APCF – Chapter 69 The Only One

Qi Xingchen’s head was wrapped in clothes, leaving him in complete darkness. He couldn’t see anything, only feeling a hand press gently against his back, patting twice in a comforting manner before pushing him in a certain direction.

With his vision obscured, he instinctively grabbed the sleeve of the person beside him. Bo Ye, assuming he was still shaken, turned his hand and grasped Qi Xingchen’s wrist.

The boy’s wrist was slender and delicate, so easy to hold that Bo Ye couldn’t help but wonder how such a small frame could contain so much energy.

The car wasn’t parked far away. Bo Ye opened the passenger door and bundled Qi Xingchen inside. By the time he circled around to the driver’s seat, the boy had already freed his head from the clothes, his tone urgent.

“When did you get here? Were there paparazzi around?”

“Just arrived. I didn’t check the surroundings,” Bo Ye replied.

“Oh no, oh no, I didn’t check either,” Qi Xingchen said, ruffling his hair in frustration. “What if a paparazzi caught you hitting someone? It’s all my fault.”

Bo Ye stared at his now-messy, fluffy hair, momentarily stunned.

In situations like this, most people’s first reaction would be fear or tears. Yet this little fan’s first concern was whether Bo Ye’s reputation might suffer.

He had planned to scold the fan, but now his heart softened completely, and he couldn’t bring himself to say a word.

This wasn’t a place to linger. Bo Ye leaned over to buckle Qi Xingchen’s seatbelt. As he pulled the strap, the faint, sweet scent of champagne from the boy drifted into his nose. Reaching into the back seat, he grabbed a bottle of water to quench Qi Xingchen’s thirst.

Seeing the rounded bottle, Qi Xingchen thought it was milk. But when he realized it was water, his tiny hope shattered entirely, and he fiddled with the bottle in disappointment.

“Rest for a while,” Bo Ye said, draping the clothes over him again. “I’ll wake you when we reach the hotel.”

Qi Xingchen obediently closed his eyes, but sleep was elusive.

He was deeply grateful to Bo Ye for rescuing him today, but he also felt a growing sadness.

For several days now, Bo Ye hadn’t sent him milk—the one thing that made him feel special to Bo Ye. Did this mean Bo Ye was starting to dislike him?

Or had Wei Qin taken his place?

His emotions spiraled like a bottomless whirlpool, growing more intense the more he dwelled on them. The drunkenness he had mostly shaken off began to creep back. He couldn’t tell whether it was the delayed effect of the champagne or if he had never truly sobered up.

Either way, he felt incredibly wronged. The feeling only peaked when he returned to his room.

Concerned that Qi Xingchen might not manage on his own, Bo Ye followed him in, intending to stay until he fell asleep. Pointing his chin toward the wardrobe, Bo Ye asked, “Is there anything I shouldn’t see?”

“Nothing,” Qi Xingchen replied.

Reassured, Bo Ye opened the wardrobe, only to find a stack of underwear on the top shelf.

“…” Bo Ye quickly averted his gaze, retrieving clean pajamas and handing them over. “Go take a shower.”

Qi Xingchen said nothing.

“Can you manage on your own? Or should I come with you?” Bo Ye asked.

“I can do it,” Qi Xingchen replied.

With that, he turned and disappeared into the bathroom. Knowing how dangerous it was for someone drunk to shower, Bo Ye stayed close by the bathroom door.

Within five seconds, the sound of water gushing echoed from inside.

Bo Ye frowned. “Are you still wearing your clothes?”

The impeccably dressed Qi Xingchen finally realized what had happened. He hurriedly turned off the shower and struggled to peel off the suit that clung to his body, slathering himself haphazardly with body wash.

After rinsing off the suds and drying himself, he looked down at his thoroughly soaked underwear, then flipped through the pajamas Bo Ye had handed him.

There was nothing else.

Bo Ye was still outside. Qi Xingchen couldn’t just walk out in only pajama pants—that would be practically indecent!

Pressing his face close to the door crack, he awkwardly called out, “Um, so… uh…”

The words stuck in his throat.

But Bo Ye immediately caught on. “You need fresh underwear?”

“…Mm.”

A short while later, the door opened a crack, and the hand that was typically holding a microphone, playing a violin, or signing autographs for fans was now holding his undergarments.

Qi Xingchen felt like his actions were nothing short of sacrilegious. Blood rushed to his face, and he hurriedly took the clothes as if he had been shocked by electricity. He dressed quickly, but in his haste, the elastic waistband snapped back and stung him.

