How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

"Mr. Xia."

Qingru reached out her hand, and a handsome, slender man returned the gesture. He appeared refined, polite, well-read, and possessed an elegant demeanor.

"I heard that Miss Lü personally visited the Dongyang Textile Factory. Did you risk your life to take these photos? You are truly a heroine, worthy of admiration," Mr. Xia exclaimed sincerely.

Facing the upright and righteous Mr. Xia, Qingru became unusually humble, "It's not like that at all. I just did what I was supposed to do."

"Regarding the abuse of female workers in bonded labor at the Dongyang Textile Factory, I would like to know more detailed information. Could you please provide that to Mr. Xia?" Mr. Xia's expression was serious and earnest as he spoke.

“Of course, Mr. Xia, please feel free to ask.” Qingru replied with a smile.

"Well then, before that, could you please allow us to talk about the abuse of female bonded workers in the Japanese textile factory? Could you tell me the details?"

"Yes, to be honest, it's not exactly something to be proud of. It involves a great many forces. Mr. Xia, aren't you... afraid?"

Mr. Xia adjusted his glasses and said gently but firmly, “I am not afraid. In fact, I have already asked some friends to inquire about some information, but it is not detailed enough. If you were to come forward with your own account, it would surely be more authentic and would attract more attention to this matter. If you, a weak woman, are not afraid, what do I have to fear?”

Hearing Mr. Xia's impassioned speech, Qingru no longer hesitated. "Then I'll be frank. First, there are the human traffickers. As you know, the harvests have been bad these past few years, with natural disasters and man-made calamities. Many girls in mountain villages can't survive and are easily tricked. Human traffickers take advantage of this, specifically targeting these villages, deceiving them by saying they're recruiting girls to work in the city. They promise the female workers a life of luxury, but in reality, they eat meager meals, getting up earlier than chickens and sleeping later than pigs. That's not all; in the textile factories, they beat and verbally abuse women at the drop of a hat. Even a minor foreman can beat and verbally abuse female workers, and some have even been beaten to death. Every now and then, one is carried out—it's a mass grave..."

As Qingru spoke, she showed Mr. Xia the developed photos one by one.

Food as dirty as dishwater, scars on female workers' bodies, corpses lying haphazardly in mass graves...

Looking at each photo, each one a testament to the female workers' blood and tears, Mr. Xia's expression grew increasingly grave...

Not to mention him, even Qingru himself couldn't help but tremble when he looked at these photos. The others present clenched their fists, wishing those villains were right in front of them so they could punch them all.

"...That's why, for so long, not a single word has come out; they've been terrified of being beaten."

Mr. Xia took a deep breath, calming his surging anger, and continued to ask, "Besides that, is there any other evidence?"

"Isn't this evidence enough to force the Toyo Cotton Mill to shut down?" Qingru said passionately.

“But that’s not enough. You have to understand, this isn’t the only place like this!” Mr. Xia’s brows were full of worry.

“You’ve forgotten, I have Guo Zixing behind me, the eldest son of Commander Guo. Isn’t that enough to give you confidence?” Qingru said with bright eyes.

Mr. Xia looked at Guo Zixing, who stepped forward to state his position: "My Guo family has always protected the people of Sifang City. As long as there is sufficient evidence, I will naturally stand up for the people of my city."

Mr. Xia nodded, then turned and asked again, "Are you sure you want to release the information you have to the public?"

Qingru nodded decisively.

“Good, I have already drafted the article about the female workers. With Miss Lü’s additions and the impact of the photos, I believe it will be enough to shake the foundation of the yarn factory.”

Qingru breathed a sigh of relief, finally resolving a matter.

Guo Zixing looked at Qingru, whose eyes were shining, and felt gratified. He understood that this article would bring him public support, and he also understood that all of this was thanks to Qingru.

"I invite you to dinner."

Qingru turned around and looked at Guo Zixing with a puzzled expression. He had never invited her to dinner before. "Why are you suddenly inviting me to dinner?"

"It's not sudden, this is a reward you deserve."

Qingru raised her chin without any guilt, "That's true, I did go deep into enemy territory."

His self-praising manner was amusing. Guo Zixing led Qingru into the most popular Western restaurant among foreigners in Sifang City.

