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

On the sofa, Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling's hands were still tightly clasped together, their palms sweaty.

Underneath the door of Xiaohui's room next door, it was pitch black, without a single ray of light.

The whimper and muffled sound just now were like a stone being thrown into water; now the surface of the water is completely still, eerily quiet.

Liu Meiling first let go of her hand and licked her dry lips.

"How about... we go take a look?" Her voice was extremely low, like a mosquito's buzz.

Sun Xiaoyan shook her head violently, her hair trembling: "No...don't go? What if..."

"What if what?" Liu Meiling took a deep breath, as if to encourage herself. "I can't just sit here staring blankly all night. Listen, it's quiet now, maybe... nothing's wrong?"

As she spoke, she slowly stood up from the sofa, her legs a little weak, but she managed to stand.

Sun Xiaoyan looked at her, then at the black door, her heart pounding with anxiety.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and stood up as well.

The two tiptoed and slowly made their way to Xiao Hui's door.

Liu Meiling gently placed her hand on the doorknob; it was icy cold.

She turned and glanced at Sun Xiaoyan, whose face was as white as paper. Sun Xiaoyan nodded at her.

The door wasn't locked.

Liu Meiling gently pushed the door open a crack.

The main lights weren't on inside; only the light from the computer screen flickered, casting a shadowy figure.

The two peered through the crack.

Xiao Hui sat naked in the chair in front of the computer, his back to the door. A white, fleshy image was moving on the screen. The volume was very low, but the moaning and groaning could still be heard.

Several wads of used toilet paper were lying on the ground.

Xiao Hui seemed too engrossed in his work to hear the door open.

Liu Meiling and Sun Xiaoyan were stuck at the doorway, unsure whether to go in or back out.

Just then, Xiao Hui seemed to have finished, took a breath, and reached out to pull at his underwear draped over the back of the chair.

He turned his head and met two pairs of wide-eyed stares at him from the doorway.

Time seemed to stand still for a few seconds.

Xiao Hui's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, his eyes widened, and the movement of pulling up his underwear froze in mid-air.

"Get out!"

He suddenly roared, his voice sharp and angry, still panting.

Liu Meiling and Sun Xiaoyan were terrified and frantically pulled the door back.

The door slammed shut.

The two leaned against the door, panting heavily, their hearts pounding as if they were about to jump out of their chests.

After a few seconds, Liu Meiling suddenly chuckled and covered her mouth.

Her shoulders were shaking as she tried her best to suppress her laughter.

Sun Xiaoyan looked at her, still shaken: "Meiling, you..."

"Oh my god," Liu Meiling whispered with a laugh in Sun Xiaoyan's ear, "You scared me to death! I thought something was wrong... Turns out it was just that your little brother was a bit hot-tempered and took care of himself."

Sun Xiaoyan was stunned for a moment, then her face flushed red, all the way to her ears.

But the heavy weight in my heart seemed to have lightened considerably.

"Come on, let's go to sleep." Liu Meiling pulled her along, tiptoeing back to the living room. She didn't dare sit on the sofa anymore and quickly went back to her bedroom.

After closing the door, the two lay on the bed, and Sun Xiaoyan still felt her face burning.

"Do you think... he might tell his brother?" Sun Xiaoyan asked softly.

"Tell him what?" Liu Meiling said dismissively. "Tell his brother we were peeping at him masturbating? He'd be too embarrassed! Don't worry, nothing will happen tomorrow."

These words were crude, but strangely they reassured Sun Xiaoyan a little.

The next morning, the two got up as usual to make breakfast.

The atmosphere was a bit tense when Brother Chen and Xiao Hui sat down at the dining table.

Xiao Hui kept his head down, shoveling rice into his mouth quickly, without glancing at Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling even once.

As usual, Brother Chen asked how you slept last night.

Liu Meiling smiled and said it was good, and Sun Xiaoyan nodded in agreement.

After finishing his meal, Brother Chen took out his wallet, pulled out a stack of red bills, and placed them on the table.

"Buy more groceries today, some friends are coming over tonight. Pick the good stuff, don't skimp on the price."

Sun Xiaoyan looked at the stack of money and thought to herself, "Didn't I give them money for groceries yesterday?"

Liu Meiling quickly picked up the money and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Brother Chen, I'll definitely handle it perfectly for you, so your friend can eat and drink well."

Brother Chen nodded in satisfaction and went to work.

Xiao Hui also slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and ran off quickly.

Liu Meiling pulled Sun Xiaoyan to start clearing the dishes and wiping the table.

Then, she turned and pushed open the door to Xiaohui's room.

