TF01 70

Shi Yi could tell that Ying Ming had gotten hooked on teasing him. The things he did were all minor, but he clearly never got tired of it. The look in his eyes was openly wicked. In the end, Shi Yi let go of him but leaned in to murmur a quiet warning by his ear.

“We’ll see if you still have the strength to laugh tonight.”

Ying Ming raised both brows, his smile full of hidden meaning.

Shi Yi only ever picked out personal items. The moment it came to groceries, he completely shut down. That was when Ying Ming had to step in. Whether or not he actually picked decent ingredients was another story, but at the very least, he looked the part. The produce section reeked of soil and earth, and Shi Yi didn’t feel especially comfortable standing there. He gave Ying Ming a wordless nudge. The other man glanced back at him, then turned calmly around and went on selecting items.

They picked up some meat along with the vegetables. Shi Yi, a little curious, asked how many dishes Ying Ming could actually cook. Without turning around, Ying Ming casually tossed an answer over his shoulder.

“Knowing how to cook doesn’t mean it’ll taste good. I’ll grab a cookbook and figure it out.”

“So all this is just for practice?”

Shi Yi had a feeling that wasn’t the end of it. Sure enough, Ying Ming turned back and looked at him.

“Usually when it’s just me at home, I don’t bother. But now that I’ve got a live test subject ready to go…”

Young Master Shi, now demoted to scientific trial field, twitched at the corner of his eye. Before he could get a word of protest out, his phone rang.

It was Ou Yang calling to confirm a meeting agenda for the day after tomorrow. Shi Yi stepped to the side, still throwing a glare in Ying Ming’s direction, clearly unhappy about the situation.

“You’re outside right now?”

The noise behind Shi Yi made it easy to tell where he was. Ou Yang frowned on the other end. It seemed unbelievable, but judging from the sounds and fragments of conversation, it almost sounded like Young Master Shi was… at a produce market?

He tried to imagine the scene.

And felt just a little horrified.

Shi Yi turned up the volume on his phone, but there really was no quiet corner to be found in a place like this. With no better option, he stepped off to the side and tried to avoid bumping into anyone.

“Go ahead. What is it?”

“The meeting the day after tomorrow. Are we still going through with it, or canceling on the Hongda people?” Hongda was the company run by Zhao Zicong’s uncle. They had worked with them for years. While it didn’t account for a huge portion of their business, it was still considered a VIP client.

Shi Yi gave a direct answer.

“Cancel it.”

Ou Yang had expected that and nodded to himself. “Got it.”

“Do we still have any active projects with Hongda?”

“There are only two left under current contracts. One ends in April, and we’re supposed to begin renewal talks soon. The other is still in development. It hasn’t been formally signed yet, but we’ve already invested a fair amount of time and resources.”

“If we terminate both now, what’s the cost to us?”

“That’ll require a detailed report from the relevant departments. But based on what I know, it shouldn’t result in major losses.” Ou Yang’s tone was measured. He usually stayed neutral on questions like this, since the final call always rested with Shi Yi.

Still, he was a little surprised that Shi Yi was being this decisive. From the time they met until now, Shi Yi had always been someone who drew a sharp line between personal and professional. Even when he had no personal relationship with someone, he never let that affect his business decisions. He always chose whatever brought the most benefit. But when it came to the Zhao family, this time he was cutting things off more cleanly than Ou Yang had expected.

Shi Yi thought for a moment.

“Have the departments involved put together a report within the next two days. I want it on my desk Monday.”

“Got it. I’ll pass it along.”

Just as Ou Yang was about to hang up, Shi Yi added, “By the way, if anything comes up over the next few days, call my mobile first. If you really can’t reach me, use the other number. No one will be home.”

He gave him Ying Ming’s home number. After confirming that Ou Yang had written it down, Shi Yi turned back and made a gesture at Ying Ming, signaling him to head toward the checkout.

Ou Yang looked at the number. “You’re not staying at home?”

“No. I’ll be staying at a friend’s place for a while.”

