Sima Li walked over to the bar in Yichen's apartment and poured himself a drink.
Then he poured another.
With both glasses in hand, he crossed the living room and stepped out onto the balcony.
Yichen stood there alone, leaning against the glass railing as he looked out over the city. A cigarette rested between his fingers, the faint orange glow burning quietly in the night.
Below them, the city stretched endlessly, towers of light, moving cars, distant noise softened by height and darkness.
Sima Li stopped beside him and held out one glass.
"I thought you quit," he said.
Yichen took the drink. "I did."
He brought the cigarette back to his lips, inhaled slowly, then exhaled smoke into the cool night air. "Old habits die hard, I guess."
Sima Li laughed under his breath and took a sip from his glass, he leaned back against the balcony railing, watching Yichen with quiet interest.
"What's on your mind?"
Yichen did not answer immediately, only silence sat between them.
Smoke drifted from Yichen's lips, curling into the night before disappearing. He flicked ash from the cigarette, his expression unreadable.
"Nothing much," he said at last.
Sima Li tilted his head. A small smile formed on his lips. "That doesn't sound like nothing."
Yichen's gaze remained on the city. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Eventually, you're going to have to."
Yichen exhaled softly. "Ahh" without looking at him, he said, "I hate you."
Sima Li laughed. "I know."
Yichen's lips curved faintly. For a while, neither of them spoke.
The night air moved gently around them, cool against their skin. The sounds of the city rose from far below, distant and blurred, like another world entirely.
Then Sima Li spoke.
"I think I like him."
Yichen turned his gaze toward him. "Who?"
Sima Li looked back at him. "You know who."
Yichen stared at him for a second, he shook his head softly, the faint smile on his lips not fading. "You're a walking disaster."
"I know."
"He's never going to look at you."
"Impossible." Sima Li gestured to himself with his glass. "Who wouldn't? Look at me. I'm perfect."
"And cocky," Yichen added.
Sima Li huffed, but the confidence in his expression faltered slightly.
Yichen looked at him for a moment. "But who knows?" He said "Maybe."
Sima Li lowered his head.
For once, the performer, the fan-service king, the shameless global star, looked uncertain.
"You think I should try?" he asked quietly. "What if he rejects me?"
Yichen placed a hand on his back and patted him once. "Then I'll drink with you."
Sima Li scoffed.
But he did not pull away, a soft smile slowly formed on his lips.
Fine.
He would confess.
And whatever came after, he would face it.
The pillow war in Mo Fei's apartment eventually died down.
Not because anyone had matured.
No.
It ended because Chen Yu collapsed dramatically on the floor and declared himself a victim of domestic violence.
Aria sat cross-legged on the bed, still holding the pillow like a weapon.
Mo Fei lay on his stomach beside the popcorn bowl, laughing into the mattress.
"You deserved it," Aria said, pointing the pillow at Chen Yu.
Chen Yu lifted his head from the floor and glared at her.
"I said I loved you."
"You said it under duress."
"You were beating me!"
"Exactly. Duress."
Mo Fei laughed harder.
Chen Yu dragged himself back onto the bed, grabbed a handful of popcorn, and stuffed it into his mouth with a pout.
Aria rolled her eyes fondly and leaned against the pillows.
For a while, the three of them simply stayed like that, talking about everything and nothing.
Aria told them about Paris, the rude stylists, arrogant models, boring afterparties, and one photographer who kept calling every pose "divine" until she nearly threw a shoe at him.
Chen Yu complained about having to resume work soon, cooking for hours on TV shows, Sima Li's face, Sima Li's voice, Sima Li's existence, and Zhang Yichen's emotional constipation.
Mo Fei, of course, listened while eating.
The room felt warm.
Like the outside world, with all its cameras, scandals, rankings, and headlines, had been locked out for the night.
Then Aria's phone chimed.
She reached for it lazily, still smiling from whatever ridiculous thing Chen Yu had just said. But the moment she unlocked the screen, her expression changed.
"Ouuuu."
Mo Fei glanced at her. "What?"
Aria sat up straighter and waved her phone. "Sima Li posted."
Chen Yu immediately frowned. "Tsk."
Mo Fei rolled onto his side and stretched one hand toward her. "Let me see."
Aria shifted closer so they could all look at the screen.
Chen Yu, despite claiming not to care, instantly leaned in too.
On Instagram, Sima Li's newest post had already begun exploding.
It was a carousel from the AURORA concert.
The first photo showed Sima Li standing beneath silver rain, drenched from head to toe, microphone in hand.
His leather pants had darkened from the water, and his varsity jacket hung half off one shoulder. Behind him, violet lightning split across the giant LED screen.
The second photo showed his dancers moving around him, their black costumes cutting through the rain like shadows.
The third photo made Mo Fei freeze.
It was him.
Mo Fei stood at the center of the rising platform, head slightly lowered, white hair glowing beneath cold blue light. His silver garment flowed around him like mist, and the rune-like markings across his bare upper body caught the light faintly.
