APCF – Chapter 112 It’s Real

“Since we’re here, I’d like to take this opportunity to make an announcement—I’m in a relationship. My partner is Qi Xingchen.”

“Congratulations to my boyfriend for winning Best Newcomer. You shine so brightly, and I like you very much.”

Just two simple sentences, yet they landed like a boulder in a calm lake, setting off towering waves.

In an instant, all eyes and cameras turned toward Bo Ye and Qi Xingchen—toward this unique couple.

Public confessions or relationship announcements among celebrities weren’t uncommon, but they had always been between male and female stars—usually ones who had been rumored together for ages, where even fans and bystanders had long accepted the reality. By the time these couples went public, it was practically a prelude to marriage.

But this?

A same-sex couple who had been exposed just last night and were now officially announcing their relationship the very next day—by their own admission?

This was a first.

Not just the attending celebrities, but even the viewers and fans watching the live broadcast on their TVs and phones were left utterly dumbfounded.

What the hell?

So that wasn’t just a rumor last night—it’s real?!

No way, this must be a mistake. Is Brother Ye joking?

But Brother Ye isn’t the type to joke around…!

Almost instantly, Weibo and livestream bullet comments exploded with reactions from marketing accounts, fans, casual viewers, and anti-fans alike.

The flood of searches was so overwhelming that Sina’s servers couldn’t handle the load and crashed, leaving only a pitiful “Unable to Connect” error message.

And the more the fans couldn’t get in, the more frantic they became. They swarmed onto every platform broadcasting the awards ceremony, and within five minutes, the sudden influx of traffic caused the live stream to freeze and black out entirely.

But Bo Ye and Qi Xingchen, the ones at the center of it all, had no idea about the chaos they had unleashed.

After making his declaration, Bo Ye was solely focused on Qi Xingchen’s reaction, worried that his decision to announce it without prior discussion might have upset his little fan.

Meanwhile, the little fan himself was completely frozen, his mind blank. His heartbeat was pounding wildly—thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump—so erratic that he didn’t even dare open his mouth, fearing that if he did, his heart and overflowing love would come spilling out onto the stage.

The host, however, was a seasoned professional and handled the moment with ease. “I never expected that hosting the Golden Falcon Awards today would also bring such wonderful news. Xingchen, Bo Ye just said you shine so brightly. At this moment, do you have anything you’d like to say to him?”

Qi Xingchen seemed as if he hadn’t heard the question.

The entertainment industry tends to be more exposed to progressive culture, making it generally more accepting of same-sex relationships. Thus, the live audience, including other guests and crew members, wasn’t reacting as dramatically as the online viewers. Aside from those who had past grievances with Bo Ye or Qi Xingchen, most of the attendees were offering them heartfelt blessings.

But as the host waited, the officially announced other half of the relationship remained frozen in place.

Beside him, Feng Qingyuan leaned over and whispered, “Xiao Qi, the host is talking to you.”

Qi Xingchen: “…”

“Xingchen, say something!” A few of his fellow actors urged from behind him.

Qi Xingchen finally snapped out of his daze, stumbling to his feet. “T-Thank you.”

Just a single “thank you” in response to such a bold confession and public announcement.

The host, crew, and guests were all left speechless for a moment. Then—

“Hahahahahaha!”

Laughter erupted across the venue.

Bo Ye had fully expected this outcome. He playfully winked at Qi Xingchen in reassurance. His floating soul finally found some ground, and with a slight awkwardness, he lowered his head and sat back down.

The awards show had a strict schedule to follow, and there were still many segments lined up. The director had no time to linger on the two handsome men, so he signaled the host to move on to the next part of the program.

Knowing that the paparazzi would be waiting to ambush them afterward, Bo Ye didn’t wait for the awards ceremony to officially conclude. He took Qi Xingchen and slipped out early.

Allen had already arranged for four different cars to be parked in four separate locations. With the help of several bodyguards, Bo Ye and Qi Xingchen got into one of the vehicles. Before the paparazzi even had a chance to react, the car sped out of the parking lot.

Once they were on the road, Bo Ye glanced at Qi Xingchen, who had been silent the entire time with his head down. Gently patting his back, he asked in a low voice, “Are you mad?”

Qi Xingchen shook his head. “No.”

