The car pulled up in front of the 18_TH building.
It was an exquisite six-story structure of glass, steel, and quiet arrogance, the kind of building that did not need a signboard to announce wealth. Everything about it looked expensive, from the polished entrance to the sleek security doors and the discreet gold lettering fixed against the wall.
Chen Yu parked the car, and the three of them got out.
Mo Fei adjusted his coat while Lily picked up her styling bag. Together, they headed into the building, where a man in a sharp corporate suit was already waiting for them.
The man bowed politely as they approached. "Mr. Mo, welcome. This way, please." He gestured forward.
Mo Fei nodded, and they followed him inside toward the elevator.
They got off on the fourth floor.
The elevator doors opened to a wide, open studio space buzzing with controlled chaos.
People moved in every direction. A photographer stood in the middle of the room, adjusting his lens.
A stylist fixed the collar of a model's jacket. Assistants rushed past carrying garment bags, makeup kits, and clipboards.
Several models stood on a raised platform at the center of the room, each holding a pose while waiting for their cue.
Louis spotted them almost immediately and walked over.
He thanked the man who had brought them in, then turned back to Mo Fei.
"This place is dope," Chen Yu said, looking around.
"So many people," Mo Fei murmured.
At that moment, a loud shriek rang from the far end of the room.
"Mo Fei!"
Everyone turned.
A woman jumped off the chair she had been sitting on, startling the makeup artist working on her face.
The makeup artist sighed.
Clearly, this was not the first time.
The woman ran toward them with frightening speed and threw herself at Mo Fei.
"Ouff... " Mo Fei staggered backward slightly but managed to catch himself.
Several people in the room turned to look. The moment they saw it was Xiao Mei, they collectively groaned and returned to what they were doing.
Apparently, this was also not new.
Xiao Mei pulled back and cupped Mo Fei's face with both hands. "Look at you," she said, eyes shining as she looked him over. "Looking all…"
She did not even finish the sentence before leaning in and kissing his cheek. "Argh, I've missed you so much!"
Mo Fei stared at her in shock.
Xiao Mei.
Model and actress. Popular S-tier global star.
World-class beauty.
Kissing his cheeks?
Ahh!.
To the god who had given him another chance at life. Mo Fei closed his eyes in bliss. Thank you. May you reign long on your throne.
Chen Yu rolled his eyes. "Xiao Mei, can you not be so shameless? Leave him be."
Xiao Mei pouted at him. "Leave him be? I haven't seen our Feifei... "
"My Feifei," Chen Yu cut in immediately.
Xiao Mei waved him off. "Whatever. I haven't seen our Feifei in so long."
Chen Yu groaned.
He did not hate this woman. Not exactly. But whenever Xiao Mei appeared, she always snatched Mo Fei's attention from him with the confidence of a thief who had never been arrested.
Mo Fei smiled at Xiao Mei. He remembered her.
She had not exactly been Mo Fei's closest friend, but Xiao Mei had always adored him and never spent even one yuan trying to hide it.
Whenever she had a chance to cling to him, praise him, bother him, or act pitiful in front of him, she took it.
She was older than him, yet somehow always acted like his junior.
Xiao Mei pressed closer, still holding him. Mo Fei's smile froze slightly.
Her outfit was already revealing enough, and with how close she stood, her curves were practically announcing themselves against him.
A proper gentleman would have looked away.
Unfortunately, the sleeping pervert inside Mo Fei chose that exact moment to wake up, stretch, and take interest in life.
"Ahh, gege," Xiao Mei complained, her voice soft and sweet. "I've missed you terribly. You never call me or text me."
"I apologize," Mo Fei said with a smile.
"Don't just apologize. What have you been up to?"
Chen Yu stared at her in disgust. The way she lowered her voice to sound cute made him want to throw salt at her. "You're an old woman," he said. "For once, have some dignity."
[A/n: throw salt? Is she a demon Chen Yu? Lmao]
"Dignity?" Mo Fei repeated absentmindedly. His gaze was still a little too distracted. "What's that?"
Chen Yu, "…"
Hopeless.
"Xiao Mei." A voice called from behind them.
It was Aria.
She walked toward them calmly, looking as if she had been here long enough to witness the disaster and had simply waited for the correct moment to intervene.
She grabbed Xiao Mei by the back of her dress near the collar. "Hands off."
"Noooo." Xiao Mei whined immediately. "I don't want to. I want to be with gege."
"Hello, Miss Lin," Louis and Lily greeted politely, bowing slightly.
Aria nodded back. "Hello." Then her gaze returned to Xiao Mei. "Hands."
