A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 189: Meeting Wu Mingqiang on the Road to Find Out Ji Yiru's Weakness

As they were about to go down the escalator, a waitress from the dessert shop suddenly came out, stopped Gui'er and said, "Miss, please wait a moment. Someone is looking for you."

Gui'er was confused, so He Ruizhu said, "Then I'll leave first."

Gui Er suddenly thought that this person might be Song Xichen, and hurriedly said to He Ruizhu, "Okay, then you go first."

After He Ruizhu left, the waiter led her to a fenced-off private room by the window. Guier saw a tall man in a suit sitting in the private room. He was wearing a top hat that covered half of his face. She couldn't see who he was, but it was definitely not Song Xichen.

The waiter politely said, "Please take a seat. Dessert will be served shortly." Then he turned and left.

Gui'er didn't sit down. She looked at the man warily and said, "Excuse me, who are you looking for? Did you recognize the wrong person?"

The man took off his hat, stood up, walked over, and said with a smile, "Miss Guier, it's me."

Gui'er was stunned for a moment before she recognized Wu Mingqiang. She said in surprise, "Aren't you in Fengcheng?"

Wu Mingqiang pulled out a stool for Gui'er like a gentleman and let him sit down. Then he sat down himself and said with a smile, "I come to Jiangcheng occasionally. I happened to come here today for something. When I got nearby, I saw you shopping at Wing On Department Store, so I wanted to catch up with you."

Guier saw that Wu Mingqiang was now dressed in a suit and had a hairstyle like the one in the TV series Shanghai Bund. He didn't look like a gangster, but more like a big boss or a rich young man. Moreover, he had a handsome appearance, long legs and a straight figure. He could easily be a star in modern times. The waitresses and female customers passing by them would take a second look at him.

Gui Er smiled and said, "Looking at how Brother Wu is dressed, he must be doing well. Is he doing well in the security team?"

Wu Mingqiang looked at Gui'er and said a little embarrassedly, "It's all thanks to you, Miss. I'm now the deputy captain of the security team."

Gui Er hadn't expected him to be so capable, so she said, "You're just talented, but you'd better be careful when dealing with people who run opium dens and gambling dens."

Wu Mingqiang was very happy to hear this and said, "Thank you for your concern, Miss."

He hesitated for a moment and took out a small box from the inner pocket of his suit. It was covered with velvet and was obviously a jewelry box. When he opened it, he saw an emerald and diamond flower brooch inside. The huge emerald was surrounded by diamonds and pearls to outline the branches and stems. It was exquisite and luxurious. Even someone who didn't know much like Gui'er could tell that it was not a piece of jewelry that could be bought in an ordinary jewelry store.

Gui'er thought to herself, "Even if Wu Mingqiang is now the deputy captain of the security team, there's no way he can afford such expensive jewelry. It must have been obtained through some illicit means. If I accept it, I'll get into trouble. Besides, my friendship with Wu Mingqiang isn't deep enough for me to accept such a valuable gift."

Thinking of this, she smiled and said, "Brother Wu, I appreciate your kindness, but this jewelry is too valuable. I can't accept it."

Wu Mingqiang was about to say something when the waiter placed an exquisite cream cake on the table. It was decorated with delicate icing. Gui'er quickly said, "Wow, what a beautiful cake! Can I have some? Thank you."

Wu Mingqiang seemed very happy to see that Gui'er liked the cake so much, and hurriedly helped her cut the cake.

Gui'er suddenly remembered that Wu Mingqiang was Ji Yiru's former servant. Could his coming here this time be related to Ji Yiru?

So while eating the cake, he asked, "Brother Wu, are you here on a mission, or are you just here to have fun during your vacation?"

Wu Mingqiang hesitated for a moment, glanced around, and then said with a smile, "Actually, it's okay to tell you, young lady. I'm here to escort some confiscated silver and gold bars."

Gui'er didn't react for a moment: "Whose money did you confiscate?"

"Of course, the casinos and opium dens."

