APCF – Chapter 41 Cute

“Xingxing, what are you thinking about?”

“……Nothing.”

Hearing the makeup artist’s voice, Qi Xingchen, who had just finished filming and was sitting in the makeup room waiting to remove his makeup, quickly pulled his thoughts out of “don’t make me wait too long”: “My makeup’s almost off, I don’t need to be too serious about removing it, right?”

“How can that be? If the makeup isn’t removed properly, it will clog your pores.”

The makeup artist finished removing his makeup, then slapped a face mask onto his face with a “pop.” “Not only do you need to remove your makeup well, but you also need to apply a face mask. That way, your handsome little face won’t lose its charm.”

“Got it, thank you, sister!”

Qi Xingchen nodded and started talking about how cute Xiangxiang was. Meanwhile, Xu Sheng, who had also finished all his scenes and removed his makeup, closed his eyes and waited for the makeup artist to come over and apply a face mask for him.

After two minutes, the makeup artist didn’t respond.

“…Stop chatting,” Xu Sheng, becoming impatient, pointed at Qi Xingchen, “Hurry up and put it on for me, so I can go back to the hotel.”

“Ah, sorry, Teacher Xu,” the makeup artist apologized in a hurry, “The face mask was the one I brought for Xingxing, I didn’t bring one for you…”

“…Bang!”

Xu Sheng slammed the chair down, cursing as he stormed off.

Qi Xingchen had grown up living independently, so he understood people and social matters quite well. Over the past few days, he had frequently brought takeout and snacks for the crew. With his good looks, pleasant personality, and ability to get along with everyone, he had quickly become close with the crew.

Fifteen minutes later, after removing the face mask, he got into his nanny car, collapsed into the seat, and started typing on his phone.

An Ran asked, “Xingxing, did you check Weibo?”

“No,” Qi Xingchen was distracted, “What’s going on now?”

“We’ve been fighting with the trolls all afternoon. The other side is relentless, if it continues like this, the company might have to issue a statement soon.”

Qi Xingchen had anticipated their moves. Rumors like this, the longer they spread, the more people would know, and the greater the harm to the people involved.

He finished typing the last word, sent it, and slumped into a “big” shape, feeling relieved.

An Ran saw it and asked curiously, “Who did you just text?”

“A person who doesn’t like to take vitamins.”

“Who is that?”

“No, no, it’s not that he doesn’t like vitamins,” Qi Xingchen muttered to himself, “He doesn’t like any kind of pills.”

An Ran: “……”

Her artist must have lost his mind, talking all sorts of nonsense.

The nanny car continued towards the hotel. On the way, Qi Xingchen had Old Liang stop in front of a restaurant. He pulled down his duckbill hat and mask to cover his face, fully armed before getting out of the car.

Although he wasn’t at the level where anyone would recognize him, during this special time, it was better to be cautious.

Under the guidance of the waiter, he found the private room. A young man with grandma gray hair was sitting confidently at the other end of the dining table, wearing a Crocs T-shirt and a pilot jacket.

Seeing him come in, Qi Jiaze lazily lifted his chin, “Bro, you’re here, go ahead and order.”

Qi Xingchen ordered a few dishes that were beneficial for the development of teenagers’ brains, then closed the menu, “Why are you skipping class again?”

Qi Jiaze replied, “There were no classes in the afternoon.”

“Be honest.”

“……I want to eat the eel rice from this place,” Qi Jiaze mumbled, “It’s been over three months since we last came here.”

Qi Xingchen’s heart softened instantly—this child was saying he wanted to eat eel rice, but what he really meant was “I want to eat eel rice with my older brother.”

He missed his brother.

In the afternoon, Qi Jiaze suddenly called, and after a roundabout way of asking if Qi Xingchen had time, he guessed that this kid wanted to see him.

Coincidentally, Qi Xingchen also wanted to talk to Qi Jiaze about the issue of school violence. First, because school violence is wrong, and second, if he could avoid conflicts with Tao Tao’s younger brother, that would be best.

“Jiaze,” his younger cousin had a temperamental personality, so Qi Xingchen couldn’t be too direct. He asked, “How were your mock exam results recently?”

Qi Jiaze, who was assembling his chopsticks, paused.

Alright, probably not good. Qi Xingchen changed the subject, “Has the teacher contacted your parents recently?”

Qi Jiaze: “……”

Well, the school bully stayed true to form.

“Graduation is coming soon, try to get along well with your classmates and leave a good impression. Afterward, you might not see them again,” Qi Xingchen continued, “Do you have a classmate named Tao Xuan? He’s the younger brother of my friend. You two can communicate more.”

“Tao Xuan…” Qi Jiaze frowned and thought for a while before recalling, “Oh, I know who you mean. Don’t worry, bro, since you know him, I’ll take care of him… although he’s a little weird…”

“Weird? What’s weird about him?”

