"Uh—go have your fun if you want, but don't forget we've got business to take care of!" Shawn Young quickly reminded the overly excited George 'Oxhead' Gu.
"Heh heh—relax, I know how to handle things. I won't mess up our business. Besides, this is the only way for us to blend into the Japanese-run venues!" George 'Oxhead' Gu said.
"Oh? How so?" Shawn Young asked curiously.
"It's simple—the Yamaguchi Syndicate runs Japanese-style nightclubs as one of their main businesses in Hong Kong. Their unique services have shaken up the local competition, so all the clubs and nightspots constantly come up with tricks to attract customers. The Japanese are really good at this! But they're also sharp. If we want to slip into their venues without drawing attention, we have to act like we're just out to have fun!" George 'Oxhead' Gu said with a grin.
"Oh—I get it now!" Shawn Young finally understood. What George 'Oxhead' Gu said made sense. If they wanted to find the info they needed in a Japanese-run venue without tipping anyone off, this was definitely the way to go.
"Haha, and Shawn, I bet you didn't know—this is a society that laughs at poverty but not at sex! Hong Kong's adult entertainment industry is booming. There's no official red-light district, but the 'flesh trade' is loud and proud in places like Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, Temple Street, and Portland Street. Especially Portland Street between Mong Kok and Prince Edward—it's a headache for the police! It's even wilder than Singapore's red-light zone. Tons of women from mainland China and all over the world come here to strike it rich, including Japanese women. There weren't so many before, but after the big earthquake in Japan, their adult industry took a huge hit, so lots of Japanese hostesses came to Hong Kong through the Yamaguchi Syndicate! Even girls from Europe and America come to cash in. Haha—seriously, if you've got money, you could hook up with women from all over the world in Hong Kong! Heh heh—" George 'Oxhead' Gu explained.
"Oh—so Hong Kong really is all about the money! But honestly, things aren't much different in the mainland now," Shawn Young said, feeling a bit sentimental.
"Haha—like they say in the mainland—this is the 'decadent capitalist society' everyone dreams about! Heh heh—" George 'Oxhead' Gu cackled.
The two chatted as they walked, and soon arrived at Mong Kok. Mong Kok—it's the heart of Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong, said to have the highest population density in the world, and probably one of the highest crime rates, too. Mong Kok used to be called 'Mang Kok,' which probably means something like 'grass head amaranth,' but later it was renamed to 'Mong Kok' for prosperity. The 'Ladies' Market' here is definitely thriving.
George 'Oxhead' Gu drove along the bustling streets, and soon turned into Yau Ma Tei. Up ahead stood a gray, European-style building, only three or four stories tall. He pointed at it and said, "See, that's the most famous spot in Yau Ma Tei—the Yau Ma Tei Police Station. Just south is Jordan Road, and right here is Temple Street, as famous as Portland Street!"
Shawn Young looked out the window. It was just after nightfall, but Temple Street didn't look much different from any other street, and there weren't that many tourists. What caught his eye were all the mahjong parlors and cha chaan tengs lining the street. He didn't see the dizzying, provocative neon signs like in the movies, which struck him as odd.
George 'Oxhead' Gu parked by the curb and led Shawn Young toward a cha chaan teng ahead. As they walked, he said, "Heh heh, I grew up here, so I've got a soft spot for this place. My first love lived here too!"
"Huh? Your first love! Is she... is she still around here?" Shawn Young thought Oxhead was bringing him to meet his first love.
"Heh—she's been dead for years. Today's her memorial day, so I always come by," George 'Oxhead' Gu said with a smile on his weathered face, but his voice was tinged with sadness.
"Uh—I see... Sorry about that," Shawn Young said, surprised to find this rough-looking guy had such a tender side.
"Haha—no need to feel bad, Shawn. The story with my first love is pretty different from most guys! But it's because of her that I learned what happiness as a man is, and what it means to bury sadness deep in your heart," George 'Oxhead' Gu said, his voice full of longing and melancholy.
"Oh—sounds like your first love was something special! She taught you a lot about life," Shawn Young sighed.
Heh—she was a prostitute!
"What!?" Shawn Young was shocked.
Heh—I knew you'd be surprised, but we're both men, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about. My sister and I grew up on Temple Street, in those tiny alleyway apartments. Back then, there were lots of street-level brothels—locals called them 'one-floor, one-phoenix' joints, where each ground-floor apartment was run by a single prostitute. The girls worked right next to regular families. Across from my building lived a woman from Chaoshan, not exactly pretty, but curvy and pale-skinned. Her name was May Chan, and she worked in one of those brothels. I never knew why she chose that life, but she liked to sleep naked at night, and her window faced mine, so the first naked woman I ever saw was her. That's how she became my first love! Of course, it was just a secret crush back then—
"Uh—" Shawn Young was speechless, but he understood Oxhead. After all, any normal teenage boy who regularly saw a real, live young woman naked would definitely have thoughts!
Haha—you know, I felt so lucky back then. I never figured out if May Chan did it on purpose or not, but she always let me see her body, and sometimes I even saw her with clients. It was wild, so she became my ultimate sexual fantasy. Every time I masturbated, I thought of her. That's why I matured faster than most boys! My only dream as a teen was to save up and actually visit May Chan—let her take care of me, and maybe help her out a little too.