Smuggling from Guangdong Province to Hong Kong shouldn’t have taken long.
If she hadn’t been caught, freedom and prosperity awaited on the other side of the sea. Xia Ziyu hid in the stinking fishing boat, vomiting herself senseless, all her money stolen, but at least the boat delivered her to Hong Kong – she didn’t realize that asking Ke Yixiong for help, though she lost heavily financially, had saved her life!
If Xia Ziyu had gone alone, a young woman carrying so much cash, she likely wouldn’t have survived if robbers had taken her money, knocked her unconscious, and thrown her into the sea.
Even worse, after stealing her money, they might have sold her into prostitution.
Among the many illegal immigrants each year, even men traveling alone couldn’t guarantee survival in Hong Kong without fellow villagers’ companionship. For a young woman like Xia Ziyu, who neither had the courage to “storm the border” nor the strength to swim across, traveling by fishing boat meant placing her fate in the captain’s character.
Unfortunately, the boat carrying Xia Ziyu was run by people of poor character.
Xia Ziyu was thoroughly searched, too weak to resist. When she finally reached shore, she couldn’t even get up from the ground.
Finally, someone stopped beside her:
“Xia Ziyu?”
After calling twice with no response, they thought they had the wrong person.
As they turned to leave, Xia Ziyu desperately grabbed their pants leg:
“…It’s me.”
After speaking, she passed out.
Nobody in Hong Kong knew her; obviously, the person meeting her was Du Zhaohui’s man.
The Du family was wealthy in Hong Kong, and Xia Ziyu had expected to wake up in Du Zhaohui’s hillside villa. When she opened her eyes, the room was dimly lit, with someone standing motionless by the bed, nearly frightening her to death:
“Where is this? Are you Master Du’s person?”
In the dim light, the cramped room was only a few square meters, with yellowed and blackened walls peeling everywhere.
This wasn’t Du Zhaohui’s villa. Xia Ziyu wrapped her clothes tightly around herself, warily examining the other person.
The person standing by her bed wanted to vomit, not wanting to touch this woman who reeked of sour stench.
“Where else could it be? This is Kowloon Walled City. Young Master said you’ll stay here temporarily. After some time, someone will contact you. If you need anything, ask Little Turtle next door. Don’t tell anyone in Kowloon Walled City that you know Young Master – it’s embarrassing!”
The person then ran off pinching their nose.
Xia Ziyu struggled to get up and chased after them.
It turned out it wasn’t night, but still daytime. Intersecting corridors, densely packed rooms, tangled electrical wires – her room had no windows, couldn’t see any natural light, requiring artificial lighting even during the day.
Xia Ziyu couldn’t believe this could be Hong Kong.
The person from earlier had long disappeared. Xia Ziyu could only desperately knock on the neighboring door. A man in his thirties opened it, embracing a disheveled woman.
Xia Ziyu’s voice trembled, “Is this Hong Kong?”
The man responded impatiently, “This is Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong. Be careful, don’t let those thugs drag you into their rooms. Don’t eat anything others give you, don’t drink their water. Women who approach you want to trick you into prostitution, men want to sell you into prostitution. If you have nothing to do, go back to your room and sleep. For food, go to Fang’s downstairs!”
The man wasn’t speaking Cantonese, his accent somewhat resembling Ji Bei Province’s dialect. Xia Ziyu could understand.
But the meaning of his words combined – she couldn’t comprehend.
Or rather, she refused to believe such a terrible place existed. She didn’t dare go downstairs to eat.
She hadn’t smuggled herself into Hong Kong to live like this.
The man was about to close the door impatiently, clearly wanting to continue what Xia Ziyu had interrupted. Xia Ziyu grabbed the doorframe, “Brother… I have no money for food…”
Almost all of Xia Ziyu’s money had been stolen. Since Du Zhaohui agreed to help her, surely he wouldn’t watch her starve?
She needed food, needed to bathe and change clothes, she couldn’t stay in such a horrifying place!
The man looked her over and turned back inside. The disheveled woman lit a cigarette, smiling at Xia Ziyu: “No money? Come work with sister!”
Xia Ziyu pressed her lips tightly together. The man’s words were all true – women who approached friendly were all trying to recruit her for prostitution – what kind of hellish place was this! Although she had been intimate with Wang Jianhua, she wouldn’t become a woman used by thousands!
The man returned to the door, stuffing some Hong Kong dollars and a five-inch knife into Xia Ziyu’s hands:
“Get lost, stop disturbing my business! If anyone tries to force you, stab them with the knife!”
Xia Ziyu’s hands trembled holding the knife.
She didn’t dare to stab anyone.
“…This is Kowloon Walled City, all worthless lives here. If you kill someone, they’re just dead, the police won’t even care!”
The door slammed shut.
Xia Ziyu stood frozen. In just this moment, malicious gazes had already fallen on her, those looking as if she wore no clothes.
Clutching the knife, Xia Ziyu scrambled back to her room, locked the door, and wedged the room’s only chair against it.
Why did she have to suffer like this?
A university student, girlfriend of a high-ranking cadre’s son, over a hundred thousand in cash – she had possessed it all, then lost everything overnight!
Who had caused her such misery?
Xia Xiaolan…
Xia Ziyu repeated this name softly.
Without this hatred, she would have completely broken down!
They said Hong Kong was paradise. Without seeing it herself, Xia Ziyu would never have believed Hong Kong had such impoverished places, where people who risked death to smuggle in lived such lives.
Xia Xiaolan was the chief culprit!
Du Zhaohui was no good either, throwing her in such a place was humiliation and torture!
…
“Young Master, the person has been delivered to Hong Kong.”
Ah Hua couldn’t understand why Du Zhaohui wanted to help Xia Ziyu – wouldn’t turning her in has been a good favor? Of course, he was a bodyguard, and Du Zhaohui his employer; Ah Hua wouldn’t question the Young Master’s methods.
“Let her stay in Kowloon Walled City for a while, until she learns to behave.”
Kowloon Walled City was a city within Hong Kong, a hot potato the British government didn’t want to handle and the Hong Kong government couldn’t manage.
Prostitution, gambling, opium dens, drug holes.
Xia Ziyu’s escape proved the “intelligence agency” behind her was nonexistent. Du Zhaohui was very curious – without an intelligence agency, how did Xia Ziyu know about the Soviet leadership change?
Could she have some damned predictive ability?
Du Zhaohui disliked being manipulated. Xia Ziyu might still be useful to him, but he needed an obedient dog, not an ambitious woman trying to scheme against even him.
After some time in Kowloon Walled City, she would become completely docile. Given any choice, no one would want to live in Kowloon Walled City.
Seeing Ah Hua still standing there, Du Zhaohui raised an eyebrow:
“Anything else?”
Ah Hua hesitated, “Young Master, Xia Dajun has returned, bringing three boys.”
Du Zhaohui’s regard for Xia Dajun had changed from initial high esteem to now feeling physical disgust at even hearing his name. He waved his hand, not wanting to hear news about Xia Dajun:
“Ask the doctor about his rehabilitation. If he can walk, arrange a position for him in the company.”