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

Broken glass shards were scattered all over the floor, and red wine mixed with blood smeared into a mess in Sun Xiaoyan's palm.

She didn't feel any pain; she just sat there slumped, staring blankly ahead.

Liu Meiling, arm in arm with Brother Li, had already reached the bedroom door.

Brother Li's greasy hand wrapped around Liu Meiling's waist and slid down a little.

Liu Meiling turned around and glanced back.

He glanced at her, then quickly turned back, his face beaming with a smile.

"Brother Li, this way, please be careful."

Her voice was sweet and cloying, completely different from when she was trembling in the living room.

The bedroom door opened and then closed.

A soft click.

There were only three people left in the living room.

Brother Chen, Sun Xiaoyan, and Xiao Hui standing not far behind Brother Chen.

Xiao Hui remained the same, his hands in his school uniform pockets, his face expressionless, as if nothing had happened.

Brother Chen lit a cigarette and took a puff.

He walked up to Sun Xiaoyan and squatted down.

Sun Xiaoyan still didn't react, her eyes fixed on the broken glass on the floor.

Brother Chen reached out, picked up the larger pieces of broken glass, and threw them aside.

He moved slowly, picking up the items as he said, "If you listen to me, you'll have good days ahead."

Sun Xiaoyan's body trembled.

Brother Chen looked up at her: "If you don't listen, then it's hard to say. What you've done, enough to get you a few years in prison, huh?"

Sun Xiaoyan nodded, her lips trembling.

She nodded slowly and heavily, as if she had a thousand-pound stone hanging around her neck.

Brother Chen was satisfied.

He stood up, dusted off his hands, and took another drag of his cigarette.

"Clean up the floor," he said, turning to walk to the sofa, sitting down, and crossing his legs.

Sun Xiaoyan still didn't move.

Xiao Hui walked over, went around her, entered his room, and closed the door.

Only Brother Chen and Sun Xiaoyan remained in the living room.

There were also faint sounds coming from the bedroom.

At first, there were voices, and Brother Li's rough, hoarse voice was laughing.

Then came other sounds.

The bed creaked and groaned, accompanied by Liu Meiling's suppressed moans and Brother Li's satisfied hums.

As Sun Xiaoyan listened, blood was still flowing from her palms.

She slowly lowered her head, looking at the torn skirt on her legs.

It was torn open, and my thigh was exposed.

She reached out to try and straighten the cloth, but the more she pulled, the more it tore open.

She stopped and remained still.

Brother Chen was smoking on the sofa, one cigarette after another.

The ashtray filled up quickly.

He stared at the bedroom door, his face expressionless, only occasionally furrowing his brow as if he were thinking about something.

Time passes slowly.

The clock in the living room ticked away, each tick sending a shiver down one's spine.

Sun Xiaoyan didn't know how long she had been sitting there.

The blood on her palms seemed to have dried and was sticky.

My legs are numb too.

The sounds from the bedroom continued, intermittent, sometimes loud and sometimes soft.

Liu Meiling's cries sounded like pain one moment, and like... something else the next.

Sun Xiaoyan closed her eyes.

She didn't want to hear it.

But the sound still managed to penetrate my ears.

I don't know how much time passed before the bedroom door opened.

Brother Li came out first, fastening his belt as he walked.

His face was flushed, and he was sweating on his forehead, so he walked a little unsteadily.

"Old Chen, I'm leaving." He waved to Brother Chen, his voice still a little breathless.

Brother Chen nodded: "Take care, Brother Li."

Brother Li chuckled, glanced at Sun Xiaoyan who was still sprawled on the ground, licked his lips, said nothing, opened the door and left.

The door closed.

Liu Meiling followed her out.

Her hair was messy, her dress was wrinkled, and there were several red marks on her neck.

She walked with a slight limp, and one hand was supporting her against the wall.

Walking to the middle of the living room, she took out a wad of cash from her skirt pocket.

