APCF – Chapter 55 Concert

Unlike the joyous atmosphere on Qi Xingchen’s end, things were tense at the H City Public Security Bureau detention center. Xu Sheng’s father, Xu Changlin, glared at his son sitting on the bench, his hands trembling with rage, his face flushed an angry purple.

“What were you thinking, huh? Out of all the women in the world, couldn’t you find someone else? Why did you have to harass a fellow cast member?”

Xu Sheng rested his elbows on his knees, his fingers digging into his hair. Three days in detention had left him noticeably thinner, and stubble sprouted across his face like weeds after rain. His voice was hoarse and weak. “I don’t know… I drank a little that day… I didn’t mean to… I just couldn’t control myself!”

Seeing his son stammer, Xu Changlin lost it and kicked him hard. “You can’t control your d***, but can’t you control your mouth? Who the hell did you offend?”

“I-I don’t know! I don’t know anything!” Xu Sheng fell to the ground, clutching his stomach in pain, his face twisted in agony. “I only attempted assault. Why did it turn into fraud? Why am I looking at a five-year sentence…”

He struggled to get up and clung to Xu Changlin’s leg. “Dad, please save me. I don’t want to sit in prison for five years. I don’t!”

Attempted assault would typically be charged as assault but punished more leniently than if the act had been completed. Xu Sheng’s case wasn’t particularly severe, so he should have been looking at just over a year, with the possibility of probation. With some back-channel efforts from his father, he might not have needed to set foot in prison at all.

But unexpectedly, his charge had suddenly changed to financial fraud, and the amount involved was enormous. The sentence had escalated to five years.

Even if probation was granted, even if his father pulled strings, Xu Sheng would inevitably face time behind bars.

By the time he got out, the entertainment industry would have moved on, leaving no place for him.

Seeing his son sobbing uncontrollably, snot and tears mingling, Xu Changlin was furious but refrained from kicking him again. He said coldly, “Let go and stand up like a man.”

Xu Sheng, terrified of his father’s stern face, quickly wiped his tears and stood awkwardly beside the bench.

Xu Changlin gestured for him to stay quiet, then dialed a number. “Director Jiang, let’s not beat around the bush. Can you tell me who’s behind the change in Sheng’s charges?”

“I told you, I can’t tell you that! Brother Xu, I’m begging you, don’t make things hard for me. I’ve already bent the rules by letting you see him. Don’t put me in a tough spot, okay?”

“Director Jiang, I’m not trying to pressure you. If I don’t figure out the cause, I can’t even work on reducing Sheng’s sentence. I’ve had a relationship with the mayor here for years. I cross several provinces every year just to visit you and your family. Surely—”

Xu Changlin was from another province, but his business dealings had cultivated good relations with H City’s top brass. Finally, Director Jiang, unable to withstand the pressure, hesitated before saying, “I can’t tell you who it is. Just make sure you never cross anyone with the surname Qi again. I have to go now. Bye.”

With that, Director Jiang hung up and quickly turned off his phone.

Xu Changlin held the phone in silence, deep in thought.

“The surname Qi…” Xu Sheng mumbled, having overheard the conversation. “There’s only one person in the cast with that surname… It must be him. It must be Qi Xingchen!”

To finish early and leave by evening, Qi Xingchen worked like a man possessed, shooting scene after scene. Occasionally, he grabbed a tissue to wipe his nose. When the day’s work was finally done, he dashed to the nanny van.

Old Qin, being older, was prone to high blood pressure when staying up late. Qi Xingchen had sent him back to the hotel to rest. Now, only he and An Ran were in the van.

An Ran looked worried. “Xingxing, are you sure you can drive for two hours yourself?”

The distance between S City and H City wasn’t far—40 minutes by plane or three hours by car on the highway.

Taking public transportation might attract media attention, which would be a hassle. After some consideration, Qi Xingchen decided to drive himself and An Ran to their destination.

In the real world, he’d driven a van for the acrobat troupe to transport props. The original owner of the body also knew how to drive, so he familiarized himself with the controls of this car. “No problem, just give me a moment to get the hang of it.”

“But you took cold medicine,” An Ran said with concern. “Won’t it make you dizzy or unfocused?”

“You’ve got some nerve bringing that up,” Qi Xingchen groaned, feeling aggrieved. “You tricked me into drinking ginger tea to ward off a cold—total pseudoscience—and I still ended up sick!”

