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

The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the living room floor.

Liu Yue curled up on the sofa, her whole body aching. She was still wearing that tight-fitting short T-shirt, the fabric only covering her upper thighs.

Her eyes were red and swollen; she hadn't slept all night and just lay there with her eyes open until dawn.

The bedroom door opened.

Liu Meiling came out, her hair disheveled, wearing only a spaghetti strap nightgown that revealed her fair shoulders and collarbone.

She saw Liu Yue on the sofa, paused for a moment, glanced at her thoughtfully, and then turned and went into the bathroom.

Liu Yue quickly sat up, looking down at her.

After a while, Sun Xiaoyan also came out of the second bedroom, rubbing her eyes in her pajamas: "Meiling, you're awake? I'll go make dinner."

"Mmm," Meiling responded from inside the bathroom.

Liu Yue quickly got up and ran into the kitchen: "Sister Yan, let me help you."

Sun Xiaoyan glanced at her and noticed that her eyes were still red, but she didn't ask any further questions: "Okay, you wash the rice."

The two were busy in the kitchen. Liu Yue kept her head down and worked without saying a word.

Sun Xiaoyan was chopping vegetables, occasionally glancing at her, but didn't ask any questions.

After Meiling finished washing up, she changed into a white T-shirt and a black skirt, with black stockings and flat shoes on her feet.

She stood in front of the living room mirror and looked at herself. She was quite satisfied with her appearance; she looked like a recent high school graduate, clean and neat.

Sun Xiaoyan brought out the porridge and was taken aback when she saw Meiling's outfit: "Wow, you're dressed so young today?"

Meiling smiled, a cigarette dangling from her lips, "When you're learning to drive, wear something comfortable."

Sun Xiaoyan chuckled: "You're not going to learn to drive, you're going on a blind date."

"screw you."

Just then, Xiaohui's door opened.

Xiao Hui came out, wearing a white T-shirt and black pants, his hair was neatly combed, and his face was as cold as ice.

When Liu Yue saw him, she froze, almost dropping the spoon in her hand.

Xiao Hui didn't look at her.

He walked to the dining table, sat down, picked up the bowl of porridge, and took a sip.

Liu Meiling also sat down to eat, and Sun Xiaoyan brought out fried eggs and pickled vegetables.

The four of them ate breakfast quietly, without making a sound except for the clinking of bowls and chopsticks.

After finishing her meal, Sun Xiaoyan stood up and said, "I'm going to the shop. You guys take your time eating."

She changed her shoes and went out.

Only three people remained in the living room.

Xiao Hui put down his chopsticks and stood up.

Liu Yue's breathing suddenly tightened, and she gripped her chopsticks tightly, afraid to move.

Xiao Hui walked to the center of the living room and looked down at Liu Yue, who was curled up next to the sofa.

There was a few seconds of silence.

"come over."

The voice was cold, devoid of any warmth.

Liu Yue shakily got up, barefoot and with her bottom exposed, and walked step by step to him.

She kept her head down, not daring to look at him.

Xiao Hui looked down at her and pointed to the loose shoelaces on his feet.

Not a single word was spoken.

Liu Yue understood.

She knelt down.

The cold floor pressed against her knees as she bent down, her hands trembling as she tied his shoelaces.

My fingers kept shaking, and it took me several tries to tie the shoelaces.

Xiao Hui looked down at her disheveled hair, his eyes completely unmoved.

Liu Yue finished tying her shoelaces and was about to pull her hand back when Xiao Hui suddenly raised his foot and stepped on her fingers.

"ah--!"

Liu Yue screamed, and tears welled up in her eyes instantly.

Her fingers were being pressed against the floor, and the foot gradually increased its pressure, causing her to tremble with pain.

Xiao Hui looked at her expressionlessly, his voice low: "Did Liu Sheng message you last night?"

Liu Yue cried and shook her head desperately, "No! No! Xiaohui, I really didn't! I didn't reply to anything!"

Xiao Hui stared at her for a few seconds, then released his foot.

Liu Yue slumped to the ground, clutching her bruised and bruised fingers, tears streaming down her face.

Xiao Hui didn't look at her again, turned around and walked towards the door, leaving behind the words: "You're not allowed to go out today. Kneel here and wait for me to come back."

As he passed the coffee table, he bent down and picked up Liu Yue's phone that she had placed on it.

Liu Yue looked up in horror: "Xiao Hui—!"

Xiao Hui glanced at her, raised his hand, and slammed it down hard.

boom!

The phone hit the floor, the screen shattered instantly, and glass shards flew everywhere.

Liu Yue flinched in fright, staring at the pile of shards on the ground, unable to utter a sound.

Xiao Hui opened the door and walked out without looking back.

The sound of the door closing made the walls vibrate.

Liu Yue knelt alone on the floor, surrounded by shards of glass.

She was bare-legged and bare-bottomed, kneeling on the cold floor, amidst the shards of metal.

She didn't dare get up, didn't dare pick up the pieces, and just knelt there blankly, staring at the closed door.

Tears streamed down silently.

The sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating her bare legs and the shattered phone screen, so glaring it felt like a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

Outside.

Liu Meiling was already waiting downstairs.

