Border Prisoner: The Mad Boss Seduces Her Every Night

Shi Luyu rushed over, her knees hitting the floor, but she didn't care. She reached out and hugged Xu Yuanjia's head, lifting it from the cold floor and pulling it into her arms.

His forehead was pressed against her palm, so hot that her fingers recoiled.

"Brother? Brother!"

Xu Yuanjia's eyelashes trembled, but he didn't open his eyes. His breathing was rapid and hot, his face was as white as paper, and his lips were dry and cracked.

Shi Luyu tried to drag him up from the ground, but the weight difference was too great. She tried twice, but her arms went weak and she couldn't lift him at all.

The photo on the ground was touched by her foot and slid to Xu Yuanjia's side.

Xu Yuanjia's fingers twitched, he touched the photograph, and held it up to his eyes.

The photo shows the scene in the tea room—he is sitting, and the mayor bends down to light his cigarette; the serpent and eagle tattoo is faintly visible on the wall.

His gaze lingered on the photo for two seconds, then he looked up at her, a weak smile appearing on his pale face.

"What's wrong, Lulu? You went to Old River Port too?" His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against glass. "I went there today to do business for my family. Why didn't you come looking for me when you saw me?"

Shi Luyu opened her mouth, but her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. The questions suddenly became very heavy, so heavy that she couldn't say them.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" he asked again, his voice as soft as a leaf about to fall. He raised his hand and touched her chin with his fingertips. "You look terrible."

Shi Luyu felt a lump in her throat. She took his hand in her palm; his fingers were icy cold, a strange contrast to his burning forehead.

Xu Yuanjia stared at her face for a few seconds, his eyelashes slowly drooping and then lifting again. He coughed twice, a muffled panting sound coming from his chest.

"Did you see me with those people... and think my brother is a bad person?"

Shi Luyu didn't speak, but her eyelashes trembled.

Xu Yuanjia took a breath, raised his finger, and pointed tremblingly to a blurry profile in the corner of the photo: Scarface, Chai Ye, standing at the farthest point from the wall in the tea room, his hands behind his back, his posture cold and hard.

"This person, Shiba, you've met him before."

Xu Yuanjia's voice was soft and slow, and he would be out of breath if he spoke too fast. "He's the one who took me there. I know those people, all because of Chai Ye's connections."

"He is the real bigwig in the border military and political circles. Those people respect me... only because of him."

He started coughing again, his whole body trembling. Shi Luyu quickly supported his shoulders, letting him lean against her. His head tilted to the side, resting on her shoulder, his breath hot against her neck, making her skin flush.

"Sweetie," his lips brushed against her collarbone, his voice muffled, "Don't you trust your brother?"

Shi Luyu's fingers clenched his sleeve tightly.

Xu Yuanjia struggled out of her arms and tried to stand up, bracing himself against the floor. His legs gave way, and he swayed to the side halfway up. Shi Luyu cried out and rushed to help him, but he crashed into her arms, his forehead hitting her shoulder.

He raised his head, his eyes were red and watery.

"I'm cutting ties with Chai right now." His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, each word spoken slowly and deliberately, as if making a momentous promise. "I don't want him to involve me, or for my sweetheart to misunderstand me."

Shi Luyu felt as if her heart had been squeezed tightly. She reached out and cupped his face, her thumb wiping away the moisture from the corner of his eyes.

"Brother, please stop talking. I believe you, I believe you!" Her voice trembled. "Get up first, don't sit on the ground."

She gritted her teeth, put one of Xu Yuanjia's arms on her shoulder, wrapped her other arm around his waist, and used all her strength to lift him up from the ground.

Xu Yuanjia was leaning heavily on her, his right leg dragging on the ground, panting heavily with every step. Shi Luyu was bent over by his weight, and slowly moved to the sofa to put him down.

He collapsed onto the sofa, closed his eyes, his eyelashes still trembling.

Shi Luyu stood in front of him, looking down at his pale face. He looked like a child afraid of being abandoned.

The anger and doubt in her heart were suppressed to a small corner at this moment, and she didn't have the strength to rummage through them for the time being.

Doorbell rang.

Shi Luyu walked over to open the door, and the person standing outside made her instinctively take a half step back.

