TF01 31

Since Shi Yi had already told Ying Ming about Liu Li’s birthday in advance, there was no way Ying Ming wouldn’t go. Fortunately, the script hadn’t been fully finalized yet, and the scattered scenes in the early stages weren’t too heavy. After some discussion, they managed to push a few night scenes back and free up enough time for a meal, so it wasn’t a big deal.

When Wang Yiqi heard that Ying Ming was asking for leave from the crew, he trailed behind him, questioning him nonstop about the reason. Ying Ming couldn’t hold out against his persistence and finally admitted that Shi Yi had asked him for something.

“Shi Yi again?”

Wang Yiqi frowned so hard it looked like his brows were about to knot together. His tone was dripping with sarcasm. “What, you’re still in touch with him?”

Ying Ming turned back and gave him a look. “Why does that sound so weird coming from you?”

“You told me not to get involved with him before. Now you can’t seem to shake him off yourself?”

“It’s not like I’m going racing with him.”

Ying Ming touched up his makeup in the mirror and adjusted his outfit while casually explaining, “It’s actually Liu Li’s birthday.”

“And what the hell does that have to do with you? Didn’t you and Liu Li have rumors before?” Technically, on the surface, weren’t they kind of love rivals?

Ying Ming chuckled. “Didn’t know you were so well-versed in gossip.”

“You’re just too out of the loop.”

The entertainment circle wasn’t that big. No one even needed to deliberately dig for information since these things were always floating around in conversation. Ying Ming didn’t argue with Wang Yiqi, just smiled. The two of them were waiting for the cinematographer to adjust the equipment. This afternoon’s scene would probably wrap up around four. If things went smoothly, Ying Ming would be done with work by six.

His indifference irritated Wang Yiqi. He tugged at Ying Ming’s sleeve. “Listen, I already warned you before. Don’t get too close to someone like Shi Yi. His family’s a mess, and now he’s got Liu Li at his side. There are plenty of people watching their every move. If you get mixed up in that circle, you’ll only end up covered in filth. Shi Yi doesn’t care. No matter how big the mess, his family can clean it up for him. But what about you?”

“Wow, rare to see Young Master Wang worrying about someone else,” Ying Ming teased, raising a brow.

“Bullshit. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t bother.”

Wang Yiqi was always surrounded by people who ate and drank at his expense. He never minded others taking advantage of him, whether they were men, women, young, or old. As long as they could keep him entertained, he didn’t care if they stuck around for benefits. But he knew very well what kind of friends those were.

Ying Ming was different from them.

Their friendship had never been built on drinking and partying.

Knowing that Wang Yiqi was speaking out of genuine concern, Ying Ming patted him on the arm in reassurance. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

“You know what you’re doing? Did you really forget Mao—”

Wang Yiqi cut himself off after the first syllable, swallowing the rest of the name. Ying Ming’s expression didn’t change at all. He looked at him with a half-smile, watching until Wang Yiqi furrowed his brows and backed off on his own, letting out a huff. “Whatever. Just be careful.”

This time, Ying Ming didn’t say anything.

They wrapped up work around the time Ying Ming had expected. Wang Yiqi was being a little difficult during the last two scenes, deliberately messing up seven or eight times, dragging things out until past five. Then, they had to reshoot two more shots, and by the time the director finally let them go, the sky had already turned dark.

Ying Ming had planned to just call a cab. There was no doubt there would be drinking tonight, and he didn’t want to deal with the hassle of getting back later.

But before he could leave, Shi Yi called him.

“When will you be done?”

“I can leave now.”

“Perfect. I’ll pick you up on my way.”

Ying Ming raised a brow at the casual “on my way.” “You don’t even know where I am, and you’re calling it ‘on your way’?”

“It’s not hard to find out where you’re filming.” Shi Yi chuckled on the other end. “I’m about twenty minutes away from you. Wait for me at the intersection when you come out. Bring an umbrella.”

“It’s raining?”

“It just started drizzling.”

Ying Ming had been indoors filming all day and hadn’t noticed whether it was sunny or raining outside. Only after Shi Yi mentioned it did he glance toward the entrance, but it was too dark to see anything clearly.

Wang Yiqi had been standing next to him the whole time and was now deliberately contorting his face in exaggerated disgust.

Shi Yi said twenty minutes, and sure enough, he arrived right on time.

When Ying Ming got in the car, he ran a hand through his hair, which had gotten damp and was now sticking to his skin.

“I told you it was raining.”

“The rain wasn’t that heavy, so I couldn’t be bothered. I don’t like carrying things around.” Ying Ming had traveled enough that he’d developed the habit of packing as light as possible. The drizzle wasn’t enough to be a real problem anyway.

Because of filming, he was still wearing his costume—a pair of tight jeans tucked into long boots, a gothic-style T-shirt with a strange design, and even a stud in his ear.

Shi Yi gave him a once-over and raised a brow. “What kind of character are you playing this time?”

“A guy with a death wish.”

Drugs and crime, he’d basically done everything self-destructive.

Shi Yi glanced at him. “Why’d you take this role?”

“You mean in what sense?”

“All of it. Didn’t the news say this movie is about homosexuality?”

Ying Ming chuckled. “A lot of people spend money chasing novelty. I’m getting it for free.”

One of the joys of being an actor was the chance to experience things most people never could. Even if reality didn’t always match expectations, it still offered a different perspective on the world.

