The journey back was somewhat awkward. Ji Ran had injured his lower back and did not dare lean against the seat, but the roads in town were in poor condition, causing the car to jolt and sway throughout the entire ride. Even with his seat belt fastened, Ji Ran nearly toppled over several times. Fortunately, Han Shen reached out and steadied him.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Ji Ran hurriedly said, “Thank you, sir.”
Han Shen withdrew his hand without responding, making Ji Ran feel even more awkward.
He could hardly stand the suffocating atmosphere any longer, so he tried to liven things up. “Are you staying at a hotel tonight?”
Han Shen said yes.
There was only one decent hotel in town, and the entire research team was staying there.
Ji Ran asked another question. “When will you be leaving?”
“Once I finish dealing with my work.”
As it turned out, Han Shen’s departure came even sooner than Ji Ran had expected. The very next morning, he received news that the person responsible for the arson was the younger brother of the liquor company’s general manager.
Liquor Industry was a business their father had left behind. Back when the distillery was still small, the two brothers had managed it together. However, because they disagreed over business philosophies, the younger brother had taken part of the secret formulas and left to establish his own brand, while the elder brother had stayed behind to continue running the original company.
Over the years, the younger brother’s business had failed to develop particularly well, while his brother’s career had flourished. The company had grown rapidly, eventually becoming a leading enterprise in the local area.
The younger brother had returned during the shareholding reform, and the two brothers had gotten into a conflict. At present, some of Liquor Industry’s patented formulas were in the younger brother’s hands, and there were also financial entanglements between them. The situation was extremely complicated.
“This is a bit of a trap. Why didn’t they disclose something like this earlier?” the people from Jinshi Investment Bank complained.
“Although it’s frustrating, it’s fortunate that the problem came to light now,” Leo said. “If we’d only discovered it right before the application was submitted for review, that would have been a real disaster.”
The company and the investment bank were essentially on the same boat. However, there were always some foolish companies that treated regulatory agencies and investment banks as if they were idiots. In their eagerness to go public, they deliberately concealed their shortcomings, reporting only the good news while hiding the bad.
One of their competitors had once been betrayed by a company just a week before its application was submitted, suffering enormous losses as a result.
No wonder Han Shen had personally come over this time.
They remained in the local area for another three days, dealing with the most urgent and troublesome matters. As for the remaining issues, they would need to be resolved gradually with time.
By the time Ji Ran returned to Shanghai, it was already New Year’s Day. He rested for only one day before throwing himself back into work without so much as a pause.
Work wasn’t the only thing occupying his time. He also had personal matters to take care of. After all, the winter vacation would begin almost immediately after New Year’s Day, and his family would soon be coming to visit.
Providing food, accommodation, and transportation for three people for at least a week would be a considerable expense for Ji Ran.
Moreover, his current living arrangements were not particularly convenient. He wanted to save money to move into a place with its own bathroom, although that requirement could be put off for the time being.
Ji Ran began accepting a few commercial promotions. However, because he cared about his followers’ experience, he avoided taking on advertisements that were too obvious. Instead, he simply pinned clothing links at the top of his comment section.
He felt somewhat guilty about it, as though he were using his followers to make money. After all, when he had first created the account, he had never intended to monetize it. Unfortunately, circumstances had left him with little choice.
Naturally, this kind of promotion did not pay particularly well. Each link earned him only 2,000 yuan. Ji Ran uploaded two videos in a single week, yet even then, he had made only 4,000 yuan. For a family’s travel fund, that amount was still far too little.
Work, however, refused to give him even a moment to catch his breath. As the end of the year approached, quite a few investment banking projects had entered a period of overtime, with clients eager to get their companies listed before the Spring Festival. In addition to completing his own responsibilities, Ji Ran was constantly being temporarily reassigned to different teams to assist Han Shen in handling these IPO projects.
His academic advisor was still urging him to submit his thesis proposal. The advisor had always treated him well. During his sophomore year, he had guided Ji Ran in participating in the academic training program organized by their department. Later, he had continued encouraging Ji Ran to return and pursue graduate studies, but Ji Ran had turned him down every time.
