TF01 35

When Shi Yi called Liu Li, it was her assistant who answered.

The assistant sounded impatient at first, asking who he was. When they heard his name, their tone softened slightly, but it was still just polite courtesy. “Ah, Liu Li is busy right now. How about I have her call you back later?”

Shi Yi hung up immediately.

He wasn’t the type to wait.

That evening, he had a social engagement, entertaining some guests from S City. Ou Yang had already made all the arrangements before coming to check if Shi Yi wanted to go. It was up to him. He could attend or not.

Ou Yang knew he had been in a foul mood lately.

Still, Shi Yi went. Personal matters were personal matters. He wasn’t the kind to mix business with his private life.

Dinner lasted until past eleven.

When he got home, Liu Li was standing at the door.

She must have been waiting for quite a while. Only when she heard the elevator and the sound of the door unlocking did she turn around and smile at him. “You’re back.”

The man stepping out of the elevator did not respond. He only frowned slightly and opened the door.

Liu Li walked in, set her coat and bag down, then sat on the couch. “Ou Yang told me you had a social engagement tonight?”

“You knew and still waited this long.”

Shi Yi poured himself a glass of water, took two sips, then leaned against the table and turned to her. “You need something?”

“Mary told me you called.”

“She said you were too busy to answer.”

“I was on a show at the time,” Liu Li said as she stood up. “It was live, so I couldn’t pick up.”

Shi Yi only gave a slight nod. “Mhm.”

That was all he said. He slowly rotated the glass in his hand, waiting for Liu Li to speak.

The silence stretched between them. In the end, Liu Li sighed. “About the news, don’t believe it. It was all arranged by the production team. I had no choice.”

“That line you said was arranged too?”

Shi Yi let out a small laugh, but it was cold.

He could brush off the headlines, but hearing those words from her felt no different from a slap to the face. They were not exactly at the stage of discussing marriage, but everyone knew she was his girlfriend. If this kept up, he might as well wear the green hat outright.

Sensing his irritation, Liu Li moved closer and leaned against his chest, trying to soothe him. “If I told you it really was all arranged, would you believe me?”

She looked up at Shi Yi as she spoke. He remained silent for a moment, simply watching her without saying anything.

“This film was funded by Zhao Zicong. The reason we got such a prime release slot was also because of his connections. The one they’re really trying to promote isn’t me, it’s that newcomer in the movie. She’s Zhao Zicong’s girlfriend. But if they only relied on a rookie and Zhao Zicong, there wouldn’t be enough media attention, so they dragged me into it as well. It’s just a publicity stunt. It won’t last long.”

Her words in the news were nothing more than a way to give the media something to work with.

Shi Yi listened to her explanation, but his frown did not ease. “So there was no other way to promote the film? You had to pull this stunt again and again?”

Instead of focusing on the movie itself, they kept trying to generate buzz with gossip and scandals. What was the point?

Liu Li gave a helpless smile. “How do you think all those celebrity rumors and scandals start? This is how the industry works. There’s no way around it.”

She was sick of it too, but since she had already stepped into this game, she had no choice but to play along.

She had no say in this situation. Zhao Zicong had longstanding ties with her agency, and he was about to sponsor a new film she was leading. Even if she did not care, her company would never let her offend such an important investor.

Being an actress seemed glamorous on the surface, but few people truly understood the mess behind the scenes.

Shi Yi slowly let go of her. “I can’t accept this.”

He was not the kind of man who could stand watching his girlfriend entangled with other people, no matter the reason. This was beyond his limits.

Liu Li frowned. “Shi Yi… just give me a little more time.”

“I can give you time, but not indefinitely. Liu Li, when the time comes, I will ask you to choose between your career and this relationship.”

Shi Yi’s expression was serious. His brows were slightly furrowed.

He knew this was unfair to Liu Li, but he also knew himself.

Some things were simply unacceptable.

If he didn’t care about Liu Li, he wouldn’t have been with her for this long. Ever since he moved past the phase of playing around, he had become more serious when choosing a partner. Liu Li was probably the woman he had dated the longest since adulthood. There were many things about her that he admired.

But emotions alone weren’t enough to sustain a relationship. If two people wanted to stay together, compromises were sometimes necessary.

Shi Yi could respect Liu Li’s profession. He could accept her playing romantic roles, even having intimate scenes with others for work. But he could not accept these off-screen emotional entanglements.

In his view, if someone truly didn’t want to play along, they could always find a way to refuse.

He had grown up surrounded by unspoken rules. Even without looking into them, he understood them well enough. No matter how the industry worked, these exchanges of benefits were usually consensual—there was far less coercion than outsiders imagined. Most sacrifices weren’t absolute necessities but choices people made.

