It was not until the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth that Ji Ran finally realized what he had done. Blood rushed to his cheeks, and he hurriedly took a step back, almost frantically shaking off Han Shen’s hand.
“I’m sorry!” Ji Ran was mortified with embarrassment. He lowered his head and quickly promised, “I’m really sorry for causing you trouble just now. I promise I’ll never do something like this again!”
“You…” Han Shen’s gaze fell on his reddened lips, as though he still wanted to say something.
“Samuel, the meeting is about to start.” Asher pushed open the door and interrupted their conversation.
Ji Ran took another two steps backward. He did not dare let Asher see his lips, so he kept his head lowered and pleaded, “Please give me one more chance. I promise I’ll work hard.”
Han Shen said nothing more. He merely reminded him to remember to attend the project meeting.
Ji Ran nodded and said that he understood before fleeing the office as though he were escaping.
Watching Ji Ran’s flustered retreating figure, Asher was somewhat curious. “What did you say to him?”
“Nothing.” Han Shen clearly did not want to discuss the matter. He picked up the coat beside him and put it on. “Let’s go.”
“Prepare yourself first.” Asher called out to stop him, his expression suddenly turning solemn. “The old man is here.”
For a brief moment, Han Shen’s expression froze, but it quickly returned to normal. His tone remained as composed as ever. “I know.”
In the restroom, Ji Ran leaned close to the mirror and carefully examined his lips.
The wound was much smaller than he had imagined. After applying some lip balm, it was basically impossible to see. The discovery allowed Ji Ran to breathe a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, thank goodness. Otherwise, he really would never have been able to explain himself.
The meeting began soon afterward. Carrying his laptop, Ji Ran entered the conference room and found an inconspicuous corner to sit in.
The IPO for Hecheng was a major project. More than a dozen people from their investment bank alone were involved, and with the law firm and auditors added to the team, there were dozens of people working on the project altogether.
What surprised Ji Ran, however, was that there was also an elderly white-haired man in the conference room. He occupied the seat at the head of the table and barely spoke, yet whenever anyone reported their progress or made plans, they had to take his attitude into consideration. It was obvious that his position was extraordinary.
And perhaps it was only his imagination, but Ji Ran could not help feeling that Han Shen seemed somewhat tense during the meeting. His expression was more serious than usual.
It was only after the meeting ended that Ji Ran learned that the elderly man was none other than Han Shen’s grandfather, Han Zhenjie, the chairman of a Fortune Global 500 company whose name was frequently mentioned in the public eye, as well as the major shareholder of Feng Sheng Investment Bank.
Han Shen had lost his father when he was young and had been raised single-handedly by his grandfather.
Han Zhenjie was the quintessential example of someone who had started from nothing and built everything himself. Countless financial media outlets had reported on the story of his rise to prominence. The descriptions most often associated with him were that he was strict with himself, demanded perfection in everything, and wielded ruthless, decisive methods.
Not only was Han Zhenjie formidable himself, but his children were all outstanding as well, each of them shining in their respective fields. The media even praised the family with the saying that there were no weak sons in a tiger’s den.
Even now, despite his advanced age, Han Zhenjie still possessed an imposing presence. His gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s, the kind of look that could probably make a three-year-old child burst into tears.
No wonder everyone in the company was so afraid of him.
Ji Ran was most afraid of dealing with people like this. Throughout the entire meeting, he stayed off to the side, doing everything he could to lower his presence and make himself as inconspicuous as possible.
Fortunately, he really was only responsible for some basic tasks. Although his position was that of project coordinator, his actual duties were limited to organizing and relaying information. The real decision-making was still handled by Han Shen and Asher.
The meeting lasted for a long time. After it ended, Ji Ran stayed behind as usual to tidy up the conference room. The company did not have any strict rule requiring him to do so; Ji Ran had simply gotten into the habit of cleaning up, since it made things more convenient for everyone the next time the room was used.
Suddenly, an old and authoritative voice came from the corner.
“This was your mistake. Do not make it again next time.”
After a suffocating silence, Han Shen’s respectful yet cold voice sounded.
“I understand, Grandpa.”
Hearing their conversation, Ji Ran finally realized that staying behind had been a terrible decision.
He did not dare remain there any longer. Holding his laptop, he turned around and left. Before he could get away, he could still vaguely hear the conversation behind him.
“I’ve arranged for you to meet Miss Xu this week. Remember to go.”
“I’m very busy with work. I’m afraid I won’t be able to find the time.”
“The meeting has already been arranged. No matter how busy you are, you have to go.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Ji Ran returned to his workstation, opened his half-broken laptop, and began working.
For some reason, however, he could not seem to settle down for a while.
He thought back to the conversation he had overheard in the conference room, and a strange sense of melancholy suddenly welled up inside him.
So even someone like Han Shen was not completely free…
But that feeling only flashed through Ji Ran’s mind for an instant. It was more or less the same as feeling sorry for a stray cat on the roadside. As the project gradually moved forward, Ji Ran quickly immersed himself in his work and had no time to think about anything else.
