Border Prisoner: The Mad Boss Seduces Her Every Night

On the other side, in the center of the card table.

Xu Yuanjia shuffled the cards slowly and deliberately, as if he didn't care about the farce that followed at all.

Shi Luyu sat opposite, her ears still red. Hearing the noise behind her, her face burned even more.

She held back for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back any longer. She raised her eyes and glared at Xu Yuanjia, "Your people... are all sick."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuanjia raised his eyes to look at her, a slow smile appearing on his lips. "Indeed."

"But goodness, Chai did have a point," he said, leaning back lazily in his chair, his tone laced with a blatant teasing.

"Comparing sizes, is this a children's game?"

Shi Luyu's ears burned, but she still forced a smile and retorted, "You don't dare?"

She could feel guilty as soon as she said that.

Xu Yuanjia looked at her as if she were a small animal that was clearly terrified but was trying to act fierce with its fur standing on end.

He didn't rush to answer; he simply reached out and took the cards back, shuffling them slowly and deliberately in his palm.

The cards flipped between his fingers with an almost too-skilled grace.

"I think a best-of-three series is enough to decide the winner," he said casually.

Shi Luyu immediately looked up: "No way!"

As soon as she said it, she was stunned for a moment, as if she hadn't expected herself to respond so quickly.

But then she realized she couldn't back down now, so she gritted her teeth and continued arguing, "You're already better at the game than me, why should it be three rounds as you say? Five rounds!"

Xu Yuanjia stared at her, the smile in his eyes deepening. "Lulu."

He tapped the cards and said slowly, "You've gotten quite good at bargaining these days."

Shi Luyu pursed her lips, refusing to respond.

Her obvious nervousness, coupled with her forced resistance, probably amused him. After a moment, Xu Yuanjia actually gave in to her.

"Alright." He smirked. "Then it'll be best three out of five."

Shi Luyu's heart tightened.

The betting game has truly begun.

Xu Yuanjia dealt the cards himself. He didn't let anyone else interfere.

His eyes were lowered, his fingers holding the cards with deft movements. The light pressed down on his long eyelashes, making his already striking and handsome face appear even more aloof.

He dealt the cards quietly, even with an almost uncanny patience.

Shi Luyu looked at the two cards face down on the table, her palms already sweating.

She had no idea how to calculate or how to judge the situation in this kind of game. But there was no turning back now, so she could only reach out and turn the cards over.

One seven.

It's not big, but it's not too bad either.

Her heart sank. Before she could think it through, Xu Yuanjia across from her had already slowly turned over his cards.

ten.

He won the first game.

"Lulu's luck isn't great." He glanced at the cards, his eyes filled with a mocking smile.

He barely even needed to look at her cards. He had her wins and losses completely under his control.

Shi Luyu was a little annoyed and glared at him: "This is only the first game."

Xu Yuanjia nodded, his agreement perfunctory, and said with a smile, "Continue."

At the start of the second round, Shi Luyu took a deep breath.

This time, she didn't rush to choose a card, but instead glanced at Xu Yuanjia first.

She saw him shuffling the cards with his eyes down, his index and middle fingers gripping the edge of the cards with fluid, effortless movements. She suddenly realized that even when he played cards, he was as frighteningly steady as he was at other things.

The cards were dealt.

She opened it.

K.

Shi Luyu's eyes lit up slightly, and she almost instinctively gripped the corner of the card.

This should be considered big, right?

Xu Yuanjia revealed his cards: Jack.

This time it was her turn to win.

Shi Luyu finally felt a little relieved, though not much, but her eyes still brightened slightly. Xu Yuanjia saw this, but said nothing, simply pushing the J card away casually.

"Congratulations," he said softly, almost as if he were coaxing her.

The score is tied at 1-1.

⸻

The third round. The atmosphere at the card table slowly changed.

Shi Luyu initially played haphazardly, relying on intuition and luck, without any strategy. But by the third round, she began to instinctively try to find some pattern. Xu Yuanjia, however, remained leisurely, as if simply keeping her company and killing time.

When the cards were dealt, she finally noticed the first detail.

