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

The next morning, the lecturer called the two of them to the front desk.

"Starting today, your tasks have changed." The instructor tossed two sets of clothes over. "Change into these and sit at the front desk making phone calls, specifically recruiting female workers who want to work in the factory."

Sun Xiaoyan took the clothes, her hand trembling.

A low-cut mini skirt with a deep neckline, the skirt just covering the top of her thighs.

Liu Meiling's outfit was even shorter, a shiny black leather skirt.

"Put your clothes on and put on some makeup," the instructor said. "Speak nicely and recruit more people; you'll get a commission."

Sun Xiaoyan clutched her skirt, her palms sweating.

Liu Meiling readily agreed, picking up the skirt and shaking it out: "Okay, let's change."

The two changed their clothes in the storeroom. Sun Xiaoyan pulled down her collar, revealing most of her chest, which swayed with the slightest movement.

Meiling's black leather skirt clung to her buttocks, causing them to sway as she walked.

"Let's go." Liu Meiling looked in the mirror, a cigarette still dangling from her mouth. "It's just a phone call."

The two walked to the front desk.

The front desk had just one table, two landline phones, and a job posting next to it.

Monthly salary starts at 4,000 yuan, meals and accommodation provided, dormitory has air conditioning.

Liu Meiling sat down, picked up the phone, and said in a sweet and steady voice, "Hello, is this Sister Li? We're in a large factory area, hiring female workers. Room and board provided, starting salary of four thousand per month..."

Sun Xiaoyan stood to the side and picked up another phone. Head down, she read from the script: "Hello, this is XX Manufacturing Factory, directly hiring female workers, no deposit required, monthly salary 4,500..."

She spoke haltingly, but someone actually listened on the other end of the phone.

After hanging up, the other party said they would think about it.

Liu Meiling had already taken care of things. She smiled and said, "Sister Li, why don't you come to the factory tomorrow? The environment is great, and the dormitories have air conditioning..."

Sun Xiaoyan felt a little uneasy watching Liu Meiling speak with such enthusiasm.

But she still picked up the phone and kept dialing.

In one morning, the two made more than twenty phone calls.

Most of the calls were hung up on, some of which immediately called the caller a "liar," while others directly asked, "How much per night?"

Liu Meiling didn't care. When someone asked about the price, she would laugh and scold, "Your mother is the one selling things. I'm a proper seamstress."

But some people who aren't serious also come.

In the afternoon, a young woman dragging a suitcase stood at the factory gate and asked Sun Xiaoyan, "Are you still hiring?"

Sun Xiaoyan looked up and saw a girl in her early twenties, wearing a floral shirt, with two dimples on her fair face.

She smiled at Sun Xiaoyan, revealing her small tiger teeth: "My name is Xiaofang, and I'm from the next county."

Sun Xiaoyan paused for two seconds, then lowered her head: "I confessed. Fill out a form."

Xiao Fang was filling out a form while Sun Xiaoyan registered her ID card.

Xiaofang said, "Sister, you are so beautiful. This dress is so pretty. I will buy one when I have money."

Sun Xiaoyan's hand trembled, and the pen tip drew a line on the notebook.

Liu Meiling smiled and handed her water, saying, "Little Fang, you're pretty too. Work hard at the factory, and you'll have everything you need in the future."

Xiaofang took the water, her eyes sparkling: "Thank you, sister!"

As Sun Xiaoyan watched Xiao Fang drag her suitcase into the factory area, she felt a pang of guilt.

Over the next few days, more and more calls came in.

A middle-aged woman asked if they were hiring female workers, a young girl said she wanted to work, and a man asked, "Do you need men?"

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling sat at the front desk, making calls from morning till night.

Liu Meiling's conversation flowed more and more smoothly, and she could easily say things like, "Our environment here is great, the dorms have air conditioning, and the cafeteria has three dishes and a soup..."

They make it sound so real.

Sun Xiaoyan tried to learn from her, but she couldn't say it. Every time she mentioned "food and lodging included," her tongue would get tied in knots.

Even so, the two still managed to recruit about ten young women in a week.

Xiao Fang arrived, bringing with her a fellow villager named Xiao Juan, who was tall and thin with long hair and a soft voice.

Then another girl named Xiaohong came. She was slightly chubby, had a round face, wore a pink short skirt, and walked with a swaying hip.

There were also a few girls, all in their early twenties, from various counties.