Shi Yi had originally considered transferring his home landline to Ying Ming’s place, but the past two days had been too busy. The meeting the day after tomorrow was important, and there would probably be a lot to deal with before then. Giving Ou Yang Ying Ming’s number was just a precaution. After all, they had known each other for years, and Shi Yi trusted him completely.

What caught Ou Yang slightly off guard was the next thing he said.

“You’re staying with Ying Ming?”

Shi Yi didn’t answer immediately. “What makes you think it’s Ying Ming?”

“Just a feeling.”

“I thought only women liked playing the intuition card.”

Shi Yi’s jab earned a crude response from Ou Yang. He deflected the question without giving a clear answer, and Ou Yang didn’t press. They wrapped up with a few more lines about the meeting and then hung up.

On the other end, Ou Yang set down his phone and raised an eyebrow.

That kind of reaction was a dead giveaway. Shi Yi had never once stayed over at his place in all the years they’d known each other, and now he was suddenly crashing at a friend’s house? That wasn’t something Young Master Shi would ever do.

And among all the people in their circle, there was really only one person Shi Yi might bend the rules for.

Ying Ming.

Could it be…?

Thinking back to the background noise during the call, Ou Yang suddenly had a wilder, even more implausible thought. But before it could fully take shape, he pushed it away.

Too ridiculous. There’s no way.

It took two laps around the checkout area before Shi Yi finally spotted Ying Ming. He walked over just as it was about to be their turn in line.

They had bought enough to fill three large bags. The cashier probably wasn’t used to seeing two grown men purchase this much in daily necessities and ended up giving them a second look.

They stood there a bit longer than expected, and from somewhere behind them, someone faintly called out Ying Ming’s name.

Shi Yi glanced at the man beside him, who remained completely unbothered. He casually took two of the bags from his hands and kept walking toward the exit without looking back. Only after they had stepped out onto the street did Shi Yi give a small laugh.

“Honestly, the odds of you getting recognized are pretty high.”

It had happened a few times already. At first people would test the waters, and once they confirmed it, a crowd would usually start to form.

Being a public figure came with its own kind of hassle, and celebrities had no shortage of it.

Ying Ming didn’t seem to care. “I can’t shapeshift, and I’m not about to wear a human-skin mask. If I walked around in sunglasses at night, people would either think I’m blind or insane. If someone recognizes me, there’s not much I can do about it.”

He had gotten used to it over the years. Sometimes trying too hard to hide only made him stand out more. Keeping things natural often meant people would just assume he looked similar to someone else.

Things weren’t like they used to be. At the very least, he no longer had to deal with mobs of obsessive fans swarming him the moment he stepped outside.

Back when he was still a teenager, he had once been trapped in a restroom and couldn’t even make it home.

Thinking back on it made him shake his head with a quiet sigh. He glanced at Shi Yi.

“What, getting nervous?”

“Not really. From what I’ve seen so far, none of it looks like a threat.”

Shi Yi said it with a teasing smile. He remembered how the tabloids used to speculate endlessly about Ying Ming’s sexuality, and couldn’t help but wonder how long it would take before he became the next name in one of those stories.

That thought brought someone else to mind.

“That movie you did with Wang Yiqi, when’s it coming out?”

The sudden change in topic caught Ying Ming off guard. He paused for a moment before answering. “Not too sure. I think they’re aiming for a film festival in April, so it probably won’t be too late.”

“April…” Shi Yi thought it over for a few seconds, then nodded. “I should be free around then.”

Ying Ming glanced at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“This film isn’t allowed to screen domestically, right?” He didn’t pay much attention to the industry, but he still knew some movies couldn’t make it to mainstream theaters.

Ying Ming nodded. The urge to smoke had crept up again, but his hands were full. Shi Yi noticed him frowning and shifting things around to free up a hand, so he set his own bags down, lit a cigarette, and slipped it between Ying Ming’s lips.

“You smoke way too much. Once it gets warmer, you need to start quitting.”

Since they’d met, Ying Ming’s smoking habit had clearly grown. It hadn’t been this bad before.

