APCF -Chapter 22 (2)

Two guests speaking out against each other was a big spectacle, but with one of the participants being Bo Ye, this clip could only be cut out. If they had released it and cause trouble for Bo Ye, Bo Ye’s team would absolutely not spare Maimang.

After having his stage dismantled to the point where not a single crumb was left in front of a bunch of people, Zhou Yu could not hang onto his face, claiming he was unwell as an excuse, turning to go back to his room with a fling of his hand.

During their meal, the number of people at the table changed back to six.

What was more mocking was that, it was only halfway through the meal when Luo Qiuman remembered: “Little Yu hasn’t eaten, do we have to give him some?”

“……En, give bah” Zhang Yunfei nodded rather half-heartedly, “but since he’s not feeling well, I don’t know if he’ll be able to eat it.”

“Then I’ll pick out a few dishes for him…… Ziyu, I can’t carry them all, come with me.”

“When I’m eating I can’t stop, if not I’ll tend to get a stomachache,” Liu Ziyu declined, “Qiuman-jie, find someone else to go with you bah.”

“Stopping while eating would result in a stomachache” was obviously nonsense; Qi Xingchen glanced at Liu Ziyu. Lately, she had been defending him overtly and secretly, Qi Xingchen could feel it.

Whatever the reason was for her sudden change of heart, as long as she didn’t find fault with him, Qi Xingchen did not care about the rest at all.

But with Bo Ye getting angry today, it reminded Qi Xingchen of one thing — this Zhou Yu could no longer remain.

He had originally thought the crisis had been lifted, but who knew that Zhou Yu would still be shoved in. Now, the storyline of Qi Yuji’s transformation into malicious cannon fodder, was like a time bomb suspended overhead, impossible to say when it would go BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The aftermath was too much for him to bear. Qi Xingchen finished his meal after shovelling food3 two or three mouthfuls in, took his leave of those who hadn’t finished eating, and strolled along the minor road leading towards Yangshan village as if he was just taking a walk.

He found out that the drying yard by the side of the minor road was not bad.

Qi Xingchen made a note of the location of the drying yard, then downloaded a live streaming platform.

…

He waited until late at night, but Zhou Yu did not come out of his room at all.

Qi Xingchen hid within the quilts wrapped around him and whispered while making a phone call to Qi Yuji: “I brought back the gifts, I was on the plane for the whole of yesterday and didn’t have the time to let you know.”

“Ahhhhhhh! Xingxing, which day are you coming home?!”

He pretended to be wistful: “It’ll be more than a month later, I can’t go back during the recording period of the programme.”

Qi Yuji was silent for a moment, then said feebly: “But-but I really want to see your gift ah.”

“Then I’ll find a courier to send them back to you.”

“No way! What if the courier breaks it or if it gets lost?”

“Or maybe……” Qi Xingchen suggested, “You could come over to take them from me, and visit me in passing?”

Qi Yuji: “……”

Going ten days without seeing her didi, Qi Yuji long wanted to come over and visit. Just that she was afraid of facing her didi’s rejection, and never dared to say it.

Who would have known her didi would actually take the initiative to invite her, there was no need to mention how happy Qi Yuji was, she was itching to dash over right now!!

“Really? You’ll really let me come?”

“Really. No time like the present, come tomorrow bah,” Qi Xingchen said, “I’ll book the air tickers for you now.”

Qi Yuji declined the air tickets; the Qi family’s plane coincidentally just finished its maintenance, it was much more convenient to take a private plane over than going to the airport.

After hanging up Qi Yuji’s call, like yesterday, Qi Xingchen grasped a small box and stealthily knocked on Bo Ye’s door.

However, he got wiser this time. After Bo Ye had let him in, the first thing he did was to cover the camera.

Subsequently, he turned around and saw Bo Ye who was sitting while leaning against the window sill. Both of his long legs were brought up as if there was no space for them, his chin was slightly raised as he looked at him.

Hence, the words that Qi Xingchen wanted to say were stuck in this throat.

They always said to look at a beauty under the light, but this fake idol had inherited all of the good points of his real idol; white skin, good looks, long legs, and when he looked at you, his deep black eyes would seem to contain a maelstrom.

Qi Xingchen almost drowned in it. Bo Ye was also not in a hurry, silently waiting for him.

Qi Xingchen struggled for quite a bit before finally escaping it, saying incoherently: “That- what- you have not slept yet.”

“En.”

“It’s already this late, having insomnia?”

“Because you are here,” Bo Ye said impassively, “get to the point.”

He was finished, it looked like he was still mad. Qi Xingchen sighed, “Don’t be angry anymore, it was wrong of me today afternoon.”

Bo Ye: “What did you do wrong?”

Qi Xingchen: “……”
That’s right, what did he do wrong?

“……In any case, it’s all my fault,” Qi Xingchen braced himself and took a blind guess, “ I shouldn’t have declined the PASS card, please forgive me.”

“Since when was I angry because of this?”

“Then who are you angry with, Zhou Yu? If it’s because of him, all the more it isn’t necessary.”

“……Not because of him,” Bo Ye was speechless for a moment, but shortly after, his gaze fell on his hands, “ What are you holding in your hands?”

After the first stop had ended, Qi Xingchen had bought gifts for the entire programme team. Yesterday night, he was only thinking of giving Bo Ye the quilt and forgot about the matter of the gift.

When he came over tonight, he brought it with him.

QI Xingchen opened his hand, on his palm laid an AirPods charging case cover. The design was of an ink-blue night sky, with the Milky Way flowing along slowly together with the moonlight; brilliant yet mysterious.

“For you.” He said.

“For me?” Bo Ye raised the tip of his brow, taking it.

He looked at the front and back twice over, then suddenly smiled, “You painted this yourself?”

Qi Xingchen: “……Yes.”

“Since it contains you and me, the symbolism is not bad,” Bo Ye said, “Thank you, I’ll accept it then.”

“You’re welcome……” Qi Xingchen was curious, “But there is only the night sky on it, where am I on it?”

Bo Ye pointed at the twinkling stars, “Is this not you?”

Qi Xingchen was stunned.

Just after he was born, he had already been thrown away to the doorway of the orphanage, even his name was blindly given by the orphanage director. The surname “Qi” was taken from the meaning of “abandoned”, while Xingchen was a phrase so ordinary that it could not be any more ordinary than that.

After being adopted for a brief period of one year, he was sent away once more to the acrobatics troupe by his foster parents.
Which child deserving to be loved would be abandoned twice in a row?

But when it came to the male protagonist here, instead he became the stars in the night sky…… He was just a tiny and insignificant speck of dust, how could he be worthy enough of standing together with his idol ah?!

“I’m not, I’m not,” Qi Xingchen promptly explained, “ When I painted this I was only thinking of drawing the night sky, I did not think of myself!”

This time, it was Bo Ye’s turn to be stunned.

He had only casually said something, not expecting the other to have such an extreme reaction. He immediately thought of all of Qi Xingchen’s previous behaviour and performance.

Seeing no response from him, Qi Xingchen asked tentatively: “Then, have you cooled down now?”

“……”

Bo Ye did not give him an affirmative answer, taking one step forward.

Lifting his arm, he froze for a moment, and finally, his palm landed on the top of Qi Xingchen’s head.

Unlike the cold fragrance emitting from him, the fake idol’s palm was warming and settling, just enough to drive the cold of the long dark night away.

Immediately after, Qi Xingchen heard him say: “If you don’t want me to get angry, be a bit more obedient next time.”