The door opened, and Chen Yu walked in looking devastatingly handsome.
He had a Hermès bag in one hand, a fruit basket in the other, and heart-shaped sunglasses perched on his face like he had personally arrived to disturb the peace in luxury.
"Mo Fei!"
He dropped the basket on the table. Mo Fei walked out of the kitchen with messy hair, sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt.
Chen Yu looked him up and down. Then clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk. Look at you. You're the only celebrity I know who looks like a hobo."
Mo Fei rolled his eyes. "I'm in my house. Why would I beautify myself here?"
"You don't know who could be watching. You should pay attention to your image." Chen Yu walked over to the sofa and sat down. "Anyway, I'm here to visit."
"Why?" Mo Fei's attention had already shifted to the fruit basket. He picked up an apple and inspected it. "Did you fight with Nil again?"
Chen Yu gave him a sharp look. "What do you take me for? An aggressive civet cat?"
Mo Fei said nothing.
He simply focused on the basket. His silence answered for him.
"Whatever. Don't answer that." Chen Yu crossed one leg over the other. "No, I'm just here to visit. Don't you miss me?"
"Mm. Not much." Mo Fei joined him on the sofa and bit into the apple.
Chen Yu stared. "You didn't even check if it was washed."
"Did you wash them?"
"Mm."
"Then it's safe." Mo Fei took another bite.
"Ugh, whatever." Chen Yu leaned back. "Nil has been busy with work. He's barely home. The whole HET Gala has the nation in chaos. Tsk. What's so special about one gala?"
"It's popular and happens once a year, right?" Mo Fei flipped the apple in his hand. "If it were up to me, I wouldn't set a foot there. Not only do I have to go, but I have to be all buddy-buddy with that constipated ice prince."
His fingers tightened around the apple. It looked like the fruit might burst from pressure alone.
Chen Yu almost laughed. "It's not that bad. You both almost got caught by fans, so I understand why they're trying to control the damage. But I still don't understand why you have to stay around him during the gala. Won't that just create more controversy?"
"Yes, but his fans are already speculating all sorts of weird things. Lover. Mysterious fling. Secret date." Mo Fei waved the apple vaguely. "Louis says appearing together properly will redirect their attention. Plus, if Yichen is seen with me, I get more exposure. Killing two birds with one stone."
Chen Yu considered it. "Just be careful you're not the bird that gets killed. The industry is crazy. One moment, it's you and Yichen looking good on camera. The next, they'll say you're leeching off him."
"Haa…" Mo Fei slid down the sofa and buried both hands in his hair. "I want to run away. This is stressful to my mental health."
"Don't worry," Chen Yu said. "I'll be by your side."
Mo Fei's eyes lit up. Then the light vanished. "How are you going to be there?"
Chen Yu slowly turned to him with pure disgust. "You all keep forgetting I'm a celebrity too. Seriously, man. Who do you think I am? Huh?"
"Eh. That's right." Mo Fei quickly wrapped both arms around him. He had almost forgotten that his friend was not just Chen Yu, professional menace and emotional support weapon.
He was also a popular chef, the star of his own show, and heir to one of the most famous restaurant families in China.
"Sorry, sorry. Don't be mad, okay?"
Chen Yu remained stiff for a while, pretending to be deeply offended, finally, he clicked his tongue and gave in.
"Yeah, yeah. Get off me."
HET Gala day arrived like a national emergency wearing diamonds.
By noon, the internet had already lost its mind.
The red carpet would not begin until evening, but fans, reporters, bloggers, fashion critics, gossip accounts, luxury brand pages and people who had absolutely no business being this emotionally invested were already online, waiting like hungry wolves outside a meat shop.
Trending topics changed every few minutes.
HET GALA TONIGHT
WHO WILL WEAR WHAT?
ZHANG YICHEN HET GALA APPEARANCE CONFIRMED
SIMA LI EXPECTED TO ATTEND AFTER AURORA SUCCESS
SU FEIYU RED CARPET QUEEN RETURNS
MO FEI INVITED TO HET?
MYSTERY COMPANION FROM YICHEN STREET PHOTO STILL UNKNOWN
The last headline made Louis want to bite his phone.
Online, fans were doing what fans did best.
Screaming.
Speculating. Starting wars.
And somehow involving Mo Fei in all of them.
:Yichen-gege is attending tonight. Nobody speak to me. I am preparing my spirit.
:Another year, another show. Let's go!
: Su Feiyu always eats red carpets. HET belongs to her.
: Can this day go any faster? I literally made an excuse at work to watch this.
: Mo Fei is attending, right? RIGHT? Don't play with me.
: All my faves in one night. Bless the heavens.
: Why is Mo Fei suddenly everywhere? Zhen, Vogue, AURORA, now HET? Interesting.
: I still want to know who was with Yichen in that café picture.
: Mystery companion may attend HET tonight. Eyes open.
Louis saw that one and closed his eyes. He had not known peace since Mo Fei.
Actually, no.
He had not known peace since birth.
Inside Mo Fei's apartment, the battlefield had already begun.
Not the HET battlefield.
The preparation battlefield.
Lily stood in the middle of the living room with a garment bag in one hand, a makeup box at her feet, and the expression of a woman who had accepted that beauty required violence.