“Ah!” He hissed in pain, rubbing his sore backside.

When he finally stepped out, his mind was even more muddled than before.

By then, Bo Ye had already made the bed for him. Seeing Qi Xingchen standing in the middle of the living room, motionless, Bo Ye raised an eyebrow. “Come to bed.”

“I’m not sleeping.”

“Not tired?”

“Not sleeping.”

“Worried about the F-class trainees?” Bo Ye guessed.

Qi Xingchen stiffened his neck. “Not sleeping.”

They faced off across the room, the tension in the air palpable. Bo Ye realized they were getting nowhere and decided to address the root of the problem. Patiently, he coaxed, “Why don’t you want to sleep? Tell me.”

Considering that Bo Ye had already gone so far as to fetch underwear for him, Qi Xingchen felt there was no point in holding back any longer. Biting his lower lip, he finally said:

“Because I didn’t have any milk.”

During the filming of Let’s Budget Travel, Bo Ye had shared a bed with his little fan before. Thinking back, he was sure the fan didn’t have a habit of drinking milk before bed.

Then it clicked. Bo Ye ventured, “Do you want milk? Or do you want the milk I give you?”

“…Does it matter? You’re not giving it to me anymore anyway.”

So that was it! Bo Ye couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’ve been coming every night around ten, but you were never here.”

???

He had been coming? Every night?

Qi Xingchen was in disbelief. “What about that one time… the night Wei Qin came to see you? Why didn’t you come then?”

When he mentioned “Wei Qin,” his tone suddenly sharpened. Bo Ye caught the layered meaning and calmly explained, “The third round of the competition required an original song. The production team asked Wei Qin and me to collaborate on a composition. He came over to discuss it. By ten-twenty, I was worried you might already be asleep, so I sent Wei Qin away. But when I knocked, you didn’t answer.”

Qi Xingchen: “…”

That night, after seeing Wei Qin, he had been so annoyed that he wandered off aimlessly, not even sure where he had ended up. And in the days that followed, he had avoided Bo Ye entirely, spending late nights with the F-class trainees until two or three in the morning.

It wasn’t that Bo Ye hadn’t brought him milk—it was that he himself had missed it.

Qi Xingchen rubbed the tip of his nose, feeling both embarrassed and relieved.

Bo Ye sighed softly and asked again, “Is there anything else that’s making you upset? Just tell me.”

“…No, nothing.”

Knowing his little fan’s tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve, Bo Ye was certain that if the misunderstanding had been cleared up, he would have happily gone to bed by now. But there he was, still standing in place, clearly not at ease.

Bo Ye sighed again, walked up to him, and brushed aside the bangs sticking to his forehead. He immediately noticed the red rims around his eyes, evidence of the feelings he had been bottling up.

“I don’t like seeing you upset,” Bo Ye said, gently running his fingers through the boy’s still-damp hair. “Talk to me.”

Qi Xingchen shook his head.

Bo Ye persisted, “I’ve been in this industry for seven years, but I’ve never been this close to a fan before. Don’t I deserve a chance to make things right, hmm?”

Maybe it was the softness of his tone, or maybe it was the phrase “first time being close” that struck a chord, but Qi Xingchen couldn’t hold back the grievances he had been suppressing any longer. Everything he had kept bottled up came pouring out all at once.

He raised his chin, biting his lip as he accused, “Why did you act like someone else’s little kitten?!”

Little kitten?

Bo Ye thought for a moment before it clicked—he was referring to the time Bo Ye had taken a penalty for Qi Xingchen during a mahjong game and ended up with a cat face drawn on him.

Later, Wei Qin had also offered to take a penalty, but Bo Ye had let him draw on his arm instead of his face. However, Qi Xingchen had been in the restroom at the time and hadn’t seen this part.

Explaining wouldn’t help much. Bo Ye could tell what his little fan wanted wasn’t about cat faces—it was about being the one and only.

“…Go to bed,” Bo Ye said, rubbing his temples with a tone of indulgent helplessness. “From now on, I’ll only be your little kitten.”

Qi Xingchen was utterly stunned. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard from Bo Ye.

Half-dazed, he let Bo Ye guide him to bed, fell asleep in a fog, and woke up in the same haze. He hadn’t been drunk, and his excellent memory reminded him clearly: Bo Ye had really said those words.

But he still couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe that he was special to Bo Ye.

Worry gnawed at him as he opened his phone and checked WeChat.

