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

After Guo Daqiang finished speaking, the card room became eerily quiet.

Sun Xiaoyan's mind went blank.

She looked into Guo Daqiang's narrowed eyes, the light inside them cold and sticky, like a snake's tongue licking her body.

Liu Meiling's smile froze. She swallowed hard, her voice a little dry: "Brother Guo, what...what are you saying?"

"Can't you understand what I'm saying?" Guo Daqiang laughed, walked around from behind the counter, and slowly walked up to the two of them.

The smoke in the room hadn't dissipated yet, and he looked like a ghost emerging from the fog.

"If you lose all your money, the rule is to settle accounts immediately. If you can't settle accounts immediately, you have to find something else to cover it."

His gaze lingered on Sun Xiaoyan for a moment, then swept over Liu Meiling: "With your physiques, you two could easily cover a debt of several hundred yuan."

Sun Xiaoyan's legs went weak and she almost sat down on the ground.

She gripped the edge of the table tightly, her nails digging painfully into it.

"Guo Daqiang, you're talking nonsense!" Liu Meiling stood up abruptly, her voice rising but trembling violently. "We...we'll pay you back tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Guo Daqiang scoffed. "I don't have a policy of credit here. Either pay now, or..."

He paused, his eyes hardening further: "Pay up now."

Sun Xiaoyan felt her blood run cold. She wanted to run, but her legs felt like lead and she couldn't lift them.

Guo Daqiang didn't waste any more words. He walked straight to the door of the card room and slammed it shut from the inside. The sound was like a hammer blow to Sun Xiaoyan's heart.

"Brother Guo! Brother Guo, don't do anything reckless!" Liu Meiling stepped back and bumped into a chair.

Guo Daqiang turned around and walked towards the two of them step by step. Smoke clung to him, and the smile on his face sent chills down their spines.

Sun Xiaoyan tried to move closer to Liu Meiling, but Guo Daqiang was already right in front of her.

He grabbed Sun Xiaoyan's arm with terrifying force.

"Ah!" Sun Xiaoyan cried out, trying to struggle, but she couldn't break free at all.

"Xiaoyan, don't be afraid." Guo Daqiang leaned closer to her, his breath reeking of alcohol and cigarette smoke in her face. "We've settled the debt, we're even. If you want to hang out again, I'll take you."

"No...no..." Sun Xiaoyan's tears welled up instantly. "Brother Guo, I beg you, I'll...I'll definitely bring the money tomorrow..."

"It's too late." Guo Daqiang's voice turned cold.

With his other hand, he reached directly towards Sun Xiaoyan's neckline. The newly bought dress was made of thin material, and with a tug, two buttons popped open.

Sun Xiaoyan felt a chill in her chest and immediately panicked.

"Guo Daqiang, you beast!" Liu Meiling grabbed the ashtray on the table and was about to smash it over.

Guo Daqiang didn't even turn his head; he kicked the chair next to him.

The chair bumped into Liu Meiling's leg, and she cried out and fell to the ground.

"Meiling!" Sun Xiaoyan wanted to go see her, but Guo Daqiang held her tightly.

"Behave yourself," Guo Daqiang whispered in her ear, tightening his grip. "If you move again, I'll make sure neither of you leaves this room today."

Sun Xiaoyan gasped in pain.

Those hands were rough and harsh, pinching her painfully.

Liu Meiling got up from the ground, her face pale.

She looked at Guo Daqiang, then at Sun Xiaoyan who was being restrained, her lips trembling, and she didn't dare to move again.

Guo Daqiang was very satisfied. He pulled Sun Xiaoyan and walked towards the back of the chess and card room.

"Brother Guo! Brother Guo, let her go!" Liu Meiling shouted from behind, her voice trembling with tears.

Guo Daqiang ignored her. There was a small door at the back leading to a storage room. He kicked the door open and pushed Sun Xiaoyan inside.

The room was dark, with only a little light coming in through a small window. Cardboard boxes were piled up haphazardly on the floor, and in the middle was a wooden bed with a dirty straw mat on it.

Sun Xiaoyan stumbled from the push and fell onto the bed. The cool mat hurt her arm.

"Guo Daqiang...don't do this..." She got up and tried to run out, but Guo Daqiang was already blocking the doorway.

He closed the door behind him and locked it.

The room grew even darker.

"Xiaoyan, be good." Guo Daqiang walked over while unbuckling his belt. "It'll only be a little while, and the debt will be settled afterward. You won't lose out."

Sun Xiaoyan shrank to the corner of the bed, her whole body trembling like a leaf.

Tears blurred her vision, and she couldn't see Guo Daqiang's face clearly; she could only see a dark shadow looming over her.

"I beg you... I beg you..." Her voice was so soft that she could barely hear it herself.

Guo Daqiang got into bed, the wooden plank creaking. He grabbed Sun Xiaoyan's ankle and dragged her over.

"Ugh—!" Sun Xiaoyan screamed.

