Exclusive Model for the Top Painter Chapter 2

Desire Bound in Shackles

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Late afternoon the next day.

Several layers of curtains, light and dark, draped long and tightly across the floor, blocked out all light.

The light in the room was on, with a soft, ambiguous glow.

With cold handcuffs around his wrist, Liang Jin's short hair was dishevelled, and he was at a loss for words: "Do these handcuffs have to be so real? They're quite heavy."

Ji Xiuyuan took hold of his other hand, and with a crisp metallic impact, Liang Jin said with displeasure, "No way, both hands are cuffed by you? I'm a bit worried about my own safety now, the contract I signed with you yesterday is not a contract of sale, is it?"

Ji Xiuyuan took a smooth step forward and pushed Liang Jin against the wall. He double-checked the tightness of the handcuffs and said in a casual tone, "Even if it is, what can you do about it?"

Liang Jin broke out in a cold sweat: "Ji Shen, don't make jokes like that."

Ji Xiuyuan smiled, "Not bad, the expression on your face right now is very suitable for painting."

"Although I am a tool, a tool has human rights." Ji Xiuyuan's face was so close that Liang Jin wanted to punch him once, but unfortunately, his wrists were cuffed, so any struggle would be futile: "You have to tell me, with this current appearance, I am cosplaying something, right?"

Ji Xiuyuan said, "This painting is inspired by 'Prometheus Bound'."

Liang Jin's brain crashed for a moment, then he remembered that he had heard a similar explanation in his literature class, "Oh, I know. There was a god in ancient Greece who was punished by Zeus, nailed to a cliff in the Caucasus, and was tortured by many non-human creatures... Tragic, yes, but a heroism!"

Ji Xiuyuan saw the small flashes of excitement in his eyes and smiled: "You appreciate this kind of thing?"

"Of course." Liang Jin was chained to the wall, but it was as if he was really playing the role of Prometheus, displaying a look of resolute determination as if he was ready to die.

Ji Xiuyuan lowered his head to mix the paints: "Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. My painting, inspired by Prometheus, is not about heroism."

"Then what is it?"

Ji Xiuyuan held the prepared paint and approached Liang Jin again.

He dipped his fingertips in the scarlet paint and wiped it over Liang Jin's mouth, whispering in his ears, "Desire."

Liang Jin's Adam’s apple rolled nervously.

Ji Xiuyuan's fingers traced his lips down to his chest.

Then, he began to unbutton his shirt.

Only down to the third one.

On his chest, he created the illusion that a sharp blade had cut his chest and left a wound.

Ji Xiuyuan took out a pair of scissors and deliberately cut his shirt.

Under the delicate touch of the scissors against his skin, Liang Jin whispered, "You mean: the gods' desire to control, human greed. Also, Prometheus' own... own desires."

A little surprise flashed in Ji Xiuyuan's eyes, and he slowly raised his head to ruffle Liang Jin's hair: "You are very suitable for this."

Liang Jin met his eyes seriously: "It is my job to understand the needs of my clients."

Ji Xiuyuan smiled lightly and moved towards the worktable not far away, washing his hands and intending to start painting.

Liang Jin's expression was very good, and he quickly got into the mood.

The silence in the studio was so intense that you could almost hear your own breath.

More than ten minutes had passed, but Ji Xiuyuan had not made a single stroke.

"No," he said, suddenly standing up and thinking with his eyebrows knitted together, "there is something missing."

He approached Liang Jin again and lifted his chin: "To fill the lust of greed with the desire to rebel; stirring up the will to endure with the desire to punish; covered in the torment of wounds and struggles...""

Ji Xiuyuan suddenly lowered his head to unbuckle the belt on Liang Jin's trousers.

"You... what are you doing?" Liang Jin was slightly annoyed and tried to stop him, but as his hands were bound, he could only make a clanking sound with the chain.

As if possessed, Ji Xiuyuan completely ignored Liang Jin's resistance. He took off his leather belt and wrapped it around Liang Jin's fair neck.

He wrapped it around his neck three times before violently applying force.

Liang Jin coughed violently, "Ji Xiuyuan, you're hurting me."

Ji Xiuyuan immediately released his hands and gently wrapped his arms around him, soothing his back, "Be good, it'll be fine soon."

The leather belt was removed and tossed to one side.

Ji Xiuyuan tenderly stroked the red strangulation marks on his neck: "It's perfect."

Liang Jin looked at his intoxicated expression, and his anger inexplicably subsided.

They say that geniuses always have their own paranoia: there really is a fine line between genius and madness.

