Hong Kong 1980: Me and the Queen Swapped Clothes

Under the lush green camphor trees.

The sunlight streaming through the window slanted across the boy's face on the bed.

The sunlight stung his eyebrows, causing them to furrow slightly before they slowly relaxed.

Fang Yanmei opened her eyes and stared blankly at the clean and tidy room.

"It hurts." She released her grip on her hand.

This is not a dream.

What is this fragrant quilt that smells so good after being sun-dried?

I got out of bed, my feet touched the cool floor, and I smelled my pajamas; they had the unique, refreshing scent of soapberry.

There was a waist-high dressing mirror embedded in the wardrobe. I walked over.

The mirror reflected a fair-skinned and dashing young man with a neat buzz cut, which only accentuated his aloof and cold eyes. His originally handsome face became unapproachable because of those icy eyes.

Fang Yanmei's gaze paused, lingering for a moment on that handsome, youthful face; the other person was clearly two or three years younger than her.

Using the surrounding objects as a reference, I didn't notice any change in height, which means I'm about the same height as the original owner of this body.

However, Fang Yanmei couldn't explain what strange change had occurred in her body.

Even the most fashionable movie scripts can't tell the story of what happened to her.

This unfamiliar room didn't have many familiar furnishings, except for a guitar in the corner, which was dust-free and clearly well-maintained by its owner.

Fang Yanmei was still getting used to her body when a woman hurriedly pushed open the door: "Aming, why are you only waking up now? Quickly grab your schoolbag, it contains your schoolwork and a change of clothes. Go hide at Aunt Xia's house for a couple of days, don't let your dad know. That teacher from last time was Guoguang's. If you sing wrong again today, your dad will beat you to death."

Before Fang Yanmei could figure out what was going on, the woman grabbed her and shoved a huge schoolbag into her arms: "Remember to finish your schoolwork. Don't just play games all the time. Hurry up, what are you standing there for? Do you really want your dad to beat you so badly you can't get out of bed and then send you to the countryside to learn vocal music?"

The woman grabbed Fang Yanmei's hand and hurriedly walked out, scolding her incessantly: "Are you stupid? You insist on going against your father. Do you know how hard life is in the countryside? You can't even find a place to buy batteries for your Gambo game console."

Fang Yanmei felt the strength in her body, which was much greater than that of her original body. Originally, she could have easily resisted the woman's strength, but listening to the woman's incessant nagging and the undisguised concern in her voice, Fang Yanmei involuntarily followed her and moved forward.

Just as they rushed out the door, a man blocked their way. His eyes were wide open as he glared angrily at the woman: "You only know how to spoil Ah Ming like this! Look what you've made him into! Ah Hao has never embarrassed me. Sending him to the countryside for a few years will show you that I'm doing this for his own good."

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed Fang Yanmei, who was hiding behind the woman. Fang Yanmei was caught off guard and was grabbed by the collar and dragged away.

The woman rushed forward and hugged Fang Yanmei, crying and shouting, "You sent Ahao to the art troupe, and I only see him a few times a year! You even wanted to send Aming there too, but Aming isn't cut out for it. He can't even sing the 'Little Duck Bathing' song in tune!"

The man forcefully released her hand: "Then he should have gone to study even more! If he didn't do well in school, he could have gone to an arts school. But he even drove away the teacher I had asked someone to hire. Where do I put my face?!"

"All you care about is your reputation. With Ah Ming's face, he could make a living as an actor. It's not like he can only sing for a living."

The woman and the man were arguing fiercely, but she kept protecting Fang Yanmei with her hands, hiding her behind her back.

Fang Yanmei's heart, which was originally as cold as an ice lake, was gradually melted by the woman. Her own mother had never protected her or considered her like this before.

She felt a sense of kinship with the unfamiliar woman in front of her, and Fang Yanmei couldn't help but reach out and hold the woman's broad hand, hiding behind her.

"Mom, I want to sing it again." Fang Yanmei's voice stopped the couple's argument.

Qin Ma immediately said happily, "Ah Ming, do you really want to sing again? Sing it well this time."

Then she turned to the man and said, "Old Qin, are you out of your mind? Ah Ming said he's planning to sing well, can't you have a little patience with your son?"

Fang Yanmei stared blankly at Qin Ma. Before she could say anything, Qin Ma had already completely trusted her. This unreserved trust filled Fang Yanmei's heart with a bittersweet feeling. For the first time, she felt a mother's love, but it came from a stranger with no blood relation.

The man got even angrier and stepped forward to hit Fang Yanmei: "You think you can sing? Our whole family is in an arts troupe, how did we end up with a child who can't even sing nursery rhymes in tune? I should have beaten you to death back then!"

Qin's mother gritted her teeth and pushed him: "Qin Baoguo, let me tell you, don't speak so rudely. A-Ming already said he wants to sing it again, what's wrong with giving him another chance? If you keep getting impatient, I'll get angry with you!"

Fang Yanmei was stunned. She had never heard such a gentle anger before. Was this woman really her mother? It was like a beautiful dream. Looking at Qin's father in front of her, he glared at Fang Yanmei and said, "Go to the front hall. Let's see how long your mother can protect you. If you can't sing well, you can go to the countryside and practice your singing for two years before coming back. If you can't get into Guoguang, you can go join the army."

Fang Yanmei hesitated before being pulled away.

Aunt Qin quickly pulled Fang Yanmei towards the front hall, whispering to her, "Aming, when your dad asks you to sing something, just say you need time to memorize the lyrics. I'll have Xiao Li call Aunt Xia over. If you can run away, do so. Don't listen to your dad. Not being able to sing won't kill you. He's just senile..."

Fang Yanmei told Qin's mother that she could sing, but Qin's mother patted her hand with relief and said, "Mom knows that A-Ming is filial, but not everyone can sing this song. Your dad has too many requirements. He doesn't really understand what kind of breath control or vocal technique you need. He's hoping that you can get into Guoguang University. Is that something that ordinary people can get into? You're not good at studying, so he's hoping that you can get in through singing. If you ask me, it would be better to let you study film and television, but he doesn't agree. Sigh."

Fang Yanmei listened quietly, a thousand words welling up in her heart, yet she couldn't utter a single sound.

Neither Qin's mother nor Qin's father knew that their son was no longer Qin Weiming, but had become Fang Yanmei. For her, singing was as simple as breathing.

Fang Yanmei dropped out of school at the age of four to support her family. In the same year, she appeared on the Liyuan Grand Stage and made a name for herself in less than a month. From then on, she worked tirelessly without stopping.

While others were doing their homework, Fang Yanmei sang on stage to earn money to support her mother and brother's extravagant lifestyle.

While others were still in school at the age of twelve, Fang Yanmei had already sung a hundred love songs about heartbreak.

While others were seventeen, Fang Yanmei already had thirteen years of stage experience.

When they arrived at the front hall, everyone had already cleared a space for Fang Yanmei.