TF01 46

After having a bowl of noodles at Ying Ming’s place and turning down the offer to stay the night, Shi Yi left.

He had an appointment the next morning, and leaving from Ying Ming’s place would not be convenient.

Neither of them said a word of thanks, but as Shi Yi was about to go, he casually reminded Ying Ming to be careful.

Leaning against the doorframe, Ying Ming chuckled. “Not like they’re gonna tear my house down.”

“If they do, you won’t even have time to get angry.”

In this world, the only things that do not happen are the ones you cannot imagine. Tragedies often strike because people are not prepared for them.

Shi Yi’s remark made Ying Ming raise an eyebrow. Without thinking much, he replied naturally, “If they really tear it down, I’ll just go crash at your place.”

“I don’t have that many guest rooms.”

“No problem. I can make do with the sofa.” Ying Ming shrugged, showing that he was not picky.

He had slept on chairs while pulling all-nighters on set, so a sofa was a luxury.

Shi Yi laughed. “You’re easy to take care of.”

“That’s the one thing my mom has praised me for since I was little.”

“Keep it up, then.”

They exchanged a few more lighthearted remarks until the chill of the night settled in. As Shi Yi got into his car, he flicked the headlights twice. Before driving off, he rolled down the window and threw in one last comment about the noodles being decent.

Ying Ming watched the taillights disappear into the night, a subtle smirk appearing on his lips.

He could not quite adjust to this situation.

Something about how things were unfolding felt dangerous.

But where that unease came from, he could not quite figure out.

Was he just being paranoid?

Frowning slightly, he shut the door and strolled back to his bedroom at an unhurried pace.

Either way, life went on.

—

People who were close to Shi Yi would all say the same thing. He was someone who valued loyalty.

If he truly considered you a friend, he would never stand by and watch if you needed help, as long as it was within his ability. That did not mean others could easily take advantage of him, though. When it came to anything involving his family connections, he was always straightforward in refusing.

In his own words, he was not a middleman.

Because of this, Shi Yi had never caused trouble for his family since he was young.

His uncle was surprised when he approached him directly this time.

After listening to the general situation, his uncle frowned. “That incident with the Zhao family last time, was he involved in that too?”

The name sounded familiar. It had been coming up a little too often lately.

Shi Yi raised an eyebrow. “Yes.”

He had always been upfront when speaking to his family. Since he had already come here, there was no way he could avoid explaining everything.

In reality, the age gap between Shi Yi and his uncle was not that big. His uncle was the youngest in the family and had practically watched him grow up. Because of this, they were relatively closer compared to other family members. Whenever something happened, Shi Yi would not go straight to his father or anyone else. Instead, he would come to this uncle first.

His uncle leaned back slightly. “So what do you want me to do?”

“I want you to find out which company got the information about Weisai first and was the first to break the news.”

Shi Yi’s request was straightforward. His uncle chuckled. “I thought you wanted me to clean everything up for you.”

“There is no need to make such a big fuss over this. I just want to figure out what happened.”

“Alright. Looks like you have grown up. Even the way you speak has more confidence now.”

As an elder, he could not help but feel a little sentimental. He exhaled slowly and tapped his fingers on the table at an unhurried pace, maintaining his usual composure. After glancing at Shi Yi, he asked, “Once you find out where the information came from, what do you plan to do?”

“I will talk to them.”

Shi Yi smiled, making it clear he had no intention of discussing the matter further.

His uncle studied him for a moment but did not press the issue. Instead, he casually changed the subject. “You should visit home when you have time. Your mother was asking about you recently.”

“I will go back around the middle of the month.”

“Do you want to tell your father about this, or should I?”

Shi Yi thought for a moment. “Give him a heads-up first. I will explain everything when I go back.”

“Alright.”

His uncle nodded slightly, signaling the end of their conversation. It was still too early for a meal, and Shi Yi had other matters to attend to, so he did not plan to stay any longer. As he stood up to leave, the man behind the desk finally gave him a word of caution.

“Shi Yi, I have no objections to you helping your friends, but be mindful of your approach. Your family’s relationship with Weisai cannot be strained just because of this matter. Make sure you know where to draw the line.”

Shi Yi had expected this reminder. He nodded to show he understood, then shot his uncle a reassuring look.

His uncle smiled faintly and said nothing more.

Shi Yi had come to him because he was well aware of his uncle’s capabilities. They had met in the morning, and by the afternoon, the documents were already faxed to his office.

There was even more information than he had requested.

He was used to his family’s efficiency. After going through everything in detail, he furrowed his brows, set the documents down, and leaned back in his chair, thinking things over for a long time.

His original plan was simple. Find out who had leaked the information and then negotiate with the people at Weisai.

Now, it seemed that approach would not work.

The situation was far more complicated than he had imagined. Business was never black and white. No one could claim to have never used questionable methods, but in these competitive battles, there were always unintended casualties.

Ying Ming was one of them.

Outsiders saw the entertainment industry as a glamorous world, but they had no idea that whenever profits were involved, the first ones sacrificed were often people like him.

