APCF – Chapter 59 The Lucky One

In fact, Qi Xingchen wasn’t particularly scared; it was just that the situation had appeared so suddenly, and he hadn’t prepared himself mentally.

But the next moment, when he felt the warmth radiating through his clothes and the warm sensation on his eyes, he deliberately paused for a dozen seconds to save face: “I’m not scared.”

“Alright, you’re not scared,” Bo Ye responded cooperatively, “Then should I remove my hand now?”

“…You’re so annoying. It’s not that I’m scared. If Stallone saw something like this, he’d be scared too.”

Bo Ye lowered his hand, and Qi Xingchen gently pulled away. With his mind now prepared, when he met the shark’s eyes again, he felt much calmer.

He patted his back, where the lingering warmth was still there, and he even felt a little grateful to Shark Brother.

…I’ll bring you some dried fish tomorrow.

After they finished touring the Ocean Exhibit Hall, he took Bo Ye to the Fossil Hall.

In Baisha Port, these were the only two venues suitable for adults; the rest were geared toward children. It was a rare opportunity to show Bo Ye around his territory, so Qi Xingchen didn’t want to leave too soon. He suddenly had an idea: “Let’s go see the jellyfish. Jellyfish don’t sleep at night!”

Bo Ye was suspicious: “Really?”

“They really don’t sleep,” Qi Xingchen said with certainty.

After all, jellyfish don’t have eyes, so you can’t tell whether they’re sleeping or not.

As he spoke, he led Bo Ye toward the entrance of the Ocean Hall. Once outside, Bo Ye noticed that Qi Xingchen had both hands in his pants pockets.

He didn’t normally walk like that, so he must have been chilled by the wind. Bo Ye took off his jacket and tossed it to him.

Qi Xingchen quickly refused: “…I’m not cold. You wear it.”

“It’s fine. I brought it for you.”

“Oh, in that case…”

Qi Xingchen put on the jacket, lowered his head and pressed his lips together, hiding his smile. Then, he looked up and said, “I thought you were cold, that’s why you were wearing it.”

“I’m wearing something thicker,” Bo Ye paused, then said, “If you take off the jacket and wear it, it should be warmer.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Xingchen finally realized that he was indeed feeling warmer now.

Because the jacket had already been warmed up by Bo Ye.

“Th-thank you. I’ll go open the Ocean Hall door now.”

Before he finished speaking, he ran ahead. When he realized no one was following him, he covered his face and grinned foolishly for two minutes.

When his smile started to fade, and Bo Ye had caught up behind him, he rubbed his stiff cheeks and unlocked the door.

The jellyfish base was located in a hallway not far from the entrance. Qi Xingchen activated the light control switch, and dozens of transparent glass cylinders instantly flickered with blue and purple halos.

The cylinders varied in height and thickness, with the thickest one large enough that two people couldn’t wrap their arms around it. Inside the columns, jellyfish of varying sizes swam along the beams of light. Whether they were insomnia sufferers or had been startled awake, they curiously observed the two unexpected guests.

Unlike the daytime when many tourists visited, the empty hallway seemed like a private kaleidoscope just for them. Through the enchanting glow, the jellyfish freely displayed their soft beauty and vibrant vitality.

For a while, both of them were engrossed in watching.

After walking through the entire hallway side by side, Qi Xingchen leaned against the wall and asked for Bo Ye’s opinion: “Should we stay a bit longer or head to the next place?”

“Let’s stay a bit longer.”

Suddenly, Bo Ye remembered something: “Has Dong Cheng contacted you?”

Qi Xingchen was stunned for a moment before quickly realizing that Bo Ye was the initiator of My Era, similar to the head director, and the core of the entire variety show. Naturally, he knew who the other members of the production team were.

“I’ve been contacted. An Ran told me the day before yesterday.”

Bo Ye hummed in response, “The role of Starlight Observer comes with both risks and rewards. Think carefully before making a decision.”

When he had heard from Dong Cheng’s assistant manager, he had already understood that being a Starlight Observer wasn’t that easy.

He recommended the little fan just to give them an opportunity, but whether they went or not was entirely up to the fan’s decision.

Qi Xingchen replied, “I’ve already decided. I’m going.”

Bo Ye raised an eyebrow, and Qi Xingchen continued, “I’ve analyzed the risks of participating with An Ran. It’s just the risk of failure and being mocked all over the internet. But—”

He lifted his snowy white chin, a slight smile curling at his lips, and his gaze, shining through the gaps in his lashes, held three parts stubbornness and seven parts pride:

“But who says I’ll definitely fail? I admit I’m not perfect, but I still have plenty of time to improve myself, to refine myself.”

“I will bring a better version of myself to meet the audience.”

“Good,” Bo Ye’s gaze lingered on the slight crease at the corner of his eye, and after a moment, he smiled, “I look forward to seeing a better you.”

The two of them took another stroll by the sea, and as they returned to the entrance, Qi Xingchen couldn’t help but feel regret: “I had planned to take you around properly, but you didn’t get to visit all the interesting places.”

“It’s fine,” Bo Ye reassured him, “I’ll come find you next time.”

Qi Xingchen especially liked hearing Bo Ye say things like “Next time you treat” or “I’ll come find you again.” He couldn’t help but want to grin.

Fortunately, he held it back, biting his lower lip, always mindful of pressing for what was owed: “By the way… did you forget something?”

