TF01 112

Although Ying Ming had mentioned to Shi Yi that he would be going home, he never said exactly when.

If Kou Jing hadn’t needed something and been unable to reach Ying Ming and eventually call Shi Yi instead, he might never have known at all. After five or six missed calls went unanswered, he finally remembered that Ying Ming had mentioned something about returning home.

The realization hit him all at once, leaving his mind blank.

For the first two days after Ying Ming left, Shi Yi managed to keep to his routine. He went to work during the day, came home at night. He was agitated, but still able to function. But after a week passed, the restlessness became unbearable. On the weekend, he dragged Ou Yang out to play basketball.

But it wasn’t really basketball. It was just Ou Yang standing on the sidelines while Shi Yi vented all his frustration alone.

Shi Yi kept telling himself that there was probably nothing to worry about.

He had known Ying Ming for a long time. Ying Ming had always been more composed than him, especially when it came to matters involving family. Shi Yi believed that Ying Ming was better at handling this sort of thing, more mature, more experienced.

But even repeating that to himself over and over couldn’t stop the anxiety from building.

That unease came from somewhere instinctive.

Shi Yi had already lived through the worst that could happen with his own family. The fact that he had survived it meant he was prepared to face whatever else life had to throw at him. Pain didn’t always fade with time, but people could learn to endure it. He had accepted his father’s death. But as for how Ying Ming’s family would react, he had no idea what to expect.

The truth was, he barely knew anything about them.

While they had been together, neither of them talked much about family. And Ying Ming had always avoided those conversations. Shi Yi had tried to ask more than once, but the answers he got were vague at best. Eventually, he gave up asking altogether.

And now, in this silence, all of that unfamiliarity made him feel even more unsettled.

Ou Yang watched him and sighed. “If you really can’t stop worrying, why don’t you just go see him?”

Even now, Ou Yang still didn’t fully understand how Shi Yi had ended up falling in love with a man. But after so many years of friendship, that had never been the kind of thing that mattered. Ever since Shi Yi’s father passed, Ou Yang had never pried, never tried to offer empty words. He knew that wasn’t what Shi Yi needed.

Shi Yi leaned half-exhausted against the post beneath the basketball hoop, breathing hard. Sweat clung to his skin. “He told me not to interfere with his family.”

That moment, when Ying Ming had made it clear he didn’t want Shi Yi involved, had landed like a blow.

Ying Ming was the kind of person who, when he was being casual, could make anything sound easy. But when he truly wanted to push someone away, the distance he created was impossible to ignore. And the worst part was, Shi Yi had no right or standing to argue with him about it. The way Ying Ming had so bluntly said that this was just payback for what happened before left him with no anger at all. Only silence.

Ou Yang had never once seen Shi Yi seriously take anyone else’s opinion to heart. So when he heard that, it took him a moment to fully process it.

“Never thought I’d see the day where you’re anxious over someone else.”

His tone carried a trace of wonder. Ou Yang shook his head and walked over to take the ball from Shi Yi’s hands. Then he turned and sent off a clean long-range shot.

Shi Yi leaned against the post on the side. “You sound like you’re enjoying this a little too much.”

“Oh? So you caught that?”

Ou Yang made no attempt to hide his amusement. He tossed the ball back to Shi Yi with a grin. “Do you know how many people have been waiting to see you fall? But none of them would have guessed that the one to bring you down would be…. someone like him.”

He paused halfway through the sentence. Shi Yi caught the hesitation and raised an eyebrow. “You don’t need to find a softer way to say it. I’m in love with a man.”

He missed his jump shot, then casually dribbled the ball back toward the top of the key. “It’s already the truth. I’m not afraid of people saying it out loud.”

That line made Ou Yang straighten up slightly. “Shi Yi, you really aren’t the same person you used to be.”

People had been saying that a lot lately, but Shi Yi never asked them to explain. Now, sitting on the ground with the ball in his arms, he tilted his chin up slightly. “What’s changed? Tell me.”

“You used to care way too much about what people thought of you.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

The reply was so half-hearted it barely registered as sincere. Clearly, Young Master Shi had no interest in agreeing with that evaluation.

“You might not think so, but every time someone said something about you, good or bad, you always reacted. You never ignored it. Whether it was brushing someone off or quietly sending someone to handle it behind the scenes, you always responded. Some people think that just means arrogance, but we’ve been friends long enough that I know better. What you say and what you actually feel don’t always line up. You’re the kind of person who pretends not to care because you actually care too much.”

Shi Yi didn’t deny it, but he didn’t confirm it either. He just tilted his head and looked at Ou Yang with a half-smile, waiting for him to continue.

“To put it bluntly, you used to be all bark and no bite. On one hand, you didn’t want to lean on your family. On the other hand, you used the privileges you were born with to do whatever you wanted, with whoever you wanted. You never really faced any serious obstacles growing up. So while you came off as confident, you weren’t exactly reliable.” Ou Yang chuckled. “You know, back when we graduated college and you said you wanted to start a company with me, do you know why I agreed?”

