APCF – Chapter 70 The Second Young Master

Some people claim to be little kittens, yet they grab others by the scruff of their necks just like teasing a cat.

Some people shamelessly beg others to be their little kitten, but when they themselves get grabbed by the scruff, they don’t notice anything wrong at all. Instead, they revel in the warmth of that touch, and when the hand is taken away, they even feel a tiny bit of loss for a few seconds.

But Qi Xingchen was quickly healed by a lavish breakfast and a glass of milk—Bo Ye used to believe that milk helped with sleep, so he would send it every night. Now, he had simply changed it to both morning and night.

After all, the stuff was cheap. As long as a certain little star could drink it, he could afford to keep supplying it.

It was Allen who now had to start worrying about picking out different milk varieties—his boss had spoken: drinking the same flavor every day would get boring, so they needed to switch it up from time to time.

It was like raising a little kitten. Annoying as hell.

And maybe because he was too happy in the morning, Qi Xingchen conveniently forgot all about the trouble he had caused the day before and enjoyed breakfast with Bo Ye without a care in the world.

Little did he know, the entire Weibo was already exploding.

Just a few days ago, netizens were trying to track down the origins of a 17-million-yuan microphone studded with hundreds of diamonds. As long as they could figure out where it came from, they’d be able to uncover Qi Xingchen’s backer.

In his first year after debuting, everything had been quiet and uneventful. But by the second year, he suddenly started trending non-stop. His variety show appearances, film contracts, and brand deals weren’t exactly earth-shattering, but everything was smooth sailing, and his popularity was skyrocketing as if he had some kind of cheat code.

It was obvious—he had once been alone with no backing, but then he must have latched onto a sugar daddy, who started feeding him resources.

People were dying to know who his benefactor was, digging tirelessly day and night.

Now, they finally understood—there was nothing to dig up!

Why? Because the diamonds on that microphone? They came straight from his own damn mine!

So, to summarize:

• This little Qi brother owns an ocean park and a diamond mine in South Africa.
• He once got into a legal dispute with his agency, fought them head-on, and won within a single day, forcing the company to issue a public apology.
• He pissed off Kevin’s fans, and when they came for him, their accounts were mysteriously shadowbanned or outright deleted.

And now, people were wondering—did he really make all his money just from running an ocean park and a diamond mine?

But… if the diamonds are all getting embedded into microphones, where the hell is the money coming from?!

This only made netizens even more curious about who was backing him.

Then, someone had a lightbulb moment:

[Hey, do you guys remember when Xiao Qi live-streamed that whole breakup drama?]

[Yeah, yeah! You think that girl has something to do with this?]

[She kinda looked like she knew him. Why don’t we start investigating from her?]

[Good idea. Let’s go!]

A bunch of bored netizens and gossip-hungry marketing accounts swarmed onto Qi Yujie’s Weibo in search of clues.

And what did they find?

This stunning older sister of his…

• Owns four houses dedicated solely to storing clothes.
• Has an entire warehouse just for collecting second-hand clothing.
• Has every single rare Hermès Birkin in existence.
• Spends her free time either at Fashion Week or on the way to Fashion Week.
• Recently bought thousands of bottles of perfume in one go, and on the receipt she posted, a single blurred-out character could still be faintly seen—

“Qi.”

Following her likes, netizens dug up a high school student.

This high schooler barely used Weibo. Three years ago, he had posted a few cringey, rebellious “shamate” photos, the kind most teenagers couldn’t escape from at some point. His most recent activity was retweeting two posts—

One was the official announcement of a “My Era” Star Observer, and the other was director Shang Yuliang’s public apology statement.

Looking closer—holy shit—it seemed like Shang Yuliang was apologizing to this little pretty boy!

Oh, and this little pretty boy’s last name was also Qi.

Following the breadcrumbs from an interview he shared, netizens landed on the Baidu Baike page of Qi Group’s President.

• Graduate of HEC Paris
• Honorary Chairman of H Province Chamber of Commerce
• National People’s Congress Representative
• Recipient of the 2019 Top 10 Outstanding Youth Award

The man in the photos was tall, with sharp features and an impeccable background. Just this Baike entry alone was enough to keep thousands of CEO romance novelists well-fed for years.

And his name? Qi Yunxiao.

Oh. He was also a Qi.

His father? Qi Xiaoming, Chairman of Qi Group.

Yet another Qi.

And among Qi Yunxiao’s many businesses, there was a “Xingchen Asset Management Fund,” which happened to hold 40% of Noah Entertainment’s shares, making him the actual controller of the company.

And what was Noah Entertainment?

Qi Xingchen’s agency.

With all the puzzle pieces in place, the entire internet collectively short-circuited.

They couldn’t believe it. But at the same time, they had to believe two things:

1. Noah Entertainment belongs to Qi Family’s Xingchen.
2. Qi Xingchen is, no joke, the Qi family’s second young master.

—The kind who, if he doesn’t make it big in entertainment, will just go home and inherit billions!

