TF01 40

Wang Yiqi didn’t bother hiding his displeasure when he saw Shi Yi. He just frowned. “What are you doing here?”

Shi Yi thought the question was ridiculous. He bit down on his cigarette, the corner of his mouth lifted, but there wasn’t much of a smile. His expression only softened when he turned to Ying Ming. “How are you? They didn’t give you a hard time, did they?”

“I’m fine.” Ying Ming raised an eyebrow. “Was it you who settled things with Zhao Zicong?”

But Shi Yi didn’t answer. He only furrowed his brows slightly, clearly preoccupied.

After confirming that Ying Ming was okay, Shi Yi told Wang Yiqi and Kou Jing to take him home. He had other matters to deal with and said he’d contact Ying Ming later.

Wang Yiqi complained the entire way back.

“Fuck! He’s the reason you got locked up, and now that he’s shown his face, he just takes off? What kind of attitude is that?”

Kou Jing, who had been silent until now, finally couldn’t hold back. “What else do you want him to do? If it weren’t for him, Zhao Zicong wouldn’t have been so easy to handle.”

“No shit! But if it weren’t for him in the first place, Ying Ming wouldn’t have been locked up at all!”

It was only right for Shi Yi to step in. He was the one who caused this mess.

Ying Ming had been listening the whole time but didn’t interfere. Instead, Haozi, who was sitting beside him, tugged his arm. “Ying Ming, you really went too far this time. No matter what, you shouldn’t have taken the fall for Shi Yi. If your family finds out, won’t they worry themselves sick?”

Haozi was the lead singer of Six Periods. He and Ying Ming had met through Kou Jing, though strictly speaking, Ying Ming wasn’t part of the band. He only made occasional guest appearances. His main job was acting, and most of his energy was focused on filming.

Ying Ming took a drag of his cigarette, glanced at Haozi, and after a long pause, exhaled lightly. “I didn’t really think about it at the time.”

Haozi raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t think about it? Ying Ming… that’s not like you.”

From the moment they met, Ying Ming had always been mature and levelheaded. He helped his friends, but he knew how to go about it. Getting himself thrown into lockup for Shi Yi was far from the best way to handle things. Now, hearing him say he hadn’t thought it through, Haozi suddenly found the whole situation a little strange.

And truth be told, Ying Ming felt the same way.

But he just leaned against the seat, smoking, as Kou Jing and Wang Yiqi bickered in the front. Their argument faded into the background as he stared out the window, watching the scenery blur past.

Whatever Shi Yi had to take care of, it was probably related to Zhao Zicong.

Ying Ming sighed. Back when Kou Jing visited him at the detention center, he’d spoken the truth.

Why did he hit Zhao Zicong?

He really must have lost his damn mind.

—

After checking on Ying Ming, Shi Yi did not go anywhere else. He went straight home.

About half an hour later, he received a call from Liu Li asking if he was free to meet. Shi Yi said he was at home and told her to come over.

This was their first time meeting since that conversation.

Shi Yi leaned against the bar counter beside the dining area, smoking. When he saw Liu Li walk in, he pushed the glass in front of him forward slightly. “Have some water first.”

But Liu Li did not reach for it. She set down her coat and sat at the bar, hesitating over how to begin.

She was thinking, and Shi Yi waited. When it seemed like she had made up her mind, he picked up his glass and took a sip.

“My relationship with Zhao Zicong is not what he made it out to be.”

Her first words were an explanation.

Shi Yi nodded. “I know.”

It was precisely because he knew Liu Li was not the kind of person Zhao Zicong claimed she was that he lost his temper. The fact that she had been spoken about in such an ugly way had something to do with him. If Zhao Zicong had been provoking only him, things might not have escalated into a public conflict.

“Shi Yi… about what we talked about last time, I think… maybe I can try, for you…” She spoke with a hint of reluctance. “If I really have to choose between the two, I will make a decision.”

Her words made Shi Yi smile.

A very faint smile.

He took two sips of ice water, then set down his glass, running his fingers along the rim as if savoring the moment before shaking his head. “Liu Li, you cannot do it.”

“You cannot give up the life you have now, just like I cannot accept this kind of thing.”

They had been together for some time, and they understood each other’s personalities to some extent.

After saying this, Shi Yi felt a lot lighter. He exhaled deeply. “We are both the kind of people who, once we have made up our minds, will never change. What you want and what I want are not the same.”

Maybe they could be friends, but they were definitely not suited to be lovers.

Liu Li frowned slightly at Shi Yi’s words. “You’ve already made up your mind?”

