A Life of Luxury and Excess

A ten-mile stretch of bustling streets, awash in luxury and indulgence. Ever since I came to this dazzling, prosperous city of Beijing, I have no longer been myself. Every day I dress up like a flashy little temptress, smiling as I watch countless customers come and go. When I look back on those days, all I can remember is forcing a smile. In the best years of my life, I met the wrong man. One wrong step led me into a life of vice, where I experienced the warmth and coldness of human nature and watched love and hatred, madness and obsession unfold. Years flowed by like water, and life felt like a dream. Just when I was ready to give up everything and sink completely into this city of desire, a man appeared where the lights faded into darkness, and buried the most sincere love affair of my life. In those storm-tossed years, he gripped my chin, his eyes bloodshot and burning with hatred. “Become my woman or become my wife. You have no other choice.” I said, “If I could, I'd rather never have set foot here.”