The Quagmire of Desire: From Gambling Addict and Village Flower to Movie Queen

The little girl's eyes were timid, as if she was afraid of being rejected.

"How much is a bottle?" Sun Xiaoyan asked.

"Two pieces," the little girl said.

Sun Xiaoyan took out her phone, ready to scan the QR code: "Give me the payment QR code."

The little girl shook her head: "Auntie, I don't have a QR code for payment, I only need cash."

Sun Xiaoyan was wearing a cheongsam and didn't have a single yuan. She was a little embarrassed: "I don't have any change, forget it."

The little girl became anxious, her eyes instantly welling up with tears: "Sister, please, buy one bottle. My mom is sick and is lying in the rented room next door. She urgently needs money for medicine. She has a QR code for payment; you can come with me to her to pay."

As the little girl spoke, tears immediately streamed down her face.

Sun Xiaoyan's heart softened when she saw the tears. She remembered how poor she had been when she was a child.

Seeing Sun Xiaoyan hesitate, the little girl opened a bottle of mineral water and handed it to her: "Sister, have a sip first, it really hasn't been opened. Drink it and see if it's good water."

Sun Xiaoyan was stunned.

The little girl held the water to her lips: "Sister, please take a sip, trust me."

Looking at her thin face and her eyes that looked like they were about to cry, Sun Xiaoyan's heart softened, and she took the water bottle and took a sip.

The water was cool and sweet.

"Okay, sister, you've drunk it, so you've bought it. Come with me to pay, it's right next door, just a few steps away," the little girl said, her voice trembling with tears.

Sun Xiaoyan nodded: "Let's go, I'll go with you. I'll buy all the water you have."

The little girl's eyes lit up, and she quickly led the way, turning into a small alley next to the public toilet.

The alley was deep, with dilapidated rental houses on both sides, the paint peeling off the walls and newspapers pasted on the windows.

Sun Xiaoyan followed her for a few minutes, and a vague feeling of unease crept into her heart.

The alley grew narrower and quieter, with only the sound of the two people walking.

"Where do you live?" Sun Xiaoyan asked.

"It's just ahead, sister, we'll be there soon." The little girl turned around and smiled at her.

After walking a few dozen meters, the little girl stopped in front of a dilapidated door, pushed it open, and said, "Sister, my mom is inside. Come in and pay."

Sun Xiaoyan peeked inside and saw a woman lying on the bed in the dim light, covered by a blanket, with only her messy long hair showing.

"Sister, come in." The little girl pulled her hand and led her inside.

As soon as Sun Xiaoyan stepped across the threshold, she suddenly felt something was wrong.

Why is the woman lying on the bed so flat-chested?

Before she could react, she started to feel dizzy in the back of her head.

Sun Xiaoyan tried to shout, but no sound came out when she opened her mouth.

She felt as if all her bones had been removed, and she collapsed limply to the ground.

The little girl stood to the side, head down, not saying a word.

Sun Xiaoyan vaguely saw the woman on the bed sit up.

That wasn't a woman at all; it was clearly a burly man dressed in women's clothes! His face was full of scars, and he was sneering at her.

Sun Xiaoyan tried to struggle, but she had no strength in her hands and feet. Her vision became increasingly blurry until it went completely black.

Outside the examination hall, Liu Meiling waited for a long time with a cigarette in her mouth, but Sun Xiaoyan did not return.

"Damn it, did this woman fall into a pit?" she cursed, throwing her cigarette butt on the ground and crushing it out.

Liu Meiling walked over to the public restroom and called out "Xiaoyan" twice, but no one answered.

She peeked into the women's restroom and looked at each stall; they were all empty.

"That's strange." Liu Meiling took out her phone and made a call.

I dialed the number, and it rang several times, but no one answered.

She called again, but still no one answered.

"What's this woman up to?" Liu Meiling frowned, thinking that Sun Xiaoyan might have gone home early to cook.

With that thought, Liu Meiling stopped taking it seriously and sat by the flower bed to continue waiting.

As evening fell, the examination bell rang, and the candidates came out one after another.

When Xiaohui and Liu Yue came out, they both had smiles on their faces.

"How is it?" Liu Meiling asked.

"It's alright," Xiaohui said. "How about Sister Xiaoyan?"

"She's probably home cooking," Liu Meiling said. "Let's go home."

When the three of them got home, they opened the door to find the house empty, the stove cold, and not even a single vegetable leaf in sight.

Liu Meiling was stunned.

She took out her phone and called Sun Xiaoyan again.

beep - beep - beep -

Still no one answered.

She called Xiaoqin from a different number: "Hey, Xiaoqin, is Xiaoyan with you?"

On the other end of the phone, Xiaoqin said, "No, Sister Meiling, I've been at the store all day and haven't seen Sister Xiaoyan."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Meiling called Li Yan again: "Sister Yan, did Xiaoyan go to your place?"

"No, what's wrong?" Li Yan asked.

"It's nothing, I need to talk to her about something." Liu Meiling hung up the phone, her heart skipping a beat.

She suddenly remembered those bad things.

I remember the days when Guo Daqiang schemed against me in the village, the days when I was treated like livestock at the farm, and the feeling of being left helpless.

Her hands began to tremble.

"Sister Meiling, what's wrong with Sister Xiaoyan?" Xiaohui asked.

Liu Meiling forced a smile and tried to appear calm: "It's nothing, they probably went grocery shopping. You guys rest first, I'll cook for you."

