A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1135 Getting to the bottom of things

Wu Mingqiang added, "My grain transport business has almost come to a standstill, but I've managed to get a batch of grain and stored it in this basement. It should be enough to feed us for two or three years. Luckily, when the commander-in-chief built this house, he specifically built such a large basement."

Gui'er smiled. If the Japanese really invaded Hong Kong, she was an orphan and had no intention of surrendering to the enemy, so she probably wouldn't be able to stay here anyway. But at that time, she didn't know whether she would live or die, so she didn't think about it.

She was sometimes confused. She felt that Wu Mingqiang was truly sincere to her, but why did he lie to her and say that the White Tiger Gang did it? Was it really to cover up for Liu Lanfang?

On the third day, as soon as the bell rang, Gui'er hurriedly packed her things and ran out.

Upon arriving at the school gate, a row of cars and a densely packed rickshaw lined the roadside, all waiting to pick up students and take them home.

As she walked forward, she looked towards Xin Xin Bookstore and, sure enough, saw the private investigator standing by the window. He also saw her and gestured with the book in his hand.

"Brother Cheng, I'm going to buy a book. Please wait here for a moment."

"Okay, miss, take your time."

Gui'er walked into the bookstore, glanced back out the window to make sure no classmates she knew were paying attention to her, picked up a book, nodded to the private detective, and gestured for him to come inside.

The private detective glanced out the window with his book in hand, then walked around to Gui'er.

“Miss Sha, we’ve found out. You said the man’s name is Zhao Tianhu. He’s one of Liu Lanfang’s father Liu Tiecheng’s henchmen, doing dirty work for him. That’s why he doesn’t usually show his face, and nobody knew that Liu Tianhu was related to his family.” As he spoke, he handed over a photo.

Gui'er took the car and saw that Liu Lanfang was standing at her door, ready to get into the car. Next to her stood a man in his fifties who looked somewhat like Liu Lanfang. Without asking, she knew that this must be Liu Tiecheng. Zhao Tianhu opened the car door and respectfully turned his head to look at the father and daughter with a smile.

It really was Liu Lanfang who sent someone to harm her. Gui'er felt a chill run down her spine. Although she had suspected it before, she was still at a loss when she actually found out.

“Ms. Sha, should I continue the investigation?” the private investigator suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Gui'er didn't react.

The private investigator chuckled and said, "You young girls tend to panic easily when something happens. Since I've already investigated, I've also looked into why she hired someone to mess with you. Your fiancé is quite capable, isn't he? But it looks like he's about to be stolen away. So, how about it? Do you need my help?"

Gui'er was stunned for a moment. It seemed that the private investigator had already found out that Liu Lanfang had hired someone to attack her.

Feeling a little uncomfortable, she cleared her throat and said, "Oh? How can you help me?"

"I can help you find evidence that your fiancé is having an affair with her."

“That’s impossible,” Gui’er said with a smile. After all, although Wu Mingqiang hadn’t been picking her up from school recently, he was still very good to her.

The private investigator pulled a pocket watch from his pocket, glanced at it, then closed it again, his face bearing the confident air of a seasoned veteran: "My surname is Feng, and everyone in the underworld calls me Detective Feng. I used to be a photographer for a newspaper, and uncovering news material was a piece of cake for me. I'm an expert at investigating these kinds of love affairs and power struggles. I've seen a lot about your family. Take your fiancé, for example. He used to be a servant in your family, but he gained the trust of the elders and climbed the social ladder by marrying you. The elders aren't even in Hong Kong. Men like that are bound to have affairs, take concubines, or find richer women. If he hadn't flirted with this Miss Liu, why would she have gone out of her way to hurt you? This is the result of jealousy. Miss Sha, why don't you let me investigate before things get out of hand, so you don't regret it for the rest of your life?"

He leaned forward, lowering his voice even further: "Liu Lanfang had someone target you because she was jealous. Her father, Liu Tiecheng, wanted to win over Mr. Wu, offering him many benefits and even having his daughter personally seduce him. Mr. Wu, on the other hand, outwardly didn't respond, but secretly had business dealings with Liu Tiecheng—the shady dealings involved can't be explained by just one photo."

Gui'er tightened her grip on the photo: "You mean... Brother Wu and Liu Lanfang really have something to do with each other?"

"Whether there's any involvement or not, we'll only know after we investigate." Detective Feng smiled mysteriously. "However, if Miss Sha wants solid evidence, the price will have to be calculated separately. You can pay for the investigation of Zhao Tianhu now, and the subsequent investigation fees will be prepaid at fifty yuan, with the remaining fifty yuan to be paid after the matter is completed."

Seeing Gui'er hesitate, he added, "I know you trust Mr. Wu, but why is he helping Liu Lanfang keep it from you? There must be something going on here. I'll not only take photos for you, but I can also find concrete evidence to ensure you see the truth."

Gui'er's heart was in turmoil, heavy and chaotic. She believed in Wu Mingqiang's sincerity, but it was true that he had lied. She didn't believe he would have an affair with Liu Lanfang, but she couldn't figure out why he was hiding it. Detective Feng's words were like a hook, tugging at the unease in her heart, making her want to find out the truth.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath, counted out the investigation fee and the prepayment from her handbag, a total of eighty yuan, and handed it over. “What I want is not photos of them meeting—Liu Lanfang often goes to see him, that’s nothing. What I want is… evidence that proves they have an affair, or that Wu Mingqiang deliberately helped her deceive me.”

Detective Feng took the money, stuffed it into his inner pocket, and patted his chest: "Miss Sha, rest assured, I, Feng, always do things honestly. I guarantee I'll bring you something that will satisfy you. See you here again in three days."

Gui'er nodded, picked up the unopened book, paid for it, tucked the photo Detective Feng had given her into the book, and left the bookstore.

Once inside the car, Acheng asked, "Miss, have you bought the books?"

"Hmm." Gui'er placed the book on her lap and quietly examined the photo tucked inside. "Brother Cheng, is Brother Wu coming back to the villa for dinner today?"

"I should go back. I said when I left this morning that I would bring the account book back for you to review tonight."

Gui'er said "Oh" and didn't say anything more. She looked at the street scene flashing by outside the window and made up her mind—once she got the results from Detective Feng, whether they were true or false, she would ask Wu Mingqiang herself why he lied to her. Some things, even if it hurts, must be torn open and seen clearly.