Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 71 Exquisite Attire: The Struggle of the Republic of China - Mysterious Allies, Meeting Cris

Splendid Attire: Lin Fangfei's Journey of Struggle in the Republican Era

Allies are hard to find

We hid in this temporarily safe corner, but the shadow of danger, like a persistent dark cloud, always loomed over our hearts. Gu Zixuan gripped my hand tightly; his gaze, though resolute, couldn't hide his worry. I knew that in 1930s Shanghai during the Republic of China era, the Shadow Alliance's power was like a vast net; finding reliable allies to fight them was like searching for a glimmer of light in the darkness—extremely difficult.

"Where should we find allies?" I frowned, feeling utterly lost.

Gu Zixuan gently patted my hand, trying to comfort me. "I think we can start with my family connections. The Gu family has some friends in the Shanghai business community, and perhaps they would be willing to help."

We decided to first visit Mr. Li, a long-time friend of the Gu Zixuan family. Mr. Li runs a sizable bank and is a prominent figure in Shanghai's financial circles.

I deliberately wore an elegant lotus-root-colored cheongsam embroidered with a few plum blossoms, and my hair was simply styled in an updo with only a jade hairpin. Gu Zixuan, on the other hand, wore a dark gray suit with a blue tie, making him appear even more composed and handsome.

Upon arriving at Master Li's mansion, we found it to be a magnificent Western-style building. The guards at the gate, upon seeing Gu Zixuan, respectfully ushered us inside.

In the living room, we met Mr. Li. He was an elderly man with gray hair and a shrewd look in his eyes.

"Zixuan, what brings you to visit this old man today?" Master Li said with a smile.

Gu Zixuan bowed respectfully. "Master Li, I have come here today with an important matter to ask of you."

Gu Zixuan briefly explained our entanglement with the Shadow Alliance, hoping that Master Li would stand on our side and offer some support.

After listening, Master Li pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Zixuan, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that the Shadow Alliance's power is too great. My little bank doesn't want to get involved in this conflict."

A chill ran through me; I hadn't expected my first hope to be shattered.

“Mr. Li, you are aware of what the Shadow Alliance has done. They disrupt the market and harm innocent people. If we don’t stop them, sooner or later they will threaten your business as well,” I tried to persuade Mr. Li.

Mr. Li shook his head helplessly. "Miss Lin, I understand what you're saying. But all I want is to live out my old age in peace. You should look for someone else."

We left Master Li's mansion in disappointment. Walking down the street, I felt utterly dejected.

"Don't be discouraged, Fangfei. We have other ideas," Gu Zixuan comforted me.

"But who would be willing to help us?" I sighed.

Just then, we passed a teahouse, from which came bursts of laughter and chatter. Gu Zixuan's eyes lit up. "Let's go in and take a look."

We entered the teahouse, which was filled with the aroma of tea. People sat at the tables, some drinking tea and chatting, and others listening to storytelling.

We found an empty seat and ordered a pot of Longjing tea. Looking at the people in the teahouse, an idea suddenly came to me.

"Zixuan, do you think we can find allies among these ordinary people? They may not have a powerful force, but there's strength in numbers," I whispered.

Gu Zixuan frowned. "That's one way, but getting ordinary people to be willing to fight against the Shadow Alliance is not an easy task."

We were having a discussion when we suddenly overheard a conversation at the next table.

"Have you heard? The Shadow Alliance has been cracking down on small vendors again, and many people are starving," a middle-aged man said.

"Yes, these people are awful. But what can we do?" A young man shook his head helplessly.

Gu Zixuan and I exchanged a glance, then walked over to the table of people.

"Gentlemen, we are also outraged by the actions of the Shadow Alliance. We are trying to find a way to fight them. Would you like to join us?" I asked sincerely.

Those people looked at us and then laughed.

“You two young people are really naive. How could you possibly stand against the Shadow Alliance?” the middle-aged man said.

“We know this is difficult, but if no one stands up, the Shadow Alliance will become even more unscrupulous,” Gu Zixuan said.

The group was silent for a moment, then the young man said, "We can help you spread the word and let more people know about the Shadow Alliance's evil deeds. But we don't have the guts to confront them directly."

Gu Zixuan and I nodded; this was a good start.

With the help of these people, we began to publicize the Shadow Alliance's evil deeds throughout the streets and alleys of Shanghai. We posted flyers, telling the stories of those persecuted by the Shadow Alliance. Gradually, some people began to respond to our call and were willing to join our ranks.

However, the Shadow Alliance also became aware of our actions. They began sending people to sabotage our propaganda campaigns and threaten those who wanted to join us.

One day, we were handing out flyers in a square when suddenly a group of men in black rushed over.

“You troublemakers, how dare you spout nonsense here!” shouted a man in black.

They started snatching our flyers and beating up people who wanted to take them.

"What are you doing?" I shouted angrily.

Gu Zixuan rushed forward and began fighting with the man in black. I wasn't going to be outdone, so I picked up a wooden stick and started hitting the man in black.

However, our strength was limited, and the number of men in black was increasing. Those who had originally wanted to join us were frightened and retreated when they saw this.

