APCF – Chapter 101 Together

When Qi Xingchen saw Bo Ye, his first reaction was: Why is he here?

His second reaction was: Bo Ye actually called him ‘baby’—there are so many people behind him! What if their relationship gets exposed?!

Like a little cat whose tail had been stepped on, Qi Xingchen’s entire body bristled in alarm. He warily turned to look at the crowd behind him, as if the mere act of someone discovering their secret would result in bloodshed on the spot.

Luckily, the entrance of the KTV was narrow, and since Qi Xingchen was standing in front, the people behind him couldn’t clearly see Bo Ye’s lip movements. They simply laughed and teased him, saying:

“Xingxing, are you stunned? Hahaha!”

“Hurry inside, hurry inside, or the candles will burn out!”

“Thanks to little Qi, I’m finally getting to enjoy a VIP concert from a top-tier idol today!”

“This is my first time seeing Bo Ye in person—he’s so much more handsome than on TV!”

Hearing their words, Qi Xingchen felt relieved and could barely contain his eagerness to rush over and get a good look at Bo Ye. But with so many people around, he forced himself to remain composed, walking steadily to Bo Ye’s side and whispering, “Didn’t you have a schedule today?”

He had seen Bo Ye’s itinerary.

“I canceled it,” Bo Ye said casually. “It wasn’t important.”

“There was no need to cancel your schedule just for a birthday. It’s not like I’m turning sixty or something,” Qi Xingchen mumbled.

Bo Ye’s gaze softened. “It’s not about celebrating a birthday—it’s about whose birthday it is.”

Then, he tilted his chin toward the cake. “Make a wish and cut the cake. Everyone’s probably starving.”

His last sentence was spoken a little louder, and as soon as the others heard it, they eagerly chimed in about which part of the cake they wanted. Da Zhuang even called a waiter over to bring the menu, and the group gathered around to order food.

Now that Bo Ye was already here, it was too late to send him away. Qi Xingchen didn’t say anything more and simply looked down at his cake.

It was a five-tiered cake, each layer featuring a fondant figurine of his chibi version, capturing different moments from his career. There was one of him busking on the streets during Backpacking on a Budget, another of him stepping onto water in an advertisement for Siren, a third of him in a plastic protective suit interacting with Xiang Xiang during Heart of the Ocean, and one of him performing an aerial silk routine as an assistant mentor in My Era.

At the very top was, of course, his character Liang Xiaolong—a thin, pale boy in a food delivery uniform, flashing a peace sign. He looked both adorable and pitiful.

Most importantly, that picture was a selfie he had once sent to Bo Ye.

The others naturally didn’t know the significance behind it and simply assumed Bo Ye had found some candid shot from the internet. Qi Xingchen panicked and grumbled, “Why did you choose such a silly-looking photo of me? It’s so ugly!”

Back then, he had deleted the photo shortly after posting it because he thought it was too unflattering. He never expected Bo Ye to have saved it.

“This is proof of your hard work for your role. One day, it’ll become a precious memory,” Bo Ye said with a strong sense of self-preservation. “Besides, I don’t think it’s ugly—it’s pretty cute.”

“It is cute,” Da Zhuang interjected as he walked by after ordering the food. He grinned mischievously and teased, “Isn’t this a uniform pay moment? Hahaha!”

Qi Xingchen: “……”

Who the hell wears a Meituan food delivery uniform for that kind of thing?!

Bo Ye shot Da Zhuang a cold glance. Da Zhuang shrank his neck and wisely scurried away.

Director Zhou had met Bo Ye once before and knew he wasn’t great at livening up the atmosphere, so he took the lead, saying, “Xiao Qi, today is your 22nd birthday—congratulations on becoming a year older and even more handsome. Come on, make a wish and blow out the candles.”

With that, Bo Ye started singing the birthday song.

Qi Xingchen gazed at the glowing “22” candle atop the cake and slowly closed his eyes.

After about ten seconds, he opened them again and blew out the candles in one breath.

“Xingxing, happy birthday!”

