APCF – Chapter 58 I’m Here

“I bought the naming rights to this planet and named it Fluophor—The Luminary.”

“I think it resembles you.”

Hearing these two sentences, the sharp pain in Qi Xingchen’s heart became even more intense. He tried to maintain his composure, thinking about how to deal with this gift.

If it had been a gift from the Qi family, he would have accepted it without hesitation. Because, in his heart, the Qi family were his relatives, and there was no need for politeness between relatives. He could always find an opportunity to return the gift with something of equal emotional value.

But Liang Jing was different.

He couldn’t bring himself to accept Liang Jing’s gift with a clear conscience, let alone return a gift of equal emotional value.

From his body’s reaction, he realized that the feelings the original Qi Xingchen had for Liang Jing were likely not just simple friendship.

He had to respond carefully.

“…Thank you for the gift,” Qi Xingchen organized his words, “Its meaning is wonderful, but I believe I’m not in a position to accept it right now. When I truly become Fluophor, can I come to you to ask for it back?”

“Alright,” Liang Jing didn’t persuade him, replying calmly, “I believe that day isn’t far off.”

At Qi Xingchen’s gentle dismissal, Liang Jing finally returned to the Liang family.

Qi Xingchen was wide awake, disturbed by the word “Fluophor,” and sat at his computer desk, opening his laptop.

Although he had taken over the original Qi Xingchen’s body, he had never accessed the original’s personal data—this was out of respect for the late “Qi Xingchen.”

But now, he had no choice but to look. He was eager to find out what had actually happened between the original Qi Xingchen and Liang Jing.

After crossing over, he inevitably went through the original’s phone’s memo and photo album, but found no traces of Liang Jing. There weren’t even any photos together.

Hopefully, there would be something on the computer, Qi Xingchen silently apologized to the original owner, opened the laptop, and started checking the hard drives one by one.

When he reached the D drive, he discovered a hidden folder.

Hidden folders were usually used for more private content, so Qi Xingchen instinctively believed this folder would have what he was looking for.

He opened it, and fortunately, there was no password. After a brief loading time, an endless array of photos and screenshots of QQ and WeChat chats appeared.

He flipped through them one by one.

The more he looked, the more his heart ached.

—Almost all the photos were candid shots of Liang Jing from various angles. Some were of him reading, some of him writing in exercise books, some of him eating, some of him playing, some of him sleeping, and some of him smiling.

But there were no overly intimate photos, all of them modest and restrained.

Screenshots from various social media platforms also naturally included chat logs with Liang Jing.

Qi Xingchen couldn’t bear to look at too many of them, quickly skipping through a few. The tone between the two was no different from that of close friends.

He logged into the original Qi Xingchen’s QQ account using the number from the screenshots. The password was easy to guess— it was the original’s ID card birthday.

After successfully logging in, he opened the locked QQ space. This once-popular social software now contained countless records of the original’s thoughts.

The original Qi Xingchen had liked Liang Jing since their school days.

The last post, from the end of last year, read: “He left. He must have found me disgusting.”

The second-to-last post: “Decided to confess, Xingxing, you have to cheer up! \(^o^)/”

The two posts were less than a month apart.

At this point, Qi Xingchen finally understood why there was a rift between the original Qi Xingchen and Liang Jing, and where the heartache stemmed from.

Liang Jing had rejected the original’s confession and hurriedly gone abroad.

For someone who had secretly liked the other for more than ten years, how could it not be painful?

For some inexplicable reason, Qi Xingchen strongly empathized with the original, feeling a pressure in his chest that almost exploded.

After watching the video from the music festival a few times, his mood finally calmed down.

When he opened his eyes again, he was woken up by an incoming call from An Ran.

He glanced at the time—he had slept for four hours like a pig in the afternoon nap. He quickly answered the phone.

“Xingxing!” An Ran’s voice was excited. “Double happiness has arrived!”

Hearing this, Qi Xingchen even wondered if she had managed to find his two sons who had been lost. Curious, he asked, “What double happiness?”

> What?

“Well… ah, I can’t explain it over the phone. Can you come out? I’ll come to your neighborhood now to find you!”

“Don’t. You book a restaurant, and I’ll come pick you up.”

It was dinner time, and Qi Xingchen didn’t want An Ran to go hungry while talking business with him. He found the least noticeable car key in his drawer and set off.