“I’m sorry. I should have told you in advance.”

“It’s fine.”

But Bo Ye could hear something off in his voice. He turned his head to look at him. “Wait… you’re not crying, are you?”

“No.”

“Really?” Bo Ye was curious and tentatively reached out to touch his face.

The moment his fingers met skin—

They were met with dampness.

This Little Liar.

In just two days, he had cried twice. Bo Ye felt both distressed and helpless as he pulled Qi Xingchen into his embrace. “It’s my fault. I should’ve asked for your opinion first. But I really wanted to be with you openly—I want to take you on trips, bring you to all the best restaurants, walk the red carpet hand in hand without having to dodge cameras, and not feel like we have to sneak around like thieves everywhere we go… Can you understand that?”

Qi Xingchen stammered, “I-I never blamed you.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“Because… because I’m just too happy.”

He had originally been holding it in, but Bo Ye’s gentle questioning broke his defenses. Qi Xingchen sniffled, then suddenly panicked, “But now there must be so many people cursing at you! What do we do?”

Bo Ye gently ran his hand up and down Qi Xingchen’s back, soothing him. “Don’t worry. I’ve been cursed at plenty over the years.”

“But you shouldn’t have to go through this!”

“This day was bound to come sooner or later. Whether it’s now or in the future, it makes no difference.” Bo Ye cupped Qi Xingchen’s tear-streaked face. “I never planned to hide you.”

“I never planned to hide you.”

At those words, Qi Xingchen’s heart swelled to bursting. He couldn’t hold it in any longer—his mouth wobbled before he completely broke down into sobs.

Bo Ye had never seen such a scene before and was momentarily at a loss. In the end, he could only kiss away the tears one by one, repeating over and over like a broken record, “Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…”

After the awards ceremony, Qi Xingchen had to return to his film set, and Bo Ye had his own schedule. Their tickets had already been booked in advance, so instead of heading back to the hotel, they went straight to the airport.

By the time they arrived at the terminal, Qi Xingchen had calmed down slightly under Bo Ye’s constant reassurances. Then, he belatedly realized how embarrassing he had just been. He pushed Bo Ye away. “I’m fine now. And, um… let’s just pretend none of that happened.”

Bo Ye smiled and nodded.

“But I saw it,” Allen, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned around and chimed in.

Qi Xingchen: “…?”

“I saw it too.” An Ran, sitting in the back, raised her hand.

Qi Xingchen: “…!”

“Actually, we were here the whole time,” Xiao Man and Jiang Jiang spoke up timidly.

Qi Xingchen: “…”

Why… why did this happen?! Why didn’t I notice earlier?! Oh god, does Qi Xingchen even need dignity anymore?! Are they all going to think I’m a crybaby?!

As the horror fully sank in, he accidentally let out a hiccup from all the crying.

Qi Xingchen: “…”

It’s over. My dignity is officially gone.

The trip here had taken seven hours, but the return flight was direct, cutting it down by an hour. At 1:30 AM, Qi Xingchen landed, and the car picking him up had already been waiting for a while.

Meanwhile, Weibo’s servers, which had crashed earlier, were finally restored thanks to frantic repairs by the programmers.

Bo Ye advised him to nap on the way back, but Qi Xingchen refused. He impatiently pulled out his phone.

Back when he was with Bo Ye, he had been too busy crying. Then, after boarding the plane, there had been no internet, leaving him with no choice but to wait. He had no idea what the online reaction was like now—how could he possibly sleep?

Opening Weibo, he clicked on the trending list.

As expected—

#BoYeQiXingchenOfficiAllennouncement# was at number one.

#BoYeGay# was at number two.

#QiXingchenBestNewcomerAward# was at number three.

#YouShineSoBrightILikeYou# was at number four.

#QiXingchen: ThankYou# was at number five.

One event, two sentences, a three-minute video clip—yet they occupied all five top trending spots.

That was some serious dominance.

At the same time, it was clear just how much of a storm their announcement had stirred.

Ignoring the other topics, Qi Xingchen first checked Bo Ye’s profile page.

And then, something unexpected—

Bo Ye had barely lost any followers. His count had been 89.03 million before, and now it was 89.01 million—only a decrease of 20,000.

Qi Xingchen glanced at his own follower count, and in that moment, he finally understood why so many people wanted to ride Bo Ye’s wave.