Under normal circumstances, a thesis proposal was supposed to be presented during an in-person meeting. However, since Ji Ran was interning out of town, his advisor had made an exception and allowed him to give his presentation online. Even so, Ji Ran had continued putting off submitting his research topic, which only made him feel even more guilty.
Everything had piled up at once. Ji Ran wished he could turn into an octopus with eight arms, or split himself into three separate people who could handle different tasks and information simultaneously.
Every day, Ji Ran worked overtime as though his life depended on it. He drank four cups of black coffee a day and had even given up his lunch breaks for a quick nap.
Yet, no matter how desperately he worked, he still couldn’t keep up with everything. Every night before going to sleep, unfinished tasks weighed on his mind. Then, the moment he opened his eyes the following morning, countless new assignments would come rushing in, leaving him with barely any room to breathe.
During those days, Ji Ran was frantically trying to make money while working himself to the bone, all the while struggling to finish and submit his thesis proposal. He was so busy that he felt like he was about to throw up.
And that wasn’t merely an exaggeration. He was experiencing actual physical nausea. Recently, he had begun feeling sick quite frequently. Sometimes, when he stood up from his chair, his vision would suddenly turn completely black, forcing him to remain still for several seconds before he could gradually recover his senses.
Despite being in such a state, Ji Ran continued pushing forward, completing one task after another. Eventually, he submitted his thesis proposal and finished preparing for his very first livestream.
Ji Ran was a faceless streamer, and this time, he had gone to considerable lengths to protect his privacy.
Some streamers used virtual cartoon avatars, but those avatars were not particularly stable. They occasionally experienced delays, and they could also interfere with the process of showcasing and selecting products.
Since he would be selling dresses, Ji Ran ultimately decided to appear on camera wearing a wig and a mask.
……
At two o’clock on Saturday afternoon, Ji Ran’s very first shopping livestream officially began right on schedule.
The livestream room had already been warming up for half an hour, and Ji Ran had appeared on camera early. Even so, viewers continued trickling into the stream, and many of them were immediately stunned by his appearance.
【Holy crap! Is this the blogger I follow?】
【Waaaaah, she’s so beautiful! Seriously, she looks absolutely gorgeous!】
【Baby, you’re so cute! Come into big sister’s arms!!!】
Today, Ji Ran was wearing a white spaghetti-strap, fishtail-style umbrella skirt with a structured, corset-inspired silhouette. He had paired it with golden twin ponytails and a light-colored mask, creating an overall look that was simple yet incredibly attractive.
The finishing touch was the translucent lace tied over his eyes. It protected his privacy without obstructing his vision, giving him a dreamy, fairytale-like appearance. He looked almost like a beautiful anime girl who had stepped straight out of a two-dimensional world and into reality.
【This blogger seriously knows how to style an outfit. She looks like an actual OC!】
【You’ve opened up a whole new line of thinking for me. Isn’t this basically raising a wife?!】
【That waist, that bone structure, that cool-toned pale skin… Waaaaah, I’m so jealous!】
【The dress is seriously gorgeous! Get the link up within the next minute, or else!】
Ji Ran said, “The dress I’m wearing is listed under Link One. Everything is in stock, so you can place your order directly. We support seven-day, no-reason returns. There’s also a coupon available in the livestream room, so remember to claim the coupon before placing your order, okay?”
【I’m dying. That final ‘okay’ was totally added in at the last second, wasn’t it?】
【Baby clearly has no idea how to act coquettishly. She’s all stiff and awkward, and somehow that’s kind of adorable.】
【Just imagining my silly wife clumsily practicing how to act cute in private, all so she can act spoiled with me… I love her even more now!】
【The dress is so cheap! I’ve placed my order. I hope it doesn’t disappoint me!】
【Buying it for my male wife to wear, hehe.】
【Holy crap! I’m so insanely jealous! I want a male wife like Xiao Ban too! Waaaaah!】
“The dress is made of pure cotton, and it has a lining, so you can also use it as a petticoat to give the skirt more volume.” Ji Ran walked toward the camera, continuing to explain the dress’s details. “The bust has three-dimensional tailoring. I’ve put on fake breasts, and as you can see, the dress still fits the shape of the chest quite well. The bow at the front can be untied, and the shoulder straps can also be lowered so you can wear it off the shoulder.”
