Border Prisoner: The Mad Boss Seduces Her Every Night

Shi Luyu didn't know how she got back to her room.

The light in the adjacent side room went out behind her. She groped her way through the corridor in the dark, pushed open the door, and then closed it again in loneliness, without turning on the light.

The moonlight from outside the window shone on the foot of the bed, turning the quilt a cold white.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her mind filled with images of Songtan sitting next to Xu Yuanjia, the way the girl smiled, and the way she called him "A-Jia".

That scoundrel of an older brother, Xu Yuanjia! He didn't even try to refuse...

Shi Luyu turned off her phone, looked at it repeatedly, and bit her finger.

Xu Yuanjia did not send her a message.

He was probably catching up with his childhood sweetheart, or perhaps he was fulfilling Xu Qingyao's request to "spend some time together."

Anyway, it has nothing to do with her!

That's fine then, she doesn't care!

Shi Luyu forced herself to turn off her computer and go to sleep, but only managed a light sleep all night.

This caused Shi Luyu to wake up very early the next morning.

While washing up, I saw my eyes were swollen in the mirror, and it took a while to get them down after applying an ice towel.

She changed into a light pink dress, the one she wore when she arrived. She had wanted to tidy herself up, but after standing in front of the mirror for a long time, she decided not to attract attention and took it off, changing into a loose white T-shirt and jeans.

Who are you dressing up so nicely for?

When she went downstairs for breakfast, Xu Qingyao was already sitting in the dining room, drinking coffee and looking at her phone, with a plate of fruit and a pot of tea in front of her. She saw Shi Luyu, put down her phone, and smiled.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

Shi Luyu nodded politely and sat down at the other end of the long table, several seats away from Xu Qingyao.

She picked up the menu on the table, looked down and flipped through it, not paying attention to a single word. The waiter came over and asked her what she wanted to eat, and she randomly pointed to a set meal without even reading the name.

Xu Qingyao didn't approach, but remained across the long table, speaking casually: "Last night, A-Jia went out to meet Song Tan, and they chatted until quite late."

Shi Luyu's fingers paused on the edge of the menu for a moment, then she continued flipping through it. "Hmm, it's pretty good."

"The Songtan family has considerable influence in southern Thailand and has a long-standing relationship with the Xu family," Xu Qingyao said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"She's a nice person, generous, and comes from a good family. She and A-Jia are a good match."

Shi Luyu closed the menu, glanced at the white linen tablecloth on the table, and asked seemingly nonchalantly, "Are they very familiar with each other?"

Xu Qingyao looked at her, smiled enigmatically, and avoided the main point: "We used to play together a lot when we were little. Later, Songtan went abroad to study for a few years, and we lost touch after he came back."

"However, relationships can sometimes be rekindled very quickly."

Shi Luyu didn't say anything. Her breakfast was served: a plate of fried eggs and roasted tomatoes, and a small bowl of fruit salad.

She poked the fried egg with her fork, and the yolk broke, flowing into the white plate, sticky and messy.

This was the first small thing that made her uncomfortable.

Xu Qingyao didn't say anything bad about Songtan, but every word she said seemed to be telling her, "You are the one who came later."

Shi Luyu knew that Xu Qingyao might not have meant any harm, and might even just be chatting, but those words fell into her heart like tiny thorns, not painful, but sore and piercing.

She didn't want to think too much about the possibility that Xu Yuanjia and Songtan might have spent time together last night, as it would only make her feel bad.

In the afternoon, Xu Qingyao sent someone to bring up a plate of desserts, saying that they were made by the guesthouse's new pastry chef. They were mango sticky rice balls, which looked very appealing, plump and white, and coated with a layer of coconut flakes.

Shi Luyu ate one; it was soft, sweet, and fragrant, and the mango inside was very fresh, much better than the ones she usually bought near the school gate.

She ate another one, and the instant she bit down, she suddenly wondered if this dessert was made especially for her, or if it was an extra one.

Did Xu Yuanjia have it? Did Songtan have it?

She pushed the plate aside and stopped eating.

Xu Yuanjia still did not appear that night.

Shi Luyu walked around the courtyard a few times, then circled to the side hall. The lights were off, and there was no one there.