“This kind of thing doesn’t take long to think about.” Shi Yi’s tone was relaxed. “If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

He could fight for Liu Li, but their relationship would end here.

When Zhao Zicong said those things, he already knew that there was no future between him and Liu Li. It was not just that their lifestyles were completely different. Their values, their perspectives, and the way they handled things, those were even more fundamental. Differences in personality could be adjusted over time, but these things? If they were not compatible, they would never be.

Since the outcome was already clear, there was no need to waste each other’s time.

At this point, Liu Li understood there was no room for salvaging anything.

She gave a small, helpless smile, her expression tinged with regret. “Shi Yi, I really was serious about my feelings for you.”

“I know.” Shi Yi smiled.

Being serious was one thing, but some things took precedence over feelings. That was true not just for Liu Li but for him as well. He could logically understand her way of thinking, but when it came to emotions, he could not accept it.

He understood people like her, but he could not relate to them.

Since this was ultimately a breakup, there was bound to be some lingering emotions. Liu Li had originally wanted to say more but hesitated, then decided against it. With someone like Shi Yi, knowing how much to say was important. Say too much, and he would push back. Say too little, and he would lose patience.

But no matter what, Shi Yi was the first person who had ever been willing to fight for her.

As an actress, she had heard countless praises and received endless admiration. Her romantic history was far from dull, and she had seen all kinds of men. Shi Yi was not the most outstanding, nor was he the one who moved her the most, but he was the one she most wanted to hold on to.

Zhao Zicong had approached her multiple times, becoming more direct with each attempt. It was obvious he wanted to use his family background and influence to get her into bed.

But she had rejected him every single time.

Liu Li had seen plenty of things to get where she was today. She had made compromises before, but now that she had reached this point, she no longer needed to give up anything just to move forward.

She was willing to cooperate with media hype for the sake of the company, but when it came to herself, she did not need to go that far.

However, it was clear that Zhao Zicong could not accept this outcome.

Knowing that Liu Li’s boyfriend was Shi Yi made it even harder for him to swallow.

They were both part of the same circle. If Shi Yi could have her, why couldn’t he?

That was why, at the bar, he deliberately tried to embarrass Shi Yi. He never expected Shi Yi to have the audacity to hit him in public, and even more unexpectedly, he ended up making a fool of himself without gaining anything in return.

Later, Shi Yi even used his family connections to go directly to Zhao Zicong’s father. No matter how much Zhao Zicong wanted to continue, there was no way he could go against the pressure from his own family.

When Liu Li found out that Shi Yi and Zhao Zicong had fought, she was surprised.

A journalist friend she was on good terms with told her what had happened. Hearing that Shi Yi had done it for her left her shaken.

Shi Yi was not the kind of person who needed to do something like that.

That was why, before coming to see Shi Yi today, Liu Li had planned to have a proper conversation with him. She could not say she had made up her mind about the future, but she was genuinely wavering.

Even so, relationships were never one-sided. No matter how much she thought about it, that did not mean things would go the way she wanted.

Shi Yi’s attitude was within her expectations, yet it was not the outcome she had anticipated.

With a faintly sorrowful smile, Liu Li picked up the glass Shi Yi had taken a few sips from and downed the ice water.

She had hoped for a toast, but in the end, she had to drink bitter wine instead.

Setting the glass down, she looked at Shi Yi. “So from now on, we’re still friends?”

“Yeah, at the very least, if you invite me to your birthday party, I probably won’t turn you down.”

The man across from her chuckled, his expression open and carefree.

Liu Li frowned in silence, staying still for a long time. The air in the room felt stifling, yet it was no longer filled with the same stiffness and awkwardness as before.

After about five minutes, she finally let out a quiet sigh, as if she had come to terms with something. She turned around and reached for her coat. Just as she was about to step out, she suddenly remembered something. “Oh, help me thank Ying Ming.”

The incident had already made the news. She had called in a few favors to keep Shi Yi’s name out of it. The media had no photos and no solid proof, so mentioning him would only stir up trouble.

But Ying Ming was probably having a hard time cleaning up this mess.

Shi Yi merely raised an eyebrow at her words and replied simply, “No need.” Seeing the puzzled look in her eyes, he gave a faint smile. “This favor isn’t yours to claim.”

No one knew better than him who Ying Ming had done this for.

Liu Li was momentarily stunned, then let out a small laugh, frowning slightly. “Shi Yi, just don’t fall too hard.”

Before he could fully process her words, she smile and walked out of his home.

This relationship had officially come to an end.