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

"Your room is way too pink!" Liu Meiling couldn't help but say.

"I've loved pink since I was little, so what?" Su Wanni said, opening her wardrobe. "Look at all these clothes of mine, aren't they pretty?"

The wardrobe was filled with all sorts of clothes—dresses, coats, costumes—a colorful array of items, quite a lot indeed.

Liu Meiling reached out and touched a sequined dress; it felt nice to the touch. "This dress is quite pretty."

"Isn't it pretty? I wore it to an event last month; it was rented," Su Wanni said.

"Rented?" Liu Meiling was taken aback.

"Yeah, I couldn't afford to buy one, I only wore it once, it was rented," Su Wanni said, then took out a red cheongsam. "This one is also rented, but it really shows off your figure. Do you want to try it on?"

Liu Meiling looked at the cheongsam, somewhat tempted: "Can I wear it?"

"You have a better figure than me, you can definitely wear it." Su Wanni said, stuffing the cheongsam into Liu Meiling's hands, "Put it on, let me see."

Liu Meiling hesitated for a moment, then took off her coat and put on the cheongsam.

The cheongsam was red, embroidered with gold patterns, and fitted, which accentuated Liu Meiling's curves. Her full breasts stretched the fabric tightly, and her hips were also rounded.

Su Wanni's eyes lit up as she looked at you: "Holy crap, your figure is amazing! That chest, that butt, how come I don't have any of that?"

Liu Meiling looked at herself in the mirror and thought she looked pretty good: "It's alright."

"What do you mean 'okay'? With a figure like yours, if you went into acting, wouldn't directors be fighting over you?" Su Wanni said, taking out another black lace dress. "Try this one."

Liu Meiling changed back into that black lace dress. The skirt was very short, just reaching her upper thighs, and she felt a little embarrassed wearing it.

Su Wanni kept praising, "Wow, your legs are so long, and your proportions are amazing!"

Liu Meiling felt a little embarrassed by the praise, but she was still quite happy.

Su Wanni took out another white gauze dress, which Liu Meiling changed into, and Su Wanni praised her again.

"You have a better figure than me, with such big breasts. If I had a figure like yours, I would have been famous long ago," Su Wanni said, looking at Liu Meiling's breasts with a hint of envy.

Liu Meiling smiled and said, "You're not bad either."

"Not at all, my breasts are padded." Su Wanni said, patting her chest, which indeed made a sound like plastic.

Liu Meiling couldn't help but laugh: "Aren't you being a little too honest?"

"I'm a straightforward person, I say what I think," Su Wanni said, sitting on the bed. "Actually, this villa is rented. How could I afford to buy it? I'm just a nobody, I only earn so little each month. I have to support an assistant, pay rent, and the rest of the money is barely enough to eat."

Liu Meiling was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Sure enough, you scared me. Now I feel a little better."

Su Wanni laughed too: "You're really interesting. Everyone else says good things about me, but you're the only one who dares to tell the truth."

"That's just how I am; I'll say what I don't like," Liu Meiling said.

Su Wanni looked at her, her eyes filled with an indescribable feeling: "That slap you gave me felt so good."

Liu Meiling felt a little uneasy under her gaze: "You fucking aren't a masochist, are you?"

"I don't know either, but I felt pretty good when you hit me," Su Wanni said, her face slightly red.

Liu Meiling looked at her and thought to herself, "This woman is such a contrast. She has such a bad temper with outsiders, but she's so obedient to me. Is it because I beat her up?"

She then thought that if she could get in touch with this unknown minor celebrity, wouldn't she also be able to try becoming a celebrity herself?

The two assistants returned two hours later, carrying large and small bags, their hands full of things.

Liu Meiling was stunned when she saw it.

Two assistants placed a large pile of takeout boxes on the coffee table, opened the lids, and various aromas of food wafted out.

The signature braised pork belly is layered with fat and lean meat, and the sauce is served separately in a small jar.

Steamed turbot, bones removed, topped with shredded ginger, and sealed tightly with plastic wrap.

Black pepper beef short ribs, boneless and cut into small pieces, look so tender.

Steamed prawns with garlic and vermicelli, the prawn veins were removed, and they were arranged neatly.

Stewed free-range chicken, the whole pot is divided into portions, the chicken soup is in a separate large insulated container, and the chicken meat is taken out of a box.

Stir-fried beef with yellow peppers, spicy and with less oil, with the small red chilies packaged separately.

The crystal steamed egg is as smooth and tender as pudding.

Stir-fried asparagus with shrimp is a light and refreshing dish.

Braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, the fat has been drained out, and the pork and preserved mustard greens are served in separate layers.

The side dishes for the mushroom and chicken claypot rice are served separately, with the chicken and mushrooms served in a large box of rice.

