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

When Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling walked out of the police station, the morning light was already fully up.

On the streets of the provincial capital, breakfast tricycles steamed with heat, and the steamer baskets of steamed bun shops were opened, sending white steam rising into the sky.

Liu Meiling stood by the roadside, reached into her pocket and pulled out the last ten yuan, frowning as she rubbed the crumpled bill.

"I only have ten yuan left." She waved the money in front of Sun Xiaoyan.

Sun Xiaoyan glanced at the ten yuan, then at the steaming bun stall on the street, and swallowed hard. "Let's buy two buns, one for each of us, to tide us over."

Liu Meiling shook her head and stuffed the money back into her pocket: "Don't buy steamed buns, save them for the bus fare."

"Where are you going by bus?"

Liu Meiling was silent for a while, then looked up at the tall buildings in the distance and said in a low voice, "How about we go back to that hair salon? We can work there for a while to save some money, and then start a small business with the capital."

Sun Xiaoyan stiffened upon hearing the words "hair salon".

She lowered her head and thought for a long time before finally gritting her teeth and nodding: "Okay, let's save money first."

The two walked to the bus stop and waited for the bus to the old town.

There weren't many people waiting for the bus, just the two of them.

Liu Meiling took out a cigarette to smoke, but the lighter wouldn't light after two tries. It was windy, so she cursed and tucked the cigarette behind her ear.

The bus arrived, and the two boarded, paid four yuan, and sat in the last row by the window.

The car swayed and bumped as it drove out of the city. The streets outside the window changed from high-rise buildings to low-rise shops. Faded GG signs hung on the lampposts, and there was a row of old hair salons on the roadside with their roller shutters half-closed.

When they arrived at their stop, the two got off the train.

Liu Meiling pointed to the street ahead: "It's just ahead, turn the corner and you'll get there."

Sun Xiaoyan nodded and followed behind her.

The two had just turned the corner when they heard the school bell ring.

A group of students in school uniforms emerged from a middle school across the street, walking home in twos and threes.

Liu Meiling glanced at it but didn't take it seriously, while Sun Xiaoyan kept her head down and continued walking forward.

Suddenly, a tall, thin boy walked over from the opposite direction, carrying his backpack strap and looking down at his phone as he walked.

When the boy was two or three meters away from them, he looked up, paused for a moment, and stopped.

"Sister Xiaoyan? Sister Meiling?"

Sun Xiaoyan looked up and saw a familiar face—Xiao Hui.

Xiao Hui stood in the middle of the road, staring straight at the two of them, his phone screen still lit up.

He glanced at their clothes, then at the bruises and wounds on their faces that hadn't faded, frowned, and strode over.

"It really is you guys." Xiao Hui put his phone in his pocket. "I thought I was seeing things. What brings you back? Last time I heard you were taken to the border, I thought..."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "I thought I'd never see him again in this lifetime."

Sun Xiaoyan forced a smile: "Don't mention it."

Liu Meiling leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and didn't say anything.

Xiao Hui looked at the two of them for a while, his gaze sweeping over their tattered clothes and the injuries on their faces, and said in a low voice, "Come on, let's go home and sit down. It's not convenient to talk here."

Sun Xiaoyan glanced at Liu Meiling, who didn't say anything but just nodded.

Xiao Hui led them into the alley, turned two corners, and entered the stairwell of a residential building.

"Come in, no need to change your shoes." Xiao Hui tossed his schoolbag on the sofa and turned to go to the kitchen to boil water.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling stood at the door, hesitated for a moment, and then went inside.

The living room was still large and empty, with an ashtray and a textbook that was half-open on the coffee table.

There was also a pair of old slippers in the corner, the ones that Brother Chen used to wear.

Xiao Hui brought out two cups of hot water, placed them on the coffee table, and then moved two stools for them to sit on.

"Sit down, don't stand." Xiao Hui sat down as well, rubbed his hands together, and then looked at the two of them. "How long have you... been back?"

"I was just released this morning." Liu Meiling picked up her cup and took a sip of water. "I spent the night in the police station."

Xiao Hui nodded, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "My brother and the others... they've all been arrested. After you handed over the recordings you made last time, the police followed the trail and arrested a lot of people. My brother was sentenced to quite a few years in prison."

