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

They pedaled their tricycles back from the alleyway where several women were standing. Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling didn't say much along the way.

My mind is a jumbled mess.

One moment it's the women leaning against the wall waving, the next it's them saying, "One hundred and fifty per time, overnight is a bit more expensive."

And there was that thick stack of winnings.

"Xiaoyan," Liu Meiling suddenly spoke as they approached the village entrance, her voice slightly unsteady amidst the bumpy wheels, "Tell me, is it faster to make money playing cards, or... to make money like them?"

Sun Xiaoyan didn't answer immediately. She pedaled hard, and the tricycle rushed up a small hill.

"Playing cards...it all comes down to luck," Sun Xiaoyan said. "Theirs...you just have to lie down."

"Yeah, right!" Liu Meiling slapped her thigh. "Just lie down! It's so simple! Aren't we in better shape than them?"

Sun Xiaoyan turned and glanced at Liu Meiling. Liu Meiling's eyes were bright and full of light.

"But that's for selling..." Sun Xiaoyan's voice trailed off.

"So what if we sell?" Liu Meiling leaned closer. "At the card table, don't we let those men touch us and do whatever they want? What's the difference between that and selling ourselves? The only difference is that we don't have a price tag!"

Sun Xiaoyan fell silent.

It seems... there's not much difference.

"Besides," Liu Meiling sat back down, hugging her knees, "we're winning money now, aren't we? Let's keep winning! We'll deal with it when we can't win anymore!"

Sun Xiaoyan nodded. "Yes, win money first."

The two returned the tricycle to Old Zhang's family, and inevitably, the fat daughter-in-law launched into another round of veiled insults. Liu Meiling, however, just smiled and didn't take it to heart at all.

Back at Sun Xiaoyan's house, the two took out the newly bought clothes and tried them on one by one.

"I'll wear this tomorrow!" Liu Meiling picked up the sequined slip dress. "To blind their eyes!"

"Is this... too see-through?" Sun Xiaoyan held up the red bodycon dress, gesturing in front of the mirror. The material was so thin that you could clearly see what was underneath when the light shone on it.

"That's exactly what we need!" Liu Meiling said. "Otherwise, how can we distract them? We'll continue with the plan tomorrow!"

The next afternoon, the two of them really did go out wearing only those two thin skirts, with nothing underneath.

A gust of wind blew, and the skirt clung to my body, feeling cool and a little...exciting.

Reaching the entrance of the chess and card room, Sun Xiaoyan took a deep breath and pushed the door open to go inside.

The smoke was still so thick.

Guo Daqiang, Brother Wang, and Brother Li were all there. As soon as they saw the two women come in, the three men's eyes snapped over like hooks.

"Wow!" Guo Daqiang was the first to stand up, his face beaming with a smile. "Xiaoyan, Meiling! Today... this has truly opened my eyes!"

He walked over, his gaze sweeping over Sun Xiaoyan's chest before sliding down to Liu Meiling's slit thigh.

Sun Xiaoyan could feel his gaze, and his hands touching her body like they were his.

She straightened her chest and didn't flinch.

"Brother Guo, how about we play something big today?" Liu Meiling said first, swaying her hips as she walked to the card table and plopped down. Her skirt rode up, revealing her pale thighs.

Brother Li's eyes almost popped out.

"Let's play! We have to play big!" Guo Daqiang laughed heartily, pulling Sun Xiaoyan down to sit. "Xiaoyan, sit here. Today, I'll watch you dominate!"

The game begins.

Sun Xiaoyan could feel Guo Daqiang sitting right behind her, very close. His breath was warm on her neck.

Brother Wang sat across from her, his eyes constantly glancing at her neckline.

The situation was even more lively on Liu Meiling's side. Brother Li's hand was already on her leg, but instead of pushing it away, she deliberately spread her legs apart a little more.

"Brother Li, focus on playing cards," Liu Meiling said sweetly, tapping the cards with her finger.

"Focus...focus." Brother Li said, but his hand reached under her skirt.

Liu Meiling shuddered and then giggled.

Sun Xiaoyan withdrew her gaze and focused on her cards.

I seem to be having a particularly good day.

She got a winning hand on the very first hand.

"I won!" Sun Xiaoyan pushed over the tiles, revealing a pure suit.

"Holy crap!" Brother Wang slammed his fist on the table. "Xiaoyan, you're on fire today!"

Guo Daqiang laughed from behind, "Amazing! Amazing! Give me the money!"

Brother Wang readily took out his money.

In the next few rounds, Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling took turns winning.

Self-draw, All Pungs, Seven Pairs...

