The second scene took place in the kitchen. The cinematographer rearranged the lighting, creating an atmosphere that simulated the soft glow of sunrise.
The Orca was dressed in a white shirt with a matching white apron tied around his waist, busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
The camera filmed him from behind, emphasizing his broad shoulders and narrow waist, giving him an unmistakably masculine, powerful presence.
Immediately afterward, a boy dressed in a white shirt walked barefoot into the frame. He wrapped his arms around the Orca’s waist from behind, the gesture intimate and affectionate.
From the changes in their clothing and the passage of time, it was obvious that they had already been living together for quite some time.
Ji Ran was wearing the Orca’s shirt, making them look like a couple who had only just gotten out of bed.
The man lowered his head. Thinking that he was about to kiss him, the boy obediently lifted his chin.
Instead, the man reached out, grabbed him, and effortlessly lifted him onto the kitchen island.
The cold marble countertop made Ji Ran cry out, but the Orca showed not the slightest trace of tenderness. He picked up a glass of milk and forcibly made Ji Ran drink it.
In the early morning, a lover feeding his partner milk should have been an exceedingly tender and intimate scene.
Yet at this moment, the atmosphere felt completely different.
There was nothing remotely gentlemanly about the Orca’s actions. Rather than feeding Ji Ran milk, he seemed more intent on satisfying his own cruel and violent desire through the act.
He fed him far too quickly, so quickly that Ji Ran had no time to swallow. All he could do was helplessly watch as the milk repeatedly spilled from his mouth, running down his chin, soaking his chest and wetting his body.
White liquid streamed across the pitch-black marble countertop. Ji Ran went from sitting upright to half reclining, and finally, his entire body lay flat against the surface.
Ji Ran began to struggle. He grabbed the Orca’s forearm and whimpered that he could not drink any more.
The Orca still did not stop. His strong, powerful palm pressed down against Ji Ran’s body, forcing him to swallow every last drop of milk in the glass.
When the final drop of milk fell from the glass onto Ji Ran’s lips, the ordeal finally came to an end.
Ji Ran lay limp on the kitchen island, looking utterly disheveled as he struggled to catch his breath.
The Orca merely braced both hands against the countertop, staring down at Ji Ran with an expression of complete indifference, showing not the slightest intention of comforting him.
Ji Ran struggled to move closer, frantically pulling at the Orca’s hand as though desperately seeking some form of reassurance.
The Orca coldly pulled his hand away, then picked up another bottle of red wine and poured it down over him. Ji Ran curled his entire body inward, lying against the pitch-black marble countertop as the bright red wine mixed with the milk, making the entire scene appear both almost sacred and intensely decadent.
The camera gradually pulled farther and farther away from the medium shot, rising higher until it became a full shot, looking down from directly behind the Orca.
It was an extremely meaningful shot, resembling a judgment being passed upon Ji Ran, yet also resembling the way a predator might gaze at its prey before a meal.
Throughout the entire shoot, the atmosphere on set had been exceptionally heavy. It was not until the final shot ended that the photographer excitedly praised, “Absolutely stunning!”
The planner was also extremely satisfied. He gave a thumbs-up and said, “Very good. We got it in one take.”
Only then did the air on set finally seem to flow again.
Ji Ran hurriedly climbed up from the kitchen island. The liquid beneath him was a mixture of red wine and milk, and when he got up, he nearly slipped and fell. The Orca immediately reached out and steadied him.
Ji Ran was still immersed in the emotions from the scene. He raised his head somewhat dazedly, only to come face-to-face with a completely unfamiliar mask.
Not showing their faces had been agreed upon before filming. The Orca had worn a mask throughout the entire shoot, while Ji Ran’s own upper face had also been completely covered.
It was supposed to be a way of protecting their privacy, but seeing such a mask so abruptly at this moment made Ji Ran feel inexplicably uneasy.