During the struggle, the hem of her skirt was tugged, and the fabric made a tearing sound.

"Don't scream." Guo Daqiang pressed down on him, his body as heavy as a stone. "Screaming won't do any good."

Sun Xiaoyan was suffocating under the weight. She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

The creaking of the wooden bed made Sun Xiaoyan's head buzz.

She heard Guo Daqiang's heavy breathing and smelled the stench of sweat and cigarettes on him.

She stopped moving.

He lay there like a dead fish.

Whatever.

Do whatever you want.

Sun Xiaoyan bit her lip, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth.

So that's how it is. So that's how you pay off a debt with your body.

She opened her eyes and stared at the dark ceiling. There were cobwebs swaying in the corners.

Sun Xiaoyan felt pain all over her body, and she tried her best to stop thinking about anything.

But it felt like my body wasn't my own; some feelings just wouldn't come out on their own.

Sun Xiaoyan cried. Not out of fear, but out of shame. She was ashamed of her body's reaction.

Just then, a sound came from next door. It was Liu Meiling screaming.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

Then came the laughter of Brother Wang and Brother Li.

"Meiling, don't be afraid, brother will take care of you."

"Exactly, even if the debt is settled, we can still be good card-playing buddies."

The wooden walls don't block out sound; you can hear everything that's happening over there clearly.

Liu Meiling was still screaming, but her screams gradually changed. From a scream, it turned into a sound that Sun Xiaoyan couldn't describe.

It sounded like crying, and also like humming. There was something else mixed in.

Sun Xiaoyan heard Brother Li say, "Wow, Meiling, you're so flexible."

Brother Wang smiled: "It's more than soft."

Liu Meiling was too lazy to curse anymore, so she started making those kinds of sounds.

The sound rose and fell, carrying a damp, sticky quality. Sun Xiaoyan was mesmerized.

Guo Daqiang chuckled, panting, "Did you hear that? Your sisters are way better at handling things than you are."

Sun Xiaoyan closed her eyes. But the sounds from next door kept drilling into her ears.

Liu Meiling's voice grew louder and more unrestrained.

The joy inside was impossible to hide.

"Um... Brother Li..."

"Brother Wang, please don't..." The teasing voice, the sound of the bed hitting the floor, and Liu Meiling's increasingly loud movements were all mixed together.

Sun Xiaoyan felt her body getting even hotter. She hated herself, but she couldn't control herself.

Guo Daqiang's story has finally come to an end.

He got up and pulled up his pants.

Sun Xiaoyan was still lying in bed, not wanting to move at all.

Guo Daqiang took out a few banknotes from his pocket and threw them at her.

That was something they had just lent to the two of them, which they then won back.

"Here's a reward for you, don't say I'm heartless," he said. "I've already paid three hundred today. I still owe two hundred, we'll continue tomorrow."

Sun Xiaoyan looked at the few red bills that had fallen onto her chest.

The smell of ink mixed with the odor on Guo Daqiang made her want to vomit.

Guo Daqiang fastened his belt, opened the door, and went out.

Sun Xiaoyan lay there for a while before slowly sitting up.

She looked down at herself; her skirt was wrinkled, and there were red marks on her body.

My whole body ached and felt weak.

She picked up the few banknotes and held them in her hand.

Hard. Cold.

There was no sound from next door. After a while, the door opened, and Liu Meiling came out.

Her clothes were disheveled, her hair was loose, and the flush on her face hadn't faded.

Upon seeing Sun Xiaoyan, she paused for a moment, then quickly lowered her head to straighten her clothes.

Neither of them spoke.

Guo Daqiang came in from the outer room, holding several banknotes in his hand, and stuffed them into Liu Meiling's hand. "These are yours," he said, "tomorrow afternoon, same time as always."

Liu Meiling took the money without looking at Guo Daqiang or Sun Xiaoyan.

"I'm leaving." Guo Daqiang waved his hand, as if shooing away a fly.

Sun Xiaoyan leaned against the wall to stand up, her legs trembling. She slowly made her way out of the storage room and through the chess and card room.

It was already completely dark outside.

Liu Meiling followed her out. The two walked one after the other along the village road.

No one spoke. Only the rustling of footsteps could be heard.

At the fork in the road, Sun Xiaoyan stopped and glanced back at Liu Meiling.

Under the moonlight, the blush on Liu Meiling's face hadn't faded yet. She clutched the money tightly in her hand.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds.

Sun Xiaoyan saw something flash in Liu Meiling's eyes, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Shame? Regret? Or... something else?

Liu Meiling looked away and lowered her head. Sun Xiaoyan turned around and continued walking home.

A gust of wind blew, causing her skirt to cling to her body.

That area still hurts, but there's something else in the pain—it feels wet and sticky.

The few banknotes in her hand were already soaked with sweat.

The smell of ink lingers on my hands and can't be washed off.

Like that spot on my body.

It can't be washed off anymore.