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

Around 5 p.m., a group of customers had just left the chess and card shop.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling tidied up the mahjong table in the private room, emptied the ashtray, and wiped the table with a rag.

The two women were wearing cheongsams with low necklines and tight waists. When they bent over, their breasts could not be contained, and their white breasts were dazzling.

Just as she finished her work, Li Yan pushed the door open and came in.

"Stop for a moment, everyone. Let's go to the conference room for a meeting." Li Yan had a cigarette between her fingers, and her expression wasn't good.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling exchanged a glance and followed Li Yan to the office at the end of the corridor.

There were already four or five women in cheongsams sitting in the office, including Wang Hong. She was wearing a red cheongsam today, her hair was piled up high, and she was smoking a cigarette while crossing her legs.

Li Yan closed the door and stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray.

"You all saw what happened today. That bastard Erhu brought people to cause trouble before, and he'll definitely come back again." Li Yan's voice was deep. "I'm not trying to scare you, but that bastard isn't one to suffer a loss easily. Everyone should be careful these next few days."

Wang Hong scoffed from the side, "That coward is all talk and no action. Does he dare to cause trouble?"

"He might not dare to do it openly, but we can't guarantee he won't resort to underhanded tactics." Li Yan glanced at Wang Hong, then looked at Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling. "Especially you two, he specifically asked to poach you today, and you're definitely not happy about being rejected. Try to go home together as much as possible these next few days, and don't walk alone at night."

Sun Xiaoyan's palms were a little sweaty, and she nodded.

Liu Meiling, however, seemed unconcerned and even smiled, saying, "Don't worry, sis, we're not stupid. He's not going to eat us up, is he?"

Li Yan waved her hand: "Okay, that's all for now, meeting adjourned."

Several women in cheongsams got up and returned to their respective private rooms.

Liu Meiling pulled Sun Xiaoyan out of the office and whispered, "That bald guy Erhu is pretty cunning; he knows we're the best-looking ones in the shop."

Sun Xiaoyan didn't say anything, but she still felt uneasy.

At six o'clock in the evening, the streetlights came on.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling changed out of their cheongsams and into their usual clothes to go home.

As soon as I reached the store entrance, I saw a tall, thin man walking towards me. He was wearing a floral shirt, had a fake gold chain around his neck, and a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Hey, are you two about to leave work?" The man blocked their way, smiling as he said, "Brother Erhu asked me to pass on a message."

Sun Xiaoyan took a step back, with Liu Meiling blocking her way, squinting as she asked, "What did you say?"

The man looked the two up and down, his gaze lingering on their chests for a few seconds: "Brother Erhu said that with your physiques and builds, you'd be worth 20,000 a month, including room and board. You're welcome to switch jobs anytime."

Sun Xiaoyan shook her head: "I'm not going."

Liu Meiling also laughed and said, "Tell Brother Erhu that we are not interested."

The man's smile turned cold for a second: "Are you two sure?"

"Confirmed." Liu Meiling pulled Sun Xiaoyan to the side.

The man behind him sneered, "Fine, then you wait."

After saying that, he turned and left, but after a few steps he looked back and glanced at me with an unfriendly look in his eyes.

Liu Meiling pulled Sun Xiaoyan along for a while, muttering under her breath, "That son of a bitch Erhu, he still wants to force himself on me."

Sun Xiaoyan squeezed her hand: "Should we talk to Sister Li Yan?"

"It's no use talking about it, Erhu didn't even lay a hand on me." Liu Meiling lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said, "Let's go home first and not think too much about it."

The two walked to the street corner and saw Xiao Hui standing under the streetlight in front of the chess and card shop with his schoolbag on his back.

He was wearing a school uniform and holding a plastic bag containing a few oranges.

Seeing the two approaching, Xiao Hui smiled and raised his hand to greet them.

"Sister Meiling, Sister Xiaoyan!" Xiaohui quickly came up to them. "These oranges are for you, I just bought them."

