Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 155 The Brilliant Legend of the Textile Queen's Counterattack: A Path Through Thorns, a

A predicament shrouded in mystery and fraught with danger

The more I thought about it, the more suspicious I became of that woman, but there was currently no evidence to prove that she was responsible. Looking at the mess in the warehouse, I was extremely anxious. This was undoubtedly another heavy blow to the already struggling textile factory.

"Don't panic, let's look for clues more carefully," I said to the workers, trying to appear calm, but inside I was like an ant on a hot pan.

Just then, Xiaoya rushed over, holding a piece of fabric in her hand. "Fangfei, look, I found this in the corner of the warehouse. It has a unique pattern on it, and it looks like the logo of a high-end tailor shop."

I took the fragments and examined them carefully, a thought suddenly occurring to me. "I know this tailor shop; it's a place frequented by many wealthy women. Perhaps we can find a breakthrough here."

Xiaoya and I rushed to the tailor shop. As soon as we entered, the shop assistant greeted us warmly. "Ladies, would you like to have some clothes made? Our craftsmanship is among the best in Shanghai."

I took out the piece of fabric and asked, "Do you have any clothes with this pattern made in your store?"

The shop assistant looked at the fragments, pondered for a moment, and said, "This pattern was custom-made by our shop for a lady last month, but I don't know exactly who it is. I'll have to ask our boss."

A moment later, the owner came out. He glanced at the shards, his expression changing slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "This was indeed made by our shop, but we have a policy of confidentiality regarding customer information and cannot disclose it casually."

I knew he was hiding something, so I took some money out of my pocket and stuffed it into his hand. "Boss, we really have an urgent matter, please make an exception."

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, but ultimately accepted the money. "This dress was made for a lady surnamed Shen, I heard she's the wife of a wealthy businessman. That's all I know for sure."

Mrs. Shen? I quickly searched my memory for relevant information, and suddenly remembered that the woman who wanted me to leave Gu Zixuan seemed to have the surname Shen. Could it really be her?

Xiaoya and I immediately began investigating Mrs. Shen's whereabouts. After some effort, we learned that she had been frequently visiting a teahouse recently.

"Let's go to the teahouse." I led Xiaoya to the teahouse, found a secluded spot to sit down, and kept my eyes glued to our surroundings.

Not long after, Mrs. Shen appeared. She was wearing a gorgeous purple cheongsam and expensive jewelry, and walked into the teahouse with an air of arrogance.

I quietly walked to the table near her and pretended to overhear her conversation with the person next to her.

"Madam, rest assured, the matter at the textile factory has been settled. They won't be able to resume production anytime soon," a man said obsequiously.

Mrs. Shen smiled smugly, "Hmph, that bitch Lin Fangfei dared to refuse me. This time, I'll let her taste my power."

Hearing this, I could no longer suppress my anger. I rushed over, pointed at her face, and said, "Mrs. Shen, why did you do this? You shouldn't have dragged the textile factory into our feud!"

Mrs. Shen was startled at first, then calmed down and sneered, "Why? Because you stole Gu Zixuan from me. If I can't have him, no one else can either."

"You're being completely unreasonable!" I said, trembling with anger. "What you've done not only hurts us, but also the workers who depend on the textile factory for their livelihood!"

Mrs. Shen looked at me disdainfully, "I don't care about all that. If you know what's good for you, you'd better leave Gu Zixuan right away, or you'll regret it later."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "Mrs. Shen, matters of the heart cannot be forced. Your behavior only makes you seem ridiculous and pathetic. Moreover, I will not let your actions that have damaged our textile factory go unpunished."

After saying that, I left the teahouse with Xiaoya. Back at the textile factory, Gu Zixuan and I discussed our next move.

"Zixuan, this matter cannot be left like this. We must make sure she receives the punishment she deserves," I said angrily.

Gu Zixuan nodded. "I agree. But the most urgent task right now is to solve the raw material problem. We can't let production stay stagnant."

Just when we were worrying about raw materials, we received news from Master Gu that he was willing to mediate the internal family conflict, but on the condition that we attend a family dinner and explain the textile factory's development plan to the elders in detail.

“It seems like this is a good opportunity to ease family tensions,” Gu Zixuan said. “We must prepare well.”

For this family dinner, I carefully selected a light blue, modernized cheongsam that was both elegant and had a touch of contemporary style. Gu Zixuan, on the other hand, wore a sharp black suit and looked exceptionally handsome.

On the night of the banquet, the Gu family mansion was brightly lit. As we entered the hall, we immediately attracted everyone's attention. Some elders looked at us with scrutiny, while others were filled with anticipation.

"Good evening, elders." Gu Zixuan spoke first. "Today, I would like to take this opportunity to give you a detailed introduction to the development plan of the textile factory."

As he spoke, he showed us the materials we had carefully prepared, explaining in detail the textile factory's market positioning, product design, and future development direction.

"Our textile factory not only wants to succeed commercially, but also wants to contribute to the country during this special period. We will incorporate patriotic elements into our products to boost the morale of the people in their fight against Japan," Gu Zixuan said firmly and powerfully.

However, some conservative elders still raised questions. "It sounds nice, but who will bear the risk? If it fails, the family's reputation and interests will be damaged."

I stood up, smiled, and said, “Elders, I understand your concerns. But we have conducted thorough market research and risk assessment. Moreover, we have received investment from patriotic businessmen, which proves that our plan is feasible.”

