APCF – Chapter 40 Vitamins

An Ran showed Qi Xingchen a response from a prominent influencer.

The influencer, boasting over four million followers, had a comment left under one of their posts:
— “Recently, I’ve been watching Wandering Star and find the younger brother, Xingxing, really interesting. He’s so cute.”

The influencer replied:
— “Play with him long enough, and he won’t seem so cute anymore.”

The implication was clear—“Xingxing” was merely a toy for the wealthy, backed by a sugar daddy.

This influencer was famous for exposing insider secrets about the entertainment industry. Most of their gossip was 90% accurate, with the remaining 10% fabricated, making it hard for netizens to distinguish truth from fiction.

Even if the accused later managed to clarify, by then, the rumors would have spread widely. Fans might believe the clarification, but the casual onlookers—the so-called “spectators eating popcorn”—would only remember, “Oh, wasn’t so-and-so involved in that scandal?”
These impressions would spread until even falsehoods were accepted as fact.

Nearby, a staff member from the sound department was working. An Ran lowered her voice and said, “I came across this while scrolling Weibo just now. It hasn’t gone viral yet. You don’t have a manager, so you should inform the company and have them prepare a PR plan. Also, try to investigate who’s behind this.”

This seemed to be the only viable option. Qi Xingchen walked to a quiet corner and called Chen Noah.

Although the acquisition process hadn’t been finalized, on paper, Chen Noah was still the legal representative of Noah Entertainment.

It seemed like Chen Noah had set a special ringtone for Qi Xingchen. The phone barely rang before he picked up enthusiastically:

“Little President Qi, what can I do for you?”

“…”

Why was Chen Noah calling him that too? Qi Xingchen felt awkward but quickly explained the Weibo incident.

After a moment of silence, Chen Noah analyzed, “The influencer who targeted you is under Fangdi Media. Asking them to delete the post might be tricky. Don’t respond for now. I’ll try to negotiate while the PR department drafts a plan.”

“Okay,” Qi Xingchen replied before hanging up.

Fangdi Media was a major company, and big corporations valued their reputation. If they took money from a client, they would fulfill the request. Qi Xingchen didn’t expect them to delete the post but hoped the negotiations could at least stop further dissemination.

His fame was still limited, and fewer people paid attention to him. Over time, the matter might fade away.

But who could have orchestrated this smear campaign? Pondering the possibilities, Qi Xingchen glanced over at Xu Sheng.

In the afternoon, Qi Xingchen only had one scene to shoot. After two takes, he headed backstage to spend time bonding with his “brother,” Xiangxiang.

This time, Xiangxiang was awake. Qi Xingchen teased him with a fish, saying, “Clap your hands.”

Xiangxiang patted his belly instead: “Slap slap!”

Qi Xingchen picked up a plastic ring and gestured, “Catch this, and I’ll give you the fish.”

Xiangxiang patted his belly again: “Slap slap!”

Seeing Xiangxiang’s defiant stance, Qi Xingchen finally appreciated how challenging it must be for the trainers. Sitting cross-legged beside the dolphin, he fed it while stroking its head, occasionally glancing at Weibo to monitor the situation.

“Xingxing, so you’re here.” Xu Sheng appeared out of nowhere.

Hands in his pockets, Xu Sheng strolled leisurely around Qi Xingchen and Xiangxiang like he was inspecting them. His gaze finally landed on the script beside Qi Xingchen.

“My, Xingxing, you carry your script around all the time,” Xu Sheng said, his tone half-genuine, half-sarcastic. “No wonder you’ve improved so much.”

Qi Xingchen suspected Xu Sheng was behind the smear campaign. With no one else around, Qi Xingchen dropped the pretense of civility and coldly asked, “What do you want?”

“Why so hostile?” Xu Sheng smirked. “I’m here to learn from you. Director Shang said you’ve been adjusting really well…”

Squatting beside Qi Xingchen, Xu Sheng continued, “So I wanted to ask how you quickly adapted to your role.”

His tone turned sour, emphasizing the last four words. Flashbacks of Director Shang’s earlier critique filled Xu Sheng’s mind:

“Xu, in this scene, you’re seeking out Ji Yan because her father had a sudden medical emergency. You’re anxious but trying to stay composed to reassure her. Your face can remain calm, but your steps should falter… Dig into the character’s deeper psychology; don’t stay on the surface. You’ve been acting for years, so your experience and instincts should surpass Qi Xingchen’s, but he’s adapting better than you. I have high hopes for you, so step up.”

Though Director Shang’s words appeared encouraging, they subtly praised Qi Xingchen while critiquing Xu Sheng.

And Tao Tao, Xu Sheng’s long-admired colleague, had been there to witness it all. The humiliation stung.

Xu Sheng forced a grin and said, “So, Xingxing, care to share your secrets? What did you do to earn Director Shang’s favor?”

“Did you charm him with sweet talk, or did your sponsor invest more money in the production?”

Listening to these absurd accusations, Qi Xingchen was both annoyed and amused.

He chuckled coldly, “Just because you bought your way into this production doesn’t mean everyone else is as lazy as you.”

“Oh, so you’re claiming it’s all hard work and no backing?” Xu Sheng sneered. “Fine, thanks for the advice. I’ll leave now—but let’s see how this all plays out.”

