Boredom was dangerous. Boredom involving Mo Fei, Chen Yu and Sima Li in the same room was considerably worse. At present, all three were scattered around Sima Li's living room like victims of a natural disaster.
Mo Fei lay upside down across one sofa, violet hair nearly brushing the floor.
Sima Li had taken over the other, one arm dangling uselessly over the edge.
Chen Yu was stretched across the rug with his phone resting on his chest.
Nobody spoke. The television played quietly in the background but nobody was watching it. A clock ticked somewhere and three collective sighs followed.
Mo Fei shifted.
Sima Li scratched his stomach.
Chen Yu checked his phone for what was probably the fifteenth time. Still nothing from Nil. He dropped it back onto his chest. "I miss my honey."
Mo Fei stared blankly at the ceiling. "You said that six minutes ago."
"I still miss him."
"Call him."
"He's busy."
"Then suffer quietly."
Chen Yu turned his head and glared at him. Mo Fei did not care. He had problems of his own. No shoots. No events. No campaigns scheduled for the day.
Nothing.
His career had apparently decided he deserved peace.
Across from him, Sima Li had spent the better part of an hour staring at the tour proposal on his tablet. He still hadn't decided whether he wanted to do it.
Months on the road. Multiple cities. Rehearsals. Performances. Interviews.
Exhaustion.
He had read the proposal so many times the words had stopped meaning anything.
Sima dropped the tablet onto his face. "I'm bored."
"Congratulations," Mo Fei said. "We all are."
Silence descended again. Three grown men, thhree successful careers with more money than any of them reasonably needed.
Absolutely nothing to do.
They looked at one another. Another collective sigh.
Sima Li suddenly sat upright. His eyes lit up. Mo Fei recognised that expression. So did Chen Yu.
Both immediately sat up.
"What?" Chen Yu asked.
Sima grinned. "Should we go out?"
Mo Fei's feet hit the floor. "Out?"
Chen Yu pushed himself upright. "As in outside? Among people?"
"Those tend to be outside, yes."
Mo Fei was already reaching for his shoes. "Don't need to tell me twice. Let's go."
"Wait." Chen Yu scrambled to his feet. "Where?"
Sima spread his arms. "Anywhere! Shopping. Food. Games. Something. I don't care anymore."
"Amusement park," Mo Fei said immediately. Both men turned towards him. His eyes practically sparkled. "I haven't been to one in forever."
Sima slapped his thigh. "Amusement park! Roller coasters! Overpriced food!"
"You had me at overpriced food." Chen Yu's excitement lasted approximately four seconds and his face fell.
Sima leant towards him. "Why do you suddenly look like someone died?"
Chen Yu looked between them. "We're celebrities."
Mo Fei frowned. "So?"
"So?" Chen Yu gestured towards Sima. "Look at him."
Sima looked down at himself. "What's wrong with me?"
"If we walk into a public amusement park alone and somebody recognises us, what do you think happens?"
Mo Fei's excitement slowly faded.
"Especially him," Chen Yu continued. "One person screams, then another person screams. Someone posts it online. Next thing you know, half the park is chasing Sima Li towards the Ferris wheel."
Sima's shoulders dropped.
Mo Fei sank back onto the sofa. "But I really wanted to go to the amusement park."
Sima collapsed dramatically beside him. "Why must fame take everything from us?"
Chen Yu stared at him. "You have millions."
"And yet I cannot ride a roller coaster in peace!" Sima threw an arm over his face. "What is money worth if I cannot eat overpriced cotton candy among ordinary citizens?"
Mo Fei looked genuinely miserable. "This is discrimination against beautiful people."
"Famous people," Chen Yu corrected. "Both apply."
Sima suddenly sat upright. "Huddle up, guys."
Mo Fei moved immediately.
Chen Yu remained where he was. "Huddle for what?"
"Solutions."
Apparently, that made sense.
Thirty seconds later, all three were crouched around the coffee table like criminals planning a bank robbery.
