TF01 109

Shi Yi’s appearance had caused a stir, just as expected.

Before the lights came back on, both of them had already returned to the banquet hall. Ying Ming was seated at the guest table reserved for the main creative team, while Shi Yi stood farther away, chatting casually with a few acquaintances he had dealt with in the past. His demeanor was relaxed and composed. Reporters nearby wanted to approach him but did not dare, so they could only keep snapping photos nonstop. The camera flashes lit up the space unrestrainedly, and Shi Yi made no move to stop them.

In the end, it was Dong Xiao who instructed the host to make an announcement: a press session would be arranged later for photos and interviews, but for now, photography inside the banquet hall was prohibited.

Regardless, the event had certainly fulfilled its promotional purpose. There was no doubt that by the next day, this would dominate the headlines across major media outlets, even if only as background noise.

With more and more reporters gathering, they were forced to cancel the planned interviews with a few trusted media outlets. As soon as the event ended, Ying Ming slipped out through the side exit. While he was in the elevator, he got a call from Shi Yi. “My apartment’s close by. Just come straight over. I’m guessing there are so many people outside your place right now that even a mosquito couldn’t squeeze through.”

At least his building had decent security, so it was not easy for gossip-hungry busybodies to get in and cause a scene.

Ying Ming noticed someone lurking near the garage, so to avoid them, he drove off in Si Ji’s car.

The place really was not far. Without a key, he waited outside Shi Yi’s door for a bit. Shi Yi arrived shortly after. By then, Ying Ming had only smoked half his cigarette.

Once inside, Ying Ming took off his jacket and tossed it onto the sofa. Shi Yi gestured for him to make himself comfortable, then went to pour them something to drink. “Water or wine?”

“Wine.”

Ying Ming sat on the couch, smoking. His expression reflected in the glass tabletop was blank. After everything that had just happened, he was not in the best of moods.

Shi Yi came over and set the glass of wine in front of him. “Have you been doing all right lately?”

Ying Ming, still staring down at his cigarette, looked up at him with a hard-to-read expression. “Since when did we start using such lame icebreakers?”

“It’s dumb, sure, but at least it’s direct.”

Shi Yi took a sip of his drink. “You’ve lost weight.”

“I’d be more worried if I gained any.” Ying Ming finished the last two drags of his cigarette, then stubbed it out in the ashtray. He swirled the liquor in his glass, watching the ice catch the amber light.

The two of them could barely speak without friction. Even if they had both told themselves to stay calm, sitting across from each other now, that irritation still pressed against their ribs.

Ying Ming took another drink, brow creased, trying to calm the surge in his chest. He glanced at Shi Yi. “You were pretty brave today.”

There were too many reporters to count. Those who had arrived early and those who came later merged into a black tide that filled the venue.

They probably would not even have to wait for tomorrow. By tonight, headlines of every flavor would already be spreading.

Shi Yi didn’t respond to the bite in Ying Ming’s voice. He only gave a soft hum. “I had already prepared myself before going.”

“It wasn’t necessary.” Ying Ming exhaled, swirling his glass again. “You didn’t have to play along just to satisfy those bored people.”

Even if a situation like this was unavoidable, he still hadn’t wanted Shi Yi to be dragged into it. Ying Ming, as an actor, had no way to escape it, but Shi Yi had never needed to be part of it

The man across from him only looked at him. “I didn’t want you to face them alone.”

Shi Yi had always been repelled by this circle. He hated the way people picked apart a person’s life. Whether it was before or after he met Ying Ming, he had dealt with entertainment industry types more than a few times. But for him, that world had always been just a passing diversion. If he was in the mood, he might join in the fun. When he was not, no one was allowed to cross the line.

Only this time, he could no longer stay uninvolved.

“These past few weeks, I have been lying awake every night, thinking about everything that happened. At first, it was nothing but pain. Every time the silence settled in, I wanted to explode. I drank uncontrollably and still could not get drunk. My stomach is nearly destroyed, but none of it brought me any relief. I kept forcing myself through each day. No matter how I try to deny it, the truth remains. This is the situation we are in now, and whatever happens from here on out, we will face it together.”

He looked at Ying Ming, who was lighting another cigarette.

“From now on, no matter what happens, I’ll never talk about leaving again.”

