Should he tell the orca?
Ji Ran wasn’t someone who was accustomed to talking about himself.
In real life, there were people who could naturally tell someone they had only just met things like, “I did this today,” or “My dad said this,” or “My mom did that,” or even talk casually about their cats and dogs.
But Ji Ran rarely spoke that way.
He felt that his life was bland and unremarkable and he was afraid of exposing too much of himself in front of other people.
But right now, he was simply feeling too miserable.
Or perhaps it was because there was a screen separating them, because they were communicating through the internet, that Ji Ran could allow himself to express some of his emotions a little more honestly.
Ji Ran typed out a long string of words in the private message box.
But just before sending it, he hesitated.
In the end, he deleted every single word until the message box was completely empty.
He couldn’t tell the orca.
He simply wouldn’t understand him.
Ji Ran exited the social media app and aimlessly scrolled through his Moments to pass the time. Unexpectedly, he came across a birthday video of his younger brother, Ji Chengxuan.
In the video, a family of three stood gathered around a birthday cake, their faces filled with happiness and delight.
Ji Ran had been so busy lately that he had completely lost track of the days. Only now did he remember that today was his younger brother’s birthday.
He sent him a message:
[Red envelope] Little brother, happy 12th birthday~!
After a while, the other side accepted the red envelope and replied:
【Thank you, Brother.】
Ji Ran asked again:
【Did you receive the gift I sent you?】
Ji Chengxuan:
【I got it but the e-reader can’t watch videos or play games. Brother, can you give me an iPad next time?】
Ji Ran had originally wanted to tell him that an iPad was mainly for entertainment and wouldn’t be of much help with studying. At his age, buying one might affect his studies.
But then Ji Ran remembered what it had been like when he was a child.
Whenever there was something he wanted, his parents had always used all kinds of “reasonable” excuses to refuse his wishes.
Ji Ran didn’t want to become that kind of parent.
So he agreed to his younger brother’s request, only reminding him:
【I’ll give you an iPad next year but remember to read more books. Don’t get too absorbed in playing and let it affect your studies.】
Ji Chengxuan:
【Mm hmm, I know. Thank you, Brother.】
Compared with Ji Ran, Ji Chengxuan’s grades were much worse.
He was only in sixth grade at primary school now yet he was already barely managing to pass.
Ji Ran called his mother and told her that he had bought an e-reader for his younger brother. He asked her to remind Ji Chengxuan to spend less time playing on his phone and read more classic literature instead.
“What e-reader?”
The woman’s voice was full of confusion.
Ji Ran explained what he meant to her.
“Oh, that,” she finally realized and replied. “He said he didn’t like it, so he put it up for sale on Xianyu.”
Ji Ran froze where he stood.
His mother continued, “Your brother has plenty of toys already. Leaving that one sitting around would just be a waste, so he might as well sell it and save some money. What a pity, too. Your aunt bought him such a big birthday cake and he only ate a couple of bites before refusing to eat any more. If it were you, you definitely wouldn’t have done that. You were much more sensible than him when you were little.”
Yes.
He had been much more sensible.
He had never received a single toy for his birthday.
He had never even eaten a birthday cake.
Ji Ran had always felt sorry for his parents because they worked so hard, so he had never opened his mouth to ask them for anything.
By the time he was old enough to work and could finally buy his own toys and birthday cakes, he had already passed the age when he needed that kind of ritual and ceremony.
But Ji Ran couldn’t understand.
His family had been poor for as long as he could remember. They had been so poor that even his university living expenses had been earned by Ji Ran himself.
So how was it that once he grew up, his family’s financial situation had suddenly gotten better?
Ji Ran barely slept that night.
One moment, he dreamed that his younger brother had thrown away his gift. Next, he dreamed that Han Shen was telling him, “Julian, you’re fired.”
…….
Ji Ran got out of bed with his head heavy and dizzy. He washed up and just as he stepped out of the bathroom, he saw an unfamiliar figure standing outside the door.
His roommate stood there and stared at him for several seconds before finally saying, “Good morning.”
Ji Ran had three roommates. The male roommate next door lived in the master bedroom, which came with its own private bathroom. Under normal circumstances, there was no reason for him to use the shared bathroom outside.
Ji Ran had no idea how they had happened to run into each other today……
Then he remembered how the man had cornered him while he was filming his videos. Ji Ran immediately turned around and went back into his room.