"Meet the best of you," Qingru read a slogan from the restaurant.

Guo Zixing asked in surprise, "You even know foreign languages?"

Qingru nodded, somewhat forlornly. "My father used to hire teachers from the church to teach my sister and me. Unfortunately, I didn't appreciate it back then and never took it seriously. My sister, on the other hand, did quite well."

Guo Zixing took a sip of water as if to cover up his actions, and then called over a waiter to order food.

"Since you know English, why don't you order the food?"

Qingru took the menu, was startled by the prices, and quietly asked, "So expensive?"

"Never mind that, it's not like you're paying the bill. Are you doubting my financial capabilities?"

Qingru blushed, "Ahem, that's true, then I'll be eating up the big pot."

I didn't even see what was on the menu, so I just ordered the most expensive dishes.

Fried pork chops, salad greens, mushroom soup, and several fried snacks were served on delicate little plates and decorated with fresh flowers, creating a very artistic presentation.

Qingru had eaten Western food with the church teachers before, so she knew how to use a knife and fork. However, this was her first time eating Western food outside, so she was a little nervous. She watched how Guo Zixing used them and learned from him.

Guo Zixing noticed her inexperience and took her portion and cut it up.

"Eat up. Actually, I'm not really used to Western food, but these days all the rich kids like me love it, so I've gradually gotten used to it. If you ask me, I'd rather have a bowl of wontons from a roadside stall."

Qingru chuckled; in truth, that was what she was thinking too.

"It's quite unusual for Young Master Guo to make such remarks. Why don't we see you taking your female companions to eat by the roadside?"

A young girl's voice rang out. Guo Zixing looked up and saw that it was Zheng Peilan who had brought a few of her girlfriends over for dinner. The one who had just spoken was a young lady he had never seen before.

Putting down his knife and fork, Guo Zixing stood up to greet her, saying naturally, "Peilan, why didn't you tell me you were coming out?"

The girl spoke again, "How can I tell you? If I told you, would we still be seeing this?"

Guo Zixing frowned, clearly displeased. Zheng Peilan then spoke up, "Liu Yu, don't say anything more. Young Master Guo has no need to tell me anything."

Guo Zixing pulled Zheng Peilan over to Qingru and introduced her, "You've met her before, this is Miss Lü."

Qingru stood up and extended her hand to Zheng Peilan, "Hello, Ms. Zheng."

Zheng Peilan was taken aback for a moment, then reached out and shook hands in return. The moment she saw Qingru's face, she knew Qingru's identity. Guo Zixing had brought Qingru to the banquet that day, and she had later disappeared not far from her house; she never expected her to still be alive.

"Hello, Ms. Lü, are you... alright?"

Qingru understood immediately and shook her head, saying, "I have been through some things, but I'm fine now."

Zheng Peilan didn't want to argue anymore, so she gave Guo Zixing a reproachful look and said, "You go ahead and do your thing, I'll talk to you later."

The intimate tone of their voices brought tears to her eyes. Qingru quickly suppressed her turbulent emotions and sat down to eat.

After Guo Zixing finished exchanging pleasantries, Qingru finally made her request, "I've been so busy with the yarn factory lately that I forgot the most important thing. The human trafficking case involving Niu Da and Niu Er isn't over yet, is it? I need to go and rescue someone."

"Who?"

“Xin Wu Hui, the person who fell into the water with me that day, was later sold by Niu Dajia while he was recuperating there. His whereabouts are still unknown. Can I interrogate him personally? I have to rescue this person, which can be considered as repaying his kindness.”

"Don't worry, we need to bring back all the people that Niu Da and Niu Er sold. It's not difficult for you to interrogate them yourself, but we also need to prioritize. The person you mentioned is a strong laborer. The person who bought him would never harm him. Let's settle the matter at the yarn factory first, and then we can deal with this matter."

Qingru opened her mouth, wanting to talk about her father, but stopped herself halfway through. "Oh, by the way, when we escaped from the textile factory, we hid in a cave. There seems to be a tomb there. We must make sure no one robs it."

"Okay, I understand." Guo Zixing was thinking about other things and didn't take Qingru's mention of the grave to heart.

Qingru couldn't say anything, so she could only handle things one by one.