Memoirs of a Courtesan Read online

  Now I was glad for his interest in me. I was also getting an idea.

  The Chinese say, ‘If you want to shoot the person, first shoot his horse; if you want to capture the bandits, first capture their chief.’

  What if I seduced Jinying – the boss behind the boss – and set father and son against each other? Of course it might end up that Lung would kill his son, but that sort of possibility was why I had been trained to have no feelings. If it ended up the other way around, then my mission would be successfully completed even without my having to get my hands dirty.

  I looked admiringly at the young master’s angelic face. To lie under the owner of this face would be a much better deal than being fucked by his monkey-faced, split-browed old man.

  I tried to hide my smirk by downing more tea, but I burned my tongue and choked myself.

  The angel dropped from heaven asked, ‘You all right, Camilla?’

  ‘Couldn’t be better.’ I smiled, still choking.

  Two days after Jinying’s visit, I got an invitation from the Eternal Luck Temple to participate in a celebration, but of what, it did not specify. Then Mr Zhu, Master Lung’s right-hand man, called.

  ‘Miss Camilla, be prepared to accompany Master Lung to the Eternal Luck Temple.’

  ‘Mr Zhu, may I know what is the purpose of this event?’

  ‘To celebrate the opening of the temple’s new wing. Gao will pick you up next Saturday at one in the afternoon. Dress your best, and be ready on time. We cannot miss the most auspicious moment meticulously calculated by the temple’s feng shui master. You got it?’

  ‘Of course, Mr Zhu.’

  ‘Good,’ he huffed, then hung up.

  For the temple event, instead of a cheongsam, this time I picked a white silk Western dress embroidered with pink camellias and light green leaves. The hem was slightly below my knees, revealing just enough of my high-heeled, hundred-dollar-silk-stockinged legs. A red camellia, pinned above my ear, echoed my matching pink high heels and purse.

  To bring out the green, I put on a jade necklace and a matching bracelet. To set off the jade, my huge diamond ring was perched regally on my middle finger, demanding attention.

  Whenever I was invited to an important occasion, jade and diamonds were always my favourite choices. Jade’s cool nature conveys a reserved, Oriental sophistication, like a woman’s silent declaration: ‘I am beautiful but coy, so please don’t stare.’ On the other hand, a diamond is fiery and Occidental, like a tall, voluptuous woman strutting confidently and exclaiming, ‘Come, see how sexy I am!’

  However, today my most exciting feature was neither the jade nor the diamond but my dress’s heart-shaped neckline cut-out, revealing my undulating two half-moons. I knew I succeeded in creating an intriguing presence. But disturbingly, as I felt happy looking at the beautiful face that stared back at me from the mirror, now, for the first time, I wanted to avoid looking deeper at what was within.

  Gao arrived to pick me up in a black Cadillac. As we drove to the temple, I caught his eyes wandering off the road to look into the rear-view mirror at me or, to be specific, my bulging half-moons.

  Finally he blurted out, ‘Miss Camilla, you look gorgeous today.’

  I smiled sweetly. ‘Thank you, Gao. Glad you like my outfit.’

  ‘I don’t mean only your outfit.’

  I could say, ‘Of course I know what you meant,’ but I was not going to chide him by telling him to keep his eyes on the road instead of on me. I didn’t want to completely discourage his interest. One never knew; someday I might find him of use on my path to defeating Lung.

  So I said, ‘Thank you, Gao, whatever else you mean.’

  I studied the bodyguard’s face in the mirror and found myself liking it. He took his job seriously and was good at it. He was also a martial artist and Thai boxing expert, and I had heard that on a bet he had shot right into the red heart of an ace from forty steps away. I knew him to be alert, careful and, unlike Zhu, gentle and courteous.

  But Gao had his weakness: his huge crush on me.

  I realised that because I often noticed his gaze travelling downwards from my face to my chest, waist and legs. Didn’t he realise that even a split second of his distraction could cost his and his boss’s lives? But of course he was a man, and he couldn’t help it. That’s why there are skeleton women. We use men’s lust to turn them into skeletons.