Now Gui'er understood and reacted. No wonder the security team was so dangerous and Wu Mingqiang also asked to do it. The main reason was that there was a lot of money to be made. The gold and silver treasures confiscated were probably not only handed over to the Marshal's Mansion, but also taken away by his subordinates. The valuable brooch just now was most likely obtained during the confiscated goods. No wonder Wu Mingqiang was wearing such a nice outfit. But Gui'er didn't want to expose him. With her understanding of Sha Yanxiao, Sha Yanxiao could not have been unaware of the routine. If Wu Mingqiang was not punished, it must be because he turned a blind eye.

Since Wu Mingqiang wouldn't help Ji Yiru, she felt relieved.

"Miss, you seem to have grown taller, but you don't look very well. Are you too tired from studying?" Wu Mingqiang suddenly asked with concern.

"No, because I was just discharged from the hospital a few days ago. It's embarrassing to say, but my sister-in-law, your former master, poisoned me again. This time it was a close call. I was almost poisoned to death by her. Fortunately, it was discovered early. However, I also stayed in the hospital for several days." Gui'er said with a smile while observing Wu Mingqiang's expression. Wu Mingqiang, as Ji Yiru's servant at the time, should have known about her previous poisoning. Gui'er wanted to see Wu Mingqiang's opinion on this matter.

Wu Mingqiang was shocked when he heard this. He said angrily, "This vicious woman actually poisoned you again?" Then he carefully observed Gui'er's face and asked, "Are you okay now? Have you fully recovered?"

Seeing his indignation, and knowing that Wu Mingqiang had indeed been severely beaten by Ji Yiru before, Gui Er was certain that he was on her side. She smiled and said, "I'm fine now. It's just that my body needs to slowly recover from the damage."

Wu Mingqiang asked Gui'er, "Miss, that vicious woman has been driven out by the Young Marshal, right? I think it wouldn't be too much to kill her. She has more than one life on her hands. Anyway, the Ji family has fallen now, and no one will stand up for her."

His question hit the mark exactly what Gui'er wanted. She immediately said with a wry smile, "Alas, you are the only one who acknowledges me as your young lady. Originally, brother Yanxiao had confined her in the small courtyard, but mother released her to maintain the reputation of the Marshal's Mansion. Now she still lives in our courtyard. Second brother couldn't persuade mother, and I don't know how long I can live." She smiled miserably.

Wu Mingqiang clenched his fists and said, "How can this be possible? It's too dangerous."

Gui'er said, "Because my sister-in-law has already admitted her fault to mother, and mother has forgiven him, unless my sister-in-law does something extremely detrimental to the Marshal's Mansion, otherwise this matter will be over."

Wu Mingqiang frowned upon hearing this, but suddenly his eyes lit up and he said, "I know she's having an affair with Mr. Jin, the troupe's boss. It's true. Although I haven't gone out with her, the guys who did have come back and boasted to us about it, saying that the vicious woman and Mr. Jin took advantage of the others listening to the opera to go backstage and commit adultery."

Gui'er asked, "Do you have any evidence for this? Hearsay alone is not reliable."

Wu Mingqiang was a little frustrated after hearing this and said, "I was just temporarily thrown into the family as a servant to make up the numbers. I wasn't the young lady's close servant in Shanghai before, so she wouldn't trust me. I can only listen to other people's opinions on many things."

Gui'er sighed lightly. She had originally thought of asking Wu Mingqiang to testify that Ji Yiru had cheated on her, but it seemed that this was not possible.

She smiled and said, "It's okay. I'm just more careful on weekdays. But you've been at my sister-in-law's house for so long. Even if you're not close to her, you should have heard some things about her family or him. If I can use it to control her and make her dare not attack me easily, then I'll be relatively safe."

Wu Mingqiang scratched his head, lost in thought for a moment, then frowned and said, "I once heard one of her personal maids say that Ji Yiru is a barren woman, and she's in her 20s and still hasn't had her period. Does that count? But wealthy families usually have three wives and four concubines. If one wife can't have children, naturally another can. It's not a big deal, right?"

When Gui'er heard this, she was overjoyed, but she still pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Forget it, let's not think about these bad things, let's eat cake."