TF01 118

When Shi Yi woke up again, the room was full of people.

Chen Cheng, his mother, his aunt, and even Kou Jing were all there, occupying every visible space in the room. The atmosphere was so awkward and suffocating that pretending to be asleep was no longer an option.

He sat up slightly. “Mom, how are you doing now?”

He had originally planned to be discharged today, assuming the doctor confirmed he was fine. He hadn’t expected his mother and Chen Cheng to come all the way here.

Although Shi Yi’s complexion looked much better than it had the past few days, he still carried the pallor of illness. As soon as he spoke, his mother nearly burst into tears. She lowered her head and choked up for a moment before managing to hold it in. “You never stop worrying us…”

Her words caught Shi Yi off guard. He didn’t know how to respond.

Chen Cheng stood nearby, his expression somewhat stiff. When Shi Yi turned to look at him, he didn’t react at all.

Kou Jing raised an eyebrow slightly and tilted his chin toward the door, making the gesture so small it was barely noticeable, clearly trying not to draw attention from the others.

Only then did Shi Yi see Ying Ming.

He was standing just outside the room. Their eyes met, and Ying Ming gave him a smile.

He had probably arrived to visit Shi Yi and had run into his family. To avoid an awkward scene, he had chosen not to come in. Shi Yi frowned slightly. “Mom, you should be resting more at home… and I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me the most.”

“It’s fine.” His mother patted the back of his hand. “We…” She paused right after saying the word, as if catching herself, and then forced a smile. “Your aunt and I are both fine. Don’t worry about us. Just take care of yourself.”

“I’m feeling much better. I’ll check with the doctor again later, and if everything’s okay, I’ll plan to get discharged today.”

Shi Yi didn’t want to stay in the hospital any longer. It had never felt like a good place to begin with.

“Don’t rush to leave.” Chen Cheng spoke up from the side. “Wait until the doctor confirms it. Ou Yang is handling things just fine at the company. You focus on your recovery.” He had been aware of Shi Yi’s condition all along. He had already spoken with the doctor and knew the truth.

Shi Yi’s mother nodded in agreement. “Your uncle is right. Your health comes first.”

This time, Shi Yi didn’t argue. He just smiled.

Since his father passed away, it had become rare for the family to be together like this. Even if there wasn’t much to talk about, this brief moment still left a faint ache in his chest. He could tell that his mother still couldn’t accept Ying Ming. Every time she started to say something about the situation in Australia, she would stop herself mid-sentence. Shi Yi didn’t press it either. These things took time, and he knew that well.

Chen Cheng’s stance remained very clear. He neither wanted to hear about it nor talk about it.

The atmosphere dragged on in that same muted tension, the kind where everyone knew exactly what was going on but pretended nothing was wrong. Eventually, when Shi Yi noticed his mother starting to look tired, he gently persuaded her to head home and rest.

“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll be fine here. I have friends with me. You should go back and get some rest.”

By “friends,” he actually meant Kou Jing, who had barely made his presence known the entire time. But it was obvious his mother was thinking of Ying Ming instead. Her face stiffened, and she stood there silently for a long moment.

In the end, she only sighed and rose to her feet, then left the room with Shi Yi’s aunt supporting her.

Chen Cheng walked out last. Just before stepping through the door, he glanced back at Shi Yi. “Shi Yi, whatever you decide to do from now on, remember one thing. Don’t ever let your mother down again.”

Shi Yi furrowed his brow and nodded. “I understand.”

“Good.”

That was all Chen Cheng said before pulling the door shut behind him.

---

Ying Ming was smoking in the hallway around the corner. Once he was sure Shi Yi’s family had left, he finished his cigarette and came back into the room.

Kou Jing was standing by the bed grumbling, “Young Master Shi, next time you want to see me, make sure your entire family isn’t here. That kind of pressure could kill a man.”

Shi Yi had called him earlier, probably to help with the discharge procedures. But before he could even wake him up, Chen Cheng and the others had shown up. That left Kou Jing stranded, too awkward to leave, too uncomfortable to stay.

Especially with how intimidating Shi Yi’s family looked, the entire air pressure in the room had dropped the moment they arrived.

By now, Shi Yi had sat up completely and was rolling his shoulder, still sore from lying down too long. “So what, you’re wishing I land myself in the hospital more often? Go get the doctor. If there’s nothing wrong, I’m leaving today.”

“Didn’t your family just say no to that on their way out?”

Clearly that had no effect on Shi Yi. “Anyone who stays in the hospital too long will end up worse off. The fever’s gone. All I’m doing now is lying here taking meds. There’s no difference between doing that here and doing it at home.”

Kou Jing knew it was pointless to argue, so he looked to Ying Ming instead. Ying Ming remained leaning against the wall in silence, not getting involved as Shi Yi shooed Kou Jing off to find the doctor.

Once they were alone, Shi Yi turned to him. “Did you get some sleep?”

“Not with your nagging. You were still out cold when I came in.”

Ying Ming had gone home but couldn’t fall asleep. He had dozed off for a little while, but with nothing else to do, he came by to check on Shi Yi, and ended up bumping into his family.

Even though they had spent time together in Australia, the distance between them had never fully closed.