No one had expected that this low-key street performer, who once made a living busking, actually had one of the deepest backgrounds imaginable.

Not long after, the hashtag #QiXingchenWillInheritIfHeDoesn’tMakeItBig# broke through all the gossip and soared to the top of the trending list.

A well-known blogger summarized the whole investigation process—it wasn’t even that hard. The main reason no one found out earlier was simply that Qi Xingchen had been too irrelevant in the past.

And although the summary post was deleted within five minutes, it was already too late—screenshots had been taken, receipts had been saved, and netizens were gleefully munching on their gossip.

However, just two hours later, before they could even fully digest this bombshell, an even bigger bomb suddenly crashed down on their heads.

—A leaked video was exposed by entertainment reporters.

In the footage—

A thin, delicate-looking teenager was running ahead.

A fat, greasy old man was chasing behind him.

Twenty seconds later, Bo Ye stepped in, kicking the old man to the ground.

He then took off his jacket, wrapped it around the teenager’s head, and delivered one more brutal kick—all in one fluid motion. Afterward, he gently guided the boy into his car.

The moment “Bo Ye” was involved, any topic was guaranteed to explode.

As soon as the video hit the internet, shares and comments skyrocketed past ten thousand in a blink.

The comment section erupted into chaos:

[AAAAHHHHHH! Another day of being a screaming groundhog!!!]

[OMG HOW IS YE GE THIS COOL?! HOW?! One kick per scumbag!]

[That head-covering move… That boyfriend energy… 1551… When will the government assign me a boyfriend like this? I beg you, I’m on my knees TT]

[Wait… isn’t that Xiao Qi gege? Was Bo Ye just passing by, or did he come specifically for him?]

The mention of “Xiao Qi gege” immediately triggered an alarm in Bo Ye’s fandom.

It was obvious that Bo Ye was protecting Qi Xingchen, and since it was clearly self-defense, they had nothing to worry about legally.

But—celebrity fights are always bad publicity. If Qi Xingchen used this to gain sympathy, it would be a total loss for Bo Ye—not only losing public favor but also indirectly helping someone else gain traction.

So, Bo Ye’s fanbase quickly formulated a PR strategy. Their plan was to shut down any potential shipper narratives before the CP fans could gain momentum.

What they didn’t know was that, at the exact same moment, the “Last Night’s Stars” CP fan leadership group was having an even more serious discussion.

Group Leader: [FUCK! FUCK FUCK FUCK! I’M SO TIRED OF SAYING “LAST NIGHT’S STARS IS REAL”!!!]

Admin 1: [I’M CRYING. LET ME CRY A LITTLE LONGER.]

Admin 2: [MY POOR LITTLE XINGXING… THAT SCUMBAG NEEDS TO DIE! YE GE PROTECTING HIS WIFE IS SO HOT OMG, I HOPE THEY GROW OLD TOGETHER AWOooo]

Admin 3: [LOOK AT THIS. LOOK AT THIS SCENE. IF THEY’RE NOT REAL, I’LL RIP MY OWN HEAD OFF AND LET YOU KICK IT LIKE A BALL AAAAAAAH THIS IS TOO SWEET I’M GONNA DIE]

After howling for a bit, they realized this was not the time for fangirling—they needed to formulate a crisis response.

Group Leader: [This video is easy to twist into a scandal. Xiao Xingxing looks a little drunk, and Ye Ge kicked the guy twice… People could spin this into “Xingxing doesn’t respect himself, and Ye Ge has a bad temper and is too violent.”]

Admin 2: [For most celebrities, this wouldn’t be a big deal. But for Ye Ge, we have to be extra careful. And Xingxing’s background just got way too much exposure. We should keep CP fans in check, avoid stirring things up, and let the video die down.]

Admin 6: [Agreed. I already downloaded the video for my personal collection.]

Admin 2: [Same here! Let’s quickly inform our main group chats now!]

Each admin went back to their respective large fan groups, tagging everyone and issuing a strict order: No CP (couple pairing) comments under the video.

As CP fans who had long been struggling to survive in the fandom, they were already overjoyed to have such a massive “sugar rush” of content. So, they humbly agreed to the admin’s request. Some even volunteered to help Bo Ye’s and Qi Xingchen’s solo fans fight against haters.

Thus, when Bo Ye’s fans (“Night Sky”) were gearing up for battle, they suddenly noticed that CP fans with the “Last Night’s Stars” tag in their usernames weren’t screaming about the ship at all. Instead, they were even explaining that Bo Ye and Qi Xingchen were just like close brothers with a good relationship.

Night Sky: ???

In contrast, it was the random bystanders who were freaking out:

[AAAAHHH! Someone tell me who that little boy running in the video is! That sharp jawline, that tiny waist—I’M LOSING MY MIND!]

[I’ve always heard Bo Ye is proud and aloof, but if he’s willing to step in for this boy, their relationship must be really special.]

