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

The police car drove into the border police station yard and stopped with a screech.

The car door opened, and plainclothes police officer A pulled Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling out of the car.

The two men were still handcuffed and naked, with only the collars around their necks remaining.

"Go in." Plainclothes police officer A's voice was cold.

Sun Xiaoyan's legs went weak, and she was pushed forward.

Liu Meiling followed behind her, her head down.

The police station was brightly lit, a stark white light that hurt your eyes.

Plainclothes police officer A spoke a few words to the officer on duty. The officer on duty glanced at Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling with a complicated look in his eyes, and then pointed to the two rooms inside.

"Interrogate them separately," said plainclothes police officer A.

Sun Xiaoyan was pushed into the room on the left, and Liu Meiling was pushed into the room on the right.

The interrogation room was small, with just a table and two chairs.

The wall reads, "Confess and you will be treated leniently; resist and you will be punished severely."

Sun Xiaoyan sat in the chair, her wrists aching from the handcuffs.

She hunched over, trying to cover the exposed areas, but it was no use.

Plainclothes police officer A walked in, closed the door, and sat down across from him at the table.

He took out a folder and opened it.

"Sun Xiaoyan, right?" he asked.

Sun Xiaoyan nodded.

"Do you know why I brought you here?"

Sun Xiaoyan shook her head, then nodded, unsure of what to say.

Plainclothes police officer A pulled out several printed photos from a folder and pushed them in front of Sun Xiaoyan.

Sun Xiaoyan glanced at it and her heart almost stopped.

The photo shows Chen and his ex-wife together, along with a newspaper clipping with the headline "Missing Woman Case Remains Unresolved."

The other photos are screenshots taken with a mobile phone. They are blurry, but you can tell they were taken secretly. There are scenes inside a private room in a club, and people are talking. There are text labels next to them.

"These," plainclothes officer A pointed to the photos, "were provided to us by a man named Xiao Hui. He said that you and your sister, Liu Meiling, know the inside story."

Sun Xiaoyan was trembling all over.

"Boss Zhou, Brother Chen," plainclothes police officer A looked at her, "you know all these people, right?"

Sun Xiaoyan bit her lip and didn't say anything.

"Silence won't help." Plainclothes officer A pulled out a few more sheets of paper. "We checked, and you two escaped from a warehouse. That warehouse is where Boss Zhou used to lock up 'goods,' which were prepared for shipment to Southeast Asia. This thing around your necks," he pointed to Sun Xiaoyan's collar, "is their mark."

Sun Xiaoyan's tears fell.

"Now I'm giving you a chance," said plainclothes officer A. "Tell me everything you know. Besides human trafficking, what else have Boss Zhou and his gang done? What's the story with Brother Chen's ex-wife? What shady things have the club owners been talking about?"

Sun Xiaoyan remained silent, only crying.

Plainclothes police officer A waited for a while, and when she didn't respond, he picked up the walkie-talkie and said a few words.

Not long after, another policeman came in with a tablet computer and handed it to plainclothes officer A.

Plainclothes police officer A opened an audio file and turned up the volume.

Indistinct voices could be heard coming from inside; it was a man's voice.

"...That matter has been suppressed...the evidence is in the safe..."

"...The land permit has been approved...the 'kickback' has been paid over there..."

Sun Xiaoyan recognized the voice; she had overheard it that night at the club while she was drinking with customers.

The audio stopped.

"This was also provided by Xiaohui," said plainclothes police officer A. "The recording equipment was hidden on your person, right?"

Sun Xiaoyan finally couldn't take it anymore.

She nodded, her voice hoarse: "Yes...it was us who recorded it..."

"Then tell me," said plainclothes police officer A, picking up a pen.

Sun Xiaoyan began to speak intermittently.

She described how Boss Zhou took them to the club, how he made them accompany those bosses, and how he made them play those perverted games.

She said that Brother Chen threatened them, talking about killing his wife for insurance money, and saying that he would make them scapegoats.

She said the owners in the club talked about land, bribery, and how to "clean things up".

But she did not mention any specific names or amounts.

When it came to the crucial points, she glossed over them.

"I...I dare not say too much detail," Sun Xiaoyan said, crying, "They will kill me..."

Plainclothes officer A took notes, not pressuring her, but simply asking, "Do the people in your village know you're doing these things?"

Sun Xiaoyan paused for a moment, then shook her head: "No...you didn't know...we haven't been back for a long time..."

Plainclothes police officer A picked up the landline and dialed a number.

"Hello, is this the XX Town Police Station in XX County? This is the border police station. We need your assistance in locating two people: Sun Xiaoyan, female, 23 years old; and Liu Meiling, female, 23 years old. Yes, please check their household registration information and their situation in the village."

What was said on the other end of the phone? Plainclothes police officer A listened and responded with a few "hmm"s.

After hanging up the phone, he looked at Sun Xiaoyan.

"Your village police station has replied," he said, "You two are indeed from that village. But..."

He paused.