【Save me, that movement is kind of… suggestive.】
【Aaaaaah, Mom, I swear I’m really just looking at the dress!!】
【It suits you so well, baby! Are you really a guy?】
【Yeah! You seriously can’t tell at all! Blogger, you wouldn’t happen to be a girl, would you?】
“I’m not a girl,” Ji Ran answered. Then he remembered that he had his voice changer switched on, making his voice sound somewhat androgynous. He walked closer to the camera, tilted his head back, and showed off his Adam’s apple.
“See it?” Ji Ran asked. He reached up and placed his hand over his Adam’s apple. “I have an Adam’s apple.”
【Holy shit, getting a closer look makes it even more seductive.】
【Who taught you to do that?! Aaaaaah, Mom doesn’t allow this!!】
【Aaaaaah, I refuse to accept this! Unless you come and do it on my bed!!】
[The World’s Cutest Little Bunny] sent [Working_is_bound_to_drive_you_crazy] 【1 Deep-Sea Torpedo】.
“Wuuuuwu, a humble request, wife, could you call my name and do that Adam’s apple-touching move one more time?”
Ji Ran: “Uh…”
Although it was a little awkward, Ji Ran already verbally thanked viewers whenever he received gifts during his livestreams. And while touching his Adam’s apple was admittedly a little strange, it was something he could tolerate.
So, with his fingers still resting against his Adam’s apple, Ji Ran said, “Thank you, The World’s Cutest Little Bunny, for the Deep-Sea Torpedo.”
As he said this, he tilted his head slightly upward. His mask had a carefully sculpted, three-dimensional design, giving it a delicate and petite appearance. Since it was afternoon and he was standing by the window, a beam of sunlight happened to fall across his Adam’s apple and fingers, creating an almost sacred, pure, and immaculate atmosphere.
[@The World’s Cutest Little Bunny]: Aaaaaaaaaah!! Super cute! I’m completely satisfied!!!
[The World’s Cutest Little Bunny] sent [Working_is_bound_to_drive_you_crazy] 【1 Deep-Sea Torpedo】.
Once someone had set the precedent, other viewers gradually began following suit. Ji Ran proceeded to read out his thanks one after another.
“Thank you, Tangyuan, for one Deep-Sea Torpedo. Thank you, Peach Sorbet, for one Deep-Sea Torpedo. Thank you, Orca, for a hundred…”
Wait a second. Whose?
Ji Ran faltered, then leaned closer to the screen in disbelief.
Just moments ago, [Orca] had sent [Working_is_bound_to_drive_you_crazy] 【100 Deep-Sea Torpedoes】
Ji Ran: ?
Why was Orca in his livestream?
And more importantly, he was selling dresses! What business did Orca have showing up here to join in the fun??
Was he planning to buy them and wear them himself???
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The coffee spirits are watching. 👁️☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · A cold-hearted bossChapter 2 · “Your skirt?”Chapter 3 · Ji Ran was caught off guardChapter 4 · Relax, you bit your lip until it bledChapter 5 · Don’t want toChapter 6 · Women’s clothing and DaddyChapter 7 · Ji Ran hunched over and began to sob softly.Chapter 8 · Rebellion, offense, and self-rewardChapter 9 · I hate it when people flaunt their wealth in front of meChapter 10 · CompensateChapter 11 · Why are you following me?Chapter 12 · Damn, he forgot to take off his leg chainChapter 13 · Ji Ran was indeed still afraid of him.Chapter 14 · A message came from OrcaChapter 15 · Self-blame, anger, and tears.Chapter 16 · You have to pay more!Chapter 17 · Did you come here just to yell at me?Chapter 18 · Just bear with it a little longerChapter 19 · Women’s clothing live streamChapter 20 · Could you come and pick me up?Chapter 21 Part 1 · It’s all an actChapter 21 Part 2 · It’s all an actChapter 22 · The actions could be even more brutalChapter 23 · A slapChapter 24 · He wanted to surrender a part of himself