Exclusive Model for the Top Painter Chapter 78

Love Song at the Hot Spring Venue

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The afternoon scenes were shot, and according to the crew's arrangement, they were supposed to stay in the ski resort hotel for the night.

When Yu Shan didn't see Ruan Jun, he asked his assistant Xiao Zhang, "Where's Ruan Jun? Where is he staying tonight?"

Xiao Zhang stammered, "Mr. Ruan was in a good mood when he came over at noon and asked me for the spare room card for your room. Later, I don't know what happened, he looked angry, he probably went back to the city, right?"

Yu Shan sighed softly, "Got it, I'll go find him, give me the car keys."

Xiao Zhang fished out the keys from his bag and handed them to him, "Then will you come back tonight?"

"What do you think?"

Yu Shan rushed to the parking lot, started the engine and drove out from the ski resort at a very fast speed.

While driving, he called Ruan Jun.

After dialling three times in a row, there was no answer.

Yu Shan let out a low curse, he had never chased anyone like this.

The fourth time he called, he finally got through, but the voice from the other side was not Ruan Jun's. 

It was a pleasant female voice, "Hello, Ruan Group General Manager's office, may I ask who you are?"

So it was the office assistant, Yu Shan breathed a sigh of relief, "Where's Ruan Jun? I'm looking for him for something."

"May I ask who you are?"

"Yu Shan."

There was a pause on the other side for a moment before they replied, "I'm sorry Mr. Yu, Mr. Ruan is in a meeting right now and I'm afraid he can't see you."

"Then when is he free?"

"Mr. Yu, Mr. Ruan means that he won't see you tonight."

Hanging up the phone, Yu Shan became even more agitated and ran several red lights before arriving downstairs at Ruan Group.

The snow was getting heavier and heavier, Yu Shan got out of the car and was instantly covered in white.

Ruan Jun came out from the lobby of the company, his assistant held an umbrella for him and he was walking towards the black commercial car parked on the side.

Yu Shan caught up with him in the snow and called out, "Ruan Jun, I have something to say to you."

Ruan Jun paused and looked at him with an indifferent expression, "There's nothing to say."

Goose feather snow fell on Yu Shan's hair and shoulders, he stood opposite Ruan Jun, against the silver tumbling backdrop, like an elf from the snowy country, "But I want to say it."

"But I don't want to listen." Ruan Jun did not bother to look at him, and lowered himself into the car.

Yu Shan pressed one hand on the car door, "Why can't you just give me a chance?"

Ruan Jun laughed softly, "Worthy of being a film star, sure enough noble people often forget things. How many times have I begged you, do you remember? Now you're acting like this again, how much longer do you want to toy with me?"

As if all the blood in his body froze, Yu Shan let go of his hand and stood silently in place.

He watched as the door of his car closed and he slowly drove away.

Ruan Jun sat in the car, staring at Yu Shan's figure in the rear-view mirror.

Until he completely disappeared from sight, Ruan Jun maintained that position.

The driver carefully asked, "Mr. Ruan, should we turn around and go back to pick up Mr. Yu?"

Ruan Jun rubbed his temples, "No need, he has company tonight."

"But I think that Mr. Yu came here specifically to find you?"

"That's impossible." Ruan Jun said in a low voice, "I've held this fantasy before, but a fantasy is always a fantasy. Don't have any expectations and you won't be disappointed."

Back at the villa in the suburbs, Ruan Jun sat alone in the empty hall eating dinner.

The music playing in the background was a song from an album released by Yu Shan three years ago, titled "Thirst":

———

The plunder of six-winged angels,

the coldness of six-petalled snowflakes,

the wrapping of a six-degree cold wind,

the opposite of a six-coloured rainbow.

It is your phantom that I am chasing with all my might,

longing for your touch,

longing for your presence,

longing for the warmth of each other's breath,

longing to see you again,

even in my dreams.

———

Ruan Jun recalled the first time he heard this song when he was still in college. He was excited because he had snagged a VIP ticket for the Yu Shan concert, and was looking forward to seeing the person he had been longing to see...

He put down his cutlery in annoyance, called out to the butler, and ordered, "Change the song."

The next song, still Yu Shan's.

"Change it again."

The next song, still his voice.

"Change it again! Aren't there any other singers?"

The butler reminded, "Mr. Ruan, in your song library, there are only Yu Shan's songs."

"Turn it off then."

Back in his bedroom, Ruan Jun opened the huge locker next to his bed, which was stuffed with Yu Shan-related items: posters, photo albums, artefacts, CDs, ticket stubs, postcards...

Each one was a treasured item that he had carefully preserved, and each one contained endless thoughts and obsessions.

He viewed them carefully one last time, as if bidding farewell.

Staring at these things for a while, he then found an empty box, threw them all in, took them downstairs, and said to the housekeeper, "Throw them away."

The housekeeper was surprised, "But Mr. Ruan, aren't these the things you repeatedly instructed us to take good care of?"

"I've changed my mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't question my words. Also, delete all the songs in the library and add some new ones."

"What style of songs do you want?"

"Anything that isn't Yu Shan's. The person who once filled my life, from now on, I'm going to quit him completely."

The butler sighed softly, "Mr. Ruan, there's something I want to tell you."

"Speak."

"Yu Shan has been waiting for you at the entrance for about an hour now. I know you didn't want to see him and advised him to leave, but he seems to be rather stubborn."