In just over ten hours, his account had gained a million new followers—and the number was still climbing.

This was the power of a true top star.

He smacked his lips, returned to the trending list, and took countless deep breaths—bracing himself to face the storm head-on.

Opening the comment section, he found onlookers buzzing with excitement:

[Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, this is insane! They actually came out!!]

[This has to be a publicity stunt. You guys seriously believe this?]

[They look so good together! Any sisters here willing to give me a rundown on their history?]

[Not a fan of Bo Ye or Qi Xingchen, but as part of the LGBT community, I sincerely thank them for their courage. Thank you for bringing more visibility to us. I hope that one day, I can also walk under the sun, hand in hand with the one I love. Wishing you both happiness.]

Of course, haters wasted no time in kicking them while they were down:

[Faggot faggot faggot faggot, die faggot.]

[Out of all the pretty boys, Bo Ye was the only one I thought was a real man—and turns out he’s actually a little bitch. Disgusting.]

[HAHAHAHA, I just wanna know how those fangirls who used to chase after Bo Ye, calling him “hubby” all day, feel right now. Bet it stings knowing he’d rather sleep with another man than even look at you. Hurts, doesn’t it?]

[I’m more curious about how that pervy dude above feels. Incels, do us all a favor and shut the hell up, okay? Otherwise, I’ll come to your grave and play the trumpet over your corpse. 😊]

Meanwhile, fans reacted in a variety of ways:

Some were struggling to accept it.

[Feeling conflicted… Maybe it’s time to step away from the internet and focus on real life again. I will always love Bo Ye from the past seven years, but…]

Others were in awe.

[I’m kinda dumbfounded. My brain can only process one thought—of course my idol would be this badass. Love you even more, Brother Ye! Wishing you both happiness.]

Some had watched them all along.

[Been following them from the start. Little Qi is a good boy. Mom approves of this marriage! 😘]

Some had been waiting for this moment.

[We promised no dating for five years, and it’s been almost eight. You finally found someone you love. Walk this path together, we’ll always support you. 🌹]

At least those fans were still somewhat rational.

And then, there were the CP fans—who had completely lost their minds.

Shipping a straight couple and seeing it become real is already a rare miracle. But shipping a BL couple and having it actually happen? That’s rarer than pulling ten SSRs in a row from a gacha game. Who could sleep through such a legendary event?

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH I AM NO LONGER HUMAN TODAY! I AM NOW A SOULLESS SCREAMING CHICKEN!!!]

[“You shine so brightly, I really like you”—OH MY GOD WHAT KIND OF WORLD-ENDING ROMANCE IS THIS?!?!?! I CAN’T TAKE IT, I’M DYING FROM THE SWEETNESS! I NEED TO JUMP INTO A FROZEN LAKE TO CALM DOWN. DON’T STOP ME!]

[Take me with you! I need to wake up! I seriously think I’m dreaming!]

[You’re not dreaming, sis! YOU’RE NOT DREAMING! IT’S REAL! YOU REALLY SHIPPED A REAL COUPLE!!! 😭😭😭]

Bo Ye had never once clarified any past rumors. But the only time he spoke up—to personally confirm a relationship—was with Qi Xingchen. That alone spoke volumes about how much Bo Ye truly, truly adored him.

[I can finally say it openly—Last Night’s Stars (昨夜星辰) IS REAL!!! Now, repeat after me: “Last Night’s Stars is REAL!!”]

[LAST NIGHT’S STARS IS REAL!!!]

[LAST NIGHT’S STARS IS REAL!!!]

[LAST NIGHT’S STARS IS REAL!!!]

[LAST NIGHT’S STARS IS REAL!!!]

Pages upon pages of fan comments flooded the screen endlessly.

In a dimly lit hotel room, Tao Tao stared at her phone for a long time.

Then, she raised her hand and smashed it onto the floor.

CRACK—

Two seconds later, the phone shattered, shards of glass scattering across the floor. Her bare foot accidentally stepped on a piece, and pain twisted her expression into something ugly.

_{Frankly, I don’t like confessions on the important events because you eventually you steal the thunder of others. Most people might have won the awards but only Bo and Qin were mentioned. It’s like in western culture, wearing white to others wedding.}