TF01 25

Dinner arrived past eight.

The rain outside seemed to be easing up, but neither of them felt like driving through the night. They ate quickly. Shi Yi went to shower first while Ying Ming lay on the bed, smoking and playing cards. Once Shi Yi was done, Ying Ming took his turn.

When he finished, he realized there was no bathrobe.

The room had been booked for a single occupant, so everything was provided in one set. After rinsing off the body wash, all he had was a small towel. With no other option, he pushed the door open and called out, “Ask the staff for a bathrobe.”

Shi Yi had been standing by the window, smoking. Hearing Ying Ming, he turned his head and immediately saw him standing there wrapped in nothing but a flimsy towel.

They had seen each other naked before in the hot springs. Same situation, more or less.

But this time, maybe because of the atmosphere or the setting, something felt different. Shi Yi frowned slightly, his gaze moving from bottom to top before he smirked around his cigarette. “Not bad. You’ve got a pretty good body.”

The towel was too small, barely covering the front. Ying Ming had to hold it up with both hands, looking more than a little awkward.

“Had a good look? Then call the staff already.”

He had done nude scenes in films before, some for the sake of the plot, others as promotional gimmicks. Actors didn’t have much say in those things, especially in Category III films where explicit scenes were part of the deal.

So he didn’t care much about Shi Yi’s teasing.

Still, standing there half-naked with just a towel didn’t feel great. Seeing Shi Yi staring without moving, he lost patience and reminded him again.

Shi Yi took his time moving, practically dragging his feet.

As he got closer, Ying Ming instinctively adjusted his stance. Shi Yi had guessed right. The towel couldn’t cover everything. It barely covered the front, nothing else. So when Shi Yi moved toward him, he backed up into the bathroom.

Then Shi Yi stopped right in front of him.

For a moment, they just stood there, looking at each other. Shi Yi’s eyes were full of amusement. Ying Ming frowned slightly.

Shi Yi was taller. It wasn’t too noticeable when they weren’t standing so close, but now, in the narrow hallway, he completely blocked the bathroom door. The difference in height felt more pronounced. Ying Ming had washed his hair just now, and since it was a bit long, he had pushed it back with his hands before stepping out. But water was still dripping down. After standing there for a while, he felt it running toward his eyes, making him squint.

It was about to drip in.

Both hands occupied with the towel, he couldn’t wipe it away.

So Shi Yi reached out and brushed the water from the corner of his eye.

The guy blocking Ying Ming at the bathroom door wasn’t thinking much at first. It was just a joke. But then he froze for a moment because, honestly, Ying Ming looked pretty damn sexy like this. He got a little dazed staring, then noticed the slight twitch at the corner of Ying Ming’s eye and instinctively reached out.

The moment Shi Yi’s hand touched the corner of Ying Ming’s eye, they both jolted.

It was hard to tell whose body temperature was too high, but when they made contact, there was a strange illusion of being burned.

One of them took a step back, the other quickly pulled his hand away.

The air between them grew awkward in a subtle, hard-to-pin-down way. Shi Yi coughed lightly, feeling a little guilty, then turned his head. “I’ll go find a staff member.” He pulled the door open and left.

The cold wind in the hallway hit him, making him shiver.

“Fuck, what do I have to feel guilty about…” He muttered under his breath, then raised his voice and called for a staff member. When he heard the door open behind him, he stood in the hallway, waiting.

Inside, Ying Ming glanced down at the towel in his hand, then at the door. In the end, he just leaned against the wall, waiting with a twitch in his eye.

Shi Yi wasn’t gone long. Soon, the staff arrived, apologizing repeatedly before handing Ying Ming a bathrobe and going inside to clear up the dishes from their meal.

When Ying Ming stepped out of the bathroom, Shi Yi was still in the hallway smoking. Their eyes met across the staff member’s presence, and both of them instinctively twitched their lips.

This was awkward as fuck.

That thought flashed through his mind. Only after the staff left did Shi Yi return inside. He slipped over to the sofa, still holding the cigarette between his fingers, and watched as Ying Ming turned on the TV, taking a couple of drags.

Neither of them spoke for a long time.

Eventually, it was the news that stirred things up. Shi Yi couldn’t help but throw in a sarcastic remark, and Ying Ming followed up, easing the stiffness in the air.

“These idiots are useless. Not only can they not get shit done, they fuck things up even more.”

The news was broadcasting a story about regulatory enforcement failures, zooming in on the person responsible. Shi Yi let out a cold scoff, his contempt obvious.

Ying Ming, sitting beside him drying his hair, couldn’t help but chuckle. “You lose if you take it seriously.”

“These days, actors act like politicians, and politicians act like actors.”

“The absurdist kind.”

They exchanged a brief smile. The more they watched, the more unsettling it felt. Ying Ming finally shut the TV off. “It’s late anyway. Let’s sleep.”

As soon as he said that, Shi Yi got up from the couch.

Then both of them turned to look at the so-called double bed, which wasn’t exactly spacious. Their feelings were complicated.