Ying Ming’s hand, holding the lighter, came to a brief halt. His expression tightened, just barely. After a moment, he lit the cigarette and brought it to his lips. He took two slow drags, then pressed his thumb against the crease between his brows. “How’s your mom doing?” he asked.

“My aunt came back from Australia. She’s been with her.”

“You haven’t been staying at home lately?”

“I have, but when work runs late, I’m afraid of waking her.”

Talking about family still made their voices tighten. But compared to the past, when even thinking about it had left Ying Ming feeling as if he were being torn apart, he had slowly learned to endure it. He let out a breath, closed his eyes, and pressed his fingers to the space between his brows. “You said you haven’t been sleeping?”

“Yeah…”

Shi Yi let out a sigh. “The moment I close my eyes, I start to feel cold all over. No matter how many blankets I use, it doesn’t help. So I end up getting up and just sitting there, smoking.”

“You think smoking’s going to knock you out? Dream on.”

“That’s why I switched to drinking.” Shi Yi drained the last of his glass and set it down on the coffee table. “What about you? Still smoking like a chimney?”

“No choice. I’m used to it.”

Ying Ming’s voice was unusually low, his words slower than usual. His mind kept drifting, so even when he spoke, it felt like he might lose the thread at any moment. Shi Yi could tell he had something on his mind, but he didn’t press. Instead, he got up, went to the kitchen, brought the bottle over, and set it on the table. He poured himself another half glass and waited.

The smell of smoke spread from Ying Ming’s side and clung faintly to Shi Yi. Neither of them said anything. Time passed in silence. It wasn’t until Shi Yi was nearly done with his second drink that Ying Ming finally lifted his head.

“Do you… have any plans going forward?”

He asked the question, then lowered his head again. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he felt a tight throbbing in his skull. His schedule had been completely out of rhythm lately. There wasn’t a single part of his body that felt right.

Shi Yi seemed to have been waiting for that question all along. He took out a cigarette, lit it, then turned toward the window.

“When my father was still around, I never really paid attention to the people I surrounded myself with, or who I was dealing with. But when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Only when everything hits you in the face do you realize who’s here for family, and who’s here for profit. I’ve been handling company issues with Ou Yang. My uncle tried to teach me a lesson by blocking me off on several fronts. It didn’t sabotage things directly, but it gave competitors an opening. Basically, they took the chance to kick me while I was down.”

He gave a quiet laugh and flicked off some ash. “But the more trouble there is, the less I worry about it. I just have to tackle it piece by piece. Since we’re being held back up north, Ou Yang and I decided to look for opportunities in the south. Our next quarter’s plans are probably going to focus there. I’ll be traveling more, but the overall strategy hasn’t changed. The funding is almost in place. I think the outlook should be steady.”

As Shi Yi spoke, his face remained calm. Ying Ming kept his head lowered, listening in silence. This was the first time they had ever talked seriously about Shi Yi’s career. Before, no one had thought to bring it up, and Shi Yi had never felt the need to share. Ying Ming, for his part, had never had the energy to care.

“I’ve talked to my mom a few times. When it comes to my father… she still hasn’t forgiven me. But I made a promise to myself. I’m going to take care of her, and of our family. I’ve gone to see my uncle too. Things should be stable from now on.”

Hearing him mention Chen Cheng finally stirred a reaction in Ying Ming. “Was it your uncle who stepped in for the film approval?”

What surprised him wasn’t that Shi Yi had intervened. It was that Chen Cheng had actually agreed to help.

“I’ve never had any connections in film or media. I never paid attention, never cared to get involved. Even if I wanted to now, I’d be stumbling blind. If I hadn’t gone to him, trying to get someone else to do it would’ve been a waste of time.”

Shi Yi let out a bitter laugh. “I used to think I could move mountains. That as long as I opened my mouth, there was nothing I couldn’t settle. I kept telling myself I didn’t rely on anyone. But looking back, I never really left that road behind.”

“Why would your uncle agree to help you with something like this?”

Ying Ming hadn’t interacted much with Chen Cheng, but the impression he left behind had never suggested someone who would nod and comply so easily.

Shi Yi, however, clearly didn’t want to go into detail. “When you’re family, you speak in a certain way. For me, I can’t afford to lose a single person anymore. So all I can do is keep this whole web wrapped around me as tightly as possible. The tighter the better.”

“You’re not afraid it’ll choke you to death?”