One hour later, at the restaurant’s private room.

“Xingxing, since you’ve decided to let me be your manager, I must advise you,” An Ran said, almost heartbroken. “You’re only getting 300,000 after tax for the pay from Heart of the Ocean, why are you spending so much money on a Bentley?!”

Qi Xingchen replied: “White Sand Port Ocean World is mine.”

An Ran: “…”

That made sense.

After this period of observation, Qi Xingchen realized that An Ran wasn’t a chatterbox or overly curious person. Even after his identity as the boss of White Sand Port was exposed, she never asked for details.

From now on, he would leave everything to An Ran to manage. It was necessary to tell her his true identity so that, in case it was accidentally revealed, she could quickly come up with a public relations strategy.

“An Ran, there are actually a few things I need to confess to you.”

“What?”

Qi Xingchen: “I have a diamond mine in South Africa.”

An Ran: “?”

Your teammate An Ran has taken damage from a blood loss debuff.

“Most of the shares of Noah belong to my family.”

An Ran: “??”

Health -30%.

“The socialite who was dumped by Zhou Yu is my sister.”

An Ran: “???”

Health -60%.

“I’m the second young master of the Qi Group.”

An Ran’s health drops to 0%, and she collapses.

Qi Xingchen revived her with a fruit salad, and she looked at him in despair, “So why did you join the entertainment industry? Isn’t inheriting your family’s fortune better?”

How could Qi Xingchen tell her that he joined the entertainment industry to keep an eye on the movements of the male and female leads in real-time?

He thought for a moment: “Just treat it as me experiencing life.”

This statement was too powerful, and An Ran was completely stunned.

Qi Xingchen waited for her to digest the information for a few minutes, then sincerely said, “I don’t want to reveal my identity yet, An Ran, please help me keep it a secret.”

An Ran, who had almost died and come back to life, sat up and nodded vigorously. She finally remembered the reason she had come to find Qi Xingchen.

“Xingxing, you’ve got work now. First,” she raised one finger, “Après sent an email this afternoon and selected you as their summer collection Asia spokesperson. Tomorrow at 10 AM, go to the studio to discuss the contract details. I’ve already notified the legal department to send a lawyer.”

He was really chosen?!

Qi Xingchen felt a little excited. After all, the product manager Camille’s attitude had been ambiguous, and he thought he had been eliminated!

“Second, the second piece of good news is a huge surprise,” An Ran said mysteriously, “A variety show has approached you—and it’s a hot show!”

Qi Xingchen’s curiosity was piqued, “Which variety show?”

“My Era!”

An Ran couldn’t hide her excitement, her brows dancing with joy. “Listen to who the other guests are: Founder Bo Ye, vocal coach Zheng Yuyang, dance coach Wei Qin, acting coach Chen Jiayi… It’s simply amazing, a guaranteed hit cast!”

“How’s that? Surprised, huh? Hahahahaha!”

My Era? They’re approaching him? This is a top-3 variety show in the country! Why did they choose him?

Qi Xingchen was surprised for a moment, then quickly realized something was off. “The coach positions are already filled. Why would they want me? Are they asking me to debut again as a contestant?”

“Of course not,” An Ran replied. “Your role is a Star Observer.”

She explained the duties of a Star Observer in detail, and Qi Xingchen frowned as he listened. “The role of a Star Observer sounds simple, but it’s actually the most difficult one. Because they have a lot of power in deciding whether contestants stay or go, and they must make accurate judgments on the contestants’ performances. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to win people over.”

“This means the show’s producers are publicly saying Star Observers don’t need to be experts in music and dance, but in reality, they must have solid basics in each area, and be able to clearly explain what’s good or bad about the contestants, or else they’ll be ridiculed by both the contestants and the audience.”

“Maybe the producers chose you with the intention of using you as cannon fodder,” An Ran shrugged. “Variety shows need topics, they need conflicts. If the contestants are unhappy with the Star Observer’s abilities, that’s an immediate conflict. The other coaches have status, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to criticize them, but they can target you.”

Qi Xingchen didn’t speak, and An Ran continued, “So I didn’t agree right away. I respect your opinion. If you want this exposure, we’ll go for it. If you don’t, we’ll wait for another opportunity.”