“He always has a long face, doesn’t play games or basketball, and ignores everyone who talks to him,” Qi Jiaze irritably rubbed his bangs. “If he wasn’t so weak, just falling down with a single touch, I’d say he’s the boss.”

Doesn’t like sports, stays away from crowds, weak… Qi Xingchen thought back to the events in Night of the Peach.

It was very likely that at this time, Tao Xuan had developed systemic lupus erythematosus. However, since the illness was in its early stages and hadn’t worsened yet, he was still able to attend class and learn.

Tao Xuan chose to hide his medical history and not tell his classmates, so Qi Xingchen couldn’t casually mention it. He sighed quietly and said softly, “Jiaze, Tao Xuan might have his reasons for acting like this. You can’t dislike him just because he’s not close to his classmates, okay?”

“But he’s so annoying with his quiet, aloof attitude!”

“Do you really expect people to always respond when you talk to them? Doesn’t that come off as annoying?” Qi Xingchen countered.

Qi Jiaze was momentarily speechless.

“Alright,” Qi Xingchen reached across the table and ruffled Qi Jiaze’s head, “Everyone has their own reasons for their personalities. If you don’t understand, just try respecting him.”

Qi Jiaze: “……”

Suddenly, Qi Jiaze’s usually half-asleep eyes widened: “Bro, you actually touched my head? You dare touch my head? Even the discipline director wouldn’t dare!”

In TV dramas, it’s common for older brothers to ruffle their younger brothers’ heads. Could it be that Qi Jiaze didn’t like people touching his hair?

Qi Xingchen opened his mouth to apologize but quickly saw Qi Jiaze lean forward slightly, seemingly pretending to lower his head to make it more convenient for him to ruffle his hair.

“……” Qi Xingchen couldn’t help but laugh and ruffled his head again.

After Qi Xingchen repeatedly reminded him, Qi Jiaze promised he wouldn’t bully Tao Xuan in the future.

Satisfied, Qi Xingchen finished his meal and had Qi Jiaze drive him back to the hotel. Qi Jiaze drove the sports car as if it were a wheelchair, and what should have been a 20-minute drive took over 40 minutes.

When they reached the hotel downstairs, Qi Jiaze pulled out a cigarette from his pack and squinted. “Bro, wait for me…”

“Kids shouldn’t smoke!” Qi Xingchen reached out and took the cigarette from him.

Qi Jiaze: “……Bro, you actually took my cigarette? Even the discipline director wouldn’t dare!”

Now Qi Xingchen understood his personality. He chatted with him a bit longer before watching him leave.

Taking the elevator to the top floor, An Ran had already arranged his room. As soon as she heard the door open, she immediately stopped him, “Stop! Don’t go into the bedroom yet. Go take a bath first. I’ve prepared the bathtub water and essential oils, soak for half an hour to get rid of the smell.”

Qi Xingchen: “???”

“You’ve been hanging out with Xiangxiang all day, and you smell like fish and disinfectant,” An Ran explained. “Tao Tao’s assistant introduced me to a nice essential oil. You should try it.”

Qi Xingchen sniffed his sleeve and indeed smelled a bit fishy. Being in such an environment all day, he hadn’t noticed it himself. If An Ran hadn’t mentioned it, he would never have realized.

Having been in the sealed sports car with Qi Jiaze for so long earlier, Qi Jiaze hadn’t complained, which showed how considerate the kid was.

Qi Xingchen placed his phone on the nearby shelf and undressed to get into the bathtub. As he was nearly dozing off in the warm water, his phone vibrated twice.

He was too lazy to move and lazily turned his head to check. The message was from Bo Ye.

He sighed in resignation, sat up, grabbed a towel to dry his hands, and opened the message.

Bo Ye: [Did you get to the hotel?]

The previous message was sent by Qi Xingchen, a check-in letting Bo Ye know he had finished filming. The two messages were separated by the time it took to have dinner.

Qi Xingchen thought, no wonder there are so many couples in the entertainment industry, but only a few make it to the end.

With this speed of communication, even if he hadn’t caught up to Bo Ye yet, even if he did, they’d definitely break up in a few months.

…Wait, wasn’t he trying to cultivate the feeling of pursuing someone with Bo Ye? Why was he thinking so far ahead?

Qi Xingchen shook his still-drowsy head: [I’m here, soaking in the bath.]

He then took a photo holding the bottle of essential oil, feeling a bit guilty, to prove he wasn’t out causing trouble.

Bo Ye’s gaze fell on the fingers holding the bottle.

They were white and round, with the pads of his fingers wrinkled from soaking for too long. It was obvious that he had deliberately wiped his hands to reply to the message.

Bo Ye’s reply: [Cute.]

Qi Xingchen, not quite understanding: […Are you saying the essential oil is cute?]