Xiao Mei pouted.
But she obediently removed her hands from Mo Fei.
Mo Fei finally snapped back to reality.
Huh?
What just happened? He looked from Xiao Mei to Aria.
When did she get here?
"Let's go," Aria said, dragging Xiao Mei behind her. "Your shoot starts soon."
"No, gege, save me!" Xiao Mei stretched her hands toward Mo Fei as Aria pulled her away. "Help!"
Mo Fei instinctively reached out. Chen Yu smacked his hand.
"Ow." Mo Fei turned to him. "What was that for?"
"Hmph." Chen Yu snorted and walked away in anger.
Mo Fei turned back to Louis.
Louis merely shrugged.
Lily lowered her head, pretending she had seen nothing.
"Mo Fei, get ready!" Aria called from across the room.
"Aria, let go of me. You're ruffling my hair," Xiao Mei complained.
"I'm not even touching your hair," Aria said with a frown.
She tossed Xiao Mei gently into a chair, then turned to the waiting makeup artist.
"Fix this mess." She looked back at Xiao Mei. "Stay still, or I'll be forced to use violence."
Xiao Mei crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue.
But she stayed still.
She did not dare cross Aria too much.
Xiao Mei and Aria were close friends and had starred in multiple movies together. Today, Aria had agreed to escort her because Xiao Mei's manager was busy and had begged Aria to look after her for the shoot.
The manager clearly did not trust Xiao Mei to behave properly on her own.
A wise concern.
Aria stood nearby, watching as Xiao Mei finally sat still and allowed the makeup artist to work on her face.
For a moment, Aria's expression softened into a calm smile.
Xiao Mei huffed in the chair, still pouting, troublesome and pretending she had been wronged by the world.
A faint blush crept up Aria's cheeks. She turned her face away.
Xiao Mei was troublesome.
But unfortunately, that only added to her charm.
Minutes later, the shoot was fully underway.
"Yes, like that. A little turn… and pose."
The camera clicked.
"Perfect. Do it again."
The photographer's voice rang clearly across the set as he adjusted his angle and snapped shot after shot.
Fourteen models were posed on the raised stage. A black backdrop stretched behind them, while the platform had been arranged in three levels.
Six models sat at the bottom, six stood reclined at the top, and two sat in the middle.
Mo Fei and Xiao Mei were the two in the middle. They were the main models for the shoot.
They sat beside each other at the center of the arrangement, positioned perfectly to draw the eye without overpowering the rest of the composition.
Mo Fei wore a grey jacket with the 18_TH logo printed boldly across the back. His hair had been dampened, water slicking the light violet strands back from his face and adding a dangerous softness to his features.
Black leather trousers hugged his legs, paired with high-heeled boots that made his posture look even sharper.
A makeup artist had applied light makeup to accentuate his facial structure, bringing out the cool elegance of his violet eyes.
Beside him, Xiao Mei wore one of 18_TH's newest dress designs. The fabric clung and flowed in all the right places, making her look effortless and expensive.
Everyone on the platform wore pieces from the brand's newest collection.
Each model held their assigned pose. Some faced the camera directly. Some looked away. Others turned slightly, showcasing only their backs, allowing the clothing to speak first.
The arrangement was sleek.
Xiao Mei exuded a charm that was almost impossible to resist.
And although Mo Fei's shameless little pervert nature had very much awakened earlier, this was work.
With a pitiful internal groan, he forced himself to focus. He would enjoy the view later.
After the job.
"Mo Fei," the photographer called, pointing toward him. "I need you to lean back slightly."
Mo Fei did as instructed.
He leaned back, one hand resting against the second step behind him, his body relaxed but still elegant.
"Xiao Mei," the photographer continued, "can you rest over him? Give me the feeling of a dejected lover."
Xiao Mei shrugged, then adjusted her position smoothly.
She draped half her body over Mo Fei's legs, one hand falling toward the ground. Her face tilted downward, expression calm and cool, as if heartbreak was something she had decided to wear beautifully.
"Perfect," the photographer said. "The rest of you, stay like that."
He lifted the camera and took multiple shots.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The sound filled the studio.
Minutes later, the group shoot was done, and it was time for individual shots. One by one, the models stepped onto the stage and posed as directed. Each had their moment under the lights before stepping down for the next.
Mo Fei stood off to the side, taking a water break.
His turn was coming soon.
The model currently on stage finished, and the photographer glanced toward him.
"Mo Fei."
Mo Fei walked up. The photographer looked him over carefully, then held his chin in thought.
