Hong Kong 1980: Me and the Queen Swapped Clothes

"Sit anywhere, I don't have time to tidy up the house, these are the only places to sit." Qingqing limped down, found some medicinal wine, and skillfully applied it to her body.

However, there was no way to treat the parts of her back that couldn't be seen. Just as Qingqing hesitated, Fang Yanmei took the medicinal wine from her hand: "Let me do it, Brother Kui, turn around."

"Oh." Cheng Kui'an had no objection and turned around without saying a word.

Fang Yanmei pulled open the back of Qingqing's clothes: "You don't mind, do you?"

"There's nothing to mind. With my appearance, who would be interested in me?" Qingqing gave a wry smile, clearly not taking the matter to heart.

"Besides, you two just saved me, and I haven't thanked you yet. But as you can see, I really don't have much money. If I had the performance fee for tonight, I could have given you a red envelope. Unfortunately, all I got was a beating before being thrown out." Qingqing's smile was warm, and you couldn't tell that she was covered in bruises. However, Fang Yanmei looked at the bruises all over her back and couldn't help but be a little lenient. If you looked closely, Qingqing's appearance wasn't actually that ugly. It was just that she wasn't good at dressing up and looked a bit old, which made her appear like that.

"I think you shouldn't underestimate yourself. Besides, if all else fails, you can find a legitimate business to do outside," Fang Yanmei said after thinking for a moment.

Qingqing shook her head: "It's too late. I'm already twenty-four. What kind of work can I do outside? Even if I work at a convenience store, people complain that I'm not quick enough and don't know how to attract customers."

"Why didn't you ever think about changing your career when you were young?" Fang Yanmei felt that she had a lot to say.

Qingqing glanced at her: "I started singing when I was fourteen. Back then, I never imagined that everything would be different after I turned twenty. No one guided me. What do you do for a living?"

Without hesitation, Fang Yanmei replied, "I'm a singer, just like you."

Qingqing was stunned. After a few seconds of silence, she finally spoke: "You're still young. Try a different industry. You've seen what happens in this industry. It's common to be beaten like a dog. I can still afford to rent a room, but if this continues, I won't even be able to afford to rent a place here soon."

"I've changed industries," Fang Yanmei quickly interrupted Qingqing.

For some reason, Fang Yanmei didn't want Qingqing to pity her.

Qingqing was stunned again. She looked at Fang Yanmei, and finally a hint of envy appeared in her eyes: "Your friends found it for you, right? That's great. You seem to have better luck than me."

"...Okay." Fang Yanmei didn't say anything more.

After silently serving Qingqing the medicinal wine, she left first, remaining silent the entire way.

Cheng Kui'an walked beside her, looking at Fang Yanmei with some surprise: "Amei, what's wrong? You've been unhappy ever since we came out. Do you think we didn't teach you a lesson enough?"

"No, Brother Kui, do you think it's really impossible to make a living as a singer?" Fang Yanmei asked, somewhat frustrated.

She had come out tonight full of ambition, wanting to check out the local market, but after seeing Qingqing's example, she only felt a chill.

Such treatment and such things could very well happen to me after I turn twenty.

Qingqing may have been popular at one time, but now that she's older and her career is declining, she's been abandoned by everyone.

Cheng Kui'an scratched his head and chuckled, "Others might not make it, but you definitely can, Ah Mei. Besides, aren't you planning to go into the film industry now? You've already connected with Jackie Chan and his gang. I heard you're taking acting classes every day now, so you definitely don't have to go back to your old ways. I used to work in nightclubs, working as a bouncer, but I ended up spending four years in jail, and after that, no legitimate industry would hire me."

"So what did you do after that?" Fang Yanmei had heard that Cheng Kui'an used to work in nightclubs, but she didn't expect him to end up in jail.

Cheng Kui'an pointed in the direction of Shaw Brothers: "Thanks to my master who took me in back then, I was able to find a job and walk the right path."

"The right path," Fang Yanmei said thoughtfully.

She had considered taking the right path before, but she only realized how difficult it was after actually trying it. Besides, singing was a skill she had already tried, experienced pain, and learned to master.

Cheng Kui'an nodded in agreement: "Yeah, Amei, you're so smart, you got to know Brother Long and the others so quickly, isn't it all for the sake of making movies? Filming is harder than working in nightclubs, but at least we're not afraid of hardship, what we're afraid of is not being able to make a name for ourselves."

"Hmm." Fang Yanmei looked at Cheng Kui'an. Even this big, simple-minded guy could think about making something of himself. Was she really not as ambitious as him?

Seeing Fang Yanmei's expression, Cheng Kui'an laughed: "Amei, you're doing just fine as you are now. Just do what you want. I feel like you're walking more steadily than I am now. At least I don't have as many things waiting for me. Sigh, at least this way I still have time to take care of my mother."

"Brother Kui, you're bound to become famous. With your looks and height, it would be an injustice if you didn't." Fang Yanmei quickly comforted Cheng Kui'an. Cheng Kui'an rushed over as soon as she made a phone call. She remembered this kindness and looked forward to repaying him in the future.

Although Cheng Kui'an came for the favors owed to him during Qin Weiming's tenure, in Fang Yanmei's mind, these things were separate matters. He owed Qin Weiming a favor, not to her, Fang Yanmei.

"Is Amin asleep?" After returning home, Fang Yanmei had an inexplicable urge to call Qin Weiming, but she was afraid that he was already asleep.

It was already one or two in the morning, so Fang Yanmei forced herself to sleep. She planned to call Qin Weiming early the next morning.

No matter what, she has so much to say to Qin Weiming right now.

"Feed." Fang Yanmei called early in the morning.

Someone answered immediately; it was Qin Weiming's voice: "Why are you calling so early in the morning?"

"You answered in a second, didn't you? Did you expect me to call, so you kept your phone on?" Fang Yanmei asked in surprise, but then she heard no sound from Qin Weiming's end. She knew she had guessed right.

For a moment, Fang Yanmei's feelings were hard to describe. She had never expected that Qin Weiming, this young man, would do such a thing.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you yesterday. I've been too tired from classes lately, and I haven't achieved much. I messed up on set and embarrassed you and Brother Long." Before Qin Weiming could speak, Fang Yanmei apologized first.

However, her apology lacked sincerity, which made Qin Weiming almost laugh: "You still know that you only came to me to vent your anger because you lost face. Well, that's good. At least you're not too stupid."