APCF – Chapter 111 Public Exposure

This Weibo post was accompanied by several photos.

• The first showed the two walking side by side out of a hotel’s revolving door.
• The second captured them getting into Bo Ye’s car, one after the other.
• The third depicted them getting out at the back entrance of a restaurant.
• The rest of the images were all scenes of them dining together.

One particular image, where Bo Ye was feeding Qi Xingchen, was enlarged to highlight the action—so obvious that no excuse, like merely holding chopsticks while speaking, could justify it.

Clearly, this was meant to expose them.

Qi Xingchen took a deep breath and looked at Bo Ye. Bo Ye had just finished scrolling through the post himself. He put down his phone, ruffled Qi Xingchen’s hair, and reassured him, “It’s okay. I’ll handle it.”

“This is about both of us,” Qi Xingchen shook his head. “I’ll face it with you. The pictures look like screenshots from a video. I’m curious where the paparazzi got them.”

Bo Ye was curious too. After years in the industry, he knew well enough to choose restaurants without surveillance cameras or windows when dining out.

It was common sense. Before making the reservation, he had confirmed this with the restaurant manager. Yet, they were still recorded.

That meant either the restaurant sold them out to the paparazzi or someone knew they would be there and set up recording equipment in advance.

But this all hinged on the fact that someone exposed Bo Ye’s identity. It was Allen who made the reservation and provided the ID details. So how did the restaurant—or whoever was behind this—know Bo Ye was the one Allen booked for?

Unless this person knew Allen personally and was aware of his private number.

However, now wasn’t the time to dwell on the cause—they had to get through the immediate crisis first. Bo Ye massaged his temples and asked Qi Xingchen, “What do you want to do?”

“Deny it as much as possible and handle PR,” Qi Xingchen replied.

“Because of me?”

Two months ago, they had considered whether to go public. Qi Xingchen had worried about affecting Bo Ye’s career, while Bo Ye feared Qi Xingchen’s foundation in the industry wasn’t strong enough to withstand attacks from anti-fans.

Now, with Heart of the Ocean about to finish airing and Gray Trajectory currently in production, Qi Xingchen had more confidence.

Bo Ye continued, “Do you have any other concerns? Like your family or friends disapproving, or you not wanting people to know?”

“No!” Qi Xingchen answered immediately. “Of course not!”

He wished the whole world knew that the amazing Bo Ye was dating him.

“Alright.” Bo Ye pinched his cheek. “I got it.”

Tsk tsk tsk.

Suddenly, exaggerated clicking sounds came from the front seat. Bo Ye put down his hand and shot Allen a look. “What are you doing?”

“Boss, when are you gonna be this gentle to me?” Allen whined.

Qi Xingchen grabbed a drink bottle and threw it at him. “What? You wanna steal my boyfriend?”

“Ow! Ow, ow, ow! Help! Somebody’s killing a single man here!”

An hour later, #BoYeRelationshipExposed# skyrocketed to the top trending topic under the “Explosive” category.

Qi Xingchen and Bo Ye’s phones wouldn’t stop ringing with nonstop calls. Bo Ye’s agent and An Ran were on the brink of a breakdown—scrambling to handle the media frenzy, contacting Sina to take down the trending topic, and trying to strategize with their artists.

With the situation escalating, the two no longer had the mood for intimacy. Bo Ye told Qi Xingchen to turn off his phone, made a call himself, then shut his phone off as well. Holding Qi Xingchen’s hand, he fell asleep with him.

The next morning, back in his own room getting styled, Qi Xingchen looked visibly exhausted. Jiang jiang applied an emergency face mask on him and comforted him.

“Xingxing, this rumor is ridiculous. Bo Ye has always been private about his personal life. He doesn’t even like women, let alone men. Everyone knows he’s straight. And you, with your strong personality, could never be into guys either. Fans can tell what’s real and fake. Give it a few days, and it’ll blow over. Don’t worry.”

Qi Xingchen was speechless. Was his deception really that convincing?

Seeing his lack of response, Jiang Jiang continued to reassure him. The more Qi Xingchen listened, the guiltier he felt. He grabbed his phone, intending to secretly check fan reactions.

But as soon as he opened Weibo, the overwhelming flood of private messages, comments, and mentions crashed the app.

Letting his phone rest for a moment, he reopened it.

#BoYeRelationshipExposed# was still the number one trending topic.

He could already imagine the kinds of messages he received, so he ignored them and went straight to the main post.

