APCF – Chapter 81 Eating

Most of Class F had already left. The day before the performance, as requested by the program team, Qi Xingchen went to the dormitory of the remaining Class F trainees to cheer them on. On the way, he also made a stop at Han Qing’s room.

The Class A dormitory was on the top floor and was often referred to by the trainees as the “pinnacle of the pyramid” or the “home of the untouchable elites.” When Qi Xingchen entered, he covered his nose and made a suffocating gesture toward the camera.

“So, this is what success smells like?”

The assistant following him asked, “What does it smell like?”

“Rice noodle rolls, oden, fried chicken wings… and stinky socks! Who hasn’t washed their socks for this long?!”

“Hahahaha!” The assistant burst into laughter at his antics.

Qi Xingchen was already quite seasoned when it came to variety shows. As he joked with the assistant, he knocked on Han Qing’s door.

Han Qing was applying a face mask. When he saw who had come, he jumped up excitedly. “Xingxing, why are you here?! Wow, you look amazing! Your skin is so fair and glowing!”

Qi Xingchen thought Han Qing was just finding an excuse to compliment him, so he didn’t take it seriously. “…Maybe I’ve been getting good rest lately. Who else is here? Can I take a look?”

Han Qing listed a few names, then hesitated. “It’s a mess inside… Camera-ge, can you let us off the hook this time?”

Of course, the cameraman wasn’t going to miss out on good footage, so he followed Qi Xingchen inside.

The trainees, who had been lounging around, quickly sat up straight when they saw Qi Xingchen.

“Whoa, Teacher Qi! Your skin looks amazing up close, and you look so handsome!”

Qi Xingchen: “…”

Is that really true?

“You guys look great too,” he returned the compliment. “You’ll definitely look amazing on camera tomorrow.”

After some playful banter, Qi Xingchen successfully completed his support mission and quickly slipped back into the nanny van.

However, he didn’t leave right away. He asked Old Qin to wait for a bit, then turned to An Ran.

“Sis, do I really look that good?”

“Yeah! I was going to ask you,” An Ran said enviously. “Did Jiang Jiang give you some new skincare products?”

“No, I haven’t used anything,” Qi Xingchen replied, confused.

Ever since he started dating Bo Ye, he often found himself zoning out and smiling, then going back to zoning out. The rest of the time, he’d just take a shower—he hadn’t even been using the facial mask An Ran gave him, let alone applying face masks like Han Qing.

How could his skin suddenly improve?

An Ran saw him pinch his cheek and joked, “They say people in love get more attractive because their dopamine levels increase, making their skin glow.”

Qi Xingchen’s hand froze, and his fair skin showed a red mark where he had pinched it.

As they talked, An Ran had been looking directly at Qi Xingchen. She caught his reaction clearly and suddenly had a realization.

“Xingxing… You’re not in love, are you?”

“W-what? I spend all day on set, going to work and getting off work with you. Where would I even find time to date?!”

That was true. An Ran nodded in agreement. “If you ever do start dating, you have to tell me, okay? But honestly, it’s better if you don’t. You’re in a rising phase right now, and most of your fanbase consists of girlfriend and wife fans. You don’t want to lose them.”

In other words, Qi Xingchen didn’t have any major works or career-focused fans yet—he was relying purely on his popularity. If he started dating and lost a large portion of his fanbase, all the foundation he had built up might crumble.

“Mm,” Qi Xingchen responded vaguely.

He wasn’t intentionally hiding it from An Ran. It was just that if the news of him dating Bo Ye—another man—got out, it wouldn’t affect him much, but it would be a huge blow to Bo Ye’s career.

Bo Ye loved the stage so much. Qi Xingchen couldn’t bear to ruin that for him. He couldn’t afford to take a single wrong step.

Satisfied with his answer, An Ran relaxed and continued browsing her Weibo.

About half an hour later, Bo Ye and Allen got into the car.

Since Qi Xingchen and Bo Ye were staying in the same hotel and their filming schedules ended around the same time, Qi Xingchen decided not to trouble Bo Ye’s driver and offered to give him a ride instead.

Of course, there was a little bit of selfishness behind his decision.

As the second round of performances was about to start, Chen Jiayi, Wei Qin, and the others had also returned to their groups. Everyone had their own filming schedules, and since their work hours varied, plus concerns about being seen together, Qi Xingchen and Bo Ye hadn’t had much alone time since confirming their relationship.

Finally, after a long wait, Qi Xingchen found an opportunity to be with Bo Ye.

He hesitated before inching closer, and Bo Ye naturally sat down beside him. Allen couldn’t help but complain, “Boss, the car is so spacious. Why are you squeezing next to Xingxing?”

Before Bo Ye could answer, Qi Xingchen quickly responded, “I don’t mind! It’s fine!”

