APCF – Chapter 114 Brother

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Qi Xingchen was jolted awake by an incredibly wild knocking on his door.

There was no one in his family with such a reckless temperament. With two dark circles under his eyes, he dragged himself out of bed, opened the door, and, unsurprisingly, saw Qi Jiaze standing there in a red jacket with matching red-dyed hair.

“Bro! Happy New Year!”

Without a second thought, Qi Jiaze swung his long limbs—standing at a towering 1.85 meters, he moved like a human-sized koala—and launched himself at Qi Xingchen.

The impact sent Qi Xingchen staggering backward several steps, only stopping when he bumped into his desk.

Qi Jiaze was shocked. “Bro, why do you feel so weak all of a sudden?”

Then, as if coming to his own conclusion, he gasped again. “Oh my god, you have to focus on sustainable development! I get it, Bo Ye is charming, but don’t wreck your kidneys—that’s not worth it!”

Qi Xingchen: “…”

This brat sure knows a lot.

With difficulty, Qi Xingchen managed to say, “Let go first.”

“Oh.” Qi Jiaze reluctantly released him.

“I was filming in the mountains for a month and a half and didn’t have time to work out, so my stamina’s a bit worse than before.”

“No need to explain,” Qi Jiaze shot him a knowing look. “I’m just reminding you—he seems to care about you a lot, so he probably won’t be too… excessive.”

Qi Xingchen nearly choked on air.

After catching his breath, he replied coolly, “Looks like Tao Xuan has been teaching you well—you’re even using phrases like ‘excessive demands.’”

“Of course! Not only do I know ‘excessive demands,’ I also know ‘burning with desire’ and ‘indulgence in broad daylight.’”

“Alright, alright,” Qi Xingchen quickly stuffed a red envelope into his hands. “Happy New Year. Go buy yourself some walnuts.”

“Hehe, thanks, bro! You really care about me.”

Qi Xingchen was speechless for a moment, unsure of how to respond to his silly little brother.

He reached out and ruffled Qi Jiaze’s fluffy hair before frowning slightly. “Stop messing with your hair so much—it’s not good for you. How many houses are you visiting today?”

“Just yours.”

“Then after you finish greeting my dad, come with me to the hospital.”

Even during the festive season, the thought of Tao Xuan being alone in the hospital made Qi Xingchen feel uneasy.

“Sure! I was planning to go anyway.”

In the Qi family, only Qi Jiaze dared to act wild around him. After obediently greeting Dad Qi and his other older siblings, and collecting a generous haul of red envelopes, he happily followed Qi Xingchen to the hospital.

As they got out of the car, Qi Jiaze grabbed a cloth bag from the back seat.

Qi Xingchen glanced at it curiously. “What’s that?”

“Don’t ask, bro,” Qi Jiaze said awkwardly. “It’s nothing.”

Qi Xingchen gave him a look but didn’t press further. He led the way into Tao Xuan’s hospital room—only to find that besides Tao Xuan and the caregiver, someone else was there.

Tao Tao was there too.

But she was packing up her things, seemingly about to leave.

Qi Xingchen called out, “Sister Tao Tao.”

Tao Tao picked up her bag and smiled. “No wonder Brother Ye is so close to you—you two are actually together. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I feel so bad for interrupting your date last time during dinner.”

“It’s fine,” Qi Xingchen said indifferently. “If you hadn’t come looking for us, what would you have talked about during your Golden Falcon Award interview?”

During the red carpet interviews, the host had deliberately steered the conversation toward his rumored relationship with Bo Ye. While Shang Yuliang had helped cover for him, Tao Tao had not only failed to do so but had even casually confirmed that they had gone out together in private.

Tao Tao, of course, picked up on the jab in his words, and her expression changed slightly. “Xingxing, I didn’t do it on purpose. At the time, I didn’t know there was anything between you and Brother Ye. How could I have guessed that he actually liked men? I just thought you two were close and went out for a simple meal.”

Qi Xingchen made a sound of acknowledgment. “Then I misunderstood you. My apologies.”

“It’s fine. Help me pass on my New Year’s greetings to Brother Ye. I have something to do, so I’ll head out first!”

With that, Tao Tao waved and left in a hurry. Who knew which production crew was still working overtime on New Year’s Day?

But the fact that she had come to visit Tao Xuan at all was already commendable. Qi Xingchen gestured for Qi Jiaze to close the door, then turned and sat down by Tao Xuan’s bedside. “Have you eaten breakfast?”

“No.”

Upon seeing Qi Xingchen, the dullness in Tao Xuan’s eyes instantly brightened. “Why are you guys here?”

“It’s the first day of the new year. We came to see you.”

“No, no, you don’t have to,” Tao Xuan hurriedly waved his hands. “It’s unlucky to visit the hospital during New Year’s. Brother Xingxing, you should take Jiaze and go back.”

