APCF – Chapter 68 Like

“I… I’ll go to the restroom. You all carry on, don’t wait for me.”

Qi Xingchen suddenly stood up, left these words, and walked out of the activity room with his head down.

Bo Ye watched his retreating figure, frowned slightly, and continued, “But the star marks are on my face, Yang-ge, you can draw them on my hand instead.”

Zheng Yuyang opened the pen cap. While Bo Ye watched him finish drawing, he added, “Wei Qin is resting because of his facial allergies. Let’s not play around anymore and check on the trainees’ progress.”

With that, Bo Ye took the lead and left the activity room, heading in the direction of the restroom.

He saw that thin figure turn into the practice room and lock the door tightly.

As expected, Class F was scattered all over, with almost every group in the twelve groups affected. Fortunately, Qi Xingchen had spent his free time after recording learning the remaining four songs. Otherwise, he really wouldn’t be able to guide them properly.

At 10:30 PM, the trainees returned to Class F one after another. Concerned that they might overwork themselves and not have the energy to keep up, Qi Xingchen had prepared porridge and side dishes in advance, waiting at the door to hand them out individually as they entered.

The filming assistant, holding the shrimp crackers Qi Xingchen had given, mumbled, “It’s so late, and the other mentors seem to have left already. How long are you planning to stay?”

Qi Xingchen didn’t mention his plan to stay until the very end—otherwise, when the broadcast aired, people might accuse him of putting on a show.

“I’ll see how things go,” he replied. “If there’s nothing major, I’ll head back to sleep.”

But how could Class F not have any issues?

With porridge in hand, no one immediately started eating. One by one, they sat cross-legged against the wall, looking utterly defeated, as if they’d failed exams for five years straight.

Qi Xingchen asked curiously, “What’s going on? Tell me.”

“…There’s nothing to say,” Wu Qian muttered, lowering his head. “Teacher Qi, you guessed right. We’re dragging our team down.”

Qi Xingchen sighed. He had hoped that preparing them mentally beforehand would ease their disappointment, but the kids were still crushed.

“Given the current situation, despair is the most useless emotion,” Qi Xingchen said. “Every second you spend sulking is a second wasted that could’ve been used to practice and catch up. Do you really want to waste your time blindly?”

“No!”

“Then stop moping and eat!” Qi Xingchen clapped his hands and commanded sternly, “Hurry up, finish eating, and get back to training!”

“…”

The trainees, spurred on by his words, devoured their food and, with renewed determination, lined up in front of the mirror according to their groups.

Six songs, six entirely different dance routines. To showcase the diversity of musical styles, the composition instructors had included every popular element imaginable—trap, R&B, blues, jazz…

To match the compositions, the choreography was equally varied. Before starting their practice, the Class F trainees were understandably nervous.

They worried about not being able to learn the moves and about asking questions that might stump Teacher Qi. If the practice room cameras caught such moments, it could reflect poorly on him.

After the first episode of My Era aired, Qi Xingchen had been criticized because of Kevin, and they had all seen it happen. Though their time together had been short, they already regarded him as their mentor and friend—a figure they deeply respected and admired.

They didn’t want to see him criticized again, so they asked their questions cautiously.

However, when Wu Qian asked how to sing the vocal transitions in the chorus, he answered perfectly. When another trainee asked about hitting two high notes, he demonstrated the technique. When two dance moves wouldn’t connect, he guided them step by step, hands-on.

Class F trainees: Oh wow, Teacher Qi wasn’t just saying things—he actually practiced for us! Teacher Qi is amazing!!!

With their enthusiasm skyrocketing, they cast aside all doubts and focused solely on their goal, pouring their energy and sweat into their practice.

At 1 AM, Wu Qian wiped the sweat off his face and urged, “Teacher Qi, we’re almost done. You should go back and rest.”

“It’s fine, I’m not tired,” Qi Xingchen replied.

At 2 a.m., Wu Qian couldn’t help but speak up again: “Teacher Qi, we’ve learned everything already; we just need to polish it now. We’ll practice a little longer and then head back to the dorms. Don’t worry about us—please go get some sleep.”

“Stop nagging.” Qi Xingchen tossed a towel at him. “Practice for another half an hour, and then everyone goes back to rest.”