An equity financing project was extremely complicated, and the entire process was lengthy. Such projects generally lasted for more than half a year. Of course, the returns from securing a project were equally substantial. A fee rate ranging from several percent to more than ten percent was perfectly normal. For a top-tier investment bank like Feng Sheng, which maintained a one-hundred-percent approval rate, the average revenue from a single project could exceed one hundred million yuan.
Previously, Han Shen had handled the IPO of a huge internet company. The preparation period for that IPO had lasted as long as thirteen months. After overcoming one difficulty after another, the company had finally gone public. On the very first day of trading, its new shares hit the daily limit, pushing its market capitalization beyond one hundred billion yuan. Feng Sheng’s share of the project reached an astonishing one billion US dollars, making it the most expensive project the company had handled since its establishment.
Of course, projects of that scale were extremely rare and depended on the right combination of market conditions, the company itself, luck, and ability. Ji Ran did not dare hope that he would achieve results like that. Doing his current project properly, step by step, was already enough for him.
Even so, the project was still an enormous challenge for Ji Ran.
Previously, he had only ever made revisions to prospectuses. He had never followed an entire IPO project from beginning to end. Almost everything had to be learned from scratch, and every day, he worked overtime until late into the night.
It wasn’t that Ji Ran had never considered refusing some of the work, but Han Shen was even busier than he was. It was common for Han Shen to still be reviewing and approving work at two or three in the morning, only to start assigning him new tasks again at six or seven the following morning.
Interns were already the more vulnerable group in any workplace. On top of that, Ji Ran had grown up being taught to take pride in enduring hardship and working hard, so little by little, he began to lose the courage to push back.
Every day, Ji Ran traveled expressionlessly between his rented apartment, the subway, and the company. The heavy workload had worn away his enthusiasm for work far too early, leaving him feeling as though he had become nothing more than a cold, lifeless corpse.
The only piece of good news was that his roommate was coming to Shanghai to attend a comic convention, so Ji Ran arranged to have lunch with Jiang Ning on Sunday.
“That’s terrifying.” Jiang Ning sat down across from him and clicked his tongue in amazement. “It’s only been two short months, and you already have that unmistakable corporate-worker vibe.”
Ji Ran said, “Can’t be helped. Who can blame me when I love working so much?”
“You can still joke about it, so I guess you’re not completely beyond saving.” Jiang Ning laughed, then asked, “Oh, right. Didn’t you say you were going to cosplay before? Did you end up doing it?”
Ji Ran shook his head guiltily. “No. Work has been too busy.”
He really had been busy. He had bought the dress a week ago, and he still hadn’t even had the time to put it on.
Jiang Ning’s flight was in the afternoon, so he headed to the airport after lunch. Ji Ran did not immediately return home. Instead, he wandered around the nearby area for a while. Come to think of it, he had already been interning in Shanghai for more than two months, yet he had never properly explored the city.
The weather was beautiful today. The sky was a clear, vivid blue, and the temperature was neither too cold nor too warm. In the afternoon, sunlight filtered through the golden plane trees lining Wukang Road, casting mottled patches of light and shadow beneath the old villas. With both hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie, Ji Ran blended into the fashionable crowds strolling leisurely along the street.
There were plenty of places to explore nearby. Ji Ran passed several popular Instagram-worthy photo spots, the former residences of famous figures, and a number of interesting independent shops.
“Julian?”
As he passed a tailor shop, a familiar voice suddenly called out.
Ji Ran looked up and saw someone wearing a peach-pink modern Chinese-style shirt and a pair of tea-colored sunglasses waving at him.
Too fashionable.
Ji Ran stared at him for several seconds, yet he still could not recognize the person.
“It’s me.” The man removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of vivid green eyes. “I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
“Asher?” Ji Ran was somewhat surprised. He had never expected this Italian-Chinese mixed-race colleague to have this kind of style in private.
“You’re out shopping?” Asher glanced behind him. Seeing no one else accompanying him, he asked, “Are you busy? Can I take up ten minutes of your time?”
Ji Ran said, “I’m not busy. What’s up?”
Asher explained, “I want to have a set of clothes made as a gift for someone. He can’t come over to try them on, so I was hoping you could try them on for me.”
Ji Ran was not entirely certain. “Can I?”
“Of course.” Asher said, “Your build is about the same as his, and you’re around the same age. I couldn’t find anyone more suitable than you.”
Since Asher had put it that way, and Ji Ran had nothing else to do, he agreed.
He tried on a set of modern Chinese-style clothing, and judging from Asher’s expression, he seemed fairly satisfied with the result.
So after he finished trying on that outfit, Asher took him to the suit shop next door and asked him to help try on another suit.
What Ji Ran was trying on was not a finished product, but a sample garment that had only just been made from the initial pattern. The tailor used pins to adjust the measurements, then looked up at Asher and said, “It would still be best if the actual person could come in, or we could go to him and take his measurements ourselves. The people you’ve brought are all different. Even if we make the suit according to their measurements, the final result definitely won’t be very good.”
“The circumstances are a little special, so please bear with us.” Asher rubbed his chin as he looked Ji Ran over. “But it actually looks pretty good.”
After saying that, he lifted his head and looked toward the front.