Recalling the brief moment of resignation in Ying Ming’s tone when they last talked, Shi Yi finally understood.

Even by nightfall, he had yet to come up with an effective solution. As work ended, he decided to head home.

When he pushed open the door, his father was in the living room watching television.

His father glanced back and, upon seeing him, frowned slightly. “Well, well, looks like Boss Shi actually has time to come home for dinner today.”

Shi Yi’s mother, who had just stepped out of the kitchen, immediately scolded him. “The moment your son comes home, you start with that sarcastic attitude. Are you done yet?”

She walked over, took Shi Yi’s bag and coat, and placed them to the side. Then, pulling him closer, she looked him over carefully. “Not bad, you haven’t lost weight.”

Shi Yi chuckled. “Not just that, I’ve been stuck at drinking tables these past few days. I probably gained some.”

The man on the couch let out a huff at this, but the other two paid him no mind. Since Shi Yi had called before coming back, the house had prepared quite a spread. His father glanced at him. “Are you talking to me before or after dinner?”

Shi Yi raised a brow. “Depends on the commander’s schedule.”

“After, then. Don’t want you ruining my appetite.”

His mother smacked him on the back. “You just can’t say anything nice, can you?”

Shi Yi watched from the side, smiling to himself.

Dinner at home was always the best, and the atmosphere was warm and lively. After the meal, his mother and the housekeeper went to wash the dishes while Shi Yi followed his father to the balcony for a smoke.

“It’s only when you’re home that I can sneak in a couple of cigarettes here,” his father muttered, sounding a little disgruntled.

Shi Yi smirked, lighting a cigarette for him.

Neither of them spoke immediately as they smoked.

Outside the balcony, a row of poplar trees stretched into the night. Shi Yi still remembered climbing those trees as a kid. There weren’t many ways to pass the time in the military compound. Besides fighting, tree climbing was about all there was.

When his cigarette was nearly halfway through, his father finally broke the silence. “How’s your company doing?”

“Not bad. Growth is about what I expected.”

“Good. Starting your own business means working hard. The early days are always tough.”

His father spoke like he was giving a leadership report. Shi Yi was used to it and simply nodded without responding.

After a moment, his father shot him a casual glance. “And that actress girlfriend of yours?”

Shi Yi was genuinely surprised this time. He looked up at his father, took a long pause, then frowned slightly and answered truthfully. “We broke up.”

“Why?”

His father’s tone was unreadable, his gaze still fixed on the dark night sky.

Shi Yi pressed his lips together, a trace of resignation in his expression. “We weren’t compatible.”

“I think you’re just incompatible with everyone.” His father shot him a glare. “No two people are a perfect match. Relationships are about learning to get along. But you? You cling to your damn principles like your life depends on it. No one can put up with you for long. Your mother and I only met twice before we got married, and here we are, still together after all these years. With how picky you are, I’d love to see what kind of person you end up with.”

This was clearly an old wound. Every time the topic came up, his father got worked up. After venting, he still felt unsatisfied and added, “Same with when I wanted you to enlist. You fought me tooth and nail.”

Shi Yi was more than familiar with this lecture. He showed no reaction and let his father get it all out of his system. When he finished his cigarette, Shi Yi offered him another. “Want one more?”

His father shook his head. “Doctor says I shouldn’t smoke too much. One is enough.”

Then he looked at Shi Yi. “Listen, your mother and I are getting old. You’ll have to rely on yourself for everything in the future. Stop drifting through life like this.”

“Got it.” Shi Yi nodded.

His father’s expression finally softened a little. They leaned against the balcony for a while longer before he asked, “So? What is it you need today?”

Shi Yi hesitated briefly. “I need you to step in and smooth something over.”

“Smooth over?”

The word made his father frown. “Explain.”

Shi Yi gave him a rundown of the Weisai situation without mentioning Ying Ming’s name. Since their family had some connections with the people at Weisai, the explanation wasn’t too complicated.

His father listened, considering for a moment. “So you want me to put in a good word for Weisai?”

“Yes.” Shi Yi nodded. “Since we’re planning to work with them anyway, I’d like to do them this favor.”

Going to talk things out with the people at Weisai now wouldn’t solve anything.

The damage was already done, and if the leak didn’t come from just one person, there was no way to completely patch it up.

Livelihoods were on the line. No one would accept that.

His only option was to start from Weisai’s competitors. If they were willing to let Weisai off the hook, then Weisai wouldn’t have a reason to go after someone to take the fall.

But this wasn’t something his own connections could handle. Even his uncle didn’t have enough weight to pull it off. The only person who could make a difference was his father.

His father glanced at him. “Just for the company?”

It was a loaded question, but Shi Yi didn’t hesitate. He nodded without missing a beat. “Yes.”

“Alright. I’ll handle it.”

His father waved a hand, neither agreeing outright nor revealing how he planned to deal with it. Shi Yi didn’t press for answers. They exchanged a few more words before his father got a call and left to take care of business.

As Shi Yi stepped into the elevator on his way out, he let out a long breath.

There was a hint of a smile, and also a tension that was harder to place