The kitchen island was very high, and climbing down from such a slippery surface was not easy for Ji Ran. The Orca said, “I’ll help you down.”
Ji Ran froze for a moment, then withdrew his hand as though he had been burned. “Thank you, but there’s no need. I can do it myself.”
The Orca during the shoot had made him feel somewhat frightened.
The Orca did not insist and simply released him.
Ji Ran thanked him before jumping down from the kitchen island by himself. There was water on the countertop, and his hand slipped when he tried to support himself. By the time he landed, there was a faint pain in his ankle.
A young woman came running over with a bath towel and asked whether he was feeling all right.
Ji Ran moved his ankle around a little and realized that it did not seem serious, so he did not tell her about it. He only said that he wanted to go to the bathroom.
His clothes were already completely soaked. The red wine and milk had mixed together into a strange-smelling liquid that left his entire body sticky and uncomfortable, and Ji Ran was beginning to feel like he wanted to take a shower.
Taking a shower in this environment might be somewhat difficult, but he at least hoped he could go to the bathroom and clean himself up a little.
The young woman, however, told him that there was a bathroom upstairs where he could take a shower.
“Can I?” Ji Ran asked in surprise. “Isn’t that where we’re filming the next scene?”
“It’s still early,” the young woman said. “The next scene is at night. We have to wait until it gets dark before we can film it.”
Only then did Ji Ran finally relax. He took his change of clothes and headed upstairs.
As he climbed the stairs, there was a faint ache in his ankle, and only then did Ji Ran realize that he might have twisted it. But he could still move it, so it probably would not affect the filming.
Ji Ran went upstairs to take a shower, but he had not expected there to be only one bathtub up there. It had been placed on the balcony of the bedroom, almost like a piece of artwork.
Perhaps because it was a display room, the door could not be locked from the inside. Ji Ran did not dare take off all his clothes to bathe, so he could only wipe his body down somewhat.
He filled the bathtub with water and stepped inside barefoot. Afraid that he might slip and fall, Ji Ran sat on the edge of the bathtub, bent forward, and began wiping himself clean.
The mask on his face was somewhat inconvenient, so he took it off and washed his face.
He had originally intended to put it back on after he finished bathing, but suddenly, a sound of footsteps came from outside the door. Ji Ran hurriedly grabbed the mask and fastened it back over his face.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
Almost at the same moment, someone knocked on the bedroom door.
Ji Ran grew somewhat nervous. Gripping the collar of his clothes, he asked, “Who is it?!”
The person outside remained silent and simply knocked on the door three more times.
What was going on? They were making it feel like he was filming a horror movie. Ji Ran’s ankle was inconvenient to move, and he had not even finished washing himself. Besides, there shouldn’t be any strange people in the production crew.
After roughly a minute, complete silence descended outside the door. Ji Ran slowly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that whoever it was had already left.
Suddenly, there was a soft “click” from the doorway.
In the next moment, the bedroom door was pushed open again, and the Orca walked inside wearing his mask.
Ji Ran’s breath caught, and he immediately stopped moving.
He stared nervously at the Orca, but the latter acted as though he had not seen him at all and walked straight toward him.
With the Orca’s arrival, the spacious room quickly seemed to become cramped.
Ji Ran opened his mouth, feeling that he ought to say something. He tried to explain, “The staff said I could take a shower here. I’ll clean the bathtub before filming.”
The Orca said nothing. He simply stood beside the bathtub and looked at him.
Ji Ran was reminded once again of the way the Orca had looked at him during the shoot. He had been lying there on the kitchen island with his clothes in disarray and all kinds of liquid covering his body, while the Orca had watched him with exactly that same gaze. It was like the gaze of a beast hunting in a primitive forest, instinctively making Ji Ran feel a sense of danger.
Ji Ran grabbed the bath towel beside him and was just about to get up and leave when the Orca suddenly knelt down in front of him.
Ji Ran’s mind seemed to explode with a thunderous boom, instantly going completely blank.
