Yuan Ye had never thought about the concept of separation. Why would they ever separate? 

Friends come and go, and divorces are common in the entertainment industry, but Fang Shaoyi and Yuan Ye have always been a unit. At first, no one believed that they could last, but later, their close friends never doubted their love. They were definitely going to be together for a long time, and no one could ever tear them apart.

However, problems did arise between them, and it lasted for a long time. 

On the surface, everything started with that incident on the set. After that, things went off track and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get their relationship back to how it used to be. They both said they had moved on and weren't thinking about that incident anymore, but for some reason, they just couldn't go back to the way things were before. 

Yuan Ye said he wanted to find himself, but what exactly is "self" and where should he look for it? In the ten years of marriage, he had already adapted to this pattern of planning his time around Fang Shaoyi, considering everything from Fang Shaoyi's perspective first, and he never felt it was wrong. Especially in recent years, Yuan Ye often forgot that he was "Yuan Ye" and instead identified himself as Fang Shaoyi's lover first and himself second. 

Many thoughts and words came to mind, but he hesitated to speak and eventually chose not to say anything at all. He poured all the thoughts in his mind and heart into his pen, and his writing became sharper and more realistic. However, it was no longer as straightforward as before, no longer like a knife that pointed and struck directly. 

Instead, there was always a layer of separation. His writing used to be rooted in the earth, and some said it was a romantic fusion of the spirit of the mountains and the wild. But as he grew older, the romanticism in his writing became weaker. Perhaps this was related to age. After all, a person's thoughts change with each stage of life, don't they?

But whether this change was right or not, and whether their long-standing way of getting along was healthy or not, these thoughts became more and more frequent and profound as the two individuals separated and were no longer bound together. 

Feng Leizi would call Yuan Ye every few days. The film industry was in desperate need of screenwriters, and experienced ones were always in short supply. Meanwhile, there was an overabundance of inexperienced writers, leading to a distorted market. Yuan Ye was like a piece of meat, sizzling with oil, and literary planners kept a close eye on him. Feng Leizi relied on his personal relationship with Yuan Ye and always wanted to bring him onto his own projects.

"Brother Ye, I need your help," Feng Leizi pleaded on the phone. "My boss asked me to find someone, and when I heard the requirements, I thought of you right away."

Yuan Ye laughed and cursed at him before saying, "I can't write your boss's story. He's too demanding." 

"How can we produce good work without being demanding?" Feng Leizi was getting anxious and whispered, "Bro, we snatched the copyright from three directors for 'Furnace Fire.' The story is here, and it's definitely award-winning."

"Why don't you write it yourself?" Yuan Ye sneered and saw through his thoughts. "The better the story, the more likely the screenwriter will be blamed if it doesn't win."

"But I can't write!" Feng Leizi started to act like a child. "Brother Ye, Uncle Ye, can you please help me? If I can't find anyone else, I might as well give up." 

Feng Leizi's boss was Lin Feng, an art film director who has won countless awards abroad but is not very popular domestically. However, his passion lies in storytelling, and he doesn't need to worry too much about the domestic market. If Yuan Ye takes on this project, he will be tied to this story. Lin Feng is known for being meticulous, so he won't be able to leave easily. It could take anywhere from one and a half to three years.

At first, Yuan Ye's immediate reaction was to decline the offer. He couldn't handle the demands. Especially since Fang Shaoyi had another film to shoot in England, and Yuan Ye had never let him go abroad on his own before.

But eventually, Yuan Ye was persuaded to take on another project from Feng Leizi, a commercial detective film that was not as demanding and had a much more relaxed schedule. 

During that time, Fang Shaoyi was in Europe alone. Yuan Ye didn't follow him and only stayed with him for the first week before returning home. Due to the time difference and their respective work and rest schedules, they sometimes couldn't talk on the phone for several days. When they did manage to talk, they would share their news and chat for a few minutes, still intimate with each other. 

When Yuan Ye had free time, he would fly over to visit Fang Shaoyi, stay for a few days, and then return home. It was a bit of a hassle and filled up his time, but he felt it was worth it just to see Fang Shaoyi. However, this still couldn't bring their relationship back to what it was before. 

It always felt like something was missing. 

Fang Shaoyi sent a proposal for a variety show to Yuan Ye, asking if he wanted to participate. Yuan Ye looked at it for two days. They had never participated in this kind of thing before, and Yuan Ye hated it. Fang Shaoyi didn't like it either. But this time, Fang Shaoyi sent it to him. It was a love travel program, going to several places and having a few love experiences on the show.

For some inexplicable reason, both of them signed up.

The naturalness and harmony that both sides deliberately showed were ultimately just false prosperity. A small matter was enough to break this tacit calm. 

Due to issues with other actors, there was a hiatus of about ten days in Fang Shaoyi's play. Yuan Ye had two events to attend, and if there were no unexpected circumstances, he would fly over for a few days. This was planned beforehand. They hadn't seen each other for almost two months before this, so it was impossible not to miss each other.

