The low murmur of conversation drifted back into the living room as Louis and Sima Li reappeared from the kitchen.
The lights had deepened further, casting longer shadows across the scattered bodies and abandoned glasses. The air still carried the faint mix of whisky, perfume, and the lingering warmth of too many people in one space for too long.
Louis stepped in first. Sima Li followed close behind, looking entirely too pleased with life.
Louis looked considerably less pleased. His ears were no longer red, but the expression on his face suggested he had spent the last few minutes reconsidering several major life choices.
Chen Yu was half on top of Nil. Xiao Mei was lying across Aria's legs.
Mo Fei was still perched beside Yichen. Empty bottles, abandoned snacks, discarded jackets, and the last remains of whatever dignity the room had started with littered the space.
Louis stopped just inside the doorway, eyes sweeping over the group with fresh contempt. He clicked his tongue sharply. "Have you all forgotten what next week is?"
The room went quiet. Every head turned toward him. Louis slapped his forehead hard enough that the sound cracked through the silence.
"The Starlight Festival?"
A collective "Ohhhh…" rose from the group—slow, dawning— before pure panic set in.
"Ah— next week!" Mo Fei squeaked, both hands flying up to clutch his head as he swayed dramatically on the arm of Yichen's chair. His violet hair fell into his eyes.
Chen Yu groaned from the sofa, still half-sprawled. "We've been goofing around and almost forgot."
"Oh my God. Oh my God!" Xiao Mei launched herself at Yichen, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him with frantic energy. "Yichen-ge! It's next week! What are we going to do—"
Yichen's voice came out calm and flat. "Get your filthy hands off me."
Mo Fei immediately switched targets, seizing the same shoulders and shaking him harder. "What am I going to do?! It's next week!"
Yichen rocked back and forth beneath the assault. He allowed it without resistance, only letting out a quiet sigh. His expression remained calm. "Mm."
Xiao Mei's mouth slowly fell open. She pointed. "Excuse me?" Nobody heard her.
Yichen calmly placed both hands around Mo Fei's waist to steady him. "You're panicking."
"OF COURSE I'M PANICKING!"
Xiao Mei pointed harder. "HELLO?"
Chen Yu had started pacing. "My outfits. Do I have outfits? Nil, do I have outfits?"
"You bought festival outfits days ago," Nil said.
Chen Yu stopped. "Oh." He resumed pacing. "I need better ones."
Sima Li checked his phone. "Wait, what day am I performing?" Within seconds the living room descended into complete chaos.
"Where's my schedule?"
"Who has the itinerary?"
"Do we have rehearsals?"
"Of course we have rehearsals!"
"WHO BOOKED MY HAIR?"
"Why are you shouting?"
"BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE IS SHOUTING!"
Louis raised two fingers to his mouth and whistled— sharp, piercing, loud enough to cut through everything. The sound sliced the air clean. Silence dropped instantly.
Louis lowered his hand. "Thank you." He turned to Aria first. "Aria. I trust you're ready."
She gave a single, composed nod. "Of course."
His gaze moved to Xiao Mei. She offered a sheepish smile, still slightly out of breath.
"My manager Lin already has everything prepared for me." Everyone rolled their eyes in unison.
"Then why the fuck were you panicking just now?" Chen Yu muttered.
Zhang Yichen gave her a flat look. Xiao Mei quietly moved behind Aria.
Sima Li dropped into the nearest chair with a soft thud and waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, relax." He stretched his legs out and counted lazily on his fingers. "Show up." One finger. "Stun." Two. "Leave." Three. He spread his hands. "Capisce?"
Louis stared at him. "You are performing."
"I can stun while performing," Sima Li said proudly.
Yichen's voice was quiet but firm. "I'm not spending more than twenty minutes there."
Nil sighed from his place beside Chen Yu but said nothing. Every pair of eyes then turned, almost simultaneously, toward Mo Fei.
Mo Fei blinked. "Why are you all looking at me?"
Sima Li raised a brow. "Do you have anything to perform? You were invited as a guest, after all."
Mo Fei scratched the back of his head, fingers disappearing into the messy violet strands. A beat of silence followed.
Everyone, "..."
"Seriously?" Xiao Mei whispered.
"What have you been doing?" Chen Yu demanded.
"Who even manages you?"
Everyone stopped. Louis's face hardened. Mo Fei's hand fell from his head, Chen Yu suddenly became extremely interested in the ceiling.
Xiao Mei examined her fingernails, Sima Li looked away, Nil cleared his throat and Aria reached for the water bottle again.
Nobody looked at Louis.
The elephant in the room was enormous. It was wearing a suit and it was standing directly in front of them. No one was going to address it.
Yichen simply reached out and patted Mo Fei's shoulder, his touch steady. "I'm sure you'll come up with something."