It was difficult to describe the impact of the sight before him. The Orca knelt silently in front of him, and merely looking at the scene made Ji Ran’s entire face burn with embarrassment. Even the skin of his body flushed a deep red.
Moreover, the Orca’s kneeling posture was exceptionally proper. His knees were spread apart against the floor, his buttocks resting against his heels, his back perfectly straight, a textbook formal kneeling position in a suit.
But why was the Orca kneeling in front of him?
Just one second before Ji Ran was about to completely short-circuit, something even more shocking happened…
The Orca reached out with both hands, took hold of his foot, and actually began washing his feet.
Ji Ran stared at the scene in complete astonishment. His mind was filled with nothing but a string of frantic questions: Where am I? What am I doing? Am I dreaming?
But the sensation beneath his feet was incomparably real. He could even feel the warmth of the Orca’s palms, as well as the faint, ticklish sensation of the running water washing over the tops of his feet.
Ji Ran gripped the edge of the bathtub tightly with both hands, while all ten of his toes curled together.
While Ji Ran was still completely dumbfounded, the Orca finished washing both of his feet, then carefully dried them. After that, he somehow produced a bag of ice and applied it to Ji Ran’s sprained ankle to reduce the swelling.
So he had only been trying to treat his injury?
Ji Ran breathed a sigh of relief, but he was not entirely comfortable with a stranger touching him in this way. He struggled slightly, and the Orca immediately stopped.
Ji Ran hurriedly pulled his foot back. The Orca looked at him through the mask, then stood up and walked away, leaving the ice and the medicated ointment behind.
With his heart still in his throat, Ji Ran continued taking his shower. Fortunately, nothing else happened after that. He quickly changed his clothes, cleaned the bathtub, and fled the scene as though he were escaping.
The entire incident left Ji Ran extremely confused, while at the same time, it felt utterly unbelievable.
His strange feeling became even more pronounced when he encountered the Orca downstairs. The other man stood aloofly away from the crowd, wearing an arrogant expression, and barely responding whenever anyone tried to speak to him.
Was the person who had appeared upstairs just now really the Orca? If it really had been him, then why had he done something so strange?
Even if he had only come to bring him medicine, there was no need to remain completely silent, was there? And he had even knelt down and washed Ji Ran’s feet…
At the thought of this, Ji Ran’s face flushed red again.
There was still some time before nightfall, so the brand had arranged a simple meal for them. By the time they finished eating, darkness had fallen, and filming for the third scene began.
This scene took place in a bedroom, in the very room where Ji Ran had taken a shower that afternoon.
Ji Ran lay on the bed, revealing only his slender back. Beside him came the sound of rushing water, it was the Orca taking a bath. Ji Ran could not see the bathtub from where he lay, but judging by the astonished expressions of the staff members, he could guess that the Orca had an exceptionally impressive physique.
Then came the sound of someone getting out of the water, followed by the sound of a bath towel rubbing against skin and bare feet stepping across the wooden floor.
The mattress behind him began to sink.
The scent of a bath ball drifted beneath his nose.
Ji Ran’s shoulder suddenly grew warm, and it felt as though a feather had brushed lightly across the back of his neck…
The Orca leaned down and kissed him.
It was only a staged kiss, carefully positioned so that they were not actually kissing, but they were standing far too close to each other, leaving Ji Ran’s entire body extremely tense.
“Xiao Ban, you’re too stiff,” the photographer told him. “You’re lovers now, and it’s nighttime, right before going to sleep. You should both be in a very relaxed state.”
Ji Ran apologized and they did the scene again.
The photographer was still dissatisfied. After discussing it with the planner, he finally said, “Forget it. Don’t shoot the staged kiss anymore. Orca, just hug him from behind.”
So they began the embrace.
The Orca merely wrapped both arms around his body. There was even a thick down comforter between them, yet Ji Ran’s body still began to tremble, and for some inexplicable reason, he suddenly felt like crying.