“You sure have an open mind.”

“If you don’t, the Earth isn’t going to start spinning backward for you. Besides, this is just my job. It’s no different from you sitting at a negotiation table closing deals.”

Ying Ming leaned back and stretched his arms. “So, what’s your plan for Liu Li tonight?”

Someone like Liu Li had probably seen every kind of grand gesture imaginable.

Shi Yi smirked. “A friend of mine gave me some advice. I think it makes sense.”

“Oh?”

“He said if you want to satisfy a woman, it’s best to let her choose for herself. All I need to do is be whatever she wants me to be.”

Love in this era was far removed from fairy tales.

Everyone valued different things, so naturally, their desires varied as well.

Hearing that, Ying Ming couldn’t help but smile knowingly. It might sound cliché, but who was to say that the most cliché methods weren’t also the most effective?

By the time they arrived at the venue, the party was already in full swing, with music blasting through the hall. Shi Yi had booked the Grand Banquet Hall of the hotel for the event. It was a venue that not just anyone could secure, even with money. The scale of it was enough to make a statement.

Liu Li was surrounded by a group of people. When she spotted them entering, she exchanged a few words with her companions before making her way over.

Dressed in an evening gown, she was easily the center of attention. Shi Yi didn’t bother hiding the appreciation in his eyes as he wrapped an arm around her waist, smiling. “Well? Satisfied?”

“You sure have a way with words. Since this was my idea, of course I’m satisfied.”

Amid the cheers of the crowd, Liu Li kissed Shi Yi. Standing nearby, Ying Ming raised an eyebrow before tactfully shifting his gaze away from the attention of others.

Tonight, he was just a guest.

Though he wasn’t quite sure whose guest he was supposed to be.

But there was nothing particularly new about this kind of gathering. Even if Liu Li had arranged it herself, it wasn’t anything original—just a bunch of people drinking, singing, and inviting a few notable figures to add to the atmosphere. Someone like Ying Ming was simply there to make up the numbers.

Shi Yi remained by Liu Li’s side, moving through the crowd and greeting people. Both of them were used to these kinds of occasions. This was his first time publicly appearing with Liu Li, so the social formalities were unavoidable. Ying Ming stayed toward the edges of the room. Occasionally, some familiar faces would stop by to say hello, while a few newcomers or models would exchange a few casual words.

It wasn’t until a familiar voice sounded behind him that he shifted his attention slightly.

“So the rumors about you and Shi Yi falling out over Liu Li were just entertainment gossip?”

The man standing behind him wore a leather cap and had an unreadable smile. His rimless glasses had a trendy look, but they couldn’t conceal the calculation in his eyes.

Ying Ming chuckled. “What, you here for a scoop?”

“Shi Yi throwing Liu Li a birthday party? Even if I were on duty, I wouldn’t be that tactless,” the man laughed. “Even reporters need a break.”

“I thought you guys worked year-round.”

Their champagne glasses clinked lightly.

The man was a journalist. Ying Ming had crossed paths with him a few times for work. They weren’t particularly close, but they could hold a conversation.

They stood in a relatively secluded spot, barely touched by the lights. The dance floor was packed with people, moving wildly to the music, but it did little to disturb them.

The man looked at Ying Ming. “I heard you participated in that Weisai competition?”

Ying Ming only raised an eyebrow without replying.

“Ever since that event, Dong Xiao hasn’t shown up in public. He even skipped the press conference for his new film.” His tone was laced with meaning. He asked directly, “Word is that there was an accident during the rally. Got anything to share?”

Ying Ming took a sip of his drink. “Since you’ve already heard so much, why ask me?”

“What I have, everyone else has. But what you have, I might not.”

In the entertainment industry, the relationship between journalists and celebrities was like fish and water. They needed each other, but neither could fully rely on the other. Calling it friendship was a joke, yet maintaining some level of connection was a must. No one knew when they might need the other, or when they might get thrown under the bus.

Ying Ming glanced at him and shook his head. “What I can say, you already know. What you want to know is probably something I don’t.”

“So are you saying you don’t know, or you can’t say?”

Reporters were always good at leading conversations. To him, the key wasn’t the rejection but the reason behind it.

Catching the implication, Ying Ming smirked. “I’m saying, if you want to trick me into talking, you need more practice.”

He had been dealing with the media for as long as he had been in the industry. He couldn’t say he had them wrapped around his finger, but handling them never took much effort.

“Let’s talk another time.” With a casual wave, he left the spot he had originally been quite satisfied with. A little regretfully, he stepped further into the crowd.

A group of people in the center were making bets.

It was a common game—everyone placed a bet, then showed a certain number of fingers. Whoever ended up with an odd count lost. It was the kind of thing kids grew tired of in grade school, yet here they were, twenty years later, playing it again.

When Ying Ming walked over, it happened to be Liu Li’s turn to lose.

The birthday girl, smiling brightly amid the cheers, stepped forward and pointed at Shi Yi. “You take this round for me.”

The room erupted into applause and whistles.

Few people ever got to tease Shi Yi like this. It was a rare chance.

Shi Yi’s gaze swept the room and landed on Ying Ming, who was trying to slip away. With a light tug, he effortlessly pulled him back. “Alright then. I did say I’d put on a performance. Ying Ming can help me with that.”