Bo Ye: [Wake up and come across the hall. Let’s have breakfast together.]

Qi Xingchen: AAAAAAHHHH!!! THIS IS THE ROOF OF THE WORLD!!!

He was so ecstatic he wanted to belt out a high note!

Bo Ye was actually asking him to breakfast!!!

He flung open his closet and pulled out a hoodie—too casual. He stuffed it back in. A button-down—too formal. Back it went.

Finally, he settled on a black Chrome Hearts T-shirt with a large printed design on the back, paired with Thom Browne joggers and collaborative AJ x Off-White sneakers. It was simple yet effortlessly cool.

He didn’t bother styling his hair since Jiang Jiang would fix it before filming later. Besides, this was a vast improvement over his usual chaotic outfits.

Bo Ye wouldn’t… think he looked bad, right?

Qi Xingchen habitually spritzed on two pumps of cologne and knocked on the door across the hall.

Bo Ye was ready too, dressed in a tracksuit with equally undone hair.

The scent of a merman intertwined with that of a shepherd boy, creating an inexplicably enchanting harmony.

Bo Ye locked the door, and the two walked side by side. Unfortunately, when Bo Ye opened his mouth, Qi Xingchen’s mood immediately sank.

“You weren’t in a good state last night, so I didn’t ask then,” Bo Ye said seriously. “Why did you go to that banquet alone?”

Qi Xingchen sighed inwardly, realizing he couldn’t escape a lecture. He answered honestly, “Recently, An Ran and Old Qin have been waiting for me until the early hours every night. They’re exhausted, so I figured I’d give them a day off.”

“And the host of the banquet? They should’ve made sure you got into a car safely.”

“I didn’t think I’d run into that kind of situation, so I didn’t ask her to see me off. Besides, I wasn’t afraid of that old man chasing me. I didn’t hit him only because I was worried about the paparazzi outside.”

If the confrontation had been captured, it would have been even easier for people to twist the narrative, so escaping was the better option.

“…Even so, you’re not allowed to go off alone next time,” Bo Ye said helplessly. “Nowadays, a lot of people like good-looking boys like you—”

“What did you say?”

Before Bo Ye could finish, Qi Xingchen dared to interrupt him. “Say that again?”

Bo Ye frowned. “Don’t go off alone.”

“The next part.”

“A lot of people like good-looking boys like you.”

Qi Xingchen replayed the words “good-looking boy” over and over in his mind.

What did this mean?

It meant Bo Ye thought he was good-looking.

Heh heh heh heh heh.

Qi Xingchen, afraid he might laugh out loud, covered his mouth with his hand.

At that moment, Wei Qin approached from the other direction. His eyes were dark with shadows, and his haggard appearance suggested he hadn’t slept all night.

When he saw the two of them, his pace faltered slightly, and his fists clenched involuntarily.

At Camille’s banquet, Manager Wu had revealed Qi Xingchen’s identity in front of everyone, which was like a resounding slap across Wei Qin’s face.

He could already imagine how people in the fashion and media circles would mock him in the future—calling him arrogant, blind, or ridiculously overconfident…

He didn’t dare dwell on these thoughts too much, knowing it would lead to another sleepless night. But all his humiliation stemmed from the person standing before him now.

Having lost a round yesterday, Wei Qin was determined to turn the tables today. Straightening his posture, he greeted them coolly, “Are you two heading to the studio?”

Qi Xingchen, in a good mood, replied, “No, we’re going to have breakfast.”

“Perfect, I haven’t eaten either,” Wei Qin said, turning to Bo Ye. “Brother Ye, let’s go together.”

Since they were staying at the same hotel, running into each other and sharing a meal in the morning seemed normal. Qi Xingchen didn’t mind—after all, they still had two months of work as colleagues ahead.

He opened his mouth to agree, but before he could, Bo Ye said, “I’ve ordered breakfast for two. Sorry, we can’t include you. You’ll have to make your own arrangements.”

With that, Bo Ye led Qi Xingchen into the elevator without hesitation.

Qi Xingchen was stunned by Bo Ye’s blunt refusal. After thinking it over, he nervously licked his lips and said, “Wouldn’t it be… bad if we didn’t include Wei Qin?”

Bo Ye was silent for a moment.

He simply couldn’t understand what went on in this little fan’s mind.

“Just press the floor button and stop overthinking.”

He gave Qi Xingchen’s nape a gentle squeeze. “Didn’t I already tell you? I’m only your little kitten.”