Yuan Ye messaged Fang Shaoyi: "Wait for me, baby. I'm coming to see you."

Fang Shaoyi didn't reply to the message. Yuan Ye put away his phone and changed his clothes before going out to have dinner with some people. They discussed some matters over the meal, and by the time they finished, it was already past nine in the evening. Yuan Ye had just returned from another city and hadn't paid attention to the temperature difference, so he was underdressed. 

As soon as Yuan Ye opened the door to his home, he sensed that something was off. He saw Fang Shaoyi's shoes and immediately looked up to see a coat draped over the sofa. 

Yuan Ye's eyes lit up with a smile - his lover had left him a little surprise, which he appreciated. 

But then he furrowed his brow.

He went upstairs and found the bedroom door open with the lights on. Fang Shaoyi was lying there with his eyes closed, his face as white as paper. Yuan Ye walked over quietly, knelt down on the bed, leaned in, and pressed his forehead against Fang Shaoyi's to check his temperature.

It was a little high, and Yuan Ye sighed inwardly. Before he could get up, Fang Shaoyi suddenly reached out and grabbed his head, planting a kiss on his lips. 

Yuan Ye whispered to him, "You're not asleep?" 

"Mhmm," Fang Shaoyi said with a heavy nasal tone, still holding onto him and maintaining the same posture as before. He pressed his lips against his and whispered, "I've been waiting for you."

His breathing was heavy and his voice was hoarse. Yuan Ye closed his eyes and when he opened them again, they were red.

Fang Shaoyi's return this time was also impulsive. He didn't take his medication in advance and flew back from the other side, which almost killed him due to the time difference. Yuan Ye asked him, "Why didn't you wait for me to go over there?"

"I couldn't wait," Fang Shaoyi smiled and whispered, "I couldn't wait two more days." 

This is a love confession, and love confessions are naturally sweet-sounding, but it's not the truth. Yuan Ye knows him so well that the truth is Fang Shaoyi is afraid that Yuan Ye will get tired, afraid that he will have to squeeze time to fly to Europe, and afraid that this relationship can only rely on one person to give and maintain.

At that moment, Yuan Ye was lying next to Fang Shaoyi, his arms around him, his face buried in Fang Shaoyi's neck, quietly holding him for a long time. Fang Shaoyi's body was always warm, dry, and comfortable, making people intoxicated and infatuated.

Fang Shaoyi flew back, suffering from the jet lag for ten days, leaving very little time left. 

As Yuan Ye watched Fang Shaoyi suffer, he found himself at a loss for words. In the past, he would have lashed out in frustration, scolding Fang Shaoyi for wasting his time and not adjusting to the time difference. 

But now, Yuan Ye couldn't seem to articulate his emotions, which were jumbled and overwhelming. Even as someone who loved to write, he couldn't find the right words to describe it all.

When did they start needing each other like this? It all seemed like a failure, no matter how hard they tried. 

One morning, after Yuan Ye had finished making breakfast, Fang Shaoyi came downstairs and poured himself a glass of water. Yuan Ye smiled at him, but still couldn't find the words to express what he was feeling. 

Fang Shaoyi couldn't really eat anything, but to Yuan Ye at ease, he still had some porridge. His complexion still wasn't good, and he hadn't recovered yet. Yuan Ye looked at his dry lips with an unnatural color and suddenly spoke up, "Brother Yi, are you tired?"

Fang Shaoyi looked at him and asked, "Tired of what?"

"Tired of being with me," Yuan Ye lowered his head, then after a while, he said, "I feel like you're especially tired right now."

Fang Shaoyi put down what he was holding and lightly touched his fingers together, asking him, "Are you tired?"

Yuan Ye didn't say anything, he just shook his head. 

"We..." Yuan Ye started, but he didn't know how to continue. What was wrong between them? Actually, nothing much, but why did it feel so uncomfortable? They had already talked about everything they should have talked about, and anything more would just be repeating old words.

Two men in their thirties, with no problems in their relationship, had made a mess of it. Looking back, they couldn't even think of a reason why. It was ridiculous.

Fang Shaoyi had no expression on his face, but his gaze was deep. He had been staring at Yuan Ye all this time, and finally asked him, "What do you want to say?"

Yuan Ye looked up at him, but didn't continue speaking. He had already said everything he could.

"What do you want?" Fang Shaoyi asked again, his voice low and heavy. "Just say it if you want something." 

Yuan Ye let out a sigh and rubbed his head. He even felt like laughing a little. He innocently said, "I don't want anything. What could I possibly want?" 

He actually laughed after saying this and reached out to touch Fang Shaoyi's hand. He shook his head and said, "Forget it, I just want you to be well. Don't be unhappy." 

Fang Shaoyi reached back and held his hand, his fingers pinching Yuan Ye's ring. 

Yuan Ye smiled at him.