The pile of red bills in front of him grew higher and higher.

Sun Xiaoyan's heart was pounding. Yes, that's it! Winning money! Keep winning!

Liu Meiling blushed with excitement; she had more bills in front of her than Sun Xiaoyan.

"Brother Guo, your luck today is unmatched!" Liu Meiling counted the money, her eyes narrowed into slits.

"That's your skill!" Guo Daqiang said, his hand casually resting on the back of Sun Xiaoyan's chair, his fingertips lightly touching her back.

The game continues.

Sun Xiaoyan won big again.

She excitedly accepted the money, unaware that Guo Daqiang had given Brother Wang a meaningful look.

Brother Wang nodded.

"Xiaoyan, Meiling, you two won quite a bit today," Guo Daqiang suddenly said.

"Not bad, not bad!" Liu Meiling said with a grin.

"How about... we go for something bigger?" Guo Daqiang said slowly, "One round to decide the winner, let's get a little more exciting?"

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling exchanged a glance.

The money in front of the two of them added up to nearly five thousand.

"How big of a bet?" Sun Xiaoyan asked, her voice a little tense.

"Double it up," Guo Daqiang said. "Double your bet, whether you win or lose. Dare to take it?"

Liu Meiling's eyes lit up: "Sure! What's there to be afraid of! My luck's on fire!"

Sun Xiaoyan hesitated for a moment. She looked at the thick stack of money in front of her.

If you win, you can double your winnings.

"Okay." Sun Xiaoyan nodded.

"Great!" Guo Daqiang clapped his hands. "Then let's go for the big one!"

A new game begins.

Sun Xiaoyan's hand trembled slightly when she drew the cards.

The cards seem... not so good anymore.

She played a card.

"Bang!" Brother Wang shouted.

It was her turn again. She drew a card, but it was useless.

Liu Meiling frowned as well.

"Brother Li, your hand..." Liu Meiling wanted to say something, but Brother Li pinched her thigh. She snorted and didn't say anything more.

After playing a round of cards, Sun Xiaoyan hadn't drawn a single useful card.

Liu Meiling is the same.

"I won." Brother Wang pushed the tiles over.

Sun Xiaoyan looked and saw that the cannon had been lit.

"Hey, Xiaoyan, you did a great job with this!" Brother Wang said with a grin, reaching out his hand.

The pile of money in front of Sun Xiaoyan suddenly dwindled by more than half.

Her heart skipped a beat.

"It's okay, it's okay, we'll win it back next time!" Liu Meiling said, but her voice wasn't as strong.

In the next round, Brother Li won.

The money in front of Liu Meiling was also reduced by half.

In the next round, Brother Wang won again.

There were only a few thin bills left in front of Sun Xiaoyan.

Sweat began to bead on her forehead.

No, this hand is not right.

"Brother Guo..." Sun Xiaoyan turned around, wanting to say something.

Guo Daqiang patted her on the shoulder: "Victory and defeat are common in war. Keep going, you can turn things around!"

Sun Xiaoyan gritted her teeth and bet all the remaining money.

Liu Meiling also bet on it.

Sun Xiaoyan played this hand terribly.

"I won!" Brother Li pushed down his tiles, achieving a perfect hand of pure suit.

There was no space in front of Sun Xiaoyan.

The space in front of Liu Meiling was now empty.

Not only are they broke, they're also in debt.

"This..." Sun Xiaoyan stared at the empty desktop, her mind going blank.

"Xiaoyan, Meiling, your luck is terrible..." Guo Daqiang sighed, "You lost quite a bit this time. Let's see... you each owe 12,000."

"Twelve thousand?!" Liu Meiling screamed. "How can there be so much?!"

"It's doubled," Guo Daqiang said, shrugging. "It's a one-shot deal, so the winnings and losses are doubled. You two agreed to that."

Sun Xiaoyan swayed and almost slipped off the chair.

Twelve thousand.

Her husband, Jiang Jianjun, couldn't save this much even after a year of working away from home.

"Brother Guo...this money...we..." Sun Xiaoyan's voice trembled.

"No money to pay back?" Guo Daqiang looked at her, his eyes deep.

Sun Xiaoyan shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.

Liu Meiling was stunned, her mouth agape, unable to utter a word.

"No money? No problem." Guo Daqiang slowly lit a cigarette. "Same as always, we'll settle it with something else."

Sun Xiaoyan's body stiffened.

"However, this time the debt is much larger, and it won't be covered by just one or two payments." Guo Daqiang exhaled a puff of smoke. "I have a new plan, you two listen to it."

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling looked at him.

