Ji Ran had considered the possibility that Orca might actually be Han Shen but he quickly dismissed the suspicion.
Their voices weren’t the same and their backgrounds were worlds apart. Although both were wealthy, Orca was clearly a rich second generation heir who had inherited his family’s business, whereas Han Shen had his own career and was constantly busy with work. How could he possibly have the time to make videos online as well?
Even if he really did have the time, given Han Shen’s arrogant personality, Ji Ran couldn’t imagine him casually liking a suggestive video posted by a small time influencer like himself.
Although Ji Ran was the one making suggestive content himself, he still didn’t have much of a favorable impression of accounts that casually went around liking such videos.
Better to keep his eyes clean and simply not see them.
Ji Ran didn’t dwell on the matter for very long. His life was still centered around his work in the real world.
By December, Ji Ran had become even busier.
In addition to the Hecheng Intelligence project, he still had his daily duties as an assistant to complete, while both Han Shen and Asher would assign him work as well.
The workload was heavy and the work itself was difficult. Ji Ran drank more and more coffee yet even that couldn’t withstand the overwhelming waves of sleepiness that kept crashing over him.
What was even more miserable was that although he was exhausted to the point of barely keeping his eyes open during the day, the moment he lay down in bed at night, he would suffer from insomnia, inexplicably finding his heart beginning to race.
Without him even realizing it, his life had gradually slipped out of his control.
There was nothing Ji Ran could do about it. He began frequently trying on women’s clothing.
JK uniforms, American sweetheart outfits, maid dresses, modified qipaos…
When he carefully put effort into making a video, the number of likes could break ten thousand. For the ones that he himself thought were merely average, the numbers would usually stop at only a few thousand likes.
Fortunately, the netizens were kind and adorable. With the support of his viewers, Ji Ran gradually became accustomed to the high intensity rhythm of work.
Another week passed like that before Han Shen summoned him to the office.
Han Shen had recently been traveling on business and Ji Ran hadn’t seen him for several days.
Standing in front of the desk, Ji Ran asked somewhat nervously, “Boss, what did you call me in for?”
Han Shen looked up from his work. “How has work been lately?”
“It’s been all right.”
Unable to determine what attitude Han Shen was taking, Ji Ran chose the safest answer.
Han Shen continued, “Starting this week, you’ll join the weekly meetings of the Equity Financing Department. You’ll also write one industry research report every week and present it to everyone.”
Industry research was an essential skill for both primary and secondary markets. Put simply, finance was an intermediary business. Investment banks primarily existed to connect investors with the market, making them an intermediary among intermediaries.
Only by understanding an industry thoroughly could one provide investors with reasonable and accurate investment advice. If you yourself were completely lost when it came to the industry, how could you possibly convince investors to trust you?
It was a perfectly reasonable requirement.
The problem was that the timing couldn’t have been worse.
Ji Ran already had far too much work on his plate. His lunch break had completely disappeared, his mealtimes had been squeezed down to half an hour and on top of everything else, he still had his graduation thesis to write.
Had this assignment come at any other time, he would have been more than willing to accept it.
But now, with so many things piling onto him all at once, Ji Ran only felt a suffocating pressure in his chest, as though he could barely breathe.
“Is there a problem?” Han Shen asked him.
I don’t want to do it.
I’m already too busy. I don’t have time to conduct research.
Although he was genuinely miserable and desperately wanted to refuse, Ji Ran couldn’t bring himself to utter a single word.
He remained silent for several seconds. In the end, however, he merely lowered his eyes and said, “…No.”
The industry research analysis meeting was scheduled for Monday. Ji Ran worked overtime every single day and it wasn’t until Sunday night that he finally managed to rush out the industry research report.
He was simply too busy and on top of that, he was carrying a sense of resentment in his heart. All he wanted was to get the assignment over with and hand something in.
