The soft chime rang through the hall.
Once.
Twice. Then the lights above the gathering dimmed. The floating chatter softened, then slowly died as the main stage lit up in gold.
The host stepped beneath the spotlight, dressed in a wine-red velvet jacket and black trousers, smiling with the confidence of a man paid handsomely to make rich people feel important.
"Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, honoured sponsors and friends of the industry, welcome to the annual Hall of Entertainment and Television Gala."
Applause rolled through the room. The kind of applause that had been taught table manners.
Mo Fei clapped along, his expression calm and beautiful while his spirit quietly attempted to leave his body.
The host continued speaking about charity, arts education, retired industry workers, youth scholarships and the bright future of entertainment.
"Please, everyone—" He gestured towards the seating area.
Movement spread through the hall. Chairs shifted. Shoes whispered across polished floors. Guests began taking their assigned places with smiles on their faces and calculations behind their eyes.
Mo Fei's gaze drifted to the seating arrangement. This was not a seating chart. This was a battlefield formation.
Somehow, he had been placed at a table with Su Feiyu and Tang Wei.
Across the hall, Aria sat with Director Han and Zhang Yichen, looking elegant and composed, while Yichen sat beside her like a sculpture that had judged the room and found it lacking.
Chen Yu, unfortunately, had been seated with Kaito and one of his rival chefs. Mo Fei had seen Chen Yu's face when he noticed the name card.
It had been the expression of a man entering holy war.
Zhi Xuan sat two tables away with another actor, calm and untouchable, his smile gentle enough to fool people who had not learnt how to read him properly.
Sima Li had been placed with a famous designer and was already leaning too close, probably asking a question that would make someone's publicist develop chest pain.
Mo Fei lowered his gaze to his own table. Tang Wei sat to his right. Su Feiyu sat opposite him.
A peaceful arrangement clearly prepared by someone who wanted blood on the tablecloth.
Su Feiyu looked flawless beneath the warm lights. The ruby at her neck caught the glow every time she moved. Her smile was soft, her posture straight, her fingers elegant around the stem of her glass.
Tang Wei, as always, looked unreadable. He sat like a man who owned either the chair, the hall, or everyone's secrets.
Possibly all three.
The host's voice carried over the room. "Tonight, we gather not only to celebrate excellence, but to give back to the future of our industry…"
Mo Fei smiled politely.
Future of the industry. Current victims of seating arrangements.
Same family.
Su Feiyu turned her eyes towards him. "Mo Fei." Her voice was warm enough to pass inspection.
Mo Fei looked at her and smiled. "Miss Su."
"I didn't get the chance to greet you properly on the red carpet." Her eyes curved slightly. "You looked wonderful tonight."
Coming from anyone else, it would have sounded like praise. Coming from Su Feiyu, it sounded like a silk ribbon wrapped around a blade.
Mo Fei placed one hand lightly over his chest.
"Thank you. I suffered greatly to achieve this face tonight."
Tang Wei's mouth curved faintly.
Su Feiyu paused for half a second, then laughed softly. "You're funny."
"I try not to be boring. Boring people live longer, but the trade-off is too tragic."
Tang Wei finally looked at him. "That is one way to put it."
Mo Fei turned to him. "Mr Tang, you agree?"
"I agree that you have a talent for saying things people are forced to remember."
"That sounds dangerous."
"It can be useful."
Su Feiyu's fingers shifted slightly around her glass.
Mo Fei noticed.
He might act like a decorative menace, but he had eyes. He still respected Su Feiyu's position, but Chen Yu's warning from earlier had settled quietly in his heart.
Su Feiyu smiled again. "Mr Tang seems to think highly of you."
Mo Fei blinked innocently. "Does he?"
Tang Wei leaned back. "I think he is interesting."
"Interesting," Su Feiyu repeated. Her smile did not move. "That word can mean many things in this industry."
Mo Fei picked up his water glass and took a slow sip.
Tang Wei gave a quiet laugh.
Su Feiyu looked at Mo Fei for a moment, then lowered her gaze to her champagne. "You seem to understand the industry better these days. I certainly didn't expect to see you with Yichen."
Mo Fei's smile faltered.
