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

Less than two hours after Li Yan made the call, a black van pulled up in front of the mahjong parlor.

The car door opened, and a man covered in scars jumped out.

He had a scar on his face that stretched from his eyebrow to the corner of his mouth. His eyes were like knives as he scanned the surroundings before finally settling on Li Yan.

Li Yan's eyes immediately reddened, and her voice trembled: "Brother."

Li Chun didn't speak, but simply nodded, then looked at the bread cart behind him.

Seven or eight more men jumped off the bus. They were all burly and had menacing eyes; they looked like men who had spent years on the edge of a knife.

Li Chun asked, "Where is Erhu's shop?"

Li Yan pointed in the direction of the alley across the street.

Without saying a word, Li Chun led his men straight there.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling stood behind Li Yan, exchanged a glance, and their hearts skipped a beat.

What is Li Yan's brother up to?

Erhu's mahjong parlor is located in a basement at the end of an alley, with a dilapidated sign hanging at the entrance.

Li Chun pushed open the door, and inside, smoke filled the air, with several mahjong tables clattering loudly.

Several female escorts dressed in cheongsams sat next to the customers, feeding them cards in a coquettish voice.

Li Chun glanced around and his gaze fell on a young woman who was playing cards with a customer.

The woman was wearing the most revealing cheongsam, with the neckline plunging all the way to her navel, and half of her breast was almost spilling out.

Li Chun walked straight up to the woman, grabbed her hair, and pulled her up from the chair.

The woman screamed, "What are you doing!"

Without saying a word, Li Chun pressed her down onto the sofa next to him and, in front of everyone, ripped open the hem of her cheongsam.

The woman struggled desperately in fear, her screams sounding like a chicken whose neck had been stepped on.

All the guests in the private room stood up; some ran out, while others took out their phones to call the police.

But the seven or eight men that Li Chun brought had already blocked the doorway, coldly watching everyone.

"Who the hell dares to make a move?" said the leader of the group.

The woman was pinned down on the sofa by Li Chun, her skirt torn and her underwear exposed.

She was so frightened that she trembled all over, and her screams turned into cries.

Li Chun didn't make any further moves. He simply released her, stood up, and coldly looked around.

"Get your boss out here," he said.

Erhu rushed out from the inner room, carrying a folding stool in his hand, followed by five or six of his men.

"Who the hell dares to cause trouble on my turf!" Erhu roared, but when he saw Li Chun's face, he froze.

His pupils suddenly contracted, and he almost dropped the folding stool in his hand.

"Li...Li Chun?" Erhu's voice trembled.

Li Chun sneered, "You still recognize me?"

Erhu gripped the folding stool tightly in his hand, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

He certainly recognized Li Chun; the ruthless character who had hacked down three streets with a single blow back in the day, a notorious figure in the area. He'd been sentenced to eight years for stabbing someone and had only been out for a few years.

"Brother Chun, what...does this mean?" Erhu's voice lowered a few decibels.

Li Chun drew a knife from his waist, twirled it in his hand, and said coldly, "You dare touch my sister's shop?"

Erhu's expression changed, and he quickly said, "Brother Chun, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding! I didn't know Sister Yan was your sister!"

"A misunderstanding?" Li Chun chuckled. "You sent people to her shop to cause trouble, disrupting things every day, and you call that a misunderstanding?"

Erhu opened his mouth, about to explain, but Li Chun had already taken a step forward. The knife in his hand gleamed coldly under the lamplight.

Erhu gritted his teeth, grabbed a folding stool, and smashed it at Li Chun.

Li Chun dodged to the side and kicked Erhu in the stomach.

Erhu was kicked and staggered back a few steps, his back hitting the wall.

Li Chun followed, placing the knife directly at his neck.

The cold blade pressed against his skin, and Erhu dared not move.

"Brother Chun, Brother Chun, I was wrong!" Erhu quickly said.

Li Chun ignored him and winked at the man next to him.

Two men immediately rushed over and pinned down one of Erhu's capable henchmen.

The man struggled and shouted, "Let me go!"

One of the men pressed his hand down onto the mahjong table.

Li Chun walked over, and without saying a word, swiftly brought down the knife.

A scream was heard, and a little finger fell onto the mahjong table, splattering blood everywhere.

Everyone in the private room was too scared to make a sound.

The escort girl screamed and covered her eyes, and the customers didn't dare to utter a sound.

The man whose finger had been chopped off was writhing on the ground in pain, blood gushing from the severed finger.