Liu Meiling took the orange, smiled, and patted his head: "You're quite considerate, kid."

Sun Xiaoyan smiled, took an orange, peeled it, and ate it.

Just then, a girl wearing a school uniform skirt turned the corner.

She was tall and had her hair in a ponytail. When she saw Xiaohui standing with two women, her eyes widened in surprise.

Liu Meiling recognized her; she was Xiao Hui's female classmate.

The girl strode over, blocking Xiaohui's path, and pointed at Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling, yelling, "You two liars! Dressing so provocatively every day, I knew you weren't good people!"

Xiao Hui frowned: "Liu Yue, shut up!"

"Why should I shut up!" Liu Yue became increasingly agitated, her voice cracking. "You think I can't see it? They're not your cousins ​​at all! They're prostitutes! The kind that sell goods!"

Sun Xiaoyan dropped the orange from her hand and stood there stunned.

Liu Meiling, her face cold, was about to speak when Xiao Hui pulled Liu Yue aside and shoved her, saying, "Are you crazy?! Try saying another word!"

Liu Yue stumbled from the push, her eyes instantly reddening: "Xiao Hui, you pushed me for their sake?"

"I told you not to talk nonsense!" Xiao Hui's voice was loud, and his face turned bright red.

Liu Yue stared at him for two seconds, then tears streamed down her face. She turned and ran towards the street corner, her ponytail swinging wildly. As she ran away, she turned back and cried, "Xiao Hui, you're a monster!"

Xiao Hui stood there, clenching his fists without saying a word.

Sun Xiaoyan picked up the oranges from the ground and said softly, "I'm sorry, Xiaohui."

Liu Meiling coldly replied, "Let her curse. That woman just likes you. She goes crazy whenever she sees anyone get close to you."

Xiao Hui kept his head down and didn't reply.

The three walked in silence for a while.

The streetlights cast long shadows, smoke rose from the roadside barbecue stalls, and the air was filled with the aroma of cumin.

When Xiaohui got home, he put the oranges on the table and pushed them into his room.

Sun Xiaoyan sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the oranges.

Liu Meiling went into the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water, drank it, wiped her mouth, and then came over to sit next to her.

"Don't think about it. That woman is just foul-mouthed." Liu Meiling patted her shoulder.

Sun Xiaoyan didn't speak, she just shook her head.

Night falls on the other side of the city.

Erhu's casino was located in a basement on another street, filled with smoke and the clatter of mahjong tiles.

Erhu sat in his office, sweat beading on his bald head, with a row of cigarette butts stuck in the ashtray in front of him.

The second-in-command pushed open the door and sat down on the sofa opposite.

"Brother Tiger, those two women are ungrateful; they wouldn't even take the job for 20,000." The second-in-command cursed. "If you ask me, we should just go to the store, cause trouble, and snatch them away!"

Erhu sneered, "Are you out of your mind? That woman Li Yan has connections at the police station. You're just going to cause trouble and get arrested?"

The second-in-command scratched his bald head: "What should we do then?"

Erhu stood up, carried her on his back for a couple of steps, and then suddenly stopped.

"Alright, tomorrow you continue to find someone to offer them a price, double the salary, 40,000 a month." Erhu squinted his eyes, "Let's see if they're tempted by 40,000."

The second-in-command's eyes lit up: "Brother Tiger, are you going to use money to bribe us?"

"This is just the first step." Erhu lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "Don't you know a few unfamiliar faces? Find three or four of them, pretend to be customers, sneak into Li Yan's shop, and cause trouble in the private room. The louder the better. Say that the women in her shop are prostitutes who charge high prices and provide poor service."

The second-in-command laughed out loud: "That's a great idea! If we ruin Li Yan's reputation, let's see how she'll run her shop!"

Erhu smirked and exhaled a puff of smoke: "Once her shop goes bankrupt, let's see where those two sluts can run. They'll have to come begging to me then."

The clock on the wall pointed to twelve o'clock, and the only sounds in the office were the click of a lighter and Erhu's cold laughter.