Wu Qian whimpered pitifully after being hit, but while the others teased him verbally, their movements didn’t slow down.

Watching the group of young men, Qi Xingchen felt a rare sense of peace. He leaned against the wall, helping them count the beats, refusing to let himself idle.

Whenever he did, the memory of Bo Ye agreeing to take the punishment on behalf of Wei Qin would start playing in slow motion in his mind.

Even though he knew that, in front of a crowd and cameras, Bo Ye had no choice but to agree to help Wei Qin when he mentioned his facial allergy—whether it was out of sympathy or friendship.

But Qi Xingchen still wished Bo Ye would treat him as someone special, someone just a little more important.

Maybe… he had really fallen for Bo Ye.

After pulling all-nighters with Class F for several days, the second episode of My Era went online.

The episode edited together scenes from the theme song practice to the first competition task assignment, running for three and a half hours. Like the previous episode, it dominated the weekly viewership rankings for online variety shows upon release.

Since last time, when Qi Xingchen offended Kevin, Kevin’s fans had been intermittently visiting the My Era discussion forums or Qi Xingchen’s social media page to leave nasty comments.

However, their insults mysteriously disappeared within two to three minutes—before casual viewers could even see them—and their accounts were suspended for seven days.

Over time, Kevin’s fans became so frustrated that they seemed on the verge of madness. They quietly regrouped, sharpening their metaphorical knives, and waited to launch an all-out barrage in the comments section when the second episode aired, aiming to catch Qi Xingchen completely off guard!

Meanwhile, Xingguang Entertainment, having anticipated this, had expanded its anti-cyberbullying team from five groups to ten. Twenty minutes before the episode aired, the team assembled, ready with pre-written clarification statements.

The moment the second episode began airing, the comment section transformed into a battlefield, with massive amounts of comments from Night Sky (Bo Ye’s fans) and Kevin’s fans colliding!

[Comment Section:]

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, will Night-Ge become my husband?”

“Sis, stop dreaming. Night-Ge already got his marriage certificate with me, hehe. But lately, I’ve noticed Xingxing is pretty great—should I commit bigamy?”

“Xingguang observers are biased, favoring Noah Entertainment! Kevin’s talent is obvious, yet he was downgraded to Class B. 🤮🤮 Qi Xingchen has no competitive spirit—get out of My Era!

“Qi Xingchen has no competitive spirit—get out of My Era!

“Qi Xingchen has no competitive spirit—get out of My Era!

After the wave of comments from Kevin’s fans, Xingguang’s anti-bullying team began posting rebuttals and clarifications.

Occasionally, Night Sky fans who had enjoyed Qi Xingchen’s live streams chimed in with support. Most fans of other participants and casual viewers simply watched the drama unfold, commenting as they continued enjoying the episode.

The episode soon moved from showcasing the trainees’ hard work during practice to the theme song evaluation segment.

Han Qing was the first to perform, and after watching him, casual viewers commented:

“The Xingguang observers were fair—this guy’s really talented!”

“He’s a bit awkward but also kind of cute. I’m a fan now!”

When Class F’s Ke Ke appeared and expressed his sincere feelings for Teacher Qi, viewers commented:

“You can really feel how deeply Class F cares for Qi Xingchen.”

“When Xingxing said those words, I cried. He’s really so warm, so warm 1551.”

“Before practice, he was strict; after the evaluation, he gave thoughtful comfort. Xingxing really put a lot of effort into it.”

“For Class F to have such a teacher is also a kind of luck :)”

Then, it was Kevin’s turn to perform. Kevin’s fans were ready to start a heated argument, Xingguang’s team was ready for the toughest counterattacks, and viewers and other fanbases were prepared to enjoy the drama. Millions of viewers were ready to engage.

Kevin performed a somewhat unclear Chinese song.

Kevin’s fans: “His Chinese may not be perfect, but he tried really hard! His rap was explosive, respect!! Qi Xingchen with his college-level education probably didn’t understand, ugh!”

Xingguang: “Don’t attack people based on their education level.”

Casual viewers: “The drama’s about to unfold.”

Kevin insisted that he didn’t understand the changes in the chorus.

Kevin’s fans: “He’s new here, and no one is helping him, it’s so unfair. Qi Xingchen’s only a college grad, all he does is criticize Kevin’s Chinese, ugh, ugh!”