"Take off the jacket."
Mo Fei tilted his head. "What?"
"The jacket," the photographer repeated, pointing. Then he lifted his camera again.
Mo Fei blinked.
If you want to see my lovely abs and muscles, just say so.
Still, he shrugged and took the jacket off.
Underneath, the white compression shirt he wore clung tightly to his body, outlining his waist, chest, and shoulders with painful honesty.
The studio went slightly quiet.Several people turned to look.
A few ladies quickly turned their faces away, blushing.
Mo Fei's body was well built despite the fact that he did not work out often. His body had naturally good proportions, lean, elegant, defined in a way that made clothes look expensive and skin look illegal.
Mo Fei noticed the attention and smiled faintly.
Off to the side, Xiao Mei licked her lips. "Tasty."
Aria immediately smacked her over the head.
Mo Fei laughed softly and slung the jacket over his shoulders.
"Hold that pose!" the photographer said quickly.
Mo Fei looked at him. This?
"Are you sure?"
The photographer nodded, already lifting the camera.
"Yes. Slight tilt of your chin."
Mo Fei did as instructed.
"Someone dim the lights a bit!"
Click.
"Good. Take your hand back."
Click.
"Lift your chin."
Click.
"Good. Now hold… hold…"
Click.
"Change."
Click.
Click.
Click.
The camera continued firing.
Mo Fei shifted from one pose to the next with calm precision. A lazy tilt of his head, lowered gaze, hand slipping into his pocket. The jacket sliding half off one shoulder. His expression cold one moment, faintly amused the next.
The photographer's eyes brightened with every shot.
Multiple clicks later, he finally lowered the camera.
Mo Fei's individual session had taken much longer than everyone else's. From the pleased look on the photographer's face as he scrolled through the shots, it was obvious he had gotten more than he expected.
Mo Fei walked off the stage and passed the jacket to Louis.
He was exhausted.
He flexed his hand, then cracked his neck.
Four hours.
He turned and looked over the entire set. He had been working for four hours.
Fuck.
But the money was kind of worth it.
Then again… Now that he knew he was rich, was it really?
¥45 million yuan.
Wasn't that a little insulting for an A-list model?
Mo Fei frowned slightly.
People were still looking down on him because of the scandal and Louis was accepting whatever job came in for now, just to rebuild his public image and push him back into circulation.
Fine.
Mo Fei's lips curved faintly.
When I build my image back, I'll shove your petty fees down your throats.
Chen Yu walked over to him. "You look tired."
A few models passed by and waved politely.
"Nice work today."
"It was nice working with you."
"Mo Fei, hi."
Mo Fei bowed and smiled, answering each one with practiced ease. Then he turned back to Chen Yu. "I want my car, and I want it now."
Louis looked between them. "Car?"
Chen Yu nodded. "He finally wants a ride of his own."
"Who wants a ride?" Aria walked over with Xiao Mei beside her.
Chen Yu pointed at Mo Fei.
"Huh?" Aria looked at him. "I thought you hated driving."
"Since when?" Mo Fei asked.
Aria placed one hand on her hip. "Since forever. You said so yourself. Every damn time I asked you to drive or buy a car."
Mo Fei paused for half a second. Then he waved it off. "Well, not anymore."
"A car sounds good," Xiao Mei said, perking up. "What are you getting?"
"A BMW M5 Competition," Mo Fei said.
Everyone nodded.
Not bad.
Xiao Mei stretched slightly and sighed. "Ugh, I'm starving. Anyone want to get lunch?"
"Yeah, me too," Aria said. "I haven't eaten all day."
Chen Yu lifted his chin. "My restaurant is open."
Everyone turned to look at him as if he had said something stupid.
Chen Yu frowned. "What?"
"Chen Yu," Xiao Mei said seriously, "your restaurant costs a fortune. Not judging, but eating there will reduce me to a pauper. And the food is addictive."
"You're just a stingy chicken," Chen Yu sneered. "Grow up and spend money before you croak."
[A/n: croak—die]
Xiao Mei gasped in horror and immediately leaned into Aria's arm.
Aria held her comfortingly. "He doesn't mean it."
Chen Yu looked like he absolutely meant it.
Mo Fei sighed and raised one hand. "Come on. Let's go. My treat."
Everyone nodded instantly.
If Mo Fei was paying, then sure. They immediately started heading out.
Mo Fei, "…"
He was surrounded by wealthy people, and yet they were all scared to spend a dime?
Were they kidding him?
He had only just discovered his wealth.
And already, they were helping him reduce it.