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

After the four finished their meal and returned to their hotel room, Xiao Hui lay down on the bed, took out his phone, scrolled through it a few times, and casually asked, "Why did it take so long?"

Liu Yue was taking off her coat by the bed when she heard this and paused for a moment. She mumbled, "I told you the photographer taught me how to pose and take detailed pictures."

Xiao Hui didn't look up, just said "oh," and turned over to continue scrolling through his phone.

Liu Yue breathed a sigh of relief, lay down on the other side of the bed, and turned off the light.

In the darkness, she stared at the ceiling with her eyes open, her mind filled with the feeling of the photographer's hands roaming over her body, and the words "Your boyfriend wouldn't" echoing in her ears.

She turned over, biting her lip, feeling a mix of guilt and excitement, the feeling still lingering within her.

She glanced at Xiaohui's back, feeling a little uneasy, but couldn't utter a single word.

The next morning, Meiling and Xiaoyan were having breakfast at the restaurant when Liu Yue came over with a tray and sat down.

Meiling immediately noticed the dark circles under her eyes and exchanged a glance with Xiaoyan.

Meiling picked up a piece of food and asked with a smile, "Did Liu Yue sleep well last night?"

Liu Yue blushed, quickly lowered her head to eat, and mumbled, "It's fine."

"That's good." Meiling didn't ask any further questions.

Liu Yue changed the subject: "We have nothing to do this morning, where should we go?"

Xiao Hui sat down with his bowl of porridge: "Let's go for a walk on the beach, it's cool in the morning."

Liu Yue agreed, her voice a little unsteady, without even looking at Xiao Hui.

After the four of them finished breakfast, they walked along the beach.

The sun was shining brightly, and the sea breeze felt pleasant, but Liu Yue, unusually, didn't cling to Xiao Hui today.

She walked behind, head down, looking at her phone, her fingers swiping across the screen.

Meiling walked ahead, glancing at her screen out of the corner of her eye, and saw the profile picture above the WeChat chat box—it was the male photographer's profile picture.

Meiling didn't say anything, but nudged Xiaoyan with her elbow.

Xiaoyan glanced back, understanding immediately, and quickened her pace to catch up with Xiaohui, deliberately saying, "Is Liu Yue feeling unwell today? Why isn't she saying anything?"

Xiao Hui glanced back, but didn't think much of it: "I guess I didn't sleep well last night."

"Oh." Xiaoyan didn't ask any more questions.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yue's fingers trembled, and she quickly locked her phone.

The message on the screen was still lit up; it was the photographer's last message: "Your poses last night were very photogenic. I'll teach you more next time."

She deleted the message, her heart pounding.

The sun shone on the beach, and the waves surged in one after another. Meiling and Xiaoyan walked in front, Xiaohui followed slowly, and Liu Yue was at the very back, clutching her phone tightly, her palms sweaty.

Xiao Hui took a few steps, then realized something was wrong. He looked back and saw that Liu Yue had fallen behind, so he turned back and took her hand: "What's wrong? If you're not feeling well, let's go back to the hotel."

Liu Yue shook her head: "It's okay, let's go."

Xiao Hui didn't delve into it further and continued walking forward while holding her hand.

The four of them spent the morning wandering around the beach, and then went to have lunch.

Liu Yue was still not very talkative, but she answered whatever Xiao Hui asked. On the surface, there was no obvious flaw in her behavior, but Mei Ling and Xiao Yan both noticed it.

Around 6 p.m., Lin Dong came in person to invite them, smiling as he said that the resort had specially prepared a celebration banquet and invited them to attend.

"The photos you took of GG are posted inside and outside the store, and the tourists all say they're great, saying the resort had good taste in hiring people this time." As Lin Dong spoke, his eyes kept glancing at Mei Ling. "Thanks to you guys, the rooms are fully booked these past few days."

Meiling smiled and said, "That's because President Lin chooses the people."

