APCF – Chapter 78 Silence

Earlier, he was told to stay safe, but just a few sentences later, the topic abruptly shifted to someone coming to pick him up. Qi Xingchen didn’t understand why this person had suddenly changed their mind.

He quickly refused: [No need, thanks. An Ran-jie already notified the production team to send a car for me. You do your thing.]

Bo: [Landing time?]

Xingxing: [Seriously, no need!]

Bo: [I’m not busy.]

To be honest, after nearly a week apart, if Bo Ye was the first person he saw upon arriving in S City… it actually sounded kind of nice.

Qi Xingchen hesitantly asked: [Really?]

Bo: [Mm.]

Xingxing: [Aren’t you afraid of making the headlines again?]

Bo Ye let out a soft scoff.

Bo: [I’ve never been afraid of anything.]

Debuting at seventeen, Bo Ye had been in the industry for almost eight years now. He had experienced everything and overcome everything.

He truly had nothing to fear.

Qi Xingchen’s heart gave a little quiver, and obediently, he sent over his flight details.

His flight was scheduled to depart at 9 AM. He had deliberately chosen an earlier flight. Waking up at six in the morning to wash up and pack, he went downstairs at seven for breakfast. The Qi family, including Qi Jiaze, all turned to look at him and, in unison, let out a dramatic “Wow!”

Qi Xingchen: “…What are you guys doing?”

“Stunned by your handsomeness,” Qi Jiaze exaggerated.

Qi Xingchen: “…”

One’s appearance usually suffered after a flight, and since he was about to see Bo Ye soon, of course… he had to look presentable.

“No wonder your fanbase at school keeps growing,” Qi Jiaze grumbled. “They’re always calling you ‘husband’ and ‘gege’ on the forums. They don’t even stop to think about who your real little brother is.”

This little brat—was he seriously jealous of his fans? Qi Xingchen couldn’t help but laugh.

Seeing that the kid had woken up early just to see him off, Qi Xingchen decided to be the bigger person. He ruffled the boy’s hair a few times, quickly finished his breakfast, grabbed his luggage, and headed for the car.

Then, Qi Jiaze, Qi Yuji, Qi Yunxiao, and Father Qi came up one by one.

At that moment, Qi Xingchen deeply understood the sorrow of migrant workers who had to leave their families behind.

S City wasn’t far from H City. After a short nap, the plane had already entered its taxiing phase.

Still drowsy, Qi Xingchen sat up in a daze. After a few seconds of clarity, he suddenly grabbed An Ran. “Is my hair messy?!”

“No, it’s not messy at all! You look great!” An Ran said happily. “You’re becoming more and more conscious about your image management lately. Not like back when you filmed Heart of the Ocean and just wore anything. Not bad, not bad.”

Qi Xingchen felt a little embarrassed, his gaze shifting from side to side. “I know it’s not good for fans to see me looking sloppy… Come on, An Ran-jie, let’s get off the plane.”

“Why are you in such a hurry…”

Ignoring An Ran’s nagging, Qi Xingchen dashed toward the baggage carousel. After grabbing his luggage, he couldn’t help but urge her, “Give me your suitcase, let’s go quickly.”

“No way. If fans see, they’ll say the company is mistreating you. I’ll carry it myself.”

“Ugh, stop arguing. Guys are supposed to take care of girls…”

After a brief struggle, An Ran eventually lost. She wasn’t as strong as him, so she reluctantly gave in, clicking her high heels as she hurried after him.

When they reached the arrivals area, she instantly understood why her artist was in such a rush.

—Outside the arrival gate, a large group of boys and girls, big brothers and sisters, uncles and aunties had surrounded a young man. Some were shouting for autographs, others were holding up their phones to take pictures.

Some even had Qi Xingchen’s light signs in hand. Clearly, they had come to pick up Qi Xingchen, but unexpectedly, they hit the jackpot and got a hidden surprise—a rare special edition appearance. The excitement was palpable!

