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

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, warming my face.

Sun Xiaoyan opened her eyes, stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before realizing that this was not a dream.

She was indeed lying on the clean, soft bed. On the other bed next to her, Liu Meiling had just woken up and was stretching.

"This bed is so comfortable, it feels like sleeping on a cloud," Liu Meiling muttered.

Sun Xiaoyan didn't say anything; the anger in her heart hadn't subsided.

I slept exceptionally well last night, the best I've ever slept since leaving the village, no, the best I've ever slept in my entire life.

The two quickly got up and changed into the clean clothes that Brother Chen had prepared for them yesterday. They were just ordinary loungewear, but the material was quite good.

In the kitchen, Sun Xiaoyan was frying eggs, and Liu Meiling was cooking porridge.

With so much stuff in the fridge, they didn't dare make anything too complicated, so they just stir-fried some greens and chopped some pickled vegetables.

At 7:30, Brother Chen and his younger brother Xiao Hui arrived at the restaurant on time.

Xiao Hui was still the same as before, tall and thin, sitting down silently with his head down.

Brother Chen greeted them with a smile, "Good morning, thank you for your hard work."

"It's no trouble at all, Brother Chen, please have a seat." Liu Meiling quickly brought the porridge over.

The four of them sat down to eat.

The atmosphere was quiet, with only the clinking of bowls and chopsticks.

Sun Xiaoyan sipped her porridge, pondering what vegetables she should buy today.

Suddenly, Xiao Hui, who had been eating with his head down, raised his head, stared intently at Sun Xiaoyan, and then glanced at Liu Meiling.

"What did you do before?" Xiao Hui asked, his voice a little cold.

Sun Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat, and she almost dropped her spoon into the bowl.

Brother Chen's expression changed, and he slammed his chopsticks on the table: "Xiao Hui! How dare you talk like that? Eat your food!"

Xiao Hui ignored his brother and kept staring at Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling: "I was just asking. It's strange that two such young women are working as nannies and living in my house."

Liu Meiling forced a smile: "Little Hui, we used to... work in other places, it wasn't easy for us either. Brother Chen is kind-hearted, he gave us a chance."

"Where do you work? What do you do?" Xiao Hui persisted.

"Xiao Hui!" Brother Chen's voice turned stern. "If you spout any more nonsense, get out of here!"

Xiao Hui pursed his lips, gave a cold laugh, lowered his head and continued eating, no longer saying a word.

But these words pierced Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling's hearts like a thorn.

After finishing his meal, Chen wiped his mouth and said to them, "I have to go to work today. You guys clean the house. I'll go to the supermarket this afternoon to buy some groceries. I've put the list on the table, and the money is in the drawer."

He glanced at Xiaohui again: "Focus on your studies and stop thinking about nonsense all day."

Xiao Hui slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and walked away without looking back.

Brother Chen also went out.

Only Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling remained in the house.

"Meiling," Sun Xiaoyan whispered, "did that child... figure something out?"

Liu Meiling frowned: "What can he possibly know? He's just a high school student. Probably just going through a rebellious phase and doesn't like us. Ignore him and get the work done."

The two began cleaning.

The living room, bedroom, and kitchen are all quite clean, but the study is a bit messy.

There were some documents and books piled on the desk, and the floor was a little dusty.

Sun Xiaoyan wiped the table, and Liu Meiling mopped the floor.

When Liu Meiling dragged the mop behind the desk, the handle accidentally bumped into a wooden board on the side of the desk.

There was a thud, and the sound was somewhat hollow.

Liu Meiling stopped what she was doing, squatted down, and touched the wooden board with her hand.

There is a faint gap along the edge.

She tried to pry it open, and the wooden board actually loosened, sliding in a little to reveal a hidden drawer.

"Xiaoyan, look." Liu Meiling lowered her voice.

Sun Xiaoyan came closer.

The drawer wasn't locked, so Liu Meiling gently pulled it open.

There wasn't much inside.

A few yellowed photos, and a folded old newspaper.

Liu Meiling picked up the photo.

The photo shows a much younger Chen Ge posing with a woman.

The woman was quite pretty, with a gentle smile. The two were standing very close together, and they seemed to have a close relationship.

However, the edges of the photo have turned yellow and curled.

She picked up the newspaper clipping again.

The newspaper is from many years ago, and the date is blurred.

The headline is eye-catching: "A young woman has mysteriously disappeared in our city, and the police are conducting a full-scale search."

The report was short, saying that a woman in her twenties went missing one evening after get off work. Her family reported her missing to the police, who searched for several days without success.

A somewhat blurry photo of a woman was also attached.

Liu Meiling's hand trembled slightly.

The woman in the photo, though blurry, has eyebrows and eyes that... look about seven or eight parts like the woman in the previous group photo.

Sun Xiaoyan saw it too; she covered her mouth, her face turning pale.

"This...this is..." Sun Xiaoyan's voice trembled.

Liu Meiling quickly folded the photos and clippings back to their original positions, stuffed them back into the drawer, and then pushed the wooden board back in place, making sure it fit perfectly.

The two squatted behind the desk, not moving for a long time.

"Meiling," Sun Xiaoyan grabbed Liu Meiling's arm, "Brother Chen...is he...?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Liu Meiling interrupted her, but her own voice trembled slightly. "It might just be... a coincidence. That woman might be his ex-wife, divorced, or... gone abroad."

"What about the newspaper clipping?" Sun Xiaoyan asked.

"How would I know!" Liu Meiling scratched her hair in frustration. "Maybe...maybe it's someone he knows, just showing concern."

She herself didn't believe it when she said that.

The two looked at each other and saw deep unease and fear in each other's eyes.

This house, this job, this sudden "good luck"—it seems like there's something hidden beneath all of this.

It was cold, dark, and sent chills down my spine.

"What should we do?" Sun Xiaoyan asked, her voice trembling with tears. "Should we...should we run away?"

"Run?" Liu Meiling smiled bitterly. "Run to where? Back to the streets? Back to the hair salon? Or back to the village to be ridiculed?"

Sun Xiaoyan fell silent.

"Let's take another look," Liu Meiling took a deep breath, "Don't make a fuss yet. Maybe... we're just overthinking it. Brother Chen doesn't seem like a bad guy."

"That child this morning..." Sun Xiaoyan recalled Xiao Hui's eyes.

"Can we trust what a child says?" Liu Meiling stood up, patted her pants, and said, "Finish mopping the floor first. We'll go grocery shopping this afternoon and pretend nothing happened."

Sun Xiaoyan slowly stood up, her legs still a little weak.

The two continued cleaning silently, but their movements became mechanical, and their minds were completely elsewhere.

After cleaning the study, they left the room and gently closed the door.

Standing in the bright living room, the sunlight was still very good, and the house was still spacious and clean.

But both Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling felt an invisible chill slowly creeping up from the soles of their feet.