Bo Ye then noticed the essential oil, and changed the subject: [Was that the scent I smelled last time?]

The scent from last time…

Hadn’t he explained before that it was shampoo? Why was this still being brought up?!

Or was it that Bo Ye really liked that scent?!

Qi Xingchen glanced at the shepherd boy on the bathroom counter. Just then, his phone rang, interrupting the conversation.

It was a call from Qi Yunxiao. Qi Xingchen answered, “Bro.”

“……” Qi Yunxiao’s intention to scold immediately disappeared. “Mm, tell me about the Weibo incident again.”

Qi Yunxiao was busy with official matters and hardly ever checked social media. It was during his busiest time in the morning, so when the incident first happened, Qi Xingchen hadn’t called him directly but contacted Chen Noah instead.

Qi Xingchen had no choice but to repeat everything. After listening, Qi Yunxiao asked, “Such a small matter, and Chen Noah couldn’t handle it in a day?”

Qi Xingchen: “……”

Qi Yunxiao: “Next time, don’t contact him. Come directly to me. A pig can’t solve human problems.” He paused before continuing, “Get a good night’s sleep tonight, and we’ll take a look at it tomorrow morning.”

Qi Xingchen greatly admired his older brother’s skill of reprimanding without using foul language. He followed the instructions and closed his Weibo account. While continuing to practice his lines for tomorrow’s scenes in front of the mirror, he also chatted with Bo Ye about going to bed.

After turning off the lights, Qi Xingchen sent a message: “Good night.”

Bo Ye replied: “Good night, sweet dreams.”

Perhaps it was Bo Ye’s blessing, but Qi Xingchen really did sleep soundly throughout the night. Waking up in a cheerful mood, he dressed, then pumped two sprays of the Shepherd Boy perfume.

The remaining fragrance was expected to last only until mid-next month, so he asked An Ran to help him order another bottle on Taobao.

An Ran expertly found the product: “How many milliliters do you want?”

“The biggest bottle.”

“Is that necessary? From my experience, things like perfume or lipstick only stay fresh for about a month. Once the honeymoon phase is over, people toss them into the corner to collect dust… Or do you have a special attachment to it?”

Qi Xingchen paused from putting on his shoes and rubbed his ear, “Fine, buy it. It’s not like I’m not paying for it.”

“Alright,” An Ran smiled mischievously.

Suddenly, she called out, “Xingchen, look at Weibo, Fang Di tagged you!”

Had his older brother finished? Qi Xingchen immediately put on his shoes and opened Weibo.

— Fang Di Media: Yesterday, a blogger from our company privately accepted money from a certain artist’s manager and posted inappropriate comments, which caused great damage to Mr. Qi Xingchen’s reputation. Our company sincerely apologizes for this, and we will adjust our staffing structure, strengthen account management, and hope for your understanding.

Seeing this message, Qi Xingchen was shocked. He thought his brother’s handling would be to force the other party to delete the Weibo post, which would have led to Fang Di Media breaching their contract. Not only would they have to return the money spent on marketing, but they’d also likely have to pay penalties, and possibly offend the buyer.

But he didn’t expect Qi Yunxiao to be so ruthless, even naming the “artist’s manager.”

Qi Xingchen opened the comments section to see the public’s reaction.

Then, he realized that Qi Yunxiao was not just ruthless.

In the comment section, a bunch of netizens were targeting Xu Sheng, implying that a certain artist with the surname Xu had paid to smear Qi Xingchen.

The comments were all aligned, clearly someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, in the hotel’s 34th-floor executive suite, Xu Sheng’s manager and Xu Sheng were sitting at the dining table. Breakfast had gone cold, and the ashtray was full of cigarette butts.

“I told you not to stir up trouble. Now you’ve met your match,” the manager said, pulling the curtains, “The boss called me and yelled at me!”

Xu Sheng’s face turned purple with anger: “Shut up!”

“You say he’s the third male lead, you’re the second, he doesn’t overshadow your role, nor does he have the right to steal your scenes. Why are you targeting him?”

“I told you to shut up!”

Xu Sheng suddenly stood up, veins popping on his forehead. His sudden movement jolted the table, sending dumplings and congee spilling onto the floor.

“Are you deaf?”

The manager was stunned for a few seconds, startled by Xu Sheng’s fierce expression.

He had been managing this rich, spoiled young man for over two years and knew his temper wasn’t great, but it was rare to see him explode like this.

“I can’t stand the way he pretends to be so serious! I can’t stand the director praising him in front of Tao Tao! I just want to mess with him! And…”

“And what?”

“And… and…”

Xu Sheng repeated “and” twice but couldn’t finish his sentence.

For a brief moment, his gaze cleared, then he returned to his usual arrogant and domineering self. “Nothing. Just issue a statement, saying that this whole thing is a self-directed publicity stunt by Qi Xingchen to stir up hype and smear me!”