An Ran shrank back sheepishly and used his complaints as an excuse to go buy coffee. After finishing their coffee, they set off. Despite some nerve-wracking moments along the way, they safely arrived at S City Stadium three hours later.

Worried someone might recognize his license plate, Qi Xingchen parked the car in a corner and informed Allen of their arrival.

Ten minutes later, Allen hopped into the car, surprised. “Wow, Xingxing, you drove here yourself? Impressive! The boss saved a parking spot for you—just drive to the employee area in the back.”

Following Allen’s directions, Qi Xingchen parked in the employee area, next to Bo Ye’s nanny van.

The music festival had already started half an hour ago, and Bo Ye’s performance was still a long way off. Feeling a bit restless, Qi Xingchen hesitated before asking, “Is Ye-ge backstage preparing?”

Allen nodded. “When I left, he was just starting his styling.”

“Has he been busy all afternoon?”

“His new album is in the final stages, and you know how he is—he’ll redo everything if he’s even slightly dissatisfied. He’s already revised the plans twice with the post-production team today.”

Realizing what Qi Xingchen meant, Allen grinned knowingly. “Xingxing, do you want to see the boss?”

“Not necessarily…” Qi Xingchen muttered.

“I’ve got a staff pass.” Allen got out of the car first. “I’ll take you in.”

Though he said no, Qi Xingchen’s feet still followed Allen. As they walked, he turned to An Ran. “Sister An Ran, you go ahead and find our seats. I’ll join you later.”

On the way backstage, he quietly told Allen not to let Bo Ye know he had driven himself. Allen nodded in agreement, then pushed open the door to Bo Ye’s private lounge. “Ta-da! Look who’s here!”

Everyone turned toward the door, making Qi Xingchen’s cheeks heat up. His gaze instinctively filtered through the room and locked onto the person he wanted to see most, sitting in front of the dressing mirror.

“Come in,” Bo Ye said. “Allen, find Xingxing a chair.”

Qi Xingchen obediently walked up behind Bo Ye. Allen eagerly dragged over a chair.

“You just got here?” Bo Ye asked.

Qi Xingchen nodded as he sat down.

Xiao Man, observing him through the dressing mirror, clicked her tongue. “Xingxing, did you do your hair on purpose? Your stylist’s skills are so-so.”

Qi Xingchen’s cheeks grew even hotter. Bo Ye, exasperated, said, “Xiao Man, don’t tease him. He’s shy.”

Hearing Bo Ye defend him in front of others made Qi Xingchen inexplicably happy. His hands fidgeted on his knees as he searched for something to say. “Your performance isn’t for another three hours.”

“About that long. How did you get here?”

“Old Qin drove,” Qi Xingchen lied.

Allen shot him a sidelong glance, barely able to suppress his laughter. Qi Xingchen had lied because he didn’t want Bo Ye to scold him. After all, the idea of an artist driving three hours on the highway just to watch a concert was, admittedly, a bit absurd.

Bo Ye didn’t suspect anything and chatted with him a bit more. Not wanting to disrupt the work in the lounge, Qi Xingchen soon stood and left.

He found his seat, where An Ran was already engrossed in the performance. Qi Xingchen pulled up his hoodie to avoid being recognized and whispered, “Sister An Ran, did you bring the stuff in?”

“Yes, I brought everything as you asked. Don’t worry.”

Trusting An Ran’s reliability, Qi Xingchen didn’t ask further and turned his attention to the performance.

Although he came primarily for Bo Ye, the hard work of all the performers shouldn’t be overlooked.

The program arranged by Dongcheng TV was excellent, with no dull moments throughout. Toward the latter half of the show, he spotted a familiar face—Wei Qin, whom he had just seen last night.

Since Wei Qin was an artist from Dongcheng TV’s talent show, his appearance here made perfect sense. Qi Xingchen pretended to rub his nose, lifting his hand to block his face. When Wei Qin interacted with the audience at the front of the stage, his gaze lingered for a moment on Qi Xingchen before shifting away. Whether or not he recognized him was unclear.

After Wei Qin’s performance, there were only two more acts before Bo Ye’s turn. Unable to contain his excitement, Qi Xingchen urged, “Sister An Ran, take the stuff out now!”

An Ran opened her bag and pulled out two banners, two dark blue glow sticks (Bo Ye’s official support color), a sticker, and two Mickey Mouse light-up headbands.

Qi Xingchen was delighted with the banners and glow sticks, but as soon as he saw the headbands, he frowned in refusal. “I’m not wearing that.”