An Ran was momentarily stunned before blurting out in surprise, “Wasn’t Ye-ge supposed to be at the show’s filming location this whole time? Why is he at the airport?”

Qi Xingchen was even more confused.

He had assumed that when Bo Ye said he was coming to pick him up, he meant waiting in the parking lot.

Who would’ve thought this guy would show up in such a grand, blatant, and high-profile way—standing right outside the arrival gate, practically asking to be photographed!

Seeing that An Ran was still puzzled, Qi Xingchen coughed lightly and murmured, “He’s here to pick me up.”

An Ran: “…WTF?”

Worried that Bo Ye might get overwhelmed by the crowd—or worse, disrupt public order—Qi Xingchen didn’t bother explaining further. He quickly stepped toward the commotion.

Allen and the bodyguards were trying to control the crowd while Bo Ye remained behind them, signing autographs for the people shoving notebooks toward him.

At that moment, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, “Teacher Qi?!”

Bo Ye lifted his head and instantly spotted the boy from the photo he had seen two days ago. His expression carried a trace of urgency, not as bright as the smile in the picture.

His gaze turned cold in an instant.

The Starlights who had been buzzing around Bo Ye saw Qi Xingchen come out. Reluctantly, they left Bo Ye’s side and swarmed toward their own idol. Some onlookers, simply there for the spectacle, also moved toward Qi Xingchen, leaving a large empty space around Bo Ye.

“Ding~” A notification sound chimed. Bo Ye took out his phone.

Xingxing: [I’ll divert them. You go wait for me in the underground parking lot.]

Bo Ye didn’t reply and simply put his phone away.

Five minutes later, as Qi Xingchen continued signing autographs and chatting with the Starlights, his vision was suddenly blocked.

A tall figure loomed over him.

Bo Ye grabbed his suitcase and said in a flat tone, “Let’s go.”

Starlights & Onlookers: “Hmm???”

CP fans mixed in the crowd: “AAAAHHH!!!”

For some reason, Qi Xingchen felt like Bo Ye wasn’t in a good mood. While trying to figure out what had upset him, he continued chatting with the Starlights while following behind Bo Ye.

“Gege, have you been resting well these past few days?”

Qi Xingchen: “Not bad.”

“In the last episode of My Era, you completely A-ed Kevin in the face! It was so badass! Have you learned rap before?”

“A-ed in the face? What does that mean? I learned a little rap before my debut.”

“The F-class trainees are amazing! They’re definitely going to do better and better. You don’t have to keep worrying about them, gege.”

“Thank you. I think so too.”

“Xingxing,” a girl cautiously asked, “Did Ye-ge come here specifically to pick you up?”

Qi Xingchen knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge this question. He glanced at the girl and found her somewhat familiar.

Up ahead, Bo Ye seemed to have heard the question too. He paused for a moment and then said to the girl, “Your hair is shorter.”

“AHHHH! Ye-ge, you actually remember me?!” The girl was beyond excited. “I have military training soon, so I cut my hair short when I got back!”

Qi Xingchen finally remembered—wasn’t she the Zuo Ye Xingchen CP fan who had asked them for autographs during the first round of evaluations in the studio?

Bo Ye had so many fans, yet he could remember the hairstyle change of someone he had only met once.

Qi Xingchen thought to himself—no wonder people kept falling deeper and deeper for Bo Ye.

Because no matter how many fans he gained, Bo Ye never treated them as mere tools for making money. He genuinely cared about them from the bottom of his heart, treating them like friends and family.

…Bo Ye was a god, right? An angel? Oh my god!!

He had fallen for the best person in the world!!!

He was so happy he could explode into bubbles!

He even felt a bit grateful to the author of Night’s Peach Blossom for writing the male lead’s dedication to his career so accurately—just like the real Bo Ye.

As for his personality… well, of course, the Bo Ye in the novel was better. Otherwise, Qi Xingchen wouldn’t have fallen for him so recklessly.