[I just climbed out of one CP hole, and now I think I’m about to fall into another one. NightStar, you win. I’m going to dig up all their past moments now.]

[Ji Juqi, look at someone else’s boyfriend, then look at yourself. Heh-tui.]

After watching the chaos unfold, Last Night’s Stars CP fans could only helplessly shrug:

“This really has nothing to do with us.”

Night Sky & Star Light (Qi Xingchen’s solo fans): “Of course, we don’t blame you. Thanks for helping out. The thing is… we kinda think it’s sweet too… what the hell is going on…?”

???

Last Night’s Stars CP fans: “HUH???”

The Night Before the Official Competition

The storm on Weibo didn’t affect the mentors and trainees at all.

That evening, Qi Xingchen was doing his routine check-in with F-Class, while Bo Ye was making his rounds in various practice rooms. The two of them happened to enter the F-Class practice room together.

Inside, Wu Qian was leading the trainees in a spicy, high-energy dance routine. When he saw the door open and spotted the tall and short duo standing at the entrance, he whistled with a grin.

The other trainees immediately followed suit:

“Yo yo yo!”

Qi Xingchen’s head throbbed from irritation.

“…Are you guys addicted to saying ‘yo’ or something?” He sighed. “How’s the progress today?”

Wu Qian grinned cheekily: “Reporting to our dear Young Master Qi, we’ve basically mastered everything!”

“…Go back to calling me normally. What’s with this nonsense?”

“You’re too rich,” Wu Qian laughed. “If we don’t show some respect, I’m afraid you’ll crush us with diamonds.”

“Yeah, yeah, exactly!” The other trainees joined in the teasing. “Spare our lives, Young Master Qi!”

Qi Xingchen’s face burned bright red from their jokes.

He knew they were just messing around, and he had expected to get teased today, so he had mentally prepared himself to shamelessly endure it.

But—he hadn’t expected Bo Ye to come with him.

During the day, Bo Ye had been busy recording his own schedules, and they hadn’t seen each other at all. As they walked here together just now, Bo Ye didn’t mention his newfound status as the Qi family’s second young master at all.

Knowing how Bo Ye’s team operated, they had definitely gotten wind of the news immediately.

He didn’t believe that Bo Ye was unaware.

Qi Xingchen sneaked a glance to the left, trying to observe Bo Ye’s reaction.

Unfortunately, Bo Ye’s expression remained unchanged. Frustrated, Qi Xingchen could only take out his annoyance on the trainees: “Don’t stop! Keep practicing properly!”

“…Why so fierce?”

Gossip instincts overpowered their fear of Teacher Qi. Wu Qian couldn’t help but turn to Bo Ye. “Teacher Bo, you were just way too cool! Have you trained in martial arts before?”

“No.”

“What? No training? With the power in that kick, I swear you could’ve broken that pervert’s ribs.”

“I was pretty angry at the time,” Bo Ye explained. “Maybe I used a bit too much force.”

Hearing this, the trainees clicked their tongues in amazement. Only Wu Qian dared to dig deeper. He gave Qi Xingchen a meaningful glance, then looked back at Bo Ye. “So, Teacher Bo, were you just passing by last night?”

“No,” Bo Ye answered without hesitation. “I went to pick him up.”

“Yo yo yo!”

Earlier, only Wu Qian had given them a knowing look. Now, everyone was staring at them meaningfully. Qi Xingchen felt his ears burning up.

Back when he wasn’t aware of his feelings for Bo Ye, he could handle these kinds of conversations better. But now that he understood his own emotions, even the slightest tease made him both shy… and ridiculously happy.

Bo Ye stood beside him, and with a slight tilt of his head, he could see how red Qi Xingchen’s ears had become. Knowing that his little fanboy was easily flustered, Bo Ye decided to drop the subject. “If no one has anything else to say, I’m leaving.”

Wu Qian raised his hand immediately. “Wait! I do! I have something!”

“Speak.”

Wu Qian grinned mischievously. “Teacher Bo, our Teacher Qi is handsome, talented, and rich. We’re entrusting him to you, so you better treat him well! Hahahaha!”

“…” Qi Xingchen panicked. “Wu Qian, do you want a beating?!”

Wu Qian wasn’t just fooling around. Since the video incident had blown up, the production team wanted to milk the attention by nudging F-Class to steer the conversation in this direction and generate buzz.

Even if he didn’t say it, the production team would have found someone else to bring it up, so it was better that he did it himself to control the situation.

Besides, the way he phrased it made it easy for Bo Ye to respond. Just like Qi Xingchen, Bo Ye could simply brush it off and tell everyone not to joke about it.

But instead, Bo Ye nodded slightly. “Alright, I will.”

Wu Qian froze on the spot.

“Noah Entertainment belongs to him now. Of course, I need to stay on his good side.” Bo Ye glanced at Qi Xingchen with a half-smile. “Isn’t that right, little boss?”