Border Prisoner: The Mad Boss Seduces Her Every Night

In the adjacent side room, the lights were dim.

Xu Yuanjia sat in the main seat, his long legs crossed, lazily twirling a thin-rimmed wine glass between his fingers. His dark suit accentuated his sharp shoulders, his collar was perfectly neat, and his features appeared exceptionally refined in the dim light.

He knew Shi Luyu was next door. He also knew she was hiding behind that latticed window, holding her breath and eavesdropping.

The girl's gaze was all too familiar. It landed lightly on him, carrying hesitation, sadness, and a hint of concern that she herself didn't even realize.

A faint smile flickered in Xu Yuanjia's eyes, but he didn't expose it.

He simply leaned back lazily in his chair, his long fingers resting on the rim of his cup, his expression relaxed and composed, as if the person Xu Qingyao had just mentioned was truly just an old friend he hadn't seen for many years.

Xu Qingyao took in his reaction. "Tell me your thoughts?"

Xu Yuanjia's fingers continued moving; he showed no sign of displeasure, instead casually asking, "Is she coming tonight?"

Behind the dark window, Shi Luyu quietly dug her fingertips into the crack in the window frame, and the secret expectation in her heart slowly sank. She had thought that he would at least frown, would refuse, or even just give an impatient, perfunctory reply.

But he asked so naturally, even with a hint of initiative, as if he were really waiting for the girl to appear.

Xu Qingyao looked up at him, a meaningful smile playing on her lips: "What, you want to see me?"

Xu Yuanjia chuckled softly, his laughter light and airy, carrying his usual nonchalance and carefree attitude. "It has indeed been many years since we last met."

He swirled the wine in his glass, his eyes slightly lowered, his tone revealing little emotion. "Catching up is fine too."

After saying that, he seemed to feel it wasn't enough, and slowly added another sentence:

"After all, we've been playing together since we were kids."

Behind the window, Shi Luyu clenched her fists even tighter.

We've been playing together since we were little.

So he was here, and he had a childhood sweetheart too. She had always thought that the memories of their childhood belonged to the two of them.

Even though those memories are becoming increasingly blurry and unsettling, she still stubbornly believes that at least "Brother Jiajia" belongs to her.

But it turns out that wasn't the case.

Someone like Xu Yuanjia, born into a top-tier family, is never short of people around him. With Taimai being so big and the Xu family so prestigious, he naturally had many companions during his childhood.

What is she anyway?

A Chinese girl I spent a few days with a long time ago.

An old story that even he himself might not remember.

Shi Luyu's eyes slowly stung, and she suddenly felt somewhat ridiculous.

She actually thought she would be the exception just because he called her "good girl," bought her a camera, and ate at a roadside stall with her.

Xu Yuanjia is a dazzling and powerful person who can easily get whatever he wants.

How could she possibly be his only one?

It was eerily quiet on the other side of the dark window.

Xu Yuanjia lowered his eyes and gently stroked the cup with his fingertips.

Xu Qingyao looked at him and deliberately continued, "Songtan hasn't had a boyfriend all these years."

Xu Yuanjia raised an eyebrow slightly. "You wouldn't be thinking of saying—"

He looked up, a lazy smile playing on his lips. "She's waiting for me, isn't she?"

The man's tone was flat and emotionless. Yet, when it reached Shi Luyu's ears, it carried an inexplicable ambiguity.

Shi Luyu felt a lump in her throat upon hearing this.

He did not deny it, and even picked up on Xu Qingyao's topic.

The girl lowered her eyes and pressed her lips tightly together, afraid that even the slightest movement would disturb the people next door.

After Xu Yuanjia finished speaking, he glanced very lightly at the dark window.

In just a moment. That wicked thought was hidden very deeply.

Xu Qingyao saw it, of course.

"What else?" She picked up the teacup on the table and took a slow sip.

"Her family has been making frequent overtures to her father since last year, and their words have been implying this."

Xu Yuanjia lowered his eyes and swirled the wine in his glass, a casual smile playing at the corners of his eyes. After a long while, he let out a low chuckle, as if he wasn't surprised by Song Tan's family's intentions.

Xu Qingyao continued, "Songtan's family controls several private ports and two shipping routes in southern Thailand, and her father is a permanent director of the Southern Thailand Chamber of Commerce. In terms of family background, they are quite prominent in Thailand."