  With Mr Zhu, the situation was entirely different. He was impatient, ferocious and even more bossy to me than his boss was. However, this was, in fact, a good thing. Because the less attention I received from this ruthless man, the better, lest he see through my pretense and detect my true intentions.

  A few minutes later, the car pulled to a stop in front of the Eternal Luck Temple and awoke me from my reveries. Gao opened the car door for me, and my ears were instantly filled with the buzzing conversations of the important-looking guests. He helped me out and led me into the temple’s front yard. I enjoyed the envious glances of the women, beautiful and otherwise, as I was escorted by the handsome, muscular man ready to serve my minutest need.

  Monkey Face was waiting for me, surrounded by his usual entourage. As Gao brought me over to the gangster head, he gave me a licentious once-over, looking happy and proud. ‘Camilla, you sure are easy on the eyes. And your fragrance is intoxicating!’

  The abbot and his entourage of Daoist monks hurried to greet us. Soon Lung and Zhu were the centre of attention, not only for the monks but also for a circle of obsequious businessmen and politicians.

  I got a drink and walked around. Recognising me as the Heavenly Songbird, some guests nodded in my direction; others cupped their mouths and whispered to their partners. My attention was drawn to a tall woman dressed in a man’s white suit, a golden tie and a white fedora. She easily could have been mistaken for a man were it not for her exaggerated make-up. Her stark white powder, bright red rouge and scarlet lipstick formed the background for long, artificial lashes fluttering in front of golden eye shadow. A weird, even haunting combination. Flanking her was a small group of tall, strikingly beautiful girls in matching pink dresses.

  Of course this time I recognised this cross-dressed woman as the famous, or notorious, gossip columnist Rainbow Chang, with her enigmatic clique of pink-clad followers. Were they her confidantes? Bodyguards? Lovers? Anybody could be anyone in Shanghai. Watching her poise and the ease with which she worked her way through the crowd, I could only hope that she would not be yet another obstacle on my path. Dealing with a Shadow, a gangster and his son was already more than enough for a nineteen-year-old songstress-spy.

  When she was in front of me, the columnist reached out her hand. ‘It’s such a pleasure to meet you here again, Miss Camilla. I am Rainbow Chang, remember? We met at Bright Moon.’

  On the surface, I stayed calm. ‘Yes, of course. What a lucky encounter!’ I said, feeling her fleshy palm tightly squeezing mine. ‘I’ve been a fan of your column.’

  ‘Really? The most famous Heavenly Songbird, my fan? I’m flattered.’

  Underneath our polite words, we were scrutinising each other like two unneutered cats under the full moon.

  She gave me a meaningful once-over. ‘Wah. Look at you, Camilla. May I call you Camilla?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘No other singer in Shanghai has your kind of presence.’

  Of course she was referring to my expensive clothes and even more expensive jewellery, and on top of that, my much-envied position beside Shanghai’s number one gangster head.

  I decided to play modest. ‘I owe it to the help of your column.’

  ‘Hmm … is that true? You’re not offended by my writing? You know, sometimes I can be pretty straightforward.’

  Now I’d play the flatterer. ‘If you had never mentioned me in your column, I would not be so famous today.’

  Her expression turned mischievously delightful. ‘Then maybe we should be friends, or at least business partners?’

  What did that me
an?

  ‘You know, Camilla, we could build a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship.’

  Oh, heavens. This was exactly what I didn’t need: one more complication! I knew I had better tread this path with utmost caution. While Lung could kill with a knife or gun, this Rainbow could do the same with her pen, without even having to waste a bullet!

  I asked, feeling a little nervous, ‘But how?’

  She looked at me deeply, as if I were her lover. ‘I’ll tell you if you let me take you to dinner. I’m sure we’ll enjoy each other’s company. What about next week?’

  I sighed inside. I was sure many people wanted to meet this famous gossip columnist and her pink entourage, but I couldn’t wait to get rid of her.

  ‘Thank you for the invitation. I would love to have dinner with you. But I hope you will be free some other time?’ I gestured to Lung’s back in the distance. ‘Right now my schedule won’t even afford me the luxury to breathe—’

  Before I finished my sentence, I felt a large hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Gao’s concerned face. He leaned down to whisper into my ear. ‘Miss Camilla, the ceremony is to begin in fifteen minutes. Master Lung’s good friend the police chief has arrived, and Master Lung would like to introduce you.’

