How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

"Yes, Xiao Lü."

After much deliberation, Dr. Xu decided to test the waters. "Well, I have to go home for a bit. Why don't you come back with me first, and then we can go to the hospital?"

Qingru asked in surprise, "Now? Won't it be too late to go back to the hospital?"

Dr. Xu glanced at his watch. "It's only a little past nine. It'll only take an hour to get to my house. No problem. The hospital doesn't stop functioning without me. Let's go."

Without waiting for a reply, he shoved Qingru into a rickshaw. "Driver, let's go to Avenue Joffre."

Qingru glanced at him in surprise. Was Dr. Xu really that rich? Although she had only been in Shanghai for a short time, Qingru knew that Avenue Joffre was located in the French Concession. Although the houses there were for ordinary people, they were definitely not something that the poor could dream of.

After a moment of surprise, Qingru quickly calmed down. True masters don't reveal their abilities; perhaps that's why Dr. Xu can live such a carefree life.

The car was running smoothly, and Qingru was swaying and feeling drowsy. By the time Dr. Xu told her to get out of the car, she had already taken a nap without realizing it.

After getting out of the car, Qingru looked around Dr. Xu's house. It was a two-story villa, but not very big. The first floor was the kitchen and for entertaining guests, and the second floor was where the living quarters were.

Qingru was about to sit down when Dr. Xu stopped her with a shout, "Wait."

Qingru stood up nervously, thinking that she was not allowed to sit down, and said with a embarrassed look, "I'm sorry, I'll wait for you at the door."

Dr. Xu mysteriously closed the door. Seeing Qingru standing there at a loss, he explained, "Uh, well, this sofa hasn't been cleaned in a long time. If you sit down, you might not be able to stand up for a while."

Qingru then realized what was happening. Looking down, she saw that the sofa was indeed covered in sticky stains from soup, tea, and other things.

Dr. Xu moved two wooden stools over, somewhat embarrassed. "Please sit on this one; it's cleaner."

Qingru obediently sat down, but then saw that Dr. Xu also sat down. Qingru looked at him suspiciously, "Didn't you say you had something to do at home? Why are you sitting here?"

Dr. Xu said solemnly, "Please sit still and wait a moment. What I'm about to say concerns you."

Qingru's heart skipped a beat, and she felt uneasy. Could it be that Dr. Xu was Miss Yuan's friend and therefore wanted to get rid of her?

While Dr. Xu went upstairs to get something, Qingru quickly got up to escape. She tried, but couldn't open the door from the inside. Footsteps came from upstairs, startling Qingru. She looked around and quickly grabbed a fruit knife, hiding it behind her back.

Dr. Xu ran downstairs, panting, and handed Qingru a stack of papers. "Here, take a look at this."

Qingru asked, "What is this?"

Dr. Xu wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "You'll see when you see it."

Qingru had no choice but to secretly place the fruit knife at her feet so she could pick it up at any time before opening it to take out a few pieces of paper to read.

only...

"Identity documents? Educational certificates? Why are you showing me these things?"

Dr. Xu said, "I want to have a frank discussion with you about some things. To be fair, I'll show you my situation first. Hello, my name is Xu Wensheng, the second young master of the Xu family in Shanghai, and I'm an attending physician at the hospital. And you?"

Qingru was so frightened that she almost tore up the certificates. Dr. Xu quickly snatched them away and held them protectively in his arms.

So that's what he was planning. Qingru understood a little. He was there to test Miss Yuan.

After calming herself down, Qingru said, "My name is Lü Qing, and my brother is Lü Shen. We are not very educated and came here from the countryside to look for work. My brother accidentally offended someone and was beaten half to death. You know all this, Dr. Xu?"

Xu Wensheng squinted at her and said, "That's not right. This isn't a good thing. I've already shown you the proof. Isn't that enough sincerity?"

Qingru scoffed inwardly. What use was sincerity? Survival was the most important thing.

"I've already explained my situation; I'm honest with everyone, young and old."

Dr. Xu suddenly got angry, "Lü Qing, do you not trust me? If I hadn't spoken up for you to the hospital director, would you have been promoted? If I hadn't made arrangements, where would you and your brother have a place to live? Is this how you treat your benefactor? You won't tell him a single truth."

If Qingru had felt a little guilty just now, she was completely free of it now. "You are the second young master of the Xu family. You won't die if you say or do something wrong. My brother and I are just ordinary people, so we have to be careful. I'm happy if you help me, but I'm not afraid if you don't."

Xu Wensheng was a little flustered, scratching his head and cheeks, "No, since I've already helped you, of course I'll protect you. What are you afraid of?"