Xingguang: “Don’t attack people based on their education level.”

Casual viewers: “The drama’s ready to explode.”

Then Qi Xingchen quickly wrote out a perfect English annotation and fluently explained it to Kevin, giving him his grade.

Kevin’s fans: “……”

Casual viewers: “……This fruit is spoiled!”

Xingguang (hands on hips): “I told you, don’t attack people based on their education level! Who dares say my brother’s uneducated again!”

Casual viewers & Other Fanbases: “We wouldn’t dare, we apologize.”

“Even I don’t have English skills as good as Xingxing’s, sob!!”

The comment section was quickly flooded with praise for Qi Xingchen, and seeing the momentum shift, Kevin’s fans retreated, saving their energy for the next round!

The comments section finally returned to its usual state of “hahaha” and “ahhhh.”

However, just as viewers thought the last hour would pass peacefully, something even more surprising occurred.

As the trainees were being divided into groups again, a certain Xingguang observer who had just caused a storm was holding a shining microphone.

From a distance, it looked like a bright beam, and up close, it reflected thousands of lights. Curious female viewers started to screenshot it, zooming in as they discussed.

“At first, I thought it was a Czech diamond, but it doesn’t look like the cut matches.”

“Could it be an Austrian diamond? But those aren’t usually this bright.”

“Um, I just want to say, this looks like real diamonds, and they’re of extremely high clarity. I work in a jewelry store, and I deal with these things every day, I can’t be wrong.”

“OMG OMG OMG! I’ve been wanting to buy a blue diamond for so long but never found one I liked. I can’t believe Xingxing has one on his mic, what a waste! What a waste!”

The male viewers who didn’t understand diamonds were left stunned by the women’s speculations.

——The Xingguang observer’s microphone looked ridiculously expensive.

——Should we ask about it on Weibo? Let’s all work together and find out how much this mic costs.

——We really want to know, what kind of life do rich people live?

Soon, Weibo was flooded with screenshots of the mic. Curiosity being the first engine of productivity, within half an hour, an employee from a diamond certification organization posted the following answer:

“203 diamonds of 1-2 carats, average market price 40,000 per carat, totaling 8.12 million; 31 diamonds of 2-3 carats, average price 100,000 per carat, totaling 3.1 million; 22 diamonds over 3 carats, average price 200,000 per carat, totaling 4.4 million; one blue diamond, about 8 carats, auction price starts at 2 million. (Note: prices are rounded down).”

A long string of numbers appeared before the viewers, and many were dizzy from the math, grabbing their calculators.

812 + 310 + 440 + 200 = 1762

Million yuan.

…So, what is the life of the rich like?

Damn, just one microphone costs seventeen million!

Tch!

The moment Qi Xingchen decided to use that microphone, he knew it would spark discussions. He obediently locked his phone and wisely chose not to browse the internet.

The following evening, it was the banquet set by Camilla. Qi Xingchen arranged for Wu Qian to watch over the trainees and excused himself to attend the event.

In occasions like this, men don’t need to dress up too elaborately—just dignified and gentlemanly. Stylist Jiang Jiang chose a smoky gray checkered suit, a more casual style with the waist slightly cinched.

No tie or bow tie was added, but a hand-embroidered silk pocket square was inserted into the chest pocket. A partially blooming rose was subtly placed at the edge of the handkerchief, its half-blooming bud just peeking out, as though a drop of blood had been added to his clean and pure aura, making it more striking.

After finishing his hair, Jiang Jiang clicked her tongue and said, “Little Xingxing, you can’t lose any more weight. Your butt isn’t perky, you won’t look good in a suit.”

“…” Qi Xingchen blushed at her words, then rushed out of the hotel and drove himself to the city center.

For personal matters, he didn’t ask An Ran or Old Qin to follow him. Anyway, Manager Wu was coming too, so he could ask him for a ride back later.

Camilla had chosen the rooftop garden of a building in S city for the banquet. After taking the sightseeing elevator up, Camilla and her husband were standing at the door, greeting guests.

Seeing that Qi Xingchen had come alone, Camilla curiously asked, “Sweetheart, you came by yourself?”

