Chapter 00292: Michele
# Michele
Chapter 292
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 292: Michele
"Goodbye, Master!"
"Bye-bye!"
Qiu Shuzhen waved her small hand, carrying four portions of fish ball noodles, and turned to enter the building.
The Gundam started up again and continued on its way.
It was almost 11 p.m., but the streets were still bustling with people.
The lively areas remained lively, while the quieter spots faded into darkness.
Both the Chungking Mansions and the Great Wall Dormitory were in Tsim Sha Tsui, so they arrived shortly.
"Just stop up ahead!"
Zhong Chuhong directed Xiao Geng, and the car slowly pulled over.
She smiled and said, "Thank you, you’ve worked hard today!"
"No, no, not at all!"
Xiao Geng hadn’t expected her to thank him and quickly responded.
Back on the mainland, he’d never met a woman like her and found himself almost too shy to look at her directly.
Zhong Chuhong then turned to the other person.
"You’ve worked hard too!"
"How is sitting in a car hard work? It was on the way anyway."
"Your way of speaking is truly one of a kind—not exactly uplifting."
She shook her head, already somewhat accustomed to Chen Qi’s sarcastic and biting remarks.
She opened the door, stepped out, and hitched up her skirt as she hurried toward Chungking Mansions with quick, light steps.
The tight dress clung even more to her figure, accentuating her voluptuous curves and delectable silhouette.
Zhong Chuhong had a larger head and a slightly bigger frame, but her proportions were excellent.
Paired with her striking features, she exuded a unique blend of Eastern and Western sensuality.
"..."
Even Xiao Geng couldn’t help stealing a couple of glances.
No matter how firm his principles were, some instincts were hard to suppress.
Then, he suddenly heard a deliberate cough from behind him.
His face flushed, and he immediately averted his gaze.
"Let’s go back!"
Chen Qi’s tone was teasing.
What, did you think the boss’s wife was Zhao Wei? That a mere driver like you could take advantage?
The Gundam started up again, but just as it had moved a few meters, a sudden scream pierced the air: "Ah—help—!"
From the sound of it, it was Zhong Chuhong’s voice.
"Go check it out!"
Xiao Mo and Xiao Geng dashed out in an instant.
Chen Qi also got out of the car and arrived at the black signboard of Chungking Mansions.
On either side were storefronts, and above them rose the white layers of the building.
Beneath the signboard was a long, narrow entrance leading to an extended passageway.
They hadn’t gone far when they spotted Zhong Chuhong.
Chen Qi had assumed something had happened to her, but upon closer inspection, she was standing perfectly fine.
Instead, three women—seemingly a mother and her two daughters—were sitting on the ground in distress.
Xiao Mo and Xiao Geng each had an Indian man pinned down.
"What happened?"
"I saw them bullying people, and I wanted to help but was afraid I couldn’t take them… Wow, your bodyguards are amazing!"
Ah, so this was a case of righteous intervention upon righteous intervention.
Chen Qi understood now.
He stepped forward and saw that the mother and her two daughters had already gotten up.
The mother appeared to be in her forties, the elder daughter was plain-looking, and the younger one was about eleven or twelve, dressed in a white shirt and jeans.
Her features were sharply defined, giving off a distinctly Western vibe.
"Sir, thank you so much!"
"Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what to do… Miss, thank you too!"
The mother repeatedly expressed her gratitude.
Chen Qi asked, "How do you want to handle this situation? Do you want to report it to the police?"
The mother spoke a few more sentences, but her words came too quickly to understand.
After Zhong Chuhong communicated with her, she explained, "They want to report it to the police and are asking if you can stay as a witness."
"I’ll pass. It’s not convenient for me…"
Chen Qi glanced at Xiao Mo, who volunteered, "I’ll stay. It really isn’t suitable for you."
"Then I’ll take my leave."
Without another word, he turned to go.
Zhong Chuhong called after him a few times before stomping her foot in frustration.
"Hey, what’s his deal?"
"Mr. Chen holds a public position. It’s not appropriate for him to interact with the Hong Kong police, let alone go to a station. I can handle this," Xiao Mo explained.
Meanwhile, the two Indian men, seeing Xiao Geng leave, thought they had a chance to turn the tables.
They struggled violently, only to be swiftly kicked back down.
Xiao Mo planted his foot on one man’s head and cursed,
"Stay the hell down! I can’t stand you Indian bastards. When my dad was fighting in South Tibet, why didn’t he wipe all of you out? Damn it!"
