APCF – Chapter 65 His Smell

The comments from CP fans were like a spell, drilling one by one into Qi Xingchen’s mind. The more he read, the redder his face grew, and the dizzier he felt…

Suddenly, the variety show screen switched to an incoming call interface. Three glaring characters appeared on the screen: Qi Yunxiao.

Qi Xingchen: “!!!”

Big brother wouldn’t be calling to drag him back home, right?

Qi Xingchen snapped out of his daze, rubbed his cheeks, and tapped to answer the call. Qi Yunxiao’s deep and magnetic voice came through from the other end of the line:

“I saw some unpleasant comments online. Who’s behind this?”

…Thank goodness he wasn’t calling to take him home.

Qi Yunxiao was always subtle with his words, so this “unpleasant comments” likely referred to people insulting him on Weibo. Qi Xingchen thought about it and replied, “It’s probably one of the trainees’ fans.”

“The variety show you’re participating in now? Produced by Dongcheng TV, right?” Qi Yunxiao asked.

Qi Xingchen hummed in affirmation.

“Got it…,” Qi Yunxiao paused briefly, then added, “I saw your schedule. You don’t have any shoots these days. Why haven’t you come home?”

Qi Xingchen: “…”

He didn’t manage to dodge that one after all.

“I wanted to stay with the trainees to improve my skills. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have the qualifications to critique others,” Qi Xingchen came up with a prepared excuse.

Qi Yunxiao, surprisingly, bought it without question. He simply reminded him, “Make sure to balance work and rest. Your health is most important. If you want to come home, let me know anytime—I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

“Got it, thanks, bro. You, Dad, and Sister take care too.”

After hanging up, Qi Xingchen felt a warm glow in his heart. The first episode of My Era had just aired, and Qi Yunxiao immediately called to check in. It showed that even with his busy schedule, Qi Yunxiao always made time to keep an eye on his well-being.

In contrast, his own excuse for not going home made him feel like a total ingrate. Feeling a little ashamed, Qi Xingchen secretly resolved to go home and visit his family the next time he had a break.

At this moment, the first episode had just finished airing. Out of curiosity, Qi Xingchen opened Weibo to see how badly he was being criticized—bad enough to alarm his brother.

He clicked on the trending topics… and wow, it was worse than he imagined!

As one of the top three variety shows in the country, My Era was bound to secure a spot on the trending list. Besides “My Era Premiere” ranking first, some of the trainees were also listed by name.

One particularly good-looking trainee was ranked 12th, and three spots below that was the glaring headline: “Kevin B-Rank.”

Qi Xingchen clicked on it, and as expected, Kevin’s fans had been furiously ranting for over an hour.

Some general My Era fans also felt his grading was questionable. While their comments weren’t outright insults, they weren’t exactly kind either.

Perhaps worried that Kevin’s fans might mislead passersby, Star’s anti-troll group fully mobilized to control the narrative. Under nearly every marketing account’s Weibo post, you could see Star fans explaining things clearly, providing screenshots of his detailed notes to show they were well-founded and not blindly commenting.

Unfortunately, it was like a drop in the ocean. Compared to the buzz surrounding My Era, the efforts of the Star fans were almost negligible. Criticisms of him continued to pour in.

However, it seemed that Qi Yunxiao had stepped in at this point. No matter how much the discussion escalated, the trending topic’s position remained stable and even showed signs of dropping.

Qi Xingchen felt bad for Star fans, not wanting them to keep working so hard to defend him. He wanted to divert their attention to something else.

An idea popped into his head. He climbed out of bed, grabbed his phone stand and headphones, sat at his desk, and opened a live-streaming app.

A notification about the live stream was sent out on Weibo. Within five minutes, tens of thousands of fans flooded into the stream.

[I never thought I’d live to see this day. My idol actually remembered to live stream?!]

[Grandma, your favorite idol is live streaming. You can rest in peace now!]

[OMG OMG OMG, his bare face is stunning!]

[This must be what they call a “first love face.” Ahhh, I’ve fallen in love all over again!]

Reading the endless stream of over-the-top compliments, Qi Xingchen couldn’t help but laugh, “Stop flattering me, or I might start flying.”

[It’s fine, Xingxing. Fly boldly, and Star will always follow!]

Qi Xingchen: “Pfft!”

This batch of fans was truly cheeky, and Qi Xingchen couldn’t keep up with them. After chatting for a bit, when the viewership surpassed 500,000, Qi Xingchen didn’t forget the purpose of his live stream. He reminded everyone to watch variety shows rationally and not let them affect their daily lives.

He avoided mentioning Kevin’s name, careful not to give anyone material for overinterpretation. Fortunately, Star fans were quick to pick up on his message and flooded the chat with responses:

[We’ll do our best to explain where we can. Thank you for caring about us, baby.]

[QAQ, I have a theory. Did you start this live stream just to tell us this?]

[Aww, you’re so thoughtful! Once again, I’m ready to go to war for you today.]

[This is the second time I’ve caught Xiao Qi’s stream. I must be one of the chosen ones. Speaking of which, last time, Ye-ge came into the stream and sent gifts. Do you think we’ll see him again today?]