“I can’t bring a companion; you know that,” Qi Xingchen replied in English.

“Yes, I invited some media guests, I hope it won’t trouble you,” Camilla paused, “Why didn’t you come with Wei Qin? I heard you two are filming for the same show.”

“We left the show at different times…” Qi Xingchen couldn’t really explain, “I’ll head in first.”

As one of the main guests, Camilla had her husband personally escort Qi Xingchen into the venue. They pulled back the curtain, and as they walked around the venue, there were food stands and wine displays. On one side by the window, there were tables of different sizes, used for dining and resting.

In the center of the venue was a three-tiered marble platform, with this season’s new items from Après displayed in order. The signature bottle, a sea siren blue, was placed at the top.

Since Qi Xingchen arrived later, several waves of guests—both men and women—were already standing around chatting and drinking.

When Camilla’s husband personally escorted a handsome young man, most of the attention was drawn to Qi Xingchen.

Camilla’s husband, who was Chinese, quietly introduced, “The two groups standing by the window are media reporters and magazine editors. The tables in front on the right are mostly influencers, self-media figures, and celebrities. On the left are businessmen and young masters, socialites—oh, and there’s a gentleman you know, Wei Qin, he’s among them.”

Wei Qin, the son of the jewelry mogul, hadn’t mixed in with the celebrities but had automatically been placed among the businessmen, which didn’t surprise Qi Xingchen.

After all, businessmen held much more status than celebrities. To many wealthy businessmen, entertainers were just playthings.

Qi Xingchen nodded to indicate he understood, and Camilla’s husband completed his task and left. Qi Xingchen grabbed a glass of juice, found a quieter corner, and began drinking while looking for Manager Wu and his wife.

He couldn’t find them; it seemed like they had arrived later than him.

Soon, almost everyone had arrived, and Camilla decided not to wait any longer. She said a few polite words—thanking everyone for attending and asking them to continue supporting Après—and then the advertisement and behind-the-scenes footage of Sea Siren played, praising Qi Xingchen’s performance.

Qi Xingchen’s face turned red from the praise, and he thanked everyone. Camilla hooked her arm around his and smiled, leading him down to greet the other guests.

After the last drunken episode, he knew he couldn’t handle alcohol well, so he only sipped small amounts each time. After a few rounds, he felt slightly dizzy, but his stomach was fine, and he remained clear-headed.

Before long, some influencers came over to ask for photos. Qi Xingchen politely declined, and Camilla went with them instead.

With the influencers gone, Qi Xingchen finally got some peace and sighed in relief.

He didn’t like socializing, mainly because he didn’t understand the art of conversation. The more you speak, the more you’re likely to make mistakes, so it’s better not to speak at all.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get much peace. A well-dressed lady walked up to him with a glass in hand and smiled, “Mr. Qi, hello, I’m the editor-in-chief of Fashion Cosmo magazine. Why haven’t you had something to eat?”

Fashion Cosmo was one of the five major fashion magazines in the country. It was rare to get a cover, but if one could be featured in its inserts, it would be considered a top-tier fashion resource.

Qi Xingchen hadn’t paid attention to magazines before and didn’t know what it meant for the editor-in-chief of Fashion Cosmo to approach him.

Seeing that the lady was older than him, he quickly replied, “You can call me Xiao Qi. I ate before I came, not too hungry, thank you for your concern.”

“I thought you were maintaining your figure,” the editor-in-chief clinked glasses with him, her admiration barely hidden in her eyes, “Your facial features are perfectly balanced according to the golden ratio, and your body proportions are excellent. You’re very suited for the big screen. If you maintain this figure, there’s no need to lose weight, any thinner and you’ll lose your charm.”

Qi Xingchen wasn’t sure how to respond to the compliment, so he just smiled gratefully. At this point, a few other magazine editors, along with some entertainers and media people, also came over.

They didn’t share much in common with the wealthy businessmen, so they decided to engage in industry-related socializing, which would be more useful.

This was Camilla’s event, and to support her, as well as to praise Qi Xingchen’s impressive performance in the advertisement, everyone kept complimenting him:

“Xiao Qi really has good taste, today’s outfit is both elegant and special. Especially the pocket square, it’s so stylish!”

“I wonder when I’ll get to collaborate with Xiao Qi, I want to play your sister, hehe.”

