APCF – Chapter 85 All Square

“Huh?”

Early in the morning, Qi Xingchen was still groggy when he got into the car, only to be startled awake by An Ran’s loud exclamation.

He took a sip of milk and complained with resentment, “What’s going on, An Ran-jie?”

“Why are you wearing a high-collared shirt?” An Ran asked curiously. “It’s almost 30 degrees today. Aren’t you afraid of getting hot? Won’t it be inconvenient for dancing?”

Qi Xingchen: “……”

He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “I forgot to turn off the air conditioning before bed last night. My neck feels a bit chilly, so I’m wearing a high-collared shirt to warm up.”

“Oh no, you didn’t catch a cold, did you?” An Ran looked worried. “Let me check.”

Having spent so much time together, An Ran treated Qi Xingchen like a younger brother. Without hesitation, she reached out to touch his neck.

Qi Xingchen quickly stopped her. “No need, no need, it’s not a big deal.”

“Are you sure?”

“Really. If something was wrong, I’d tell you.”

“Alright then.” An Ran reluctantly returned to her seat.

Crisis averted, Qi Xingchen let out a small sigh of relief and closed his eyes for a quick nap.

But when they arrived at the practice room, he was immediately bombarded with questions from his five little trainees.

“Teacher Qi, your shirt looks so stylish! But isn’t it hot to wear?”

Qi Xingchen casually responded, “It’s all part of the look. On stage, it’s common to see people wearing fur coats in summer or shorts in winter. I’m no different.”

“Ohh, that makes sense!” The trainees, thoroughly convinced, nodded in confusion and let it go.

Qi Xingchen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and gathered everyone for warm-ups.

Halfway through, Xie Yuan suddenly spoke up. “Oh, right, Teacher Qi, we found out something last night.”

“What is it?”

“After we got back to the dorms, I asked around with the other groups,” Xie Yuan paused for a moment. “It turns out that Teacher Wei’s group is taking a similar approach to ours, focusing on dance-heavy performances.”

Qi Xingchen nodded. He wasn’t surprised—Wei Qin’s dance skills were stronger than his vocals, so it made sense that he’d focus on choreography.

“Have you guys heard the song their group is using?” Qi Xingchen asked.

“No, they just finalized their concept yesterday and are rearranging the music today,” Xie Yuan replied.

Yang Leyin chimed in, “That means they’re about half a day behind us.”

Meng Meng added, “Yeah. And from what I know, our group is currently the furthest along.”

At this, the others couldn’t help but look at Qi Xingchen. If he hadn’t made quick and decisive decisions about the arrangement, they wouldn’t have gained this half-day advantage.

Half a day might not seem like much, but with less than six days of preparation in total, it was enough to make a big difference.

Unfortunately, Qi Xingchen didn’t notice the gratitude and admiration in their gazes. His mind was solely focused on figuring out how to avoid direct competition with Wei Qin.

If both groups performed similar dance-heavy songs—especially since they were in adjacent positions, with Wei Qin’s team as Group Three and his as Group Four—the audience would inevitably compare them.

And in a direct comparison, Group Four had no chance of winning.

Just based on Weibo followers alone, Wei Qin’s popularity was more than double his. Not to mention, Wei Qin came from an idol survival show and had way more stage experience.

If they went head-to-head, it would be like crushing an ant.

He had to find a way to win with an unexpected move.

Qi Xingchen thought for a moment, then gathered the team and said thoughtfully, “I want to modify the dance sequence during the interlude…”

After hearing Qi Xingchen’s suggestion, all the team members raised their hands in agreement. They spent ten minutes making adjustments before diving back into practice.

By noon, Qi Xingchen was torn between eating with Bo Ye or joining his teammates for lunch. Before he could make a decision, Bo Ye messaged him first.

[What do you want to eat for lunch?]

Qi Xingchen replied: [What do you feel like eating?]

Bo: [Up to you.]

Qi Xingchen suddenly remembered last night’s events, feeling a little petty. He replied with a hint of defiance:

[I want to eat with the trainees.]

But three seconds after sending the message, he regretted it.

—What if Bo Ye actually took him at his word and didn’t ask him to eat together?!

He threw away his sweat-drenched tissue, panicking as he tried to recall the message.

But before he could, two new messages popped up on the screen.

Bo: [Okay.]

Bo: [Got it.]

Qi Xingchen: “???”

…What do you mean ‘okay’? What do you ‘got’?!

He was absolutely fuming!!

As Lu Xun once said, the blisters on your feet are caused by your own walking. Qi Xingchen finally understood this painful truth.

He deeply regretted his own moment of stubbornness. Why did he have to be petty? Why did he say he wasn’t going to eat with Bo Ye?!

The competition was already in its second-to-last round, and soon, the show would be over. After that, he and Bo Ye would go their separate ways.

With Bo Ye’s packed schedule of upcoming events, who knew when they’d even see each other again?

Every meal is one less opportunity to eat. Being able to see each other is not easy—cherish it while you can.

He was so frustrated that he lost his appetite entirely. Silently, he returned to the mirror, deciding to think about eating again in half an hour.

But before he could turn on the music, the practice room door was suddenly knocked on. A pleasant, low voice came through—Bo Ye’s voice:

“Can we come in?”

We?

How many people?

Could it be that the program team was here for a group shoot?

The trainees quickly tidied up their appearances, exchanging glances with Qi Xingchen for confirmation.

Qi Xingchen remained expressionless: “Sure, come in.”

As soon as he spoke, the door swung open. Bo Ye entered first, followed by… five other trainees.

All from the same team—Bo Ye’s teammates.

Qi Xingchen glanced outside the door but saw no sign of the filming crew.

