TF01 13

Ying Ming had barely slept for three hours before the banging on his door yanked him awake.

The noise was loud enough to feel like someone was tearing the place down, making his scalp tingle.

Dragging his sleep-deprived, aching head downstairs to open the door, he found Wang Yiqi standing outside, looking ready to demand an explanation.

Honestly, not surprising.

“You’re up early,” Ying Ming muttered, frowning.

“Ying Ming, if you don’t explain yourself today, I swear I’m not leaving!”

Wang Yiqi was practically shouting. Ying Ming’s head hurt even more. “Stay or go, up to you.” With that, he turned away to wash up, ignoring the wailing behind him.

“You and Shi Yi, what the hell is your relationship? Helping him but not your own brother?”

Wang Yiqi yelled after him, but Ying Ming didn’t even turn his head.

Being completely ignored only fueled Wang Yiqi’s frustration. He turned on the TV, raided the fridge, and made himself at home, complaining loudly all the while as he dug into his food.

By the time Ying Ming finished showering and came out, the coffee table was a mess.

“I have to say, I’m impressed by your ability to eat, drink, and sleep no matter how pissed off you are,” Ying Ming commented, shaking his head as he dropped onto the couch.

Ever since he had known Wang Yiqi, the guy had blown up over all kinds of things. But no matter how furious he got, it never affected his ability to eat or sleep. Even if he fought someone during the day, he’d still sleep like a baby at night.

Wang Yiqi hugged a bag of chips, stuffing another handful into his mouth. “Quit changing the subject. Tell me why the hell you sided with Shi Yi instead of me!”

So many people had been watching last night, and he had just walked off like that. How humiliating!

He had been stewing over it all night after going home.

Seriously, he and Ying Ming were supposed to be on the same side.

Ying Ming glanced at him. “Falling out with Shi Yi won’t do you any good. Why bother?”

“Fuck that! It’s not like I can’t handle him.”

Other people were wary of Shi Yi because of his background, but Wang Yiqi didn’t have that concern. They were from completely different circles. How bad could things really get?

Ying Ming grabbed a towel and rubbed his hair dry. “Better to avoid trouble when you can.”

“Ying Ming, you’ve definitely got something going on with Shi Yi. Back when I was acting even wilder, you never stepped in for anyone. No matter how powerful his connections are, he’s not worth you going out of your way like this. So tell me, what’s really going on?”

Wang Yiqi turned fully toward him, grabbing his shirt. “You’re not sleeping with him, are you?”

That finally got a reaction out of Ying Ming.

He yanked the towel, forcing Wang Yiqi to let go, then impatiently kicked him. “Sleep with your damn sister!”

They were too close, so Wang Yiqi couldn’t dodge in time. The towel smacked the back of his hand, making him flinch. He looked up, full of grievance. “If you’re not screwing him, then what’s with this whole thing? Listen, I’m warning you. Shi Yi is someone you can go up against, but you absolutely shouldn’t get involved with him. His family won’t care if he wrecks cars, but if you screw with their bloodline, that’s a whole other level of trouble!”

“Jesus! Can your brain work properly for once? When the hell did I ever say I liked men?”

Just because he was gay, did that mean the whole damn world was? Sometimes, Ying Ming really wanted to crack Wang Yiqi’s head open and see what the hell was inside.

After that outburst, Wang Yiqi finally toned it down a little. He was still clutching his bag of chips, but his expression remained skeptical. “Never say never. Who knows what’ll happen down the line?”

“Mind your own damn business! Just take care of yourself!”

The conversation was pissing him off, so Ying Ming got up and moved away before he lost control and strangled the guy.

He walked over to the sandbag at the back and threw a couple of punches before remembering something. “Speaking of which, what’s the deal with Shi Yi’s friend? Was it your mess?”

“Don’t even get me started!”

Wang Yiqi leaned over the back of the sofa, eating as he ranted. “We were just fooling around. How was I supposed to know this kid had such a complicated background? Met him at a nightclub, and he looked like it was his first time out. A bunch of people were eyeing him like they were about to snatch him up and sell him, so I did him a favor. Who knew that would stick me with him forever?”

“So you just went along with it?”

“Bullshit! I didn’t even touch him!”

That was probably what pissed him off the most. If he had actually done something, he’d accept Shi Yi coming after him. But he didn’t do a damn thing and still got dragged into this mess. Who wouldn’t be mad? “Ever since that night, Wang Le has been all over me. My phone nearly exploded from his calls. You should hear him talk, always sounding all sour and acting like I owe him for life. Who the hell acts like that in this day and age? I can’t stand his attitude. I see him, I run.”