She looked at Xu Yuanjia, her tone unhurried, "Of course, she's no less capable herself."

"I have a double major in International Politics and Business Law at Chulalongkorn University, and last year I represented the university at the ASEAN Youth Forum."

Shi Luyu's eyelashes trembled slightly behind the dark window.

International politics and business law; his family controls private ports and shipping routes.

She looked down at her slender fingers, "..."

And me? I'm just an ordinary freshman, studying photography and making documentaries, and I'm still struggling to complete a feature film independently.

Even though she usually works very hard.

I tried hard to learn editing, worked hard on my course assignments, and tried my best not to seem so ordinary.

But all those efforts suddenly seemed insignificant compared to Songtan's background and resume.

Xu Qingyao smiled gently: "Don't be fooled by her quietness around you. She's just being well-behaved because she likes you."

Xu Yuanjia's eyes flickered slightly when he heard the word "well-behaved".

There is only one person in this world who can truly make him feel that she is obedient and adorable.

But he didn't say anything.

Xu Qingyao looked at him and said, "Anyway, it's just about getting to know each other first. It's not like I'm telling you to get married right away."

Xu Yuanjia casually swirled his wine glass. "Okay."

Shi Luyu's breath caught in her throat.

Xu Yuanjia looked down at the swirling liquid in his glass, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I hope she performs well tonight."

Behind the dark window, the color drained from Shi Luyu's face, and her fingers, which had been gripping the window frame, unconsciously drooped.

Those words fell lightly, yet they weighed heavily on her chest, making her breath catch in her throat. She had been trying to find excuses for him, but now she couldn't find any anymore.

She heard it. She heard it very clearly.

Xu Yuanjia was willing to see Songtan and spend time with her.

They even expected her to "perform well".

A soreness slowly rose in her chest, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

She knew she shouldn't continue eavesdropping, but her feet remained rooted to the spot.

She still wanted to see. She wanted to know what the childhood sweetheart who had truly grown up with Xu Yuanjia was like.

She also wanted to know how Xu Yuanjia would treat her.

/

The banquet was held in the Zhaoyue Hall, which overlooks the water in the guesthouse.

Outside the hall was a lotus pond, with the shadows of distant mountains pressing down on the twilight. A row of delicate gauze lanterns hung along the wooden corridor, their warm light swaying gently in the breeze.

Shi Luyu did not come downstairs.

She was arranged to rest on the second floor, but discovered a hidden corridor through the side door of the room.

At the end of the corridor was a narrow, balustraded window that offered a view of the hall below. She stood behind the window, her fingers resting on the cold wooden frame.

Soon after, Songtan arrived.

She wore a deep gold Thai-style long dress, her shoulders and neck elegant, her long hair flowing smoothly down her back. She had red lips and white teeth, striking eyebrows and eyes, and delicate gold earrings that swayed gently as she walked.

Beautiful and confident.

As soon as she entered, Xu Qingyao stood up to greet her, "Songtan."

Songtan smiled and hugged her, then his gaze naturally fell on Xu Yuanjia, "A-Jia."

Shi Luyu's fingers suddenly tightened.

Xu Yuanjia sat at the head of the long table. He was wearing a smoky gray suit tonight, his tie was loose, and he was casually drinking with his wrists resting on the back of the chair.

He only looked up when he heard Songtan call him.

Those eyes looked particularly deep under the light, with a nonchalant smile at the corners. "Long time no see."

Songtan smiled and said, "You still remember me."

Xu Yuanjia chuckled: "My memory isn't that bad."

For some reason, Shi Luyu's eyes welled up with tears as she listened.

He spoke to Songtan naturally, without the awkwardness she had imagined.

Xu Qingyao had already arranged the seats. Shi Luyu stood behind the second-floor window, and although the angle was limited, she could clearly see Song Tan sitting next to Xu Yuanjia.

Xu Yuanjia neither changed seats nor said anything.

He simply leaned back lazily in his chair, his long fingers holding the wine glass, seemingly accepting the arrangement.

After Songtan sat down, she turned to look at him and said, "I heard you've been very busy lately."

Xu Yuanjia took a sip of wine: "It's alright."

"My father has heard about the Xu family's affairs," Songtan said with a smile. "He said you're even more capable than when you were a child."

Xu Yuanjia raised an eyebrow slightly.