Ruan Jun froze, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Because he has hurt you before. I am so old now, and I have watched you grow up from a young age. I understand your infatuation with him very well, and I also know how much damage his behaviour once caused to you. Has he ever considered your feelings in the past when he was out there in his paper-thin world?"

"He's a star, I'm just his fan, he doesn't need to be considerate of me."

"And then? He obviously had an intimate relationship with you, but..."

"No need to say more," Ruan Jun interrupted, "I understand."

Returning to his bedroom on the second floor, he pulled back the floor-to-ceiling curtains, and through the floor-to-ceiling window, he clearly saw his figure in the snow.

In order to protect privacy, the material chosen for the floor-to-ceiling window was one-way glass. That is to say, you can see the outside from the inside, but you can't see the inside from the outside.

Yu Shan stood in front of the villa door and seemed to sense something, raising his eyes to look that way.

His hair was covered with a layer of fine snow, and his cheeks were a little red from the cold.

Ruan Jun frowned, desperately suppressing the urge to embrace him. He warned himself: don't be moved by that man, he's a film star. You can trust anyone's deep love, but not his.

It's just theatre.

It was just for show.

Until he saw Yu Shan collapse in the snow.

His heart was immediately lifted to his throat, and fear and panic wrapped around him like waves. Ruan Jun immediately rushed outside and picked up Yu Shan in his arms, instructing the housekeeper, "Quickly go get a doctor, and have the kitchen make some ginger soup."

Bringing him to the bathroom, he ran the hot water.

Taking a soft bath towel, he wiped away the snow from his hair.

Yu Shan held his wrist, his lips frozen purple, and whispered, "Ruan Jun, do you still like me a little?"

"I just don't want anything to happen to you and delay the film shoot."

"Is that really all?"

"Mhmm."

"Then why are you trembling? While hugging me."

"I'm not."

"You are." Yu Shan ran an icy finger across his lips, "Do you think I'm toying with you? Think I'm putting on an act? Have you ever seen such dedication to acting? It's snowing outside and I waited for you for two hours and forty-seven minutes."

Ruan Jun said childishly, "You've always been very dedicated to acting."

"But I never wait for anyone for more than a minute. Ruan Jun, I was even thinking just now that if you never came out, I'd just die there."

Ruan Jun was irritated by his words, "What nonsense!"

Yu Shan laughed lightly, wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips, "Good boy, call out Brother Yu for me?"

———

Early the next morning, Ruan Jun drove Yu Shan to the film set.

After filming the day's scenes at the ski resort, he stayed at the hotel at night. Since Yu Shan froze last night and he was afraid that he would catch a cold, Ruan Jun decided to take him to a hot spring.

The spa has both indoor hot spring houses and open-air hot spring pools to choose from. While getting the tickets, Ruan Jun was confused as to which one to choose, when Ji Xiuyuan's figure appeared next to the ticketing channel.

Only to see him say very calmly, "Please help me book a private hot spring tonight, the highest quality kind."

Ruan Jun asked, "Mr. Ji, what's the difference between a private hot spring and a regular one?"

Ji Xiuyuan took the ticket and replied succinctly, "Private hot spring, no one else."

Ruan Jun immediately understands, "Please get one for me as well, the same as the gentleman just now."

At night.

Private hot springs, as the name suggests, are hot springs to be enjoyed exclusively in a reserved private space.

The hotel's private hot spring style leans towards the Japanese style, with many smaller compartments in a large wooden courtyard.

Of course, the highest quality private hot springs were independent small courtyards, as if they were a hidden garden.

Ji Xiuyuan took Liang Jin to a private hot spring called "Fei Yan Yuan". He changed into his swimming trunks and walked along the wall into the hot spring.

The warm spring water was steaming in the winter cold, and it was especially comfortable to be immersed in the water. It didn't take long for Liang Jin's body to glow with an attractive red colour.

Ji Xiuyuan leaned close to him and said, "Xiao Jin, the hot springs here are naturally formed by the snowy mountains, and are very conducive to physical and mental health."

"So?"

"So, you should allow it maximum access to yourself."

"Ji Shen, what are you trying to say?"

"Xiao Jin, shall I help you take off your swim trunks?"

"No-no-no need!!! I'm fine like this!"

"Then you help me?"

"Ji Shen, didn't your hand heal a long time ago?"

"It still hurts a little when it touches such hot spring water."

"Yuan Yuan, you must be lying to me, do you think I can't see it?"

"It's true." Ji Xiuyuan pressed against his ear and said, "Hot spring water contains chloride ions, carbonate ions and sulphate ions, which have an irritating effect on nerve tissue."

"Ah, is that so?"

"Mhmm."

Liang Jin raised his right hand to the surface of the water, "Then it's better for you not to touch the water with this hand."

"Okay. Xiao Jin, help me take it off?"

"Oh." Liang Jin reached down and touched the corner of his trousers, carefully tugging at the piece of clothing. But after all, there was a gap in the water, and after half a day of tugging, the clothes didn't come off, but the flames were roused.

Ji Xiuyuan pressed him against the wall of the pool, his fervent kisses were long and delicate, and he fell into a state of confusion. He suddenly felt a coolness underneath his body, Ji Xiuyuan smoothly took off his trousers.

Liang Jin indignantly said, "Ji Shen! This hot spring water has a stimulating effect! Sure enough, you made it up again! You simply... mmph!"

"Xiao Jin, I'm sorry, can we talk about this later? Let's get down to business first."

"?!!!"

‿︵‿︵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: October 30, 2023