APCF – Chapter 73 The One I Like

At first, Bo Ye followed Classes D and F closely, but later, as filming became more scattered, he no longer kept up with the two classes’ progress. He had heard that Qi Xingchen had been training with Class F the entire time, but he wasn’t sure how far Qi Xingchen had taken them.

He hadn’t expected their bond to be this deep. It was clear how seriously Qi Xingchen took Class F. Bo Ye felt both comforted and a little pained as he stepped back.

The coordinator responsible for escorting the eliminated trainees saw them all crying with snot and tears covering their faces. Unable to bear rushing them, she stood at the back with Bo Ye, waiting for them to finish their cake.

They were all sensible kids. In the end, Wu Qian realized they couldn’t keep delaying the production team’s schedule. He steeled himself, grabbed his suitcase, and took the lead down the stairs.

Qi Xingchen had cream smeared all over his face. As he wiped it off, he said, “I’ll walk you guys over.”

“No need,” Wu Qian grinned, flashing his white teeth. “Teacher Qi, please remember our handsome backs as we leave!”

Since they didn’t want him to send them off, Qi Xingchen didn’t insist and simply nodded.

Seeing that Qi Xingchen could barely speak from emotion, Bo Ye spoke on his behalf: “Once you’ve sorted out your emotions, keep working hard. Being eliminated once doesn’t mean your journey ends. I’ll be waiting for you on stage.”

Coming from Bo Ye, those words were like an instant shot of adrenaline. The eliminated trainees were suddenly invigorated and shouted, “Teacher Bo, wait for me!”

Then, like ducks being released from a pen, they scattered in all directions, squawking as they ran.

Qi Xingchen’s expression finally relaxed a little.

Sensing that there was good content here, one of the two cameramen stayed in the dorm instead of following the eliminated trainees.

The camera zoomed in on Qi Xingchen’s face as the assistant interviewer asked, “You and Class F seem really close. Now that they’ve left, do you feel reluctant?”

“…Yeah, they’re all super adorable.” Qi Xingchen’s voice was hoarse.

“Is there anything you’d like to say to them?”

Qi Xingchen cleared his throat, about to speak, when Bo Ye suddenly interjected: “I’ve already said everything that needs to be said. I’ll take him to wash his face—please move aside.”

Saying this, Bo Ye grabbed Qi Xingchen’s arm and led him through the cameraman and the assistant interviewer.

Qi Xingchen immediately felt much better—Bo Ye was doing this so the production team wouldn’t keep poking at his sadness.

The cameramen knew they couldn’t push Bo Ye, so they had no choice but to leave.

Bo Ye dragged Qi Xingchen to the bathroom at the end of the hallway, then patted his pockets. “…Sorry, I didn’t bring tissues.”

Qi Xingchen checked his own pockets and awkwardly said, “Me neither… It’s fine, I’ll just let it air dry.”

Before Bo Ye could understand what “air dry” meant, Qi Xingchen had already shoved his head under the faucet, washing his face and hair together.

His method was simple and rough, like scrubbing laundry. His cheeks grew redder as he rubbed.

For some reason, Bo Ye suddenly remembered the time a little fan helped him remove his makeup.

That fan had been unbelievably gentle, afraid of even slightly harming his face.

So, Qi Xingchen was only gentle with him—but treated himself this roughly.

Standing beside him, Bo Ye felt his heart soften as the water droplets splashed around.

Qi Xingchen struggled for a long time before finally getting rid of all the cream on his face and hair. To avoid getting soap in his eyes, he shut them and straightened up—

The next second, his hair was wrapped in something soft. Someone whispered near his ear, “Don’t move, I’ll dry it for you.”

It was Bo Ye’s voice. Qi Xingchen’s legs went weak just from hearing it… But wait—this young master Bo, who was used to being waited on, didn’t even bring tissues. Where did he get a towel?

Qi Xingchen stood like a disciplined elementary school student, hands pressed to his sides, obediently letting Bo Ye dry his hair while he randomly guessed where the towel had come from.