"You two, you've come for three nights in a row," Guo Daqiang said, "around this time. To keep the three of us company." He pointed to himself, then to Brother Wang and Brother Li.

"If you serve me well for three nights, this debt will be wiped clean."

Sun Xiaoyan's mind went blank.

Three nights... I spent time with the three of them...

"But," Guo Daqiang continued, "this debt is settled. From now on, you can have us whenever we need you. Consider it... a long-term partnership. How about it?"

Long-term cooperation?

Available whenever needed?

Sun Xiaoyan looked at Liu Meiling, and Liu Meiling looked at her as well.

Both of them had fear in their eyes, and a hint of... resignation.

"Brother Guo...this...this is..." Liu Meiling's voice trembled.

"Isn't it just selling?" Guo Daqiang said for her, laughing. "Meiling, other people have a price tag, but we're doing... debt swap, which is much more sophisticated."

Sun Xiaoyan closed her eyes.

Tears streamed down my face.

"Will you agree or not?" Guo Daqiang asked. "It's fine if you don't agree, but you have to come up with 12,000 yuan now. If you can't, I'll have to ask you men for it. Or, I'll talk to the villagers..."

"No!" Sun Xiaoyan suddenly opened her eyes. "Don't tell my husband! Don't tell the village!"

"Then..." Guo Daqiang looked at her.

Sun Xiaoyan looked at Liu Meiling.

Liu Meiling's face was deathly pale, and her lips were trembling.

After a long while, Liu Meiling slowly nodded.

Sun Xiaoyan nodded as well.

"Okay." Guo Daqiang smiled. "It's settled then. Let's start tonight."

The card table was pushed aside.

Guo Daqiang pulled Sun Xiaoyan along, Brother Wang pulled Liu Meiling along, and Brother Li followed behind, as they walked into the dark back room of the chess and card room.

There was only a large wooden bed in the room, and the smell of mildew mixed with the smell of smoke.

The door closed.

The lights weren't all on; only a dim, yellowish bulb was lit.

Sun Xiaoyan was pushed onto the bed by Guo Daqiang, and her skirt was lifted up.

She didn't resist or cry out loud, but tears kept flowing.

Beside them, Liu Meiling was also pinned down by Brother Wang, while Brother Li waited on the side.

The sound rang out.

The bed creaked and groaned.

Gasping for breath, groaning.

Sun Xiaoyan closed her eyes, her mind blank.

I don't know how much time passed, but the person on my body changed.

A long time passed, and then it changed again.

She was like a rag doll, being turned over and over.

At first, I felt pain and shame.

Later, I became numb.

She could even hear Liu Meiling's voice beside her, which changed from a suppressed sob to a strange, intermittent humming.

Later, she hummed it too.

It's not that I feel comfortable, it's just... tired.

I'm completely exhausted.

By the time everything had stopped, it seemed like dawn was almost breaking.

Sun Xiaoyan lay paralyzed on the bed, her body sticky and her skirt wrinkled and rolled up around her waist.

Liu Meiling lay beside her, also motionless.

Guo Daqiang, Brother Wang, and Brother Li were lying sprawled on the ground, fast asleep, snoring loudly.

Sun Xiaoyan looked at the small light bulb on the ceiling, its halo swaying gently.

She remembered the women standing in the alley in the county town yesterday.

I remember their sequined dresses and heavy makeup.

Now, are she and Meiling any different from them?

It seems like that's all.

No, there are still some.

They are more expensive.

Twelve thousand.

Sun Xiaoyan twitched the corners of her mouth, wanting to laugh, but couldn't.

She turned her head and looked at Liu Meiling.

Liu Meiling also turned her head and looked at her.

Neither of them spoke.

But Sun Xiaoyan knew that Meiling thought the same way she did.

It’s over.

It's completely over.

The body has become a bargaining chip, and it's the kind of long-term chip that can be withdrawn at any time.

She closed her eyes, listened to the snoring, and smelled the mixed smells in the room, and slowly fell asleep.

When I woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky, shining in through the cracks in the window, with dust flying in the beams of light.

Guo Daqiang and the others also woke up and were getting dressed.

"Awake?" Guo Daqiang glanced at her. "Remember to come again tonight. Three days in a row, don't forget."

Sun Xiaoyan didn't say anything, slowly sat up, and pulled her skirt up.

Liu Meiling also sat up, her hair a mess.

The two helped each other off the bed, their legs so weak they almost knelt down.

Stepping out of the back door of the chess and card room, the sunlight outside was blinding.

Sun Xiaoyan squinted at the bright sun.

A new day begins.

Their "long-term collaboration" has begun.