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

The two of them helped each other and moved step by step to the top of the stairs.

As they were going downstairs, Sun Xiaoyan's legs went weak and she almost fell, but Liu Meiling grabbed her tightly.

"Slow down," Liu Meiling said.

Sun Xiaoyan remained silent.

When we arrived at the hotel lobby, the receptionist was still playing on her phone, not even looking up.

They walked out of the revolving door.

The night breeze was still cool, and my tattered skirt offered no protection against it.

The driver's black car was parked not far from the roadside, with the engine running and the hazard lights flashing.

The driver was leaning against the car door smoking. When he saw them get out, he threw down his cigarette butt and walked over.

"All done?" The driver looked them up and down, his eyes lingering on their torn skirts and the marks on their legs. "Wow, you've got some serious fun. Your skirts are practically ripped to shreds. You've got some pretty bold customers."

Liu Meiling forced a smile: "Big brother, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Not long, not long." The driver chuckled, then leaned closer to examine Sun Xiaoyan's pale face. "What's wrong with this young lady? Her face is as white as paper, has it all been hollowed out?"

Sun Xiaoyan lowered her head, not wanting to speak.

Liu Meiling chimed in, "I'm tired. Big brother, where...are we going?"

"Where to?" The driver hesitated for a moment. "Didn't we agree that you two would come with me? My car is right here, the back seat is spacious, or else..."

Before he could finish speaking, his phone rang.

The driver took out his phone, glanced at it, his expression changed, and he walked to the side to answer the call.

"Hey, boss... Huh? What? Not here yet?" The driver raised his voice, turned to look at Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling, then lowered his voice again, "That's impossible, I personally took them upstairs, room 308, I watched them go in... What? 306? Holy crap!"

The driver hung up the phone, walked back quickly, and looked very upset.

"Which room did you two just go into?" the driver asked.

"308," Liu Meiling said. "Didn't you tell us that?"

"Oh no, oh no!" the driver exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "I misspoke! The boss is in 306! 308 is for other guests! You two...you two went into the wrong room?"

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling exchanged a glance and were both stunned.

Did we go into the wrong room?

Those four men from earlier...were they not guests?

Are they other guests?

"That...that money..." Liu Meiling subconsciously touched her chest, where the thousand yuan was still tucked away.

"Money my ass!" the driver snapped. "The boss's been waiting in 306 for ages! He called and gave me a piece of his mind! You two hurry up, get up there now! 306!"

"Now?" Sun Xiaoyan's voice trembled. "We...we just..."

"What do you mean, 'just now'?!" the driver interrupted her. "The boss paid! Five thousand yuan! Do you two still want it or not? Hurry up and get ready!"

Liu Meiling gritted her teeth: "Okay, let's go. Big brother, is there any water? We... want to wipe ourselves down."

The driver took a bottle of mineral water out of the car and handed it to them.

Liu Meiling unscrewed the lid, poured some into her palm, wiped her face haphazardly, and then handed it to Sun Xiaoyan.

Sun Xiaoyan took the water and followed suit, wiping her neck and arms.

The water was very cold, and she shivered when it touched her skin.

The skirt was beyond repair; it was torn to shreds like strips of cloth and could barely be hung on my body.

"Alright, alright, stop dawdling," the driver urged. "Hurry up and get on, or the boss will get angry again."

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling had no choice but to turn around and walk back into the hotel.

The receptionist finally looked up and glanced at them a second time, her eyes now holding a hint of amusement.

The elevator went up to the third floor.

The corridor was still the same corridor, with a dark red carpet and dim yellow lights.

Room 306 is at the other end of the corridor.

The two walked over, their steps heavier than before.

When she reached the door, Liu Meiling took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock.

dong dong dong.

The door was pulled open almost immediately.

A middle-aged man in a bathrobe, with a large belly, stood in the doorway, his face flushed red.

"Damn it! Why are you only arriving now!" the man cursed, spitting almost onto Liu Meiling's face. "I've been waiting for almost an hour! You think you're so great just because you're paid? Daring to stand me up?"

"I'm so sorry, boss." Liu Meiling quickly smiled apologetically and leaned forward. "We just... we just received a rush order, and we rushed over as soon as we finished. We haven't stopped for a moment."

The man squinted and sized them up.

The dress was tattered, there were water stains on her body that hadn't been wiped clean, and she still smelled like she'd just finished doing something.

"Trying to take on clients like this?" the man sneered. "Fine, you're quite dedicated. Get in here!"

The two entered the room.

The room was bigger and brighter than room 308, with the main light on, and you could see the man's face clearly.

A square face, small eyes, and a sticky, licking gaze when he looks at people.

"You're all filthy, how can we play like this?" the man said disdainfully. "Go wash up first! Come out clean! Don't get my bed dirty!"

"Thank you, boss!" Liu Meiling felt like she had been granted a pardon and pulled Sun Xiaoyan toward the bathroom.

The bathroom door was closed.

The two took off the tattered clothes they were wearing and turned on the shower.

Only after the hot water was poured over her did Sun Xiaoyan realize the burning pain in those parts of her body.

