Louis drove them home.
By the time the SUV pulled into the apartment garage, the late-night excitement of the concert had begun to soften into exhaustion. Everyone climbed out one after another, still carrying traces of the stadium with them, the noise, the lights, the adrenaline, the laughter.
Nil wished them all goodnight before leaving with Louis.
Sima Li, Mo Fei, Yichen, and Chen Yu headed into the building together and took the elevator up.
When they reached the penthouse floor, Mo Fei walked to his apartment door, slid in his key card, and pushed it open.
"Well," a woman's voice called from inside, "you guys sure took your time getting home."
Mo Fei froze.
Standing inside his apartment was Aria Lin.
"Aria!"
"Hiii." Aria smiled and waved.
The next moment, Chen Yu rushed past him and threw both arms around her.
"Lin!"
"Ouff... Chen Yu!"
Aria staggered under his weight, and before she could steady herself, Mo Fei also launched himself at her.
The three of them went crashing to the ground.
Mo Fei laughed in disbelief.
He had not seen or spoken to Aria properly since she left abroad after handing him the key to this apartment. She had been swallowed by work, shoots, and travel, while he had been swallowed by scandal, survival, and everything that came after.
And now she was here.
"Hahaha… guys, you're crushing me," Aria laughed, lying beneath the weight of two dramatic men.
"Just a little bit more," Chen Yu mumbled, burying his face against her chest.
"Oh, come on. You're not a baby anymore, Chen. Get off." She laughed harder.
Chen Yu and Mo Fei finally released her, and the three of them sat up on the floor.
"When did you get back?" Mo Fei asked immediately.
"Have you been waiting long?" Chen Yu asked at the same time.
"I can't believe you're back," Mo Fei added.
"You should have called," Chen Yu said.
"Boys!" Aria raised both hands, smiling. "Relax. One question at a time."
Mo Fei stood first and held out a hand to her.
Aria took it, letting him pull her up. Chen Yu stood as well, still grinning like a child who had just received his favourite person back.
"Come on." Mo Fei grabbed Aria's hand and dragged her toward the couch. "We have so much to tell you."
Chen Yu closed the door and followed.
Once they were settled, Aria looked between them both.
She had been gone for only a few weeks, but somehow, it felt longer. Work had been hectic. Her schedule had dragged her across cities, shoots, and time zones, leaving her with only headlines, posts, and scattered updates to follow.
And in those few weeks of absence, Mo Fei had shocked her more than once.
She looked him over quietly.
There was more colour in his face now. More life. More light.
Mo Fei was smiling at her so brightly that something in her chest tightened.
Her friend had changed.
The Mo Fei she remembered after the scandal had been scared, timid, and fragile in a way that had terrified her. Back then, after everything that happened, she had not been sure if he would be able to rise above it.
Truthfully, when her manager dragged her off to Paris, she had been afraid to leave him alone.
Afraid he might hurt himself again.
Afraid one bad night would become the last one.
But he had proven her wrong.
Her friend had risen through it all.
She had watched every post. Every headline. Every clip.
Mo Fei closing Zhen's show, Vogue China. Mo Fei standing beneath the lights again like the world had never broken him.
And then, on her flight back as a surprise, she had watched him perform live at Sima Li's concert.
She had seen everything.
Aria reached out and took Mo Fei's hand in hers. He was still smiling. Tears welled in her eyes.
She sniffed.
Her Mo Fei was all grown up and more than that, he was happy.
He was happy again.
That mattered more than anything.
Without warning, Aria pulled him into a tight hug.
"Wahhhh, Mo Fei, you silly bastard!"
The tears she had been trying to hold back spilled freely down her cheeks.
"I can't believe you did all this. I'm so proud of you. Wahhhh."
Mo Fei froze for a breath, then he smiled and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as her tears soaked into his clothes.
He had missed this woman.
Aria was the first person who had stayed by his side when he woke up in this body. The first real friend who had shown him care without calculation. The first person who had made him feel that maybe, just maybe, he was not alone in this unfamiliar life.
They had not had time to talk properly because she had been busy working, but now she was back.
She was hugging him.
Crying in his arms because she was proud of him.