“But without something that lights up, Ye-ge won’t notice you,” An Ran said with a pout.

To avoid drawing too much attention, Qi Xingchen hadn’t prepared a large sign. Glow sticks were something every fan held, making it unlikely he’d stand out. After hesitating, Qi Xingchen was swayed by An Ran’s coaxing. “Just wear it for three songs. It’s not embarrassing, I promise.”

Reluctantly, Qi Xingchen placed the headband on his head.

There was still a sticker left. An Ran tore off a small chibi Bo Ye sticker and pressed it onto Qi Xingchen’s left cheek while clutching her chest dramatically.

“Oh my god! Xingxing is too adorable!” she thought to herself.

The fair skin, those sparkling puppy-dog eyes, and the soft fringe paired with the Mickey headband—she felt like she might pass out from cuteness overload.

She silently vowed, Bo Ye, you big jerk, you’d better treat my Xingxing well, or I won’t forgive you!

Oblivious to An Ran’s inner monologue, Qi Xingchen focused intently on the glow sticks. Once they were ready, the host came on stage to announce the next act, and the lights in the venue dimmed.

Instantly, a sea of dark blue lights filled the arena, accompanied by deafening cheers.

“Bo Ye! Bo Ye! Bo Ye!”

Even though Qi Xingchen had witnessed such scenes countless times, he couldn’t help but feel his blood boil. Joining the crowd, he shouted, “Bo Ye! Bo Ye! Bo Ye!”

The host’s voice was drowned out by the waves of enthusiasm. Laughing, he teased, “Since everyone’s so eager, I won’t keep you waiting any longer. Let’s welcome… Bo—Ye!”

The prelude began, and a lift slowly rose on stage. A spotlight illuminated the figure in the center.

Dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, with his bangs styled into a single comma, Bo Ye stood slightly turned away from the audience as he executed his opening dance move.

The gesture was crisp, clean, and powerful, exuding his unique charisma and mastery of the stage. It was as if he were declaring to the audience, From this moment on, the stage is mine.

Fans, including first-time spectators, went wild. Qi Xingchen’s eardrums were nearly pierced by the screams.

While enduring the groundhog-like shrieks, he kept his eyes fixed on Bo Ye’s performance. Thirty seconds in, his restraint broke, and he joined the crowd in singing and screaming:

“Burn! Burn! Burning fire! Never give up because I exist!”

An Ran, even more enthusiastic, relied on her naturally sharper female voice to out-sing him. The two ended up competing to see who could cheer louder, as if the loudest fan would be crowned the best supporter of the night.

After two energetic dance tracks, the third song shifted to a ballad, giving Qi Xingchen and An Ran a chance to catch their breath. Both reached for their water bottles simultaneously.

Qi Xingchen, ever the gentleman, said, “This bottle’s for you.”

“What?” An Ran croaked, her voice hoarse. “Your voice is so raspy I can’t even understand you!”

Qi Xingchen rubbed his throat and turned to grab another bottle. A girl sitting behind him caught a glimpse of his profile and asked curiously, “Hey, aren’t you that guy—uh, what’s his name?”

Qi Xingchen froze. !!!

Pretending not to hear, he immediately turned back around.

By this time, Bo Ye had moved to the front row to interact with fans. Qi Xingchen’s heart raced as he wondered, Will Bo Ye come to this side?

He took out his phone, intending to record a video as a keepsake.

Through the camera, he saw Bo Ye walking toward his section, stopping right in front of him. Bo Ye crouched slightly, greeting the front-row fans one by one.

When Bo Ye reached his seat, he smiled.

“Ahhhh! Gege smiled! Gege actually smiled!”

“His smile is lethal! I’m dying right now!”

“Baby, look at me! Mama has been waiting for you forever!”

“Husband, I won’t allow you to smile at other women—or men!”

Qi Xingchen was instantly enveloped in a storm of wild screams. Embarrassed and annoyed, he could guess why Bo Ye was smiling—he’d noticed the Mickey Mouse headband.

I told you I didn’t want to wear this stupid thing! This is so infuriating!

Fuming, he ripped off the headband, put away his phone, and kept singing along, though his lips never stopped moving.

After the ballad ended, Bo Ye’s performance concluded. The crowd erupted into chants of “Encore! Encore! Encore!”

But since this wasn’t Bo Ye’s solo concert and the next performer was already scheduled to take the stage, Bo Ye couldn’t do an encore.

Qi Xingchen, feeling a bit restless, thought about leaving early. Just then, Allen called.