The towel was soft and still carried a faint warmth.

It wasn’t until his hair was half-dried and the water on his eyelids wiped away that Qi Xingchen finally opened his eyes—only for his heart to lurch into his throat!

…Bo Ye was holding the hem of his own T-shirt, using the front of his shirt to carefully wipe Qi Xingchen’s face!

…He was using his own T-shirt! No wonder it felt warm!!

Qi Xingchen felt like his brain was about to explode, and his heart pounded wildly.

Even worse, no matter how loose the shirt, lifting it like that would definitely reveal some skin.

As long as Qi Xingchen lowered his gaze slightly, he could clearly see Bo Ye’s well-defined abs and the deep, sculpted lines of his V-cut muscles.

He could even catch a glimpse of Bo Ye’s hip bones…

This was way too damn stimulating. Qi Xingchen didn’t dare to look any longer and quickly snapped his eyes back up!

Fortunately, his face was small, so Bo Ye finished wiping it quickly. Before long, Bo Ye let go, and his shirt fell back into place, now damp and uncomfortable against his skin.

He frowned slightly. “Wait until you’re completely dry before going out—the wind is strong outside.”

“Mm… Thank you.”

“No problem.” Bo Ye glanced at Qi Xingchen’s still-reddened eyes and added, “We’re all in the same industry. As long as they don’t give up, there will always be chances to work together again. No need to be sad.”

Qi Xingchen hummed in agreement. “I’m not actually that upset. They were just too sentimental, and it made my nose sting a bit. I didn’t cry, really…”

The more he spoke, the hoarser his voice became.

In truth, he really hadn’t cried earlier—he had been holding it in. But now, hearing Bo Ye’s gentle reassurance, the wall he had built up instantly crumbled. His throat tightened, and something hot threatened to escape from his eyes.

“…If you want to cry, just cry.”

Bo Ye sighed, looking helpless. He wasn’t good at comforting people, but he was afraid his little fan would suffer from holding it in. He reached out, covering Qi Xingchen’s eyes with his palm. “It’s fine, I can’t see. It’s not embarrassing.”

“I’m not afraid of embarrassment. I wouldn’t cry over something like this.”

“Alright, you’re not crying.” Bo Ye’s palm tingled as Qi Xingchen’s trembling eyelashes brushed against it.

A moment later, a damp warmth spread across his palm.

After comforting Qi Xingchen and checking in on Kevin’s teammates, Bo Ye took his little fan back to the hotel. By then, it was already past nine at night.

It was too late to go out for dinner, so they ordered a few late-night snacks at the hotel restaurant. As usual, Bo Ye brought over a glass of milk. Qi Xingchen ate his snack, drank the milk, then patted his stomach contentedly before falling asleep.

The next day’s filming schedule was light. It mainly involved announcing the rules for the second round of performances and guiding the trainees in choosing their songs and teammates. Everything wrapped up in about half a day. The next recording was scheduled for ten days later, so Qi Xingchen said his goodbyes to Bo Ye and got into the car to head home.

After staying up late to train with Class F for so long, he was extremely sleep-deprived. The moment he had the chance, he caught up on sleep.

In a half-asleep, half-awake state, he vaguely heard An Ran’s muffled voice:

“…This response doesn’t seem ideal… He’s asleep… I’ll ask him when he wakes up…”

“What are you asking?” Qi Xingchen groggily sat up in the back seat.

“…He’s awake.” An Ran hung up the phone. “I’ll get back to them in a bit.”

Judging from An Ran’s tone, it seemed like she was discussing how to respond to some kind of controversy. As expected, she slid into the seat beside him and got straight to the point:

“Two things. First, Kevin’s agency has officially announced his withdrawal from the competition. Second, Kevin released a song overnight. I won’t go into the lyrics—you can probably guess what it’s about.”

What else could Kevin’s song be about? Most likely, it was cursing him.

Qi Xingchen had no interest in seeking trouble for himself, so he ignored Kevin and opened Weibo to check C Entertainment’s announcement.

