TF01 58

Shi Yi felt like the whole situation was ridiculous. In fact, everyone else did too.

Aside from Wang Yiqi and his brother, everyone here had been dragged over by Wang Le for reasons unknown. Kou Jing still had unfinished work and had planned to stay late at the office, but after Wang Le’s repeated invitations, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse and ended up coming anyway.

The moment he arrived and saw Ying Ming, he froze. Then, noticing that Wang Yiqi and his younger brother, Wang Mengqi, were also present, he found the whole thing even stranger.

After Shi Yi entered, he first greeted Kou Jing. Ying Ming was standing off to the side, and their gazes briefly met before they both looked away without exchanging a word. Kou Jing glanced at the two of them but said nothing.

Wang Le gestured for everyone to take their seats.

“Uh… I’m not really good at organizing things like this. But since we’re all friends here, just sit wherever you like.”

After saying that, he sat down first. Seeing the situation, the others could only find a spot nearby to settle in as well. Wang Yiqi glanced at Wang Le. “Why don’t you just say what you need to say first, and then we can eat? Otherwise, no one knows what’s going on.”

The moment Wang Yiqi spoke, the whole room grew even more bewildered.

Since when did he start speaking up for Wang Le?

Ying Ming and Shi Yi exchanged a look, both feeling that something about tonight’s gathering was off.

Wang Le clearly hesitated, as if what he was about to say wasn’t easy to put into words. In the end, he sought help with his gaze, looking toward Wang Yiqi. Only when he saw the latter give a slight nod did he take a deep breath and finally speak.

“I called everyone here today because I wanted to tell you something. In two days, I’ll be leaving for the U.S.”

He paused for a moment. Shi Yi frowned.

“This time, after I leave for the U.S., I probably won’t be coming back.” Wang Le looked at Shi Yi. “Actually, my return this time was reckless. Ayi, I’m sorry. I didn’t tell you the truth. At the airport, I didn’t lose my luggage. I never even came back through normal visa procedures in the first place.”

Everyone in the room was dumbfounded, except for Wang Yiqi, who had already been informed.

Shi Yi stared at Wang Le. “Wang Le, what the hell are you up to?”

This wasn’t some goddamn prank, was it?

“My family’s situation… maybe your dad never told you, but back then, when we left for the U.S., it wasn’t for some business matter. It was to escape. To put it bluntly, we were fleeing to avoid prosecution.” Wang Le’s expression was grim. After saying that, he curled his lips in a self-deprecating smile. “I only learned the truth after arriving in the U.S. My family wouldn’t let me come back or even make phone calls. But I’ve always felt like I still have a lot of friends here… No matter what, I grew up here.”

By the end, his voice had turned hoarse.

Wang Le was never someone who could suppress his emotions. Faced with this moment, there was no way he could hold himself together.

Shi Yi stood up abruptly, but he had no idea what he could possibly do to break through the absurdity of the situation.

“After coming back and seeing you, I realized there’s really nothing left for me here. You guys are the only ones I can call friends… or maybe not even that.” Someone like Kou Jing could barely even count as an acquaintance. Wang Le lifted his head. “I just felt that, no matter what, I should be upfront with you. There will probably be news about my family soon, and I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. I thought…”

His last words were directed at Shi Yi.

As he spoke, his tears suddenly fell.

Shi Yi stood there stiffly. He understood every word Wang Le was saying, but at the same time, none of it made sense to him. Beside him, Ying Ming pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and held it between his lips without smoking, saying nothing.

In the end, Wang Le looked up at Shi Yi, his face streaked with tears, his expression full of guilt. “Ayi, I’m sorry…”

Parting ways like this with a childhood friend felt utterly ridiculous.

But if he hadn’t called all these people here, Wang Le might not have had the courage to say it to Shi Yi directly.

The reason he sought out Wang Yiqi was purely instinctive. He was the only one who might be able to come up with a way to help. He hadn’t dared to go to Ying Ming, knowing how close he was to Shi Yi. He was afraid Ying Ming would tell him everything.

Truthfully, no one could easily digest something that felt straight out of a movie. Even Wang Yiqi, who had been the first to hear Wang Le stammer out the truth at the café, had found it hard to believe.

But that was how life worked.

When something happens that no one believes could ever be real, all you can do is accept it.