Erhu stared at the finger, his face as white as paper, and his whole body began to tremble.

"Brother Chun, I was blind!" Erhu immediately knelt down, kowtowing and begging for forgiveness. "I deserve to die, please forgive my foolishness!"

Li Chun sheathed the knife, patted the blood off his hands, and said calmly, "Get up. What are you going to do with my sister's shop?"

Erhu quickly said, "Brother Chun, whatever you say goes!"

Li Chunchao winked at the man next to him: "Go, call Li Yan and those two pretty girls from her shop over."

The man nodded, turned around, and went out the door.

Not long after, Li Yan arrived with Sun Xiaoyan, Liu Meiling, and Wang Hong.

The four women were dressed neatly, but Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling's expressions changed when they saw the severed finger in the private room and the blood on the floor.

Li Yan remained relatively calm. She walked to Li Chun's side and whispered, "Brother."

Li Chun nodded, then looked at Erhu.

"Erhu, tell me, how are you going to compensate my sister?"

Erhu quickly said, "Brother Chun, there's a nice KTV nearby. Let's have some fun and talk. It's on me to make up for our apologies."

Li Chun glanced at him and nodded.

A group of people went to a nearby karaoke bar.

Erhu ordered a deluxe private room and a table full of drinks and fruit platters.

Sun Xiaoyan, Liu Meiling, and Wang Hong all sat next to Li Chun and poured him drinks.

Li Chun took a sip of his drink and said directly, "Erhu, transfer your mahjong parlor to my sister."

Erhu was stunned: "Brother Chun, this... this is not easy either. My shop has been open for several years."

Li Chun sneered, "My sister is buying normally, giving you a fair price. If you agree, we can part ways amicably. If you're not satisfied, I'll make sure you can't survive in this area."

Erhu's forehead began to sweat again. He knew Li Chun was not one to joke.

Erhu quickly said, "Brother Chun, don't be angry. I'll follow Brother Chun! I'll never dare to mess with Sister Yan again!"

Li Chun raised his glass and clinked it against Erhu's: "Okay, it's settled then."

Erhu quickly nodded and bowed, "Brother Chun's word is law. From now on, Sister Yan's affairs are my affairs!"

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling, dressed in tight-fitting cheongsams, stood beside him, one pouring wine for Li Chun and the other serving him food.

Wang Hong was not to be outdone, so she sat on the other side of Li Chun and occasionally looked down and smiled as she spoke to him.

Li Chun clearly enjoyed this treatment, with one hand on their shoulder and occasionally pinching their thighs.

The private room was filled with singing and dancing, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

But in the next private room, it was a completely different scene.

Xiao Hui and several male and female classmates were singing into the microphone.

There were fruit platters and drinks on the table, and several boys were making a ruckus.

"Xiao Hui, why don't you sing a duet with Liu Yue?"

"Exactly! You two are the undisputed golden couple of our class!"

Liu Yue was wearing a fashionable short skirt and light makeup. When she heard what her classmates said, her face turned slightly red, but her eyes were filled with pride.

She deliberately moved closer to Xiaohui, pressing her chest against his arm.

"Xiao Hui, shall we sing 'Today You're Marrying Me'?" Liu Yue said in a sweet, coquettish voice.

Xiao Hui smiled awkwardly: "I don't know how to sing this song."

"Then I'll teach you!" Liu Yue grabbed Xiao Hui's hand and pulled him in front of the microphone.

The other students started chanting, "Together! Together!"

Xiao Hui's face turned bright red. He tried to break free, but Liu Yue held him tightly.

"Don't be shy, we're classmates," Liu Yue said, practically clinging to him.

Xiao Hui had no choice but to bite the bullet and sing along with her.

Liu Yue sang with extra effort, deliberately drawing out her voice.

When she reached the climax of the song, she turned to look at Xiaohui, her eyes sparkling.

The others in the private room continued to chant, "Kiss! Kiss!"

Liu Yue smiled and kissed Xiao Hui on the cheek, then giggled.

Xiao Hui's face turned as red as a monkey's bottom, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Unbeknownst to him, in the next private room, Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling, dressed in low-cut cheongsams, were pouring drinks for the scarred man.

Two private rooms, separated by a door.

On one side are naive and innocent students, and on the other side are江湖人 (jianghu people) who live on the edge of a knife and lick blood.

Xiao Hui never dreamed that his two older sisters, whom he longed for, lived right next door.