She quickly stir-fried a few dishes, her mind elsewhere as she watched the pot.

Xiao Hui and Liu Yue sat at the table eating, while Liu Meiling didn't eat a single bite.

"Sister Meiling, aren't you going to eat?" Xiaohui asked.

"I'm on a diet," Liu Meiling said. "Oh, right, something happened at the card and mahjong parlor, I have to go take care of it. Xiaoyan has already gone there. You two should eat and get some rest, you have exams tomorrow."

Xiao Hui nodded: "Sis, then come back soon."

"Okay." Liu Meiling patted his shoulder, picked up her bag, and walked out.

As soon as she stepped outside, Liu Meiling's face fell.

She ran to Li Yan's mahjong parlor, not even bothering to knock, and rushed straight in.

Li Yan was doing accounts in her office when she saw Liu Meiling rush in, her face pale. She was stunned: "What's wrong?"

"Sister Yan, Xiaoyan is missing." Liu Meiling's voice was trembling.

"What do you mean?"

"I took Xiaohui to his exam with her today, and then she went to the restroom and never came back. I called her seven or eight times, but no one answered. She's not with Xiaoqin, and she's not with you either. Sister Yan, something must have happened to her."

Li Yan frowned: "Don't rush, tell me slowly. When did she disappear?"

"It was around 3 or 4 pm," Liu Meiling said. "I waited until the exam ended in the afternoon and made several phone calls, but no one answered, and that's when I realized something was wrong."

Li Yan was silent for a moment: "Did you call the police?"

"not yet."

"Don't rush to call the police. What if she comes back on her own?" Li Yan said. "Here's what we'll do: I'll have a few of my brothers go look around the neighborhood. Don't worry too much."

Liu Meiling bit her lip, her eyelids twitching violently.

She always felt like she was being watched, just like back in the village, being led into a trap step by step.

When Sun Xiaoyan woke up groggily, she found herself hanging in mid-air.

Her hands and feet were bound with ropes, and her naked body was suspended from the roof beam. The ropes dug into her flesh, causing a burning pain.

She looked down and saw that the red cheongsam was carelessly tossed in a corner, covered in dust.

With a rag stuffed in her mouth, she could only make muffled sounds.

What place is this?

Sun Xiaoyan shook her head frantically, her eyes gradually adjusting to the dim light.

This is a dilapidated mud house in a mountain village. The walls are made of mud, the windows are covered with yellowed paper, and the room is filled with a musty and smoky smell.

The sounds of a man cursing and a woman crying came from outside the door.

Sun Xiaoyan listened intently.

"You're a fucking good-for-nothing! You can't even do this simple task right!" a rough, hoarse male voice roared.

Then came the crisp sound of a slap.

The little girl's cries could be heard: "Dad, please stop hitting me, I was wrong..."

"Get out of my way! I'll deal with you later!"

Sun Xiaoyan felt cold all over.

She recognized the crying voice; it belonged to the little girl who sold water.

The door was pushed open, and a man walked in.

He was probably in his forties, with a fleshy face, cloudy eyes, wearing a dirty blue jacket, and clutching a whip in his hand.

Behind him followed a thin woman with bruises all over her face, who held a bowl of wine with her head bowed.

The man grinned when he saw that Sun Xiaoyan was awake.

He walked over, bent down, and looked Sun Xiaoyan's naked body up and down, his eyes like he was looking at a piece of meat.

"Awake?" He reached out and pinched the soft, white flesh of Sun Xiaoyan's buttocks. "Look how big your ass is, you look like you're good at bearing children. Wearing that slutty cheongsam, you're deliberately trying to seduce men, aren't you? I've been waiting specifically for trash like you!"

Sun Xiaoyan shook her head desperately, tears streaming down her face.

"What's your name?" The man sat in the chair opposite him, crossed his legs, and placed the whip on the table.

The woman went over to pour him a drink, her hands trembling.

The little girl knelt in the corner, a red handprint on her face, crying, "Sister, I'm sorry... My dad said if I didn't trick you into coming here, he would beat me and my mom to death..."

Sun Xiaoyan's tears flowed even more fiercely.

She looked at the little girl, then at the woman covered in wounds, and suddenly understood.

This place is the place that eats people.

"Hey, I'm asking you a question!" The man stood up, walked up to Sun Xiaoyan, grabbed her chin, and tore the rag out of her mouth.

"Help—help—" Sun Xiaoyan had only shouted twice when the man's hand came slapping her.

Snapped!

Sun Xiaoyan's left cheek was burning with pain.

"What are you shouting for? There's no one for miles around. You can shout until you're hoarse, it won't do you any good." The man sneered. "I'll give you a chance. If you behave and give me a son, I'll be nicer to you. If you don't agree, I'll keep beating you until you do."

Sun Xiaoyan shook her head vigorously: "I...I have a husband..."

"So what if you have a husband? Is your husband as good as me?" The man lifted his shirt, revealing a muscular physique. "I can fuck you three times in one night, can your husband do that?"

Sun Xiaoyan cried, "Please, please let me go..."

The man laughed, a ferocious laugh.

He walked to the corner, picked up the whip, and weighed it in his hand: "I'll ask you one last time, are you willing to have a son with me? If you are, nod."

Sun Xiaoyan shook her head frantically.

The man's expression changed instantly.

He raised the whip and lashed it hard across Sun Xiaoyan's buttocks.

Snapped!

A bloodstain instantly appeared on her fair skin.

Sun Xiaoyan screamed and her body swayed in the air.