Situ Hui was so furious that she smashed her water glass.
But afterward, she cleaned it up herself, carefully sweeping away the scattered shards.
What choice did she have? What could she do? She had little education and could barely recognize any of the English words on her passport. She didn't dare strike out abroad alone. Even if she spoke English, she still wouldn't dare go alone as a woman.
It wasn't that she lacked courage. She knew perfectly well that she was far braver than Li Xiude. But she understood even better where a woman's vulnerabilities lay. A woman out on her own could all too easily become someone else's prey.
The more money she had on her, the more frightened she became.
She knew human nature all too well. At eighteen, she had left home to work, only for someone from her hometown to trick her into working at a bathhouse, promising high wages and generous commissions, enough to save up a dowry in a few years. But what had happened? That acquaintance had only wanted the referral fee, and the boss had only wanted her to become a prostitute. Neither had forced her, but at the time, she hadn't seemed to have much choice.
After that, she had grown up surrounded by lies. Deceived time and again, she had begun deceiving others too. She had become increasingly good at reading people and increasingly skilled at lying.
She understood human nature all too well. She understood men all too well.
She sat back down at the dining table alone and poured herself a drink. One glass, two, three. She drank until her mind grew hazy, then climbed into bed and fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke the next morning, the pillow beside hers was empty.
Li