APCF – Chapter 139 Extra 2

Yaoyao123: [Guangguang!]

Yaoyao123: [Are you there are you there are you there!]

Yaoyao123: [Come out now!]

Qi Xingchen had just finished his shower and was about to crawl into bed when QQ suddenly started blowing up with frantic notifications. With no choice, he picked up his phone and leaned against the headboard.

Starlight in the Night Sky: [Talk.]

Yaoyao123: [I got flaked on again, damn it. You coming or not?]

Starlight in the Night Sky: [What seat?]

Yaoyao123: [Fifth row, inner section. Absolute perfection.]

“Yaoyao123” was a fansite admin Qi Xingchen knew — the same one who’d called him three years ago, accidentally distracting him into the car accident that landed him in a novel.

Since she had good ties with the official fan club, Yaoyao often organized group ticket buys whenever Bai Ye had a concert or variety show appearance. She never profited from it — in fact, the tickets were usually cheaper than face value. Her goal was to organize coordinated fan support and benefit the fans of her fansite at the same time.

But she had been stood up multiple times — people verbally committed to the group purchase but bailed at the last minute. It was no wonder she was furious.

That said, Bai Ye’s tickets always sold out in seconds, so she could easily resell them — Weibo and chat groups were filled with desperate pleas for tickets.

Still, she hated selling them to non-fansite members. First, outsiders might not participate in the support activities. Second, she never resold tickets at a markup.

If she let someone have a ticket at face value and they flipped it at a higher price, that would betray the whole point of her group buys.

So she always asked her circle of trusted contacts first.

Hearing “fifth row,” Qi Xingchen was slightly tempted. This year was Bai Ye’s 10th debut anniversary concert. He had originally planned to go, but there wasn’t a local venue, and Bai Ye, not wanting him to go through the hassle, had persuaded him to stay home.

But the fifth row — that was close enough to clearly see the stage but not so close that Bai Ye would spot him easily.

Torn between “listening to his boyfriend” and “seeing his idol,” Qi Xingchen struggled for two seconds before reluctantly replying: [How much? I’ll send it to you now.]

Yaoyao123: [No rush, we’ll settle it in person.]

After ten years of fangirling (or in his case, fanboying), even though they had only met a handful of times at concerts, Yaoyao and Qi Xingchen were already close friends. They trusted each other completely. Qi Xingchen knew Yaoyao wouldn’t cheat him, and Yaoyao never worried he’d back out.

That’s the magic of fandom.

It could turn total strangers from all corners of the world into close friends who could talk about anything — all because they followed the same light.

On the day of the concert, Qi Xingchen got up early and caught a high-speed train. He arrived at the concert city around noon and called Yaoyao to meet for lunch.

At the agreed-upon restaurant, the first thing Yaoyao said was: “Damn, you dressed so casually!”

Qi Xingchen looked down at his T-shirt and jeans. “It’s fine. Loose clothes are more comfortable for travel.”

“But we’re seeing our husband today!” Yaoyao pouted.

“No worries,” Qi Xingchen shamelessly fibbed. “He’s your husband. I never call him that.”

In all ten years of his fangirling career, whether in private chats, on Weibo, or in QQ groups, Qi Xingchen had never once called Bai Ye “husband.” As a male fan, calling someone that felt way too weird.

“…Fine,” Yaoyao said reluctantly. “You’re hot anyway, so I guess everything you say is right.”

Yaoyao’s fansite started handing out support merchandise at 2 PM. The two didn’t linger over lunch — just had a quick Cantonese meal. At 1:30, a few other girls arrived to help, and as both a friend and a fansite member, Qi Xingchen naturally picked up the boxes of banners and lightsticks.

“Put that down!!” Yaoyao suddenly shouted.

Qi Xingchen: “?”

“You’re a pretty little fairy boy! How can you carry heavy stuff? Leave the dirty work to us!”

Qi Xingchen: “…”

Yaoyao was acting real weird today.

Still, he carried the boxes anyway. Both logically and emotionally, he couldn’t bear to watch the girls do all the heavy lifting.

At 2 PM sharp, all the fansites and support clubs began distributing their materials from pre-reserved spots. Yaoyao was pretty chill and had only managed to grab a spot near the edge — very out of the way.

But when the fans started swarming in, Yaoyao’s booth was actually the most crowded, forcing her to shout herself hoarse:

“If you’ve already picked up your support bag, move along! Don’t just stand here ogling the pretty boy!”

“Whoever’s turn it is to hand things out, just go with the flow! No requesting the handsome guy!”

“No photo ops! No photo ops! No photo ops! Important things must be said three times!”

“Huh? Didn’t you girls already get your bags? Why are you back in line?!”

Thanks to Qi Xingchen’s face being walking advertisement material, they finished distributing everything quickly. There was still time before doors opened, and the sun was scorching outside, so he and Yaoyao ducked into a nearby café.

After ordering, Yaoyao looked out the window at the energetic teens milling about and sighed, “It’s been ten years, huh?”

“Yeah, ten years,” Qi Xingchen said, pausing to reminisce. “When Night Brother debuted, I had just started junior high. I used to worry every day about which university to get into. Now… I’ve been teaching at a university for a year already.”