“I feel like I have a connection with Xiao Qi. I went to the group interview for Heart of the Ocean last time, those parrots… haha, that was hilarious!”

Old embarrassing incidents were suddenly brought up, and Qi Xingchen quickly waved his hands, “Brother, please stop, it’s too embarrassing.”

“Hahaha, alright, I won’t mention it,” the reporter brother stopped laughing but didn’t forget to dig for news, “Then tell me, what’s up with your microphone?”

Qi Xingchen blinked, quickly thinking about how to respond.

Other than a gift from his family, he couldn’t think of a better answer.

He opened his mouth, but suddenly he heard Wei Qin’s voice behind him, “What are you two chatting about so happily? I heard laughter all the way from the backstage.”

Wei Qin, being in the industry, was naturally popular with the media. Everyone stepped aside to let him in, and he smoothly joined the group.

With his presence, the reporter brother quickly forgot about the microphone topic, and Qi Xingchen narrowly avoided the question.

The group chatted for a few minutes, and inevitably, Qi Xingchen heard a familiar question: “By the way, Xiao Qi, aren’t you and Wei Qin both recording My Era? Why didn’t you come together? I saw you two were playing separately earlier.”

Qi Xingchen paused for a moment. Although he didn’t know the identity of the lady asking, it was obvious that she was either an entertainment reporter or a self-media person.

The question implied there was discord between him and Wei Qin.

Camilla had organized the celebration banquet mainly for publicity, so it wasn’t a private event, and the more widely it spread, the better.

Everything that happened at tonight’s dinner could be posted on social media by the media and influencers, and there was no need for secrecy.

Qi Xingchen knew he had to be cautious with his response. After thinking for a few seconds…

Wei Qin spoke before Qi Xingchen had a chance: “I’m here representing Xiangyue Jewelry at the banquet. Before I left, the second young master of the Zhang family invited me, so I didn’t wait for Xingxing. After I arrived, the second young master kept me chatting, and only now have I managed to find time to join you and Xingxing. Ah.”

At the end of his sentence, Wei Qin let out a helpless sigh, and everyone understood what he meant—

Wei Qin’s point was: He was attending as the heir of a wealthy family, while Qi Xingchen was attending as an entertainer, so their social circles and status were different.

Of course, they couldn’t be seen together.

The implied belittling was quite obvious, and the media immediately hit record on their voice recorders as they arrived, eager to go home and sort through their notes to capitalize on the buzz surrounding the microphone and Wei Qin’s popularity.

No one noticed that a couple had arrived late, holding gifts and rushing to the venue.

Manager Wu was mainly accompanying his wife, and after seeing his wife go to find Camilla, he adjusted his appearance and caught sight of a familiar face out of the corner of his eye.

“Hey, isn’t that our Xiao Qi?”

“Hey, isn’t that Wei Qin from Xiangyue Jewelry?”

Why are they both here?

Manager Wu quickly walked over, and Wei Qin saw him first, greeting him with a smile: “Uncle Wu, did you come with Auntie? You’re looking very gentlemanly today. Did you receive the appointment email I had my father’s assistant send over?”

Wei Qin’s tone was very polite, and the media curiously eyed Manager Wu, trying to figure out who he was.

Manager Wu hesitated before replying, “Uh… thank you, thank you for the compliment. I didn’t have time to check my emails today, I’ll take a look when I get back…”

At this point, he nodded at Wei Qin and then turned to Qi Xingchen: “Xiao Qi, why didn’t you tell me you were coming to the banquet?”

Wei Qin was taken aback for a moment: “Xiao Qi?”

“Yes, the diamond mine that Xiangyue Jewelry wants to collaborate with is under Xiao Qi’s name!”

It felt like a thunderclap hitting Wei Qin, and he froze in place.

Media: Damn! A simple meal turned into a scoop! This is awesome!

Three minutes later, Sina News posted:

[The story behind the 1.7 million microphone: Qi Xingchen is actually the owner of a South African diamond mine, filthy rich!]

The media had no idea about the behind-the-scenes connection between Xiangyue and the Qi family, but they were happily typing away on their phones.