After all, that was simply how the industry worked. Everything had already been written about by someone else. The originality of an industry research report written by an intern was practically on the same level as the “innovative contribution” of an undergraduate thesis, essentially zero.
What Ji Ran hadn’t expected was for Han Shen to actually appear at the meeting.
Han Shen rarely attended the weekly meetings of the Equity Financing Department. He was simply too busy. Most of his time was spent outside the company soliciting business and building connections, so he didn’t spend much time at the office.
Yet, by some strange coincidence, he happened to show up precisely when Ji Ran was giving his report.
Ji Ran immediately began regretting how carelessly he had handled it.
He rapidly ran through the report in his mind. It really was weak. There was nothing new about it and there wasn’t a single personal insight to be found.
The VP probably wouldn’t say anything. After all, this was more or less the standard of an intern’s work.
But Han Shen was different.
That man seemed determined to keep his eyes on Ji Ran every day, as though he could pick up a magnifying glass and search his entire body for flaws.
Each person only had ten minutes for their presentation. The previous speaker had already stepped down and Ji Ran would be up after two more people.
Faced with the choice between doing nothing and getting criticized, or making one last desperate struggle, Ji Ran reluctantly chose the latter.
He opened his computer and immediately began revising his report.
Fortunately, he had chosen the gaming industry as his topic this time. He played games himself and frequently followed developments at major game companies, so he did have some personal opinions about the industry’s development.
Ji Ran deleted the outdated data and all the useless stock phrases, then hurriedly added a new section at the end: Industry Outlook and Forecast.
The moment he finished typing the final sentence, the previous colleague’s presentation came to an end and it was his turn to go up.
Ji Ran’s breathing stopped for an instant.
He took a deep breath, walked onto the stage and began presenting his industry research.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Ji Ran, an intern in the General Office. Today, I’d like to share some of my observations regarding the current state of the gaming industry…”
His voice was somewhat tense and even his body language was noticeably restrained yet the content of his presentation was solid and because of his moderate nervousness, there was an unusual sense of seriousness and precision to his delivery, making people instinctively want to trust what he was saying.
“Investment recommendation: With the continuous iteration of gaming hardware, the ongoing development of software technology and people’s increasing demand for further improvements, I am generally optimistic about the future development prospects of the gaming industry. However, in the short term, the gaming industry may also experience minor fluctuations due to policy related factors and external uncertainties, such as charging policies for game engines.”
“Risk factors: Revenue is concentrated among leading companies; intellectual property infringement occurs between games; online public opinion can affect a game’s reputation; user groups are gradually approaching saturation, resulting in diminishing marginal returns and so on.”
“That concludes my presentation. Thank you, everyone.”
To Ji Ran’s surprise, the VPs did not think poorly of his report. In fact, they seemed rather impressed by it.
Han Shen remained silent throughout.
He didn’t participate in evaluating the presentations. At least, that had been the case during the reports given by the colleagues before him.
After the final VP finished giving his comments, the evaluation was also relatively positive.
Only then did Ji Ran finally relax, a faint breath of relief escaping him.
He bowed toward the audience and prepared to leave.
“Did you write the report yourself?”
A cold voice suddenly rang out.
It was Han Shen, who had remained silent until now, finally speaking.
What did Han Shen mean by that?
Was he suspecting him of plagiarism?
Ji Ran felt insulted and his tone immediately became somewhat unpleasant.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
Han Shen said, “Explain this data.”
It was an extremely simple piece of data. Ji Ran couldn’t understand why Han Shen was digging so deeply into it but he suppressed his irritation and explained it again.
Han Shen said nothing.
Several seconds passed before he finally turned to the VP and asked, “Do you think there’s a problem?”
Several VPs exchanged glances with one another but none of them could come up with an answer.
Han Shen turned back to Ji Ran.
“Do you think there’s a problem?”
Ji Ran replied, “I don’t know where the problem is.”
The conference room fell into a brief silence.
It wasn’t until several seconds later that Han Shen spoke again.