She had a cigarette dangling from her lips and one hand in her skirt pocket. When she saw Xiao Hui come out, she didn't say anything, but simply stubbed out her cigarette and said, "Let's go."

The two hailed a taxi and headed straight for the driving school.

While in the car, Meiling glanced at Xiaohui beside her.

He leaned back in his seat, looking out the window, his face still cold.

Meiling didn't say anything, leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, and rested for a while.

Upon arriving at the driving school entrance, the two got out of the car.

I didn't see that arrogant celebrity at the driving school today; there were only a few ordinary students queuing in the lobby.

The staff flipped through the registration form and assigned coaches to the two.

"You two will have different instructors for the second part of the driving test. Chen Hui, you'll be with Instructor Liu." The staff member looked up at Xiao Hui, then at Mei Ling, "Liu Mei Ling, you'll be with Instructor Zhang."

Xiao Hui nodded: "Okay."

"Coach Liu is in the back field, go directly to her." The staff member pointed to the backyard.

Xiaohui and Meiling walked towards the backyard. Upon reaching the gate, Xiaohui went to find his coach first, with Meiling following behind.

Several training vehicles were parked in the backyard, and a female instructor was leaning against one of them smoking.

The female coach looked to be in her late thirties or early thirties. She was voluptuous and wearing a tight black T-shirt. Her breasts were even more impressive than those of Liu Meiling, who boasted about her large breasts and buttocks.

She had her hair in a ponytail and a cigarette in her mouth. When she saw Xiao Hui walking over, she looked him up and down and then grinned.

"Oh, a new student? What's your name?" The female instructor spoke in a rough voice, with a hint of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and江湖义气, a code of honor among江湖 people).

"Chen Hui," Xiao Hui said.

The female coach, a cigarette dangling from her lips, took a few steps closer and looked him up and down: "How old are you?"

"eighteen."

"You're an adult now, that's good." The female coach took a drag of her cigarette and smiled. "You're quite handsome, young man. Do you have a girlfriend?"

Xiao Hui was a little embarrassed: "No."

"That's perfect! I'll teach you, I guarantee you'll pass on your first try." The female coach patted Xiaohui's shoulder, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "Are you free tonight? I'll treat you to dinner, so we can catch up beforehand."

Xiao Hui was taken aback for a moment: "Huh?"

"Just kidding, look how nervous you are." The female instructor laughed and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Come on, get in the car, I'll teach you how to steer first."

Xiao Hui breathed a sigh of relief and followed her into the training car.

Liu Meiling stood not far away, watching this scene, and smiled as she smoked a cigarette.

At that moment, a male coach walked over.

The male coach looked to be about the same age as Liu Meiling, around twenty-five or twenty-six. He was slim, wearing a clean white polo shirt and glasses, and spoke softly: "Hello, are you Liu Meiling?"

Liu Meiling turned her head: "It's me."

The male instructor smiled and said, "My name is Zhang Ming, and I'm your driving instructor for the second part of your driving test. Have you done any research on cars before?"

"No," Liu Meiling said, a cigarette dangling from her lips.

"Let's start from the beginning. Get in my car first," the male instructor said, pointing to a white training car next to him. His voice was very friendly. "Come with me."

Liu Meiling followed him over, looked the car over, and then said with a smile, "Coach Zhang, your car is quite clean."

"I just showered." The male coach scratched his head. "With your outfit, I thought you just graduated."

Liu Meiling smiled, a cigarette dangling from her lips: "My older sister might even be older than you."

The male coach was taken aback: "Huh? That can't be right."

"Why would I lie to you?" Liu Meiling stubbed out her cigarette. "I'm twenty-five."

"I'm twenty-five too," the male coach smiled. "But you look really young. I thought you were eighteen or nineteen."

Liu Meiling laughed: "Alright then, I'll call you Brother Zhang."

"Call me anything." The male instructor opened the car door. "Get in, I'll teach you to recognize the things in the car first."

Liu Meiling sat in the passenger seat, and the male instructor sat in the driver's seat, pointing out the steering wheel, gears, clutch, brake, and accelerator to her.

"This is the clutch, press it with your left foot. This is the brake, press it with your right foot. This is the accelerator, also with your right foot." The male instructor spoke slowly and patiently. "Let's not start the car yet, you can familiarize yourself with the clutch's engagement point first."

Liu Meiling nodded and pressed the clutch pedal with her left foot: "Like this?"

"Yes, lift it slowly. When you feel the bike vibrate, that's the clutch point." The male instructor reached out and adjusted her foot. "Don't let your heel hang off the ground, make sure it's firmly planted."

His hand was very light; he touched it briefly and then withdrew it, showing great restraint.

Liu Meiling thought to herself, "This coach seems pretty reliable."

In the car next door, the flirtatious female instructor was instructing Xiao Hui to steer. Xiao Hui clumsily turned the wheel, while the instructor laughed uproariously, saying, "Are you tightening screws or steering? Gently, turn, yes, yes, that's it."

Meiling glanced at it and smiled.

The male coach followed her gaze and said, "That's Sister Li. She's been teaching for many years and her skills are quite good."

"Really?" Meiling looked away. "What's her character like?"

The male coach scratched his head: "He's good, but he's a bit blunt and likes to joke around, sometimes he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut."

Meiling nodded, thinking to herself that Xiaohui was in for a rough time.