By sunset, Mo Fei had accumulated so many prizes that walking had become a genuine challenge.
Teddy bears. Animals. Random cartoon characters and a giant rabbit that blocked half his vision.
Yichen appeared beside him with yet another prize.
Everyone watched. Nobody said anything. They had learned. Mo Fei accepted the stuffed animal carefully, the pile shifted.
"Uhm… Yichen."
Too late.
The final stuffed animal landed on top, the entire mountain wobbled and Mo Fei's balance disappeared, he fell backwards, while the prizes went everywhere.
"Mo Fei!"
"Feifei!"
"Are you alright?"
Mo Fei's eak voice came from beneath the pile.
"I have been defeated… By happiness."
Yichen stared down at him looking genuinely concerned. He reached down and pulled Mo Fei up. "You're an idiot."
Mo Fei accepted the help and brushed off a stuffed dinosaur hanging from his shoulder. "You're the one who gave me all this."
Yichen smiled. That was true.
Everyone, "..."
Yichen looked away. "…Next time, hold them properly."
Mo Fei smiled and somehow, despite the falling prizes, the chaos, and the complete destruction of everyone's dignity—
It had been the most fun any of them had experienced in a long time.
The final ride was the Ferris wheel.
The group had already paired off without discussion— Aria with Xiao Mei, Sima Li with Louis, Nil with Chen Yu.
That left only the two of them standing on the platform as the next empty cabin swung gently into place.
Zhang Yichen guided Mo Fei forward with a light touch at his back, steady and unhurried. They settled into the seat opposite each other.
The bar lowered with a soft metallic click and the wheel began its slow ascent.
For a while neither of them spoke.
The city spread out beneath them in glittering layers, neon and streetlights blurring into soft gold the higher they climbed. The cabin swayed imperceptibly, wind slipped through the open sides, cool against their faces.
Mo Fei kept his eyes on the view, fingers loosely curled against his knees.
"Heights terrify me," he said eventually, voice quiet. "But for some reason I keep testing them."
Yichen glanced at him. "Tsk. Idiot." The word landed without real heat. A moment later his tone evened out. "Was that why you jumped?" He looked at Mo Fei properly now. "You fear heights, yet you threw yourself off the eighteenth floor because of a stupid scandal. Idiot. Total idiot."
Mo Fei huffed a soft laugh. "That… that would never happen again, because I have a reason to live for now."
Yichen leaned closer and Mo Fei went still. The space between them suddenly felt much smaller.
He could see Yichen clearly for the first time in the low light of the cabin— the clean lines of his face, the calm intensity in his eyes. Absurdly beautiful, the thought arrived uninvited. The last time they had been this close they had—
He cut the memory off and turned away, exhaling loudly through his nose.
Zhang Yichen laughed. The sound was low and unexpected.
Mo Fei turned back at once. "Wait. You're laughing? Does that mean you had fun?"
Yichen crossed his arms and leaned back against the seat, his expression returning to its usual unreadable calm.
Mo Fei shifted nearer, reaching out to poke him lightly in the side. "Be honest. You had fun. Come on."
Yichen refused to answer. Mo Fei poked him again. This time a small twitch escaped.
"Ah," Mo Fei said, delighted. "So Zhang Yichen does have a ticklish spot." He did it again. Yichen tried to hold still, jaw tight, but Mo Fei kept at it, teasing, relentless, until Yichen finally cracked.
"Hey— stop— "
Mo Fei continued poking at different sides, while Yichen tried to hold back, soon his protest broke into something closer to a startled laugh. He caught Mo Fei's wrists and pulled him in, ending the assault by trapping him against his chest.
"Bwahahahaha... " Mo Fei was still laughing bright and unrestrained in the small cabin.
Yichen went quiet. He simply watched him— the way his eyes curved, the unguarded expression, the residual tremor of laughter in his shoulders.
Gradually Mo Fei's laughter faded. The silence that followed felt different, fuller.
Mo Fei spoke first, voice softer. "I really wanted that teddy bear."
"I know." Yichen said.
"I like women."
Yichen rolled his eyes. "You'll change your mind soon enough."
Mo Fei leaned in. "Fans will scream."
Yichen smirked. "When have they never?"
"Nil and Louis won't agree."
"They'll come around."
Mo Fei fell silent. The cabin had reached the top of the wheel, the city lay far below them, quiet and distant.
Yichen studied him for a moment. "Anything else?"
Mo Fei swallowed. His voice came out smaller than he intended. "Do you like me, Mr Zhang?"
Yichen leaned in and blew soft air which brushed Mo Fei's face as he answered, quiet and certain. "Yes."
Then he kissed him.
The cabin rocked gently at the top of the wheel. Cool night air slipped through the open sides, carrying the distant scent of food and city exhaust from the ground far below.
The metal frame creaked softly with each slow movement. Yichen's answer still hung in the air between them, quiet and certain when he closed the last of the distance.
Finally.
The thought was sharp and unguarded in Yichen's mind as his mouth met Mo Fei's.
The kiss started with restraint, but it lasted less than a second. Something in him snapped. He pressed in harder, hungrier, one hand sliding from Mo Fei's neck to the back of his head to hold him there.
The first careful touch of lips turned into something deeper, almost rough— open-mouthed, breathing already uneven. He kissed like he had been holding himself back for far too long and had finally run out of reasons to keep doing it.
Mo Fei's mind went blank, then flooded.
He's kissing me again. Zhang Yichen is actually kissing me—
His breath caught hard against Yichen's mouth, the hand that had been resting in Yichen's sleeve tightened, fingers twisting into the fabric. He could taste the faint citrus sweetness from earlier, now mixed with the heat of Yichen himself.
The kiss was nothing like the soft thing he had half-expected. It was starving. Demanding. Yichen's other hand gripped his waist, pulling him closer on the narrow seat until their knees knocked and there was almost no space left between them.
A small, helpless sound escaped Mo Fei's throat. Yichen answered it with a low, rough exhale and kissed him deeper, tilting his head, tongue brushing against his with clear intent. The cabin suddenly felt too small, too warm. Mo Fei's pulse hammered so loudly he was certain Yichen could feel it under his fingers.
He tastes like cotton candy.
Yichen's thoughts were simple, he nipped lightly at Mo Fei's lower lip, then soothed it with another deep, breathless kiss, his hand at Mo Fei's waist flexed, fingers pressing into soft fabric and the body beneath it.
Every small response— the way Mo Fei leaned in, the quiet sounds he couldn't quite swallow—only fed the hunger.
When they finally broke apart it was only far enough to breathe. Foreheads stayed pressed together. Their breaths mixed, short and uneven. Mo Fei's lips felt swollen. His eyes were slow to open.
Neither of them spoke at first.
The wheel had begun its descent, city lights streaked softly past the open side of the cabin. Somewhere below, laughter rose and fell again.
Yichen's thumb brushed the edge of Mo Fei's jaw, still holding him close. His voice was rough around the edges when he finally spoke. "Still want to take it back?"
Mo Fei's thoughts were a messy, stunned tangle. His brain provided several possible answers, unfortunately, most of them were useless. He shook his head. "No... I don't want to take it back.
Yichen's mouth curved, barely and he kissed him again, just as hungry as the first time, as the Ferris wheel carried them steadily downward.