Xu Sheng strutted away triumphantly while Qi Xingchen returned to his phone.

From his browsing, it was clear that Noah Entertainment’s PR team had started working. Under the influencer’s response, some people questioned the credibility of the claim, others hinted that the influencer might have been bribed, and some shifted the discussion to unrelated topics to obscure the truth.

However, the smear campaign continued. The influencer’s post was shared over 10,000 times, and soon Qi Xingchen’s photos were being scrutinized.

In one livestream, Qi Xingchen had gifted Zhou Yu a watch. While the brand wasn’t visible during the stream, Zhou Yu had mentioned it was “high-end,” implying it wasn’t cheap.

Another photo from Qianzhou showed Qi Xingchen accidentally revealing his socks. Observant netizens identified them as being from Falke, made from alpaca wool, priced at over £700 per pair.

Qi Xingchen: “…”

In the mountain area, the wind was strong at night, and he was afraid of getting cold feet, so he grabbed a random pair of wool socks. Who would have thought that Qi Yuji would buy such expensive socks?

Of course, the most solid evidence came after he had a confrontation with the company, and the company quickly issued an apology.

All of this together was no longer something an average working-class child could afford. There had to be an explanation for it.

Qi Xingchen put down his phone and sighed. Now, he could only wait for Chen Noah to handle it. He didn’t want to reveal his identity for the time being.

After all, the Qi family seemed impressive on the surface, but when the plot called for a scapegoat, their power could never compete with the main character’s overwhelming aura.

Once the main character discovered that he was from the Qi family, his identity would be exposed, causing the main character to become wary. It might make it harder to get close to the main character.

When he first transmigrated, his only goal was to survive and return to the real world. But after spending some time with the Qi family… whether for the original owner’s sake or because of his own feelings, he didn’t want the Qi family to die.

“Slap!” Xiangxiang, sensing his bad mood, patted his belly twice.

“Don’t worry, it will all pass,” Qi Xingchen stroked Xiangxiang’s head and smiled as he picked up his script.

Unfortunately, after being disturbed by Xu Sheng for so long, he found it hard to get into character.

He thought for a moment, still not having asked Bo Ye if he really waited for him last night. Taking out his phone, he sent a Duck sticker.

“Zzzzzzz—”

The long vibration from the reply wasn’t like WeChat. Qi Xingchen looked down—Bo Ye had actually called him directly!

“…Hello?” He waited a moment before answering.

“It’s me. You’re not filming right now?”

Qi Xingchen hummed, “No.”

“Then don’t just play on your phone. Practice your lines for the next scene,” Bo Ye said, “Make use of all the little bits of time.”

His tone sounded like a teacher advising a student. Qi Xingchen was about to tease him when he realized there was a deeper meaning behind his words.

“…Brother Ye,” Qi Xingchen asked, “Did you see Weibo?”

“Xiaoman saw it and told me. Have you reported it to the company?”

He really had seen it… Qi Xingchen replied, “I’ve already reported it to the company.”

“Good. Let the company handle the PR. The clean will stay clean, and the dirty will remain dirty.”

Hearing this, Qi Xingchen unconsciously reached out and grabbed Xiangxiang’s paw.

He said, “The clean will indeed stay clean, but aren’t you…”

“Aren’t I what?”

“Aren’t you afraid that I’m dirty?” Qi Xingchen explained, “Aren’t you afraid that I really have a sugar daddy, that I’m being kept?”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was silence on the other end of the line.

Qi Xingchen bit his lower lip, his soft lips leaving deep indentations from the pressure.

About ten seconds passed before the other side suddenly let out two soft chuckles.

Qi Xingchen’s ears turned red, “W-Why are you laughing?” Was he mocking him?

“It’s nothing,” Bo Ye stopped laughing, “Xingxing, I believe you don’t have a sugar daddy.”

“Why do you believe me? We’ve only known each other for a short time,” Qi Xingchen finally released his poor lips, “Is it just because I’m your fan?”

“Not entirely,” Bo Ye replied, “If you were really trying to find a sugar daddy for resources, there’s no way you would have missed the most recent one.”

Qi Xingchen racked his brain, trying to figure out who “the most recent one” was.

Then Bo Ye gave him the answer: “Most people in the circle don’t have as many resources as I do. If you really wanted to do something shady, when I was applying medicine to your back in Denmark, you should have…”

You should have taken the opportunity to show a little more skin, or made a move to hug me, or acted cute and said you were in pain and needed comforting—there were many ways to do it.

Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, Bo Ye had seen it all. There were even stars bold enough to press their chest against him just to get closer.

They would do anything to ride his coattails and gain popularity.

They weren’t like little fans—he could touch them lightly, and they would blush all over their back, neck, and face.

With how shy you were, there’s no way you’re the kind of person looking for a sugar daddy.

After hearing this, Qi Xingchen remembered the scene in the bathroom and the cold touch of Bo Ye’s fingers.

“Don’t, don’t say that,” Qi Xingchen’s face turned red, even more so than the other day, “Thank you for believing in me!”

“Mm, if you have any issues, feel free to call me. By the way…”

Bo Ye paused for a moment, “Allen kept insisting that I take vitamin pills. I really dislike the taste of pills. I hope you won’t make me wait too long tonight.”