By now, the post had 122,000 shares and 450,000 comments, with numbers still climbing rapidly.

At the top were controlled comments like:

• “Please support Bo Ye’s new album!”
• “Catch Lin Xiao’s morning livestream every day at 9 AM!”

The level of fan management impressed Qi Xingchen. He scrolled further.

Having been in the entertainment industry for half a year, he believed his mental resilience had grown strong. But when he reached the end of the second page of comments, his heart suddenly clenched—

“Here we go again. It’s that time of the month for them to leech off Bo Ye’s fame. Are they sanitary pads or what? So annoying.”

“This time is even worse. Their skin is thicker than a city wall. Ignoring gender just to ride the hype? Unbelievable. Gross.”

“Used to think this guy was kinda cute, but now… emmm turns out he’s just a fake ‘sweet boy.’”

“Everyone knows: if Bo Ye so much as speaks to someone, the next day they’ll be starring in some underground romance scandal. And considering how nice he’s been to this one lately? Of course, he’s gonna milk it.”

Qi Xingchen stared at the screen in silence.

[They must have figured out that Night Bro doesn’t like explaining himself. Very well—I’ve officially turned against Qi Xingchen. [smile]]

These are all highly upvoted comments, showing that many people share the same opinion. No matter how hard the Starlights try to explain in the replies, it’s useless.

Bo Ye is very popular and frequently gets rumors attached to him. Since he dislikes clarifying gossip, the situation keeps escalating, making fans more and more frustrated, their resentment growing, and naturally, they become less willing to look at things objectively.

Qi Xingchen didn’t want to look at it anymore. He locked his phone, and for once, a rare trace of grievance appeared on his face.

But he quickly concealed it—he couldn’t let anyone know he was unhappy, including Bo Ye.

Everyone was already troubled by this matter, so he had to be more mindful.

For his first red carpet event, Jiang Jiang had originally picked out a burgundy velvet suit for him. But given the current gossip, it wouldn’t be good to stand out too much, so he switched to a black suit with gray diagonal stripes. He didn’t wear a bow tie or a necktie, only a jade green imperial-style lapel pin, adding a slight vintage touch to the otherwise subdued look.

His hair was parted 7:3, with the bangs left untouched by styling products, naturally falling over his forehead. The sides were blown back, making his narrow face stand out more.

He wore simple men’s leather shoes, and his watch was an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Jiang Jiang crossed her arms and sighed, “This outfit is as low-key as possible, but your looks are just impossible to downplay. I did my best.”

“It’s fine,” Qi Xingchen brushed back his bangs. “Is Brother Ye ready yet?”

“No idea. He should be done soon.”

“I’ll go check.”

With that, Qi Xingchen pushed open the door and stepped out. He had only taken two steps before he saw Bo Ye and Allen walking out one after another.

Qi Xingchen froze.

Bo Ye’s suit had a gray base with black stripes, perfectly complementing Qi Xingchen’s black base with gray stripes.

Bo Ye stopped in his tracks. “Are you ready? If you’re done, come to my room for dinner.”

“Not yet,” Qi Xingchen replied. “I’m going back to change.”

“This outfit looks good. No need to change.”

“No,” Qi Xingchen shook his head. “We’re dressed too much like a couple.”

Last time, he was the one who had voluntarily bought matching cow-print pajamas. Now, he was the one refusing to wear couple outfits. Bo Ye sighed, walked over, and whispered in his ear, “We are a couple. Wearing matching outfits is normal.”

“But—”

“No ‘but.’ Stop fussing and come eat.”

Before Qi Xingchen could resist, Bo Ye had already pulled him over to the dining table.

The Golden Falcon Festival’s red carpet event officially began at 2 p.m. After brunch, Qi Xingchen ultimately didn’t change outfits—Bo Ye had dragged him straight onto the nanny van.

On the way, Qi Xingchen wasn’t surprised when he received a call from Director Zhou.

“Xiao Qi, I let you out for just three days, and you’ve already stirred up such a mess?”

“Sorry, Director Zhou,” Qi Xingchen apologized sincerely. “I was careless. I’ll handle it properly and try not to affect the filming.”

“I’m not even worried about that. If you’re really dating Bo Ye, I’d be even happier—haha! I could use the publicity boost! Oh, by the way, remember to promote Gray Trajectory later.”

Hearing that the director wasn’t angry, Qi Xingchen breathed a small sigh of relief. He had a contract with the investors, which stated that from filming to airing, actors couldn’t have image-damaging scandals.

