The next morning, Mo Fei's phone was buzzing more than usual.
Messages. Missed calls. Tags. Posts. Reposts.
Notifications poured in without pause, and every single one seemed to have his name attached to it.
The world was awake, and it wanted answers.
Across every platform, the chaos had not slowed down. If anything, it had grown worse overnight. Zhen had released the official runway photos, and the moment they went live, likes and comments flooded in like a broken dam.
Mo Fei's page benefited immediately from the tags. His follower count surged again, gaining another two million from Zhen's exposure alone.
The comments were endless.
"WAIT, IS THAT MO FEI???"
"NO WAY. NO WAY. NO WAY."
"ZHEN, YOU MADMAN."
"THE WAY MO FEI WALKED THROUGH THE CROWD?????"
"This is not a runway anymore. This is a drama finale."
"The people calling him an extra are suddenly quiet."
"He looks so different. More confident."
"Yichen didn't even look away from him. Did anyone else catch that?"
"Su Feiyu opened, Yichen and Mo Fei closed. This show is illegal."
"Did Mo Fei just reclaim his throne?"
"Prince of the Runway is back. Cry about it."
"I know his haters are biting their pillows right now."
"The chemistry? The tension? The violence against my sanity?"
"Someone check on the fashion blogs. They're about to crash."
"This was not a walk. This was a declaration of war."
"I need oxygen. I need water. I need Zhen to explain himself."
"The black suit was criminal. Arrest the stylist. Then release them and give them an award."
"Yichen in white, Mo Fei in black. Whoever planned that deserves a shrine."
"This is what happens when fashion remembers it can be theatre."
"I was there. The hall genuinely forgot how to breathe."
"The way he looked at Yichen? The way Yichen looked back? Hello? Security?"
"This is the comeback of the year. Argue with your ancestors."
"I was a casual viewer ten minutes ago. I am now a loyal citizen of Mo Fei nation."
"Never in my eight dragon lives have I witnessed this level of face card."
"Who dared defame his status? Come at me. I have a sword, and I am not afraid to use it."
On Zhang Yichen's pages, the comments were just as wild. His fans had flooded every post, every edit, every clip, and every angle of him in the white suit.
"Yichen closing in white? I have no pulse."
"He didn't even need to do much. One look and the whole hall froze."
"The sunglasses removal was personal. I felt attacked."
"Gege, oh gege."
"Once again, our icy prince feeds us."
"Thank God for eyes, because how could anyone miss seeing this?"
"Zhang Yichen is not human. He is a luxury curse."
"He shared a closing walk and still looked like the final boss."
"The way he looked at Mo Fei before they walked together… hello???"
"I need to know whose idea this was because I'm both grateful and unwell."
"Zhang Yichen standing still has more impact than some people's entire careers."
"White suit Yichen is dangerous to public health."
"His aura alone could pay rent in three cities."
"Yichen and Mo Fei standing side by side looked like a forbidden painting."
"I came for Yichen. I stayed because Mo Fei came in and disturbed my peace."
Under Mo Fei's page, however, was pure chaos.
Absolute chaos.
"Mo Fei, you are who you say you are."
"I owe you an apology. I was unfamiliar with your game."
"The Prince of the Runway has returned. Everyone kneel."
"Mo Fei, please step on my neck professionally."
"I blinked and suddenly became a fan."
"The comeback was so clean, I thought my screen got upgraded."
"Mo Fei really said, 'You thought I was done? Cute"
"I watched the clip sixteen times. I now need medical supervision."
"His face card did not decline. It matured."
"Mo Fei in black is the reason my standards are now unreasonable."
"Whoever styled him deserves national honours."
"The internet tried to bury him, and he came back as the headline."
"He didn't just return. He reminded everybody why he had a crown in the first place."
"Prince of the Runway? No. Emperor. Upgrade him immediately."
"Mo Fei, forgive me. I doubted you. I was young and foolish ten hours ago."
"His haters are silent because their mouths are full of regret."
"This is not a comeback. This is a hostile takeover."
"Zhen gave us fashion. Mo Fei gave us cinema."
"Somebody tell the haters to clock in. Their shift starts now."
Of course, not everyone was pleased.
Some people were still negative. Some were still bitter. Some were simply allergic to happiness.
You could never please everyone.
"Everyone is overreacting. It was just one walk."
"Zhen clearly used Yichen to make Mo Fei relevant again."
"Mo Fei got lucky. Let's see if he can maintain it."