With his belt stripped off and his trousers hanging loosely from his body, he presented a sense of despondent beauty. With his hands in shackles and his hair in disarray, his pale, powerless condition set against his younger, abused naked body, the scene was withered yet full of vigour.

Liang Jin could not remember how long he lasted, but he did remember the look on Ji Xiuyuan's face as he painted:

Concentration and determination.

It was as if nothing else in the world existed,

there was only this studio.

Only himself, dressed as Prometheus,

and the painter who painted him.

———

In the evening, after taking a bath, Liang Jin leaned against his bed playing a game.

There was a very soft knock on the door.

Liang Jin put down his cell phone: “Hmm, Ji Shen? Are you working overtime?"

Ji Xiuyuan pushed open the door, holding a white tray with ointment and cotton swabs in his hand, "How's your injury?"

Only then did Liang Jin react, he was referring to the strangulation marks on his neck, "Oh it's fine, I have thick skin, it will heal in a couple of days."

Ji Xiuyuan placed the tray on the bed and knelt down in front of Liang Jin, "Let me help you with this."

Liang Jin was too embarrassed to refuse, so he could only nod his head.

Ji Xiuyuan dipped a cotton swab into the ointment and applied it to the area between his neck and collar bones.

When the cold ointment was smeared on the wound, it caused a stinging pain.

Liang Jin subconsciously shrank his neck, and Ji Xiuyuan paused for a moment, "Does it hurt?"

"It's fine," Liang Jin grabbed the ointment, "I'll do it myself."

Ji Xiuyuan suddenly whispered, "I'm sorry, I can't control myself when I'm painting."

Liang Jin sighed, "Given your high price, I'll reluctantly forgive you. But in future, can you discuss this with me first so that I can be prepared?"

Ji Xiuyuan frowned, "Many times, inspiration comes out of nowhere."

"I understand," Liang Jin teased, "then you have to add money, this is a work injury!"

Ji Xiuyuan looked at him seriously, "Okay."

Liang Jin hurriedly said, "I'm just kidding."

Ji Xiuyuan stood up, "The general structure of this painting has been decided today, I will just refer to the photographs for the rest of the details, you can rest for the next two days."

"Okay!" Liang Jin had just begun to feel happy for a second when he felt that something was wrong: "Wait, what photographs? Photos of my look this afternoon?"

“Mhmm."

"When did you take them?"

"There's a camera in the studio, I took it from there."

Ji Xiuyuan took out his cell phone, opened the album and handed it to Liang Jin.

Good god, there were over a hundred photos, all of them were close-ups of various angles, and they looked like third-rate magazine portraits.

Liang Jin was about to die of humiliation: "These, you have to delete them when you're done."

"Okay."

Noticing that there were only these photos of him in the album and that they were not encrypted in any way, Liang Jin cautioned, "Are you sure you don't want to add an encryption?"

"Why do I need to encrypt it?"

Liang Jin, of course, felt that such photos were disgraceful and that if anyone accidentally saw them, he would not be able to wash himself even if he jumped into the Yellow River. Thinking for a moment, he made up an excuse: "If your girlfriend sees it, she'll get the wrong idea!"

Ji Xiuyuan took his cell phone back: "I don't have a girlfriend."

"If other people see you, they will think you have a special fetish."

"I don't care."

Liang Jin surrendered completely, "Ji Shen, I'm begging you, add a password, okay?"

"You care about it?"

"Of course I care, it's related to my image!"

Ji Xiuyuan pretended to be puzzled, "However, I have already packaged them up and sent them to the studio team."

Liang Jin completely turned to stone.

Looking at his expression, Ji Xiuyuan laughed lightly and rubbed his hair, "I'm just kidding."

Liang Jin was so relieved that he sprang up from the bed and went to grab his cell phone.

Ji Xiuyuan was pulled by him and became unstable, so he fell forward, pressing down on top of Liang Jin.

The cell phone landed on the edge of the bed, but Liang Jin did not grab it, instead he grabbed Ji Xiuyuan's hand.

Ji Xiuyuan had one leg resting on Liang Jin's crotch and his breath fell on his ears.

His heart was beating extremely fast.

For some reason, this ambiguous position was maintained for a while. It was only when Liang Jin coughed softly that Ji Xiuyuan slowly released him and sat up.

Picking up his cell phone again, Ji Xiuyuan added a password to the album and said to Liang Jin, "Alright."

Liang Jin's ears were a little red at the base and he nodded haphazardly.

Ji Xiuyuan stood up, went to the entrance of the room, turned around and said, "Good night."

"... Good night."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: April 13, 2023