Before flipping a card, Xu Yuanjia would lightly tap the edge of the table with his index finger.

In the last round, he tapped twice, but his hand wasn't strong. In the first round, he only tapped once, yet he won the hand against her.

Is it a coincidence?

The thought flashed through Shi Luyu's mind, but she wasn't sure. She stared at his hand for half a second before turning over her own cards.

Nine.

Not too high, not too low.

She looked up, about to continue observing, when Xu Yuanjia suddenly smiled.

"Lulu, look at your cards."

His tone was languid, as if he had already seen through her little actions.

Shi Luyu's ears burned, but she had to maintain a calm expression: "I know."

Xu Yuanjia then turned over the card.

Eight.

She won this round again.

A very soft gasp came from the edge of the table.

Sheng Kun, standing behind, also noticed a shift in his expression. Even he could see that Master Jia had played this move too smoothly.

Shi Luyu also noticed it.

She won so easily, it was almost unreal.

"Did you do this on purpose?" she couldn't help but ask.

Xu Yuanjia looked up at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. "You're not happy even though you won?"

"I just want to know, did you really lose or were you faking it?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuanjia actually laughed out loud: "Lulu, is the truth or falsehood of winning or losing at the gambling table really that important?"

Shi Luyu paused.

She wondered if she was overthinking it, but for a fleeting moment, she felt that Xu Yuanjia's words didn't seem like an answer to her, but rather like he was teaching her.

Whether it's true or false doesn't matter. What matters is the result.

She lowered her eyes and suddenly felt as if she had touched something, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

The score is 2-1.

She's in the lead.

Before the next round began, Xu Yuanjia suddenly stopped dealing the cards.

He held the deck of cards in his hand, his gaze lingering on her face for a few seconds. Shi Luyu was already tense, and his gaze made her even more so; her eyelashes trembled slightly.

"Are you nervous?" he asked.

Shi Luyu, of course, would not admit: "No."

"The worst thing you can do at the gambling table is to wear your heart on your sleeve."

Xu Yuanjia didn't expose him, but slowly separated the cards, saying, "You're easy to understand now."

He spoke these words casually, as if they were just something he mentioned offhand.

Shi Luyu suddenly had a thought.

He was indeed teaching her.

It wasn't just placating her, nor was it meant to be sarcastic; it was a genuine attempt to get to her.

"And what about you?" she asked, staring at him. "Do you also wear your heart on your sleeve?"

"Yes," Xu Yuanjia answered quickly.

Even she was stunned.

He looked at her, a slow smile spreading across his eyes.

"For example, right now, my face is basically saying—Lulu is so cute today."

Shi Luyu: "..."

She wanted to curse, but she had to hold it in.

But because of these seemingly joking words, the tension in her heart quietly eased a little.

She suddenly realized that if this person were willing, he could actually be an excellent teacher.

He knows everything.

Observe the cards, the person, and the game; see how she shows weakness, how she pretends to be strong, and how she gradually leads herself into the trap.

He didn't need to lecture her; he just needed to give her a few pointers, and she could grasp something from them.

A fleeting thought flashed through Shi Luyu's mind.

If she stays by his side... will she really learn something?

The thought came so suddenly that she was startled.

The cards have been dealt.

She opened it, number five.

Very small.

As usual, Xu Yuanjia raised his hand and tapped the edge of the table lightly with his index finger. Shi Luyu stared at his gesture, her heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly understood.

When he taps the card, the hand is usually not too bad.

She held her breath and watched him flip the card.

six.

He was only slightly older than her. He won this round.

The score is tied at 2-2.

A draw.

The game went into its final round.

The tension in the air reached its peak at this moment.

Zhou Ji remained standing in the same spot, his expression calm and unchanging.

Chai leaned against the table, his gaze darting back and forth between the two people opposite him, as if he was holding something back but dared not say it.

Sheng Kun is even more desperate; his life hangs on this final game, and he's so weak he can barely breathe.

Shi Luyu looked down at the table. Suddenly, she felt less panicked.

In the first four rounds, she played haphazardly at first, but gradually she discovered that she had actually figured out a trick of the trade from Xu Yuanjia.