As soon as Bo Ye was mentioned, the CP fans’ wild and suggestive comments came flooding into Qi Xingchen’s mind. His cheeks began to flush, so he quickly rested his chin on his hand to hide the redness.

“Ding-dong—ding-dong—”

Just then, the doorbell rang. Qi Xingchen said, “Hold on, everyone. Let me see who it is.”

He took off his headphones and ran to the door.

Bo Ye was standing outside, casually shaking a bottle of milk in his hand. “May I come in?”

The Star fans in the live stream: […WTF? Sis, is your mouth blessed?]

[YES!!! YOU MAY!!!]

The phone stand was positioned directly facing the door. The moment Qi Xingchen saw Bo Ye, he knew his second-ever live stream had officially gone off the rails.

He braced himself and said, “…Well, uh, I’m live-streaming right now.”

“Oh, really,” Bo Ye didn’t seem to mind. “Am I interrupting you?”

“Not really…” Qi Xingchen stepped aside. “Come in.”

Bo Ye handed him the milk, stepped into the room, and, being a gentleman, scanned the space to make sure there was nothing personal out of place. Then, naturally, he sat down on another chair at the desk.

Qi Xingchen shuffled back to his seat with unsteady steps, only to see that in the span of two or three minutes, the viewer count in his live stream had skyrocketed by 200,000—and it was still climbing. Clearly, Bo Ye’s fans, the “Night Sky,” had gotten word and were rushing over.

The comment section was so fast that it was hard to make out any single message.

[Night Sky borrowing this space, thanks to the Star sisters!]

[Who would’ve thought my husband’s first stream of 2020 would be in Xiao Qi’s room…]

[Why do I sense a bit of sadness in that comment? 😂 Welcome, Night Sky! Feel free to drop by anytime!]

[OMG!!! The CP fans are losing their minds right now. That line from Bo Ye and the milk? This is too sweet, I’m dying!!]

Reading the last CP fan comment, Qi Xingchen nearly dropped the milk in his hand. He glanced at Bo Ye out of the corner of his eye and, realizing Bo Ye couldn’t see the screen from his angle, breathed a sigh of relief.

[Xiao Qi, we humble Night Sky fans would love to hear Bo Ye’s voice. Could you ask him to say something?]

To meet the Night Sky fans’ request and ease the awkwardness, Qi Xingchen turned to Bo Ye and asked, “Ye-ge, can you say hi to my livestream viewers?”

“Hi, I’m Bo Ye,” Bo Ye complied easily.

Qi Xingchen: “…”

[Xiao Qi, we humble Night Sky fans also want to see Bo Ye’s face.]

This time, before Qi Xingchen could say anything, Bo Ye dragged his chair closer and sat beside him.

The phone screen was narrow, so perhaps worried that his face wouldn’t fully appear, Bo Ye sat very close to Qi Xingchen—so close that their sleeves brushed against each other, and Qi Xingchen could clearly feel the warmth of his presence.

Rubbing the tip of his nose, Qi Xingchen suddenly realized that Bo Ye’s scent seemed familiar. Seizing the opportunity to make small talk, he asked, “Ye-ge, when did you get back?”

“Just got to the hotel,” Bo Ye replied.

[OMG! He just got back to the hotel and came over with milk?!]

Bo Ye: “Mm, I was worried it might not be convenient if I waited until later and he’d already gone to bed.”

The comment section exploded with excited “Aaaaahhh” messages. Realizing the situation was spiraling, Qi Xingchen quickly tried to change the subject. “Ye-ge, what cologne are you wearing? I feel like I’ve smelled it before.”

“You definitely have,” Bo Ye smiled. “Today the stylist used ‘Siren’ on me.”

[Siren? I’ve never heard of it. Whose brand is it?]

[WHAT?! It’s Siren?! I’m losing it!]

[For those who don’t know, Siren is a summer release from Après, and guess what? Xingxing is the ambassador.]

[‘I’m wearing your scent.’ JUST END ME ALREADY!!!]

Bo Ye was wearing… the cologne Qi Xingchen endorsed.

Qi Xingchen didn’t even bother to read the comments. His heart was pounding wildly. Afraid that the situation would escalate further, he quickly ended the stream under the pretense of needing to discuss the trainees’

It was almost midnight, and Bo Ye didn’t want to disturb Qi Xingchen’s rest. “I’ll head out now. You should get some sleep. Oh, and don’t pay attention to all that nonsense on Weibo. You handled Kevin’s critique really well.”

“…Okay, I’ll keep working hard.”

After seeing Bo Ye off to the room across the hall, Qi Xingchen washed up and lay on his bed. It felt like the three souls and seven spirits that had been scattered during the night finally returned to his body.

Turning off the lights, it dawned on him belatedly that Bo Ye’s visit was really just to deliver that parting message.

—Bo Ye had come straight to him after work, bringing milk and offering encouragement and praise, just to make sure he wouldn’t be upset by the online chatter.

Qi Xingchen felt like he was floating, as if he were sleeping on a cloud.

The next morning, a call from the hotel woke him up.

Assuming it was his morning wake-up call, he glanced at the time—10:30 AM—and picked up the phone, still groggy.