A thick stack of pink bills.

She walked up to Brother Chen and handed him the money.

"Brother Chen, Brother Li gave it to me."

Brother Chen took the money, unfolded it with his fingers, and roughly counted it.

He nodded and stuffed the money into his pocket.

"Okay, let's do it this way from now on." He looked at Liu Meiling. "We have guests tomorrow night, it's important. You two get ready."

Liu Meiling hummed in agreement.

She turned around and looked at Sun Xiaoyan, who was still sitting on the ground.

The two exchanged a glance.

There was something in Liu Meiling's eyes that Sun Xiaoyan couldn't understand.

But she quickly looked away, limped back to her bedroom, and closed the door.

The living room fell silent again.

Brother Chen stood up and walked up to Sun Xiaoyan.

"Get up," he said.

Sun Xiaoyan didn't move.

Brother Chen bent down, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up.

Sun Xiaoyan's legs went weak, she lost her balance and swayed.

Brother Chen released her hand and looked at her: "Go wash up and tidy yourself up. We have important guests tomorrow night, don't embarrass me."

Sun Xiaoyan lowered her head and hummed in agreement.

Brother Chen turned around and went back to his room.

Sun Xiaoyan stood there for a while, then slowly moved to the bathroom.

She turned on the tap and splashed cold water onto her palms.

The blood was washed away, revealing several shallow cuts, which looked frightening.

She ignored it and washed her face again.

The person in the mirror had a pale face, red and swollen eyes, and messy hair.

She looked in the mirror for a long time.

Then she turned around, walked out of the bathroom, and went back to her bedroom.

Liu Meiling was already lying on the bed, with her back to her.

Sun Xiaoyan also lay down, her back to Liu Meiling.

Neither of them spoke.

Outside the window, the city lights were still on, and the neon lights were flashing.

The room was pitch black, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering through the gaps in the curtains.

Chen returned at dusk the next day.

He was carrying two large bags, which he threw onto the living room sofa.

"Put it on," he said.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling walked over and opened the bag.

There were two new outfits inside.

Skirt, high heels, and underwear.

The material is very good, it feels smooth to the touch, and it doesn't look cheap.

"Go change and put on some makeup," Brother Chen said. "The guests will be here soon."

Liu Meiling's eyes lit up, and she picked up a set and headed towards her bedroom.

Sun Xiaoyan also picked up another set and went back to her room.

The clothes fit perfectly.

The dress was black, tight-fitting, and had a low neckline.

The high heels are red, with thin heels, making it difficult to walk in them.

Sun Xiaoyan is putting on makeup in front of the mirror.

Foundation, lipstick, eyeshadow.

The person in the mirror is becoming more and more unfamiliar.

After finishing her makeup, she came out.

Liu Meiling also came out.

The two stood together, and Brother Chen looked them up and down before nodding.

"good."

He took out his phone from his pocket, found a photo, and showed it to them.

The photo shows a man, around fifty years old, wearing a suit and tie, with his hair neatly combed.

His eyes were sharp as he looked at the camera, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, but it didn't look like he was smiling.

"Boss Zhou," Brother Chen said, "tonight's guests. Serve them well, and you'll climb the ranks. Don't serve them well..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Liu Meiling stared at the photo for a few moments, then nodded: "Don't worry, Brother Chen, I'll definitely take good care of you."

Sun Xiaoyan did not speak.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Ding dong.

Brother Chen put away his phone, straightened his collar, and went to open the door.

The door opened.

A man stood in the doorway.

That's the boss Zhou in the photo.

He is taller and thinner in person than in photos, and his eyes are sharper.

A young man in a suit, carrying a briefcase, followed behind him; he was probably his secretary.

Boss Zhou walked in and glanced around the living room.

Finally, the focus shifted to Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling.

He stared at her for a long time, especially lingering on Sun Xiaoyan's face.

Then he raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.

"Mr. Chen," he said in a low voice, "the gift is nice."