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

Before it was fully light, Jiang Jianjun dragged Sun Xiaoyan out of bed.

"Get up, catch the train."

Sun Xiaoyan was getting dressed in a daze when she felt her arm being pinched painfully.

Jiang Jianjun didn't let go, and kept pulling her out of the hotel.

Li Guoqing also pulled Liu Meiling up from the opposite bed, his movements equally rough.

The four of them skipped breakfast and went straight to the train station.

The town's train station was very small, with only one ticket window open.

Jiang Jianjun bought four tickets for the green-skinned train to the provincial capital, hard seats.

"Let's go." He handed two tickets to Li Guoqing, then gripped Sun Xiaoyan's wrist tightly.

Sun Xiaoyan tried to break free, but Jiang Jianjun's fingers were like iron clamps.

"Don't even think about running away," he said in a low voice.

Liu Meiling was squeezed into a window seat by Li Guoqing. Li Guoqing sat next to her, his elbow pressing against her waist, trapping her tightly against the window.

The train was at 6:20, just as dawn was breaking.

Several people stood on the platform waiting. Sun Xiaoyan looked around. Outside the platform were fields, and the fog was very thick.

But Jiang Jianjun stayed close by, so she had no chance at all.

The whistle sounded, and the train slowly pulled in.

Jiang Jianjun dragged Sun Xiaoyan into the car, pressed her into a seat, and sat on the outside himself.

Li Guoqing also pushed Liu Meiling into the seat and sat next to her.

The train started moving, clanging and rattling, and the fog outside the window rushed backward.

None of the four people spoke.

Sun Xiaoyan looked down and saw a red mark on her wrist where Jiang Jianjun had pinched her.

Liu Meiling stared blankly out the window.

Jiang Jianjun leaned back in his seat, his eyes half-closed, but his hand was still gripping Sun Xiaoyan's arm.

The train sped up, and the clanging grew louder and louder.

About an hour later, Sun Xiaoyan whispered, "I need to use the restroom."

Jiang Jianjun opened his eyes and glanced at her.

"Really," Sun Xiaoyan said, "My stomach hurts."

Jiang Jianjun hesitated for a moment, then released his grip. "Go quickly and come back quickly."

Sun Xiaoyan stood up and walked towards the connecting area between the carriages. Jiang Jianjun stared at her retreating figure.

She walked to the bathroom door, opened it, went in, and closed it.

The toilet smelled terrible, so she leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.

She looked at the small window and wondered, "Can I escape by jumping out of the window?"

But the train was going too fast; jumping off would mean certain death or serious injury.

She waited for two minutes, then opened the door and came out.

As soon as she approached her seat, Jiang Jianjun stood up and grabbed her.

"Why did it take so long?"

"My stomach hurts... and it's getting worse?"

Jiang Jianjun didn't say anything, but stared at her, and suddenly raised his hand and slapped her.

With a crisp snap, several passengers nearby turned to look.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Jiang Jianjun gritted his teeth. "Are you trying to find a chance to run away?"

Sun Xiaoyan covered her face, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I didn't..."

"No?" Jiang Jianjun dragged her to her seat. "Let me tell you, don't try anything funny with me!"

He forced Sun Xiaoyan into her seat and sat on the outside, this time grabbing her wrist tightly.

Liu Meiling watched from the side without saying a word.

The train continued on its way, and after an unknown amount of time, an announcement came over the loudspeaker.

"Dear passengers, we will be making a temporary stop at a small station ahead for ten minutes."

The train gradually slowed down.

Sun Xiaoyan looked up at the window and saw a very small platform outside, just a dilapidated waiting shed.

Jiang Jianjun glanced outside but didn't think much of it.

Liu Meiling suddenly covered her mouth: "I...I feel like throwing up..."

"What are you pretending for?" Li Guoqing glared at her.

"Really... I get carsick..." Liu Meiling's face turned pale, as if she was really feeling unwell.

Li Guoqing frowned: "Then let's park the car and go outside for some fresh air."

The train stopped.

Liu Meiling stood up: "I feel terrible right now..."

Li Guoqing hesitated for a moment, then stood up: "Let's go, let's go downstairs for a while."

Jiang Jianjun also pulled Sun Xiaoyan up: "Come on, all of you, get down."

The four people got off the bus.

The platform was small, with only a few people waiting for the train.

The fog hadn't lifted yet, and the fields were a vast expanse of white.

Jiang Jianjun walked to the side, lit a cigarette, and turned his back to Sun Xiaoyan.

In that instant, Sun Xiaoyan abruptly shook off his hand!

Jiang Jianjun was stunned. He turned around to grab her, but Sun Xiaoyan had already rushed towards the opposite exit!

"Stop!" Jiang Jianjun shouted, threw away his cigarette, and chased after him.

Liu Meiling also moved. She pushed Li Guoqing aside and lunged at the low wall next to the railway tracks!

"Damn it!" Li Guoqing took off chasing after him.