Shi Yi’s expression was tense as he watched Wang Le cry in front of him, completely breaking down. Suddenly, it all felt so fucking surreal. The calendar hadn’t even flipped that many times, yet somehow, the people around him had become completely unrecognizable.

In the end, he stepped forward and grabbed Wang Le’s arm. “Cut that shit out…” His voice was hoarse. “You’re a man, for fuck’s sake. Stop crying all the damn time.”

But right now, those words meant nothing.

Wang Le cried his heart out, his unease, fear, and reluctance so overwhelming that everyone in the room could feel it. No one spoke. The room was silent, not even the faintest sound.

Ying Ming leaned back in his chair, tilting his head slightly to look at the ceiling. His eyes were unfocused, staring blankly into the distance.

After crying for more than ten minutes, Wang Le finally managed to hold back his tears. He sniffled as Shi Yi patted his shoulder, then slowly sat back down.

“I have already contacted my family. They will probably arrange for me to leave in the next couple of days. Once this meal is over, there might not be a next one.”

His voice still carried traces of his earlier sobs. Wang Le sighed. “Honestly, now that I have said everything, none of you probably have the appetite to eat anymore.”

Five seconds of silence followed before Kou Jing, who had not spoken until now, chuckled. “Why would we lose our appetite?”

He waved a hand at Wang Le. “Since this is our last meal together, shouldn’t we make the most of it? We did not even go through the menu properly earlier. Bring it back and order again.”

Before Shi Yi arrived, they had already placed some orders, but since no one had understood the purpose of this gathering at the time, everyone had only skimmed through the menu half-heartedly.

Ying Ming took a couple of drags from his cigarette and looked up. “Do you have any plans after you leave?”

“My dad and the others are handling everything, so I am not sure yet. I will just go along with whatever arrangements they make.” Wang Le wiped his tears. “I might not even end up staying in the United States.”

“Wherever you end up, make sure to keep in touch with us.”

Shi Yi was the one who spoke this time. He took out the pen he always carried and wrote down a series of numbers on the paper napkin in front of him. “Here is my home number and my office number. If I am not around, just leave a message. Contact me if anything happens.”

As he was about to hand it over, Ying Ming reached out to stop him. Taking the pen, he added his own home number. “If it is urgent, you can reach out to me too.”

None of them asked Wang Le what had happened with his family. At this point, asking would be pointless. Shi Yi had not received any news, which clearly meant that even his family could not do anything about it. No one in the room was foolish. The less they knew, the better it was for both them and Wang Le.

When the waiter came in, Kou Jing changed all their previous orders, choosing a bunch of dishes that probably did not taste great but had strange names. Halfway through, Wang Yiqi could not hold back and complained, leading to some playful bickering between the two before they finally settled on their choices.

As the waiter was about to leave, Kou Jing grinned and added, “We’re going to be eating for a while, so take your time serving the dishes. No rush.”

Wang Yiqi, not bothering with any restraint, grabbed all the bottles they had ordered and slammed them onto the table. “Anyone who walks out of here sober today is a damn grandson!”

Shi Yi let out a cold laugh. “That doesn’t make any difference for you.”

“The hell did you just say?”

“Can’t even understand human words?”

“You son of a—Shi Yi, we’re settling all our old scores today! If I don’t drink you into calling me grandpa, this night isn’t over!” Wang Yiqi shouted, filling his glass to the brim before knocking it against Shi Yi’s. The latter did not even glance at him, simply lifted his glass and downed it in one go.

They were not using small liquor cups but full-sized drinking glasses. Wang Le watched in a daze, initially thinking of stopping them, but before he could even get a word out, Kou Jing, who lived for chaos, fanned the flames. Within moments, Wang Yiqi and Shi Yi had already downed three glasses each without even touching any food. By the time they were done, they were coughing so hard that tears nearly spilled out.

Wang Le, worried, called out to Ah Yi, but before he could say anything, Ying Ming stopped him.

With a cigarette still between his lips, Ying Ming said, “Let them drink. It’s fine.”

It was just an excuse. On a night like this, no matter how many grudges they had, Shi Yi and Wang Yiqi would never truly fight. Some things between men did not need to be said outright. When frustration built up, a few rounds of heavy drinking were enough to let off steam. The burn of alcohol always had a way of easing the heart.

After reassuring Wang Le, Ying Ming poured himself a glass, shot a glance at the others, then downed it in one go.