Sun Xiaoyan lowered her head and didn't say anything.

Xiao Hui continued, "When I asked you to record those things, I never imagined it would end up like this for you. Later, I heard that you were taken to the border and almost sold. I felt really bad at that time, and I felt it was my fault."

Sun Xiaoyan looked up at him: "It's all in the past, don't mention it."

Xiao Hui bit her lip and didn't say anything more.

Liu Meiling put down her cup, glanced around the living room, and asked, "Do you live alone now?"

Xiao Hui nodded: "It's just me. The house is empty anyway."

Liu Meiling didn't respond, but Sun Xiaoyan noticed that her eyes lit up slightly.

Xiao Hui stood up, walked to the TV cabinet, opened a drawer, took out a bank card, walked back to the coffee table, placed the card on the table, and pushed it in front of Sun Xiaoyan.

"This card contains money left by my parents. After my brother was arrested, I took control of the card." Xiao Hui looked into Sun Xiaoyan's eyes. "Consider this money as compensation to you, since I was the one who sent you there in the first place."

Sun Xiaoyan was stunned, and reached out to push him away: "Xiaohui, this won't do, we can't take this money."

Xiao Hui shoved the card into her hand, his tone firm: "Take it, don't refuse. I don't need that much by myself, you need this money more than I do right now."

Sun Xiaoyan held the cold bank card in her hand, her fingers trembling slightly, and looked at Liu Meiling.

Liu Meiling was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

Sun Xiaoyan lowered her head, clutching the bank card tightly; her fingers were icy cold.

The setting sun shone through the window, casting a golden glow across the living room floor and illuminating Chen Ge's old slippers in the corner.

Xiao Hui stood up: "Please sit down first, I'll go cook."

Liu Meiling suddenly stood up, wiped her eyes, and said, "I'll go make it. I promised to cook for you."

Xiao Hui waved his hand: "No, you guys rest first, I'll do it. There's food in the fridge."

Liu Meiling didn't insist any further and sat back down on the sofa.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling exchanged a glance, then both stood up and walked towards the room at the end of the corridor.

The two of them froze the moment they pushed the door open.

There were two iron-framed beds in the room, the quilts were folded neatly, and the clothes they had left there before were still on the bedside table, folded cleanly and neatly.

"The clothes are still here," Liu Meiling said softly.

Sun Xiaoyan walked over, touched the floral dress, then touched the old T-shirt next to it, and her eyes immediately reddened.

Without saying a word, the two opened the closet, took out their clothes, and rushed into the bathroom to take a shower.

As the hot water poured over her body, Sun Xiaoyan closed her eyes. The water dripped down the bruises on her face, making her wince in pain, but she endured it, biting her lip and remaining silent.

Liu Meiling rinsed her face with running water, washed it clean, and let out a long sigh.

The two changed into their old clothes, pushed open the door, and a delicious aroma of food wafted over.

Xiao Hui stood in the kitchen wearing an apron, the spatula clanging, and the rice cooker on the stove steaming.

"Alright, let's eat." Xiao Hui came out carrying two dishes: a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and a plate of shredded pork with green peppers. He also made a pot of seaweed and egg drop soup.

The three people sat around the coffee table, each with a bowl of white rice.

Sun Xiaoyan picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, chewed it, and didn't say anything. Liu Meiling lowered her head and ate her rice very quickly.

Xiao Hui put a piece of food on each of their plates: "Eat more, so you can get a good night's sleep."

After dinner, Xiao Hui cleaned up the dishes, while Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling nestled on the sofa as darkness fell outside the window.

The light from the distant streetlights shone through the curtains, and the living room was quiet.

Liu Meiling stood up first, yawned, and said, "I'm sleepy, I'm going to sleep now."

Sun Xiaoyan also stood up, and the two went into the room, each pulled back the covers, and lay down.

The bed frame was hard as a rock, and the quilt smelled of laundry detergent.

Occasionally, a few car horns could be heard outside the window, and people could be heard talking downstairs. Everything was normal and peaceful.

Sun Xiaoyan turned to the side and looked at Liu Meiling's back. Liu Meiling was huddled under the covers, her back slightly undulating.

Sun Xiaoyan closed her eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.

This was the first time in a long time that they had slept so soundly.