When he plays cards, the frequency with which he taps his index finger on the table changes.

Whether he pauses before speaking or looks at her before flipping the card makes a difference.

Even when he deliberately lets things slide, his eyes become more relaxed than usual.

It's not that he didn't hide it well enough.

He was the one letting the water out. It was like he was doing it on purpose for her to see.

This discovery sent a chill down her spine and made her realize more clearly that she was thinking about "what ifs" again.

If Xu Yuanjia were truly willing to teach, he could indeed teach her anything.

What is the fastest way to defeat someone?

Imitate him. Shi Luyu thought.

Just like she had started imitating him, imitating his observation, imitating his calmness, imitating how he calculated every step even when things seemed most relaxed.

The thought flashed through her mind in a flash, so fast that it startled even herself.

She has no power or influence, and her voice carries little weight; she is currently still entirely under Xu Yuanjia's control.

She wouldn't gain anything by confronting him head-on; she would only lose more miserably. She didn't even know when this man would get tired of her or when he would truly let her go.

But what if she could learn first? Learn what he already knows first, hone herself little by little by his side, wouldn't the future be different?

This idea is too dangerous.

It's...too tempting.

As she pondered, she involuntarily raised her head and stared directly at Xu Yuanjia, without blinking.

It's as if I want to see more of what I haven't yet figured out from that face.

Xu Yuanjia was also looking at her. Under the light, his features appeared even more striking than before.

The loose curve of the white silk shirt collar was pressed down by shadow, revealing an indescribable air of nobility and danger.

He sat across from her at the gambling table. He was the person she hated the most, yet at this moment, he was the only person she could understand and the one she couldn't see through.

Shi Luyu stared at him for a long time.

So long that she didn't even touch the cards right after they were dealt.

Then a low chuckle came from the other end of the line, "Lulu's not paying attention."

Xu Yuanjia turned over his cards and asked casually, "How do I win?"

Shi Luyu snapped back to reality, looked down, and realized that the cards in her hand had somehow become creased from gripping them so tightly. Xu Yuanjia, on the other hand, had a higher-ranking hand.

She lost.

He won the final game.

Shi Luyu's fingertips tightened slightly, but her heart didn't sink as she had expected. Instead, she was still thinking about that sudden thought that had just popped into her head, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that maybe that path really could be followed.

If Xu Yuanjia were to be serious, he could indeed be considered a good teacher.

He taught her to fight back when Chen Yutang bullied her before;

Later, in the iron cage, she was able to hold on and win, partly because he forced her to learn to be ruthless.

Even without him, there would have been no such disasters.

But when things got really dangerous, what she learned from him actually helped her survive.

So, is there a possibility...?

Follow Xu Yuanjia, learn from him, observe him, imitate him, and finally defeat him?

This idea is indeed quite absurd.

Shi Luyu wasn't even sure if he would really be willing to teach her, and she didn't know what she should do to get this man, who was so wary of everyone, to truly let down his guard against her and teach her everything he had little by little.

But at least, she's gotten a little bit involved in today's game.

Xu Yuanjia stared at her blankly, his gaze lingering on her face for a few seconds before he suddenly smiled. "Lulu, why are you staring at me like that?"

"It seems you feel that winning or losing this bet isn't important anymore, is that right?"

Shi Luyu was brought back to reality by those words. His eyes flickered for a moment, and before he could respond, he had already stood up.

The dark green suit gleamed coldly under the lamplight.

He walked around the card table, went to her side, and bent down.

The tall shadow enveloped her, also concealing the thoughts she hadn't yet managed to hide on her face. Xu Yuanjia's long fingers touched the side of her face, his fingertips slowly tracing over it, the movement almost gentle.

"Or rather," he paused, his gaze falling into her eyes.

The smile on her lips deepened. "Winning or losing isn't important to Lulu."

Shi Luyu's heart tightened suddenly. Before she could speak, the man leaned in close, his breath brushing against her ear, his voice low and husky:

"The important thing is, Lulu actually..."

"You don't want to leave me at all?"