Qingru rolled her eyes at him. "You should take care of yourself first, Dr. Xu. I appreciate your kindness, but I'll repay you when I get back to my hometown."

Xu Wensheng didn't care about any reward; he was just curious, purely curious. He had long heard that Shanghai was a mixed bag, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone disguised and infiltrated his inner circle. He wouldn't be able to sleep until he solved this mystery.

"Hey, if it's inconvenient for you to say, I'll ask you a question and you can answer it, okay?"

Qingru choked and remained silent.

Xu Wensheng continued, "How about this: for every question you answer, I'll treat one of your brother's illnesses, without charging any consultation or medication fees, how about it?"

Qingru was somewhat intrigued. "What do you want to ask?"

Seeing that Qingru was wavering, Xu Wensheng said happily, "Sit down properly, I'll start asking questions now."

"Wait, sign and put your fingerprint on it."

Xu paused for a moment, then said helplessly, "Fine, would I lie to you?"

At the mention of deception, Qingru became wary again, scrutinizing Xu Wensheng from head to toe. "Wait a minute, what is your relationship with the Yuan family?"

Xu Wensheng said suspiciously, "Doctor-patient relationship, at most it's just some interaction between the older generation, I'm fine. The eldest brother of the Yuan family is alright, although he's smooth, he has his bottom line. His sister is different, she's spoiled rotten and quite domineering."

Seeing that his words were objective, Qingru felt relieved. Xu Wensheng wrote out a contract, guaranteeing that Qingru would cure one ailment for every question she answered, before signing and affixing his seal.

Then Xu Wensheng sat down happily and asked, "Are you guys from that party or something?"

"No."

"Are you a boy or a girl?"

Qingru paused, but the contract didn't stipulate that she had to answer the truth. Just as she was about to speak, Xu Wensheng said, "Think carefully. If you're going to be perfunctory with me, then I'll be perfunctory in treating you too."

Qingru was in a dilemma. Being a woman at this time presented many inconveniences; if others found out, then...

Seeing that Qingru remained silent, Xu Wensheng had no choice but to say again, "Don't worry, even if you were a woman, I would keep your secret and take special care of you. Do you think that after studying medicine for so many years, I really can't tell the difference between men and women? I just want to hear you admit it yourself."

Qingru looked up at him in surprise, then spoke with difficulty, "Woman."

It was a faint hum, but Xu Wensheng still heard it. He closed his eyes with immense satisfaction and let out a joyful exclamation, "I knew my judgment was right!"

Qingru bit her lip tightly, her face pale.

Xu Wensheng quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, I definitely won't do anything to you. Next, you know that young master Guo from the Yuan family, right?"

Qingru sighed suddenly, thinking that things would be much easier if Xu Wensheng could help them. So she said, "His identity is sensitive. If you can help me if I tell you, then I can tell you."

Xu Wensheng stroked his chin thoughtfully and asked, "What good would this do me?"

"Perhaps you will be able to travel freely in Hubei, Hunan, and Hubei provinces in the future."

Xu Wensheng was taken aback, then said, "I can do that now, who dares to do anything to me?"

Qingru said, "They won't do anything to you, but if you could have guards escorting you when you travel, it would probably be safer."

Xu Wensheng asked in surprise, "You're not going to say he's Marshal Guo's son, are you?"

Qingru smiled without saying a word, and Xu Wensheng then realized the seriousness of the matter and asked again, "Really?"

Qingru nodded. "Actually, it's also good for you if I don't tell you. Young Master Guo's identity is really sensitive because Commander Guo occupies a place with a good location, which has always been a battleground for both sides. So I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid you would get into trouble. But it's obvious that you have already gotten into trouble."

Xu Wensheng couldn't accept it, "I freaking... no, no, I can't swear."

Qingru remained silent. "Do you still want to hear it?"

Xu Wensheng felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly. "Fine, let me die then. Go ahead and tell me."

Qingru laughed and said, "If we had handled it well, none of us would have died. Young Master Guo's name is Guo Zixing. He is the eldest son on whom Marshal Guo placed great hopes. He went to Nanjing on official business, but he encountered several forces and jumped into the water to escape in a panic. Later, we don't know why he ended up here. My brother and I were his subordinates. We inquired and searched all the way, and finally found him at the Yuan family. It took us a long time to get in touch with him, but we found that he had lost his memory. Later, my brother was beaten so badly by the Yuan family. They said they would find the Green Gang to deal with us, but we were tough. We didn't die; instead, we survived."

Xu Wensheng said, "You guys are really lucky to be alive."

Qingru smiled self-deprecatingly, giving Xu Wensheng time to think.