“I used to be afraid. But now I think, the only reason it chokes you is because you can’t carry the weight.”

Ying Ming let out a soft laugh and turned his head to glance at Shi Yi. “You’re starting to sound like someone I don’t even recognize.”

Was this really the same arrogant young master who once smashed up a car just to spite Wang Yiqi, who insisted on a midnight street race just to win a verbal fight? The attitude was still there, just as headstrong as ever, but it felt like someone had stripped off his outer skin and reshaped him entirely.

And that kind of change hurt to look at, because it carried too much pain. It was a weight forged from long stretches of suffering, the kind that bordered on self-destruction.

Ying Ming poured himself half a glass and took two slow sips. “If everything with the film goes smoothly, I’ll be heading home for a while. I probably won’t be in touch during that time. If anything urgent comes up, just come find me.”

They both understood what Ying Ming meant by “going home.” Shi Yi frowned. “Work’s been heavy lately, but give me a couple days. I’ll go back with you.”

“There’s no need.”

He said it flatly. “Whatever’s going on in my family, you don’t need to get involved.”

“Ying Ming, everything I just said was to make one thing clear. For the two of us, there’s no longer such a thing as your problem or my problem. If you’re hurting, I’m not fine either. And this matter was never yours to carry alone. I won’t let you face it by yourself—”

“Shi Yi.”

He cut him off, not politely. Exhaling a stream of smoke, Ying Ming looked up and fixed his eyes on him. “I heard every word you just said. I understood exactly what you meant. If you want me to put it bluntly, then fine. Many of the things that have happened, and the consequences we are dealing with now, came from our own arrogance. We thought nothing could touch us, and this is what it led to. If you’ve finally come to terms with that, then at least I didn’t misjudge you from the start. But Shi Yi, do you remember what I told you back then? I’m the kind of person who, once betrayed, will never trust again. When you brought up breaking up, I didn’t agree. Not because I’m kind or forgiving or willing to excuse you for being overly emotional. I didn’t agree because I couldn’t.”

The memory of that night came back too vividly, and Ying Ming instinctively furrowed his brow. He paused.

“I’ve never… treated anyone…”

The words came out awkwardly. He stopped, took a breath, and started again.

“Shi Yi, I will never treat another person the way I treated you.”

The words scraped out from deep in his throat. His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, weighed down by everything he had buried. The resentment, the ache, and the feeling that he had never been able to let go.

Shi Yi was momentarily stunned.

He stared at Ying Ming, who kept his eyes locked on him and forced every word out, as if pressing the weight of it into him. “But the deeper my feelings were for you, the more furious I was when you told me you wanted to break up. Unless one day we really do fall apart, I will never let this go. It will stay in my heart for the rest of my life. If we continue to be together, the days ahead will likely be far more painful than they are peaceful. You have your knots, and so do I. Every time I see you, every time I hear your name or your voice, all of it comes back. And I believe it’s the same for you. But even so, we still have to grit our teeth and get through it, no matter how hard it is.”

Ying Ming’s eyes were red. Whether it was from the smoke or the pressure building in his skull, even he was no longer sure. His face was tight with pain, and he glared straight at Shi Yi. The pain in their gazes was raw and unfiltered, the kind of helpless wreckage that only comes after something has been shattered. But neither of them looked away.

“There will be things I say, and things I do, that will hurt you, that will make you angry, that you will find hard to accept. But you will have to endure them. Whatever I suffered through back then, you will now go through the same. And when I return from home, I will go with you to meet your family.”

The road ahead would only grow harder with each step, but the two of them had no choice but to drag each other forward, teeth clenched.

When he finished speaking, Ying Ming drained the rest of his drink. The burn scraped harshly across his tongue, leaving behind a bitter sting. He winced, then tipped his head back with a dry, humorless laugh, and rose to his feet
.
“All right. It’s late. I’m tired. Find me a place to sleep.”

He reached out and gave Shi Yi a pat on the shoulder. “I had insomnia for years. I would lie awake night after night, unable to sleep. The doctor called it nervous exhaustion. According to my mom, I was just too damn idle and drove myself into a breakdown. But after I got together with you, it stopped. So if you can’t sleep, smoking and drinking are useless. What actually works is having the right person beside you.”

Shi Yi turned to face him. Ying Ming met his gaze with a crooked smile, the kind that still carried a trace of defiance beneath the weariness.