He was afraid that Bo Ye would listen to Allen and switch seats.

Bo Ye glanced at him and smiled silently.

Qi Xingchen then realized that his reaction had been too intense and quickly tried to cover it up. “If you feel cramped, I can sit somewhere else.”

“No need, it’s not cramped,” Bo Ye said. Of course, he knew Qi Xingchen’s little thoughts and willingly played along.

Feeling ignored, Allen clicked his tongue. “Boss, what happened to you? Didn’t you used to complain that I was too noisy and annoying, and insist that I sit a row away from you?”

“……” Bo Ye shot him a warning look. “Shut up. Sit down.”

“Fine, whatever.”

Once everyone was settled, Old Qin started the car. As the vehicle swayed slightly, Qi Xingchen moved with it, and his arm accidentally brushed against Bo Ye’s.

Bo Ye felt the touch. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he quietly reached down, found Qi Xingchen’s hand, and gave his palm a gentle squeeze.

It was a light touch—quick and fleeting. But the tingling sensation spread from Qi Xingchen’s palm, making him clench his fist slightly, trying to hold onto the warmth left behind.

Just then, his phone vibrated. Qi Xingchen took it out and glanced at the screen.

Bo: What do you want to eat tonight?

Qi Xingchen’s face gradually turned red.

Bo Ye was sitting right next to him—why not just ask directly? Why send a WeChat message like… they were having some kind of secret affair?!

Still, he chose to cooperate with Bo Ye.

Xingxing: Let’s just eat something simple. I have an early shoot tomorrow.

Bo: Congee?

Xingxing: Sure!

Qi Xingchen hesitated for a moment before sending another message.

Xingxing: By the way, Allen isn’t really the talkative type. Why do you find him annoying?

Bo: Mainly because I want some personal space outside of work.

Personal space…

Qi Xingchen suddenly had a bad feeling.

Xingxing: Am I taking up your personal space?

Bo: You’re part of my personal space too.

“…….”

Qi Xingchen almost dropped his phone.

So Bo Ye had already included him in his personal space?

Qi Xingchen felt an overwhelming sense of joy!

But happy moments always seemed short-lived. Before he knew it, they had arrived at the hotel. Qi Xingchen was reluctant to leave and lingered in his seat, unwilling to get out.

Bo Ye, understanding his thoughts, didn’t move either. They both waited until An Ran and Allen got out of the car. Once it was just the two of them inside, Bo Ye reached out and ruffled Qi Xingchen’s hair.

Only then did Qi Xingchen feel content. His single eyelid eyes curved into soft crescent folds as he smiled.

After having a light meal of congee and side dishes in the hotel restaurant, Qi Xingchen and Bo Ye went back to their respective rooms.

An Ran had something to discuss with Qi Xingchen, so she followed him inside.

They talked about script opportunities for a while, with Qi Xingchen expressing his interest in starring in a web drama. An Ran had no objections and planned to start reaching out to production teams. Before leaving, she reminded him, “Xingxing, you should post something online tonight—either a photo or a short update. Your fans have been waiting for you for ages.”

Qi Xingchen: “!!!”

Since the last episode aired, he had been preoccupied with Liang Jing’s situation and had… accidentally gotten a boyfriend. He had been so busy that he hadn’t updated his social media in days.

When he opened Weibo, he was instantly surrounded by desperate cries from his fans.

[Fan 1:] I’ve been staring at your airport photos for days. When will my son appear again? Mom has been waiting forever!

[Fan 2:] It’s the nth day without seeing my boyfriend. I miss him, I miss him, I miss him QAQ

[Fan 3:] Husband, marriage law requires you to return home ASAP!

[Fan 4:] Gege, can you show up? Even if it’s just for an ad, I’d be happy…

Reading the pitiful messages from his fans, Qi Xingchen felt a deep sense of guilt.

Taking pictures was a hassle, so he decided to just charge his tablet and start a live stream.

The last time he went live was before the theme song evaluation. Since it had been so long, not many fans were idling in his stream anymore.

After five minutes, viewers slowly trickled in.

[Fan:] Baby, the screen is black. Did it freeze?

“No, thanks for the reminder—I forgot to turn on the camera,” Qi Xingchen said as he switched it on.

[Fan:] …… AAAAAH, BABY, HOW DID YOU GET EVEN MORE HANDSOME?! THIS IS TOO UNFAIR! MOM IS ABOUT TO HAVE A NOSEBLEED!!!

Qi Xingchen joked, “The weather has been quite dry lately, take care of yourself, old man.”

[Hhhhhh what the heck, ‘take care of yourself, old man’? Hahahaha!]

