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

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling squatted in the square of the provincial capital's train station, gnawing on cold steamed buns.

It's been four days already.

On the first day, the two were still a little excited. They booked a room in a small hotel, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and went out to look for work early the next morning.

They spent the whole day looking around, but all they could find was that they lacked education or required work experience.

The HR person at one small company was quite enthusiastic. They had the women fill out a form and then said, "Our receptionists need to have a good image. Sometimes they have to have dinner with clients in the evenings." As they spoke, they were eyeing the two women's chests and buttocks.

Liu Meiling realized what was going on and pulled Sun Xiaoyan away.

The next day, we went to several more places.

A hair salon was hiring foot massage girls. The proprietress, in her forties, had permed hair and a cigarette dangling from her lips. She looked the two girls up and down, then reached out and pinched Sun Xiaoyan's breast.

"She's good-looking," the proprietress exhaled a puff of smoke, "She can take on private jobs at night, with high commissions."

Liu Meiling hesitated for a moment, then Sun Xiaoyan tugged at her arm and whispered, "Let's go."

The proprietress called out from behind, "Think it over before you come! Room and board are included!"

The two walked away without looking back.

Over the course of three days, the hotel, food, and transportation costs amounted to 150 yuan.

Of the five thousand dollars I brought, I have four thousand eight hundred and fifty left.

Sun Xiaoyan felt panicked and tossed and turned in bed all night, unable to sleep.

"Meiling," she whispered, "how about we go to the south to work? I heard that factories there provide room and board, and you can earn five or six thousand a month."

Liu Meiling turned to look at her: "South? Which South?"

"I heard from people in the village that you can save money if you work in a factory in Shenzhen or Guangzhou."

Liu Meiling was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, I'll leave tomorrow."

On the evening of the fourth day, the two squatted in the train station square and ate steamed buns, swallowing the hard buns with mineral water.

The square was bustling with people, some dragging suitcases, others carrying woven bags, all in a hurry.

In the distance, neon lights came on, and night began in the provincial capital.

"Let's go buy the tickets." Sun Xiaoyan stood up and brushed the crumbs off her pants.

The two went to the ticket window and bought two hard-seat tickets to a city in the south, costing a little over one hundred yuan each.

The bus departs at around 11 p.m., so there are still three hours to go.

The waiting room was quite crowded, with rows of seats filled with people, some dozing off with their heads tilted to the side, others looking down at their phones.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling found a corner to sit down.

Sun Xiaoyan leaned on Liu Meiling's shoulder, her eyelids heavy, and she was about to fall asleep.

In my daze, someone came closer.

"Hey girl, looking for a job?"

Sun Xiaoyan suddenly opened her eyes and saw a man in an inexpensive suit standing in front of her, his hair slicked back and holding a business card in his hand.

The man grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth: "I'm a labor broker; I can introduce you to high-paying jobs."

Liu Meiling took the business card, which read "Manager Wang of Xinyuan Labor Services" and had a phone number at the bottom.

"What kind of job?" Liu Meiling asked.

"Electronics factories, logistics companies, I have them all." The man's eyes swept over the two men's chests. "Meals and lodging included, monthly salary eight thousand."

Sun Xiaoyan frowned and tugged at Liu Meiling's arm.

Liu Meiling stuffed the business card into her pocket, smiled, and said, "Okay, we'll think about it."

"Call me when you get to the South." The man gave a wink and turned to leave.

"Why did you take his business card?" Sun Xiaoyan whispered.

"It's just another option," Liu Meiling said dismissively. "If we can't find work over there, we'll at least have somewhere to stay."

Sun Xiaoyan wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back.