He locked the door from the inside, then changed his clothes quietly and carefully. Only after making sure there was no one outside did he put his computer on his back and leave
…..
The subway was as crowded as ever.
Ji Ran had to wait through two trains before he could finally squeeze aboard. Holding onto the overhead strap with one hand, he put on his earphones and began listening to the morning financial news.
The closer they got to the city center, the more people there were. Before long, the entire carriage was packed so tightly that when Ji Ran reached his stop, he had no choice but to push aside the people standing in front of him.
“Excuse me, please let me through! Someone needs to get off here!”
After using every ounce of strength he had to squeeze his way out of the train, Ji Ran suddenly felt something slide off his ear……
Fuck.
His earphone had been knocked off.
Ji Ran hurriedly turned around but the subway doors had already closed, carrying his earphone away with the departing train.
Ji Ran stood there in despair for a full minute.
It wasn’t until the next train arrived that he silently removed the remaining earphone and followed the surging crowd into the office building.
….
Monday morning, nine o’clock.
His colleagues were exchanging greetings and sharing stories about how they had spent their weekends.
Ji Ran dropped himself into his chair and felt that his entire life had gone completely to hell.
“Julian,” Asher called out to him from behind the partition. “The Shanghai Stock Exchange has revised the stock issuance and listing review rules. This is the latest version. The Hecheng Intelligence prospectus is still using the old version, right? Arrange for someone to update it.”
Ji Ran had actually heard him.
But he remained sitting exactly where he was, saying nothing and giving no response.
It wasn’t until a large hand landed on his shoulder that Ji Ran finally snapped out of that strange state.
Asher bent down and looked at him, concerned with filling his dark green eyes.
“Are you okay?”
Ji Ran looked up at Asher, feeling somewhat incredulous.
How could Asher still have the energy to care about other people when he was so busy with work every single day?
Ji Ran was genuinely grateful for Asher’s kindness.
But right now, he just wanted to be left alone.
He wanted to turn into some dark, twisted little bug and attack everyone indiscriminately.
“I’m fine.”
Ji Ran forced a smile onto his face before looking at Asher again.
“Sorry, I was a little distracted. What did you say just now?”
Asher repeated what he had said earlier and Ji Ran indicated that he understood.
He opened his computer and began updating the prospectus with the latest provisions.
Asher had said that he could arrange for someone else to do it but Ji Ran was only an intern. Everyone else working on the project had a higher position than him and more seniority than he did.
Who exactly was he supposed to assign it to?
In the end, he could only do it himself.
Updating the provisions wasn’t difficult. It was simply tedious. As long as he carefully checked the document page by page, there shouldn’t be any mistakes.
Ji Ran opened the document and had only scrolled down two pages when the computer suddenly displayed a blue screen.
It was freezing again.
Ji Ran skillfully closed the other unnecessary documents. Normally, this method worked well enough but this time it had no effect.
He held down the power button and forcibly restarted the computer.
What appeared on the screen afterward was a mass of garbled characters.
The computer was completely dead.
For a brief moment, Ji Ran’s mind went completely blank.
Before he could even figure out what he was supposed to do, a voice suddenly came from above him.
“Julian, come to my office.”
Ji Ran’s breathing stopped.
He practically didn’t dare raise his head.
Han Shen was at the office.
Was he going to get scolded?
Ji Ran slowly stood up from his chair, only to be hit by another sudden wave of dizziness.
And what about his computer?
Could it still be repaired?
What if all the files and documents on it disappeared as well?
“Julian.”
Inside the office, Han Shen looked at him with a deep, heavy gaze.
“Are you listening?”
Ji Ran: “No.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Ji Ran felt certain that he was about to be scolded.
But Han Shen merely glanced at him before continuing with the actual matter at hand.
“Do you have any thoughts about the Lanting Liquor project?”
Ji Ran: “No.”
Han Shen: “Have you analyzed which listing route would be more suitable for them?”
Ji Ran: “I don’t know.”
Han Shen tapped his fingers against the desk.
“Julian, please pay attention to your attitude.”
“What’s wrong with my attitude?”
Ji Ran’s entire body was wound so tightly that he felt like a balloon inflated to its absolute limit.
Under Han Shen’s relentless pressure, that balloon finally burst.
He angrily shot back, “Are you dissatisfied with my attitude, or are you simply dissatisfied with me as a person?”
“You’re angry?”
Han Shen finally realized what was happening but there was only confusion in his expression.
“But why?”
He wasn’t being sarcastic.