Songtan's tone was familiar, "Riding horses, archery, diving—everyone's afraid of you."

Xu Yuanjia curled his lips slightly. "Aren't you afraid?"

Songtan looked at him, his eyes brightening slightly. "Why should I be afraid?"

Shi Luyu felt even more bitter.

These are all things she didn't know about Xu Yuanjia.

horse riding.

Shooting arrows.

diving.

Songtan has seen them all.

She had seen him as a teenager and had been with him through those years that belonged to Tai Mai.

She knew very little about him.

The words Xu Yuanjia and Xu Qingyao had said suddenly echoed in my ears again.

We grew up together.

I've never had a boyfriend.

Let's get to know each other first.

I hope she does well tonight.

Shi Luyu bit her lip, and a layer of moisture gradually rose in her eyes.

Downstairs, Songtan had already raised his wine glass and was moving slightly closer to Xu Yuanjia...

Songtan raised his glass slightly to him, smiling, and said, "Ah Jia, welcome back. How about a drink?"

She considered herself to know Xu Yuanjia fairly well.

This prodigy of the Xu family was unruly and unrestrained from a young age; no one could control him, and no one could truly get close to him. The older he got, the more distant he became. He always seemed to be smiling, but he was cold at heart and detested anyone who overstepped his boundaries.

Therefore, Songtan did not act too proactively.

She merely leaned slightly closer to Xu Yuanjia, maintaining a polite social distance. When she raised her glass, her movements were natural and graceful, simply wanting to clink glasses with him.

However, Xu Yuanjia didn't reach for his own glass. He raised his hand and took the glass of wine directly from her fingers.

The movement was so natural that Songtan didn't even have time to react before his palm was empty.

Xu Yuanjia held the wine glass in one hand, his fingers long and pale. He casually swirled the pale golden liquid in the glass, lazily raising the corner of his eye, and simultaneously making a gesture to the side.

The servant immediately understood. He took a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from the waiter's tray, walked to Songtan's side, bowed slightly, and politely handed it to her, "Miss Songtan."

Songtan paused for a moment, then instinctively caught it.

But her gaze was still fixed on the glass of wine in Xu Yuanjia's hand, and she was clearly still a little dazed.

"My wine..." She paused, looking at him with a hint of surprise.

"Ah Jia, why did you confiscate my wine?"

Xu Yuanjia leaned back in his chair, his long legs crossed, the lamplight casting a clean, sharp line across his suit collar. He held the glass of wine between his fingers, a slight smirk playing on his lips, his voice lazy and casual.

"Why is this little girl learning to drink?"

Songtan's face flushed; she clearly hadn't expected him to say that.

When Xu Yuanjia was young, he had thought she was too young, but he rarely called her that with such a indulgent tone. Now, after many years apart, when he spoke, he still regarded her as the little girl who used to follow him around.

A slight blush rose to Songtan's ears as she hugged the orange juice and retorted softly, "I'm not a little girl anymore."

Xu Yuanjia raised an eyebrow. He picked up the wine glass he had taken from her hand and lightly touched the rim of the glass to her orange juice.

A crisp, light sound rang out, "Okay."

His smile was casual, but his eyes were so beautiful that it was impossible to look away. "Miss Songtan, welcome."

Songtan's eyes lit up immediately.

The initial surprise was quickly replaced by unexpected joy. She looked down at the orange juice in her glass, and the corners of her lips couldn't help but curve into a smile, even her usually dignified and elegant smile gained a touch of girlish charm.

She had only come to a dinner party arranged by the Xu family, never expecting that Xu Yuanjia would remember her, nor that he would casually ask her to drink.

This level of care far exceeded her expectations.

From behind the dark window upstairs, Shi Luyu could see everything clearly. Her fingers, which were resting on the window frame, slowly tightened, and her fingertips ached from the pressure of the wood grain.

The glass of wine was originally in Songtan's hand, but Xu Yuanjia took it from him personally.

He even had the servants replace Somtan's juice with orange juice.

His movements were natural, his tone familiar, and he even called her "little girl."

Shi Luyu's eyes gradually warmed, but her chest felt heavy, as if something was pressing down on it, making it hard for her to breathe.

She was just standing there watching, but all those emotions came rushing back to her.

Angry, aggrieved, sad... and a bittersweet jealousy she had never experienced before.