The next second, countless notifications flooded his screen, the sheer volume making his phone buzz and lag.

Once the lag settled, he opened a private message.

[Just because you’re rich, you think you can do whatever you want? You’re nothing but a bully. Get the hell back to your golden doghouse!]

His expression remained calm as he opened the next message:

[The crematorium called. They’re asking if you want Kevin’s urn trimmed with gold. Since your family is so rich, I took the liberty of telling them to go ahead with it.]

Qi Xingchen’s expression turned serious. The original host’s mother had passed away when he was very young. While personal attacks against him didn’t bother him, dragging his family and deceased loved ones into it was truly disgusting. He took a screenshot and noted the sender’s ID.

The third private message read:

[What gives a disgusting thing like you the right to be a judge? Other than your face and money, what else do you have? If we put your IQ on a scale, would it even weigh a gram? Stop showing off your lack of intelligence and morals, you piece of trash.]

From just these three messages, Qi Xingchen could already guess what the rest of his inbox and his profile page looked like. Closing his messages, he searched for Kevin’s agency’s official Weibo account.

The first post that appeared was the withdrawal announcement.

—C Entertainment China: Yesterday afternoon, due to various reasons, our artist Kevin withdrew from the recording of My Era. Thank you to everyone who voted for him during the competition. Moving forward, Kevin will continue his career under a new identity. We hope you will continue to follow and support him.

Just two short lines, seemingly nothing out of the ordinary. But the phrase “various reasons” was particularly ambiguous—vague enough to invite speculation.

Especially since this statement was released right before Qi Xingchen’s identity was exposed and the next episode was set to air. It created the perfect illusion that Qi Xingchen had abused his power to force a popular trainee out of the competition.

Qi Xingchen locked his phone screen and turned to An Ran. “Was that the producer on the call just now?”

“Yes.”

“What’s his plan?”

“He wants all five mentors to make a joint statement, but the official response hasn’t been drafted yet.”

If all five mentors responded together, it would unify the fan base and create a strong front. But at the same time, it would drag Zheng Yuyang and the others into the mess. He already felt guilty about implicating Bo Ye—he didn’t want to burden anyone else.

“Tell the producer to hold off for now. Let’s wait and see,” Qi Xingchen decided after a brief pause. “We’ll reassess once Episode 3 airs.”

“Okay.” An Ran agreed, though the concern on her face remained.

There were still five days until the episode aired. Even if people realized then that Kevin’s attitude in the competition was problematic, what difference would it make?

The ones who wanted to curse at Qi Xingchen had already done so. The internet warriors had already gotten their fill. Kevin had gained sympathy and followers, and by then, the hype around the controversy might even have died down.

A response at that point would be meaningless.

Plus, because of how the earlier episodes had been edited, Qi Xingchen and Kevin’s conflict over the Chinese language issue would seem to have erupted out of nowhere. If someone deliberately spun the narrative to make it seem like Qi Xingchen was picking a fight, it wouldn’t be easy to clear his name.

Still, since her idol didn’t want to respond, An Ran couldn’t force him. She pouted and returned to her seat, trying to come up with alternative solutions.

Qi Xingchen understood how she felt and comforted her briefly. Just then, his phone, which had been silent for a while, lit up again.

It was Qi Yujie calling—probably to urge him to come home.

Qi Xingchen answered and assured her that he was already on his way. Qi Yujie was thrilled, reminding him to stay safe and save room for dinner.

Qi Xingchen: “…”

His sister’s cooking… probably couldn’t be considered delicious.

On the other end of the call, Qi Yujie happily hummed as she hung up.

Qi Jiaze looked up from his game of Honor of Kings, his voice urgent. “Sis, is Xingxing-ge really coming home?”

“Look at how happy she is,” Qi Xiaoming commented. “Of course, he’s coming back.”

“Not only is he coming back, but—”

Qi Yujie deliberately stretched out her words, waiting until everyone was staring at her eagerly before continuing, “He’s already on his way. He’ll be home in about an hour!”