Wei Qin’s face turned as black as a pot bottom, and he barely maintained his gentlemanly demeanor. Excusing himself to find the second young master of the Zhang family, he left with a flick of his sleeve.

Qi Xingchen could guess that the media storm he would face next would be relentless. Seizing the opportunity when no one was paying attention, he made a quick escape to Camilla’s side, using her as a shield.

The upside was that the media couldn’t pester him anymore, but the downside was that Camilla immediately pulled him into drinking duties again.

After some back-and-forth, Qi Xingchen started to feel a bit tipsy.

He signaled to Camilla that he needed to use the restroom, and she nodded in agreement. As he walked toward the restroom, he vaguely felt a gaze following him.

Once inside the stall, he sat on the toilet lid, pressing his temples to stimulate his brain while pulling out his phone to check the time.

What he saw were twelve missed calls.

Two of them were from An Ran.

The remaining ten were from Bo Ye.

… Why was he calling him?

In the days following his realization of his feelings, Qi Xingchen had been looking for ways to distance himself from Bo Ye. One reason was to confirm whether his feelings for Bo Ye were genuine affection or just a false sense of dependency from close contact.

The other reason… was that Bo Ye was a “paper man,” a fictional character, and he couldn’t possibly fall for a paper man!

Qi Xingchen stared at the “Missed Calls 10” notification, and his eyes started to sting with heat.

Dzzz—dzzz— Suddenly, his phone vibrated again in his hand.

Bo Ye had called for the eleventh time!

Qi Xingchen flustered, as he never knew how to handle things with this person. His hand instinctively pressed the answer button.

A voice he liked came through the speaker: “Has the banquet ended?”

“No… How did you know?”

“An Ran told me,” Bo Ye paused for a moment, “Did you drink?”

“Just a little, not much.”

“Mm, okay. Try not to get drunk. Come back to the hotel early.”

“Got it. Well… I’m hanging up.”

“Mm.”

After getting the confirmation, Qi Xingchen hung up. The alcohol haze had slightly faded, but his mind felt even more unclear.

He suddenly felt uninterested, got up, and left the restroom, asking Camilla if he could leave.

Camilla tried to persuade him to stay but failed, and when she offered to see him off, he declined. He slowly walked to the elevator, and just as the door was about to close, a man squeezed in.

He had seen him at the banquet, part of the wealthy business circle. Qi Xingchen ignored him.

Outside the banquet hall, Bo Ye sat in the driver’s seat, his elbow resting on the steering wheel as he quietly watched the entrance.

For several consecutive nights, when he brought milk, his little fan wasn’t in his room. Today, through An Ran, he learned that his little fan was attending the banquet, so he drove over himself.

Having seen his little fan drunk twice, he couldn’t stop worrying.

Moreover, recently, his little fan’s mood had been off, and during practice, he acted like his life depended on it. In such a state, it was easy to get drunk, and if the media caught him in a drunken state, the consequences would be unthinkable.

He kept tapping the steering wheel to pass the time. Soon, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance.

Just as he was about to pull out his phone to make a call, a man appeared, closely following his little fan…

And his little fan’s steps were hurried, looking like he was trying to avoid the man!

Indeed, Qi Xingchen was avoiding the man behind him. During the elevator ride down, he had felt the man’s gaze constantly drifting toward his lower body, which was particularly disgusting.

After exiting the elevator, the man probably realized that if he didn’t act now, he wouldn’t have a chance. He reached out his arm and tried to hug him.

Luckily, Qi Xingchen was agile, twisting his body to dodge the man, running out as fast as he could!

Unfortunately, he wasn’t fully sober, and his legs felt weak. The man, however, showed no signs of being drunk and was running fast.

In just a few steps, he could catch up!

Qi Xingchen ran even faster, heading towards where his car was parked, but the man kept closing in…

Just as the man’s hand was about to grab the hem of his clothes, everything happened in a flash. Qi Xingchen suddenly felt a darkness before him, and then—thud—the man fell to the ground, howling in pain!

It all happened so quickly that Qi Xingchen hadn’t even processed what had occurred, and he looked up in confusion.

Bo Ye had kicked the man down, but still dissatisfied, he kicked him again, before wrapping his jacket around Qi Xingchen’s head.

In a low voice, he said, “Don’t be afraid, it’s safe now, come with me.”