“Samuel, what do you think?”
Han Shen was here too?
Ji Ran’s body stiffened, and he nervously raised his head.
“Ding-dong!”
The wind chime above the door gave a crisp ring as Han Shen pushed open the French glass door and walked inside.
He was wearing a dark gray trench coat. His shoulders were broad, his back straight and upright, and the sunlight filtering through the plane trees outlined him in a faint halo of light. He looked like the leading man from one of those British films from years ago.
His appearance was simply too striking. For no reason at all, Ji Ran suddenly felt somewhat inferior and instinctively straightened his posture. He was just about to say something as naturally as possible, but Han Shen’s gaze merely swept past him and landed on Asher.
“Why is he here?”
His tone was cold and distant, as though he had not seen Ji Ran at all.
“I asked Julian to help me try on the clothes,” Asher explained.
Han Shen frowned, seemingly disapproving. “There’s no need to trouble someone else.”
“It’s only ten minutes, and Julian already agreed.” After saying that, Asher pushed Ji Ran in front of Han Shen. “I think Julian’s build is pretty similar to Sui Sui’s. What do you think of this one?”
Han Shen’s gaze finally settled on him.
Ji Ran’s body stiffened, and he instinctively held his breath.
He had no idea what was wrong with him. He had not felt this way at all when he was standing in front of Asher just now, yet the moment he stood in front of Han Shen, he became unusually nervous. He could not even bring himself to meet Han Shen’s eyes.
So Ji Ran lowered his head.
Ji Ran was 176 centimeters tall, a full fifteen centimeters shorter than Han Shen. Standing beside him, Han Shen only needed to lower his eyes slightly to take in Ji Ran’s entire figure.
Ji Ran was very thin, with an exceptionally slender frame. He had never done any hair removal or grooming, yet the back of his neck and his sideburns were both perfectly clean. When he lowered his head, the vertebrae at the back of his neck protruded slightly, and Han Shen noticed a small, pale-red mole there.
It was almost like a spot of red paint on a canvas. With the slightest touch of a fingertip, it seemed as though that single dot of color could spread outward, blooming into a large wash of crimson.
“How is it?” Asher nudged his arm.
Han Shen shifted his gaze away from that little red mole and said, “Too well-behaved.”
Asher said, “I’m asking about the style.”
Han Shen replied, “What did you think I was talking about?”
Asher looked Ji Ran over and nodded in agreement. “That’s true. It is for a graduation ceremony, after all. We should choose something a little more serious and formal.”
Ji Ran was beginning to feel that he did not want to stay any longer. Once he had finished trying on the clothes, he changed back into his own clothes, handed the garments to the staff, and quietly said, “I’ll be leaving first.”
Asher was discussing the details of the suit with the tailor nearby and seemed not to have heard him.
Ji Ran hesitated for two seconds before turning around and walking directly toward the door.
“Wait.”
Han Shen’s voice came from the side, stopping him.
Ji Ran’s footsteps faltered, but he continued walking forward.
“Julian.” Han Shen called out his English name with uncanny accuracy. He walked over to him and said, “Please wait a moment.”
Ji Ran had no choice but to stop. He slowly exhaled, doing his best to make his voice sound completely normal. “May I ask if there’s something else?”
“I’m sorry for taking up your private time.” Han Shen looked at him and said, “As compensation, you can choose a suit you like from the shop.”
It was a private tailor shop located in the heart of the city, but both its fabrics, tailoring, and craftsmanship were extremely particular. It was said that even the suit fabric they used was the same material as that used by a certain luxury brand. There was no doubt that the clothes here were extremely expensive.
When Ji Ran had been trying on the clothes just now, there had indeed been a fleeting moment when he felt envious. He had thought to himself that it would be nice if he could wear clothes like these too.
But when Han Shen appeared, he had suddenly felt utterly ashamed of himself, embarrassed that he had even entertained such a thought.
Ji Ran had never worn clothes this good in his entire life. When he was little, he had always worn clothes passed down from his older female cousin. When he grew a little older, his grandmother would take him into town to buy a cotton-padded jacket.
Because they were poor, they had chosen the thinner one simply because it was cheaper. During winter, he would shiver violently from the cold, both of his hands covered in chilblains.
When Ji Ran was in his final year of high school, the school held a coming-of-age ceremony. Most parents would buy their sons a suit for the occasion and accompany their children as they took part in this important moment in their lives.
Ji Ran had still been wearing his school uniform.
His parents had been too busy with work, while his maternal grandparents thought that traveling all the way to the school would cost too much money. So Ji Ran had stood alone among the crowd, quietly welcoming the arrival of his eighteenth birthday.
He did not resent his parents. Most families with little money were like this. His parents had raised him and even supported him through university, and for that alone, he was already deeply grateful.
Normally, he would not have minded.
But now, years later, as he stood inside this high-end tailor shop and watched someone take such care in preparing clothes for the boy he loved, he still could not help but feel his mood sink.
“Thank you, but I don’t want it.”
After saying that, Ji Ran turned around and walked out of the tailor shop.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
This is your completely normal and non-suspicious request to buy coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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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