Yichen? Was she close enough with him to call him so casually? Then again, they were both on every billboard and had appeared together so often that the public treated them like a matched set.
"It was just for appearance," Mo Fei said.
"Really?" Su Feiyu asked.
On stage, the host announced the first segment of the night: a short tribute video to retired industry workers. The massive screen behind him lit up with old film clips, theatre rehearsals, backstage photographs and greying faces smiling into cameras.
The hall quietened properly this time. Mo Fei watched the screen. There was something strange about seeing all those people who had built the road everyone else now strutted across.
Actors once adored, directors once feared, dancers once screamed for, now sitting in small interviews talking about rent, illness, loneliness, old costumes and old applause.
The entertainment industry loved youth loudly.
It forgot age quietly.
Beside him, Tang Wei's expression remained calm, but his eyes had sharpened. Su Feiyu's smile gentled for the cameras. Mo Fei could not tell whether it was real.
That was the problem with Su Feiyu. Everything she did was perfect enough to be false.
When the tribute ended, applause rose again.
This time, it sounded less polished.
The host returned to the stage.
"Thank you. Our first auction item tonight is a private dinner experience prepared by three of China's most celebrated culinary talents, paired with a custom wine selection and a private performance by a guest artist."
The screen behind him lit up with images of food so beautiful it looked illegal to eat. Mo Fei immediately looked towards Chen Yu's table.
Chen Yu had gone still. Across from him, the rival chef smiled with an expression of a man who had sharpened his knife before coming.
Kaito, seated between them like an amused devil assigned by fate, slowly lifted his glass.
Mo Fei could not hear anything from this distance, but Chen Yu's expression said enough.
If the rival chef breathed wrong, there would be blood. Or sauce.
Perhaps both.
Su Feiyu followed his gaze. "Chef Chen seems spirited tonight."
"He is always spirited," Mo Fei said. "Mostly in the direction of violence."
Su Feiyu's eyes flickered.
"How enviable," she said gently. "It must be comforting to have people stand by you so openly."
Mo Fei turned back to her. The smile he gave her was bright enough for every camera in the room.
Su Feiyu's smile thinned.
The auction began with a smile sharp enough to draw blood. The first paddle went up.
Then another. Then three more. The numbers climbed quickly.
Mo Fei watched in silence as rich people began fighting over dinner with the calm brutality of warlords buying territory.
"Three million," the auctioneer called.
Mo Fei nearly choked on air.
For dinner? Charity made financial madness respectable.
Tang Wei glanced at him. "Breathe."
"I am breathing," Mo Fei whispered. "My soul is not."
Su Feiyu laughed softly. "It is for a good cause," she said.
Tang Wei's mouth curved slightly. Su Feiyu looked towards the stage again, flawless beneath the chandelier light.
The bidding continued.
Five million.
Six.
Eight.
The rival chef lifted his paddle with a lazy smile. Chen Yu's hand tightened around his glass.
Mo Fei silently prayed for the safety of everyone within spoon distance.
The auctioneer's voice rose, full of theatrical excitement.
"Ten million. We have ten million from table seven. Do we have eleven?"
A ripple moved through the hall. Camera lenses shifted. Guests whispered. Smiles sharpened.
Mo Fei was beginning to understand why the HET Gala mattered so much.
It was not just charity. It was performance. People did not simply donate money.
They displayed it.
They turned generosity into status, kindness into power, and applause into currency.
Everyone was giving.
Everyone was watching who gave more.
"I keep wondering how you've been doing," Su Feiyu said, raising her glass slightly. "Everyone talks about you these days. Don't you think so, Mr Tang?"
Tang Wei looked at Mo Fei. "Your rise is becoming too hard to ignore."
"You flatter me," Mo Fei said. A faint flush touched his cheeks.
Su Feiyu set down her champagne flute. "If you'll excuse me for a moment." Her voice remained warm.
Tang Wei nodded politely.
Mo Fei turned slightly. "Of course."
Su Feiyu rose with graceful ease, her black gown falling perfectly around her like even fabric understood obedience. She moved away from the table, accepting small greetings as she passed, smiling here, touching a shoulder there, leaving behind the scent of expensive perfume and carefully controlled sweetness.