Chai Ye. That scarred man.

He wore a black short-sleeved T-shirt, the collar stretched taut by his chest muscles, revealing strong, muscular arms and skin a deep tan from years of sun exposure. Behind his ear was an old scar that ran from his hairline to the side of his neck.

His features were rugged and sharp, with high brow bones, deep-set eyes, and a faint old scar on the side of his nose. He exuded a sense of oppression just by standing there.

He glanced down at Shi Luyu. The look was brief, but Shi Luyu felt as if she had been scrutinized from head to toe.

"Big brother, you've arrived."

Xu Yuanjia's voice came from inside the door behind Shi Luyu, neither loud nor soft, with a hoarseness and languor unique to those ill.

Shiba's pupils contracted for a split second.

He looked over Shi Luyu's head and met Xu Yuanjia's gaze.

Jia Ye, pale-faced, leaned against the cushions on the sofa, a weak smile on his lips. But his eyes... the pupils were black, his gaze cold and deep, like a bottomless pool of water, calm on the surface but with a turbulent undercurrent that could devour hearts.

Shiba's back hair stood on end.

Having served by his master's side for so many years, he understood that this look was an absolute command and warning, as well as a more subtle reminder: cooperate with the performance and don't give yourself away.

Chai Ye's mind raced for a few moments before he immediately understood his current predicament.

When Grandpa came back this afternoon, he poured buckets of ice water over himself, I saw it with my own eyes. After finishing one bucket, he stood still and poured another. He poured five buckets in a row, and although Grandpa was radiating cold air, he didn't shiver once.

It turned out that he didn't have a fever.

Xu Yuanjia was standing in the bathroom, dripping with ice water, looking down at his own body temperature which was completely unresponsive, his expression colder than the ice water itself.

Then the old man picked up a scalpel from the first-aid kit and cut open the well-healed wound on his leg. He used a lot of force, tearing open a new gash along the original trajectory, and blood gushed out instantly.

Chai stood at the door watching, saying nothing. He knew that his master was doing these things to make that woman feel sorry for him, to gain her sympathy, and to dispel her doubts.

But he didn't understand why his master would go to such lengths for a woman.

Chai lowered his eyes, nodded to Shi Luyu, and replied in a low, steady voice, "Yes, I heard you were sick. Are you feeling better?"

"Please... come in and sit down." Shi Luyu stepped aside to let Chai in. Her attitude was polite but reserved, clearly still somewhat intimidated by the scarred man.

Chai stepped in, each step steady, but his heart was pounding. He had experienced so many life-or-death moments on the battlefield, never flinching in the hail of bullets, but now he felt a chill run down his spine.

He could feel his master's gaze fixed on the back of his head.

He was terrified that if he mispronounced even one word, he would be torn to pieces when he got back.

"This is traditional Chinese medicine; it's good for reducing fever." Chai placed the paper bag on the coffee table, glanced at Jia Ye, then looked away. "Have someone brew it; drink it while it's hot."

Shi Luyu picked up the paper bag, inside which were several packets of prepared medicinal herbs, wrapped in yellow medicinal paper and tied with cotton thread.

"I'll fry it," Shi Luyu said.

"Okay." Chai nodded.

Xu Yuanjia leaned back on the sofa and slowly began, "My eldest brother is stationed in the military and civilian areas year-round, so cooking is an essential skill for him. Preparing medicine is no problem for him either. Right, eldest brother?"

The last syllable was drawn out, languid, and carried a chilling threat.

Chai Ye's back stiffened for a moment. He understood what it meant: Don't let her touch these things, you do them.

"Yes." Shiba stood up, his movements swift and decisive, and picked up the paper bag to head to the kitchen.

"Um... let me help you." Shi Luyu stood up.

Before her hand even touched the kitchen door frame, a force grabbed her wrist from behind.

She was pulled back, fell backward, and sat down, her back hitting a hot chest.

Xu Yuanjia sat up from the sofa at some point, hugged her from behind, crossed his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"My duty is to keep me company."

His voice was close to her ear, low, husky, and hot, his breath warm against the thin skin behind her ear.

"We're doing it here, he doesn't know."