Mo Fei's eyes immediately became wet. He looked like he might actually cry. "Yichen…"
Yichen's voice softened a fraction. "Do you have any inspiration?"
Mo Fei shook his head hard, lower lip trembling.
Louis folded his arms. "Then you'll have to come up with something simple at least."
"But Louis," Mo Fei wailed, voice cracking as actual tears threatened, "I don't have any idea right now— "
Louis's expression darkened. A slow, unpleasant smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Then I guess I'll have to do it the old British way."
Mo Fei's eyes narrowed in pure fear. "The old British way…?"
Louis stepped closer. He raised one finger and dragged it slowly, deliberately, across his own throat, his smile turned murderous. "Off with his head."
Mo Fei's eyes rolled back. He toppled backward in a dramatic faint and Yichen's arm shot out, catching him cleanly before he could hit the floor.
Sima Li leaned forward in his chair. "…Did he actually faint?"
Aria took another sip of water. "Yes." Nil rubbed his forehead.
Louis turned away. "Good. Maybe when he wakes up, he'll have an idea."
Zhang Yichen tightened his hold around Mo Fei. Mo Fei remained unconscious— for once, completely free of problems.
A few minutes later, Mo Fei returned to the land of the living. The first thing he became aware of was warmth beneath his head. The second was the dull throb behind his eyes.
The third— faces.
Far too many faces.
Mo Fei's eyelids fluttered open to find Chen Yu, Xiao Mei, Sima Li, and Aria hovering above him in a loose circle. Nil stood slightly behind them, arms folded.
Louis loomed farther back like the grim reaper waiting to see whether his victim required a second attempt. And directly beside him—
Zhang Yichen.
Mo Fei blinked slowly. Somewhere nearby, the forgotten music still played at such a low volume that only the bass could be heard, a soft pulse beneath the steady hum of the air conditioner.
The living room still smelled faintly of whisky, perfume, and the abandoned snacks scattered across the coffee table.
Chen Yu leaned closer. "Are you awake?"
Mo Fei's face scrunched into an immediate frown. He shifted against the cushion beneath his head. "What a foolish thing to ask me. It's even more disrespectful to answer."
Chen Yu clicked his tongue sharply and straightened, clearly done with the theatrics. The others dispersed from above Mo Fei's face, settling around him again. Xiao Mei dropped cross-legged onto the rug. Sima Li reclaimed the edge of the sofa.
Aria returned to her water. Nil sank back beside Chen Yu.
Yichen remained where he was. "Are you all right?" His voice was quieter than the others.
Mo Fei blinked up at him. Yichen was close enough that Mo Fei could see the faint crease between his brows. He gave a small nod, then his lower lip trembled.
"I saw the light for a minute," he whispered. His gaze locked onto Yichen's face like it was the only solid thing in the room. "You pulled me back."
A faint smile touched Yichen's mouth. "I only held you."
"Same thing," Mo Fei sniffed, wiping at one eye with the back of his hand.
Chen Yu made a disgusted noise from behind them. "Can we focus? He fainted for three minutes, not three years."
Mo Fei glared at him. Before an argument could begin, Louis's shadow fell across them. He stood with his arms crossed, expression carved from pure disapproval.
"You better have an idea," he said coldly, "or I'll send you to see the lights myself and it won't be at the end of the fucking tunnel."
Mo Fei flinched so hard his shoulders jumped. He scrambled upright in one clumsy motion, nearly knocking into Yichen's chest in the process. He swayed, Yichen caught his shoulder. His violet hair stuck up at odd angles. He cleared his throat, forcing his spine straight.
"I'm fine." Mo Fei placed both hands on his knees like an employee who had just been summoned for an emergency performance review.
Mo Fei's mind began sprinting.
Come on, think, anything. A song? No— he sang like a dying whale.
Dance? Buggy-wuggy? Absolutely fucking not. The crowd would eat him alive.
His gaze travelled around the room, then, slowly, Mo Fei grinned.
"Alright, guys." His voice was still a little watery, but determination was already creeping back in. "I have an idea… but I'm going to need everyone's help."
The shift was immediate. Chen Yu stopped mid-eye-roll. Xiao Mei leaned forward so fast her knees scraped the rug.
Aria set the water bottle down with a soft clink. Sima Li sat up straighter in his chair. Nil's attention sharpened. Even Louis's scowl lessened by a fraction.
They all scooted closer without being told—bodies shifting, cushions creaking, the circle tightening around Mo Fei until the air between them felt warmer, denser, charged with sudden interest.
The room went strangely quiet.
Eight successful adults. Several of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Millions of followers between them. Enough collective wealth and influence to cause serious economic concern.
All leaning toward Mo Fei like children about to hear a secret.
Mo Fei looked around at their expectant faces, eyes still faintly red, and drew in a shaky breath. His grin widened. "Okay." He rubbed his hands together. "Here's what we're going to do."