“Julian, you shouldn’t be making such a basic mistake.”
Han Shen looked at Ji Ran, his tone calm and composed.
“This is inaccurate statistical data provided by the company when it published its figures. A little analysis is all it takes to see that something is wrong with the numbers.”
There wasn’t much reproach in Han Shen’s voice yet Ji Ran’s cheeks suddenly burned.
Inaccurate statistical data?
How was that possible?
“I’m sorry, I…” Ji Ran opened his mouth helplessly, seemingly wanting to explain something.
A quick handed colleague searched up the source material and discovered that there really was an error.
Han Shen withdrew his gaze and turned to the others.
“Industry research cannot be separated from external data but I don’t want you to treat this data as absolute authority. You need to have your own judgment and your own ability to think.”
Even after the meeting ended, Ji Ran’s mind remained a complete mess. He replayed what had happened over and over again in his head.
He had always excelled academically. It had been a very long time since he had experienced this kind of humiliation.
And, as if that weren’t enough, Han Shen summoned him to the office afterward.
With his heart filled with anxiety, Ji Ran followed him inside.
He thought he was about to receive a severe reprimand.
Instead, Han Shen unexpectedly asked him, “Do you play games?”
Ji Ran froze for a moment before answering honestly, “I play when work isn’t too busy.”
Han Shen asked, “What games have you played?”
Unable to figure out what Han Shen was thinking, Ji Ran casually named several popular games.
Han Shen fell silent for a while before saying, “Take the game ‘Symbiosis’ as an example. Based on the game’s current state, conduct an analysis of its future direction of development.”
An analysis of the future development direction of the game Symbiosis?
Ji Ran looked up somewhat blankly.
Han Shen said, “You don’t want to do it?”
“No.” Ji Ran shook his head, his voice muffled and sullen. “I made a mistake. I’m willing to accept the punishment.”
Han Shen raised an eyebrow. “You consider this a punishment?”
Ji Ran said nothing.
A working person’s time was extremely precious. This had nothing to do with his actual job, so if it wasn’t a punishment, then what was it?
Han Shen glanced at him and said in his usual tone, “If you want to treat it as a punishment, that’s fine. Give it to me by the end of this week.”
Ji Ran had nothing to say to that. After all, he really had made a mistake.
He wasn’t particularly opposed to the task itself, though. Ji Ran was a longtime player of the game in question and he did have quite a bit of affection for it.
The only thing troubling him was that his schedule was about to become even more packed.
At this point, Ji Ran already had three projects running simultaneously. That wasn’t even counting the industry research report and the game analysis he had to complete that week. To make matters worse, he also had a business trip scheduled.
There had been a problem with the materials provided by the company involved in the Hecheng Intelligence project and someone needed to go there in person to verify the situation.
Ji Ran became the unlucky errand boy who had to make the trip.
The flight from Shanghai to Beijing took two hours, while the high speed train took four and a half. Ji Ran hesitated for a long time but in the end, he still bought a plane ticket, hoping to save himself some time.
He hadn’t expected a sudden downpour to hit Beijing on his return journey.
More than half of the day’s flights were canceled and Ji Ran’s flight was rescheduled for the following morning.
Ji Ran hurriedly tried to buy a high speed rail ticket instead. When he clicked into the booking page, there were still more than a dozen tickets available.
By the time he reached the payment screen, they were all gone.
Ji Ran was forced to remain stranded at the airport.
Going back and forth to his university would take three hours. With his six o’clock flight, he would have to take a taxi and there was no guarantee the fare would even be reimbursed.
As for staying at an airport hotel, it was simply too expensive.
Ji Ran put down his backpack and decided to spend the night at the airport.
For the first half of the night, Ji Ran spent almost all his time working. He sent the updated materials to the project team and when the second half of the night arrived, he finally couldn’t hold out any longer.
He closed his laptop and prepared to rest.