The real Bo Ye was too high above, someone he could only look up to—there was no way he could feel anything beyond admiration.

Lost in his thoughts, Qi Xingchen didn’t even notice Bo Ye had stopped walking.

“Oh my god—”

He took two steps forward, and thankfully, his reflexes kicked in just in time. He screeched to a halt, narrowly avoiding crashing into Bo Ye’s back!

“W-Why did you stop all of a sudden?” Qi Xingchen pulled his hat down lower, making sure no one around had noticed his embarrassment, and asked in a small voice.

Bo Ye said coldly, “Because you’re dawdling.”

Qi Xingchen: “……”

Qi Xingchen: “S-Sorry, I’ll hurry up.”

Who on earth had pissed off Young Master Bai today? He was so fierce.

The parking lot elevator wasn’t far ahead. Qi Xingchen shook off his unnecessary thoughts and prepared to keep moving forward.

But unexpectedly, because they had both suddenly stopped, the bodyguard—who had been busy maintaining order—didn’t notice and crashed straight into Qi Xingchen!

The bodyguard was tall and strong. If he took that hit, even if he didn’t fall, it would definitely hurt like hell.

Not to mention, he was surrounded by female fans. There was nowhere to dodge!

His only option was to brace himself, trying his best not to fall flat on his face in front of everyone and embarrass the entire Qi family.

However, just as the bodyguard was about to slam into him, a hand wrapped around his shoulder, gently pulling him into an embrace before turning to shield him.

“Thud!” A solid impact of flesh against flesh.

But Qi Xingchen didn’t feel any pain at all.

Bo Ye had taken the hit for him.

The fans in the outer circle couldn’t see what had happened, but those closer to them did. The CP fans were completely dizzy from the moment, while the Starlights and onlookers didn’t overthink it and simply thanked Bo Ye on Qi Xingchen’s behalf.

“Thank you, Ye-ge!”

“T-Thanks… Are you okay?” Qi Xingchen belatedly asked.

Bo Ye let go of him, neither looking at him nor saying a word.

As the warmth faded, Qi Xingchen’s face turned red. He sniffled slightly, realizing that his whole body was now covered in that faint, cool fragrance that belonged to Bo Ye.

After bidding farewell to the fans, they returned to the hotel. Bo Ye went straight to the recording studio, while Qi Xingchen and An Ran had lunch together.

Qi Xingchen had intended to take a nap afterward, but he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

So he sent a message to Allen: [Allen, has someone made your boss angry these past few days?]

About half an hour later, Allen replied: [Nope, who would dare?]

Xingxing: [Then is he just too busy? I feel like his mood isn’t great.]

Allen: [Eh?]

Allen: [Now that you mention it… maybe since yesterday morning? I also felt he was a bit irritable.]

Xingxing: [Did something happen?]

Allen: [……Nothing really happened.]

Qi Xingchen sighed and put down his phone.

Even Allen, who was closest to Bo Ye, didn’t know what was going on. There was no way he could figure it out either.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly, as if a lightbulb had gone off in his head, his eyes lit up.

With a swift movement, he rolled off the bed, wrapped himself up, and left the hotel, heading straight to the nearby supermarket.

Half an hour later, he returned carrying a bunch of ingredients and seasonings—beef, shrimp, avocado, endives, and more.

His suite had a small kitchenette. The kitchenware wasn’t fully equipped, as it was mainly meant for guests to heat up meals or make simple dishes.

But it was enough to pan-fry some meat or cook some noodles. He placed the steak into the pan, slowly searing it over low heat. He deveined the shrimp, then blanched them in boiling water. He washed and chopped the vegetables, mixing up a salad dressing and vinaigrette according to a recipe…

At 5:30 PM, Bo Ye finished recording and returned to the hotel.

Just as he was about to enter his room, the person across from him called out, “Wait! Don’t close the door!”