She stood under the eaves, a breeze blowing, carrying the moisture from the lotus pond and a faint scent of jasmine.

Suddenly I felt like someone placed in a box—quiet, safe, but unable to get out.

The weather was great the next day.

Sunlight filtered through the bamboo grove, casting its rays onto the bluestone path.

A carpet of broken gold. Shi Luyu strolled around the courtyard and saw a stone table with a book spread out on it. As she approached, she realized it was a photography collection with covers depicting Buddhist temples and floating markets common in Southeast Asia.

She flipped through the photos; they weren't particularly good, the composition was so-so, and the color tone was a bit gray. Just as she was about to put them back, she heard footsteps behind her.

"You like photography?" Xu Qingyao walked over from the other end of the corridor, wearing a light green silk blouse and carrying a cup of tea. Her gaze fell on the photography collection.

"This was produced by Songtan. She took the photos when she was in college, and her family printed several hundred copies to give away as gifts."

Shi Luyu's finger paused on the page. She closed the book and placed it back on the stone table. "The photos are quite good."

Xu Qingyao glanced down at the cover and smiled. "Next time she comes, I'll have her show you her latest work; she's improved a lot."

Shi Luyu pursed her lips. Songtan? Does she also like photography? So... could it be... that she's just a substitute for Songtan in Xu Yuanjia's heart?

She stood beside the stone table, the sunlight warm on her shoulders, but her hands and feet felt cold, and she began to doubt whether Xu Yuanjia's kindness to her was genuine.

Song Tan has published a photography collection. She grew up with Xu Yuanjia. She comes from a good family, has a good education, is beautiful, generous, and has everything going for her.

She looked down at the canvas shoes on her feet, simple and plain.

Shi Luyu wondered if she was too bland and ordinary.

No, she shouldn't doubt herself over a man, even if he is Xu Yuanjia.

She'd rather not have a man who bothers her! Shi Luyu thought with a hint of grievance.

"Sister," she suddenly spoke, "when will my passport be ready?"

Xu Qingyao took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "Still under verification, but it'll be done soon. What's wrong, are you not comfortable staying here?"

"No, I'm staying very well." Shi Luyu clenched the hem of her clothes. "I just wanted to confirm the time."

We need to get out of here quickly and let those two childhood sweethearts be entangled!

Xu Qingyao nodded. "Okay, I'll have someone bring it to you."

Shi Luyu turned and walked away resolutely.

Back in her room, even though she had made up her mind, she still thought about the photo album over and over again. She sat on the edge of the bed, hugged her knees, and buried her face in her arms.

As the sun set, Xu Yuanjia finally appeared.

Shi Luyu was photographing a clump of bougainvillea in the yard. She was squatting on the ground, focusing, and pressing the shutter. She heard footsteps coming from under the eaves, glanced back, and then turned back.

Xu Yuanjia was wearing a thin black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing the lines of his forearms.

He walked over calmly, squatted down next to her, and glanced at the cluster of flowers through her lens: "Goodness, these flowers are so gaudy, they don't deserve your attention."

Shi Luyu didn't look at him, and continued pressing the shutter. "I don't want to look at you again."

Xu Yuanjia smiled, showing no displeasure. Instead, he reached out and covered the back of her hand, adjusting the angle as he taught her:

"Focus closer and blur the background, then the flower will stand out."

The man's large hand did not immediately withdraw; it remained on the back of her hand, his palm warm.

Shi Luyu didn't shake him off, but she also didn't cooperate.

She took the camera down, stood up, stepped back, and created a small distance between herself and him.

"What brings you here today?" she asked casually, as if she were asking someone she didn't know very well.

Xu Yuanjia leaned against a tree trunk, his hands in his pockets, and tilted his head to look at her: "I came to see you."

"What are you looking at me for? Aren't you very busy?" Shi Luyu looked down at the camera, put the lens cap on, and looked bored.

She fiddled with the lens cap with her fingers, refusing to look at him.

Xu Yuanjia appreciated her slightly annoyed expression and smiled, "I'll come over as soon as I'm done with my work."

"And what about Songtan?" She said it so quickly that she didn't even realize she had said it.

Her fingers froze on the lens cap, then she added, "Isn't your childhood sweetheart with you?"