There were no seats at the entrance to the terminal, leaving Ji Ran with no choice but to sit down on an empty patch of floor. The ground was hard and freezing cold, while the glaring overhead lights shone directly onto his face, bright enough to make him feel vaguely nauseous.
The floor was cold and unyielding beneath him. People hurried past him in every direction.
Ji Ran wrapped his arms around his knees and a sudden, indescribable sense of grievance welled up inside him.
Why hadn’t he bought a high speed train ticket in the first place?
Why had he been so unwilling to spend money on even one night’s stay at a hotel?
Ji Ran tried to convince himself to accept the situation as it was but he really felt miserable.
The floor was painfully hard and there was nowhere for his body to lean against. He drifted in and out of sleep until around two in the morning but eventually he could no longer endure it.
He went to the nearby café and bought the cheapest set meal.
After finishing his food, Ji Ran rested his head on the hard tabletop.
It wasn’t long before he lost consciousness.
At six the next morning, Ji Ran successfully checked in for his flight.
The flight wasn’t delayed. Because they had favorable winds, they even arrived thirty minutes ahead of schedule.
He was supposed to go straight to the company.
But when the taxi driver asked him for the destination, Ji Ran found himself giving the name of his residential complex instead.
He ate breakfast downstairs, then went to the delivery lockers to retrieve a package that had already exceeded its storage period.
After that, he went home and took a hot shower.
Messages began appearing in the work group. Someone even @mentioned him directly.
Ji Ran pretended he hadn’t seen any of it.
Instead, he put on women’s clothing and began to reward himself.
Ji Ran had never been a person with particularly strong needs but after becoming Han Shen’s subordinate, he had increasingly found himself using this method to relieve stress.
Afterward, he would easily fall into a state of self abandonment yet it wouldn’t be long before he found himself caught in the same vicious cycle again.
Just like now.
His rational side told him that he should already be heading to the company but his body remained sprawled out in his rented apartment, indulging the fallen and self indulgent version of himself.
Han Shen hadn’t been traveling recently. He probably knew that Ji Ran was late, right?
If he knew what Ji Ran was doing right now, he wondered what expression that cold, elite superior of his would make.
Ji Ran knew that his thoughts were perverse yet he couldn’t stop them at all.
Han Shen was so busy.
Did he even have time for sex?
Would he still wear that same cold expression when he had sex, telling the other person that they had to finish within ten minutes?
Ji Ran was amused by his own imagination and laughed.
Then, through the mirror, he saw himself as he was now.
Inside the cramped rented apartment lay a young man wearing a skirt.
Cheap, beautiful and fallen.
Ji Ran suddenly stopped moving, as though he had been struck over the head with a heavy blow.
How had he become like this?
Ji Ran had been born in a remote rural village. His childhood had been lonely and bitter.
When he was young, he had once told himself that things would get better once he entered middle school.
But when middle school came, he was faced with enormous academic pressure instead.
Ji Ran had always had good grades but he wasn’t a genius. Getting into Peking University had been entirely the result of working desperately hard day and night.
So his teachers had told them again:
Things would get better once they entered university.
But Ji Ran’s university life didn’t seem particularly wonderful either.
There was only endless part time work, desperately fighting for a high GPA, competing for scholarships…
Ji Ran had comforted himself once more.
Things would get better after graduation, once he started working.
And he really had managed to enter a major company that everyone envied.
But he was nothing more than a single screw in a vast machine.
He repeatedly performed work that held no meaning for him, day after day drifting through life in a daze, with no idea where his future was headed.
The smile disappeared from his face.
Then came self blame, disgust, loathing…
Countless negative emotions surged up all at once.
A sticky dampness spread across his palm.
Ji Ran curled his body inward and couldn’t help letting out quiet, broken sobs.
Cressilia: Last part was saddening 😭
See you all soon with further chapters…
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The coffee spirits are watching. 👁️☕
☕ 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