussing how to deal with this new situation, a group of people in uniforms suddenly arrived at the textile factory. The leader took out a document and said seriously, "Ms. Lin, we have received a report and suspect that your textile factory is evading taxes. We are now conducting a full inspection."

My heart sank to the bottom. "Tax evasion? That's absolutely slander!"

Gu Zixuan stepped forward and calmly said, "Everyone, our textile factory has always paid taxes in accordance with the law. Please check carefully."

During the inspection, those people deliberately made things difficult, causing chaos in the factory. The workers all stopped what they were doing and gathered around, their faces full of worry and anger.

Looking at the chaotic scene, I felt utterly helpless. Then I noticed one of the inspectors secretly slipping a small notebook into his clothes. A thought struck me; I knew something was amiss.

I walked over to Gu Zixuan and whispered, "Zixuan, I think there's something wrong with them. The person in black just hid a notebook."

Gu Zixuan's eyes sharpened. He walked calmly to the inspector and cleverly created a small accident, causing the notebook to fall out. We picked it up and saw that it contained falsified accounts; clearly, someone was trying to frame us.

Gu Zixuan held my hand tightly, giving me strength. He looked into my eyes, his gaze filled with trust and love, "Fangfei, we will definitely expose their conspiracy."

Su Wan'er also encouraged us from the side, "That's right, we can't let them defeat us."

I felt their support and was filled with gratitude. In this difficult time, Gu Zixuan's love and Su Wan'er's friendship were like a beacon in the darkness, illuminating my path forward.

We carried the forged notebook, intending to expose their conspiracy. However, when we found their leader, he coldly replied, "What does this notebook prove? It's probably forged by you to frame our inspectors."

I was trembling with anger. "How could you distort the truth like this?"

Gu Zixuan also said angrily, "What you are doing is unfair, and we will definitely report it to our superiors."

But the person in charge just smiled nonchalantly, "Do as you please. However, your textile factory must cease production and undergo rectification until the matter is thoroughly investigated."

This decision came as a bolt from the blue, leaving us completely bewildered.

The textile factory was forced to shut down for rectification, and the factory was eerily silent. I stood in the empty workshop, and the surrounding machines seemed to be sighing silently. Gu Zixuan came to my side, his face bearing an unprecedented solemnity.

"Fangfei, this is a tough battle, we can't lose." His voice echoed in the silent workshop, carrying a sense of determination.

I looked at him, my heart filled with mixed emotions. "Zixuan, our enemies seem to be everywhere. I'm really worried." My eyes revealed my concern, and my brows were tightly furrowed.

We decided to start with that forged notebook and find out the truth behind it. Gu Zixuan used his family connections to find an expert specializing in handwriting analysis. Su Wan'er and I searched the textile factory for any clues that might have been overlooked.

One day, I found a piece of fabric in a corner of the warehouse. The texture of this fabric was somewhat different from what our factory usually used. A thought struck me; I felt this might be an important clue. I took the fabric to Gu Zixuan.

"Zixuan, look at this piece of fabric. It's not from our factory, but it's in our warehouse. That's strange." I said, handing him the fabric.

Gu Zixuan examined the fabric carefully, his eyes growing serious. "Fangfei, this might have been deliberately placed here to frame us. We need to find out where this fabric came from."

Su Wan'er said from the side, "I think we can start by investigating the suppliers."

So we split up. Gu Zixuan contacted some of his business friends to inquire about the possible source of the fabric. Su Wan'er and I went to check the textile factory's purchase records.

While reviewing the records, I noticed one purchase entry was blurry, as if it had been altered. My heart skipped a beat. "Su Wan'er, look here, there's something wrong with this record."

Su Wan'er leaned over to take a look and frowned as well. "Someone must have tampered with this and wanted to pin the blame for this fabric of unknown origin on us."

Just as we were diligently investigating, an unexpected person appeared. Zhao Tianming's assistant arrived at the textile factory with an arrogant expression.

“Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, our boss said that if you give up resistance and hand over the textile factory, he might consider letting you go.” His words were full of provocation.

I glared at him angrily. "Your boss is too naive. We will not give in."

Gu Zixuan also said coldly, "Go back and tell Zhao Tianming that his conspiracy will not succeed."