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

Chen finally spoke, his voice low, but every word sharp as ice: "Brother Li, I sent you here to do some 'standard stuff.' Who told you to add your own drama? Couldn't you just go for it? All this ropes and cameras, are you doing performance art?"

The fat on the customer, Brother Li, twitched, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Old Chen, I just... saw they were good-looking and wanted to take some interesting photos. Just kidding, really just kidding..."

"A joke?" Brother Chen sneered, taking a step forward, his shoes making a slight crunching sound on the floor. "In my own home, the people who kidnapped me took these kinds of photos, and you call that a joke?"

He walked up to Brother Li, and the two stood very close to each other.

Chen lowered his voice, but the living room was too quiet, and Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling could still vaguely hear him: "That little thing, have you forgotten? Hmm?"

Brother Li's face turned pale instantly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead: "Old Chen, you...you mustn't misunderstand, I just did it on a whim. That matter...that matter, I'll definitely keep it to myself!"

"Rotten inside?" Brother Chen's voice grew even colder. "I think you wanted it to see the light of day, didn't you? You hired two nannies, hoping to find a scapegoat to take the blame. But you got carried away and almost got us both in jail."

Sun Xiaoyan slumped against the pillar, her ears ringing.

Drawer...photographs...newspaper clippings...ex-wife missing...

It turns out they weren't overthinking it.

The things in that drawer really were evidence of murder.

This Brother Li is an accomplice.

They hired a nanny to find a scapegoat.

They didn't take any photos, nor did they call the police.

So Brother Chen changed his mind and cleaned them up, packaged them as toys, and used them to "serve" his superiors or business partners.

It's more useful than just being a scapegoat.

Liu Meiling stood by the coffee table, her body trembling slightly, but her eyes had changed.

The fear remains, but it's more of a cold, rapid calculation.

Chen turned around, no longer looking at Li, whose face was ashen, and his gaze fell on Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling.

"You two," he began, his tone chillingly calm, "saw something you shouldn't have seen in my study that day, in the drawer, didn't you?"

Sun Xiaoyan's lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Liu Meiling took a deep breath and forced herself to speak: "Brother Chen, we...we didn't take anything, and we didn't say anything."

"Didn't say anything? That's because you're smart." Brother Chen twitched the corners of his mouth, but it wasn't a real smile. "If you had taken it and said something, you wouldn't be standing here now."

He paused, then continued, "That was evidence in my ex-wife's disappearance case. Brother Li is my 'friend,' and he helped me out. We were originally thinking of finding two caregivers from out of town with no connections, and then having them 'accidentally' take something when the time was right, then reporting it to the police, and someone would take the blame."

His gaze swept over Sun Xiaoyan's tattered dress and Liu Meiling's pale face: "So, both of you, your hands are quite clean. I took a look, and you're both good-looking and have good figures. It's a waste to kill you, so why not keep you around, clean you up, and use you to serve the leaders and cultivate relationships? Isn't that better than finding a scapegoat?"

Sun Xiaoyan felt all her strength drained away. She slid down the pillar and collapsed completely to the ground.

It’s over.

It's all over.

This is not a scam.

This was a grave that had been dug long ago. They walked in on their own.

"Now," Chen's voice pulled her back from despair a little, but it also brought a deeper chill, "you know. It's good that you know, so I don't have to beat around the bush."

He walked up to Sun Xiaoyan, squatted down, and looked into her empty eyes.

"Listen up, from today onwards, you'll continue to 'serve'. From now on, whoever I tell you to serve, whether it's someone like Brother Li or anyone else, you'll serve them. You won't be shortchanged on money; you'll earn much more than you do in hair salons or on the street."

Sun Xiaoyan listened numbly.

"If you dare call the police," Chen's voice lowered, hissing like a venomous snake, "I'll tell you, you two are accomplices in the murder. You stole the photos to blackmail me. I've investigated you, Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling, you're from the village, you used to be prostitutes, working in hair salons and hotels in the city, doing the same thing. If the police investigate, they'll find out everything. Your petty crimes aren't enough to get you a few years in prison."

He stood up, looking down at them: "Isn't this good? You get paid and have a place to stay. You have no choice but to cooperate. Otherwise, I'll report you for prostitution. Guess what, will the police investigate my 'missing person case' first, or arrest you two 'professionals' first?"

Liu Meiling clenched her hands quietly at her sides, her nails digging into her palms.

She looked at Brother Chen, then at Brother Li standing stiffly beside her, and at Sun Xiaoyan lying paralyzed on the ground.

A crazy idea started growing wildly in her mind.

Brother Chen walked behind Sun Xiaoyan and untied the remaining rope from her wrists, his movements far from gentle.

Sun Xiaoyan had a red mark around her wrist, but she didn't feel any pain. She just sat there slumped like a lump of mud.

Brother Chen walked to the wine cabinet and poured four glasses of red wine.

He handed Brother Li a cup, which Brother Li accepted with trembling hands.

He then walked up to Liu Meiling and handed her a cup.

Liu Meiling took it; her fingers were icy cold.

Finally, he walked up to Sun Xiaoyan and shoved the wine glass into her hand.

Sun Xiaoyan didn't catch it properly, the wine glass wobbled, and a few drops of red wine spilled onto the back of her hand, looking like blood.

"Take it," Brother Chen ordered.

Sun Xiaoyan numbly gripped the cup.

Brother Chen picked up a glass himself and raised it.

"Come on," he said, a familiar, gentle smile returning to his face, but now it looked incredibly chilling, "let's celebrate. From now on, we're family. Family, no need for formalities."

Brother Li quickly raised his glass, his hand still trembling.

Liu Meiling raised her glass, her eyes gleaming.

Sun Xiaoyan looked at the wine glass in her hand, the scarlet liquid swirling around.

Slowly, very slowly, she also raised it up.

Four cups gently clinked together.

Ding.

The sound was very soft, but it was exceptionally clear in the deathly silent living room.

The four of them tilted their heads back and drank the wine.

Each had their own ulterior motives.

After finishing his drink, Brother Chen put the cup on the coffee table and looked at Brother Li: "Brother Li, let's put today's matter behind us. From now on, things will be the same as before. Understand?"

Brother Li nodded repeatedly, "Understood, understood! Don't worry, Old Chen!"

Brother Chen then looked at Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling: "You two, tidy up. Tonight... Brother Li was frightened, so you two should 'comfort' him properly."

Liu Meiling put down her wine glass, took a deep breath, and forced a smile.

She walked over to Sun Xiaoyan, who was still trembling, pulled her up, and whispered, "Xiaoyan, get up."

Sun Xiaoyan was half-dragged and half-pulled up by her, her legs still weak.

Liu Meiling helped her up and turned to Brother Li, her smile widening, her voice carrying a deliberate coquettishness: "Brother Li, I'm sorry about earlier, we didn't serve you well. Please don't take it to heart."

As she spoke, she released Sun Xiaoyan, swayed her hips towards Brother Li, and took his arm: "Come on, Brother Li, let's... continue!"

Brother Li paused for a moment, then looked at Brother Chen.

Brother Chen nodded, his face expressionless.

Brother Li finally breathed a sigh of relief, his greasy smile returning to his face, and he casually put his arm around Liu Meiling's waist.

Liu Meiling turned around and glanced at Sun Xiaoyan, who was still frozen in place. Her eyes were complicated, but she quickly turned back and walked close to Brother Li towards the bedroom in the living room.

Sun Xiaoyan stood there, watching Liu Meiling's back, then looked at Xiao Hui who was watching coldly beside her, and Chen Ge who was expressionless.

The empty wine glass in my hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

Broken.