What gives Xu Yuanjia the right to call Songtan that?

Since their reunion, he has called her "good girl," "little rabbit," and even deliberately dragged out his tone when calling her Lulu.

But he had never called her "little girl" in such a natural tone, with a touch of reminiscence and indulgence.

On what grounds?

She was only eighteen years old.

She's the young girl.

Downstairs, Songtan had recovered from his earlier embarrassment.

She took a sip of orange juice, her gaze falling on Xu Yuanjia, and smiled as she brought up the past, "Do you remember when we used to ride horses together?"

Xu Yuanjia lowered his eyes and swirled the glass, the wine inside slowly moving along the side of the glass. His expression was nonchalant as he answered casually, "I remember."

Shi Luyu's heart sank even further.

He remembers.

Shi Luyu looked at them through the window.

Under the lights, Songtan was radiant and poised. Born into a top family in Southern Thailand, she studied international politics and business law. She understood the Xu family's rules and could comprehend the family business dealings and power struggles.

Xu Yuanjia sat there, dressed in a suit and tie, with noble features and an arrogant air about him.

They looked good together, came from similar family backgrounds, and even grew up in similar environments.

When these two people sit together, even the way people around them look at them seems to take it all for granted.

Shi Luyu lowered her eyes, suddenly feeling very embarrassed.

Before she actually met Songtan, she at least felt that her childhood memories with Xu Yuanjia were precious and special.

She privately believed it belonged only to the two of them.

But tonight, hearing their conversation and seeing the familiar exchange of glances between them, those subtle and natural unspoken understandings, all reminded her—

In Xu Yuanjia's past, there was another girl.

Songtan knew he could ride a horse, knew he was competitive in his youth, and knew he had always been the center of attention.

Shi Luyu didn't even know where Xu Yuanjia grew up or what he had experienced.

What saddened her the most was Xu Yuanjia's attitude towards Songtan.

Xu Yuanjia was arrogant and overbearing. There were many rumors about him at school, and many girls liked him.

But no one really dared to get close.

Those people were attracted to his appearance and family background, but at the same time, they were afraid of his aloofness that came from being born superior.

Shi Luyu had also seen how he treated others.

He was utterly cold-hearted towards Lin Wanqing.

He couldn't even be bothered to glance at girls who tried to strike up conversations with him at school; Xu Yuanjia was never actually seen with any woman.

That's why she gradually lowered her guard and started to realize that she might actually be special.

But tonight, he didn't resent Songtan's presence, nor did he resist her initiative. He even took the wine from her hand, replaced her with orange juice, accepted her small talk, and was willing to chat with her about the past.

He even called her "little girl"...

Shi Luyu grew angrier the more she thought about it, and the bitterness in her heart burned her eyes.

What the hell is that bastard Xu Yuanjia doing?!

Downstairs, Songtan was still laughing.

She seemed to be in a good mood, and was obviously happy that Xu Yuanjia remembered the past. "That time I fell off the horse, it was you who brought me back."

Xu Yuanjia looked up at her. "You can ride now?"

Song Tan raised her chin. She was never a pampered young lady; she had an open-minded personality and was quite strong-willed. Hearing Xu Yuanjia's question, a hint of pride immediately appeared in her eyes.

"Of course."

"I'm riding really well now." She looked at him with a smile, a hint of defiant defiance in her expression.

"I'll have a match with you another time when I'm free."

Xu Yuanjia raised an eyebrow slightly, and his thin lips slowly curved into a smile. "I'm available anytime."

Shi Luyu's anger burned even brighter. She bit her lip hard, her eyes already red.

She wanted to turn around and leave, but she was unwilling to.

The atmosphere at the dinner gradually relaxed.

After finishing half a glass of orange juice, Songtan suddenly put the glass down. She stood up from her seat, the deep gold skirt sliding down her ankles, and the gold jewelry on her ears swaying gently under the light.

Xu Yuanjia remained seated, his expression nonchalant, the wine glass casually resting on his knee.

Songtan walked up to him, and the two got closer.

Shi Luyu tensed up almost immediately as she looked through the window bars.

She watched as Songtan stood in front of Xu Yuanjia, bent down, tilted her head, and smiled at him.

"The moonlight is lovely tonight," Songtan said with a bright smile.

"Ah Jia, want to come along...?"