“Hey!” Before Qi Xingchen could respond, Qi Jiaze, who had just returned from closing the door, huffed in dissatisfaction. “My brother personally came to wish you a happy New Year, and you’re actually trying to chase him away? You’ve got some nerve.”

“I don’t want you guys catching bad luck,” Tao Xuan frowned.

Their playful bickering was full of youthful energy. Seeing that Tao Xuan still had the strength to argue with Qi Jiaze, Qi Xingchen felt a little relieved.

At that moment, Qi Jiaze opened the cloth bag he had been carrying and took out a lunchbox, placing it firmly in Tao Xuan’s hands. “Breakfast. Eat up.”

Tao Xuan looked at it in surprise. “This is…?”

“Didn’t you say yesterday that you wanted to eat zhajiangmian?” Qi Jiaze muttered. “With so much delicious food during the New Year, you just had to crave zhajiangmian… seriously.”

Ignoring the grumbling, Tao Xuan opened the lunchbox and picked up some noodles with his chopsticks, stuffing them into his mouth.

Qi Xingchen and Qi Jiaze had already eaten breakfast at home, so they simply watched him eat in silence.

Halfway through, Qi Jiaze couldn’t hold back and asked, “How is it?”

“It’s good.”

Qi Jiaze raised his eyebrows proudly and let out a smug hum, nearly wagging an imaginary tail.

Qi Xingchen seemed to realize something.

The zhajiangmian was probably made by this brat himself.

“Brother Xingxing,” Tao Xuan, seemingly a little embarrassed about eating alone, tried to cover it up by making conversation. “Did something happen between you and my sister?”

Since he had been there earlier, he had obviously overheard. Qi Xingchen didn’t want to lie to him and simply nodded. “Yeah.”

On one side was a friend, and on the other was his sister. Qi Xingchen worried that Tao Xuan would feel caught in the middle, so he reassured him softly, “But it’s just a small matter. Don’t worry about it.”

Tao Xuan, however, said, “Brother Xingxing, you don’t have to hold back in front of me. The relationship between me and my sister… isn’t as good as it seems.”

In the past, whenever Tao Tao was mentioned, Tao Xuan would always stay silent. Qi Xingchen was momentarily stunned, not expecting him to bring it up today.

“The media always reports that we grew up depending on each other, that she entered the entertainment industry early to support me, and so on. To be fair, she did support me, but it wasn’t as touching as the media makes it out to be.”

“Ever since she left home, I rarely saw her. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been sick for so long before realizing it, and my condition wouldn’t have worsened so quickly due to delayed treatment.”

“She rarely texts or calls to ask about me. Even this time, when you helped arrange my hospitalization and a caregiver, she didn’t even ask about the medical expenses.”

The more Tao Xuan spoke, the more shocked Qi Xingchen became. He had always thought Tao Tao simply didn’t love her brother that much. But now, he realized—it wasn’t that she didn’t love him that much, she simply didn’t care at all.

“Every time she visits me, it feels like she’s completing a task, always in a rush… Forget it.” Tao Xuan put down his bowl and smiled bitterly. “Let’s not talk about this. It’s New Year’s, we should be talking about happy things. Why am I even saying all this to you?”

“It’s fine,” Qi Xingchen said. “We’re happy to share your burden.”

Before, when he had no family, Qi Xingchen didn’t understand the bond between brothers. Now, with Qi Jiaze around, just imagining Tao Xuan being treated so coldly made him furious.

Taking a deep breath, he patted Tao Xuan’s shoulder and said in a low voice, “Since you and Jiaze get along so well, if you don’t mind… you can consider me your brother from now on.”

“Calling you brother… Can I really?”

Qi Xingchen looked him in the eyes and said seriously, “Of course.”

Tao Xuan sniffled, his eyes turning red in an instant. “Brother.”

“Mm. From now on, Jiaze and I will have your back.”

Even after leaving the hospital, Qi Xingchen still felt a weight pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

What made him feel even more disgusted was that before long, a news article titled “Tao Tao Spends New Year at the Hospital Caring for Her Brother, Diligently Attending to Him With Tenderness” spread like wildfire across the internet—once again reinforcing her delicate, strong-willed public persona.

Qi Jiaze stayed behind to accompany Tao Xuan. Since he had to visit the Liang family with his sister, he handed Tao Xuan a red envelope before leaving. Sitting in the car, he took a while to compose himself before finally calming down. He then returned home to meet up with Qi Yujie, and together, they headed to the Liang family’s residence.

Today was his first time meeting Mr. and Mrs. Liang. To his surprise, though they were businesspeople, they carried the demeanor of scholars—righteous and principled.

Only now did Qi Xingchen understand why someone as highly educated as Liang Jing could be so thoroughly deceived by Tao Tao. She had clearly exploited his personality’s weak spot.