The auctioneer shouted, "Twelve million!"
Mo Fei watched the stage for another moment. Then he stood.
Tang Wei glanced at him.
Mo Fei gave a harmless smile. "Washroom."
Tang Wei's eyes moved over his face once, then away. "Don't get lost."
Mo Fei blinked.
Before he could ask what that meant, another round of applause rose from the hall.
He left the table.
The corridor leading towards the washrooms was quieter, lined with pale marble, floral arrangements and mirrors so spotless they looked like portals for rich ghosts.
Su Feiyu had barely reached the entrance to the powder room when voices came from inside.
"Feiyu."
Su Feiyu's voice followed, smooth and pleasant. "Jingyi."
Li Jingyi.
Singer. Idol.
Su Feiyu's best friend.
Famous for expensive taste, sharp opinions and music people streamed while pretending they were not heartbroken.
"I swear, this gala gets worse every year. HET used to be exclusive. Now every new face with one viral moment gets invited. Models, influencers, singers, chefs, internet clowns. Nobodies everywhere." Jingyi voice was laced with irritation
Su Feiyu gave a light laugh. "You say that every year."
"I mean it every year." Jingyi snapped her compact shut. "Look at that room. Half of them shouldn't even be breathing the same air as us."
Su Feiyu moved closer to the mirror. Her voice remained calm. "Careful. One of those nobodies might become important tomorrow."
"That's the problem." Jingyi's lip curled. "They all think they can climb. Give them one magazine shoot, one red carpet, one famous person beside them, and suddenly they believe they belong."
Su Feiyu's fingers paused briefly at her earring. "They always believe that."
Jingyi scoffed. "You've always had more patience than me. I would never allow some nobody to use my platform."
Su Feiyu hummed, as if the memory amused her.
"You say that as if I haven't handled worse."
"Oh?" Jingyi's interest sharpened. "What did you do?"
Su Feiyu picked up her lipstick and checked the colour against the light. "There was one boy once. A complete unknown. Somehow, his agency managed to squeeze him into one of my shoots."
Jingyi tilted her head. "Which shoot?"
"The luxury autumn spread. Rooftop set."
"Oh, I remember that." Jingyi laughed under her breath. "They wanted a fresh-face concept, didn't they?"
"Mm." Su Feiyu uncapped the lipstick. "Ridiculous." Her voice remained careless and sweet. "He was supposed to appear beside me for a few shots. A new talent angle, they called it. I asked who approved it, and they said the magazine wanted fresh blood."
Jingyi made a sound of disgust. "Fresh blood. How charitable."
"Like I would ever shoot with a nobody on my spread," Su Feiyu said. She touched the colour to her lower lip with perfect care. "So I had his name removed."
Jingyi laughed.
"They removed it before he even arrived," Su Feiyu continued, almost gently. "Poor thing probably thought he was getting his big break."
"That's cruel." Jingyi dabbed a napkin lightly against her cheek. "To think the poor boy didn't even arrive in time to get the news straight to his face."
Su Feiyu blotted her lips once. "People like that need to learn early. Not every door opens because they stand in front of it."
Jingyi smiled. "Honestly, this is why we are the better ones. If you don't teach them their place every now and then, they'll want to step above you. It's irritating even sitting in the same room as them."
Su Feiyu lifted one shoulder. "I just pretend they don't exist. It's easier, Jingyi."
The two women shared a soft laugh. A pretty sound. Harmless, if one did not know where the knife had entered.
Outside the powder room, the corridor remained quiet.
From the ballroom, applause rose again as the bid reached fifteen million.
Inside, Su Feiyu placed her lipstick back into her clutch.
"Come," she said. "We should return before someone interesting does something foolish."
Jingyi sighed. "At least that would make tonight useful."
Their heels clicked across the marble as they left, their laughter fading back towards the gala.
At the far end of the corridor, beside a tall arrangement of white orchids, a hand slowly lowered from the wall.
Slim fingers. Silver rings.
A violet cuff.
Mo Fei stood in the shadow of the floral display, utterly still.
The ballroom glittered behind him. The auction continued.
And somewhere inside a body that was not born his, Bai Ju heard the door he had died chasing close all over again.