Winter melon and meatball soup, with the meatballs and broth packaged separately.

Stir-fried lotus root with lotus root slices, snow peas, wood ear mushrooms, and lily bulbs is refreshing and helps to cut through the richness of other ingredients.

Blanched bok choy hearts, with the sauce poured into a separate small bottle.

The okra salad is served chilled in an airtight container.

Stir-fried baby bok choy, so green and vibrant.

Cold tofu strips salad, low in salt and fat.

Salted broccoli, boiled in water, without much oil.

There was also a large box of cut fruit, with strawberries, blueberries, Shine Muscat grapes, mangoes, cantaloupe, and kiwis, all arranged in separate compartments and accompanied by disposable forks.

Liu Meiling stared at the large table of dishes, speechless for a long time.

"You...you call this a minor celebrity?" Liu Meiling looked at Su Wanni.

Su Wanni took a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet and said with a smile, "Is it wrong for me to treat myself well?"

Liu Meiling thought to herself, "Damn it, these little stars are all living such good lives? What the hell did I suffer before?"

Su Wanni opened a bottle of red wine, poured a glass for Liu Meiling, and poured one for herself: "Come on, let's have a drink, consider it making friends."

Liu Meiling picked up her wine glass, clinked it with hers, took a sip, and found the wine to be quite good and smooth.

The two began to eat. Liu Meiling picked up a piece of braised pork, which melted in her mouth and was fatty but not greasy. She couldn't help but pick up another piece.

"Is it delicious? This is my go-to place, it tastes great." Su Wanni said, picking up a piece herself.

After eating for a while, Su Wanni called out to her two assistants, "You two come and eat too. There's so much food, we can't finish it all."

The two assistants stood up, somewhat hesitant.

"What are you standing there for? Are you going to feed the dog?" Su Wanni said impatiently.

The two assistants then sat down and carefully picked up some food to eat.

Liu Meiling looked at Su Wanni, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

This woman speaks very harshly, but she's not a bad person at heart; she just has a sharp tongue.

As the two ate and drank, a bottle of red wine was quickly emptied, and Su Wanni opened another bottle.

Liu Meiling was a little tipsy; her face was flushed, and she started talking more.

"Do you think I could become a star?" Liu Meiling asked.

Su Wanni looked at her and said seriously, "You're good-looking and have a great figure, you can definitely do it, you're much better than me."

"Really?" Liu Meiling laughed.

"Why would I lie to you? If you want to act, I can introduce you to a few directors. They're all small roles, but you'll still get to show your face," Su Wanni said.

Liu Meiling's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Really, I keep my word." Su Wanni said, taking another sip of wine. "From now on, we're sisters. We'll share the good times and the bad."

"Then let's become sworn brothers," Liu Meiling said.

"Sworn siblings?" Su Wanni paused for a moment, then smiled. "Okay, sworn siblings!"

The two raised their glasses and clinked them together.

"I am Su Wanni."

"I am Liu Meiling."

"From today onwards, we are sisters. We will share happiness and hardship together!" the two said together.

After saying that, the two downed their drinks and then burst into laughter.

The two assistants stood by, looking at each other in bewilderment.

"These two old ladies were just fighting, and now they're going to become sworn sisters?" a junior assistant whispered.

"Never mind that, let's eat ours," another assistant said, picking up a piece of pork rib.

Liu Meiling and Su Wanni got more and more drunk. They leaned back on the sofa, their faces flushed and their eyes glazed over.

"Meiling, tell me, am I particularly annoying?" Su Wanni asked.

"A little," Liu Meiling said with a smile.

"I also think I'm annoying, but I just can't control myself. When I see people I don't like, I just want to curse them," Su Wanni said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Alright, stop crying. You're doing fine, aren't you?" Liu Meiling patted her shoulder.

"You're the first person to hit me, and the first person to dare to speak frankly to me," Su Wanni said, leaning on her shoulder. "From now on, you're my sister. I won't listen to anyone else, I'll only listen to you."

Liu Meiling laughed: "Okay, from now on you'll listen to me, I'll protect you."

As they talked, their voices grew softer and softer until they both fell asleep.

The two assistants looked at the two people sleeping on the sofa, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"What should we do?" a junior assistant asked.

"What else can we do? Let them sleep, and we'll tidy up," another assistant said.

The two cleared the dishes off the coffee table, covered Su Wanni and Liu Meiling with a blanket, and then sat down to play on their phones.

Liu Meiling rolled over, muttering, "Sisters, let's... become sworn sisters..."

Su Wanni also turned over, muttering, "Sister... I... I'll listen to you..."

The two fell asleep again. The living room was quiet, with only the sunlight streaming in through the window and falling on them.