Kou Jing returned with the doctor and a nurse. Shi Yi insisted on having the IV removed. The doctor examined him and agreed, though he said it was still too soon for full discharge. It would be best to stay one more night.

Ying Ming answered on his behalf before Shi Yi could say anything.

“Thought so,” Kou Jing said with a grin, glancing at Shi Yi before dragging a chair over. “Alright, I’ll pretend I don’t exist. Just let me know if you need anything.”

Ying Ming raised an eyebrow. “You planning to stay here?”

“Shi Yi’s the one who asked me to come.”

He glanced over at the man in the hospital bed. “You’re not seriously going to send me packing after dragging me all the way out here, are you?” The trip hadn’t exactly been short.

But Shi Yi nodded. “Yeah, go home.”

Even Ying Ming added, “Be careful on your way back.”

“You two are unbelievable.” Kou Jing’s eyebrows nearly knotted together. “Some friendship this is.”

Before he could finish complaining, Shi Yi, clearly bored, turned on the TV. The channel happened to be set to the arts and entertainment network, playing a segment of industry news.

That reminded him of Ying Ming’s film. “You still haven’t gone back to set?”

Dong Xiao had called him earlier. He probably needed Ying Ming back urgently.

Ying Ming absentmindedly pulled out another potato stick and chewed it. “I’m heading back to set tomorrow. They’re out in the suburbs reshooting a few scenes, but I’m skipping that.”

After just a couple headlines, the program unexpectedly mentioned Wang Yiqi’s official retirement from the entertainment industry. Shi Yi turned up the volume. The announcer was reading out the press conference transcript in a flat, emotionless tone.

Wang Yiqi appeared calm on screen, responding to every question from the press with steady composure. He said the final film he acted in was directed by Ying Ming, and that it served as a perfect conclusion to his career.

Knowing about it was one thing. Seeing the press conference for real felt completely different.

Kou Jing blinked. “They’re still running this?”

It had already been a few days.

But everyone had been so busy at the time that no one paid attention. No one from the industry had attended Wang Yiqi’s press conference.

After making the announcement, he had gone straight back into filming. Kou Jing knew a little of the details. Shi Yi knew almost nothing. Staring at Wang Yiqi’s close-up frozen on the TV screen, Kou Jing let out a sigh. “It’s not easy for someone to do what they really want with their life.”

“Otherwise everything in the world would be a free ride,” Ying Ming replied coolly. He then turned to Shi Yi and said, “Come over to my place for dinner when you’re discharged.”

The topic change was abrupt. Shi Yi blinked. “Your place?”

“Yeah. My mom wants to have dinner together.”

“A trap?”

“She probably won’t take your life.”

Compared to Shi Yi’s mother, Ying Ming’s family seemed to be showing signs of softening. Although his father still hadn’t said anything explicitly, when his mother brought up Shi Yi, his father hadn’t objected either. For now, they could only take it one step at a time. There was no point in forcing anything.

Still, he wasn’t naive enough to think that a dinner invitation meant his parents had accepted the fact that their son was gay. In truth, just thinking about it made it clear what his mother was really trying to do.

Shi Yi thought it over for a moment before nodding. “Alright. I’ll go.”

Sooner or later, that dinner had to happen. Aside from sincerity, he didn’t have any cards to play.

Kou Jing stayed about half an hour longer before leaving. He had only dropped by to see if Shi Yi needed anything. With Ying Ming there, he figured he probably wasn’t needed. Ying Ming had offered to go to dinner with him, but Shi Yi had flatly refused, so in the end, Kou Jing got stuck eating hospital food with him. When the three of them finally parted ways, Kou Jing muttered to Ying Ming that Shi Yi was terrifying when he acted like this, and that the emotional fallout was more than he could handle.

After dinner, once the sky had gone completely dark, Shi Yi insisted on going for a walk in the hospital garden. Ying Ming thought it was a bad idea, since his fever had only just gone down and it was too cold outside, but Shi Yi wouldn’t budge. They argued for a while, and in the end, Ying Ming gave in.

Shi Yi was bundled up like a polar bear. Under the cover of night, his figure looked faintly grotesque.

At this hour, the place was nearly empty.

The sky still held a faint glow, but most patients would be back in their rooms by now, chatting or watching TV. Only someone like Shi Yi would come out here to stand in the wind.

They sat together in a small pavilion for a while, staring at the dark silhouettes of trees ahead. A few dim streetlamps flickered behind them, casting shadows that felt dreamlike and unstable.

Shi Yi gave a soft laugh. “You know, I’ve always liked nighttime.”

“Why?” Ying Ming’s tone was indifferent. With everything pitch black, there wasn’t much to like.

But the man beside him leaned forward, resting against his back. “Because of what you once said about 2401.”

Once it passes midnight, it becomes tomorrow.

Maybe he had never liked this feeling of uncertainty and lack of control. But ever since Ying Ming told him that, he had developed an odd fondness for the dark.

Even when nothing was clear, the road ahead still existed.

Time would not stop for anyone. Life would not end for any single reason. So all one could do was look forward.

When Ying Ming turned his head, he caught Shi Yi leaning in right beside him. The kiss came unexpectedly, but it settled between them with a quiet warmth.