  I turned to smile at Rainbow Chang. ‘Sorry, Miss Chang, but I have to excuse myself.’

  ‘No problem.’ She winked. ‘Go ahead. Lairi fangchang.’ Time is aplenty in the future.

  I stared at her retreating back and felt a chill. Would she prove yet another rival in my life?

  With this new worry, I let Gao steer me back to Lung, who was now standing beside a stout, uniformed man. Gao stepped back to join another bodyguard, both men watching us closely.

  Master Lung turned to grab my waist. ‘Please meet my beautiful Camilla.’

  Although I’d never met the police chief in person, I’d seen pictures of him in the newspapers. I also heard rumours about his proclivities, most infamous being that once, when he and Lung were drunk, they threw their respective ex-mistresses to Lung’s pet tigers, whom they kept starving for just such occasions.

  Chief Li cast me a licentious glance and shook my hand hard, as if he were tormenting a helpless kitten.

  ‘Miss Camilla, I have heard your name for a long time, but you are much more beautiful in person than in your pictures.’

  I returned him a demure smile. ‘Thank you for your praise, Chief Li. Likewise I’ve also heard your name like thunder in my ears.’

  Together we walked into the newly built wing. A crimson signboard with four big gold characters, huakai fugui, ‘Flowers bloom and fortune looms,’ hung above the portal. Fortune really meant making money. Many Chinese believe that donating to temples will bring them good fortune, so perhaps the temple wanted to be sure they would not forget that. Monks, of course, have no desire for riches, but donations to their temple in the form of checks, jewellery, gold bars, antiques and land are always welcome.

  Inside, the hall decor resembled a Western casino, with red and gold as the main colours, for double luck. Male staff in black tuxedos and female staff in pink and green cheongsams flanked the entrance, nodding and exclaiming, ‘Welcome, our honourable guests!’

  We nodded and smiled back. Inside, scrolls of calligraphy adorned the walls, proclaiming auspicious sentiments: ‘Invite money; welcome treasures;’ ‘Gold bars fill the house;’ and ‘Money flows in like rushing water.’

  As I was wondering what these phrases were doing in a temple, my eyes spotted men throwing dice and playing mahjong in the distance. In one corner, a uniformed man was shaking a cylindrical tube and exclaiming, ‘Big! Big! Big!’ followed by another man’s louder, ‘Small! Small! Small!’ After that, the first man threw the contents of the tube onto the table as the customer yelled, ‘Big!’

  The uniformed man smiled cunningly at the anxious customer. ‘Sorry, sir, but it’s small.’

  After that, the pile of money immediately shifted from in front of the client to in front of the uniformed man.

  I realised that this was none other than a casino! But inside a temple?

  Then my eyes landed on red lanterns hanging low from the ceiling above the gaming tables. Could cameras be hidden inside to catch cheaters?

  ‘Master Lung, so this is a …’

  ‘Yes, my new gambling den.’

  ‘But in a temple?’

  He laughed, his belly trembling. ‘Ha-ha-ha! For the gods’ protection and blessings, what else?’

  Thinking about that, I realised that a temple was, in fact, a perfect place to operate a gambling den. If a gambler won, part of his winnings would be donated to the temple as a token of gratitude. If he lost, he’d also donate as a bribe to the money gods so that next time they would direct the propitious winds to blow in his direction.

  What other kind of business could be win-win like this? I smiled, toying with this ‘win-win’ idea. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could also put myself into a win-win situation – successfully completing my mission and escaping from both the Flying Dragons and the Red Demons?

  As soon as we finished touring this sacred casino, we were all ushered back outside to the courtyard, ready for the auspicious opening ceremony.

  8

  The Lion Dancers

  It was three minutes to two o’clock. Our mandatory early arrival had been to make sure the ceremony would start exactly at the time calculated by the fortune-tellers, not a minute early or a minute late. Otherwise the auspicious moment would be missed, possibly ruining Lung’s gambling business even before it started.