“Xingxing, we love you!”

“Little Qi, little Qi, you’re the best in the world!”

“Ahhh, hurry up and cut the cake! I can’t wait any longer!”

The noise made Qi Xingchen’s ears ache. He quickly took the knife and fork Bo Ye handed him and started cutting the cake.

However, while cutting, he was also observing his surroundings. He knew very well that aside from Director Zhou and the crew, everyone else in the room was an actor. Actors typically avoided high-sugar foods while filming, so their eagerness for him to cut the cake likely had another motive—most likely, to smash it on his face.

Sure enough, as soon as he placed the first slice of cake onto a plate and handed it to Director Zhou—

Director Zhou suddenly pushed the plate forward, aiming straight for his face!

Qi Xingchen had been prepared. He quickly tilted his head to the left, dodging the incoming cake. At the same time, Bo Ye seemed to anticipate Director Zhou’s move as well. He swiftly pulled Qi Xingchen behind him and, with perfect timing, pushed the cake plate back in the direction it came from.

A man in his thirties who frequently stayed up late was no match for a young idol who had trained in dance for years. Within three seconds, the cake splattered directly onto Director Zhou’s face.

“Pfft—hahaha!” Qi Xingchen couldn’t hold back his laughter.

He continued distributing the cake, but the others refused to give up, eager to “return the favor.”

Unfortunately for them, with his quick reflexes and Bo Ye assisting from the side, not a single person succeeded. Instead, they all ended up getting counterattacked.

“Waaah, Xingxing! Bo Ye! You two are too ruthless!”

The group wailed in defeat, wiping their faces clean. Once they realized that the duo had formed an impenetrable defense, they rolled their eyes in exasperation and finally resigned themselves to eating.

Seeing that the “battle” was over, Qi Xingchen carefully took out the largest remaining slice of cake and handed it to Bo Ye. “You haven’t eaten dinner yet, right? Have some cake first—”

Before he could finish his sentence, his vision suddenly went dark.

Bo Ye had smacked the entire slice of cake onto his face.

This piece was bigger than the others, covering an even larger area. Qi Xingchen was instantly covered in white cream, his nose and mouth filled with the sweet taste of frosting.

Betrayed by his own ally, Qi Xingchen was in utter disbelief. He wiped the cream off his eyes and looked at Bo Ye, about to demand an explanation—

Only to see Bo Ye pressing his lips together, struggling to hold back his laughter. But his eyes were already filled with amusement, the corners curved in an arc so beautiful that Qi Xingchen didn’t know how to describe it.

Qi Xingchen silently lowered his head.

Fine. Whatever.

As long as Bo Ye was happy, he could even bury him in cake if he wanted to.

The others had witnessed the entire “internal betrayal” and immediately burst into applause and laughter. “Hahaha! Well done, Bo Ye!”

Qi Xingchen didn’t mind at all. He simply bent down, picked up another slice of cake, and warned Bo Ye, “This time, no smashing it on me. Eat properly, I’m going to wash my face.”

As he spoke, he stuffed the cake into Bo Ye’s hands. Surprisingly, Bo Ye behaved this time and placed it on a nearby table.

“Let’s go. I’ll come with you,” Bo Ye said.

Qi Xingchen nodded and turned toward the restroom.

The moment they stepped inside, before Qi Xingchen could even turn on the faucet, Bo Ye grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the innermost stall.

“Whatever you want to say, wait until I wash my face first,” Qi Xingchen whispered.

Bo Ye’s gaze landed on his lips. “I want to taste the cake before you wash it off.”

Qi Xingchen froze.

Bo Ye had said the exact same thing once before—back when they had their first real kiss.

Realizing what he meant, Qi Xingchen’s face heated up. “You have actual cake to eat. Why do you have to mess with me? If you don’t get a taste, that’s your own problem.”

“You’re right. It’s my fault.” Bo Ye leaned in and kissed his forehead. “But I can still taste it here.”