Two assistants moved quietly around the room, arranging shoes, accessories, backup accessories, emergency accessories, and a small sewing kit that looked like it had been packed for war.
Khun, Mo Fei's newly accepted bodyguard, stood near the door in a black tailored jacket, fitted trousers and leather gloves. Silent. Sharp-eyed. Built like a warning.
Mo Fei had chosen him because he looked calm.
So far, Khun had not smiled once.
Mo Fei respected that.
A man who did not waste expressions probably did not waste punches either.
Chen Yu sat on the sofa eating grapes from a bowl he had not brought. He wore a cream satin shirt tucked loosely into high-waisted brown trousers, several rings on his fingers, and a pair of tinted heart-shaped sunglasses pushed into his hair.
Aria sat beside him, scrolling through HET headlines with one leg crossed elegantly over the other. She wore a sleek black jumpsuit with a deep emerald waist sash, her hair pinned back with pearl clips, looking calm enough to frighten weaker people.
Mo Fei stood in the middle of the room in a robe, hair clipped away from his face, staring at the garment bag as if it contained his death certificate.
"I don't want to go."
Louis, who had been reviewing the schedule on his tablet, did not look up. "You're going."
"I have developed a sudden illness."
"You have developed cowardice."
Mo Fei placed a hand on his forehead. "My symptoms are severe."
Chen Yu threw a grape at him. It hit his shoulder.
"Your symptom is stupidity."
Mo Fei turned. "Is this how you speak to a national treasure?"
"You are a national nuisance," Chen Yu said.
Aria did not look up from her phone. "The internet is saying you might wear silver."
Mo Fei straightened a little. "Silver?"
"And someone said you don't have the face for gold."
Mo Fei's expression changed. "Who said that?"
Louis finally looked up. "Do not fight anonymous accounts before a gala."
Lily clapped once. Everyone turned. "Enough. We're starting."
Mo Fei immediately took one step back. Lily smiled sweetly. It terrified him.
"Sit."
Mo Fei sat.
And beauty began.
First came skin prep.
Mo Fei endured cleansing, misting, serum, cream, under-eye patches and something cold rolling across his face that made him question whether models were people or luxury dumplings.
Lily worked with terrifying precision, smoothing, lifting, shaping and adjusting until Mo Fei's violet hair fell in soft, controlled waves that framed his face without hiding it. A few strands were left loose, deliberate enough to look careless and expensive enough to look impossible.
Mo Fei watched himself in the mirror. His mood improved by thirty percent. When he was done, even Chen Yu stopped chewing.
A deep midnight-purple long coat, almost black until the light touched it, then shifting into a rich violet sheen that matched Mo Fei's eyes.
The coat fell just past his knees, narrow at the waist and sharp through the shoulders, with dark vine-like embroidery running along the cuffs, collar and hem.
Beneath it, he wore a soft white silk shirt, the top buttons left open just enough to be sinful but not enough for Louis to start drafting apologies. Fitted black trousers tucked into polished heeled boots completed the look.
A silver waist chain sat low against his hips, delicate but dangerous.
Mo Fei touched his chest and smiled "I forgive HET."
Louis checked the time. "Car leaves in forty minutes. Final brief. You're the only one not ready because of all your nagging."
Mo Fei groaned.
Louis ignored him. "You arrive after Su Feiyu, before Sima Li, and close enough to Yichen's arrival window to fuel controlled speculation without confirming anything."
Mo Fei slowly raised his hand.
Louis pointed at him. "Do not ask what controlled speculation means."
Mo Fei lowered his hand.
Louis continued, "You smile. You pose. You do not insult any sponsor. You do not call any journalist an old frog, a wet cardboard executive, a walking corpse, or a poverty-scented demon."
Mo Fei frowned. "You're removing all my natural vocabulary."
"I'm saving your career."
Khun suddenly spoke from the door. "Vehicle is ready."
Everyone turned.
Mo Fei blinked. "Oh. He speaks."
Khun looked at him calmly. "When necessary."
Chen Yu nodded in approval. "I like him."
Louis stood. "Good. Let's move."
Mo Fei walked towards the door, then paused by the mirror.
The messy-haired man from that morning was gone.
The person staring back at him looked polished, sharp and almost untouchable.
A-list.
Prince of the Runway.
A scandal everyone had failed to bury.
Mo Fei inhaled and smiled at his reflection. "Let's go make people uncomfortable."
Chen Yu clapped once. "That's my baby."
Louis closed his eyes. "Please don't say that outside."
Outside, the city was already waiting. Online, the countdown continued.
: First cars arriving soon.
: Our queen is coming
: I'm shaking.
: Tonight will be interesting.
Inside the car, Mo Fei leaned back, one hand resting against the silver chain at his waist.
His phone buzzed nonstop.
Louis took it from him before he could look.
Mo Fei gasped. "Thief."
"Manager," Louis corrected.
Chen Yu, seated beside him, adjusted Mo Fei's sleeve and grinned.
"Don't worry. If anyone bullies you, I'll poison them with wine."
Mo Fei smiled. "Love you too."
The car rolled towards the HET Gala. And somewhere ahead, beneath flashing lights and screaming cameras, the battlefield waited.