Mo Fei's apartment was dark. The curtains remained closed.
The lights were off.
The only source of illumination came from the television playing quietly in the background, showing some random drama Mo Fei had not actually watched for the past forty minutes.
He sat on the floor beside the sofa, one knee pulled up, a bottle hanging loosely in his hand.
His hair was a mess. His clothes were a mess.
His life was a mess.
Mo Fei was drowning. Not entirely metaphorically.
Well… slightly metaphorically.
But mostly literally, because the amount of alcohol sitting around him suggested he had decided the best way to deal with emotional damage was to personally challenge his liver.
A perfect representation of someone who had been personally betrayed by the universe.
"Ha…" Mo Fei stared at the ceiling. "Bai Ju was really unlucky." He took another drink. "Actually, unlucky is too polite. Absolutely cursed."
The bottle landed beside him with a soft clink. For an entire week, he had tried not to think.
Not about Su Feiyu.
Not about the past. Not about the fact that the person who closed the door on Bai Ju's dreams was someone he had once admired.
That was the most ridiculous part.
Bai Ju had looked up to her. Had believed she was someone worth chasing. And she had looked at him like he was nothing more than dust on an expensive shoe.
Mo Fei laughed quietly. "What a joke."
The room stayed silent.
And honestly, Mo Fei preferred it that way.
Silence did not ask questions, did not pity him, it did not try to drag him outside, force him into ridiculous clothes, and pretend he was anything other than a failure who had somehow been given a second chance he never deserved.
Unfortunately, the universe hated him.
Because just when he had finally reached a peaceful state of self-pity—
Knock.
Mo Fei froze. His eyes slowly moved towards the door.
Knock.
Knock.
His expression darkened. "Seriously?" He glared at the door like it had personally offended him.
His friends. It had to be. They had already tried everything.
Food.
Gifts. Emotional manipulation, this was probably some ridiculous plan they had spent hours preparing.
He picked up the bottle again and ignored the sound.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The knocking grew louder. More persistent.
More annoying.
Mo Fei's eye twitched. "Are you all insane?" The knocking continued.
He placed the bottle down slowly. Because if he moved too quickly, he might accidentally look happy.
And that would ruin the entire purpose of being miserable.
Mo Fei pushed himself up, walked towards the door, unlocked it and pulled it open.
"If this is another one of your ridiculous attempts to drag me outside, I swear—"
The words disappeared. So did his anger. Because standing outside his apartment… Was not Chen Yu. Not Sima Li. Not any of his friends.
It was Zhang Yichen.
Silence.
The kind of silence where even a dramatic tumbleweed would hesitate before crossing the scene.
Mo Fei. "…"
Yichen. "…"
Neither spoke.
Then Mo Fei's memory decided to attack him.
The last time he had seen Zhang Yichen, they had… He had…
His hands immediately flew over his mouth.
Yichen frowned. "What are you doing?"
Mo Fei stared at him through his fingers. "What are you doing here?"
Yichen's gaze moved past him.
The dark apartment, disaster pretending to be a living space. Then back to Mo Fei.
His expression said everything.
Mo Fei followed his gaze and looked down at himself.
"You're coming with me," Yichen said.
The confidence in that statement made Mo Fei pause. "Nope." He immediately moved to close the door.
"I appreciate the concern. Goodbye."
Yichen's expression did not change.
"No offence, Zhang Yichen, but after everything that happened recently, I think I have earned the right to sit here and drink my sorrows away."
Before the door could close, Yichen reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Yichen, let—"
Too late. One second, Mo Fei was standing.
The next— he was hanging over Yichen's shoulder.
Everything stopped.
Mo Fei blinked. "This— This is a kidnapping!"
Yichen frowned. "Lower your voice."
"HELP!" Mo Fei struggled. "I AM BEING ABDUCTED BY A CELEBRITY!"
Yichen looked exhausted. "You are embarrassing yourself. Be quiet." He started walking.
"Put me down! I am a human being! You cannot do this to me!" Mo Fei continued protesting all the way into the lift.
"Zhang Yichen! Zhang Yichen!"
Yichen ignored him completely.
When they reached the garage, Yichen finally put him down, opened the passenger door and shoved him inside.
Unfortunately for Mo Fei, Yichen had mastered the terrifying ability of winning arguments by saying nothing.
So Mo Fei stopped talking. Not because he had accepted defeat.
Simply because he was unsure what Yichen would do if he continued.
The drive was quiet. Mo Fei sat with his arms crossed, staring out the window. Eventually, the car stopped outside an elegant building.
Mo Fei looked up.
A luxury fashion house. His eyes narrowed.
Yichen stepped out.
After a moment of hesitation, Mo Fei followed.
Inside, they were immediately greeted by a woman.
She looked to be in her forties but somehow appeared younger. Beautiful, elegant, and carrying herself with the confidence of someone who knew exactly how much influence she held.
The moment she saw Yichen, her entire expression brightened.
"Yichen!"
Before he could react, she walked over and kissed both his cheeks. Mo Fei stood behind him watching.
This human iceberg. Allowing someone to touch his face.
The world really was ending.
"I haven't seen you in ages," she said warmly.
"I've been busy, Shushu." Yichen gave her a warm smile.
"Too busy for me?" Shushu pouted.
Yichen lowered his gaze slightly. "…No."
Shushu smiled triumphantly.
Yichen stepped aside. "I brought someone for you today."
Mo Fei immediately looked offended.
He wisely kept quiet. The way Yichen introduced him made him sound like an item being delivered.
Mo Fei waved awkwardly. "Hello."
"He needs help." Yichen gestured towards him. "Can you fix… this?"
Mo Fei's expression dropped. "What was that?"
Yichen looked at him. "What was what?"
"You just gestured at my entire existence." Yichen rolled his eyes.
Shushu looked between them. "You brought someone?" Her eyes widened. "Someone who isn't Nil or Sima Li?" She placed a hand over her chest.
"I need to remember this day."
Then she turned to Mo Fei with a bright smile.
"Oh my goodness." She immediately grabbed his hands. "You're adorable... But also a disaster. What happened to you?"
Mo Fei blinked.
Behind her, Yichen turned away. Hiding the laugh threatening to escape.
Mo Fei glared at him.
Unfortunately, Shushu had already decided he belonged to her.
"Come, come. We're fixing everything." She pulled him away. "You must be close to Yichen. He barely comes around. Don't worry, you're in safe hands. I'll turn you into a handsome, adorable masterpiece in no time."
She looked over her shoulder. "Yichen, you can wait here."
Mo Fei glanced back.
Yichen stood there calmly and waved.
For some reason, being dragged away did not feel as terrible as it should have.
Which was, unfortunately, entirely Zhang Yichen's fault.