Mo Fei lowered his voice despite there being nobody else in the house. "What if nobody knows? We wear disguises. Hats? Masks?"
Chen Yu shook his head. "No."
Mo Fei frowned at Chen Yu. "You're very negative."
"I'm realistic. And if Louis finds out we sneaked into an amusement park without security, all three of us will be doing ancestral punishment."
Mo Fei grimaced. Louis was terrifying when angry.
Sima tapped the table. "We go with guards."
Mo Fei shook his head. "That'll cause more harm than good. Imagine ten giant men in black surrounding us while we walk through an amusement park."
Sima pictured it. "Oh."
"Exactly. Nobody will look at that and think, What a perfectly ordinary group of civilians."
The huddle deteriorated. Chen Yu rested his chin on the table. Mo Fei poked at an invisible stain.
Sima stared into space.
Five seconds passed.
Ten.
Then—
"Hold up."
Mo Fei and Chen Yu looked at him.
Sima slowly straightened. "I know what to do."
Neither man spoke.
Sima's grin widened. "There's only one way we can do this."
Mo Fei leant closer. Chen Yu narrowed his eyes.
Sima planted both hands on the table. "We call everyone."
Chen Yu frowned. "How does adding more famous people solve the problem of us being famous?"
"It doesn't." Sima flicked his forehead. "But if something goes wrong…" He pointed between them. "We all share the blame."
Mo Fei's expression changed. So did Chen Yu's. They looked at each other, back at Sima.
Mo Fei slowly nodded. "That…"
Chen Yu nodded with him. "…actually makes sense."
It did not.
But nobody present possessed enough wisdom to recognise this.
Mo Fei held out his hand. Sima slapped his palm against it.
Chen Yu added his own.
"Amusement park."
"Amusement park."
"Amusement park."
Sima picked up his phone. "One more thing." That grin returned. "I know the perfect guy to help us avoid trouble."
Two eyebrows rose simultaneously.
💜~~~~~
Zhang Yichen sat before a brightly lit mirror while a make-up artist worked carefully across his face. He had another shoot in less than an hour. His phone chimed on the table.
Yichen ignored it. It chimed again and he glanced down.
Sima Li.
That alone made him suspicious. He picked up the phone.
SimaLi: We're planning to go to an amusement park. You coming?
Yichen stared at the message. An amusement park. These people had jobs.
Supposedly.
He typed back.
Yichen: Sima, don't you have things to do? Why do you keep wasting your career like this?
The reply came almost instantly.
SimaLi: you haven't even heard the main reason
Yichen barely hesitated.
Yichen: I don't need a reason. It's childish. Don't text me.
He placed the phone back down. The make-up artist continued working.
Another chime and Yichen glanced at it despite himself.
SimaLi: come on, everyone is coming. me, chen yu, aria, xiao mei and mo fei… it'll be fun.
Yichen froze.
The make-up brush stopped against his cheek. "Sir?"
Yichen raised one hand. The make-up artist immediately stepped back. He picked up his phone. Read the message again.
Mo Fei.
His posture changed and opened the chat.
Another message appeared.
SimaLi: tho there's one problem. we need your help with it
Yichen started typing. Stopped. Deleted it.
Typed again.
Yichen: Mo Fei is going to be with you all?
Sima sent a sticker of a tiny cartoon character nodding enthusiastically.
"Sir?" the make-up artist asked carefully. "Shall I continue?"
"No. You're dismissed." Yichen stood. The make-up artist blinked. Yichen checked his reflection.
Hair.
Perfectly styled.
Face.
Fine.
Clothes.
Elegant.
He reached for his jacket. "I need to leave."
"Right now?"
Yichen slipped it on. "Yes." He headed for the door. Behind him, the make-up artist remained frozen, brush still in hand. Less than two minutes ago, Zhang Yichen had considered amusement parks childish, pointless and beneath the dignity of employed adults.
Now he was leaving work for one.
Because Mo Fei was going. The door shut behind him.
Not once did Zhang Yichen acknowledge the hypocrisy.