She gritted her teeth and scrubbed hard, trying to wash away all traces of those people from room 308.

Liu Meiling washed very hard, but her expression wasn't one of pain; rather, it seemed a bit...excited?

"Five thousand yuan, Xiaoyan," Liu Meiling said, rubbing her arms. "After this wash, we'll have money. Two thousand five hundred per person."

Sun Xiaoyan didn't say anything, she just lowered her head and rinsed.

After washing for about ten minutes, the two turned off the water and dried themselves with towels.

There were no clean clothes in the bathroom, only two bath towels.

They wrapped themselves in bath towels and looked at each other.

"Let's go," Liu Meiling said.

Sun Xiaoyan nodded.

The two opened the bathroom door and went out.

The man was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a glass of red wine.

When he saw them come out, wrapped in bath towels, their hair wet and draped over their shoulders, water droplets sliding down their necks, the man's small eyes lit up instantly.

He put down his glass, stood up, walked over to them, and circled around them.

Their gazes swept over them like searchlights.

"Hmm, you've got a really good foundation." The man clicked his tongue. "No wonder Sister Hong said you guys are top-notch. Take off the towel, let me see."

Liu Meiling promptly removed the bath towel.

Sun Xiaoyan hesitated for a moment, then slowly untied it.

The bath towel slipped to the floor.

The man nodded in satisfaction, turned around and walked to the bedside table, picked up a black handbag, and unzipped it.

When Sun Xiaoyan saw what was in the bag, her fingers unconsciously clenched.

But she had no way out.

For a long time afterward, Sun Xiaoyan's memories became fragmented and blurry.

All she remembers is kneeling on the carpet, her knees aching from the pressure.

The man walked back and forth in front of her, muttering something incessantly, his voice rising and falling.

Sometimes he would get very close, close enough to smell the mixture of red wine and sweat on him.

Sometimes he would sit down on the edge of the bed, holding a wine glass, and look at them as if admiring an object.

Liu Meiling stayed by his side the whole time, her voice sweet and soft, as if she had rehearsed it countless times.

She always manages to say the perfect thing when a man is getting impatient, and she always manages to reignite the atmosphere when it's cooled down.

Looking at Liu Meiling's composed demeanor, Sun Xiaoyan felt a surge of indescribable emotion.

The man would occasionally let out a low laugh, sometimes with satisfaction, sometimes with sarcasm.

The cracking sound of the whip occasionally rang out, like a warning hanging overhead, yet it never actually fell.

This waiting is more agonizing than the pain itself.

Sun Xiaoyan felt like an animal locked in a cage, forced to act according to certain established rules.

Only one thought kept running through my mind: two thousand five.

As Sister Hong once said, some money is hard to earn, but once you get it, it's a whole different world.

She clenched her fist, suppressing all her thoughts.

When it was Liu Meiling's turn, Sun Xiaoyan was able to catch her breath for a short while.

She sat on the carpet, watching Liu Meiling take the initiative to come forward. Without the man saying anything, she showed complete obedience and cooperation.

There was no fear in Liu Meiling's eyes, but rather a kind of eager excitement, as if this was just a performance she was in control of.

She understood that the more she invested, the greater the return.

"Boss, is this okay?"

"The boss is really amazing, I'm impressed."

The man became even more excited by her flattery, and his voice grew louder.

After an unknown amount of time, Sun Xiaoyan heard the man walk heavily to the table, pick up a small medicine bottle, pour out two pills, and swallow them with red wine.

He closed his eyes and rested for a while, waiting for the effects of the medicine to slowly take hold. Then he turned around, his eyes red and his voice hoarse.

"You two, come over here together. I spent five thousand, so I'm going to have some fun."

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling exchanged a glance and slowly stood up.

Sun Xiaoyan never mentioned the details of that night to anyone afterward.

She only remembers that time stretched out for a very long time, and each fragment was like being immersed in murky liquid, distorted and blurry.

Those sounds—

The man's commands, Liu Meiling's responses, the whistling of the whip cutting through the air, and the sound of her own breathing.

The buzzing sound piled up in my ears.

She felt as if her body no longer belonged to her; like an observer, she floated in a corner of the ceiling, coldly watching everything that was happening below.

Liu Meiling, however, seemed to be getting more and more involved, and even took the initiative to come up with some new ideas.

Sun Xiaoyan heard her bargaining with the man, heard her laughing and saying, "Add a little more trouble fee, and we'll try something new," and heard the man's hearty laughter and the sound of banknotes being thrown onto the bed sheets.

As Sun Xiaoyan watched the banknotes fall, the last vestige of her heart shattered.

She began to imitate Liu Meiling, and started to cooperate, and even started to make sounds that she herself found unfamiliar.

Dignity and face are no longer important.

Money is the most important thing.

Just as the man was in high spirits after taking the medicine and about to start a new round of antics—

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"

The doorbell was suddenly rang, the sound urgent and loud.

Immediately afterwards, a shrill woman's voice rang out from outside the door, filled with boundless rage:

"Open the door! You bastard! Open the door! I know you're in there! You dare to mess around? You dare to open the door!"