Border Prisoner: The Mad Boss Seduces Her Every Night

It was already dark when the cargo ship docked.

The dock was crowded with returning vendors and pilgrims. Some led water buffalo past the gangplank, while others carried baskets of durians uphill. Several worshippers in white robes held torches and scattered flower petals along the river.

The air was filled with dampness, the smell of charcoal, lemongrass, and incense.

Sheng Kun jumped ashore first, reached out to Shi Luyu, and said, "Sister-in-law, come here."

Shi Luyu didn't stand on ceremony and handed it over.

Sheng Kun grabbed her and led her out of the cabin, reminding her, "Stay close, there are a lot of thieves around here."

Shi Luyu teased him, "Are you afraid of thieves?"

"That's a saying; competitors are enemies."

As soon as the two stepped off the dock, Sheng Kun led her into a cloth market alley.

The alley was narrow. Brightly colored fabrics hung under the wooden buildings on both sides, a mix of crimson, indigo, ginger yellow, and peacock green. When the lanterns were lit, the whole alley was as vibrant as a richly colored painting.

Sheng Kun looked around, then raised his hand and gestured for her to stay put, settling her in an inconspicuous corner. "Where are you going?" Shi Luyu asked, looking at him.

"I'll get you some clothes," Sheng Kun said casually, glancing into the crowd.

Shi Luyu looked down at her clothes. "Can't I wear this?"

"You can wear anything, but not your face."

She looked up at him.

Sheng Kun touched his nose and explained in a low voice, "It's too eye-catching."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Cover it up."

"How do I cover it up?"

Sheng Kun grinned and waved at her, "Don't worry, you won't be disfigured."

As soon as he finished speaking, he plunged into the bustling crowd and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Shi Luyu originally thought he would be gone for at least fifteen minutes, but to her surprise, Sheng Kun came running back in less than five minutes, carrying a bundle of clothes, followed by a middle-aged woman holding a feather duster.

The woman chased after him while cursing him in the local language.

Sheng Kun shoved the clothes into Shi Luyu's arms, "Sister-in-law, let's go quickly."

"..." Shi Luyu didn't need to guess to know, "No, you stole again!"

"Borrowed."

Did they agree to lend it to you?

"We're in communication," Sheng Kun said shamelessly.

The next second, the feather duster had already struck Sheng Kun's back.

Sheng Kun was knocked forward and lurched forward. He turned and shouted a few words at the woman. She stopped and looked at Shi Luyu suspiciously.

Shi Luyu stood under the lamp, clutching her clothes. The woman looked her over for a moment, her expression softening considerably. Then she walked over, reached out and touched Shi Luyu's face, and spoke a long string of words.

Shi Luyu asked, "What did she say?"

She said you're pretty.

The woman suddenly raised her hand and slapped Sheng Kun on the back of the head.

Sheng Kun covered his head.

Shi Luyu looked at him: "What about the next sentence?"

"Praise me for being filial."

"..."

In the end, the middle-aged woman took them back to her own fabric shop.

After haggling with her for a long time, Sheng Kun finally got a set of local clothes after paying three banknotes and a bunch of roasted bananas he had taken from the boat.

The upper garment is an indigo blue short-sleeved blouse with a diagonal placket, the collar and cuffs embroidered with fine red and white patterns. It is paired with a dark long skirt with silver thread at the hem, and a piece of colorful woven cloth is draped around the waist.

There was also a headscarf of the same color.

When Shi Luyu came out after changing her clothes, Sheng Kun was squatting by the counter looking for change.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up.

Shi Luyu tucked all her hair into her headscarf, revealing only her fair face. The indigo blue dress made her features appear even softer, and the long skirt concealed some of her delicate air. From a distance, she truly looked like a well-mannered young woman from Mei Ning City.

Sheng Kun stared blankly for two seconds, forgetting to blink.

"How is it?" Shi Luyu asked.

He looked away, lowered his head, and continued counting the money. "It'll do."

The next second, Sheng Kun felt a heat in his nasal cavity. He subconsciously raised his hand to wipe it, and his palm was stained red.

My nose is bleeding, damn it.

Shi Luyu paused for a moment, her gaze falling on the bright red stain on his fingertip, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"Your nose is bleeding."

She instinctively pulled a tissue from her bag and handed it to him, her brow furrowing slightly. "Are you suffering from heatstroke? Would you like to sit down for a while?"

Sheng Kun hurriedly took the tissue, tilted his head back to cover his nose, but his ears gradually turned red. He stammered, "N-nothing...it's just too hot."

The woman from the cloth shop was clearly very satisfied. She came over herself to re-tighten the waistband for her and took out a string of old silver bells from the drawer, putting them on her wrist.

The silver bell is not big, and it only makes a very soft sound when you walk.

Shi Luyu thanked her softly. Although the woman couldn't understand her, she smiled and patted the back of her hand.

After leaving the cloth shop, Sheng Kun led her along the river for about ten minutes.

Mei Ning is even more lively at night than during the day.

The river was filled with lanterns used for sacrificial rites, and people sang around bonfires on the street. Several young men wrestled on a mud platform, and the people around them cheered and egged them on. The loser got up, dusted himself off, and continued drinking.

As Shi Luyu looked around, she remarked, "It seems like they're not afraid of chaos at all here."

"They themselves are chaotic," Sheng Kun said.

"There is no truly powerful force in Mei Ning. The city is jointly governed by a few old families, temples, and chambers of commerce, and none of them can suppress the others."