He enjoyed making his fans laugh, and as more people joined the stream, he started telling jokes. Soon, the comment section was filled with endless “Hahaha”s.

Every now and then, he glanced at his phone to check messages from Bo Ye. Just then, a new message popped up.

Bo: Have you washed up yet?

Xingxing: Not yet, I started a live stream first.

His viewers noticed him looking at his phone and asked:

[Fan]: Xingxing, what are you playing with?

“Nothing much,” Qi Xingchen replied. “Ye-ge is telling me about tomorrow’s schedule.”

Clearly, among the “Starlight” fans, there were also “Night Sky” fans (Bo Ye’s fandom). One of them, with a Bo Ye profile picture, immediately asked:

[Fan]: Ye-ge, is he tired lately? Has he lost weight?

Qi Xingchen instinctively recalled the feeling of Bo Ye holding him.

There wasn’t an ounce of extra fat on his body. His physique was indeed amazing, but he was definitely on the thinner side.

Just as he was about to reassure Bo Ye’s fans, the commenter’s tone suddenly changed:

[Fan]: AAAAH! Thank you, little Qi-di (Xingchen)!

??? Why was she thanking him?

Then, more and more comments started flooding in:

[Fan]: Thank you, little Qi-di!

[Fan]: Without Qi-di, I wouldn’t be this satisfied right now!

[Fan]: What did I say? Waiting in Qi Xingchen’s live stream was totally worth it!

Qi Xingchen was completely confused. What are they talking about?!

Just then, his phone vibrated again. He thought it was Bo Ye’s reply and absentmindedly looked down to check.

But instead of WeChat, it was a special notification from Weibo—someone he followed had started a live stream.

… Bo Ye had gone live?!

Not only were Bo Ye’s fans shocked—Qi Xingchen was equally stunned. Bo Ye rarely, if ever, did live streams. Seeing him live was even harder than catching him posting something online.

Is he doing this for fan engagement too?

Qi Xingchen placed his thumb on the keyboard, about to type a message to ask, when—

A notification popped up on his tablet screen: [Bo Ye has requested to start a video connection with you.]

Qi Xingchen: “…….”

Qi Xingchen: “!!!”

What the heck?!

They were literally staying in opposite rooms. If Bo Ye wanted to talk or see him, he could just open the door and walk over. Why the need for a live stream connection—especially in front of tens of thousands of viewers?!

—Wait, scratch that. He had tens of thousands of viewers. Bo Ye had millions.

Qi Xingchen felt like he was about to suffocate.

The notification sound kept ringing. Seeing that he wasn’t responding, the viewers started urging him:

[Fan]: Baby, pick up!
[Fan]: Did he get scared?

[Fan]: LMAO is Ye-ge calling to discuss the schedule face-to-face?

[Fan]: How badly does Bo Ye want to appear in Xingxing’s live stream? If not showing up in person, then connecting via his own live? This is love, isn’t it? ❤️
[Fan]: CP fans, get out!

Last Night’s Stars CP fans: …Fine, we might have been spoiled with too much content lately. We’ll lay low now. (Sobs)

With so many people urging him, Qi Xingchen had no choice but to accept the request with a stiff expression.

The connection function in the streaming app worked similarly to a WeChat video call. On Qi Xingchen’s screen, his own face was displayed in a large frame, while Bo Ye’s appeared in a smaller window.

Qi Xingchen stared at Bo Ye’s tiny frame for a moment, checking to make sure he was fully dressed. Thankfully, unlike their last video call, Bo Ye wasn’t just wearing a bathrobe this time. Qi Xingchen let out a subtle sigh of relief.

Bo Ye greeted the audience naturally, “Hello, Starlights. I’m Bo Ye.”

[Fan]: Whoa, Ye-ge actually knows Qi Xingchen’s fan name?

Qi Xingchen followed suit, “Hello, Night Sky. I’m Qi Xingchen.”

[Fan]: Alright, alright, no need for introductions. You’re our lucky charm. Night Sky’s first love is Ye-ge, and the second is you.

With Bo Ye right in front of him, Qi Xingchen had no energy to even glance at the chat. The man was like a magnet—once he appeared, he effortlessly drew Qi Xingchen’s gaze toward him.

Trying to restrain himself from staring too much, Qi Xingchen asked, “Why did you request to connect?”

Bo Ye responded casually, “To go over the schedule.”

Qi Xingchen’s eyelid twitched—how did Bo Ye know he was stalling?

Could it be that… Bo Ye had been watching his livestream?

Had he seen him entertaining fans with jokes for the past half an hour?

Qi Xingchen suddenly wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it.

But Bo Ye had no intention of letting him off the hook. He really started quizzing him about the schedule: “What’s the first thing on the agenda for tomorrow’s shoot?”