So warm.
So strong.
His body was completely different from Ji Ran’s own, whose limbs were always cold and thin.
When the Orca held him, it brought a faint pressure against his body. It made him feel slightly short of breath, but Ji Ran liked this sensation of being confined within limits. It was like hiding beneath a warm quilt during winter, making him feel safe and as though everything remained under control.
Ji Ran had always been reserved by nature and rarely had physical contact with other people, let alone something as intimate as an embrace.
Everyone said that he was cold, independent, and difficult to approach.
Ji Ran had always believed the same thing about himself. He had started living at school from elementary school onward. He was not particularly attached to home, his relationship with his parents was not especially close, and he had never been in a relationship.
He had always thought that he had no need for an intimate relationship, and certainly would never enjoy physical contact with another person.
Yet only now did he realize that, apparently, he liked being hugged.
He liked the sensation of skin touching another person’s skin. He liked these moments when he could completely entrust himself to someone else.
It felt so comfortable that Ji Ran could not help letting out a soft hum.
The Orca naturally buried his face against the back of his neck.
It was the area just behind Ji Ran’s ear, where it met his neck. Usually hidden beneath his stray strands of hair and rarely exposed to sunlight, the skin there was exceptionally fair and delicate, almost unbearably sensitive.
Ji Ran’s face instantly burned red.
This was too much.
Whether it was the Orca’s movements, his body temperature, or even the mere sensation of his breath brushing against him, everything made Ji Ran unbearably sensitive.
He wanted to push the Orca away, but his body suddenly went weak, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not summon enough strength.
A fine, tingling sensation spread from the back of his neck throughout his entire body, finally gathering in one particular area with startling clarity.
Ji Ran’s mind had been reduced to complete mush. Acting purely on instinct, he clamped his legs together and arched his body…
He had once thought that the Orca was nothing like Han Shen, but at this very moment, the two figures somehow overlapped in his mind in a strange and inexplicable way.
Ji Ran jolted violently, immediately overwhelmed by shame.
Had he gone crazy? Why was he thinking of Han Shen at a moment like this? He clearly only regarded Han Shen as his superior…
“Okay, okay, okay! This interaction is great! Absolutely wonderful!”
It was only when the photographer’s voice rang out that Ji Ran realized the filming had ended.
The Orca released his arms, and Ji Ran quickly climbed down from the bed. He dragged his coat over himself to cover his lower body, his entire face flushed an unnaturally deep red.
How had this happened?! How could he possibly react like this to someone he did not even like…
“Teacher Xiao Ban,” the young woman who had been taking care of him handed him a glass of water and asked curiously, “Are you feeling unwell? Your face is so red.”
The tips of Ji Ran’s ears were bright red. Without changing his expression, he uttered two words: “It’s hot.”
They did not rest for long before immediately beginning preparations for the next scene.
The scenes that followed were all part of Ji Ran’s counterattack. He not only had to kick the Orca in the chest, but also had to slap him across the face again.
Ji Ran had never slapped anyone before, so he was somewhat uncertain. “Do I really have to hit him?”
The planner obviously wanted them to make actual contact, but she was also somewhat wary of the Orca’s identity. She turned to him and asked, “What does Teacher Orca think?”
The Orca was sitting nearby reading the script. Hearing this, he looked up and asked, “What do you think?”
“Obviously, the actual impact will look better,” the planner said. “But if you’re uncomfortable with it, we can use a staged angle instead. It will just weaken the intensity of the scene slightly.”
The Orca would probably refuse, wouldn’t he?
Someone with such a high position and such an aloof personality, how could he possibly allow someone else to slap him across the face?
That was what Ji Ran thought to himself.
Then he watched as the Orca lowered his script and said, “Then let’s do it for real.”
Ji Ran’s hand trembled slightly, and beneath his nervousness, there was also a faint sense of excitement.
