TF01 12

Shi Yi asked the question, and Ying Ming paused for a moment before opening his eyes to look at him. “Why are you asking this?”

“I saw it in a magazine. They made it sound really dramatic.”

Though later, they dragged Liu Li into the story, but it was obvious that part was nonsense.

Ying Ming stared at Shi Yi for a long time, probably thinking about how to answer. In the end, he just pulled the corner of his mouth. “What do you think?”

Shi Yi hated responses like that, especially when they came from Ying Ming, and his tone was strange, too. But compared to his usual “Take a guess,” this at least felt a little less infuriating.

He hesitated. “Probably not? You don’t seem like it.”

After all, he had Wang Le around him.

He wouldn’t say he knew much about this group of people, but he figured he could at least sense something.

Ying Ming neither agreed nor denied it. He just lowered his head and chuckled.

He didn’t think the question needed an explanation. Or rather, explaining it would just seem silly.

Shi Yi didn’t press further. It was just small talk anyway, not like they had to stay on this topic. He leaned back, resting his head against the edge of the pool, and closed his eyes. “What made you decide to become an actor?”

Liu Li had mentioned that Ying Ming didn’t come from a formal acting background.

“It was actually a coincidence. Back in school, there were too many things I wanted to buy, so I figured I should earn some money. But I was still young at the time, and there wasn’t much I could do. Then I saw a casting call for extras, so I went with a friend. Later, I realized it paid pretty well, so I started showing up more often. I forgot which production it was, but a director saw me and had me step in last-minute for a supporting role. He thought I did alright, so he kept me on.”

His agent at the time had a sharp eye. Seizing the opportunity, they signed him right after that film. Then, after landing the role of Pi Shao in an audition, he became famous overnight.

The story wasn’t anything special, and Ying Ming didn’t sound particularly sentimental about it either.

“What happened after that? Once you got famous, wouldn’t people naturally come to you with roles?”

There were always all sorts of speculations and rumors about the industry—diva behavior, cherry-picking scripts, being a drama tyrant. It all seemed pretty normal.

Shi Yi thought Ying Ming had great looks, at least much better than some of the so-called big shots he had met.

“To be honest, being an actor is a very passive role most of the time,” Ying Ming exhaled. “What you want to play and what you actually get to play are two very different things. Directors also treat actors differently. You might think you’re suited for a role, but the director and producers might not see it that way.”

He chuckled. “Do you know how many so-called big-name actors have no work?”

Not because they don’t want to act, but because directors are hesitant to cast them.

These days, people talk about how much a film costs to make, but in reality, the actual budget is often only a tenth of that figure. Investors aim to maximize profits with minimal investment, yet actors’ fees are often inflated by the industry itself. The actors may not even demand such high salaries, but directors still hesitate to reach out.

But that issue didn’t really concern Ying Ming.

“I got famous playing a teenager, so a lot of people boxed me into that role and forgot that teenagers grow up.”

“So no one came to you anymore?”

“Not exactly. I did get offers, but after trying a few, something always felt off. Part of it was on me too.”

This was probably Ying Ming’s bottleneck.

His appearance and certain acting habits made it difficult for him to break free from his past roles. Whenever he played similar characters, he would inevitably fall back into old patterns.

But a role could never be replicated.

The more he acted, the worse it became.

Shi Yi looked at Ying Ming’s profile and found it easy to understand that feeling.

He slowly sat up, scooped some water, and splashed it over himself. “Do you know what I hated hearing the most when I was a kid?” Without waiting for Ying Ming to answer, he continued, “I hated it when people called me ‘So-and-so’s son.’”

He grew up in a military compound, surrounded by his parents’ colleagues.

Half the school’s students lived in the same family quarters, seeing the same familiar faces every day.

Whenever he ran into someone he knew, the first thing they always asked was, “Where’s your dad?”

It was an awful feeling.

As a kid, Shi Yi lived under the constant pressure of his parents’ reputation. Families in the compound were always comparing one another, and all he ever heard was, “You can’t embarrass your father.”

Looking back now, he found his younger self’s mindset immature, just a childish attempt to fight back.

But back then, he had seriously thought about never relying on his family when he grew up. He wanted to make it on his own.

“Teachers at school didn’t dare say much to me because they knew whose son I was. Even when I got into fights with classmates, it was always the other kid’s family who came over to apologize. My grades didn’t even matter. You know what teachers would say when using me as an example?” Shi Yi turned to glance at Ying Ming before chuckling. “They would tell the class, ‘If you had the same background as Shi Yi, you’d never have to worry about getting a job. But if you keep failing, you’ll end up with nothing to eat in the future.’”

Ying Ming laughed along, but there was a trace of helplessness in it.

“Ever since middle school, I refused to live at home and specifically chose a boarding school.” From that point on, all the way through college, he had barely spent any time at home.

Because of that, Shi Yi was never particularly close to his family.

Even though he was an only child.