Ying Ming took a few drags. With the cigarette in his mouth, he couldn’t speak and didn’t bother trying. Shi Yi picked the bags back up.

“When it’s released, we’ll just fly out and watch it.”

It wouldn’t screen domestically, but countries with rating systems would still allow it. They could take the chance to travel a bit and relax.

“Going abroad just to see a movie?”

Ying Ming looked at him like he was crazy. “Is that really necessary?”

Shi Yi didn’t bother answering. He just smiled and motioned for him to keep walking. The bags were heavy, but luckily the walk back wasn’t far.

They had only gone out for a bit, but by the time they got home, Shi Yi was actually sweating. He shrugged off his coat and tossed it aside, calling out immediately.

“Ming Ming, I’m thirsty.”

Ying Ming had just started putting things into the fridge. The sudden shout startled him so badly his hand slipped, and he nearly dropped a carton of eggs. He grabbed a bottle of water, chucked it at Shi Yi, and snapped back.

“Ming Ming your ass!”

Would it kill him to speak like a normal person? That shout nearly gave him a heart attack.

Shi Yi dodged to the side and grabbed a cushion off the sofa to block the incoming projectile. He lazily twisted open the water bottle and sprawled across the couch.

“Don’t like that name? Then how about Ying Ying? Ah Ying? Ying… gege?”

He dragged out the last one, “Ying gege,” in a deliberately drawn-out singsong, twisting it in all directions. The moment it left his mouth, even Shi Yi couldn’t help but shudder.

Fuck. That was so disgusting it made his own skin crawl.

Ying Ming finished putting everything into the fridge, then stood up and leaned back against the door. He stared at Shi Yi’s smug face without a trace of emotion. As Shi Yi raised his eyebrows and tipped his head back to drink, Ying Ming suddenly shouted, “Smoke Ring, go!”

What followed was total chaos. Flailing limbs, loud shouting, a cat’s piercing screech, and Shi Yi cursing nonstop.

It ended with Shi Yi storming to his feet, dragging Smoke Ring by the scruff, looking absolutely furious. He glared at Ying Ming, who was calmly sipping his coffee.

“Fuck. You want me to throw this thing out in the street and let the dogs have it?”

“Even if you’re uneducated, you should at least have some basic common sense. Who told you dogs eat cats?”

Ying Ming glanced at him. “Besides, if you so much as throw it, I’ll report you for animal abuse.”

Right after he said that, Smoke Ring swiped viciously at Shi Yi’s wrist. The moment he flinched from reflex, the cat shot across the room and disappeared somewhere behind the couch.

Shi Yi swore again, then stomped over to the dining table and dropped into the seat across from Ying Ming.

“What the hell kind of cat did you adopt? That thing is a walking weapon.”

It scratched, bit, and kicked with surprising strength.

Shi Yi remembered Ying Ming mentioning once that the cat had been left with him by a friend. He asked casually, “Didn’t you say this cat belongs to a friend? They really just ditched it?”

Truth be told, he liked dogs. He had never been able to warm up to cats. Maybe it was something about the sharp claws and teeth, the built-in attitude, that constant sense of haughty distance. It just clashed with him on a fundamental level.

Ying Ming took a sip of his coffee, not even lifting his eyes. “No idea.”

That response immediately reminded Shi Yi of the tab from the supermarket. Without another word, he stood up and dragged Ying Ming out of his chair. Coffee sloshed across the table, but he didn’t care. The two of them stumbled upstairs, bumping into each other the whole way.

“Let’s see you keep playing dumb.”

Shi Yi kept grumbling all the way up the stairs. Ying Ming let him drag him along, a faintly amused smile lingering at the corners of his lips. It wasn’t until they were inside the bedroom, door shut behind them, that he finally replied, tone flat and even.

“You’ll know soon enough whether I’m faking it.”

Even the cat didn’t stand a chance, and Shi Yi thought he could throw his weight around here?

That man really had been spoiled too long. He had no idea what kind of battlefield he’d just walked into.

This night was far from over.