Until the moment filming was about to begin, his entire body remained in an abnormal state of heightened excitement, his gaze locked onto the Orca’s face like an autofocus camera tracking its target.
Seeing Ji Ran standing beside the bed with a rope in his hands, looking as though he was about to storm into battle, the planner laughed and said, “Looks like Xiao Ban has a pretty deep grudge against the Orca.”
The Orca said with great composure, “Understandable.”
Ji Ran: “……”
He glared at the Orca, then turned his displeasure on the planner as well and said, “You wrote the script.”
The planner immediately laughed and begged for mercy. “My fault. You’ve worked hard today.”
Ji Ran huffed, but at that point, it was difficult for him to stay angry.
The scene continued from the intimate moment they had just filmed on the bed. After their lovemaking was over, the Orca fell asleep on the bed, but he was the only one there.
The camera slowly pulled back, finally revealing that Ji Ran was standing beside the bed with a bundle of rope in his hands.
The boy, who had been lying in wait for so long, was finally beginning his revenge.
The bedroom lighting was designed to recreate the conditions of a real night. Since the villa they were staying in was in a low-rise residential area, the room was exceptionally dark, so dark that it was almost impossible to make out anyone’s figure.
However, the camera had a high light sensitivity and was able to accurately capture the movements of both actors.
It was so dark that Ji Ran could barely see where the Orca’s hands were. After finally locating them, he discovered that the Orca’s hands were separated. Ji Ran didn’t dare pull them together forcefully, so he could only tie the two hands separately to the headboard.
He had just finished tying one hand when the Orca suddenly woke up and began struggling violently.
Ji Ran kicked him back into the blankets, quickly pulling the rope tight. When he saw that the Orca was still trying to resist, he slapped him across the face.
“Smack!”
The crisp sound rang out, and the Orca took the slap squarely.
It was Ji Ran’s first time slapping someone across the face, and his heart was pounding nervously.
But the scene was not over yet. He steeled himself and continued acting, keeping up the performance until the cameraman finally called for a cut. Only then did he stop.
There were only two scenes left to film. In one, the Orca would lie in a bathtub while bright-red blood spread out beneath him. In the other, Ji Ran would stand by the window, wearing the Orca’s pajamas as he enjoyed red wine and a sumptuous meal.
Neither scene involved the two of them acting together. They filmed their respective scenes separately, then wrapped up for the day and went home.
It started raining as they were leaving. The brand’s home-furnishing store was located in the suburbs, and even the nearest subway station was four kilometers away. Since it was not particularly late, Ji Ran planned to take a taxi to the subway station.
It was difficult to get a taxi in the suburbs at night, and with the rain coming down, Ji Ran waited nearly ten minutes before he finally managed to book one. The car still had to drive over from the subway station, four kilometers away.
When Han Shen drove out, he saw Ji Ran standing alone at the entrance of the home-furnishing store.
He had no umbrella. As the rain grew heavier, he could only retreat awkwardly beneath the shelter behind him.
Han Shen had originally had no intention of getting involved. Ji Ran was merely his subordinate, and unless absolutely necessary, he did not want to have any contact with Ji Ran outside of work.
What had happened at the club had already been an exception. The reason he had agreed to participate in the advertisement shoot was also because he wanted to help resolve Ji Ran’s financial difficulties so that Ji Ran could concentrate on his work.
A subordinate was a subordinate. He would not develop any relationship with Ji Ran beyond that of colleagues. His family, his work, and even his own wishes did not allow him to entertain any unnecessary thoughts.
Yet the sight of Ji Ran standing by the roadside late at night, waiting for a car, looked simply too pitiful.
Han Shen turned the steering wheel and drove the car over.
He was merely giving Ji Ran a ride home because he happened to be passing by. Nothing more.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
✦ END OF CHAPTER ✦ BEGIN COFFEE NEGOTIATIONS ✦
☕ 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