TF01 81

For a long time, Shi Yi said nothing. In the end, it was Ou Yang who answered for him. “Shi Yi heard something had happened on your end and rushed over. We happened to catch a fire truck on the way.”

It was only then that Ying Ming realized something was off with Shi Yi’s reaction.

He tugged his arm and led him a few steps away from the crowd. Then he gently patted his elbow, the movement so light it was barely there. “I’m fine.”

His voice was so soft it was barely audible.

Shi Yi continued standing in place, stiff and silent. Even though he could see Ying Ming talking to him, it felt strangely distant, as if the words weren’t reaching him at all. A long moment passed before the frozen sensation in his chest finally began to thaw. He let out a breath and frowned slightly. “As long as you’re okay…”

After saying that, he turned as if to get back in the car.

Ying Ming caught his wrist. “There’s a private kitchen nearby that’s pretty good.” He wasn’t really asking for input. His gaze shifted slightly toward Ou Yang, who immediately picked up on the cue and gave a quick shake of his head. “I’ve got something to do at the office. I won’t join you for dinner.” As he spoke, he stepped aside and pulled out his phone to call the driver. Ying Ming didn’t try to stop him. He just pulled Shi Yi into the car.

Ying Ming took the driver’s seat, and Shi Yi sat in the passenger side. They didn’t say anything to the crew. Ying Ming simply drove off without explaining.

In truth, there wasn’t any so-called “private kitchen” in a place this remote.

Ying Ming circled the area twice but didn’t find a single proper restaurant. After hesitating for a while, he ended up driving back to the same resort as before. Since the car belonged to Shi Yi, they didn’t even have to stop to register or pick up a guest card. The gatekeeper waved them through without a second glance.

He parked in the lot. The sky was fully dark by now, and the area around them was completely empty. Ying Ming got out and walked around to open the passenger door, but Shi Yi only glared at him.

For a long time, Shi Yi didn’t move. Then, he reached out, pulled Ying Ming close, and kissed him. His head tilted at an awkward angle in the cramped space.

This time, his kiss was slow.

It was nothing like his usual intensity. This kiss carried a quiet sense of comfort. There was no fire, no roughness, just a slow, dragging motion, as if he needed to confirm that Ying Ming was really here. His unsteady breathing and chilled palms betrayed the turmoil still churning inside him.

He knew Ying Ming was probably fine.

Even when they were on the phone earlier, Ying Ming had sounded calm. His voice had been steady, and it was clear from the background noise that he hadn’t been standing right at the blast site.

Shi Yi was just… shaken.

That feeling of not knowing exactly what had happened to the other person left him at a loss. Even if the possibility had been almost nonexistent, the moment he got out of the car and saw flames everywhere, something in his chest clenched tight. It was similar to the time when he and Ying Ming had been cornered in an alley and a shard of glass nearly stabbed into Ying Ming. It wasn’t fear that came from realizing he might lose him. It was something deeper, more instinctive. A tension that came purely from the body’s reflex to danger.

Unless he saw Ying Ming standing there in front of him, he simply could not calm down.

Even now, even with Ying Ming perfectly fine, the anxiety wouldn’t let go.

Shi Yi felt like he wasn’t himself anymore. It was as if the smallest ripple in Ying Ming’s mood could shift his own, dragging along not just his emotions but his thoughts, his choices, and his entire way of living. Whatever lines he had drawn between work and personal life had been nearly obliterated.

He grabbed a fistful of Ying Ming’s hair, intentionally rough, almost spiteful. Only when Ying Ming frowned and let out a soft grunt did he finally let go. Then he got out of the car and leaned silently against the side.

Under the cover of night, no one noticed the two of them. But only the two of them could feel the surge and crash of the emotions passing between them.

After a long while, Shi Yi let out a breath and stared up at the sky. He muttered under his breath, voice tight and quiet.

“Ying Ming, if one day you ever leave me, no matter the reason, I think I’ll end up killing you.”

If at first they had come together because they gave in to the desires buried deep inside them, then the turmoil now brewing in Shi Yi’s chest had become something far more dangerous.

People liked to say that no one truly understands themselves.

But for Shi Yi, that idea didn’t hold.

He knew himself better than anyone.

He had always lived with clarity and control. Even when facing his own father, he had kept a mental scale that measured everything precisely. He wasn’t someone who acted rashly without preparation. If he made a move, it had to be decisive and clean.

But now, when it came to this relationship with Ying Ming, he was beginning to lose that control.

If what brought them together was passion, then that passion was bound to fade eventually. When it did, they could each take a step back and return to the separate paths they had originally been on, continuing their lives as Shi Yi and Ying Ming. That was part of the reason they hadn’t told any of their friends. It was an unspoken understanding between them, a kind of mutual reserve. They rarely talked about forever. Neither of them wanted to dwell on that possibility.

Because forever had never felt realistic to them.

Their futures were never meant to include each other. No one could say how far this unintended collision would pull their lives off track.

And yet, now…

Shi Yi turned to look at Ying Ming and let out a helpless laugh. “Listen, if you’re going to regret this, you’d better run now while you still can.”

If they dragged this out to the end, it really might take both of them down.

His eyes gleamed in the dark. The words sounded like a threat, but somehow they carried a strange kind of gentleness. Ying Ming stood with his hands in his pockets, watching him. It took him a while to speak, his voice carrying that signature cocky edge. “Between the two of us, I’m not sure who should be running.”