Mo Fei wanted the moment to last forever.
This feeling, the feeling of being appreciated, being seen. The feeling of being loved without having to earn it with perfection.
Chen Yu watched the mushy scene for all of three seconds before his own eyes filled with tears.
"Wahhhh… our Feifei is all grown up!" he hugged Mo Fei from behind.
Mo Fei laughed and cried at the same time.
Together, the three of them stayed like that for a while.
Three best friends reunited.
Three pieces of a home that had finally found one another again.
Later that night, after they had all freshened up, the apartment settled into a softer kind of chaos.
They gathered in Mo Fei's bedroom, dressed in pyjamas and chattering nonstop.
Mo Fei lay on the bed with one hand propping up his head. Chen Yu sat near the headboard, a bowl of popcorn in hand and a drink placed beside him.
Aria sat in the middle of the bed, her hair tied messily in a bun.
"Oh, you wouldn't believe it," Aria said, rolling her eyes. "He's the most insufferable model I've ever worked with."
She had been telling them about one of her recent shoots.
"Ugh." Chen Yu shivered dramatically. "Talking about him already disgusts me."
Mo Fei reached for the popcorn. "I can't believe he would do that to you."
Aria sighed.
"Unfortunately, people tend to misbehave around me every now and then because of my family."
It was no secret that Aria Lin came from a wealthy home. Because of that, many people accused her of buying her way to the top, even though she had never done anything of the sort.
She worked hard every day to earn her place among the elite, but people always preferred an ugly rumour to a simple truth.
Chen Yu clenched his fist. "Ignore them. They're all foolish beings. If he comes near you again, I'll beat him up."
Aria laughed. "I trust you will."
"I'll also fight," Mo Fei said, sitting up slightly. "Count me in. I'll take out his teeth. Let's see how he talks with two front teeth missing."
At that, all three of them burst out laughing.
When the laughter softened, Aria looked at Mo Fei.
"Seriously, Feifei," she said. "You really surprised me."
Mo Fei shrugged.
"I'm serious." Aria's gaze stayed on him. "You were never like this."
Mo Fei's smile faded slightly, but not completely. "Is it a bad thing to try to change?"
Aria immediately shook her head. "No. No, change is good." Her eyes softened as she looked between him and Chen Yu.
"I like change." She smiled. "And I love you both very much."
"Awwn, shucks." Mo Fei placed a hand over his chest. "We love you too, boo boo bear."
"Eh." Chen Yu raised one hand. "I love you half. All my love is for my Nil."
Aria gasped,she grabbed a pillow. "Say that again. How dare you?" She swung the pillow at him.
"Ow!" Chen Yu yelped. "Not fair. I can't love you. I only love my babe."
The pillow came down on him again and again.
"You silly little chef fraud," Aria shouted, whacking him furiously. "I'll hit you until you give in. Tell me you love me!"
"Never!" Chen Yu yelled, trying to shield himself.
He scrambled off the bed and ran.
Aria chased him around the room, pillow raised like a weapon.
"All right, all right, hold up!" Chen Yu shouted, laughing while trying to escape. "I give up. I love you."
"I didn't hear you," Aria said. "Say it louder."
Mo Fei laughed from the bed, watching them with bright eyes.
"Mo Fei, you're seeing this?" Chen Yu cried. "She only just returned and she's already bullying me."
"Aria," Mo Fei said through laughter, "think of your image."
"Image, my ass," Aria said, grabbing Chen Yu by the collar as he tried to flee. "He's dead meat today."
"Oh, for fuck's sake." Chen Yu surrendered dramatically. "I love you, Aria Lin."
"Louder!"
"I love you, please, you psycho!"
Aria finally released him and burst into laughter.
Chen Yu collapsed against the side of the bed, breathless and defeated.
Mo Fei laughed until his stomach hurt,the room was filled with nothing but warmth, popcorn, pillows, teasing voices and old love.
Aria looked at them both, a smile resting on her face.
They were together again just like before.
Her gaze drifted to Mo Fei.
He was still laughing, his eyes bright, his face alive in a way she had once feared she might never see again.
Aria's smile softened.
This time, she thought, she would make sure no one dared take that smile from him.
Ever.