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

Early in the morning, Liu Yue's scream woke up the whole house.

"Ahhh! The score is out! The score is out!"

Holding her phone, she rushed barefoot from the living room into Xiaohui's room, her pajamas straps slipping down halfway, revealing her fair shoulders.

Xiao Hui was rubbing his eyes and sitting up from under the covers when Liu Yue grabbed his neck and shoved her phone screen in his face.

"Look, look! How many points did I get on the test!"

Xiao Hui squinted at the screen, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Six hundred and twenty?" His voice trembled slightly. "You got six hundred and twenty?"

"If it wasn't me, then who is it! Hurry up and investigate your own records!"

Xiao Hui quickly opened his phone, his fingers trembling. He logged in, entered his information, and the page loaded for a few seconds.

Then he froze.

"I went up too," he said.

"How much?"

"Six hundred and fifty."

They both froze for two seconds, then Liu Yue screamed and jumped up, hanging on Xiao Hui. Xiao Hui hugged her and spun her around, and the two of them laughed and jumped.

In the kitchen, Sun Xiaoyan was chopping scallions. Hearing the noise, she quickly wiped her hands on her apron and came out.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Liu Meiling also came out of the restroom, a cigarette dangling from her lips. Seeing the scene, she laughed, "Looks like you did well on the exam?"

Liu Yue jumped down from Xiao Hui's lap, ran over, and grabbed Sun Xiaoyan's arm: "Sister Yan! I got 620! Xiao Hui got 650! We can both go to good universities!"

Sun Xiaoyan didn't quite understand how high the score was, but seeing Xiaohui's beaming face made her happy too.

For the first time, she leaned closer to look at the numbers on the phone screen. Although she didn't understand them, she still asked, "Is this score very high?"

Xiao Hui nodded, feeling a warmth in his heart when he saw the curiosity and expectation on Sun Xiaoyan's face as she leaned closer.

"High, very high," he said.

Sun Xiaoyan smiled, a faint smile, but it was indeed a smile.

Liu Meiling leaned against the door frame and exhaled a puff of smoke. Seeing Sun Xiaoyan's smile, she felt a little better.

Liu Yue started acting cute again, clinging to Xiao Hui's arm and swaying back and forth: "Xiao Hui, Xiao Hui, let's go on a trip! I've already decided, we'll go to the beach! To the south! To see the sea!"

Xiao Hui was so shaken by her that he almost lost his balance: "Okay, okay, I'll go, I'll go."

Liu Meiling flicked her cigarette ash and glanced at Sun Xiaoyan.

Xiaoyan has been in better spirits lately, but I always feel like she's carrying some burden on her mind. Going out for a walk might help her clear her head.

"Okay," Liu Meiling said, "then the four of us will go together."

Sun Xiaoyan paused for a moment, then said, "You guys can go, I'll stay home..."

"What do you mean by being at home or not?" Liu Meiling pulled out her phone directly. "I'll call Sister Li Yan right now to ask for leave."

The call was connected very quickly.

"Hey, Sister Yan, I need to tell you something. I'm taking Xiaoyan on a trip for a few days. I'll leave Xiaoqin in charge of the shop for now."

Li Yan's voice was very cheerful: "Sure, go ahead, have fun. I'll talk to Xiao Qin about it."

"Thank you, Sister Yan."

"Don't mention it. You two have finally managed to get away, have fun."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Meiling looked at Sun Xiaoyan and said, "Look, I've already asked for leave. Go ahead."

Before Sun Xiaoyan could say anything more, Liu Yue rushed over and grabbed her arm, pleading, "Sister Yan, come along! Come along! It'll be so much more fun with four people!"

Unable to resist her nagging, Sun Xiaoyan could only nod: "Okay, okay, let's go together."

That evening, the four of them began packing their luggage.

Liu Yue was the most excited, pulling out several dresses to compare and asking Xiao Hui if they looked good.

Xiao Hui leaned against her door and said it looked good. Liu Yue then pulled out another one and asked him about it. Xiao Hui said it looked good again. Liu Yue pouted and said, "Are you just trying to fool me?"

