By late afternoon, their shopping had reached a level that could no longer be called casual.
It was a movement.
A mall employee had to arrange a car to transport the bags back to Mo Fei's apartment. Another staff member offered to have the rest delivered directly. A third whispered something about loyalty membership upgrades, and Mo Fei accepted without understanding half of it because it sounded expensive and respectful.
By the time they finally returned to Mo Fei's apartment, the delivery staff arrived behind them with enough bags to make the entrance look like a luxury warehouse.
Aria stood in the living room, fully awake now, hair loose, wearing a robe and holding a cup of tea.
She stared at the bags.
Then at Mo Fei and Chen Yu, back at the bags again.
For a full ten seconds, she said nothing. Finally, she asked, "Did you buy the mall?"
Chen Yu dropped onto the sofa. "Not all of it."
Mo Fei removed his sunglasses. "They were unwilling to sell the elevator."
Aria slowly set her cup down. "I leave you both alone for one morning."
Mo Fei smiled brightly. "And look how productive we were."
At that moment, Mo Fei's phone powered back on and immediately exploded with missed calls and messages from Louis.
Mo Fei looked at the screen.
Aria looked at him. "Should I ask?" she said.
"No," Mo Fei and Chen Yu answered together.
The phone rang again.
Louis.
Mo Fei inhaled deeply and answered. "Good evening, my sweet loving loyal manager."
Louis's voice came through the speaker, dangerously calm. "Cut the bullshit! Where are you?"
"At home."
"Where were you?"
Mo Fei looked around the living room.
Bags everywhere. Boxes everywhere.
Chen Yu eating something from a luxury chocolate box he did not remember buying.
Aria already opening one of the shopping bags with interest.
Mo Fei smiled. "I swear I am at home"
"Mo Fei." Louis called.
"Yes?"
"How much did you spend?"
Mo Fei slowly turned to Chen Yu.
Chen Yu shook his head violently.
Mo Fei looked at Aria.
Aria raised both brows.
Mo Fei cleared his throat. "Define spend."
Louis hung up.
Mo Fei stared at the phone.
Chen Yu burst out laughing.
Aria picked up the scarf Mo Fei had bought for her and paused.
Her expression softened. "This is for me?"
Mo Fei looked away, suddenly very interested in a shopping bag near his foot. "Maybe."
Aria smiled.
Chen Yu opened his own gift and saw the knife set. He froze.
Mo Fei lifted his chin. "What? You said you wanted better knives to stab Sima Li and you like collections."
Chen Yu's eyes softened, he blinked rapidly and looked away. "I'm not crying."
"No one said you were," Aria said gently.
"I'm not."
Mo Fei smiled. "Fine. You're not."
Chen Yu sniffed once, then immediately covered it by grabbing a pillow and throwing it at him. "You spent too much, idiot."
Mo Fei caught the pillow. "So did you."
Chen Yu grinned. "As friends should."
Aria shook her head and laughed.
Around them, the apartment was filled with bags, boxes, receipts, laughter, and the warm glow of reckless joy.
Mo Fei looked at everything and felt a strange, bubbling happiness rise in his chest.
For once, the money in his account was not a survival number.
It was not fear or debt.
It was not proof that he had to beg the world to value him.
It was his.
Earned by him. Spent by him.
Celebrated with the people who loved him loudly enough to drown out the noise outside.
Mo Fei picked up a chocolate, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.
Chen Yu leaned back against the sofa, satisfied.
Aria wrapped the scarf around her neck and smiled.
Luxury, somewhere, quietly wept.
Two hours later...
As they sorted through the bags, Mo Fei finally found his phone buried under a pile of tissue paper, receipts, and one expensive belt he did not remember choosing.
Chen Yu was kneeling on the floor nearby, surrounded by shopping bags like a criminal caught with evidence.
Mo Fei unlocked his phone and opened his gallery, scrolling through the photos he and Chen Yu had taken earlier at the mall.
He wanted to post something.
The first photo showed both of them standing at the entrance of the luxury mall, sunglasses on, fists bumped together.
The second showed Chen Yu holding three watches against his wrist with the seriousness of a man choosing a crown.
The third was of Mo Fei sitting in the private lounge, iced drink in hand, surrounded by shoe boxes like royalty receiving tribute.
The fourth was a mirror selfie of him and Chen Yu standing side by side, dressed in outfits they absolutely did not need but had bought anyway.
Mo Fei selected the photos and uploaded them.
The caption was simple.
Retail therapy.
@ChefYu
He tagged chen Yu
After posting, Mo Fei scrolled down his profile and paused when he saw the photo from the previous night, the one of him standing on the AURORA stage.
It already had over three million likes and thousands of comments.
For a moment, his thumb hovered over it.
Then he decided against checking.
Reading through those comments might only stress him out, and today was not for stress.
Today was for spending money, eating chocolate, and pretending consequences were a problem for tomorrow's Mo Fei.
He dropped the phone beside him. His gaze shifted to the packages spread across the room.
Bags. Boxes. Tissue paper. Ribbons.
Receipts.
Proof of one reckless afternoon and the strange, sweet joy of being able to choose something simply because he wanted it.
In less than a few minutes, likes and comments began pouring in.
Mo Fei picked up his phone again and, with a faint heart, scrolled through them.
Hanjun:
Retail therapy? Bestie, this is retail warfare.
Geniein a bottle:
Love the jacket!!
Angelin:
Chef Yu holding three watches like he's choosing the next emperor.
tsurvivor:
Yesterday he was moonlight. Today he is someone's credit-card nightmare. Gotta love this man.
Meilin:
Sign here if you believe our runway prince hasn't faded yet.
Cala_mey:
Retail therapy suits you, Mo Fei. Keep shining.
Auntylin:
That mall did not stand a chance, lol.
Moonsandr:
I'm so jealous of the bags he's holding, wish it was me, sob sob.
Archive:
Mo Fei in sunglasses is not a man. He is a financial warning.
Momo:
Next post gonna be in 2076, Mo fei have mercy on your fans.
Jima madeit34:
Seeing him laugh and shop like this makes me so happy. He deserves peace.
Thatgirl_lily:
I work nearby and heard staff whispering about "the two handsome disasters." Was that them?
Uptownfever:
From stage god to shopping menace in less than 24 hours. Range.
Mo Fei smiled.
The comments were positive.
Warm, teasing, silly.
Normal.
As more likes came pouring in, a new comment caught his eye.
SimaLiOfficial:
No invitation?? Betrayal!
Mo Fei chuckled and replied with a laughing emoji.
He dropped his phone again and slumped back onto the floor, staring up at the ceiling.
Life as a celebrity was stressful.
Exhausting and Unpredictable.
One day, people praised you like a god. The next, they waited for you to fall.
But then there were moments like this.
Moments where the money was his, the laughter was real, and the people around him did not need him to be perfect to love him.
He tilted his head and glanced across the room.
Chen Yu and Aria were currently fighting over a scarf, both of them tugging at opposite ends like children refusing to surrender treasure.
Mo Fei laughed.
Yup.
Worth it.