Ning Shi

"sometimes i feel like i'm a cursed man
a living ghost with empty hands"

Ning Shi is a 52-year-old private investigator and mixed martial artist. He is a father of two children and he got divorced from the other father, Benny Lau, a few years ago. Ning is a moderately depressed compulsive hoarder who has trouble with letting things go, be it friends, past, or material possessions. Ning has lived in the United States since he was nine years old. He is the only child of a tai chi & wing chun instructor and an electrician.

Ning is a shy, practical man who in his job works with people constantly but in his private life finds establishing relationships difficult. His hoarding problem exploded after the split with his ex-husband Benny, and while Ning is very aware of his problem, he is painfully unaware of his lifelong depression. Ning has not invited anybody into his house in years - not even his own adult children.

As a P.I. Ning has not grown a hard emotional shell, and while he is good at his job and has the reputation of a reliable investigator, he becomes fond of people way too quickly to his own liking. That also is partially why he is so good at his job, for he takes every case very seriously. During his years he has earned the nickname Shy Nick due to his quiet demeanour as well as his chosen English name, Nicholas. Ning has claimed the name Nick, although to some close friends he's also known as Nini.

For Ning, it is important to be a good man and a loving father. He did not leave all the disciplining of his children to his ex-husband, however. Ning and Benny raised their children with loving care and kindness, and they're proud of their children like any parent should be. Despite the divorce, Ning and Benny love one another as the fathers of their children, and try to stay in touch in case they need to help their children together. Still, they find it hard to be in the same room for more than thirty minutes at a time.

Ning and Benny have two children together. The oldest is Cyan (she/her), a 23-year-old IT student, and the younger child is Chris (they/them), a 20-year-old photography student. Out of the two, Cyan has a markedly more Benny-like demeanour, and Chris has grown to be more similar to Ning both in looks and temper.