"Meiling!" Sun Xiaoyan followed to the door, a little flustered.

"What are you afraid of? He's gone to school." Liu Meiling had already started searching inside.

She picked up the underwear from yesterday from the chair, then took out other changes of clothes from the laundry basket, and carried them out in a large armful.

"You...you really washed it?" Sun Xiaoyan looked at the wad of fabric, her face flushing again.

"Go ahead and wash him, otherwise it'll be awkward for him to wash it himself," Liu Meiling said matter-of-factly. "Let's wash together, hurry up."

Sun Xiaoyan couldn't refuse her, so she had no choice but to go with her to the bathroom.

The two squatted on the ground, washing clothes.

Liu Meiling picked up the underwear and chuckled, "Judging by this amount, the young man has quite the stamina."

Sun Xiaoyan gave her a push: "Say less!"

Even as she said that, she couldn't help but laugh.

After washing and hanging the clothes on the balcony, looking at the row of dripping clothes, the fear from last night seemed to have truly melted away in the sun.

In the afternoon, the two of them took the money given to them by Brother Chen and went to a large supermarket.

Liu Meiling had a clear goal and headed straight for the fresh produce section.

"Two pounds of pork ribs, live shrimp, a sea bass, and... a chicken too. And bring a variety of vegetables."

She kept muttering to herself as she put things into the shopping cart.

Sun Xiaoyan followed behind her, watching the car fill up more and more, and felt a little worried: "Will we have enough money to buy so much?"

"That's enough. Brother Chen gave us so much, and we can just add a little more money for yesterday's groceries. It's more than enough. When you're treating someone, you have to do it properly." Liu Meiling said without turning her head.

The two carried large and small bags home and spent the whole afternoon busy in the kitchen.

The aroma of braised pork ribs wafted out when it was almost dark.

Around 6 o'clock, Brother Chen returned with four men.

They were all wearing suits and ties, and they looked quite professional.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling quickly brought the dishes to the table, making a large table full of food.

The two changed their clothes, wearing the new black suspender dresses and high heels they had bought yesterday, and curled their hair and put on makeup.

As soon as he stood by the table, all four men's eyes swept over him.

"Old Chen, wow! Your housekeeper is so pretty?" a bespectacled man said with a smile.

Brother Chen waved his hand: "Let's eat, it's all home-style cooking."

Liu Meiling immediately stepped forward and poured wine for the guests, filling both the white and red wine glasses to the brim.

Sun Xiaoyan followed suit, serving soup and vegetables to everyone.

All night long, the four men talked about land plots, financing, and policies, which Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling couldn't understand a word of.

Their job was to smile, nod, and add wine and food as needed.

Occasionally, men would jokingly ask, "How does Xiao Liu maintain such a figure?"

"Miss Sun has such beautiful skin."

Liu Meiling laughed and changed the subject: "The food at Brother Chen's house is good for you."

Sun Xiaoyan smiled and didn't say much.

No one laid a hand on them, not even a single touch.

It's just drinking, chatting, and bragging.

Sun Xiaoyan gradually relaxed, and even felt that this seemed... quite normal?

Around 10 p.m., the guests, having finished their meal and drinks, dispersed.

When Brother Chen returned from seeing the guests off, he had a smile on his face as he looked at the two people who were clearing the table.

"You did a good job today," he said, taking two red envelopes out of his pocket and handing them to them. "Here, this is for your hard work."

Liu Meiling quickly replied, saying, "Thank you, Brother Chen, it's nothing."

Sun Xiaoyan accepted the red envelope and thanked her softly.

After cleaning up the kitchen, the two returned to their bedroom.

After closing the door, Liu Meiling eagerly opened the red envelope.

"Wow, five hundred!" Her eyes lit up. "Five hundred each, that's more than we make in several days at the hair salon."

Sun Xiaoyan also opened hers, and sure enough, there were five red bills inside.

She held the money, her mind filled with mixed feelings.

"Meiling, you said... Brother Chen, he..."

"What about him?" Liu Meiling counted the money without looking up. "He pays readily, stays in good accommodations, eats well, and the work isn't tiring. In the evenings, he just keeps you company and talks to you. Isn't that much better than the 'jobs' we used to do? I think Brother Chen is a good person. We've hit the jackpot."

Sun Xiaoyan hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more.

She walked to the window and looked at the brightly lit city night view outside.

The brand-new banknotes in my hand were stiff and smelled of ink.

But in her heart, she always felt like she was walking on cotton, uneasy.

Liu Meiling was still happily counting her money a second time on the bed, humming a little tune.

Sun Xiaoyan's expressionless face was reflected in the windowpane.