Technically, this gossip had already affected his image. But the outcome was actually beneficial—Gray Trajectory was an online drama that heavily relied on traffic. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have chosen a variety show idol like him to lead the project.

Now, even though it wasn’t intentional, the rumors had helped boost interest in the show by riding on Bo Ye’s popularity. Whether people were criticizing or praising, as long as they were talking about it, it was better than being ignored.

After chatting a bit more with Director Zhou, Qi Xingchen hung up just as they arrived at the venue. Since Bo Ye was attending as a special guest, while Qi Xingchen was with the Heart of the Ocean crew, they couldn’t walk the red carpet together. Bo Ye had the driver park in the waiting area.

“Are Lao Gao and the others here?” Bo Ye asked.

“They’ve arrived, over there.”

Since they were both wearing makeup, they couldn’t kiss. Instead, Bo Ye kissed Qi Xingchen’s palm. “Good luck winning an award.”

Qi Xingchen hummed in response. “It’s my first time openly watching your live performance—I’ll pay close attention.”

At that, a wave of sadness washed over Qi Xingchen.

In the past, he could watch Bo Ye’s concerts whenever he wanted. But now, he had to hide, avoid cameras, and be secretive about it.

Even during last year’s New Year’s performance, he had to watch the live stream from a hotel room. It was suffocating.

Bo Ye saw him purse his lips and chuckled, “In the future, whenever you want to hear me sing, I’ll sing for you anytime, anywhere. Go on, Lao Shang and the others are calling you.”

“Okay.” Qi Xingchen reluctantly got out of the car.

As one of the dramas nominated for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Newcomer, Heart of the Ocean had a later slot for entering the venue.

After months apart, the crew members caught up, chatting about their recent lives. Time passed quickly.

About forty minutes later, the event coordinator came to find them. Everyone hurriedly touched up their makeup. Tao Tao linked arms with Feng Qingyuan, while another supporting actress linked arms with Shang Yuliang as they entered the venue.

For his first time walking the red carpet, Qi Xingchen thought he would be nervous, but surprisingly, he felt completely at ease. He naturally signed his name on the backdrop, turned smoothly to pose for media photos, and then proceeded to the interview area.

The host greeted them with a warm smile: “Wow! Heart of the Ocean has such a strong lineup today. Let’s start with Tao Tao. Tao Tao, I heard you lost weight down to 75 pounds for your role as Ji Yan. That must have been tough?”

“It was pretty hard,” Tao Tao stuck out her tongue. “But unfortunately, I didn’t keep it off. I ate everything back after filming.”

The host laughed behind her hand and then moved on to ask Feng Qingyuan some questions. After he answered, it was Qi Xingchen’s turn.

“Xingchen,” the host continued with a smile, “I heard that during the filming of Heart of the Ocean, Bo Ye visited the set. Is that true?”

Qi Xingchen’s eyelashes trembled slightly—he didn’t want to answer. He and Bo Ye were currently in the middle of a media storm, and from a PR perspective, the less he said, the better.

Taking the microphone from the host, he carefully chose his words: “Brother Ye did visit, but he wasn’t there for me—he came to see Director Shang.”

“Yes,” Shang Yuliang chimed in. “And Tao Tao too.”

The host nodded. “If I remember correctly, Xingchen and Tao Tao were both on Let’s Budget Travel together. Meeting again in Heart of the Ocean, you two really have quite a fate.”

“That’s right.” Tao Tao smiled playfully. “Xingchen, Brother Ye, and I do seem to have a special connection. We even ran into each other at dinner last night!”

The mention of “dinner last night” was a direct reference to the place where Bo Ye and Qi Xingchen’s dating rumors had broken out. The host’s expression shifted slightly—she had been trying to steer the conversation toward the scandal, but unexpectedly, Tao Tao had done it for her in just a few words.

Qi Xingchen’s arm stiffened slightly as he held the microphone.

He had tried so hard to dodge the topic, but in the end, he still got caught. And the worst part? Tao Tao wasn’t lying, so he couldn’t even blame her.

Fortunately, there were other guests waiting, and each production team had a limited amount of time. The host didn’t press further and moved on, letting the Heart of the Ocean team leave.

Bo Ye walked the red carpet two groups after Qi Xingchen. Their matching yet subtly different suits immediately sent the on-site reporters into a frenzy, capturing countless photos. By then, Qi Xingchen had already taken his seat in the main hall and missed the chaotic scene outside.

