Border Prisoner: The Mad Boss Seduces Her Every Night

Xu Yuanjia didn't answer immediately. He looked at her profile, his gaze lingering on her slightly pursed lips and lowered eyelashes: "You know?"

"Your sister said so." Shi Luyu slung her camera over her shoulder and finally looked up at him. Her expression was calm, so calm that it was as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her. "She said you and her are a good match."

Xu Yuanjia raised an eyebrow. He took half a step forward, closing the distance between them.

Shi Luyu instinctively tried to back away, but he didn't give her the chance and reached out to grab her wrist.

His fingers gripped her wrist with a measured tightness, his thumb pressing against her pulse.

"A good match?" He repeated the word, the last syllable rising slightly, as if savoring something interesting. "What do you think?"

Shi Luyu didn't speak. She looked into his eyes, and there was something in those eyes that she couldn't understand.

The man showed no sign of guilt or panic; on the contrary, he seemed to have anticipated that she would ask that question.

Her heart skipped a beat, but she pulled her hand out of his palm.

"Do whatever you want!" She turned and left.

Xu Yuanjia stood there, watching her walk away, and the corners of his mouth slowly widened.

His fingers hung at his sides, the fingertips still tinged with the sensation of her pulse, each beat as fast as a startled rabbit.

Another day, someone knocked on Shi Luyu's door.

She thought it was someone delivering breakfast. When she opened the door, she saw a person in dark blue overalls standing there, holding a delivery box. "Ms. Shi, your package."

She took it, opened it, and found a Polaroid camera inside. It was the latest model, white, and compact, with several boxes of film next to it.

There were no cards or signatures in the box.

She took out the Polaroid camera, looked at it over and over again, and then looked at the shipping label on the outside of the box. The sender's name was blank.

She knew who sent it.

She sat on the edge of the bed, holding the Polaroid camera, and a sudden, indescribable bittersweet feeling welled up inside her.

He gave her gifts, came to see her, and touched her, but he also met with Songtan and said, "I hope she performs well tonight," and even tacitly agreed with Xu Qingyao's statement that they were a "good match."

She had no idea what Xu Yuanjia was thinking.

She held the Polaroid camera, her fingertips tracing the cool surface of the device, and suddenly felt very tired.

She put the Polaroid back in its box, closed it, and pushed it to the back of the table.

That noon, she didn't go downstairs for lunch. Instead, she had someone bring the food to her room, ate a few bites, and then put it down.

In the afternoon, Xu Qingyao came upstairs and stood at the door talking to her for a while, saying that she looked unwell and wondered if she hadn't slept well, and whether she should call a doctor to take a look. Shi Luyu said no, she was just a little tired.

In the evening, she finally came out of her room.

She put on the light pink dress, let her hair down, and combed it a little.

She walked into the courtyard, strolled around most of the lotus pond, and then sat down in the pavilion. She didn't know why she dressed up; perhaps it was because she had been holding back for two days, and the more resentment she felt, the less she wanted to admit defeat.

She wanted Xu Yuanjia to know that she didn't care that much at all, or... at least she didn't seem to care that much.

When Xu Yuanjia appeared outside the pavilion, the sunset was blazing.

Half the sky was orange-red, reflected in the lotus pond, like a whole sheet of flowing flames.

He walked over and sat down in the chair next to her, keeping a distance of one person.

A gentle evening breeze blew by, and her skirt clung softly to her calves.

"Songtan came to see me again this afternoon," he said, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather.

Shi Luyu clenched and unclenched her fingers on her knees: "Mm."

He continued, "She gave me a collection of her photographs."

"I saw it," Shi Luyu said. "She took a good picture."

Xu Yuanjia turned his head to look at her. The light of the sunset fell on her face, turning her eyelashes gold.

Her expression was calm, but her fingers were still unconsciously pinching her knee, again and again.

"I'll take it," he said.

Shi Luyu stood up: "I understand."

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.

He wasn't very strong, but she struggled twice without breaking free.

She looked down at him, her eyes already red, but she gritted her teeth to keep the tears from falling.

"Are you telling me this on purpose?" Her voice was a little hoarse.

"Are you trying to make me back down, or are you trying to get me to congratulate you?"

Xu Yuanjia looked at her, his eyes deep.

He loosened his grip on her wrist, his fingers slowly sliding down to touch her fingertips, and gently took theirs.

"No," he said, "I wanted to make you angry."

Shi Luyu was stunned.

"You never say anything, you keep everything bottled up inside." He stood up, looking down at her. The sunset behind him burned brightly, bathing his silhouette in a golden-red light.

"I only know you still care when you're angry."

Shi Luyu's tears finally fell. She shook off his hand and took a step back. "Give me back my passport," she said, her voice trembling. "I'm leaving."

Xu Yuanjia's eyes were filled with her red, tear-filled eyes and the way she bit her lip.

Seeing her clenched fists and trembling shoulders, the wicked thoughts he harbored, the flames of desire he had deliberately stirred within her, were extinguished by her falling tears.

He reached out to wipe away her tears, but Shi Luyu abruptly turned her head away.

"Passport," she repeated firmly, "Give it back to me. I need to go find my parents."

Xu Yuanjia's hand hovered in mid-air as he looked at her. The sunset was still ablaze, the surface of the lotus pond was dyed deep red, and the bamboo forest in the distance rustled in the wind.

She stood there, tears streaming down her face, but her back was straight.