“Alright, I’ll think about it. How much time do I have to decide?”

“Three days.”

“I’ll give you an answer in three days.”

Compared to My Era, après clearly showed more sincerity, and the contract signing process went very smoothly.

To show their appreciation for Qi Xingchen, après gave him all the Perfumes they’ve released in recent years, packed together as a gift. With limited edition and regular Perfumes, there were over eighty bottles in total. He simply gifted them to Qi Yujie.

The advertisement concept for their main perfume, “Siren,” had already been tailored to Qi Xingchen’s characteristics, and the set for indoor shots was expected to be completed in five days. The outdoor shots were simpler, and conveniently, the seaside at White Sand Port was chosen. There was no need to submit an application to the management, and Qi Xingchen could wrap it up after two hours of work.

The filming for the advertisement was scheduled to take place in six days, and Camille requested that Qi Xingchen maintain his physique and skin condition.

In addition, there was another piece of good news—Bo Ye’s new album sample had received unanimous approval and had finally reached the production stage.

That same night, after signing the contract with après, Bo Ye called Qi Xingchen. Qi Xingchen was eagerly anticipating Bo Ye’s gift and decided there was no time like the present. He planned to take Bo Ye to Ocean World the next day!

Bo Ye agreed, but didn’t want to disrupt the business at Ocean World, so they agreed to meet for the night session after work.

At 8 PM, Qi Xingchen donned a sequined cat head T-shirt, paired with faded ripped jeans and white sneakers. He spritzed two pumps of Shepherd Boy perfume on his elbows and knees, and topped off his look with a beige Balenciaga cap before heading out.

When they arrived at Ocean World, Bo Ye was already waiting in his car. Qi Xingchen leaned down and knocked on the window. Bo Ye got out and, his tone slightly displeased, said, “Why are you wearing a short-sleeve shirt out here?”

“It’s not like you praised me for looking good in this…” Qi Xingchen dared not speak the truth and diverted the topic. “Let’s go inside first, before the paparazzi catch us.”

Bo Ye turned around, pulling out a jacket and putting it over his hoodie. Qi Xingchen led the way to the security booth, knocked on the glass, and said, “Excuse me, can you open the side door for me?”

Ever since the parrot incident at the Bird Park, the security guard had been strictly adhering to the rule of “not recognizing the boss,” and he coldly refused, “It’s after work hours. Come back tomorrow!”

Bo Ye: “… Pfft.”

Why is it that every time he’s with Bo Ye, something embarrassing happens? Qi Xingchen took a few deep breaths, almost in tears. “Sir, you can recognize me now. I brought a friend to visit. Please open the door for us.”

The guard was skeptical but opened the door anyway.

Once inside, Qi Xingchen asked the guard for the keys to each venue. “Where should we go first?”

“Most of the animals should be asleep by now,” Bo Ye thought for a moment. “We can just walk around the exhibition halls.”

That made sense, and Qi Xingchen didn’t want to disturb the animals. The two agreed, and Qi Xingchen first took him to the Ocean Museum.

As soon as they stepped inside, he immediately regretted it.

At night, the Ocean Museum was empty, and the entire room full of marine life fossils and bone specimens seemed to be staring at them.

Qi Xingchen felt the hairs on his arm stand up, but he pretended not to be afraid and forced himself to act as a tour guide. “There are over 200 types of marine plant and animal fossils in White Sand Port, and 70% of them are in this hall.”

“On the left side, we have coral reefs, and on the right, we have small tropical fish… if we keep going, this room is full of medium-sized fish fossils, and the furthest room…”

As he gestured enthusiastically, Qi Xingchen led Bo Ye deeper into the museum. When they reached the innermost room, he turned his head—

A huge shark skeleton stood in the southeast corner, its body massive, teeth sharp.

Its two dark, hollow eye sockets stared directly at him, and its fins—much larger than those of regular fish—spread out like two giant swords!

Oh my God, what is this?! Qi Xingchen widened his eyes, instinctively taking a step back, only to bump into a firm chest behind him.

To his surprise, the usually fearless Qi Xingchen—who could fight off burglars and force directors to apologize—was actually scared by his own property. Bo Ye couldn’t help but laugh. He grabbed Qi Xingchen’s wrist with one hand, and with the other hand, he gently covered his eyes, speaking softly to comfort him, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”