Shi Yi looked at Liu Li. “I understand that acting is your profession, but in real life, I don’t want you to be like this.”

Liu Li didn’t respond for a long time.

The silence between them felt even heavier than before. Slowly, she stepped away from him and forced a light smile. “Shi Yi, you grew up in this kind of environment, but you’re far more idealistic than I thought.”

She walked back to the sofa, picked up her bag and coat, then turned to him with a slight shake of her head. “Acting isn’t just about performing well. If I lived by your standards, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Shi Yi, I hope you understand that my feelings for you are real, and I take our relationship seriously. But there are some things you may never truly understand.”

Her voice carried a mix of regret and resignation. In the end, she softly told him to rest early before walking out the door.

She had come over in the middle of the night, hoping to have a talk with Shi Yi.

But the conversation didn’t go well.

As she walked downstairs, Liu Li lit a cigarette, took two drags, and glanced back at Shi Yi’s apartment before letting out a quiet sigh. Meanwhile, Shi Yi sat in his room, staring silently at the cup in his hand, barely moving.

Liu Li’s scandal showed no signs of dying down.

In fact, it was only getting worse.

Just as she had predicted, the new actress was eventually dragged into the mess. The supposed love triangle became a hot topic, stirring up endless speculation. Truth and rumors blended together, creating a spectacle far more entertaining than the movie itself.

Some of the bolder media outlets even threw Shi Yi into the mix.

A love rivalry between a second-generation military heir, a second-generation rich kid, and a top actress, all contrasted against an innocent newcomer. This storyline was far more appealing than any film.

Shi Yi never actively followed gossip, but it was impossible to avoid completely.

Those who were close to him and knew the full story didn’t dare mention Liu Li in front of him. But their careful avoidance only made it harder for him to suppress the frustration burning inside.

Ou Yang noticed something was off and tried to talk him down. “You should take a break. Go somewhere for a few days.”

Shi Yi responded impatiently. “No time.”

“Then how about grabbing a drink after work?”

“Not interested.”

He took a drag from his cigarette, eyes still locked on his computer screen. “Aren’t you having dinner with the people from Yueyang tonight?”

“Between schmoozing with Yueyang and dealing with my boss’s issues, obviously your problems come first.”

“Cut the crap.” Shi Yi let out a faint chuckle at Ou Yang’s teasing, then waved him off. “Go do your thing. I’m fine.”

He didn’t need anyone fussing over him just because he was in a bad mood. Seeing that his temper was still manageable, Ou Yang didn’t push further. He left a quick “Call me if you need anything” before heading out.

Shi Yi stayed in his office past nine. Just as he was about to shut down his computer, an entertainment news alert popped up. He glanced at it and immediately frowned.

Every single person in that headline was a familiar face. Ignoring it was impossible.

“Fuck!”

Would this shit ever end?

The frustration he had barely managed to suppress started creeping back up again. Shi Yi shut off the screen entirely, leaned back in his chair, and turned to face the nightscape outside the floor-to-ceiling window. The city was alive with the steady flow of traffic, lights flickering in an endless stream. After a while, he pulled out his phone.

The call was picked up quickly.

“Hello.”

Hearing Ying Ming’s voice, the suffocating feeling in his chest finally loosened a little. He wasn’t sure why, but his body instinctively relaxed. Leaning back against his office chair, he asked, “Ying Ming, got time for a drink?”

“Right now?”

“Yeah.”

There was a brief hesitation before Ying Ming replied, “Wait a bit, I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

Then, without waiting for a response, he hung up.

Shi Yi casually placed his phone back on the desk, stood up, and leaned against the bed, lost in thought.

It didn’t take long for Ying Ming to call back. As soon as Shi Yi answered, the other man’s voice came through, light and easy. “Where are we meeting?”

Shi Yi thought for a moment. “Your place.”

“Huh?” Ying Ming sounded surprised.

“I get a headache just thinking about crowded places. Or we can do my place if that works better.”

A chuckle came from the other end, as if Ying Ming could already picture how awful Shi Yi must be feeling. He quickly stifled his amusement and agreed. “Alright, up to you. If you say my place, then my place it is. I’ll head home first, just come over when you’re ready.”

Shi Yi was already familiar with the place, so there was no need for further directions.

“Alright, see you in a bit.”

“Yeah, see you.”

After hanging up, Shi Yi stared out the window, a small smile unconsciously forming at the corner of his lips.

Somehow, no matter when he called Ying Ming, the guy never let him down.