Bo Ye: “Hm?”

Qi Xingchen didn’t say anything. He simply walked over, carrying two plates, and entered Bo Ye’s room, placing them on the table.

Turning back to his room, Qi Xingchen brought out two more plates.

“All done!” He clapped his hands. “The kitchen here is pretty basic, so don’t mind the simplicity.”

Bo Ye glanced over the table—tomato meat sauce pasta, Caesar salad, pan-seared shrimp with sea salt, a fruit platter…

The little guy wasn’t wrong. With such limited kitchen conditions, making all of this must have taken a lot of effort.

A softness spread through Bo Ye’s heart, but at the same time, his thoughts spiraled out of control—

Right now, his little fan was cooking for him, but a few days ago, when he was at home, had he also cooked for that man?

Was Qi Xingchen only this good to him, or… was he just this good to anyone close to him?

Setting down his script, phone, and other items, Bo Ye headed to the bathroom to wash his hands. When he came back, Qi Xingchen had already prepared the utensils and was sitting at the table, waiting for him.

The meal was eaten in relative silence, with most of the conversation consisting of Qi Xingchen asking questions and Bo Ye answering. Still, all the food was finished—not a single bite was wasted.

So as Qi Xingchen washed the dishes, he sighed dramatically.

He failed to cheer Bo Ye up—tut!

But he wasn’t someone who gave up easily. After they cleaned up the table together, he pulled out a script and said in a soft voice, “You promised to help me analyze it!”

“Alright,” Bo Ye pressed his fingers against his temple, “let me take a look.”

Qi Xingchen eagerly laid out two scripts in front of Bo Ye. Bo Ye propped his head up with one hand while flipping through the pages with the other.

His long fingers and the exposed skin of his wrist were even paler than the paper itself. Qi Xingchen stared for a few seconds before his ears turned red, and he quickly looked away.

Before long, Bo Ye finished skimming through the scripts. After a moment of thought, he said, “An Ran made thoughtful choices. Both dramas have solid plots and teams. The first one, a workplace drama, suits your current career stage—it’ll help boost your public recognition, and the role aligns well with your image, making it easier to pull off.”

“The other one is a web drama. The character has a complex backstory and deep emotional layers, making it harder to master… but if you carry the role well, it’ll be more impressive than the workplace drama.”

“Of course, web dramas don’t have the same prestige as prime-time TV dramas. If its reception is mediocre, you’d essentially be wasting the golden period of your rising popularity…” Bo Ye paused, then concluded, “In short, the workplace drama is the safer choice, while the web drama is the riskier one. It depends on what kind of path you want to take.”

Bo Ye’s analysis was almost exactly what Qi Xingchen had been thinking. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “I want to choose…”

Bo Ye: “The risky path?”

“…How did you know?”

Bo Ye let out a silent chuckle. He knew this little fan’s personality all too well.

Since they had reached an agreement, Qi Xingchen grinned and eagerly discussed the script with Bo Ye. Unfortunately, when it came to work, Bo Ye was attentive and thorough, answering every question.

But the moment Qi Xingchen tried to probe into his mood, Bo Ye’s brows furrowed tighter, and his tone turned colder.

After about an hour, noticing Bo Ye’s growing fatigue, Qi Xingchen reluctantly decided to head back to his room, planning to continue cheering him up tomorrow.

Before leaving, he sighed. “If something is bothering you, you can tell me. I’ll share the burden with you.”

Bo Ye’s frustration only grew stronger.

Was he supposed to tell his little fan: I’m upset because you were too close to that man?

Was he supposed to act possessively and forbid his little fan from going out with his childhood friend?

What right did he have to say or do any of that?

“It’s nothing. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Bo Ye suppressed the surge of emotions within him, turned around, and grabbed a bunch of bottles from the fridge, dumping them into Qi Xingchen’s arms.

“This is the milk I owe you these past few days. Now go get some sleep.”