TF01 62

When Ying Ming opened the door to let Shi Yi in, he already had a vague feeling that he’d regret it the next day.

But when he opened his eyes the next morning and saw Shi Yi staring at him wide-eyed, he realized that maybe it wasn’t such a big deal after all.

They had gone wild the night before, so much so that they hadn’t even made it back to the bedroom, spending the night sprawled out on the sofa instead. Normally, just one person lying there felt cramped, but somehow, the two of them squeezed together hadn’t felt uncomfortable at all.

When Shi Yi saw that he was awake, he didn’t say anything. Neither of them had put their clothes back on, and as they lay against each other, their body heat passed through their limbs and spread clearly to their minds. Their clothes were scattered all over the floor, and the coffee table was littered with toppled bottles.

Ying Ming reached out, groping around until he found his pack of cigarettes.

Shi Yi, resting his chin on Ying Ming’s shoulder, said, “Give me one too.”

The man in his arms didn’t reply. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and handed it to Shi Yi’s mouth. Then, biting down on one for himself, he leaned over to light it with Shi Yi’s.

The arms circling his waist tightened a bit more. “Should we get up?”

“Get up for what?”

“It’s morning.”

They hadn’t checked the time, but the sunlight filtering through the skylight made it clear that the night was over.

Ying Ming narrowed his eyes. “Whether it’s bright or not has nothing to do with getting up. I don’t want to.”

His voice was hoarse. Maybe it was because of last night’s rough play, or maybe it was just that morning rasp. He took a couple of drags and let out a soft cough. “Do you have something to do?”

“No,” Shi Yi said lazily as he smoked. “I don’t want to do anything today.”

Originally, they thought that after things developed to this point, once they sobered up, there would be just two possible outcomes: either pretending nothing had happened or laying everything out and making a clean break. But the situation now wasn’t what either Shi Yi or Ying Ming had imagined.

They were just sitting side by side on the sofa, smoking. After Ying Ming finished his cigarette, he closed his eyes and dozed off again. Shi Yi didn’t move the entire time, and seeing that Ying Ming was about to fall asleep, leaned back and closed his eyes too.

He couldn’t sleep, but he didn’t want to sit there aimlessly either.

When he came looking for Ying Ming last night, he’d been in an incredibly foul mood.

Looking back on all these years, most things in Shi Yi’s life had always been under his control. It was a steady certainty he had grown used to. His environment rarely changed, and the same people came and went in his circle. When he was younger, he used to seek out thrills and excitement just to feel something because, deep down, there wasn’t much in his world that could sustain him. With no worries about food or clothing, his life was too stable, so stable that it felt empty.

He had always longed for change.

Back in high school, he used to daydream about walking down the street and stumbling upon a robbery just so he could test how he’d react in a real crisis.

Looking back now, he found that incredibly pretentious.

After entering adulthood and adapting to the complex relationships in society, he came to realize how ridiculous that mindset had been.

Many people spend their whole lives chasing nothing more than stability.

The ability to control one’s life and environment is something many long for, something that often forms the basis of people’s confidence and sense of security.

And yet, in recent days, Shi Yi felt that too many things had spun out of control.

Whether it was Weisai’s matter, Zhao Zicong’s situation, his own eyes, or Wang Le’s family, Shi Yi felt like everything related or unrelated had been shoved together at once. He now had to get used to wearing glasses, face the separation from childhood friends, and even reconsider his relationship with Ying Ming.

Thinking carefully, he wasn’t entirely clueless about why Ying Ming had been avoiding him recently.

He just didn’t want to dwell on it too much.

It was purely instinct. He knew that once certain things were laid bare, there would be no going back.

In fact, if it hadn’t been for Wang Le’s sudden situation, maybe he and Ying Ming wouldn’t have reached this point.

He glanced at the sleeping Ying Ming and frowned slightly.

The two of them had gradually pushed each other into this situation. They had been living with such clarity of mind, but the more aware they were, the more dissatisfied they became.

“How did I end up falling for a man…” Shi Yi tilted his head, lost in thought, his hand unconsciously brushing aside the strands of hair on Ying Ming’s forehead. He had never experienced this kind of impulse or desire before. With so many men and women around him, not even for a fleeting moment had he hesitated or wavered. His life had shown no signs at all, until suddenly, it veered off course.

What he had with Ying Ming was different from Wang Le’s situation, wasn’t it?

There couldn’t be anyone else in this world who could stir up such wild thoughts in him.

“Damn it. A perfectly normal person, driven insane by you.” Shi Yi frowned and unintentionally tugged a little harder at Ying Ming’s hair. That small action woke up Ying Ming, who had only been half-asleep.

Ying Ming opened his eyes and frowned. “Don’t make it sound like I’m the one who turned you gay. We’re no different. Both just as responsible.”

If they had to assign blame, it would be split right down the middle. Neither of them could escape it.

He shifted his position slightly. Though the sofa had been comfortable while he was asleep, now that he was awake, it felt increasingly uncomfortable. With a hint of malice, Ying Ming shoved against Shi Yi. “Move over. I’m about to fall off.”

Ying Ming leaned back, pressing even closer against Shi Yi.

The man behind him stiffened. “You’re at it again, huh?”