"Do you think this will stop us?" I shouted, my heart filled with anger and resentment.

Just as we were in trouble, we suddenly heard a police siren. The men in black changed their expressions upon hearing the siren and scattered in all directions.

We breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that Ling Feng had called the police with the Shadow Moon Sect members, which attracted the attention of the police.

"Are you all alright?" Ling Feng asked.

I shook my head. "Thank you, Ling Feng. But our plan has been greatly hampered."

"Don't be discouraged, we can make a new plan," Ling Feng comforted us.

The conflict reached its peak at this moment. Although we had made great efforts in propaganda and gained some public support, the Shadow Alliance's suppression almost rendered our efforts futile. Moreover, we did not know how to truly organize a powerful force to fight them, and we were unsure whether the police intervention would be a blessing or a curse.

Just as we were discussing our next plan, a mysterious figure appeared before us. He was dressed in a long black robe and wore a mask, obscuring his face.

"Do you truly want to confront the Shadow Alliance?" the mysterious figure asked in a low voice.

We looked at him warily. "Who are you? Why are you asking this?"

The mysterious man smiled. “Who I am is not important. I can offer you a powerful ally, but you must agree to one condition.”

Splendid Attire: Lin Fangfei's Journey of Struggle in the Republican Era

Mysterious Ally

The mysterious man's appearance was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples. He was dressed in black robes, his face hidden by a mask, and his voice was deep, like a ghost emerging from the darkness. Did he bring unknown hope or a deeper conspiracy? I watched him warily, my eyes fixed on him. Gu Zixuan also clenched his fists, standing beside me, ready to deal with any potential danger.

"Tell me your conditions first," I said, mustering my courage, my voice tinged with caution.

The mysterious man tilted his head slightly, as if sizing us up. "My condition is simple: after you succeed, you must help me find someone."

"Find someone?" Gu Zixuan frowned. "Is it that simple?"

The mysterious man snorted softly, “Don’t underestimate this mission. This person has been missing for a long time, and I’ve been searching for him for many years without any leads.”

"Then who is this powerful ally you're talking about?" I pressed.

The mysterious man was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "It's Mr. Lu, the president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce."

Gu Zixuan and I were both taken aback. The president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce? That's a very influential figure in Shanghai's business world.

"Why would Master Lu help us? Aren't he and the Shadow Alliance supposed to keep to themselves?" Gu Zixuan asked, puzzled.

The mysterious man sneered, "Do you really think Master Lu can stay out of this? The Shadow Alliance's power is constantly expanding, threatening his interests. Besides, Master Lu is a man with a sense of justice; he's just waiting for the right opportunity."

"So how can we convince Mr. Lu to trust us and be willing to cooperate with us?" I asked.

The mysterious man took a letter from his pocket and handed it to me, saying, "Take this letter to see Master Lu, and he will see you."

I took the letter, feeling somewhat hesitant. Who exactly was this mysterious person? Why would he help us? What was written in this letter?

Gu Zixuan seemed to sense my hesitation. He gently patted my shoulder and said, "In any case, this is an opportunity, and we must give it a try."

Following the address given by the mysterious man, we arrived at Master Lu's mansion. It was a magnificent Chinese-style building with a vermilion gate and two imposing stone lions at the entrance.

I specially changed into a deep purple cheongsam embroidered with exquisite phoenix patterns, and my hair was styled into an intricate bun, adorned with a gold hairpin. Gu Zixuan, on the other hand, wore a black suit with a silver tie, making him appear even more dignified.

We explained our purpose to the guard at the entrance, and after he went inside to report, he quickly led us inside.

In the living room, we met Mr. Lu. He was a burly middle-aged man with deep and dignified eyes.

"Are you the ones who came with the letter?" Master Lu asked, looking at us.

I bowed respectfully. "Mr. Lu, hello. We've come to seek your help."

I handed the letter to Mr. Lu, who took it and read it carefully. After reading it, his expression became somewhat complicated.

"Do you know the contents of this letter?" Master Lu asked.

I shook my head. "We don't know. It was given to us by a mysterious person."

After pondering for a moment, Mr. Lu slowly said, "Since he recommended you, I will trust you. I have long heard about the actions of the Shadow Alliance. They have disrupted market order and damaged the interests of our Chamber of Commerce. I can help you, but you must act according to my plan."

Gu Zixuan and I were overjoyed and quickly nodded in agreement.

Mr. Lu began to explain his plan to us. He intended to unite with other influential figures in Shanghai's business community to jointly resist the Shadow Alliance. First, we would collect more evidence of the Shadow Alliance's crimes, and then hold a meeting within the Chamber of Commerce to make this evidence public, so that everyone would recognize the harm caused by the Shadow Alliance.

We began to act according to Master Lu's plan. I used my connections in the textile factory to gather evidence of the Shadow Alliance's crimes in the textile industry. Gu Zixuan, with the help of the Gu family business, investigated the Shadow Alliance's misdeeds in other industries.

During this process, we encountered many difficulties. The Shadow Alliance became aware of our actions and began to retaliate against us with even greater ferocity.