A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er was surprised that she knew so much about her affairs, and smiled awkwardly, saying, "Well, I don't know anything about business, so I leave it all to the housekeeper."

Liu Lanfang said with a smile, "You are so lucky to have such a capable, tall, and handsome butler. Without him, your life as a pampered young lady probably wouldn't be able to continue."

Her words were rather harsh, drawing stares from her classmates.

One of the students said, "The housekeeper is hired to help manage the business. If he doesn't do a good job, he can't keep his job. Isn't what you're saying a fallacy?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Lanfang quickly smiled and said, "That's right."

Gui'er, however, vaguely sensed a hint of malice in Liu Lanfang's words. She was quite surprised. Could it be that Liu Lanfang was truly in love with Wu Mingqiang, which was why she was hostile to the women around him?

In her view, Wu Mingqiang did not seem to be resistant to her. Although he said that he just did not want to offend her father, he continued to meet with her. This inevitably gave him the wrong impression, which made Liu Lanfang feel that she had a chance.

She sighed. Although she didn't want to get involved in such a complicated relationship, she seemed powerless to change the current situation and could only take it one step at a time.

Several days passed, and Gui'er asked Wu Mingqiang every day if he had found Zhu Zhiming.

Wu Mingqiang only ever said he was looking for him. If pressed, he would say he had found out where the man had appeared and that he would take people to verify it. But even after verifying, he would only say that the man had indeed appeared there, but he didn't know where he went afterward.

Although Gui'er was anxious, she was helpless. Seeing her frowning, Dingxiang suggested, "Miss, why don't you try placing an ad in the newspaper to find Mr. Zhu? Put Mr. Zhu's photo in the newspaper. So many people read the newspaper. Just say that anyone who knows his whereabouts will be rewarded handsomely. Maybe you can find him faster than Brother Qiang."

Gui'er slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "That's right! What a great idea! How come I didn't think of that?" So, during dinner that day, she told Wu Mingqiang that she was going to place a missing person ad in the newspaper the next day.

"No, this absolutely cannot be done." Wu Mingqiang actually objected directly.

"Why? We've been searching for so many days and there's still no news. I'm afraid Mr. Zhu might be in danger."

“Miss, you’re naive. Zhu Zhiming clearly left you a note saying that the matter was related to the Japanese when he left. You still went to the newspaper to look for him. Wouldn’t that be letting others know that Zhu Zhiming is related to us? I don’t know if he is in danger, but once the newspaper is on the street, we will definitely be in danger.”

Gui'er thought it made sense, but she was unwilling to give up so easily. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I've got it! The hotel he works at, I think it's the Dahua Hotel on Guangming Street in Kowloon City. I remember he was an accountant. His younger brother runs a newsstand, and now he's disappeared. Why don't we place an ad in the newspaper in the names of his boss and his brother, and then have those people go looking for his boss or brother? We can send people to secretly keep watch, so we won't be exposed. What do you think of this idea, Brother Wu?"

Wu Mingqiang frowned and pondered for a moment, but couldn't find a reason to object. He really didn't want to get involved with Zhu Zhiming, but if he said it, Gui'er would definitely be unhappy and might act on her own again. So he had no choice but to agree: "Your idea... isn't impossible, but we absolutely can't go to the newspaper office ourselves. We have to find an unrelated outsider to go."

Gui'er nodded quickly: "That's easy. There are so many homeless people on the streets now, they are all refugees who have come from the mainland. As long as you give them money, they are willing to do anything, let alone just go to the newspaper office."

The next morning, Gui'er instructed Acheng to find a homeless man.

She went to the "Fu On Photo Studio" in Central. All the photos of Chen Zhongyu's engagement banquet were taken by this photo studio. Because the Lin family was a wealthy family, the background was glamorous and luxurious, which attracted attention. The owner even displayed them in the window to attract customers. Gui'er guessed that he should have kept the negatives.

Gui'er could have asked Lin Peishan for Zhu Zhiming's photo, but she was afraid that Lin Peishan would be upset if she found out that Zhu Zhiming was in trouble. So, she tried not to bother Lin Peishan if she could think of other solutions.

When the photo studio owner heard about Gui'er's purpose, he searched through the album for a long time before finding the photos from that time, which included a group photo of the elders and the two newlyweds.

Gui'er was delighted and quickly bought it. Back home, she carefully cut Zhu Zhiming's part out of the crowd with scissors—he was wearing a brand-new suit, standing next to Chen Zhongyu, smiling somewhat reservedly.

Looking at the remaining photos of Chen Zhongyu and Lin Peishan, Gui'er suddenly felt a little dazed. She hadn't seen Chen Zhongyu one last time, and now seeing his photo gave her an unreal feeling, as if Chen Zhongyu hadn't died.

Ah Cheng walked in and said, "Miss, we've found the right person. To avoid being exposed, we found someone who can read and is about the same age as Mr. Zhu. This way, he can impersonate both his brother and his boss."

Gui'er then handed the photo to him.

The following day, major newspapers in Hong Kong, including the *Hua Zi Daily* and *Xingmin Daily*, published the following notice:

"Seeking Mr. Zhu Zhiming: Approximately fifty years old, square-faced, beardless, always wearing a gray cloth long gown. Formerly an accountant at the Tai Wah Hotel on Guangming Street, Kowloon City. His younger brother runs a newsstand next to the Xiang Le Bing Shi (Heung Lok Ice Cream Parlor). Recently, due to family matters, we have lost contact with him, and his family is extremely worried. If anyone knows his whereabouts, please inform the manager of the Tai Wah Hotel or the newsstand next to the Xiang Le Bing Shi (currently being handled by a neighbor). A generous reward will be given. Sincerely, humbly requesting your help."

Below the notice was the cut-out photo, and next to it was a blurry address, which was the original location of Zhu Zhiming's brother's newsstand and the address of the Dahua Hotel.

Gui'er held the newspaper, her fingertips tracing the four words "Family in Anxiety," and felt a little calmer. The notice was written in a plain and simple style, without mentioning anything else, just like an ordinary family looking for their relatives.

Wu Mingqiang stood aside, looking at the photos in the newspaper, and said, "I've already had Acheng arrange two people near the newsstand and the Dahua Hotel to pose as vendors and keep watch. As soon as someone comes to report, we'll know immediately."

"Thank you, Brother Wu." Gui'er looked up at him. The morning light shone through the window and fell on his tense profile, making it look softer than usual.

"Don't thank me too soon." Wu Mingqiang folded the newspaper. "Once this notice is published, if the Japanese are really looking for him, they might notice it too. You should stay home as much as possible these next few days, especially avoid going to Kowloon City."