“I gotta ask, do you have any weird sleeping habits?”

“Grinding my teeth, sleep-talking, and occasional sleepwalking.” Ying Ming said it without blinking.

Shi Yi stared at him, unsure whether this was another harmless lie.

But in the end, they each took a side and got into bed. No way were they going to stand all night.

Both fresh out of the shower, the bathrobes they were wearing weren’t exactly comfortable for sleeping. Lying on their sides, they could feel the chill seeping into the space between them.

Shi Yi cursed in his head as he tried to sleep. This was, hands down, the shittiest bed he’d ever slept in.

Ying Ming couldn’t sleep either. He never had great sleep quality to begin with, always forcing himself to stay up until exhaustion finally took over. Now, it wasn’t exactly early, but it wasn’t that late either, making it hard to just lie down and doze off.

But there wasn’t much else to do. Sitting around in silence and staring at Shi Yi felt incredibly stupid.

He closed his eyes and started counting sheep, trying to lull himself into sleep through sheer force of will. At some point, he felt Shi Yi shift, probably lying flat on his back.

The moment he moved, the bed instantly felt warmer.

Ying Ming followed suit, rolling onto his back. His shoulder brushed against Shi Yi’s.

Outside, the rain was still falling, but it had eased up. The occasional drops hitting the window no longer made much noise, and the dampness in the air lingered.

Lying there in the dark, Ying Ming suddenly craved a cigarette. He could only hear the slow, steady breathing beside him. Shi Yi didn’t seem to have much experience sharing a bed with someone, and Ying Ming wasn’t exactly used to lying this close to another man either.

Eyes open, he let his mind wander, going over the mess of things that had happened recently just to kill time.

Only when the breathing beside him evened out did he finally sit up carefully, fishing out a cigarette. He lit up and moved to the sofa, flicking the lighter absentmindedly between his fingers.

—

Ying Ming ended up curling up on the sofa for the rest of the night.

He had no idea when he actually fell asleep, but the awkward position left his limbs stiff. He woke up earlier than Shi Yi, stretching his sore arms before heading to the bathroom to wash up.

Realizing there was only one toothbrush, he called for a staff member to bring another.

By the time Shi Yi woke up, Ying Ming had already changed and was standing by the window, scrolling through his phone.

“Fuck… what time is it?”

The sunlight outside was blinding. Maybe the rain had washed everything clean, because the morning light felt almost manic in its intensity.

Ying Ming glanced at the time. “Seven-thirty.”

The moment he said it, Shi Yi flopped back onto the bed. “Fuck this, I’m sleeping a bit more…”

“You didn’t sleep well last night?”

They had gone to bed before ten, so by now, Shi Yi should’ve had plenty of sleep.

But the lump under the blankets barely moved, letting out a vague hum in response.

Ying Ming had no idea that Shi Yi had also been tossing and turning until late at night. He had even noticed when Ying Ming got up for a smoke but chose not to react.

If the sunlight hadn’t been so blinding, he probably wouldn’t have woken up at all. It felt like he’d barely gotten three hours of real sleep.

Ying Ming watched as Shi Yi burrowed into the blankets again and let out a sigh, typing a quick reply to the message on his phone. Then, looking at the cocoon on the bed, he said, “I’ll go get us some breakfast.”

“Thanks.”

Shi Yi’s voice was muffled from under the covers. Ying Ming resisted the urge to rip the blanket off him, though a simmering irritation remained.

He hadn’t slept much either, yet this guy was lounging around like he had all the time in the world.

—

Stepping outside, the sunlight was even harsher than it seemed from the room. Squinting against the brightness, Ying Ming made his way to the restaurant.

Just as he reached the entrance, someone called his name. The voice was familiar. He didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was.

Kou Jing caught up with him in a few quick strides. “Up early, huh?”

“You guys are here too?”

At this hour, Kou Jing was definitely not alone. Ying Ming glanced behind him but didn’t see anyone. “Did you stay here last night too?”

“Yeah. Got caught in that downpour and barely made it here. Luckily, nothing went wrong.”

They had arrived past 1 a.m., struggling through the heavy rain. Their driver was a professional racer, which was the only reason they dared to keep driving. Anyone else would’ve been forced to spend the night in their car.

Ying Ming gave a small nod and didn’t say much else. The breakfast line wasn’t long, so he grabbed two meal tickets and ordered breakfast for both him and Shi Yi before heading back.

Before he could leave, Kou Jing stopped him. “Shi Yi’s with you?”

“Yeah, still asleep in the room.”

Kou Jing hesitated for a moment before saying, “Mingzi… I need to talk to you.”

Balancing the trays, Ying Ming didn’t move. “Then talk.”

“Stay out of the Weisai situation. If they ask you to sign, just do it.”

“Why?”

Ying Ming frowned slightly.

Kou Jing had known him for years. He wouldn’t say something like this unless there was a damn good reason.

Kou Jing met his gaze, his smile carrying a hint of resignation. “Because Dong Xiao already signed.”