Before the words even fully left his lips, Bo Ye’s kisses followed—trailing from Qi Xingchen’s forehead, down his eyelashes, along his cheeks, brushing over the tip of his nose, and finally stopping at his lips.

They hadn’t seen each other for a long time. Before Bo Ye could even kiss him properly, Qi Xingchen’s legs were already going weak. He shut his eyes, looking as if he was surrendering himself completely.

Bo Ye could never resist this kind of expression from him. Wrapping an arm around Qi Xingchen’s waist, he licked the frosting off his lips—then kissed him deeply.

The taste of fondant and fresh cream lingered between their lips, so sweet it sent shivers down their spines. Qi Xingchen had never realized cake could taste this good, eagerly absorbing the sweetness from Bo Ye’s tongue.

It wasn’t until the taste began to fade that Bo Ye finally ended the kiss.

When Qi Xingchen opened his eyes, he suddenly noticed—a dollop of cream had somehow ended up on Bo Ye’s face as well!

Instantly, he was filled with smug satisfaction. He reached out with his index finger and playfully scraped it off. “This cake battle isn’t a loss for me. Or rather, no one really won.”

This guy’s competitive spirit is insane. Bo Ye chuckled helplessly. “Fine, fine, you win.” Then, he frowned. “By the way, why does your voice sound so hoarse?”

The private room had been filled with loud music and chatter, making it hard to notice earlier. But now that it was just the two of them, Bo Ye could hear it clearly.

Why is my voice hoarse…? Qi Xingchen froze.

Oh no. He had been so happy that he completely forgot—he had a cold!

He withdrew his finger from Bo Ye’s cheek and instinctively stuck it into his mouth, sucking off the remaining cream. Then, panic set in. “I forgot I have a cold! What should I do? Will you catch it from me?!”

“A cold?” Bo Ye frowned. “Since when? How come I didn’t know?”

“I was busy filming the past few days and didn’t tell you. But I’m almost recovered now… No, wait, I heard that people are most contagious when they’re almost better!” Qi Xingchen was on the verge of tears. “I’m so stupid! So, so stupid!”

Understanding his concern, Bo Ye reassured him, “If I do catch your cold, then I’ll just keep you company. Wouldn’t that be even better?”

While speaking, Bo Ye’s gaze lingered on Qi Xingchen’s finger. But Qi Xingchen was too busy berating himself to notice.

“That’s not better at all! You’d be suffering for no reason.”

Bo Ye didn’t want him to keep fixating on it, so he simply took Qi Xingchen’s hand and lightly licked his fingertip. “Since it’s already like this, why not kiss again?”

After all, it was Qi Xingchen’s birthday. It wouldn’t be good for the guest of honor to be away for too long. Bo Ye allowed them only a brief kiss before finally letting him go, and they left together to wash up.

When they returned to the KTV room, Da Zhuang smirked at them. “Weren’t you just going to wash your face? Bo Ye, why are you wet too?”

“He got me back.” Bo Ye half-joked. “I lost the final battle. Xingxing is the true victor.”

“Ohhh! Look at you, Xingxing! Impressive!”

Qi Xingchen’s competitive streak felt validated, and he was absolutely delighted. Everyone continued eating, drinking, and singing karaoke until two in the morning.

As they were about to leave, Director Zhou glanced at the tipsy, swaying group and sighed. “Alright, take tomorrow off to recover—but make sure you’re back in shape! We’ll try to catch up on progress the day after.”

“Understood!” Hearing they had a day off, the group cheered.

But they were all veterans of the entertainment industry. Though drunk and rowdy inside the KTV, the moment they stepped outside, each one of them straightened up, pretending to be perfectly sober.

Back at the hotel, Director Zhou suddenly smacked his forehead. “Ah! My memory is so bad! Xiao Bo, I forgot to book a room for you. Let me go handle that now.”

“No need.” Bo Ye stopped him and turned to Qi Xingchen. “How many rooms do you have?”

Qi Xingchen was still lightheaded from drinking. “Two.”

“Then there’s no need for another one, Director Zhou,” Bo Ye said casually. “I’ll just stay with Xingxing.”