Zzzzt!
Zhong Chuhong shuddered.
Xiao Mo had always seemed unassuming, but now he was revealing a terrifyingly ruthless side.
This impression only deepened when the police arrived, and Xiao Mo simply flashed a mysterious document before swaggering off without further trouble.
"So this is… the mainland?"
Her thoughts drifted back to Chen Qi.
She had never had a clear understanding of his identity, but now, she was starting to piece it together.
As for the mother and her two daughters…
After the ordeal, they finally returned home.
They lived in an old tenement building near Chungking Mansions, a structure that had stood for forty years.
The elevator was the old-fashioned kind with a pull-gate, and the building was in such disrepair that makeshift patches of tin and wood barely held it together, giving it a shabby appearance.
"That was too close. Thank goodness someone helped us!"
Once inside, the mother couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of what could have happened.
Indian criminals were unpredictable—they’d even harass exhaust pipes, make fireflies too scared to glow, and reportedly assault lizards…
"Mom, you really shouldn’t work at Chungking Mansions anymore. It’s too dangerous!"
"But the pay is better there!"
"Safety comes first, okay?"
The younger daughter came over and took her mother’s hand.
"If something happened to you, what would Sister and I do? Only when you’re safe can we be at ease. This family needs you whole!"
"Alright, alright. I won’t go to Chungking Mansions anymore. I’ll find somewhere else."
The mother thought it over and agreed.
She had once lived comfortably, but two years ago, her Portuguese husband abandoned her and their daughters.
Since then, she had been forced to fend for herself, moving into this leaky tin-roofed public housing unit while still trying to put her children through school.
It had been grueling.
Fortunately, both daughters were incredibly understanding, which gave her some solace.
"Michele, time for bed!"
"Coming!"
Late at night, the house was quiet as she called for her younger daughter to sleep.
The girl responded obediently and curled up in her small bed.
The child was twelve this year and didn’t yet have a Chinese name—just "Michele," since she was of Portuguese descent and could go by her foreign name alone.
(Image: )
Michele lay there, replaying the night’s events in her mind.
As a child, the fright lingered stronger, as if she’d lived through a wuxia tale—first the villains, then the beautiful older sister, followed by mysterious rescuers, and that strikingly handsome young man.
"Ah, I wonder what he does for a living?"
…………
The next day.
The first-ever Hong Kong Film Awards made headlines.
With so few categories, there wasn’t much to report.
Most media outlets focused on the red carpet, splashing their pages with photos of celebrities awkwardly dressed in casual wear.
Each was accompanied by scathing commentary, with a special "Worst Dressed Award" list.
The winner, naturally, was Huang Xia.
A photo of him bumping into Sammo Hung’s back and getting bounced off went viral under the caption: "Sammo Hung’s 'Fat Dragon Crosses the River' Body-Slams Shrimp on the Red Carpet!"
Such was the nature of Hong Kong media.
Only a handful of serious cultural publications analyzed the significance of the awards and their shortcomings, but readers had little interest in such dry material.
Ultimately, the event lacked star power.
Michael Hui didn’t attend.
Jackie Chan didn’t show up.
Sammo Hung wasn’t an idol.
Chow Yun-fat was still just a TV actor.
There was no one to truly anchor the ceremony.
As for Chen Qi’s speech, only left-leaning newspapers covered it.
"Expanding overseas?"
"Hmph!"
At the General Association, Tong Yuejuan was keeping close tabs.
She snorted coldly.
"So they want to break into Europe and America, thinking they can just ditch the Taiwan market and slip from our grasp? Dream on! The West isn’t someplace Asians can just waltz into and conquer!"
She saw through Chen Qi’s implied ambitions but didn’t believe he had what it took to crack the American market.
"President, should we issue a warning to 'City Entertainment'?"
"That trashy magazine isn’t worth the effort. Besides, with officials personally presenting awards, who knows what stance the Hong Kong government is taking? If this were the Golden Horse Awards, we could twist arms freely. But since it’s a local Hong Kong event, we can’t overreach—it might backfire."
Tong Yuejuan loved money, but she wasn’t stupid.
The General Association kept Hong Kong filmmakers in line by controlling access to the Taiwan market.
But "City Entertainment" didn’t rely on Taiwan—they couldn’t care less.
If the Hong Kong government was backing them, acting rashly would be unwise.
(End of Chapter)