“Xingxing, head to the parking spot in ten minutes.”

“Got it!” He immediately grabbed An Ran, and they ran off.

Bo Ye’s van was already lit up. Familiar with the routine, Qi Xingchen climbed aboard.

Bo Ye hadn’t removed his stage makeup and was still wearing the white shirt from his performance. He glanced at Qi Xingchen sideways, and Qi Xingchen felt like his soul was about to be snatched away.

After a brief pause, Bo Ye spoke. “It’s just the two of you?”

Qi Xingchen blinked. “Yes.”

“What happened to your voice? And where’s the driver?”

I completely forgot about that!

It’s often said that one lie leads to another. Qi Xingchen feigned a sudden realization. “Oh! Uncle Qin said he was hungry, so I told him to grab something to eat. My throat’s just from all the shouting earlier—it’ll be fine after some water.”

Bo Ye, for now, believed him and tossed him a bottle of water.

The previous night, Qi Xingchen had promised to treat Bo Ye to a late-night snack. He had already picked out a restaurant beforehand. Opening the navigation app, he handed it to the driver.

As the car followed the route, Bo Ye noticed something seemed off. “Where are your Mickey Mouse ears?”

Qi Xingchen opened his mouth, ready to say, I lost them, but Bo Ye continued, “You looked really cute wearing them.”

He said I was cute?! Qi Xingchen quietly reached into his bag.

Two minutes later, Bo Ye noticed through the rearview mirror that the Mickey Mouse headband had returned to Qi Xingchen’s head.

He even wore it through the entire meal.

Unfortunately, the dinner turned out to be nothing like what Qi Xingchen had imagined.

He had envisioned a private meal with just the two of them—a chance to share thoughts about the performance and shower Bo Ye with heartfelt compliments face-to-face.

Reality, however, was quite the opposite.

With so many staff members in Bo Ye’s van, it would have been rude not to include them. On Qi Xingchen’s side, there was also An Ran—he couldn’t just let her go hungry.

After a busy night, everyone was starving and focused on eating, leaving no room for pleasantries.

And so, the intimate late-night snack turned into a group dinner for several pairs of people. Qi Xingchen’s reflections on the performance and his words of admiration for Bo Ye stayed bottled up inside.

He forced himself to keep a fake smile the entire time.

Bo Ye thought he was simply tired and, considering that the little fan had a filming schedule the next day, stopped everyone’s chatter: “Alright, let’s wrap it up and head back to the hotel. Xingxing, do you want the driver to pick you up, or should I drop you off at the parking lot?”

“Just give me a lift,” Qi Xingchen replied, not in the mood to think too much. “Drop me somewhere nearby, and we’ll make our way there ourselves.”

Bo Ye, of course, wouldn’t actually leave him stranded. He drove him directly to the sports arena parking lot.

Strangely, though, the driver who had supposedly gone “to eat” hadn’t returned. The driver’s seat of the little fan’s Buick minivan was empty.

The suspicion Bo Ye had earlier grew stronger. Frowning, he asked, “Where’s the driver? Be honest.”

“He’s probably napping in the backseat. I’ll go wake him up.”

Qi Xingchen’s eyes darted around as he spoke, a telltale sign that something was off. Bo Ye immediately turned to Allen. “When you picked him up, was the driver in the car?”

“Oh, for crying out loud! I can’t take this anymore!” Allen threw up his hands in frustration. “What driver?! Xingxing drove himself here!”

A young celebrity who had only recently debuted, with filming commitments and the risk of being recognized, drove two to three hours just to hear Bo Ye sing three songs.

Bo Ye’s heart softened into a complete mess. His tone became firm yet gentle. “It’s too late now. Driving back isn’t safe. Stay here for the night, and I’ll have someone drive you in the morning.”

“No way!” Qi Xingchen quickly refused. “I have so many scenes to shoot tomorrow!”

“I’ll call Director Shang and ask for leave on your behalf.”

“That really won’t—”

Before the word work could leave his lips, Qi Xingchen was silenced as Bo Ye leaned down, gently tapped his forehead with a curled finger, and said softly, “Listen to me.”

Bo Ye’s voice was low and tender. “If you stay, I’ll give you an exclusive fan benefit.”

An exclusive fan benefit… It sounded incredibly special and enticing. Qi Xingchen was successfully swayed. With wide, expectant eyes, he asked, “What benefit?”

“Tonight, you’ll stay in the other room of my suite.”

_{I don’t know whose benefit is it? 🤔}