Ying Ming glanced at him lazily.

“If you keep rubbing up against me, you’re not getting up for the rest of the night.”

Their lower bodies were practically tangled together, and even though they weren’t face-to-face, Ying Ming’s subtle movements had a noticeable effect. It wasn’t until Shi Yi spoke through gritted teeth that Ying Ming finally noticed the growing heat and hardness pressing against his thigh. He raised an eyebrow. “All the way until tonight? Think you can handle that?”

Besides, the reason things escalated the way they had last night, leading to him ending up underneath, was largely because he had planned for it to be a one-time thing. If Shi Yi wanted a repeat, he shouldn’t even bother entertaining the thought.

To put it simply, this had been a one-off situation that couldn’t be replicated.

Ignoring Shi Yi’s darkening expression at his taunt, Ying Ming exhaled deeply and slowly sat up. The lingering soreness in his body, combined with the dizzying aftermath of his hangover, made him feel awful. Even though he hadn’t moved that quickly, he still felt a wave of nausea wash over him.

“Damn it,” he cursed under his breath, pausing for a long time before he could move again. Eventually, he shuffled slowly toward the bathroom.

He didn’t even bother putting on clothes. After all, in this warehouse, they had already seen everything there was to see.

Shi Yi watched him lazily disappear from view but didn’t stop him or say anything.

At some point, Smoke Ring jumped onto the sofa. Apparently not fond of Shi Yi’s scent, it stalked over to his feet and swiped at him with a paw.

“Shit.”

It didn’t really hurt, just felt awkward.

Shi Yi glared at Smoke Ring, who glared right back with wide, angry eyes, baring its teeth.

For once, it didn’t look so expressionless.

For a moment, it even seemed a little jealous.

For some reason, Shi Yi felt a little smug. His lips curled into a cocky smile as he reached for the cigarette the two of them had tossed aside earlier, pulling one out and lighting it. He held it between his teeth and began humming a tune, his voice breaking intermittently.

When Ying Ming walked out, drying his hair, he thought Shi Yi looked like a cat that had just stolen cream. He raised an eyebrow. “First thing in the morning, and you’re already acting shady? What’s with the voyeur routine?”

Irritated, Ying Ming didn’t bother to be polite.

Lately, every time he faced Shi Yi, an inexplicable surge of anger flared up inside him. Unless he got a few digs in, he just couldn’t feel at ease.

But Shi Yi didn’t get mad. He grinned around the cigarette. “I’m reminiscing.”

After all, he’d been the one who took advantage last night, and Ying Ming’s current reaction only made that smug, inexplicable sense of satisfaction burn stronger in his chest. Even though he knew pushing things further might end in a fight, he couldn’t resist stirring the pot.

Yet the reaction he was expecting didn’t come. Ying Ming simply kept drying his hair, pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge, and took a sip. Then, glancing at Shi Yi, he said casually, “Speaking as someone who was also there, I’d suggest brushing up on your technique. Makes it a bit hard to want to reminisce.”

Shi Yi frowned. “You trying to get yourself killed?”

This back-and-forth again? What was it with him and starting things first thing in the morning? Was he deliberately trying to provoke another round?

Ying Ming tossed him a bottle of water. Only after seeing Shi Yi catch it and unscrew the cap did he shut the fridge. “Alright, enough lying there playing dead. Get up, clean up, and get out.”

“So you’re just tossing me out when you’re done?”

“What, you expect me to keep you around to plant seeds? You’re not exactly sprouting anytime soon.”

His eyes drifted toward Shi Yi’s lower half as he smirked. “And considering your genetic baseline, I don’t think there’s much hope for improvement.”

That finally did it. He’d officially crossed the line.

Shi Yi, who prided himself on being able to tolerate a lot, was still only human. And if he could still swallow his pride after being insulted like that, he wouldn’t be Shi Yi.

He grabbed the pants lying nearby, shoved his legs through them and fastened the button roughly before stepping over the couch and launching himself straight at Ying Ming. “You’re doing this on purpose!”

Ying Ming didn’t even bother dodging. Shi Yi slammed into him, and the two of them crashed against the warehouse wall. Shi Yi pressed an arm against Ying Ming’s chin, his expression a mix of rage and something darker, something almost feral.

They were close. Chest to chest, hips pressed together, with barely any space left between them.

Shi Yi applied more force with his hand, pressing Ying Ming forward. Even as Shi Yi tightened his grip around his neck, Ying Ming remained unfazed, showing no reaction until Shi Yi leaned in closer and bit down on his lips, pulling them into another rough kiss.

They had already slept together, so there was nothing tender about it.

By the time Shi Yi finally pulled away, his lips were slightly torn, a faint metallic tang of blood lingering in the air. It wasn’t serious, but the taste was unmistakable.

A smear of blood clung to the corner of Ying Ming’s lips, a faint, barely noticeable streak that somehow carried an air of danger.

The warehouse was large, yet it always seemed like the temperature spiked whenever the two of them were together. Neither of them moved, standing still and staring at each other as if this single moment might be the last. They locked eyes for so long that the tension became almost unbearable, until Ying Ming blinked, breaking the spell, and spoke with his usual calm tone.

“Time to go.”

He glanced at Shi Yi, “It’s already morning.”