"What about public security?"

"The daytime is good, but the night depends on luck."

Shi Luyu stopped in her tracks. "You're only telling me now?"

Sheng Kun chuckled, "But don't worry, sister-in-law, the place we're staying is safe."

"Are you sure?" Shi Luyu didn't believe him.

"Of course," Sheng Kun patted his chest. "The boss owes me a favor."

"What favor?"

"I saved his son."

Shi Luyu was somewhat surprised: "You've saved people before?"

"Rescued from the casino."

"How can we save her?" Shi Luyu asked, puzzled.

"His son owed money, so I doubled it for him."

"..."

Sheng Kun coughed. "The process isn't important; the result is that he got out alive."

They finally stopped in front of a wooden building overlooking the river.

The inn has three floors, with its exterior walls painted a warm, brownish-red. Two tall frangipani trees stand in front of the door, their white petals falling onto the stone steps. A row of wicker lampshades hangs under the eaves, letting warm yellow light seep through the gaps.

There were no words on the lintel, only a wooden plaque carved with a double fish pattern.

Sheng Kun knocked on the door three times, paused, and then knocked twice more.

Soon, a dark-skinned middle-aged man with a silver earring in his left ear opened the door.

He saw Sheng Kun first, and his face immediately darkened.

Sheng Kun greeted him with a broad smile, calling him "Uncle."

The man immediately began to curse. Although Shi Luyu couldn't understand him, she could tell that their relationship was far from as good as Sheng Kun had described.

Sheng Kun let him finish cursing before leaning over and whispering a few words, then pointing at Shi Luyu.

The man's expression slowly changed. He looked at Shi Luyu with a scrutinizing gaze, but didn't ask any questions. He simply stepped aside to let her through the door.

"Done." Sheng Kun turned back and raised an eyebrow at her. "I told you, the boss owes me a favor."

The man in front coldly replied with a common phrase: "You owe me money."

Shi Luyu looked at Sheng Kun.

Sheng Kun replied naturally, "A debt of gratitude is still a debt."

The interior of the inn is more beautiful than the exterior.

The wooden floors were polished to a shine, and tribal rugs and dried bouquets hung on both sides of the corridor. The courtyard was filled with banana trees, monstera, and frangipani, with a shallow pond dug in the center, in which water lilies floated.

The room is on the second floor.

Open the window and you can see the entire Mekong River. In the distance, lanterns sway with the current, and occasionally the sounds of drums and chanting can be heard from the opposite bank.

The bed was covered with a light-colored gauze curtain, and a rough pottery vase filled with fresh flowers sat on the table.

Looking at the lights illuminating the river, Shi Luyu felt a little lighter and smiled sincerely, "Sheng Kun, thank you, I really like this place."

Sheng Kun leaned against the door frame, practically wagging his tail from her praise. He couldn't suppress his smile, and his chin lifted a little higher. "Don't worry about me, sister-in-law."

Looking at his smug expression, Shi Luyu suddenly felt a little regretful.

Her praise just now was clearly premature.

"How much?" she asked deliberately.

Without any hesitation, Sheng Kun held up five fingers and waved them in front of her eyes.

"five hundred?"

"Five thousand."

Shi Luyu remained expressionless and reached out to close the door.

"Hey hey hey—" Sheng Kun reacted quickly, bracing one foot against the door crack, almost getting his whole body caught. "Sister-in-law, that's not how you do business."

"Are you robbing me?" Shi Luyu wanted to curse again.

"That's called transparent pricing." Sheng Kun counted on his fingers, "Accommodation, confidentiality, security, and local experiences are all included."

Shi Luyu glanced at him. "You sleep in the corridor, and that's considered part of the accommodation fee?"

Sheng Kun nodded seriously: "I'm sleeping in the corridor to protect you."

"You're sleeping in the hallway," Shi Luyu bluntly exposed, "because you don't have the money to book another room."

Sheng Kun choked for a moment, coughed twice, and said without batting an eye, "Sister-in-law, don't worry about it. Anyway, don't you think we should pay some of the bill first?"

Shi Luyu looked at him and suddenly felt a little playful.

He mimicked his usual roguish tone and said slowly, "Anyway, I have no money."

"It can be used for bookkeeping."

"I don't acknowledge it."

"bilk?"

"Hmm, they're reneging on the debt."

Sheng Kun was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, pointed at her with a finger, as if he was discovering this side of her for the first time, "Sister-in-law, you've actually gone astray."

Shi Luyu, not to be outdone, shrugged and said, "Do you see any good people around me?"

"..."

Sheng Kun was unable to answer for a moment.

A hint of a smile flashed across Shi Luyu's eyes as she reached out to close the door again.

"Sister-in-law, if you're going to do this—" Sheng Kun suddenly raised his hand to brace himself against the doorframe, drawing out his words, "then I'll have to…"

"So what?"

"I'll sleep in the same room as you, sister-in-law."

As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped aside to block the door and swaggered into the room as if he had paid for it himself.

Shi Luyu stood there, looking at his overly familiar manner, and the admiration she had just felt vanished instantly.

Sheng Kun leaned against the door, arms crossed, eyes slightly squinting, his roguish, carefree air about him completely exposed. If someone who didn't know him saw this, they would most likely think he was a local swindler who was good at cheating and swindling and would wade into any muddy water, definitely not a kind man or woman.

He looked at Shi Luyu and suddenly grinned:

"You don't think I'm just greedy, do you?"

He called her "sister-in-law".