A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1093 Zhou Hong's Attitude

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hong's expression changed. She turned and looked around before saying, "What nonsense are you spouting here?"

Gui'er was stunned. She couldn't understand why Zhou Hong would react this way. Logically speaking, Zhou Hong was also her comrade.

Seeing Gui'er's reaction, Zhou Hong realized she had lost her composure. Her expression softened slightly, she coughed lightly, and said with a smile in a low voice, "I just found out about this myself. It's very regrettable, but life goes on."

Just then, Editor-in-Chief Zhao from the newspaper saw Gui'er approaching. He greeted her with a smile, "Miss Sha, what brings you here?"

Gui'er quickly smiled and said, "Hello, Editor-in-Chief Zhao. I was just strolling around here when I realized it had been a long time since I'd visited our newspaper office, so I came up to see everyone. How have you all been lately?"

"You've put your heart into it, but the newspaper's business is in dire straits right now. After the military exercises, the Japanese put pressure on the British, and the Hong Kong government's news control has become even stricter. There are many news stories that can't be written, and even if they are, they can only be mentioned briefly, with just a few words and a lot of whitewashing. It's really boring, and readers don't like to read it."

Gui'er didn't expect that the military exercise would have such an impact after it ended. She chimed in, "Many people are saying that the Japanese will attack sooner or later. A lot of people in our neighborhood have moved away. There was a wealthy merchant who ran away without taking his concubine with him. Now that the military exercise is over, he wants to move back, but the concubine doesn't want to take him back. She specifically told the servants not to clean the master's room. We all laughed so hard when we heard that."

Upon hearing this, Editor-in-Chief Zhao suddenly had an idea and said, "This news is good. It's relevant to current events and has a story-like quality. Hey, go back and write a report about it. This kind of thing can pass the review and everyone likes to read it. Not bad, not bad, not bad, not bad."

Gui'er was surprised that her casual remark had landed her another job, so she happily said, "Great! I'll discuss the details with Deputy Editor-in-Chief Zhou. Would you do me the honor of coming down to the coffee shop to sit down and we can discuss the details? I also have other stories that you might want to write together if they're suitable."

Zhou Hong's expression was a little awkward, but she still smiled and said, "Okay. Let's go down now."

After sitting down at the coffee shop downstairs, Gui'er diligently ordered two coffees. Zhou Hong said impatiently, "You're not here for a part-time job, are you? Is there something you need?"

"Old Chen, what do you think about this?" Gui'er was a little unsure of his attitude, so she probed first.

“You…” Zhou Hong looked around nervously and said, “He’s already dead. I’m very sorry that he’s dead, after all, we were colleagues. But what can I do?”

“Brother Chen once told me that he recruited you as one of his downlines…” Gui’er tried to get straight to the point.

As expected, Zhou Hong's expression immediately changed, her pupils contracted, and her hand holding the coffee cup trembled.

"You...you?" She was flustered for a moment, looked at Gui'er for a while, and then suddenly realized: "You too?"

"No, he said I was too young and wouldn't let me participate in specific tasks. However, when there was a need to raise money, he told me, and I helped him raise it twice." Gui'er told him honestly since Zhou Hong had already admitted her identity.

"Oh, I see." Zhou Hong visibly breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed completely.

"You're already struggling to make ends meet, and you're still looking for part-time jobs everywhere, yet you're still trying to raise money for him. Oh, by the way, your family owns a pawnshop. Well done, I didn't realize you were such a proactive girl," she said with a smile.

Gui'er breathed a sigh of relief: "Now that Brother Chen is dead, it's just us left. What should we do about the follow-up work?"

“How would I know? I had a one-on-one contact with him. He asked me to use my position as deputy editor-in-chief to keep an eye on the latest news released by the Hong Kong British government and to find out useful information. I agreed because he had been kind to me and took good care of me when I first joined the newspaper. Now that he is dead, I don’t know what to do. Moreover, his death is suspicious. I wonder if he was silenced.”

Gui'er picked up her coffee and took a sip. She had originally wanted to discuss with Zhou Hong what they could do next and how to contact the organization, but Zhou Hong's aloof attitude made Gui'er feel disheartened.

"Are you Deputy Editor-in-Chief Zhou?" someone suddenly asked as they approached.

The two were startled. Gui'er turned her head and saw a middle-aged man in his late forties or early fifties. He had a receding hairline and was somewhat overweight. He was wearing a worn-out homespun long gown and looked somewhat familiar.

“I am him, and this gentleman is…?” Zhou Hong asked cautiously.

"My surname is Zhu, and my given name is Zhu Zhiming. My other name is Chen Zhiming."

Zhou Hong and Gui'er were both completely bewildered: "What is this...?"

"It happened so suddenly. I saw your name, Comrade Zhou, in Comrade Xiao Liang's handbook. Although Miss Sha's name wasn't on the list, I know you are also a very generous patriot for the revolutionary cause. I was planning to visit you separately, but I didn't expect you to gather together on your own. It's perfect. It seems we all share the same thoughts."

Gui'er paused for a moment, then immediately grasped two key points. First, Zhou Hong was definitely on Chen Zhongyu's list; Liang Ping had come to inform her, telling her to go into hiding or retreat, but she chose to stay in Hong Kong. Second, Zhu Zhiming was definitely on the list as well.

“I seem to remember seeing Mr. Zhu somewhere before. Oh right, you appeared as his uncle when Deputy Editor-in-Chief Chen and Miss Lin got engaged,” Zhou Hong suddenly said.

When she mentioned it, Gui'er remembered that no wonder the man looked so familiar. At the engagement banquet, he was wearing a designer suit, a watch, and gold-rimmed glasses, looking like a wealthy gentleman.

“Miss Zhou has a good memory. Ah, no, I should call you comrade. Now that Team Leader Chen has sacrificed himself and the organization has not sent anyone else over yet, I think we, as comrades who are left behind, should unite and maintain the daily operation of the Hong Kong liaison point until the higher authorities send someone to take over.”

"What can I do? Although Deputy Editor-in-Chief Chen asked me to keep an eye out before, all I did was tell him about recent events. There's really nothing I can do," Zhou Hong said calmly.

"This..." Zhu Zhiming was speechless for a moment.

"By the way, Gui'er, you came to see me for this reason, didn't you? Let me tell you, I really don't have anything to do," Zhou Hong said.

"Deputy Editor-in-Chief Zhou, you're too kind. I'm just discussing this with you because Brother Chen is someone we both know. I mainly want to find some part-time work to help supplement my family's income. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. I'll bring the report to you once it's finished." Gui'er already knew Zhou Hong's attitude, so she quickly distanced herself. Actually, working with such an indecisive person is extremely dangerous. Who knows if she might be driven by self-interest and betray you?