It had also been exactly three years since he returned to the real world.

“Wow, you’re way younger than me. I became a fan of Night Brother in college. He’s been with me through graduation, work, marriage, and having a kid… and yet he still feels like the same boy from the beginning.”

Yes, Qi Xingchen thought, passion and dreams can keep people forever young.

The image of Bo Ye sitting quietly at the piano singing ten years ago was already etched deep in his memory. No matter when, in his heart, Bo Ye would always be that youthful boy.

Perhaps because they were both thinking of the past ten years, the two of them fell silent at the same time. It wasn’t until the waiter brought over their coffee that Yao Yao took a sip and said, “Guang Guang, people always say idol fans are brainless. Do you think you are?”

“Not at all,” Qi Xingchen replied without hesitation. “If it weren’t for Brother Ye guiding me, I don’t know what kind of person I’d be today.”

“Me too,” Yao Yao smiled. “To tell you the truth, I’ve had hereditary obesity since I was a child and was always called Fatty. At first, I didn’t understand much because I was young. But as I got older and started having crushes, I grew more and more self-conscious.”

“That self-doubt peaked in college. I watched as all my friends started dating one by one, and I was the only one still single. I was ridiculed by all the boys in the department for being ugly. I even thought about ending it all. Luckily… luckily there was Bo Ye. I still remember when he said that a person’s worth shouldn’t be measured by appearance; that we shouldn’t care what others think because no one knows us better than we do; that he had also been hurt by rumors, but if a person could be knocked down so easily, that would be too much of a failure; and that we shouldn’t work hard to prove ourselves to others, but because we don’t want to let down the chance heaven gave us to live as humans…”

Yao Yao took a deep breath. “Without him, I’d still be hiding in my room like an old witch afraid to see people—or maybe I’d already be gone. He gave me the hope to keep moving forward. You know, every time he sees me at a concert, he looks at me with the same gentle eyes he uses for all the pretty girls. I’m truly, truly lucky to have spent my best ten years as his fan.”

Qi Xingchen felt the same, his chest tightening with emotion. At the same time, he felt proud to be a fan of Bo Ye.

His boy was the light that led countless people out of the darkness.

“That’s why,” Yao Yao said, “he’s carried so much he shouldn’t have had to. We all hope that the person by his side understands him, respects him, and takes good care of him.”

Though unsure why Yao Yao was saying this, Qi Xingchen quietly remembered her words.

He would treat Bo Ye well—he definitely would.

At 4:40 PM, the stadium announced that entry had begun. By 4:50, Qi Xingchen had found his seat—Row 5, Seat 20. A sweet, fated coincidence.

At 5:10 PM, the first act of the concert began. When Bo Ye rose from the stage elevator, the entire arena erupted. Qi Xingchen had witnessed this countless times but was still amazed each time by the sheer energy of the fans.

The tenth-anniversary concert was larger than any before. Naturally, the theme was retrospection and hopes for the future. The setlist followed the order of album releases, starting from the second album.

During the dance numbers, everyone waved their arms and got hyped along with Bo Ye’s moves. During the ballads, the crowd sang along quietly. They were singing the songs—but also their youth, their journey from innocent to mature over ten years.

Bo Ye’s concerts rarely had audience interaction. With such a packed setlist, the three hours flew by. After his most recent digital single (released at the end of last year), the stage suddenly went dark. The audience thought the show had ended and immediately began chanting:

“Encore! Encore! Encore!”

Qi Xingchen, still caught up in the moment, raised his lightstick and joined the chant.

About three minutes later, the lights came back on. There were no props, no backup dancers—just a lone spotlight shining on Bo Ye at the center of the stage.

He wore a white suit, standing before an old white piano. At the sight of this setup, nearly every fan in the venue teared up.

—It was Bo Ye’s look from his very first album.

Ten years ago, in CD shops, corner stores, on television—that’s what he looked like. Back then, no one knew how long he’d last in the industry, or where their own lives would go.

But now, they were reunited. In this grand stadium, on this wide stage.

Bo Ye’s deep, magnetic voice came through the speakers: “The next song is my debut track. I’m sure most of you know it. I want to dedicate it to all of you who have supported me all this time—and to one person here today who’s very important to me.”

The camera zoomed in for a close-up. Bo Ye gently played the keys, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips: “He’s my fan. We met because of a beautiful accident. We’ve been through so much together—joy and tears, even nearly forgetting one another. But thankfully, we made it through.”

“Since then, he’s been the most important part of my life—of my happiness, anger, sadness, and joy. I love him. He’s a gift from heaven.”

“These past ten years, he’s worked so hard to reach me. Now it’s my turn to take the initiative. Mr. Qi Xingchen in Row 5, Seat 20—”

Bo Ye turned slightly, his voice tender and clear: “Will you marry me? Will you start a family with me, walk with me through the next ten years, and the ten after that—until the end of time, never to part again?”

Will you marry me? Will you start a family with me, walk with me through the next ten years, and the ten after that—until the end of time, never to part again?

The camera cut to the fifth row.

The person in Seat 20 was already crying uncontrollably.

_{Finally, this story is finished. I will share the thoughts on this in few days but till than you can also share your views here.}