novelaction Chapter 1141 Tension
Chapter 1141 Tension
He opened the box, inside was a pair of earrings, rather small pearl earrings, four small pearls strung together in the shape of a flower, a unique style, understated and not ostentatious, just the kind Gui'er liked: "I bought these a few days ago, originally intending to give them to you on the beach. But after what happened, I forgot for a moment, so I'm giving them to you now as an apology."
Gui'er looked at the earring, her heart filled with mixed feelings: "I don't want your apology, I just want to know if you are truly on my side."
“Of course,” Wu Mingqiang said hastily. “Ever since you saved me at the Marshal’s Mansion, I have…” He paused, swallowed his words, and only said, “I will never betray you, much less collude with traitors. I despise people like Liu Tiecheng from the bottom of my heart, but the time is not right yet, and we cannot confront them head-on.”
Gui'er looked up at him: "Do you still remember our previous agreement?"
Wu Mingqiang's eyes lit up, like sparks ignited: "I remember, you said that if there was still no news of the second young master by graduation, then..."
"On the condition that you don't lie to me and help me get revenge," Gui'er interrupted him, her tone serious. "If you can really get rid of Liu Tiecheng and his daughter and get justice for Mr. Chen and Mr. Zhu, then I will believe you and be willing to fulfill the agreement."
Wu Mingqiang stared intently at her, his Adam's apple bobbing, and nodded emphatically: "I promise you, on the premise of protecting you, I will definitely make them pay the price."
He paused, then added, his tone resolute and leaving no room for argument: "But you have to promise me that you absolutely cannot act on your own before then. Liu Tiecheng's guards are all desperate criminals; if you go alone, it's like throwing yourself to the wolves. Leave the revenge to me; you just focus on your studies and protect yourself, understand?"
Seeing the urgency in his eyes, Gui'er's initial hesitation gradually subsided. She nodded, "I understand, I won't do anything rash."
Wu Mingqiang breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the pair of earrings, and carefully handed them to Gui'er: "Do you like these earrings?"
Gui'er took it and put it on her ears, smiled and asked Wu Mingqiang, "Does it look good?"
Wu Mingqiang stared blankly, somewhat lost in thought. After a couple of seconds, he snapped out of it, nodded, and grinned foolishly, saying, "It's really beautiful."
After that, Gui'er believed Wu Mingqiang and continued to go to school every day as before.
When Liu Lanfang tried to test her again later, Gui'er had learned her lesson.
She said, "Thanks to Lanfang's guidance, I've decided to explain the situation to my elders and see if we can break off the engagement."
She was convinced that this would satisfy Liu Lanfang.
A few days later, Wu Mingqiang said with a worried look, "This woman has gone mad. She said that if I go to propose marriage with nothing like this, her parents will not agree. She told me that I still have to get my hands on the young lady's property before I go to her house to propose marriage."
Acheng slammed his hand on the table and said, "This is outrageous! She's really asking for trouble. We've already let her go, but she's courting death. It seems I have to use our best skills to take her down. Let's see if she still dares to dream of such a thing."
Wu Mingqiang quickly advised, "Don't be impulsive. She has more than just Zhao Tianhu by her side; there are many capable people around her. Moreover, I recently heard from Liu Lanfang that the Japanese are preparing for another military exercise. Her father is afraid that something might happen at this critical juncture, so he has arranged for hidden weapons to be placed in front of their family members. Going to see her at this time would be tantamount to suicide."
Dingxiang said anxiously, "But if we don't do anything, won't they harm Miss?"
Wu Mingqiang thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I took the opportunity to meet Liu Tiecheng last time and pretended to let slip that she had caused trouble for a prostitute when she drove there. Liu Tiecheng then told his daughter that the important day was coming soon and that she should not cause any trouble. So I think Gui'er should be safe for the time being."
"The important day is coming soon. Are the Japanese planning to take action?" Gui'er immediately grasped the key point.
"I didn't ask any more questions, but you should be safe during this time. The father and daughter are actually afraid that someone will kill them before the Japanese arrive, so they have strengthened their security and are no longer forcing me to meet with her."
Gui'er observed carefully and noticed that Liu Lanfang had indeed become much more restrained in class. She no longer targeted Gui'er as much as before, and even when their eyes met, she would awkwardly look away. Gui'er breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to focus on her studies for the time being. However, she remained on edge—she knew that this peace was only temporary, and that Liu Lanfang's ambition and Liu Tiecheng's scheming would not disappear with a few perfunctory words.
Before we knew it, half of the semester had passed, and the atmosphere on campus had gradually changed. The poems, songs, and movie stars that we used to discuss during breaks were now all shrouded in the shadow of war.
“My aunt took a ship to Australia yesterday,” a female classmate said in a low voice. “They said that British women and children will be evacuated in batches, and Hong Kong is probably not going to hold out. My aunt married a British man as his second wife, so she is also eligible to leave.”
“Don’t even mention it,” another chimed in. “The price of rice at the grain store has gone up by 30%. My mom queued for ages yesterday just to buy a small bag. I heard the government has started controlling food supplies, even canned goods are being rationed. I think the Japanese are really about to invade.”
The corridor was plastered with "Notice of Air Defense Drill," and posters announcing the expansion of the Volunteer Army gleamed a glaring red in the sunlight.
A classmate said that her brother had signed up for the volunteer army and was undergoing firearms training, "and maybe a real fight will break out."
Newspaper headlines are becoming increasingly alarming—"British-Japanese relations on the verge of collapse," "Hong Kong's defense urgently strengthened," "Lights restrictions to be implemented tonight."
When Gui'er brought the newspaper home, Wu Mingqiang and Acheng were checking accounts in the living room, with several dock freight bills spread out on the table.
"Have you read today's newspaper?" Gui'er placed the newspaper on the table. "It says that Anglo-Japanese relations have deteriorated rapidly."
Wu Mingqiang put down his pen, his brows furrowed. "Deteriorating? It's about to come to a showdown." He looked at Gui'er, his tone grave. "The Japanese have no good intentions. They openly say they want to attack Kunming, but secretly they've stationed their troops on the north bank of the Shenzhen River. The people I sent to gather information have come back and seen it with their own eyes. Moreover, there are many more Japanese spies on the streets now."
"A spy?" Gui'er's heart tightened.
“They’re more than just spies,” Ah Cheng interjected. “Yesterday I went to the docks and overheard the dockworkers saying that there are a few women in kimonos loitering around Tsim Sha Tsui every day, always talking to people from foreign firms, asking all sorts of questions. They seem suspicious. Some people also said that some merchants have been bribed by the Japanese to secretly give them intelligence and have made a lot of money.”