A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 723: Reunion with the Female Manager of Daxinglong

Gui'er and Zhou Huifang walked hand in hand to the Café de Café Kaiser. The rich aroma of coffee filled the air, soft music played, and tables and chairs were arranged in an orderly manner. Customers were either chatting quietly or reading newspapers quietly, enjoying this leisurely moment.

The two found a seat by the window and sat down. Zhou Huifang excitedly flipped through the menu, muttering, "Guier, look, there really is chestnut cream cake here. I must try it today."

Guier smiled and nodded, her eyes inadvertently sweeping across the entire cafe. Suddenly, her eyes fixed on someone. It turned out to be the female owner of Daxinglong, who was busy behind the counter wearing the clothes of a dim sum chef.

Gui'er was startled. She subconsciously looked around and found a few people sitting in the corner with vigilant expressions. They looked like ordinary customers, but they were looking around the store from time to time. She suddenly remembered that she and Zhou Huifang had met Director Zhou's former subordinates in the store before. The expressions of those two people were very similar to these people. Could these people also be spies?

After Zhou Huifang finished ordering, she noticed Gui'er was distracted and asked in confusion, "Guier, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Guier came back to her senses and quickly said, "It's okay, I might be a little tired. I want to go to the bathroom."

Zhou Huifang said with concern: "Then go quickly and come back soon."

Guier stood up and walked towards the bathroom. When she passed the counter, she glanced at the female shopkeeper out of the corner of her eye. The other party just looked up and saw Guier, and she was also slightly startled.

After entering the restroom, Guier waited for a while to make sure no one followed her in, then quietly opened the door and observed the movements outside. Seeing the female shopkeeper carrying a tray towards the kitchen, Guier hurriedly followed.

In a corner of the kitchen, Gui'er found the female shopkeeper. She lowered her voice and asked anxiously, "Why are you here? There are spies outside!"

The female shopkeeper looked nervous and whispered, "That day, I escaped because an old customer insisted I make a delivery. Later, the organization contacted me and arranged for me to hide here temporarily. I didn't expect you to find me anyway."

Gui'er asked again, "Do you know if Gao Zinong is a traitor? He's now on the Military Commission."

The female shopkeeper shook her head helplessly and said, "I don't know either. After the incident, I cut off contact with everyone I had contact with. That day, besides Gao Zinong and I, another comrade escaped the disaster because he was temporarily out. We all have to undergo the organization's review before we can officially return to work. The organization must have been observing him and has strictly informed me not to meet with anyone I had contact with at the previous contact point. How did you get here?"

Gui'er quickly explained, "This shop is a favorite of mine and my classmates. I didn't know you were here. But I know Gao Zinong because his girlfriend and I were classmates. After I delivered the information to you last time, he suddenly came to me and revealed his identity, but I didn't reveal it for disciplinary reasons. He's now in the Military Commission and got a lucrative job right away. He's also been trying to curry favor with his superiors. I always find his behavior suspicious."

The female shopkeeper pondered for a moment and said, "The organization is also investigating his situation. Without solid evidence, no one can jump to conclusions. You must be careful not to expose yourself."

Gui'er nodded and said, "I understand. You have to be careful here too. Those spies are always watching us. So, what are you going to do next?"

The female shopkeeper said, "The organization will arrange for my transfer, but it will take some time. During this time, I will be as careful as possible and not reveal any flaws."

At this moment, footsteps were heard outside, and the two immediately became alert. The female shopkeeper whispered, "You should go back first, so as not to arouse suspicion."

Guier took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, walked out of the kitchen as if nothing had happened, and returned to her seat.

Zhou Huifang asked curiously, "Guier, you've been gone for so long, what happened?"

Guier smiled and said, "It's okay, I just felt a little uncomfortable, but I'm much better now."

After a while, the waiter brought the chestnut cream cake and coffee. Zhou Huifang happily picked up the spoon, scooped a spoonful of cake into her mouth, and praised, "Guier, try it, it's really delicious." Guier also took a bite, but found it tasteless. She kept thinking about the female shopkeeper and Gao Zinong.

In the café, Gui'er appeared to be chatting and laughing with Zhou Huifang, but her heart remained tense. She was worried about the safety of the female shopkeeper and the potential danger Gao Zinong's situation would pose to the organization. She knew that in this complex and dangerous environment, she had to remain calm and not reveal any flaws.

Finally, the two finished their dessert and left the cafe.

After returning to the Sha Mansion, Gui'er greeted her mistress as usual, then returned to her room. She sat by the window, gazing at the gradually darkening sky outside, her mind racing. She knew she couldn't just sit there and wait for death; she had to find a way to help the organization and uncover Gao Zinong's true identity.

Over the next few days, Gui'er kept an eye on Sha Yanyao's movements in the Sha Mansion while pondering how to investigate Gao Zinong. She tried to extract more information about Gao Zinong from Zhou Huifang, but Zhou Huifang knew little about Gao Zinong's work and simply praised his ability and promised him a bright future.

One day, Gui'er ran into Xu Wenjie at school. During break, the two of them met in a corner of the playground. Gui'er told Xu Wenjie about her encounter with the cafe's female owner. Xu Wenjie, looking gravely, said, "It seems the situation is more complicated than we imagined. The organization is still investigating Gao Zinong's case. You must be extra careful during this period, avoid contact with him, and don't let Zhou Huifang notice anything unusual."

Guier nodded and said, "I understand. But seeing how Zhou Huifang believed him, I'm worried she'd be implicated."

Xu Wenjie said, "For now, we can only observe secretly. We must not reveal our identities unless it is absolutely necessary. You should find an opportunity to indirectly remind Zhou Huifang not to let love get to her head."

In the days that followed, Gui'er carefully followed Xu Wenjie's instructions. When she was with Zhou Huifang, she would intentionally or unintentionally say something about the unpredictable nature of human nature, hoping that Zhou Huifang would be alert. However, Zhou Huifang said that Gao Zilong had always been very kind to her and often visited the Zhou family to greet his parents. The whole family was very satisfied with him.

Gui'er couldn't go into too much detail, so she just let it go.