  According to these fortune-telling savants, the first moment of an event determines everything. Unfortunately mothers couldn’t choose the time of their babies’ birth; otherwise they’d all grow up to be kings and queens, dragons and phoenixes. Perhaps my parents hadn’t believed in fate calculation, and that was why I’d ended up having this horrible life. But I hoped someday to undo my inauspicious beginning. After all, as the ancient Yijing tells us, ‘Everything changes.’

  Lung, Zhu, Chief Li, me and a few other honourable guests were led to stand at the front of the newly opened temple wing. Two girls placed red ribbons with a wreath at each end into our hands. Photographers and reporters streamed in, snapping pictures and taking notes. I spotted Rainbow Chang furiously scribbling in her notebook. Scattered around were Gao and his team of bodyguards, all dressed in black, eyes continuously scanning the crowd.

  ‘Eyes never leave people, gun never leaves hand,’ is the bodyguards’ motto. But it seemed that Gao was not paying close attention to this principle. For his eyes tended to come back to linger on me a tad longer than they should have. An opening for mishap. But that was his problem, not mine.

  I continued to look at the crowd and realised that Lung’s son, Jinying, was not there for the occasion.

  I turned to my patron. ‘Master Lung, how come your son’s not here? Didn’t you invite him?’

  Lung made a face. ‘Of course I did. But he said he doesn’t believe in gambling. Must have learned that at HarFud.’

  I knew I was not supposed to further inquire, so I changed the subject. ‘Hmm … then what about Shadow? I don’t see her either.’

  ‘Ha! What a thought, Camilla. I know you two are becoming like sisters. But you think any gambling house would invite a magician so she can trick all the money into her pockets and disappear?’ He playfully patted my cheek. ‘Huh?’

  ‘Of course you’re right, Master Lung.’

  Just then the abbot, an emaciated, ancient figure, lifted a hand to signal the arrival of the auspicious moment – two o’clock sharp. We cut the ribbon as onlookers applauded, shutters snapped and firecrackers popped, followed by the beating of drums, blasting of trumpets and clanging of cymbals – all to scare away evil spirits and welcome the gods to protect the business.

  When the noise subsided, we were all invited to sit on a row of chairs under the temple roof and offered fragrant tea. We started to sip as a red-maned y
ellow ‘lion’ pushed aside the excited crowd and danced towards us, followed by renewed beating, banging and clanging. Seemingly encouraged, the three-man team covered by the lion costume pranced around, leaping up, then kowtowing to all the guests, particularly Master Lung. We all laughed and applauded at their blinking, long-lashed eyes and trembling, flowing manes.

  Next, each of the two men in front mounted the shoulders of the one behind him. Then the ‘lion’ reared up to be ready to ‘grasp the green’ – snatch the lettuce hanging from the roof for everyone’s good luck. I was excited to watch the ‘lion,’ or the three men, perform all kinds of kung fu gymnastics – fists thrusting, legs kicking, making imaginary offerings to heaven and earth, kowtowing in the four auspicious directions. Finally, after all the contorting, the top man made a vigorous sweep of his kung fu hand and snatched the green vegetable hung high from the temple’s roof.

  I peeked at Lung. He looked extremely happy, even relaxed, a rare moment for him. Of course with all these bodyguards around him and the audience having been meticulously screened, what could possibly go wrong?

  But the dance wasn’t over. The two men on top jumped down, and the lion began to cavort again, playing with the vegetable, tearing it up, chewing it and scattering its pieces all over the ground.

  Lung, Mr Zhu, the abbot and Chief Li yelled, ‘Excellent! Money will flow in endlessly like the Huangpu River!’

  As I watched, the lion approached Lung and opened its mouth. Lung’s hand plunged into his pocket. My heart skipped a beat. Was Lung pulling a gun? But then I realised that it was time for the lion to receive its fat red lucky-money envelope.

  Just then a thunderous sound racked the air. All looked up and saw the smoke from huge strings of firecrackers exploding right above the gambling den. Red confetti showered down upon the crowd, another symbol of good luck.

  But from the corner of my eye I spotted the opposite.

  The man inside the lion’s-head mask, his face still hidden, took out a gun and fired at Master Lung. Because the firecrackers were still thundering out good luck, nobody noticed the assassination attempt except me.