“Reading out the competition rules,” Qi Xingchen answered listlessly.

“And after that?”

“Trainee group performances.”

“What comes next?”

“Live audience voting.”

“And finally?”

“The votes are combined—live votes weighted with online votes—and the top 44 contestants remain based on their scores.”

If it were any other topic, Qi Xingchen might have struggled to answer. But when it came to his job, he was completely confident.

Bo Ye had gone live and connected with him—not really to discuss work, but because they hadn’t had enough time together in the car. He was probably afraid his little fanboy would feel neglected, so he came here to tease him instead.

Bo Ye continued asking, “And after all that is done?”

He asked this because he remembered how, after the last round of filming, Qi Xingchen had hugged the F-class trainees and cried with them.

At the time, Bo Ye had felt a deep ache in his heart, but he didn’t know how to comfort him. Now, things were different—he had every right to hold his little fanboy until he stopped crying.

His gaze softened as he looked at the screen, waiting for Qi Xingchen’s response.

The next moment, Qi Xingchen replied smoothly, “Of course, it’s to have a meal with you!”

Bo Ye: “…….”

Night Sky & Starlight fandoms: [“Huh?”]

Last Night’s Stars CP fans: [“Waaaah! It’s not that I don’t want to stop shipping them—it’s that THEY won’t stop giving us content! I CAN’T ESCAPE THIS SHIP AAAAAH!!!”]

Predictably, Qi Xingchen’s livestream had—once again—spiraled out of control.

Almost immediately, “Of course, it’s to have a meal with you!” became the hottest phrase in his fan community.

Fans started using it everywhere:

• Someone posted a scenic photo, and mutual fans commented: “The weather is so nice—of course, it’s to have a meal with you!”
• Someone showed off a new designer bag, and friends replied: “Carrying my new bag—of course, it’s to have a meal with you!”
• A student complained about endless homework, and their study buddy joked: “Before doing homework—of course, it’s to have a meal with you!”

Just like that, Qi Xingchen went from being a handsome young idol to earning a new title—the “Let’s Eat” Idol.

Thankfully, the meme stayed within the Starlight and Night Sky fandoms. It didn’t spread beyond their circle, so Qi Xingchen could still face his colleagues without dying of embarrassment.

The next morning, Qi Xingchen woke up, neatly combed his hair, and put on a sharp suit. No matter what happened online, he was still the strict and serious Teacher Qi at work.

As expected, the second round of the competition went exactly as he had described yesterday. After intense competition, only 44 trainees remained.

Among them, F-class was left with only one survivor—Han Qing, who successfully advanced, ranking 9th overall. His position was quite secure.

After a final meeting with the production team and seeing off the eliminated trainees, Qi Xingchen returned to the hotel to pack up and head home.

On his way downstairs, he unexpectedly ran into Bo Ye.

For the past seven years, Bo Ye had been continuously pushing his musical boundaries, exploring different styles with every album. With each release, his music aligned more and more with international trends.

Qi Xingchen looked at him and thought—Should I say it again?

“Of course, it’s to have a meal with you!”

In the next round of the original composition competition, many trainees struggled to make decisions. Since Bo Ye was the expert, they all came to him for advice. After the meeting ended, everyone else left—only Bo Ye stayed behind in the practice room to help guide them in selecting their composition styles.

Qi Xingchen was happy to catch a glimpse of him before leaving. He walked up to Bo Ye in small, eager steps.

Bo Ye asked, “How long will you be gone?”

“Three days.”

“Spend quality time with your family.”

And I need to properly make it up to my big brother too! Qi Xingchen thought to himself. He replied, “I know… um, by the way…”

Seeing him hesitating, Bo Ye sighed and said, “Just say it.”

Qi Xingchen cautiously asked, “Can I… video call you every day?”

In the six months they had known each other, they had only video-called twice. If he started calling Bo Ye every single day, would that be too much?

Hearing the question, Bo Ye sighed again—this time, more helplessly. “Of course, you can.”

Hehehe, YES! YES YES YES!

Qi Xingchen cheered internally, but before he could fully enjoy his victory, a wave of reluctance hit him hard.

He hadn’t felt sad sending off the F-class trainees earlier that day. But now, at this moment, he was completely unwilling to leave.

Three days! That was a whole three days!

He had to be away from Bo Ye for three entire days!

Qi Xingchen blinked a few times, his voice turning soft and muffled. “Are you done with filming?”

“No, I took time off from the trainees.”

“You took leave… just to see me one last time?”

Bo Ye couldn’t help but chuckle at that dramatic phrasing. He shook the car keys in his hand and smirked,

“Of course, it’s to have a meal with you!”

Qi Xingchen: “……”

Excuse me?! Why are you using my own meme against me?!

You big meanie! Hmph!