Mo Fei stared at himself in the mirror, he barely recognised the person looking back.
Shushu watched him carefully before speaking. "The Mo Fei I see everywhere doesn't look like this."
Mo Fei's fingers paused.
She continued gently. "You're always loud. Always confident. Always causing trouble." A small smile tugged at her lips.
"Honestly, sometimes I wonder how someone with such a beautiful face can be so annoying."
Mo Fei gave her an offended look. But Shushu did not laugh.
"Yet right now…" Her expression softened. "You look like you forgot who you are."
The room fell quiet.
Mo Fei looked away. "It's nothing. I'm just having trouble sleeping."
Shushu had worked in fashion for many years.
She had seen every kind of celebrity. The arrogant ones.
The nervous ones. The ones who walked into her studio believing perfection was already theirs. And the ones who carried the weight of the entire world on their shoulders while pretending they were only worried about their hair.
Mo Fei belonged to the last kind.
At first glance, he looked exactly like the person everyone knew. The violet hair. The sharp features. The beautiful face that cameras loved.
The kind of appearance that made people stop and stare.
But Shushu had spent too long in this industry to only look at the surface.
She noticed the details. The tiredness beneath his eyes, his smile that arrived a second too late.
The way he looked at his own reflection as if he was trying to recognise the person staring back.
"Look up," she instructed. Mo Fei obeyed. Shushu adjusted his collar, fixed his hair, then stepped back.
Slowly, the messy-haired man who had walked into her studio disappeared.
In his place was the Mo Fei everyone knew. Elegant. Confident. Beautiful.
The Prince of the Runway.
Shushu smiled faintly. "There." She knew when someone was not ready to speak. She had worked with enough artists to understand that some wounds needed time before they could be touched.
So she did not push.
Instead, she stepped closer and fixed one final strand of his hair.
"I've known Yichen for a long time," she said softly, "but this is the first time I've seen him bring someone else here."
Mo Fei looked at her.
"You must be special."
"I'm not that special," Mo Fei replied. "At least, not in the way I thought."
Shushu's hand rested gently on his shoulder. "Let me tell you something." Mo Fei looked at her reflection. "No matter what happens, never let yourself stop being elegant."
Mo Fei blinked. "Elegant?"
"Yes." She tapped his chin lightly. "Hold your head up." Her voice remained calm. "Problems? Everyone has them. Troubles? Everyone carries something."
She looked at his reflection.
"But the world does not remember how many difficulties you faced. It remembers how you faced them."
Mo Fei stayed silent.
"Everyone has moments where they fall apart. That is normal." Her smile softened. "But don't forget to stand back up. Even if your heart is hurting, don't let yourself disappear."
The words settled somewhere deep. Mo Fei thought about the past week.
He had hidden away because he did not know what else to do. Slowly, he turned back towards the mirror.
And then—
"AAHHHHHH!"
Shushu nearly jumped.
Mo Fei pointed at his reflection in horror. "When did I become this? Look at me. I look feral."
Shushu blinked. "You mean the person who has spent the past week in oversized shirts and sweatpants?"
Mo Fei touched his face. "My beautiful face suffered this entire time?"
Shushu laughed. "Now you sound like yourself again. Shameless, dramatic, and armed with endless confidence."
Mo Fei's eyes suddenly became wet. He quickly covered them. "Why am I crying?"
"Because you finally realised how terrible you looked."
"That's cruel. But true." He laughed quietly. Then he looked back at himself. "Shushu… Fix me."
Shushu's eyes immediately lit up. Finally. A challenge.
"Leave everything to me." She placed both hands on his shoulders. "You're in good hands."
And she meant it. For the next hour, Shushu worked.
She fixed his hair. Changed his clothes. Adjusted every small detail.
By the time she finished, Mo Fei looked like the person everyone expected him to be.
Not because he was pretending. Because he remembered.
Bai Ju was gone.
That life had ended. He had been given another chance.
He was Mo Fei.
Shushu gently pinched his cheek. "Move forward. The past is already behind you." She smiled.
"Enjoy what you have now."
Mo Fei nodded.
The past was the past.
Why should he continue drowning in pain because of what one person said? To think he had almost fallen into complete depression over some woman's words.
Never again.
Not in this life.
The god who gave him another chance did not hand it to him so he could waste it.
This life belonged to him.
He was Mo Fei and he would rise. He would become the greatest model this generation had ever seen.
The world could take many things from him.
But it could never take away who he was.
💜~~~~~~
Yichen sat in the waiting area, scrolling through the script on his phone. He had been reading for his upcoming drama when the door finally opened and Shushu stepped out.
"Finished?" Yichen looked up immediately. "How is he?"
Shushu smiled. Then moved aside. "See for yourself."
Mo Fei walked out.
Yichen froze. For a second, he forgot to breathe. The exhausted person he had carried out of that apartment was gone.
Standing before him was the Mo Fei everyone saw on camera. His violet hair fell perfectly around his face. His clothes were stylish without looking forced.
His posture was confident.
Alive.
Yichen stared a moment too long. Then quickly looked away. "Ahem…" He cleared his throat. "He… doesn't look that bad."
Shushu, "..."
Mo Fei, "..."
Mo Fei and Shushu stared at him.
"Not that bad?" Shushu repeated.
Mo Fei placed a hand over his chest. "Not that bad?"
Shushu looked genuinely offended. "Do you know how many people would cry to look this good?"
"You clearly have no taste," Mo Fei interrupted. He pointed at himself. "Look at me. I am a masterpiece."
Shushu nodded seriously. "My masterpiece."
Mo Fei posed. "It was your graceful hands that crafted this. I am now the reason mirrors were invented."
Shushu clapped happily. "A demi-god would look upon you with jealousy. Nobody can match this handsomeness."
Yichen watched the two of them proudly praise Mo Fei like they were presenting a national treasure. A smile slowly appeared on his face.
Annoying. Shameless. Ridiculous Mo Fei.
He was back.
Yichen stood and picked up the small box beside him. "Here."
Mo Fei paused. "What's that?"
"I got it for you." Yichen looked away slightly. "I thought it might cheer you up."
Mo Fei stared at the box. Then glanced towards Shushu. She smiled and nodded. Slowly, Mo Fei walked over and took it.
He opened it. Then froze. His eyes immediately became wet.
Yichen stiffened. "What? Did I choose the wrong thing?" He stepped closer. "Mo Fei, don't cry. I thought—"
"No." Mo Fei shook his head quickly. "Ngh…" He sniffed. "These aren't sad tears. Wahhh… they're happy tears."
Yichen visibly relaxed.
Behind them, Shushu leaned closer to see what had caused such a dramatic reaction.
Inside the box was an ice cream cake. A beautiful dessert decorated with several layers of toppings, colourful cream and carefully arranged details.
Her eyes moved between the cake and the two men.
"What is this?"
Mo Fei and Yichen looked at the dessert and answered at the same time.
"It's a Triple Deluxe Limited Edition Ice Cream Cake."
Shushu, "…"
Well.
Whatever made him happy.
Mo Fei immediately picked up the spoon.
Yichen watched him attack the dessert with the same enthusiasm as a starving man discovering treasure.
A smile appeared on his lips before he realised it.
Shushu leaned closer and lightly elbowed Yichen. "I quite like this one."
Yichen shook his head. But he was smiling anyway.