For someone like Wang Yiqi, who had played around for years and considered himself open-minded, this was a first. A guy throwing himself at him while acting all high and mighty. He had no tolerance for that kind of nonsense.

Seeing Wang Yiqi’s twisted expression, Ying Ming frowned. “That bad?”

“You’ll see for yourself next time!”

He thought Wang Le was just some naive kid, but not only did he have deep connections, he wasn’t young at all.

Wang Yiqi shook his head. “I used to think your face was deceptive enough, but this guy beats you by a mile.”

Ying Ming did look younger than his actual age.

Maybe it was because people still had the image of him as a teenager, and even though he was the grown-up version now, he still had that delinquent young master vibe. His mental age was probably ancient, but to others, he still seemed like a reckless youth.

That was why whenever Tan Qing played romantic roles, there was always an air of forbidden youthfulness about him.

Wang Yiqi glanced sideways at Ying Ming. “So, are you really planning to keep taking Cat III films and low-tier roles forever?”

When he first heard that Ying Ming had taken on a Cat III film, he was honestly shocked.

It didn’t seem like it had to come to that.

It wasn’t like he was struggling to make ends meet. No matter what, he had been a young film emperor, and Wang Yiqi knew he still had some foundation left.

But Ying Ming had been firm in his decision. “An actor without roles will lose their instincts, no matter how talented they are. If directors are still willing to hire me, it’s better than rotting at home.”

Even Ying Ming probably hadn’t expected that decision to leave him in such an awkward position now.

He threw a few hard punches before stopping, exhaling at Wang Yiqi’s words. “It’s not really up to me. I can only take it one step at a time.”

Cat III films had a bad reputation, but a lot of people misunderstood what they were.

They weren’t all just porn. While those did fall under the category, many Cat III films were labeled that way due to excessive violence, controversial themes, or just pushing the boundaries too far. He had even worked with some very thoughtful directors in the genre, ones who used the looser restrictions to express more daring ideas. Nudity, after all, could be a form of impact. The problem was, not many people saw it that way.

Wang Yiqi frowned as he looked at Ying Ming’s profile. “You can’t keep counting on finding a good director in the Cat III scene. The odds are way too low.”

With the way things were now, Cat III films couldn’t even make it to theaters. Ying Ming couldn’t rely on them forever to hone his so-called acting skills.

“Yeah, I’ve been looking at a few scripts lately. If I find something suitable, I’ll consider it.”

“Ying Ming, if you need help with anything, just say the word.”

This was probably the most serious thing Wang Yiqi had said all day. He looked at Ying Ming. “We are all brothers. If you need help, I will not turn you down.”

Not used to seeing him this earnest, Ying Ming couldn’t help but laugh. “Cut it out. You are scaring me.”

“Fuck off. This is exactly why no one can tell whether you are serious or joking. No one ever knows what you are really thinking.”

Seeing Ying Ming’s attitude, Wang Yiqi knew his words had gone in one ear and out the other. Annoyed, he turned away and flipped through a few TV channels. Finding nothing worth watching, he tossed the remote aside and sprawled out on the sofa, ready to nap.

Whenever he had no work, Wang Yiqi often came over to Ying Ming’s place to slack off.

There was nothing particularly special about it, but for some reason, it was the perfect place to sleep. It was basically a warehouse with poor lighting, but it never got too cold in winter or too hot in summer. The sofa was just right.

Seeing that Wang Yiqi had already forgotten why he had come over to pester him in the first place, Ying Ming shook his head with a laugh.

Honestly, being as carefree as he was, so open-hearted that he seemed downright thoughtless, was its own kind of happiness.

In this industry, finding even a handful of true friends was not easy. He and Wang Yiqi had come together more by chance than anything, but in the end, it was still fate.

After going another round with the punching bag, he broke out in another light sweat despite having just showered. He wiped himself down with a towel and leaned against the bag.

He had heard Wang Yiqi’s words. It was just that this industry was far more complicated than outsiders could ever imagine.

Many times, things were beyond an individual’s control. Rules were rules. If you didn’t play by them, you would inevitably be eliminated from the game.

Still, having someone who cared was a kind of comfort.

Ying Ming adjusted his mindset, steadied his stance, and threw another punch. It was just as fast and just as fierce.

The reason he was still in this industry was that he hadn’t given up yet.

Even if things weren’t looking great right now, he wasn’t the kind to back down so easily.