Chapter 111: A Visitor Arrives

"Is it really okay for us to just show up like this?"

The girl with short hair, currently packing up their gear, felt it was a bit impolite. "We haven't even told them we're coming."

The cameraman carefully stowed his camera, then put his hands on his hips and waved them dismissively. "You're overthinking it, Yan. I already told Brother Mo that we'd find some time to come over and film."

"Ma He—" Zhong Yan shook her head helplessly. "It's precisely because of people like you who lack manners that everyone thinks our art department is just a bunch of weirdos."

"Weirdos?" Ma He picked up the camera bag and turned to ask Ji Xingyu, "What do you think, Brother Yu?"

Ji Xingyu folded up a reflector, completely indifferent. "We are, aren't we?"

"See? We are, aren't we?"

Ma He spread his hands, sporting the look of someone who couldn't care less about the consequences.

Zhong Yan could only shake her head repeatedly. "You've corrupted him. You've corrupted him, you've ruined him."

Ma He chuckled. "This is work, and it's also a surprise! A surprise!"

"Let's just hope it doesn't turn into a shock."

Zhong Yan truly had no way to deal with them. They were impossible to persuade; they were just a bunch of stubborn guys.

"Don't worry so much, Yan," Ma He said after finishing with the equipment, looking up to reassure her. "Brother Mo is a mature adult. He’s just there for work, and we’re just paying him a visit. What could possibly be the problem?"

Zhong Yan couldn't out-argue him, so she just shook her head. Yet, deep down, she had a nagging feeling that this trip wouldn't go as smoothly as expected. If Mo Fei were here, he would likely compliment her on having such accurate intuition.

The border was never a good place for tourism, especially not the Myanmar border.

Right now, Mo Fei was feeling quite tormented. The "evening gathering" Da Fei had mentioned was a bonfire party. In the dim twilight, a massive bonfire crackled in the center of the crowd, while people danced and sang, clutching various instruments and flower bouquets. The atmosphere was joyous, but Mo Fei felt completely out of place among these happy people.

"Changed your clothes, Xiao Fei?" Da Fei spotted Mo Fei and walked over, familiarly draping an arm around his shoulder.

Mo Fei had a lot on his mind, and looking at Da Fei, he had the sudden urge to punch him. The malice he felt was so hard to suppress that Da Fei suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Although Mo Fei still wore a polite smile, half of his face was illuminated by the firelight, while the other half remained hidden in the shadows, making his full expression unreadable.

"Good evening, Brother Fei," Mo Fei said, his voice still light and cheerful.

Despite the fact that everything seemed fine on the surface, Da Fei’s sixth sense, honed over many years, told him that something was very dangerous. He pulled his hand back, his expression tightening slightly. "How come... I feel like you're different from how you were during the day, Xiao Fei?"

"Am I?" Mo Fei took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to beat this scum to death, and turned to face him. "It’s probably just because I changed my jacket; that changes the look."

Changing his angle this time, the firelight shone fully onto Mo Fei’s face, making the young man look vibrant and full of life.

Da Fei doubted himself for a moment. "I guess so." He patted Mo Fei’s arm. "Let's go join the fun. I'll introduce you to some friends."

A group of people holding canned beer waved to them from a distance. "Brother Fei, come over and join us!"

Da Fei beckoned to them and nudged Mo Fei. "Let's go."

It was a group of young people; the oldest couldn't have been more than thirty-five, and the youngest looked like they had just reached adulthood. Everyone called him "Brother Fei," surrounding him like stars around the moon. Da Fei introduced them as friends, but in Mo Fei’s eyes, these people were essentially victims.

The young men and women enthusiastically crowded around Mo Fei.

"Is this the new friend Brother Fei mentioned? He's so handsome!"

"Quite a dashing fellow. How old are you, man? What do you do for a living?"

"Where are you from? Can you handle spicy food?" A young girl held out a skewer and handed it to him. "Try some of Sister Momo's cooking."

Mo Fei looked at the bright red chicken wings in his hand, unsure whether to answer their questions or eat the food first. Besides, was the food here even edible? The woman grilling the wings was biting down on a cigarette while sprinkling cumin, and he wasn't sure if the ash was falling onto the skewers. He looked at the skewer with a conflicted expression.

"Alright, alright, you lot have so many questions, you'll scare the newcomer away." The woman, holding a tray and a cigarette, shooed the crowd away. "Come and eat!"

The crowd dispersed toward the dining table. Sister Momo walked up to Mo Fei and snatched the skewer from his hand. "If you don't want to eat it, don't. The disgust on your face is practically overflowing." She took a large bite of the chicken wing, her mouth covered in chili powder.

Da Fei stepped in to smooth things over. "Let me introduce you. This is Li Momo, the girl who makes the best skewers around here."

"You like this newcomer?" Li Momo looked Mo Fei up and down. "He's as thin as a rail and a picky eater to boot. Can he even pull his own weight?"

"City folks usually have a few quirks; it's normal," Da Fei said, laughing as he put his arm around Mo Fei’s shoulder. "By the way, I haven't asked what you do for a living yet."

Mo Fei paused for a moment before replying, "I work in the field of human action-to-image collection representation. My hours are quite flexible."

"What? What was that?" Li Momo spat out a chicken bone, looking bewildered. "What did you say?"

Da Fei looked at him with equal confusion.

"To put it simply, I take photos."

At that, both of them understood.

"A photographer, why didn't you say so earlier?" Li Momo rolled her eyes. "Spouting all that useless nonsense."

"But a photographer... is that useful?" Li Momo looked at Da Fei.

Da Fei smiled. "Everyone has their own strengths. Do you have any other special skills?"

Mo Fei thought for a moment. "Does using special techniques and visual effects to deceive the audience and create a sense of wonder count?"

Li Momo frowned, thinking for a bit. "Like a magician?"

"That’s it." Mo Fei snapped his fingers, reached behind her ear, and pulled out a playing card out of thin air. He showed it to her: "Ace of Hearts. It suits you."

"Whatever." Li Momo took the card and tossed it into the burning charcoal stove. She stared at Mo Fei and took a vicious bite of meat. "And you don't need to tell me what suits me. Get lost."

Mo Fei watched the burning card and said nothing.

Da Fei saw that things were getting tense and patted Mo Fei on the shoulder, laughing it off. "Oh, that's just Momo's personality. She's very independent. But that trick of yours was quite impressive! Come, come, let's chat."

As he spoke, he led Mo Fei away in another direction. Mo Fei followed his lead, but as he glanced back, he saw Li Momo wiping her mouth. Seeing him turn around, she glared at him, her expression fierce.

Da Fei gave him a firm nudge. "Don't worry, it's fine. Momo isn't targeting you; she's fierce with everyone."