Once all the guests had finished walking the red carpet, the awards ceremony began. As is customary at film and television awards, the prizes were presented in order from least to most prestigious. The Golden Falcon Awards followed this format as well—first came awards for art direction, screenwriting, and music composition, before moving on to the actor and director categories.

Between awards, there were musical performances—some prepared by different drama crews, others by special guest performers. Bo Ye’s performance was scheduled as the grand finale, right after the Best Actor and Best Actress awards.

The ceremony was broadcast live. To avoid scrutiny from the media and audience, Qi Xingchen sat up straight the entire time, refrained from using his phone, and resisted the urge to yawn—presenting himself as the perfect model of professionalism.

Bo Ye was seated behind him. Rarely seeing his little fan from this angle, he discreetly took out his phone and snapped a picture of the round little crown of Qi Xingchen’s head.

Finally, after over an hour, the Best Newcomer award was announced. The presenter read out the nominees, and Qi Xingchen’s face, along with two other actors, appeared on the giant screen.

“So,” the presenter teased, “who will win this year’s Golden Falcon Award for Best Newcomer?”

Qi Xingchen had been maintaining his composed facade for so long, but now he suddenly found it hard to keep up.

The Best Newcomer award was only given to actors who had debuted within the last two years and were starring in a major role for the first time. This was his one and only chance—after this, he would no longer qualify.

The nights he had spent sleeplessly studying acting still felt fresh in his mind. To be honest, he really wanted this trophy.

“And the winner is…” The presenter dragged out the announcement.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Qi Xingchen’s heart pounded wildly.

“The winner is Qi Xingchen, for his role as Lin Xiao in Heart of the Ocean! Let’s give him a round of applause!”

It was really him!

The auditorium erupted in cheers. Qi Xingchen froze for a few seconds before standing up, bowing respectfully to those around him, and striding onto the stage.

Since he hadn’t expected to win, he hadn’t prepared a speech. Following the usual protocol, he thanked the director, his company, his family, and his fans. At the end, his eyes sought out Bo Ye, offering him a grateful look.

If it weren’t for falling in love with Bo Ye back then, he would have never understood how to act out emotions.

He was grateful to Bo Ye for making him whole—a person capable of experiencing real feelings.

After a deep bow, Qi Xingchen returned to his seat. His heart still hadn’t settled, unable to believe he had actually won. Though Best Newcomer in television wasn’t as prestigious as the film category or the Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor awards, it was still a form of recognition.

Only when the host announced Bo Ye’s performance did Qi Xingchen finally return to reality. He placed the trophy by his feet and swayed lightly to the music, occasionally humming along softly.

He didn’t dare make too much noise—partly because of the media, but also because of Tao Tao sitting next to him. Just moments ago, Feng Qingyuan had won Best Actor, but Tao Tao had narrowly missed out on Best Actress.

Although she appeared composed, she was clearly feeling down—her clenched fists gave it away.

Bo Ye performed two songs that night. The first was the title track of his new album, which he had already performed at the New Year’s Eve concert. The second song was a surprise—it was from My Era, the original segment where the five mentors had collaborated on a composition.

Yet, upon listening closely, it was different from the original version. Bo Ye seemed to have rewritten the lyrics—keeping only the part he and Qi Xingchen had written together, while replacing everything else.

Bo Ye, when he sang seriously, was nothing short of an angel blessing the ears of the audience. When the song ended, the host, still lost in admiration, walked up to him. “That was incredible! If we had more time, I would definitely beg you for an encore.”

“Thank you for liking it,” Bo Ye replied calmly.

The host turned to him curiously. “I heard from the music director that you only submitted the instrumental track for the second song this morning. Is it a newly released song?”

“No,” Bo Ye denied. “The first version was composed during the filming of My Era, with me handling the composition while all five mentors wrote the lyrics. The second version was finished last night—specifically, while Qi Xingchen was asleep. I took the lyrics he had written, then used my notes app to complete the rest.”

By this point in the ceremony, most guests were preparing to leave. But the moment Bo Ye mentioned Qi Xingchen, they all sat back down.

When he said, “I took the lyrics he had written,” they put their things down. The room fell completely silent.

Bo Ye’s revision meant something significant.

It meant that this song, originally a group effort, had now become a duet—exclusively between Bo Ye and Qi Xingchen.

This was their song.

Bo Ye paused, then continued, “I chose to perform this song for two reasons. First, to make an announcement—I’m in a relationship. My partner is Qi Xingchen.”

“Second, I want to congratulate my boyfriend on winning Best Newcomer. You shine so brightly, and I really like that.”