Liu Meiling was squatting on the living room floor organizing her backpack when she heard noises from the next room. She smiled and said, "It's good to be young."

Sun Xiaoyan was also squatting down next to her, folding clothes. She didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.

The four of them set off early the next morning.

When she boarded the airport bus, Sun Xiaoyan was a little nervous and kept holding onto the handrail.

As the bus drove onto the highway, the houses outside the window grew smaller and smaller, and she suddenly realized that this was the first time in her life she had ever been on an airplane.

Liu Meiling is the same.

The two were sitting by the window on the plane. At the moment of takeoff, the roar of the engine was so loud that it hurt their ears. Sun Xiaoyan gripped the armrest tightly, her face pale.

"It's not as safe as riding in a car," she whispered.

Liu Meiling also gripped the handrail, her eyes fixed on the sea of ​​clouds outside the window: "Damn, it's really high."

But there was a look of wonder in their eyes, like children seeing something new for the first time.

Xiao Hui sat on the other side of the aisle, and Liu Yue fell asleep with her head on his shoulder, drooling.

When the plane landed, a wave of heat hit us.

Sun Xiaoyan stepped out of the cabin. The sunlight was dazzling, and there was a smell of seawater in the air.

She took a deep breath and felt as if the weight on her chest had lightened a little.

Xiao Hui had already called a car, and the four of them got in and drove towards the hotel by the sea.

The scenery outside the window is becoming more and more different.

Palm trees, blue signs, people in floral shirts—bright colors everywhere.

Sun Xiaoyan peered out the car window without blinking.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Xiao Hui went to the front desk to check in, while Liu Yue bounced around beside him.

The room was on the twelfth floor. The moment Sun Xiaoyan opened the door, she was stunned.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a vast expanse of blue sea stretched all the way to the horizon.

The sunlight shone on the sea, making it sparkle like a layer of scattered silver.

Sun Xiaoyan stood by the window, her feet seemingly nailed to the ground, unable to move.

My eyes feel a little hot.

She felt a stinging sensation in her nose and quickly sniffed.

Liu Meiling walked up from behind and put her arm around her shoulder.

"Are you stunned?"

Sun Xiaoyan did not speak.

Liu Meiling also looked at the sea, her voice a little softer: "When we have money in the future, we'll come back."

Sun Xiaoyan nodded, her eyes still hot, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.

After putting her luggage away, Liu Yue started clamoring to go out for seafood.

The four of them took the elevator downstairs, walked through the hotel lobby, and after about ten minutes, they arrived at a street full of food stalls by the sea.

The aroma of cooking wafted over me: the scent of grilled squid, the smell of stir-fried seafood, and the owner's loud calls of "Come on in, come on in, come on in!"

Xiao Hui found a clean-looking food stall, and the four of them sat down. The owner handed them the menu.

Liu Yue eagerly ordered, "This shrimp, this crab, this scallop, this clam, this...this...one of everything!"

Xiao Hui asked, "Are you sure you can finish all this food?"

Liu Yue said, "If we can't finish it, we'll pack it up. We've finally come out, so we should eat our fill."

When the dishes were served, the table was overflowing. The shrimp and crabs were piled up like small mountains, bright red and steaming hot. The minced garlic on the scallops was still sizzling.

Sun Xiaoyan picked up a shrimp and slowly peeled and ate it.

She ate slowly, but a smile remained on her lips.

Liu Yue ate with the most gusto, her mouth and hands covered in oil, while Xiao Hui handed her tissues.

Liu Meiling took a sip of beer, looked at the shrimp and crab in front of her, and then at the people sitting opposite her. Suddenly, she felt that this kind of life wasn't so bad.

After finishing their seafood meal, Liu Yue took everyone to browse the night market stalls.

There were several swimsuit stalls by the roadside, with rows of brightly colored swimsuits hanging up. Liu Yue spotted them immediately and pulled Xiao Hui over.

"I want to buy a swimsuit! I'm going to the beach tomorrow!"

Liu Meiling and Sun Xiaoyan followed.