The platform was in complete chaos.

Sun Xiaoyan ran very fast. There was a wire fence at the exit. She spotted a gap there and plunged through it.

But the barbed wire was too dense, and when she rushed over, her clothes got caught!

With a tearing sound, her thin coat was completely ripped open by the barbed wire!

Her clothes were all pulled up, revealing her entire upper body.

Sun Xiaoyan was shirtless, her chest completely exposed!

The barbed wire was still snagging her coat, leaving her completely naked and swaying back and forth.

Several people waiting for the bus in the distance stared in disbelief, craning their necks and discussing the scene.

Sun Xiaoyan disregarded her shame, struggled hard, and her clothes were completely torn. She broke free from the barbed wire fence naked, her buttocks swaying as she jumped off the platform and ran into the fields.

Jiang Jianjun chased after her to the barbed wire fence but was stopped. He shouted angrily, "Sun Xiaoyan! You get back here right now!"

Sun Xiaoyan had already run far away, her naked body disappearing into the fog.

On Liu Meiling's side, Li Guoqing jumped over the low wall and tackled her to the ground!

Liu Meiling was pinned to the ground, then rolled over and bit Li Guoqing's arm!

"Ah!" Li Guoqing cried out in pain and released his grip.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Liu Meiling kicked him away, rolled over and got up, and crawled under a truck parked next to her!

Li Guoqing covered his arm, which was covered in blood and teeth marks.

He got up from the ground and saw Liu Meiling crawl out from the other side of the truck. She had lost her shoes and was barefoot. She got up and ran towards the fields.

"Liu Meiling!" Li Guoqing shouted as he chased after her.

But Liu Meiling ran fast, and didn't feel any pain as she walked barefoot on the gravel, plunging headfirst into the fog.

The platform was in complete chaos.

Jiang Jianjun stood in front of the barbed wire fence, his shouts echoing across the empty platform.

"Sun Xiaoyan! You slut!"

"Don't let me catch you!"

Enraged, he kicked the barbed wire fence, which shook but didn't budge.

A few passengers in the distance were still pointing and whispering. An old woman said, "That woman was naked, and she ran pretty fast..."

Jiang Jianjun's face turned dark.

Li Guoqing, clutching his bleeding arm, staggered after the field.

"Guoqing! Stop chasing!" Jiang Jianjun shouted, but Li Guoqing didn't turn around and disappeared into the fog.

The train whistle blew; it was about to depart.

Jiang Jianjun watched the figure disappear into the fog, then looked at Li Guoqing who had already run far away, stomped his foot, cursed, and had no choice but to turn around and climb into the car.

The platform staff watched all this from a distance, their expressions indifferent, as if they had seen this kind of thing many times before.

The railway inspector, carrying a wrench, watched Liu Meiling climb over the tracks and run into the fields, but didn't chase after her; he continued his patrol.

After about ten minutes, the fog gradually dissipated a little.

Under an abandoned railway bridge three miles from the train station, Sun Xiaoyan huddled naked, trembling, her face covered in tears and mud.

Her clothes were torn to shreds by the barbed wire, leaving only a few strips of cloth hanging on her body, which offered no real coverage.

She hugged her chest, squatted under the bridge pier, and shivered from the cold.

Footsteps came from afar.

Sun Xiaoyan huddled up in fright, but she soon saw a familiar figure running out of the fog.

Liu Meiling.

Her clothes were tattered, her shoes were all gone, she was barefoot, and the soles of her feet were blistered and covered in blood.

"Meiling!" Sun Xiaoyan called out.

Liu Meiling ran over and saw that Sun Xiaoyan was naked. Without saying a word, she took off her tattered coat and threw it to Sun Xiaoyan.

"Put it on," she said.

Sun Xiaoyan took it and put it on. The jacket was too short, barely covering her upper body, but her lower body was still exposed.

Liu Meiling squatted down barefoot, tore off a corner of her skirt, and wrapped it around her blistered feet.

"Your foot..." Sun Xiaoyan looked at the blood on her foot.

"It's nothing." Liu Meiling stood up after getting her bandaged.

Both of them were in a sorry state, covered in mud.

In the distance came the sound of police sirens and motorcycle engines; it was unclear who they were chasing.

Liu Meiling listened intently, and her expression changed.

"Let's go, we can't stay here."

She reached out her hand.

Sun Xiaoyan took her hand.

The two people, supporting each other, staggered and made their way into the reeds on the other side of the bridge arch.

The reeds were very tall, reaching up to their waists.

They walked with uneven steps, the rough reeds scratching their skin. Sun Xiaoyan's bare legs were scratched and bled, but she didn't care about the pain.

Liu Meiling grabbed Sun Xiaoyan's hand and pulled her forward forcefully.

"Don't stop."

Sun Xiaoyan nodded, biting her lip, and followed her forward.

They walked deeper and deeper into the reed marshes, and the fog grew thicker and thicker, soon engulfing the two figures.