“Good morning, Mr. Qi,” said a polite female voice. “This is Nini, the hotel manager. There’s a Mr. Liang at the front desk asking to see you. Could you come down?”

A Mr. Liang? Could it be a sasaeng fan or something? Qi Xingchen hesitated for a moment, but worried it might actually be something important, he got out of bed. Half-dressed, he brushed his teeth and washed his face in a hurry.

Heading to the elevator, he tried to smooth down his bedhead. When he reached the first floor three minutes later and saw the man sitting on the lobby sofa, he froze in place.

…The “Mr. Liang” the receptionist mentioned turned out to be the original host’s childhood friend, Liang Jing!

Ever since the incident where Liang Jing had sent him the “luminous body” gift, Qi Xingchen had avoided all events related to the Liang family to steer clear of awkwardness. It had been about a month and a half since they last met.

He hadn’t expected Liang Jing to show up in S City. With no excuse to avoid him, Qi Xingchen slowly made his way over to the sofa, putting on a surprised expression.

“What are you doing here?”

Liang Jing tilted his head and replied, “Passing through on a business trip. Thought I’d stop by to see you.”

So it was a work trip. Qi Xingchen let out a small sigh of relief.

Since Liang Jing had come all this way to see him, it wouldn’t be polite to turn him away. Qi Xingchen offered, “Wait a few minutes while I grab my car keys. I’ll take you around.”

“No need,” Liang Jing said as he stood up. “I drove here. Let’s go.”

With that, he started walking toward the parking lot. Qi Xingchen had no choice but to follow and got into the car with him.

It was lunchtime, and Qi Xingchen didn’t want to go too far and risk being spotted by paparazzi. He picked a nearby restaurant and treated Liang Jing to a meal.

Liang Jing had no objections. After placing their orders, Qi Xingchen asked about Liang Jing’s recent work out of courtesy.

“The last project went well. Now, whether I return to Switzerland or not is up to me,” Liang Jing explained. “My mentor decided to keep me on his domestic project, so I won’t be leaving anytime soon.”

Staying in the country meant there would be more opportunities to meet in the future. Testing the waters, Qi Xingchen asked, “What stage is your mentor’s project at now?”

“It’s in the clinical stage, at Jing’an Hospital.”

Jing’an Hospital… Wasn’t that where Tao Tao’s younger brother, Tao Xuan, was being treated?!

A bad feeling surged through Qi Xingchen.

Maybe he had been too happy lately, but he had nearly forgotten that he was still in the storyline of Peach of the Night. Based on the plot’s timeline, it wouldn’t be long before Liang Jing met Tao Tao while treating Tao Xuan, fell in love with Tao Tao at first sight, and later donated his left kidney to save Tao Xuan.

After confessing his love and being rejected, Liang Jing would fall into despair and die alone in a cold, sterile hospital room.

Qi Xingchen’s heart clenched tightly. Though he didn’t have romantic feelings for Liang Jing himself, Liang Jing was someone the original host deeply cared about. There was no way he could stand by and watch Liang Jing sacrifice everything for Tao Tao, only to end up with such a tragic fate.

Given the current situation, Qi Xingchen needed to clarify his relationship with Liang Jing and then decide on his next steps.

Thinking quickly, he carefully said, “Liang Jing, I’ve thought it through.”

Liang Jing paused, chopsticks midway to his plate.

“Feelings can’t be forced, so I’ve decided to let go of my feelings for you and go back to being friends.”

Liang Jing picked up a piece of fish, removed the bones, and placed it in Qi Xingchen’s bowl.

Seeing him remain silent, Qi Xingchen gritted his teeth and pressed on, “I don’t want to lose this friendship. Let’s pretend my confession never happened, and I’ll still be your closest friend. How about that?”

…How about that?

For some reason, Liang Jing didn’t want to answer.

Before going abroad, he had always seen Qi Xingchen as a younger brother and his closest friend. The two of them had been inseparable, sharing everything.

Then Qi Xingchen had suddenly confessed to him. To be honest, that moment had terrified him. He was clear that he didn’t feel romantic love for Qi Xingchen, only friendship.

So, after rejecting Qi Xingchen, he decided to take a project in Switzerland, leaving the country to give them both some space to adjust.

But when he returned, Qi Xingchen seemed like a completely different person.

He had become… brighter, more dazzling.

Especially in the variety show episode yesterday, when Qi Xingchen sternly scolded a trainee or danced alongside them with a fierce determination in his eyes—that glow in him had never been there before.

Because of this, Liang Jing hadn’t slept a wink last night. Like a crazed fan, he binge-watched all of Qi Xingchen’s variety shows and commercials.

This morning, unable to suppress his impulse, he drove three hours to see him.

Now, Liang Jing calmly picked up another piece of fish and meticulously removed the bones. Five minutes later, he placed the fish in Qi Xingchen’s bowl again.

Qi Xingchen was still sitting there, lips pressed together, watching him with steady, unwavering eyes.

He wasn’t going to let this go without getting an answer.

After a long moment, Liang Jing nodded and let out a soft laugh.

“All right.”