The burning liquid seared down his throat, igniting a fire in his stomach. He clicked his tongue, frowning at the harsh taste.

Then he poured half a glass for Wang Le. “Drink. Whatever happens next, we’ll deal with it when it comes.”

The other person hesitated a bit after taking the glass but eventually shut his eyes and downed the drink in one go.

His alcohol tolerance clearly wasn’t on par with the others. He drank too fast, choked, and ended up coughing for ages.

By the time most of the dishes still hadn’t been served, they had already drunk almost all the liquor.

Wang Mengqi mostly stayed out of the circle and only took a sip or two when Kou Jing forced him to drink. Everyone else was practically downing glass after glass without stopping.

Wang Le had never drunk this much in his life. When the alcohol started kicking in, he ignored everyone trying to stop him and began tearing into Wang Yiqi, scolding him without mercy. Fortunately, the person getting yelled at was just as drunk, so aside from mumbling a couple of foggy retorts, he didn’t really register anything.

After several rounds, the only ones still sober were Ying Ming and Wang Mengqi.

Shi Yi had drunk a bit too much.

He started by ranting about recent news for a while. When that wasn’t enough, he moved on to venting about the unspoken rules and dirty tricks on and off the stage. Kou Jing was so dizzy from the alcohol that he could barely think straight, but he still chimed in every now and then. With Wang Yiqi joining in, the three of them cursed and complained until the topic circled back to Wang Le’s family.

“Damn it! Is there anyone in this world who stays on top forever? No!” Shi Yi shouted. “There never has been. When you’re standing up high, you’re bound to fall hard. If you don’t want to come down, there are plenty of people who’ll drag you down. And when that happens, everyone will stomp on you while you’re down. That’s why I always say, what’s the point of fighting? Fight for what? In the end, are any of these things really yours? No! It’s all bullshit! Wang Le, remember this. If anyone drags you into that crap again, just curse them out and tell them they’re nothing but a pile of shit!”

When he finished, Kou Jing burst out laughing, clapping his hands and calling Shi Yi a badass. He staggered as he tried to stand up and pour more liquor for Shi Yi, but before he could grab the bottle, Ying Ming stopped him midway.

Ying Ming had been chain-smoking all night. He put the bottle aside, glanced at Kou Jing, and said, “That’s enough. Drink any more, and you’re gonna lose all sense of control.”

But Kou Jing was truly drunk.

When he saw Ying Ming stopping Shi Yi from drinking, he wasn’t happy. He frowned and pointed a finger at Ying Ming. “What the fuck, Ying Ming, you are taking Shi Yi’s side.”

Shi Yi slammed the table. “So what if he is helping me? You got a problem with that?”

With just one careless comment, Kou Jing set off the fire Shi Yi had been holding back for days. Shi Yi jabbed a finger at Kou Jing. “Let me tell you something, Ying Ming is my man. He has to help me.”

Kou Jing waved him off. “Get outta here with that crap. Like Ying Ming would ever help you.”

His words slurred toward the end. Before he could finish, his stomach churned violently, and he could not hold it in. He quickly made a truce gesture toward Shi Yi and rushed to the bathroom, where he immediately started vomiting.

But Shi Yi, still fired up, did not even notice where Kou Jing had gone.

His gaze landed on Ying Ming, who had somehow gotten dragged into the mess. Seeing the faintly mocking look behind Ying Ming’s glasses, Shi Yi let out a dissatisfied snort, grabbed him by the collar, and kissed him hard.

“Damn it, you are mine.”

The mumbled words slipped out from between their lips. Almost everyone in the room had drunk themselves unconscious by now. The only one still sober was Wang Mengqi, who had not said a word all night. Kou Jing’s retching sounds from the bathroom blended into the background noise, adding to the chaos.

Ying Ming could smell the heavy mix of alcohol on Shi Yi’s breath. The rough way Shi Yi pried open his lips was aggressive, like an enraged beast, desperate to stake his claim.

But Ying Ming only let him get away with it for a few seconds.

Before Shi Yi could fully invade his mouth, Ying Ming grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him off with enough force to create some distance. Then he kicked Shi Yi’s chair, nearly sending him flying.

“Do not fucking use booze as an excuse to act crazy.”

Ying Ming frowned as he watched Shi Yi slump sluggishly onto the table. Eventually, he stopped moving altogether, completely out of it.