Like, the gift you promised me.

“I didn’t forget, follow me to the car to get it.”

To avoid the paparazzi, Bo Ye’s driver parked in the private garage reserved for the boss.

Qi Xingchen followed Bo Ye closely, constantly wondering what Bo Ye would give him. For the first time in his life, he seemed to feel such a strong sense of anticipation and longing for something outside of himself.

Entering the garage and opening the car door, Bo Ye pulled out a simple shopping bag from the back seat. Qi Xingchen thought he had bought skincare products or small accessories.

But when he opened the bag and saw what was inside, his heart nearly jumped out of his throat!

—It was an album, along with two rolled-up posters!

“You’re the first fan in the world to receive my new album,” Bo Ye said quietly, “I don’t even have it myself.”

Qi Xingchen eagerly unrolled the posters, and the sharp profile of the man appeared before him.

In front of the person himself, he felt too shy to stare, so he carefully smoothed out the corners, rolled it back up, and then took out the album, holding it in his palms and inspecting it front and back, unable to stop admiring it.

Oh my god! He was the first person in the world to get his idol’s album!

Had he been struck by the arrow of luck? What had he done to deserve such favor, to become the beloved child of the gods?

“…Alright,” seeing the look of happiness that was almost making him pass out, Bo Ye couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s getting late, let’s go rest.”

“Mm, you should rest early too.” Qi Xingchen reluctantly put away his gift and said goodbye to Bo Ye.

When he got back to the Qi family home, the first thing he did was inform An Ran of his decision to participate in My Era, and asked her to contact Chen Noah to arrange for the company’s best dance, vocal, and acting teachers to tutor him.

The second thing he did was take out the album and posters again to look at for a long time. Then he cleared a special spot on the bookshelf to store the album.

That’s right, an idol’s album is for collection—who could bear to open it and listen to it!

That night, Qi Xingchen had a beautiful sleep.

The next morning at 8:00 AM, An Ran walked into the Noah practice room while yawning, and saw him lying on the floor drawing up a schedule.

“Xingxing, you’re here so early… what are you doing?”

Qi Xingchen sat up and shook the paper in his hand. “I’m making a schedule.”

An Ran tilted her head and read aloud: “First class, vocal training, 7:00 AM to 11:30 AM; second class, acting, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM; third class, dance, 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM… Xingxing, this schedule doesn’t seem very reasonable.”

“Am I interrupting the teachers’ lives?”

“Not really…” An Ran frowned. “I discussed it with the teachers yesterday, and they all said they’re willing to accommodate your schedule. Also, each class is only four to five hours long, so the teachers won’t be too tired… but you, on the other hand, will be!”

An Ran was getting worked up: “From 7 AM to 10:30 PM, even if you take a break for an hour and a half in between, that’s still fourteen hours of high-intensity learning. Can you handle that?”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle, as long as it doesn’t affect the teachers.”

Qi Xingchen ignored An Ran’s outburst. In his mind, problems that could be solved by hard work weren’t really problems.

He took the schedule back, added two more items: early study session from 6:00-7:00 AM and late study session from 10:30-11:30 PM.

An Ran’s gaze toward him shifted from concern to shock.

Because the schedule had just been created and the teachers hadn’t been notified in advance, the first vocal lesson was delayed until 9:30 AM. At 9:00 AM, Qi Xingchen finished practicing two dance routines and happened to see a familiar face.

Han Qing—his only friend at the company, and the first friend he made after transmigrating into Night Peach, was walking past the practice room door with a bag.

“Xiao Qing!”

He quickly ran out and called out to Han Qing.

Han Qing froze for a moment when he saw him. “Xingxing, you’re back.”

“I’m back. Come in, I was just about to look for you.”

Due to Qi Xingchen’s intensive schedule, Chen Noah specially arranged a multifunctional practice room for him. Han Qing, hearing this, hesitated and then walked in, stopping about a meter away from Qi Xingchen.

In the entertainment industry, people come and go all the time, and you never know when a friend might suddenly become famous.

Over time, the differences in their circumstances and experiences made it hard to maintain their friendship.

Since Qi Xingchen appeared on Let’s Budget Travel and became a trending topic, Han Qing had taken the initiative to withdraw from his social circle, so they wouldn’t both feel awkward in the end.

He hadn’t expected Qi Xingchen to call him today. Han Qing greeted him: “Xingxing, when are you coming back to the company?”

“I just came this morning.”

Qi Xingchen guessed what he was thinking, and without further ado, said directly: “Xiao Qing, My Era gave Noah quite a few spots for contestants, you know?”

“Yes, they gave five.”

“Are you one of them?”

“My information has been submitted,” Han Qing said honestly, “but who the company will choose in the end, I really can’t guess.”

Han Qing was skilled and sincere, and Qi Xingchen had always wanted to help him.

During the time when he was most lost in the book, Han Qing had been there to practice and joke with him. No matter what Han Qing thought, in Qi Xingchen’s heart, Han Qing was still one of his important friends.

Qi Xingchen said with certainty, “The company will definitely choose you. There are five weeks until the first recording. Be sure to practice well.”

“…I will practice well.” Han Qing felt confused.

“I’ll be in this practice room for my lessons. You can come over and listen if you have time.”

“Really?”

For trainees who aren’t valued, it’s hard to meet good teachers, and Han Qing was so excited: “That’s great, thank you, Xingxing!”