This visit proved fruitful. According to Liang Jing, two overseas research laboratories had been mostly completed. After the New Year, they could begin project development and seek external funding.

In other words, his money could finally be transferred abroad. Qi Xingchen happily checked his account balance—adding in the over ten million yuan he received yesterday, plus the income from the diamond mine, Baisha Port, and his own earnings—he now had over eighty million yuan in total.

He couldn’t help but click his tongue—getting rich overnight through New Year’s money? He might be the only one in Night of the Peach Blossom who pulled this off.

On the second day of the New Year, after finishing all the necessary visits, he stayed home for a full day to accompany his family.

In the morning, he read books with Qi Yunxiao. In the afternoon, he learned flower arrangement from Qi Yujie. At night, he massaged his father’s back while listening to stories of his early business ventures.

So this was what family happiness felt like.

And another piece of good news—control of Xingchen Asset Management Fund had officially been transferred to his name.

On the third day of the New Year, after explaining everything to his family, he put on an outfit he had spent half the night picking out and packed some daily necessities—ready to head to the neighboring province to reunite with someone.

As he was about to leave, Dad Qi suddenly called out, “Xingxing, you’re going to your partner’s place empty-handed?”

“No,” Qi Xingchen pointed to his backpack. “I bought a pearl brooch and some health supplements.”

“That won’t do.” Dad Qi beckoned to his daughter, who was skilled at gifting. “Yujie, go to the storage and pick out two presents.”

A few minutes later, Qi Yujie returned carrying two boxes. One contained a diamond necklace made from their own mine’s gems, and the other held a ginseng root with a lifespan of several hundred years.

“For a first-time visit, the gifts shouldn’t be too extravagant, or it’ll seem like we’re trying too hard. But they also shouldn’t be too light—we need to show them the Qi family’s wealth. My son, Qi Xingchen, stands tall wherever he goes.”

Dad Qi paused for a moment before continuing, “And when you’re with your partner, you should never… be the one underneath, understand?”

Qi Xingchen silently wiped away his imaginary tears.

Sorry, Dad, but your youngest son has already become the bottom. QAQ

“And one more thing,” Dad Qi asked, “How are you getting there?”

“By plane. Bo Ye is picking me up.”

“Plane?”

As if he had heard the biggest joke of the year, Dad Qi looked incredulous. “Flying is too much trouble. You and your partner are both public figures—by the time you land, you might not even be able to leave the airport. Yunxiao, contact someone to arrange a flight route immediately.”

And so, an hour later, his travel plans changed from a commercial flight to a private jet departing from their family’s airstrip.

The private jet significantly cut down on unnecessary waiting time. Before Qi Xingchen could even get nervous, the plane had already landed at a pre-arranged location. A flight attendant stood up and opened the cabin door for him.

After more than ten days apart, he was finally seeing Bo Ye again. Overjoyed, he bounced down the stairs.

But the moment he saw who was waiting, his smile froze.

Because Bo Ye wasn’t the only one there.

Standing beside him was a couple.

Judging by their similar features, it was obvious—they were Bo Ye’s parents.

AHHHHHH! What the hell?!

Since when do parents personally come to pick up their child’s partner? And just now, he had been acting so carefree and immature—his image must have plummeted already!

He could already envision himself getting rejected. His eyes filled with despair, and his heart howled in misery.

But Bo Ye, apparently not embarrassed enough, strode forward. With one hand, he took Qi Xingchen’s backpack, and with the other, he pulled him into an embrace. Then, he lowered his head and kissed his fair forehead, whispering, “I missed you so much.”

Qi Xingchen:

Bro, your parents are watching! Aren’t you embarrassed?! Even if you aren’t, I still have some dignity!

But what he didn’t know was that while he was feeling utterly hopeless, Bo Ye’s parents were already on the verge of going feral.

Bo Ye’s mother stared at the two hugging figures, shaking her husband’s arm frantically. “He’s so small, so soft, so cute! Oh my god, how can someone be this good-looking?!”

Bo Ye’s father: “Calm down.”

Bo Ye’s mother: “You don’t like him?”

Bo Ye’s father: “I do. You know I’ve always wanted a cute child.”

Bo Ye’s mother sighed, “Sigh, seeing him, I suddenly feel like our son isn’t that likable anymore.”

Bo Ye’s father: “Agreed. Honestly, he seems way better than our son.”

Bo Ye’s mother: “Then… should we just ditch our son and take him in instead?”

Bo Ye’s father: “Wife, you’re a genius. I think that’s a great idea.”

_{Hahahhaha. Really. she’s a genius. Awww, our xingchen met his in-laws, finally their love story is progressing. And Tao Xuan, you don’t have to worry, you have this sister too. wuhu}