"The village expelled you several months ago. The reason was that you were associating with men in the village, gambling, and possibly even engaging in prostitution, which was immoral. The village said they don't want or will accept people who disgrace the family."

Sun Xiaoyan was stunned.

"However," plainclothes officer A continued, "they've already contacted your husbands. Your husband, Jiang Jianjun, and Liu Meiling's husband, Li Guoqing, are both working in other provinces, right? The police station said they'll notify them to come over."

Sun Xiaoyan's mind went blank.

The village doesn't want them anymore.

My husband is coming.

She slumped in the chair, feeling as if all the strength had been drained from her body.

The other side is the interrogation room.

Liu Meiling was also talking.

She spoke more fluently than Sun Xiaoyan, but was also more cunning.

She admitted to drinking with clients and serving the boss, but described many things as "forced" or "unavoidable."

When asked about Chen killing his wife for insurance money, she said she had only heard about it and wasn't sure.

When asked about the conversations between the club owners, she said she couldn't understand them because she was too busy drinking with them.

Plainclothes police officer A also played the recording for her and showed her the photo.

Liu Meiling's face was pale, but she was still trying to hold on.

"Officer, we are victims too," she said. "Look at us, all dressed in collars. We were forced into this..."

Plainclothes officer A didn't answer her question, but instead made a similar call to assist in the investigation.

After hanging up the phone, he told Liu Meiling about the village's response.

Upon hearing this, Liu Meiling's forced composure crumbled instantly.

"The village... really said that?" Her voice trembled.

"Yes." Plainclothes officer A nodded. "They've also contacted your husbands. They should be here soon."

Liu Meiling lowered her head, her fingers clenching tightly into her palm.

The doors to the two interrogation rooms opened almost simultaneously.

Plainclothes police officer A came out and said to the officer on duty, "Let them wait inside and not come out."

The police officer on duty nodded.

Plainclothes police officer A walked into the office and had just sat down when he heard hurried footsteps outside.

Two men stormed into the police station, covered in dust and with bloodshot eyes.

"Officer! We are Jiang Jianjun and Li Guoqing! We received a call saying our wives are here!" The man in front had a loud voice; it was Jiang Jianjun.

Following behind was Li Guoqing, who was shorter but had a darker complexion, gritting his teeth and remaining silent.

The police officer on duty stood up: "Please don't rush, let's complete the formalities."

"What procedures are you going to do!" Jiang Jianjun roared. "Where are they? Where is Sun Xiaoyan? Where is Liu Meiling?"

His voice was so loud that Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling in the interrogation rooms on both sides of the corridor could hear it.

Sun Xiaoyan trembled all over.

Liu Meiling suddenly raised her head.

Plainclothes police officer A came out of the office and looked at Jiang Jianjun and Li Guoqing: "Everyone is fine, we're taking their statements. Calm down and tell us what happened."

Jiang Jianjun, panting heavily, his eyes wide like saucers, exclaimed, "What did you say? That they were doing those shady things in the village? That they ran away to sell themselves? Officer, we got a call from the village saying they were here because they were arrested for prostitution! Is that right?"

Li Guoqing finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "Meiling...did she really do it?"

Plainclothes officer A didn't answer directly, only saying, "The matter is still under investigation. Please complete the formalities first, and then..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Jianjun had already rushed toward the interrogation room where the sound was coming from.

"Sun Xiaoyan! Are you in there?!" he shouted, banging on the door.

The door wasn't locked, and he knocked it open.

Sun Xiaoyan sat in a chair, naked, wearing handcuffs, with the collar still around her neck.

She looked up and saw Jiang Jianjun standing at the door.

Jiang Jianjun also saw her.

Time seemed to stand still.

Jiang Jianjun's face froze, his anger, anxiety, and disbelief all frozen in place.

He looked at Sun Xiaoyan's naked body, at the leather collar around her neck, and at the handcuffs on her wrists.

Sun Xiaoyan opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Then she saw Jiang Jianjun's face change from red to white, and then from white to green.

Li Guoqing followed and stood at the door.

He saw Liu Meiling in the interrogation room next door, also naked, wearing handcuffs and a collar.

When Liu Meiling saw Li Guoqing, she shrank back, trying to hide, but there was nowhere to hide.

The four people's eyes met in the corridor.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling began to tremble uncontrollably.

Jiang Jianjun slowly clenched his fist, his bones cracking.

Li Guoqing's eyes were red, not the kind of red from crying, but the kind of red from bloodshot eyes.

Plainclothes police officer A walked over and stood between them.

"Are the formalities complete?" he asked the police officer on duty.

The police officer on duty nodded: "It's done."

Plainclothes police officer A looked at Jiang Jianjun and Li Guoqing: "You can take the people back first, but the case is not over yet, and you need to cooperate with the investigation at any time."

Jiang Jianjun didn't move, still staring intently at Sun Xiaoyan.

Sun Xiaoyan lowered her head, and large tears fell to the ground.

The corridor was eerily quiet, with only heavy breathing as the only sound.

And an uncontrollable trembling.