Lin Dong laughed and gestured for them to proceed.

The four of them followed him to the resort's banquet hall.

Upon entering, I saw seven or eight people inside, all of whom were the male photographers who had been in charge of the shoot last time.

As soon as Liu Yue entered the room, she saw the photographer. Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively shrank closer to Xiao Hui.

The photographer raised his glass, smiled, and nodded in her direction.

Liu Yue quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

Meiling was quite generous, taking the initiative to sit down, picking up her wine glass and clinking it against Lin Dong's: "President Lin, we must have a good drink tonight."

"Of course." Lin Dong smiled and sat down next to her, placing his hand on the back of her chair and leaning closer. "Sister Meiling looks especially beautiful today."

Meiling laughed: "What are you saying? When am I not beautiful?"

Lin Dong was amused by her; everyone present could see the ambiguous tension between the two.

Xiao Hui didn't notice any of this. He had been drinking and then the photographers took turns toasting him, making his face turn red.

Liu Yue sat next to him, her head down, poking at the food in her bowl with her chopsticks, not daring to look up at the person opposite her.

While Xiaohui turned her head to talk to someone else, the photographer winked at her.

When Liu Yue saw this, her heart tightened, and she quickly lowered her head even further.

Meiling, who was sitting across the table, saw this scene, her lips twitched, and she raised her glass to the photographer: "Come on, brother, have a drink."

The photographer was taken aback, not expecting her to do this, so he had no choice but to raise his glass and clink it with hers.

The atmosphere became lively, and the drinks were consumed quickly.

Meiling drank the most; her face was flushed, and her eyes were a little unfocused.

She glanced at Lin Dong, and Lin Dong was looking at her too. Their eyes met, and Meiling grinned, then stood up and walked towards the next room.

Lin Dong understood and stood up to follow.

The door at the end of the corridor opened and closed, and the two people went inside and didn't come out.

Meiling entered the room, turned around and pinned Lin Dong against the wall, kissing him without saying a word.

Lin Dong smiled and put his arm around her waist, their bodies pressed tightly together, neither of them holding back.

Meiling had been eyeing Lin Dong's abs for a long time, and now that she finally had the chance, she wasn't about to let it go.

The two of them started arguing inside the house.

Inside the banquet hall, Xiaoyan drank a few glasses of wine and slumped in her chair, her eyes barely open.

The waiter next to her helped her lean back in the chair, and she quickly fell asleep.

Liu Yue sat there, not drinking much, but her heart was beating faster and faster.

The photographer kept watching her, and when no one was looking, he raised his wine glass and gestured to her.

Liu Yue bit her lip, feeling as if a thorn was pricking her heart.

Afraid of making another mistake, she glanced back at Xiaohui.

Xiao Hui was quite drunk and was resting on the table.

Liu Yue nudged him: "Xiao Hui, I'm not feeling well, can you take me back to the hotel?"

Xiao Hui looked up, glanced at her groggily, then looked at Xiao Yan beside him: "Sister Xiao Yan hasn't woken up yet, I'll come back to pick her up later."

Liu Yue felt a little flustered and wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, so she grabbed his arm and said, "Let's go, I'm worried about going back by myself."

Xiao Hui rubbed his eyes, stood up, and helped Liu Yue walk outside.

As the two walked out of the banquet hall, Liu Yue glanced back.

The photographer was holding a wine glass, smiling as he looked at her.

Liu Yue's heart tightened, and she quickly turned her head, grabbed Xiao Hui, and walked away.

In the darkness, Xiao Hui helped Liu Yue walk back to the hotel; the sea breeze was a bit chilly.

Xiao Hui yawned: "What's wrong with you today? You haven't said a word."

"It's nothing," Liu Yue said, looking down at her feet. "I'm just sleepy."

Xiao Hui didn't ask any more questions.

They walked away, but the banquet hall behind them was still lit, and laughter could be faintly heard.