Yet all those so-called ambitions from childhood gradually faded as he grew up, replaced by the realization that ideals and reality were two completely different things. “Even now, I can’t shake off the label of being ‘the descendant of a military family.’ In a way, I’ve been typecast too.”

He splashed some water on his face, then stood up and grinned at Ying Ming. “Guess that makes the two of us, huh?”

The latter looked up at him and shook his head. “Different circumstances, similar struggles.”

Tonight’s conversation was something Shi Yi had never shared with anyone else.

It wasn’t the kind of topic that usually came up.

He had no idea why he suddenly told Ying Ming.

Maybe it was because, as Ying Ming spoke about his own experiences, Shi Yi felt as if he could have been in his place.

The two of them were never particularly close. At most, their relationship went a little beyond that of drinking buddies. From the beginning, their acquaintance had been built through mutual connections, and even opportunities like this, where they spoke alone, were rare.

But sometimes, things just worked in inexplicable ways.

Some things are hard to say to people who know you too well, but with those who are not as close, it somehow becomes easier.

Shi Yi told Ying Ming these things because he was sure Ying Ming would never repeat them to a third person. There was no real reason for that certainty. He just knew.

They did not have years of deep friendship, yet there was an inexplicable sense of understanding between them.

Shi Yi grabbed a towel to dry his face and glanced at the time. “I have to go to the company tomorrow. Are you heading straight home?”

Ying Ming stood up as well, shaking his head to flick off some water. “Yeah, I’m going home.”

If today had been a weekend, they could have taken the opportunity to stay here and relax for a couple of days.

The environment was nice.

Too bad the timing was off.

Since the outdoor hot spring was almost empty, neither of them had bothered to go all the way to the club’s changing room. They had just left their clothes nearby.

Now that they were getting out, of course, they were getting dressed together as well.

As Ying Ming was drying himself off, Shi Yi suddenly blurted out, “I could tell from that kick you did last time. You keep yourself in great shape.”

It was a bit of a waste for all that to be hidden under clothes most of the time.

The unexpected comment caught Ying Ming off guard. He froze for a moment, even pausing as he was putting on his pants.

He turned his head. “You’re not bad yourself, Young Master Shi.”

Among actors, his height was not considered especially tall, but he was definitely not short either. Now, with both of them barefoot, there was nearly half a head of difference between them.

Maybe growing up in a military household really did help with height.

Shi Yi laughed at Ying Ming’s compliment, raising an eyebrow. “We should really find a place to spar sometime.”

Ying Ming had just pulled on his pants. “Wouldn’t I get arrested for hitting you?”

“You’d get arrested no matter who you hit, but I can write a statement saying it has nothing to do with you.”

Shi Yi was slightly faster in getting dressed. After running a hand through his hair, he walked alongside Ying Ming, chatting about nothing particularly important as they strolled toward the exit.

The air outside felt a little chilly after soaking in the hot spring.

Shi Yi got into the car and turned on the heater. Ying Ming, as usual, took the front seat. “You still remember where my place is?”

“You know, my best skill in field battles is finding landmarks.”

Ying Ming raised an eyebrow. “What kind of field battles?”

His tone was completely serious, so Shi Yi didn’t react right away.

He even started explaining. “The outdoor simulated gunfight kind. You’ve never—”

Halfway through, he noticed Ying Ming still had that same expression, and something finally felt off.

Shi Yi frowned. “Fuck!”

He had actually fallen for such a dumb joke.

Seeing him finally catch on, Ying Ming laughed twice, leaned against the door, and lit a cigarette. He cracked the window slightly and reminded the annoyed-looking Shi Yi, “Focus on driving.”

If Shi Yi hadn’t been holding the steering wheel, he probably would’ve taken a swing at him.

He shot Ying Ming a glare. “Give me one.”

Ying Ming pulled out a cigarette and placed it between Shi Yi’s lips, then leaned in to light it for him.

Since Shi Yi was still driving, Ying Ming had to get pretty close.

Shi Yi took a deep drag.

Then, before Ying Ming could pull away, he exhaled a full mouthful of smoke right into his face.

“You asshole!”

Ying Ming’s eyes stung so badly he nearly teared up.

He shrank back to escape Shi Yi’s range, blinking hard. “What the fuck, how old are you still playing this kind of game?”

Shi Yi grinned smugly. “Older than you, anyway.”

“You sure I’m older than you?” Ying Ming had recovered and looked at Shi Yi. “I played a street punk when I was fourteen. Now I’m exactly twice that age.”

Shi Yi stopped laughing.

He stared for a moment. “You serious?”

If he remembered right, he watched that movie when he had just started middle school.

That meant Ying Ming was older than him, and not just by a year.

Shi Yi froze, and Ying Ming immediately knew he had guessed right.

The car filled with silence. Shi Yi clearly had trouble accepting it.

Ying Ming, on the other hand, kept the smirk on his face, holding it all the way until they reached his place.