“Wasn’t it because my offer was too good to turn down?”

Shi Yi took a drink of water, sounding entirely self-assured. “You’ve never told me any of this before.”

Ou Yang didn’t respond to his last remark. Instead, he picked up the earlier thread. “The reason I agreed to start Shiyang with you back then was because I thought you were the kind of person who would sweep away anything or anyone that stood in your way. You had that kind of ability. And I believed you would use it.”

He looked up at Shi Yi. “So when you told me you were dissolving the company, I was really surprised.”

“That decision… was a mistake.”

There were moments in life when you could only recognize how foolish your choices were by looking back.

Ou Yang gave a short laugh. “It’s not about right or wrong. I just never thought you, of all people, would reach a point where even your arrogance ran out.” Or maybe, deep down, he had never imagined Shi Yi would be the kind of person who would choose to walk away when faced with a difficult decision.

He walked over and gave Shi Yi a pat on the shoulder, exhaling as he smiled. “The reason I never said this to you before was because you wouldn’t have listened anyway.”

“And you think now I’ll actually listen?”

“Now I just think it doesn’t matter whether you listen or not. I still need to say it.”

The two of them had never talked like this before.

As friends, Ou Yang and Shi Yi had always maintained a sharp and sensible distance. They stayed out of each other’s personal business and rarely offered advice. In most people’s eyes, they looked more like business partners than actual friends. But to them, the fact that they had built something together meant their trust in each other ran deeper than words.

Shi Yi’s answer to all that was to toss the basketball back to Ou Yang, signaling for a one-on-one match. Off to the side, a few younger boys who looked like students were shouting about who would pay for drinks if they lost. Shi Yi and Ou Yang couldn’t help laughing.

It had been so many years since they’d left campus. They had almost forgotten what it felt like to win a game against another school and walk off like kings.

They traded offense and defense for a while, until finally Shi Yi broke past Ou Yang and landed a clean jump shot that swished through the net. The ball bounced a few times on the ground and rolled aside. Shi Yi picked up a bottle of water and took a couple sips. Then he remembered something else.

“I’ll handle the meeting with ZP in a few days.”

“You sure this is a good time to leave the country?”

“If I don’t go, I’ll just keep wanting to.”

His voice was low, edged with frustration. He took another few gulps of water, but it didn’t help. Nothing without bite could settle the agitation in his chest. Finally, he turned to Ou Yang. “Come on. Let’s go grab a drink.”

Ou Yang knew this was absolutely the worst time to go drinking. But he couldn’t bring himself to say no.

So the end result was that Shi Yi drank himself into the ground.

He got so drunk he couldn’t even stand. Ou Yang had no choice but to stay with him in the corner of the bar all night.

By the next morning, both of them looked wrecked. Though as the one who held his liquor, Ou Yang was in slightly better shape. Shi Yi, on the other hand, looked like he had been hollowed out. He could have taken up a spot on the street and asked for donations, and no one would have doubted it.

“You’re in no shape to be heading back to the office. Just go home and get yourself together. I’ll move today’s meeting to tomorrow.”

“No need. I’ll wash up a little. There’s a spare suit in the office.”

Shi Yi waved him off, signaling that he was fine. He pushed himself up and stumbled toward the bar’s restroom to splash some water on his face. About twenty minutes later, he emerged again, more or less sober. But his brows were deeply furrowed from the hangover, and it was clear he still felt awful.

Ou Yang shook his head in disapproval. “Even if you’re still young, you shouldn’t keep running yourself into the ground like this. Your schedule is a mess. Even the strongest person has limits.”

Since the death of Shi Yi’s father, he had lost a noticeable amount of weight.

What had once been sharp, imposing features had become drawn and severe. When his face was expressionless, it gave off a coldness that made people instinctively step back.

Drops of water still clung to his skin. Shi Yi wiped them off without much care. “It’s fine. Once this period passes, things will settle down.”

He showed no interest in continuing the conversation. The scent of alcohol still clung to him as he turned and walked out. Ou Yang sighed and followed behind.

In some ways, the fact that Ying Ming could get along with someone like Shi Yi really was something remarkable.

The partnership with ZP had always been one of the most important items on Shiyang’s project timeline.

The reason it had been delayed until now was because there had been too many internal issues to deal with. Shi Yi and Ou Yang had needed to stabilize the company’s domestic operations before they could turn their attention abroad.

So this trip served as an initial attempt to explore the possibility of cooperation.

With a few documents prepared in advance, Shi Yi set off two days later. Before he left, he sent a message to Ying Ming. If he returned from the trip and still hadn’t heard anything, he would go find him at his house.

What he didn’t know was that on the very day he left the country, Ying Ming came back.

When Ying Ming called him, his phone was off. And just like that, they missed each other.