Smoke curled around his feet, while the LED aurora behind him made him look almost unreal.
The caption read:
AURORA opened the sky tonight.
Thank you, China. Thank you to every fan who screamed with us.
Special thanks to @MoFeiOfficial.
Chen Yu slowly turned his head to Mo Fei. "Well," he said, "at least he's good at writing captions."
Mo Fei immediately reached for the phone. "Give me that."
Aria pulled it away, laughing. "No, no. We're reading."
"I refuse."
"You don't get to refuse. You opened a global concert."
Chen Yu nodded seriously. "A very expensive show."
Mo Fei's ears turned slightly red. "I was helping a friend."
"You charged him double," Chen Yu said.
"As friends should."
Aria laughed and clicked into the comments.
The comment section was moving wildly.
Lima: I AM STILL SHAKING. AURORA WAS NOT A CONCERT, IT WAS A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE.
moonsforli: Everything… I was at the front row, guys. I'm still in awe.
Fanji: Once again, Sima Li cooks and delivers. Ahhh, I love this man.
Rababie: The opening was insane. I thought it was CGI until he moved.
Jiji: Wasn't expecting Mo Fei at all, but he once again showed us why he's the Prince of the Runway.
Lilili: Sima Li really said let me bring thunder and then casually summoned Mo Fei as moonlight.
Notokaya: I bought a concert ticket and left converted to whatever religion Mo Fei belongs to.
Billie: We go again next year. I'm not missing this again.
Mo Fei pressed his lips together.
Chen Yu made a strangled sound.
Aria covered her mouth.
Then all three of them burst out laughing.
"Whatever religion Mo Fei belongs to?" Chen Yu wheezed. "Feifei, congratulations. You're a cult leader now."
Mo Fei grabbed a pillow and hit him with it. "Shut up."
Aria kept scrolling, eyes bright.
Watcher: From Zhen's runway to Sima Li's stage in weeks? Mo Fei is moving differently.
Industrytea: This comeback is starting to look less like luck and more like strategy.
Chen Yu's smile slowly sharpened. "Hmm."
Mo Fei glanced at him. "Why did you make that sound?"
"That was the sound of me smelling future trouble."
Aria nodded, her expression turning thoughtful as she scrolled further.
Not all the comments were praise.
Meimei: He only got the opening because the original model cancelled. Let's not act like he was first choice.
Damagrin: Why is Mo Fei suddenly everywhere? Zhen, Vogue, now Sima Li? Who is backing him?
realist_889: Pretty face, yes. But people forget scandals too fast. Cancel him!!
Girljima: He's clinging to powerful people again. Nothing new. He's less and will always be less.
Mengz: I can't believe a star like Sima Li would fraternize with a homewrecker like Mo Fei. What has the world turned to?
Moodie: Disgusting. I turn on my screen and suddenly he's everywhere. He makes me want to scream. Cancel Mo Fei!
Han Wooju: We all know how this story goes. Mo Fei goes up and then comes crashing down again. Give it a few weeks.
The laughter in the room quieted.
Mo Fei stared at the comments, and the warmth in his expression dimmed slightly.
Chen Yu's face hardened immediately. "These blind rats," he snapped. "Give me ten minutes and their accounts will beg for mercy."
Aria looked at him. "What are you going to do? Cook them?"
"I can do worse."
Mo Fei reached over and gently took the phone from Aria. He looked at the screen for another moment, then he shrugged. "Let them talk."
Chen Yu frowned. "Feifei."
"No, really."
Mo Fei leaned back against the pillows, still holding the phone. "If they're asking why I'm everywhere, it means they're seeing me everywhere."
Aria's eyes softened.
Mo Fei smiled. "That's progress."
Chen Yu stared at him for a moment, and some of his anger cooled.
Aria smiled too. "That's my Feifei."
Mo Fei lifted his chin proudly. "I just have to prove to them that I'm not the same pushover Mo Fei."
"Right." Aria clenched her fist. "And we've got your back. Always."
"Mm mm." Chen Yu nodded firmly. "We're here for you."
Mo Fei looked at the two of them. His throat tightened. He sniffed.
Right.
He would not let those comments, or anyone's words, weigh him down.
He would show the whole damn world what he, Mo Fei, was capable of.
Aria stared at him for one emotional second.
Then she suddenly grabbed the pillow. "All right, enough mushiness. Who wants to play tag?"
Popcorn spilled across the bed as Chen Yu shrieked.
Mo Fei tried to escape.
Aria chased them both with the wrath of an older sister who had returned from abroad and found her children misbehaving.
And somewhere on the forgotten phone, Sima Li's post continued to climb.
The comments kept pouring in.
The world outside was already turning Mo Fei's name into tomorrow's headline.
But inside the room, surrounded by laughter, flying pillows, and the two people who had loved him before the world remembered how to say his name kindly, Mo Fei felt strangely untouchable.
For tonight, at least, the noise could wait.
Tonight, he was home.