He genuinely didn’t understand.
He actually didn’t know why Ji Ran was angry!
Ji Ran clenched both hands into fists and practically shouted, “Because you’ve been deliberately making things difficult for me!”
He had never spoken in such a loud voice before.
The sound even produced a brief echo inside the office.
Han Shen said nothing.
The office fell into a deathly silence.
Amid that strange and oppressive quiet, Ji Ran’s heart suddenly began pounding violently.
Had he gone insane?
What had he just done?
He had actually shouted at his own boss!
Did he even want to keep his job anymore?
Ji Ran knew perfectly well that he shouldn’t lose his temper with Han Shen.
Yet at this moment, a strange sense of exhilaration rose from somewhere deep inside him, urging him to release even more of the anger that had been building up.
“I asked the other management trainees. They don’t have to do any of this.”
Ji Ran had become completely unlike himself.
He raised his head and glared angrily into Han Shen’s cold, indifferent eyes, accusing him furiously.
“But you keep assigning me work that’s beyond my abilities. You make me manage projects, attend all kinds of dinners and you even forced me to go on stage and give that presentation. You even pushed something as important as bringing in projects onto me. I told you clearly that I couldn’t do it. I…… I……”
He suddenly stopped.
Self blame, guilt, incompetence……
The enormous sense of defeat swept over him like a tsunami. Ji Ran raised a hand to cover his face and tears instantly soaked into his palm.
Why was he crying? What the hell was he crying for?!
When was he ever going to get rid of this awful habit of bursting into tears whenever he got into an argument?
Ji Ran roughly wiped his face, then forcibly swallowed his tears back. He raised his head angrily,
Since he was going to resign anyway, he absolutely could not lose the argument.
At this moment, the boy who had always been almost excessively well behaved finally revealed his true emotions.
He was expressing his anger.
He was using that anger to fight for something for himself.
Han Shen remained silent as he looked at him for a long time. In the end, he chose to respect Ji Ran’s wishes.
“If you genuinely feel that you can’t do it, you can choose to leave.”
Ji Ran’s heart sank heavily.
Sure enough, Han Shen really was trying to force him out.
If Han Shen simply didn’t think much of him, then what was the point of Ji Ran continuing to insist on staying?
Ji Ran’s thoughts were a complete mess. Without looking back, he stormed out of the office.
“Julian.”
The moment he returned to his workstation, Asher walked toward him carrying two boxes.
“Finally found you. Take these. I just got some office equipment approved for you.”
Inside were a brand new MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro.
Ji Ran didn’t react at all at first. He stood there blankly for several seconds before finally asking, “Why are you giving these to me?”
Asher explained, “Samuel told me to arrange this for you last week. I got too busy with work and completely forgot. Sorry about that.”
Last week……?
Han Shen really had come to find him last week to revise the materials. His computer had also really frozen for more than ten seconds at the time.
But just because of that?
Ji Ran stared blankly at the computer in front of him, still unable to believe it.
Seeing that he still looked confused, Asher explained further.
“The laptops are standard equipment provided by the company. Normally, you only get one after formally joining but I heard that your computer’s performance wasn’t very good, so I applied to have one issued to you early. The tablet is something Samuel provides to his assistants himself. It makes it more convenient for us to handle some of our day to day work.”
Ji Ran stared blankly at the scene before him.
Gradually, his vision became blurred with moisture.
He clearly didn’t think there was anything worth crying over.
And yet, the moment he blinked, a tear slipped down his cheek.
“Hey, don’t cry.”
Asher immediately panicked.
“I only got it to you a few days later. It shouldn’t be enough to make you this upset, right?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Ji Ran shook his head awkwardly.
“It’s not because of you…… It’s just that I…… I……”
He opened his mouth, wanting to explain but all that came out was a string of choked sobs.
Ji Ran didn’t even know why he was crying but he simply couldn’t control the tears.
His computer had only frozen for a little over ten seconds.
It wasn’t as though anyone had ever cared about something like that……
But Han Shen had noticed.
The emotions that had been suppressed for such a long time finally burst out all at once. Ji Ran buried his face in the crook of his armand his tears began falling even harder.
I’m literally crying! All the suppressed emotions and how our Mc was treated by his family 😭😭😭 It hurtssss!
*An e-reader is a small, portable electronic device built mainly for reading digital books, magazines, and newspapers
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
A tiny coffee can be a surprisingly nice “thank you.” ☕
☕ 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