Hong Kong 1980: Me and the Queen Swapped Clothes

Qingqing is a singer in the bar. She is still young, only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, but people passing by call her Sister Qing, and she accepts it.

Even though the bald man was older than her, the reason he called her Sister Qing was simple: the boss was interested in her, and what else could he call her but Sister Qing?

Qingqing is not a singer exclusive to a bar. She also has her own working hours. She doesn't work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She works on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays depending on her mood. On Sundays, she takes care of her voice, which is actually a day of sleeping.

She entered the nightclub industry at the age of thirteen. At first, she wanted to be a prostitute, but was rejected because of her ugly face. Later, she had a good voice and was picked up by a teacher. After a period of time, her face matured a bit, and the teacher wanted to lay a hand on her, so she ran away. The reason was simple: she was upset that the teacher didn't pay her.

Those who work in this line of work must be sharper-minded than they are visually, and keep their pockets clean to avoid any trouble.

If you can't afford to give money or emotional support, you'll only end up being played and destroyed.

This is what Qingqing's mother told her before she died.

She didn't know where she was from, only that her mother was from mainland China.

After he died, Qingqing was left all alone in Hong Kong to find food.

After half a day of this, it was Qingqing's turn to take the stage.

The bar was about 70% full, as usual, because more people would be coming in later. She opened her mouth and started singing.

They sing of parting, of love and hate, of passion and vengeance.

Singing about the sorrows of the audience, singing about the grief of the wounded, naturally some men and women cried out next to the bar, calling out names and asking why he left me? Why doesn't she love me?

Qingqing paused for a moment as she called out, her beautiful eyes sweeping over the boss who had always been fond of her.

He's been openly pursuing her for almost half a month now, and at this point, he should logically step in to support her and show his authority.

However, the boss was in a bad mood today, so when her gaze swept over him, he glared at her and said, "What are you looking at? Keep singing! Did I hire you to freeload?"

Qingqing continued singing.

The lyrics flow smoothly without pauses, and the emotions are rich and uninterrupted.

So the listeners pressed play, their sorrows mirroring the music, and everyone was immersed in the singer's voice, with only a few people's eyes not lingering on Qingqing.

Fang Yanmei is one of them.

She found the wine in her glass quite bitter.

"Why does the wine taste so bad today? Ugh!" Fang Yanmei spat.

She felt disgusted.

In particular, with her ever-sharp eyes, she noticed the boss's hand quietly landing on Qingqing's back and then slowly sliding down.

Qingqing's stiff back and her icy gaze... when I looked at her a second time...

Qingqing stood up and slapped the boss across the face.

"You little brat? You've got some nerve!" A burly thug immediately rushed over, grabbed Qingqing's hand, and was about to have the boss hit her back.

If nothing unexpected happens, Qingqing is going to get beaten up.

Fang Yanmei did not make a move.

She watched this scene coldly.

Even if you run to call the police, whether they can be called is one thing, whether they are willing to help and how far they can help is another.

Since we're out here trying to make a living, we might encounter this kind of thing every day, today or tomorrow.

If we can help Qingqing today, who will help her tomorrow?

Fang Yanmei thought about what Qin Weiming had said over the receiver and suddenly realized that his words weren't so unpleasant or harsh after all.

In particular, Qin Weiming asked her what she would do when she was in her twenties, when others were still in their prime, but the prime of a singer had already passed. Would she find a man to support her, be abandoned, and then live a miserable life with a sum of child support, hoping that her children would follow the same path?

Although Qin Weiming's words weren't as vicious, his attitude was so insightful that Fang Yanmei was speechless and then furious.

She couldn't answer.

She felt that life didn't have to be like this.

But she couldn't see where her future path lay, and she wasn't sure if the direction Qin Weiming pointed out was correct.

Therefore, they resist.

"Go ahead and hit me, you can kill me all you want, I don't want to live anymore anyway." Qingqing was exhausted, but she kept cursing until the very last second, until she passed out and was thrown out.

Fang Yanmei chased the others away. Qingqing looked even uglier after being beaten. She looked like a mud dog that had fallen into the water, dirty and smelly. Even the men who passed by avoided her with disgust.

"I'm asking you, are you still alive?" Fang Yanmei couldn't help but ask, looking at Qingqing's appearance.

Qingqing gave her a cold glare: "Nonsense."

"It's good that you're not dead. Then you can continue living." Fang Yanmei looked at Qingqing's disheveled appearance as if she were looking at herself. She suddenly felt a weight lifted from her heart and her whole body became relaxed.

She made a decision.

He turned and left.

Qingqing hadn't expected this woman to be so strange; she had taken the initiative to come and talk to her.

After she answered, the other person simply turned and left, without the slightest hesitation. She couldn't help but call out to them, "Hey, wait a minute!"

"What's wrong?" Fang Yanmei turned to ask the other person, her eyes full of confusion.

She had no intention of doing good deeds everywhere like Qin Weiming.

In reality, Fang Yanmei was only willing to help her friends.

This was also the experience Fang Yanmei had gained over the years in the underworld, which is why she was very wary when looking at Qingqing.

However, Qingqing hesitated for a moment and then said, "Could you take me home? My home is far away, and I can't walk back by myself. If I wait until tomorrow, I'll get sick, and I can't afford to see a doctor."

……

If it weren't for the last five words, Fang Yanmei would have walked away immediately.

However, Qingqing's last five words softened Fang Yanmei's heart. She hesitated for a moment, but still agreed: "I need to call my friend first and ask her to come over."

"Oh." Qingqing became as quiet and obedient as a quail at this moment.

Gone was the sharp edge she'd shown when facing those men in the bar. She looked curiously at the girl who was even colder than her. The girl's expression was indifferent and icy, but when she asked for help, the girl agreed without hesitation.

What a strange person.

Qingqing thought to herself, but then breathed a sigh of relief. When she was covered in injuries, women were always more reliable than men.

"Brother Kui, I'm on this street, is it convenient for you to come over? I know someone who's injured, and I want to take her home." Fang Yanmei gave the sign and street name, then said to Qingqing, "Wait here for half an hour, I'll get a friend to help take you home, I can't carry you by myself."

"Okay." Qingqing believed her. Fang Yanmei looked much thinner than her. With someone helping her, she didn't dare to complain and just waited there before quickly falling asleep.