"He still has a lot to prove."
"People forget too quickly. He's still a homewrecker."
"Standing beside Yichen doesn't make him a legend."
"One good walk doesn't erase months of bad reputation."
"He was carried by the concept and Yichen's popularity."
"Let's be honest, nobody would care if Yichen wasn't there."
"Fashion fans are so dramatic. Tomorrow they'll move on."
"He should fix his past before trying to act like a king."
"He walked well, fine. But people are acting like he cured world hunger."
The fashion editors and industry insiders had also thrown in their own opinions, and theirs carried a different kind of weight.
"Zhen's decision to stage Mo Fei's entrance through the audience was risky, but undeniably effective."
"The contrast between Zhang Yichen's white suit and Mo Fei's black ensemble created one of the strongest visual finales in recent runway memory."
"Su Feiyu delivered a flawless opening, but the dual closing walk shifted the entire conversation."
"Mo Fei's performance was controlled, elegant, and surprisingly commanding for someone absent from the runway for months."
"Zhang Yichen remained precise as always, but Mo Fei brought narrative weight to the finale."
"The show's theme, Resurrection, found its clearest expression in Mo Fei's entrance."
"The audience expected Zhang Yichen. They did not expect Mo Fei. That surprise became the show's strongest weapon."
"Mo Fei's return complicates the current model hierarchy."
"Whether accidental or intentional, Zhen has successfully placed Mo Fei back into the centre of industry conversation."
"Mo Fei's walk did not feel like nostalgia. It felt like a warning."
"His absence may have weakened his position, but last night proved his stage presence remains intact."
"Few models could stand beside Zhang Yichen and still command their own space. Mo Fei did."
"The industry will be watching his next move very closely."
"Su Feiyu opened with perfection. Zhang Yichen closed with precision. Mo Fei brought the story."
"Last night's show may mark the beginning of a new runway rivalry."
No matter what side people stood on, one thing could not be denied by the fans, haters, editors, even the industry. The runway had proved one thing.
Mo Fei was not finished.
Chen Yu snatched the phone out of Mo Fei's hand.
Mo Fei jolted up, "Wait... no, give it back!"
Chen Yu hissed. "Any more of this and you'll go blind from staring at the screen."
Since Chen Yu had walked into Mo Fei's apartment that morning, Mo Fei had been glued to his phone. Even now, after Chen Yu had finished preparing breakfast for both of them, Mo Fei was still scrolling like his life depended on it.
"But... "
"No buts," Chen Yu cut in. Then his eyes narrowed. "Unless you want me to call Louis."
Mo Fei flinched immediately. The threat worked.
"Good." Chen Yu pushed a plate toward him. "Eat."
Mo Fei reluctantly took the bowl and began eating, though his gaze kept drifting toward his phone, which continued buzzing relentlessly on the table.
He was trending and not just casually trending. No.
Mo Fei was topping charts, search bars, entertainment pages, fashion blogs, and global discussion boards.
The hot searches were packed with his name.
Mo Fei Zhang Yichen Closing Walk
Mo Fei Comeback
Mo Fei Black Suit
Su Feiyu Opening Walk
Prince of the Runway Returns
Mo Fei Walks Through Audience
Zhen Dual Closing
Among all the search terms, Mo Fei occupied at least five of the top spots on his own across several platforms.
For someone the internet had tried to bury, he was making a very noisy resurrection.
Then the door opened. Mo Fei and Chen Yu both turned.
Louis walked in, looking as though he had not slept at all the previous night.
He crossed the room and dropped onto the opposite couch, his exhaustion written plainly across his face. His eyes moved to the table, which was filled with various dishes.
"You cooked?" he asked Chen Yu, not sounding surprised.
Chen Yu shrugged. "Someone has to do it."
Louis nodded in agreement.
"You look terrible, Louis," Mo Fei said.
Louis sighed deeply. "I haven't slept at all." He brought out his phone and began scrolling through it. "You generated enough buzz to crash the internet. Now every brand is calling and texting."
Mo Fei paused with food in his mouth and looked up, "Oh." His eyes brightened slightly. "That's good."
"Yes," Louis said. "A few reached out privately too." He hesitated.
Mo Fei and Chen Yu noticed it.
Louis' expression shifted, becoming more serious. "Among them was Celeste."
At that, the food in Mo Fei's mouth suddenly turned bland.
The room went quiet. Even his phone, still buzzing on the table, seemed far away now.