Shi Yi was a madman, but he was no picture of stability either.

He might not show it as much, but that didn’t mean he carried any less.

Over the years, Ying Ming had always seen himself as someone who could afford to lose. Whether it was fame or money, he believed that if he could pick them up, he could also let them go. There was nothing in the world so devastating that a person couldn’t get past it. Even if he hit rock bottom, he was still confident he could climb back out.

Because he had always been someone whose rational judgment outweighed his emotions.

That confidence he had once held was starting to wear thin. Looking at the man beside him, Ying Ming, for once, set aside his usual evasiveness. He spoke the words that had been weighing on his heart with rare seriousness. “Shi Yi, I want you to promise me something.”

“What is it?”

“No matter how bad things get between us in the future, even if it feels like we can’t go on, don’t ever bring up breaking up so casually.” He met Shi Yi’s eyes. “If there’s a problem, we can work it out. No matter how serious it is, there’s always a solution. Even if you’re furious, don’t just decide to walk away.”

He leaned against the car door, his voice carrying that familiar low rasp. “As long as you say it, I’ll always agree. That’s a principle I’ve always followed. Every person I’ve ever dated has heard me say the same thing. If you want to break up, I won’t stop you. But once I agree to it, that’s the end. There’s no turning back.

The truth was, he had never planned to say any of this to Shi Yi.

The two of them had been walking along the edge from the very start, always one step away from the drop. No one could tell who would fall first, or who would give up first. What had started as a trial run had come this far, and Ying Ming had to wonder, if the day ever came when Shi Yi said he wanted to end it, could he really let go as easily as he always had, just walk away and be done with it?

He was the one making the terms. But somehow, it felt like he was the one begging.

Shi Yi started to think the shock earlier had messed with his head. In his mind, Ying Ming was someone who would never lower himself in front of anyone.

If pride was a form of persistence for most people, then for Ying Ming, it was the very foundation of who he was.

After so many years of ups and downs in the industry, he would never have made it this far without a strong sense of pride. The boundaries he had held onto all this time, the drive to keep moving forward step by step, all of it came down to that same pride rooted in his bones. He had refused to give up, simply to prove that he could stand on his own.

Something in Shi Yi’s chest tightened, sharp enough to sting. He frowned and nodded. “I promise you.”

He would not walk away unless there was truly no way forward.

He would hold on, not just for himself, but for Ying Ming as well.

When Ying Ming had left the set earlier, he hadn’t given anyone a heads-up. So by the time the two of them were halfway through their meal, his assistant’s call came through.

“The director’s furious. Do you want to head back first?”

Through the phone, he could still faintly hear Si Ji shouting in the background. Ying Ming just raised an eyebrow. “Let him wait. Tell him I’m eating. I’ll head back in a bit.”

Either way, the result would be the same. Whether he was five minutes early or five minutes late, it wouldn’t change anything.

Shi Yi looked up across the table. “This won’t affect your filming?”

“With the set in that kind of chaos, what are they even filming? And it’s late already. It’s fine.” Ying Ming didn’t seem the least bit anxious. He and Shi Yi finished their meal and even stood outside for a while talking. Even after Shi Yi reminded him twice, he still made no move to rush back to set.

It wasn’t until the sixth call from his assistant that Shi Yi finally dragged him to the car and drove him to the hotel. To avoid drawing too much attention, Ying Ming got out before they reached the entrance. Before leaving, he reminded Shi Yi to be nicer to Smoke Ring. Just as the two of them were about to part ways, Shi Yi suddenly said something.

“Ying Ming, let’s find a chance to tell Kou Jing and the others about us.”

Ying Ming paused, then nodded. “Alright. Let’s arrange a dinner sometime.”

They exchanged a quiet smile, both knowing what the other meant.

Shi Yi honked the horn twice, then pulled away and disappeared into the night.

When Ying Ming returned to the hotel, he went to find Si Ji first. The man was still fuming, and naturally, the things he said were far from pleasant. Ying Ming had been prepared for it from the start and didn’t bother to explain much. After ranting for quite a while and getting no reaction, Si Ji finally exploded and kicked him out of the room.

Huai Qishen happened to be just outside. When he saw Ying Ming come out with a cigarette between his lips, he leaned in and asked, “He still not done yelling?”

The man across from him gave a small smile. “He’s done.”

“You look pretty happy for someone who just got chewed out.”

Most people would be in a bad mood after getting scolded like that, but Ying Ming didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

Ying Ming raised his brows and laughed. “The reason he’s so pissed is because, right before the fire, he left his wallet on the chair next to me.”

“He lost it?”

“Either that or it went up in flames.”

The assistant had assumed Si Ji was urgently looking for Ying Ming because he had left without saying anything, but Ying Ming knew the real reason. The man had probably realized his wallet was missing.

But really, who was to blame?

Ying Ming shrugged, completely unfazed. “It’s not like he told me to keep an eye on it.”

That night shoot had been scheduled intentionally, and he had done his part without cutting corners. Professionally speaking, he had done everything expected of him. Si Ji was a good director, no doubt about that. He just liked to put on airs too much.

But as the saying goes, those who act like a big shot are bound to get struck down by the heavens.