Just as we were having a heated discussion with our elders, the door to the hall was suddenly pushed open, and a group of police officers rushed in.

"Who are Gu Zixuan and Lin Fangfei?" a policeman asked loudly.

We stepped forward, puzzled. "We are... what happened?"

The police officer said sternly, "Someone has reported that your textile factory is involved in illegal transactions. Now, please come with us to the police station."

"Illegal transaction? That's utter slander!" I said angrily, my heart filled with incomprehension and grievance.

Gu Zixuan calmly said, "We will cooperate with the investigation, but I believe that the innocent will clear themselves, and someone must be deliberately framing us."

To everyone's surprise, we were taken away by the police. All the way there, I was filled with anger and worry. "Zixuan, this must be Mrs. Shen's doing. She wants to ruin us completely."

Gu Zixuan gripped my hand tightly. "Don't worry, Fangfei. We're not afraid of them investigating things we haven't done. We just don't know if there are other forces behind this."

Upon arriving at the police station, we were interrogated separately. The interrogation room was dimly lit and the atmosphere was oppressive.

"Lin Fangfei, tell me honestly, what exactly happened with the illegal transactions at the textile factory?" the police officer asked sternly.

I said helplessly, "Officer, this is slander. Our textile factory has always operated legally and has never had any illegal transactions. Someone must be deliberately framing us."

The policeman frowned. "Someone has provided evidence, and you still dare to deny it?"

I was startled. "What evidence? I demand to see the evidence!"

The police officer produced some documents, which I examined closely and discovered were all forgeries. "Officer, these are all fake! Someone deliberately forged them to frame us."

The police seemed somewhat suspicious, but continued the interrogation. "Then tell me, who would do this? What would their motive be?"

I told the police about Mrs. Shen's jealousy in sabotaging the textile factory's raw materials and how she had always wanted me to leave Gu Zixuan.

"I see. We'll investigate further," the police officer said.

Meanwhile, Gu Zixuan was also trying to defend himself. After several hours of interrogation, the police temporarily detained us at the police station pending further investigation.

In the detention cell, Gu Zixuan and I huddled close together. "Zixuan, do you think we can clear our names?" I asked anxiously.

Gu Zixuan looked at me gently, "We definitely will, Fangfei. We will definitely get through this."

However, unbeknownst to us, a far greater conspiracy was unfolding outside the police station. The forces allied with Mrs. Shen were not about to let us off easily; they were plotting an even more insidious scheme to plunge us and the textile factory into utter ruin. Meanwhile, the Gu family was thrown into chaos after our arrest. Those conservatives who were already dissatisfied with us seized the opportunity to incite other elders, attempting to further suppress us and seize control of the Gu family business.

"We can't let Gu Zixuan and that woman ruin our plans. We must seize this opportunity to completely drive them out of the family business," a conservative elder said fiercely in the Gu family mansion.

Meanwhile, Xiaoya and some of our supporters did not give up. They traveled far and wide, searching for evidence to prove our innocence. Xiaoya found a businessman who had previously worked with us and was willing to come forward to vouch for our textile factory's innocence.

“I have worked with them many times, and their textile factory has always had a good reputation. There is absolutely no way they would engage in illegal transactions. I am willing to testify for them,” the businessman said firmly.

Xiaoya rushed to the police station with the good news, but before she could even see us...

The Brilliant Legend of the Textile Queen's Comeback: A Battle to Break the Mold, A Dawn of Love and Hope

Episode 781: Imprisoned, a Glimmer of Hope

A suffocating atmosphere filled the police station's detention cell. Gu Zixuan and I sat side by side on cold chairs, the surrounding walls seemingly isolating us from any hope of the outside world. I leaned on Gu Zixuan's shoulder, my heart filled with mixed emotions—worry about the fate of the textile factory, and fear that this setup would render our years of hard work futile.

"Zixuan, I don't know how Xiaoya and the others are doing. Can you find evidence to help us clear our names?" I said softly, my voice trembling slightly.

Gu Zixuan gripped my hand tightly, trying to give me strength. "Fangfei, don't worry too much. Xiaoya and the others will definitely not let us down. We must believe that justice will come sooner or later." His eyes were firm, but I could still sense the anxiety deep within him.

Just then, the door to the detention cell suddenly opened, and a policeman walked in. "Lin Fangfei, Gu Zixuan, someone has come to bail you out. Come with me."

Gu Zixuan and I exchanged a glance, our eyes filled with surprise and delight. In the police station lobby, we saw Xiaoya and the businessman who was willing to testify for us.

"Fangfei, Zixuan, I'm so glad you're alright! This is Boss Li, he's willing to help us prove the textile factory's innocence," Xiaoya said excitedly.

Mr. Li smiled and nodded. “Young Master Gu, Miss Lin, I have cooperated with your textile factory many times and know your character and business philosophy well. I believe you have been wronged, so I am willing to come forward as a witness.”

I looked at Mr. Li gratefully, "Mr. Li, thank you so much. We will always remember your kindness."

With Mr. Li's testimony and further investigation by the police, it was quickly determined that the evidence of the so-called "illegal transactions" was fabricated. We were finally cleared of suspicion and left the police station.

However, after this ordeal, the textile factory's situation became even more dire. Production stalled, orders were delayed, customers called in droves to inquire about the situation, and some even began considering changing suppliers.