When they dragged their luggage in, they all greeted Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling with smiles.

"Sis, you're so beautiful!"

"Sis, where did you buy this dress?"

"Sister, your factory is really big!"

Sun Xiaoyan smiled and nodded, registering their ID cards.

Liu Meiling smiled and handed her water, her words sweet: "Girl, if you work hard here, earning five or six thousand a month won't be a problem."

The girls' eyes lit up.

Looking at their smiling faces, Sun Xiaoyan felt a tightness in her chest.

There were seven or eight burly men guarding the outside, and the door was locked tight. People outside could come in, but people inside couldn't get out.

But she couldn't say.

What will the lecturer do to her if she tells him?

Sun Xiaoyan lowered her head and continued registering.

Another day, the lecturer called the two of them to his office.

The bald boss was also sitting inside, smoking a cigarette, with a wad of banknotes in front of him.

"Not bad, you two did a good job," the bald boss said. "You hired about ten people in a week; they have potential."

He counted out twenty red bills, slammed them on the table, and said, "One thousand each, take them."

Liu Meiling's eyes lit up: "Thank you, boss!"

Sun Xiaoyan took the money, looked at the ten banknotes, and squeezed them between her fingers.

"Keep recruiting tomorrow, the more the better," the bald boss said. "Fifty commission for each person recruited."

Liu Meiling laughed: "Okay, boss, we've got it covered."

The two left the office. Liu Meiling folded the money and stuffed it into her bra, patting her chest: "A thousand yuan, and I've been here for so long, sigh."

Sun Xiaoyan didn't say anything, and stuffed the money into her pocket.

That evening, the lecturer called another meeting with everyone.

Inside the factory's tin shed, dozens of people sat on the ground, listening to the lecturer speak.

"I have some good news to share," the lecturer said, standing on the stage, "Our new business is about to begin."

New business?

Sun Xiaoyan looked up, and the lecturer continued, "Now that we have a proper factory and people, the next step is to develop customers. Where will the customers come from? From the city."

He glanced around, his gaze settling on Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling: "You two, starting tomorrow, go to various places and attract 'high-quality clients'."

Sun Xiaoyan was taken aback: "What kind of high-quality customer?"

"They're middle-aged men with families," the lecturer said. "Go to the entrance of hair salons or other places and stake out the places. If you see someone who looks wealthy, go up and talk to them. If you hit it off, transfer them to our organization for further development."

Sun Xiaoyan's palms were sweating: "How do we develop it in depth?"

"It's about getting them to come to the factory to 'discuss business'," the lecturer laughed. "Once they're there, they have no say in the matter."

Sun Xiaoyan remained silent.

Liu Meiling took the list from the lecturer and began to memorize it.

After the meeting, the two slept on the iron bunk bed.

In the darkness, Liu Meiling suddenly spoke: "Tell me, what have we become?"

Sun Xiaoyan did not speak.

"We've become bait in their hands." Liu Meiling turned over, her back to her. "Those girls they recruited will go on to recruit even more. And what about us? We'll seduce men and pull them in."

Sun Xiaoyan looked out the window.

Outside the window was the factory's perimeter wall, covered with barbed wire, where several burly men were patrolling.

"Do you think we can still go out?" Sun Xiaoyan asked.

Liu Meiling did not answer.

After a long silence, Liu Meiling finally said, "Go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow."

The next morning.

The lecturer handed the two of them two more revealing dresses.

One was a bright red halter-neck mini dress with a neckline so low it revealed half of her breasts.

The other one was black, with a slit that went all the way up to the waist, so wide it couldn't even cover my buttocks.

"Put on your clothes," the instructor said. "Put on some heavy makeup and go stake out the location."

Sun Xiaoyan took the black dress, her hands trembling slightly.

Liu Meiling picked up the red one, put it on, and tugged at the collar: "Let's go."

A bread truck was parked at the factory gate.

The two got into the car, and the door slammed shut.

Sun Xiaoyan glanced back and saw Xiaofang lining up in the yard to receive her work clothes, holding a mobile phone in her hand. But a burly man walked over and asked her to hand over her phone.

Xiao Fang hesitated for a moment, but still handed it over, turning her head to smile at the girl next to her.

That smile was exactly the same as Sun Xiaoyan's back then.

Sun Xiaoyan closed her eyes.

The bread truck started and drove out of the factory area.

Behind me, the factory's iron gate slowly closed.