“Really?! Really, really?!”

Qi Jiaze shot up from his seat, immediately abandoning his match. “I’m going to get Xingxing-ge’s gift! Don’t wait for me at dinner—bye!”

Before he even finished speaking, he was already gone, disappearing in a gust of wind.

“This kid… When will he stop being so careless?” Qi Yujie picked up the Belgian down pillow that Qi Jiaze had knocked over. Then she turned to her brother. “By the way, Ge, did you find out who that old man was—the one who tried to make a move on Xingxing three days ago?”

“We did,” Qi Yunxiao replied. “He’s a businessman from Y City. His last name is Wang.”

Father Qi had been about to ask the same thing. He nodded. “What kind of business is he in?”

“Family planning products,” Qi Yunxiao answered.

For most people, discussing contraception with family would be awkward. But in the business world, products were just products—cold, impersonal commodities.

Qi Yunxiao elaborated, “His company mainly produces and processes condoms, lubricants, and adult products.”

“Manufacturing, huh…”

The Qi family was an established aristocratic family that had started in real estate before expanding into e-commerce and other industries. Qi Xiaoming wasn’t too familiar with the manufacturing sector. “What do you think of this company? Is it worth buying?”

“Not worth it. I asked a friend to look into it. Wang’s company focuses on high-end products, using top-quality rubber for their materials. A box of three condoms sells for 198 yuan, and their lubricants range from 399 to 699 yuan. Because of the pricing, their distribution is limited, sales are mediocre, and their market share is low. I don’t see a promising future for this company.”

Qi Xiaoming trusted his eldest son’s judgment. After thinking for a moment, he said, “If it has no future, then we won’t buy it. Manufacturing is too much of a hassle anyway… But Xingxing can’t be scared for nothing. Make the necessary arrangements—spring is over. Let’s make sure Wang goes bankrupt.”

“No need for you to remind me.” Qi Yunxiao chuckled. “I’ve already contacted the banks and cut off his cash flow.”

Having grown up in this environment, even as a woman, Qi Yujie had a good grasp of business matters.

Bringing down a company in just a few days meant that the company had already been shaky to begin with. But it also showed just how formidable Qi Yunxiao’s methods were.

She looked at her older brother with admiration for a few seconds before asking, “How far along is the bankruptcy process? Have they started auctioning off properties yet? If the real estate is good, save some for me—I haven’t completed my plan to buy a house for Xingxing in every city yet.”

“They haven’t started liquidating the properties yet. They’re still clearing out product inventory. There are about 30,000 units left. Once they’re gone, I’ll let you know.”

“Got it! Thanks, Ge!”

Qi Yujie grinned and thanked him, then suddenly slapped her forehead as if she had just remembered something.

“Hey, Ge, we should keep the family planning products too!”

Qi Xiaoming immediately shut her down. “No nonsense. Contraceptives aren’t reliable. You need to take care of your body and stop getting so close to men!”

“…Dad, they’re not for me!” Qi Yujie felt a bit shy and pouted. “After my last boyfriend, I know exactly what I want now. These aren’t for me. They’re for Xingxing.”

“Xingxing?!” Father Qi and Qi Yunxiao exclaimed in unison. “He has a girlfriend?!”

Qi Yujie was startled by their reaction and patted her chest to calm herself down. “No, but he likes someone—don’t ask me who, I don’t know either. I just figured it out from his reactions.”

Girls were usually more sensitive to these things. Hearing this, both Father Qi and Qi Yunxiao felt a bit of an inexplicable loss.

Their little Xingxing had finally started getting closer to his family… Was he going to be taken away by someone else already?

Who was it that was stealing their precious treasure?

Qi Yunxiao took a long moment to process this before finally muttering, “Alright, I’ll listen to you. Tomorrow, I’ll call them and have them keep the stock. Thirty thousand units… That should last him a good while. When he comes back, I’ll have a talk with him.”