Puzzled, he asked, “Where’s the filming team?”

Bo Ye hesitated for a moment: “Do you need them for something?”

“…Aren’t you here for filming?”

After a few rounds of confusion, Bo Ye finally realized that his little fan had misunderstood.

Amused, he wondered how Qi Xingchen’s mind had jumped to such an unrelated conclusion while casually calling over the trainees from Group Four. “You’ve practiced enough—take a break. I’ll treat you all to a meal.”

“Really?! Oh my god—!!!”

The practice room instantly erupted in excited screams!

Who was Bo Ye? He was the peak—the idol every aspiring singer-dancer looked up to.

Having the chance to spend time with him—how could they not be excited?

Dumbfounded, Qi Xingchen was swept out of the practice room by Xie Yuan and the others before he could even react.

A cameraman stationed outside the Group Four practice room noticed the potential for footage and hurriedly followed them.

It wasn’t long before Qi Xingchen regained his senses. Taking a quick step forward, he caught up to Bo Ye and instinctively grabbed his arm. “Trainees are under closed training—how are we supposed to take them out?”

“I already spoke with the program team.”

“And they agreed?”

“Even if they didn’t, they had to. Besides…” Bo Ye raised an eyebrow at the two cameramen behind them. “They benefit from this too.”

Qi Xingchen suddenly became aware that not only was he surrounded by a bunch of excitable kids, but also by two cameras recording everything. Embarrassed, he let go of Bo Ye’s arm.

The very next second, as if sensing his disappointment, Bo Ye casually rested his elbow on Qi Xingchen’s shoulder.

It looked just like how close high schoolers would drape their arms over each other’s shoulders when they were good friends.

Except everyone knew—Bo Ye had never been this physically affectionate with anyone… at least, not in front of the cameras.

The ten trainees exchanged glances, instantly forming a silent, united front.

Sensing good footage, one of the cameramen approached them. “Teacher Bo, do you often rest your arm on Teacher Qi like this?”

Seeing the dark camera lens aimed at him, Qi Xingchen instinctively shrugged, trying to shake Bo Ye’s arm off.

He was afraid people would notice something unusual.

However, Bo Ye simply pressed his elbow down, keeping it firmly in place as he calmly responded: “Not often. We usually interact face-to-face more.”

Qi Xingchen immediately thought of their late-night training sessions… indeed, their “face-to-face interactions” were quite frequent.

His ears heated up.

The cameraman asked a few more questions about them, but Bo Ye answered flawlessly, revealing nothing. Before long, they arrived at the parking lot, where Bo Ye organized the trainees onto the program’s minibus.

Qi Xingchen was the second-to-last to get on. Most of the seats were already taken, so he sat in the second row.

Bo Ye was the last to board—and naturally took the seat beside him.

After capturing their interactions, the cameraman moved to the back to continue filming the other trainees. As the minibus started moving, Qi Xingchen quickly lowered his voice: “Why did you suddenly decide to treat the trainees to a meal?”

Bo Ye gave him a sidelong glance: “I wasn’t planning to treat the trainees.”

“Then why did you bring all these people, arrange with the program team, and get a minibus? Is there a script?”

“What script…” Bo Ye sighed helplessly. “I wanted to take you out for a meal.”

After a pause, he added in a soft, almost exasperated tone: “Idiot.”

The actual idiot, Qi Xingchen, still didn’t fully understand. If Bo Ye wasn’t doing this for the show, then why make such a big fuss about bringing everyone along?

Seeing his confused expression, Bo Ye patiently explained, “You wanted to eat with the trainees. I wanted to eat with you. So, I had to bring everyone along.”

…So he was paying the price for his own petty sulking.

After hearing this, Qi Xingchen felt a wave of guilt and rubbed his nose in embarrassment.

Given Bo Ye’s usual eating habits and his intention to let the trainees enjoy themselves, this meal would have to be extravagant.

A meal for over ten people—a good meal—would cost a fortune!

Qi Xingchen felt both guilty and distressed, silently swearing to himself:

I will never say something out of spite again!

Unaware of Qi Xingchen’s inner turmoil, Bo Ye pulled out his earphones, handed one to him, and kept one for himself, listening to music in silence.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant.

Qi Xingchen looked up at the glowing sign that read Japanese BBQ—and nearly cried at the thought of how expensive it would be.

Bo Ye had made a reservation in advance for a large private room. Inside, there were two tables—one large and one small. The smaller table could seat four, while the larger one could accommodate about fourteen.

The cameramen, who hadn’t eaten yet either, were invited to join and sat at the smaller table, while Bo Ye, Qi Xingchen, and the trainees took the larger one.

The restaurant used traditional charcoal grills, with four placed along the long table.

Once the orders were placed, trays of wagyu beef, marbled short ribs, and premium cuts arrived in a steady stream.

Qi Xingchen stared at a plate of six pieces of wagyu beef priced at 398 yuan, feeling his soul leave his body.

The trainees skilled in grilling took on the role of servers. As the rich aroma of searing beef filled the room, one trainee picked up the best piece and placed it in Bo Ye’s plate.

“Teacher Bo, thank you for treating us to BBQ!”

“No problem.” Bo Ye calmly transferred the meat to Qi Xingchen’s plate. “Order whatever you like—no need to hold back.”

The others watched his movements, smacking their lips before eagerly expressing their thanks.

Qi Xingchen, flustered by the teasing looks, rubbed his burning ears.

At their age, they had big appetites, and having been stuck in training for so long, they devoured the food enthusiastically.

As Qi Xingchen listened to the sound of meat being devoured, all he could think was:

They’re eating Bo Ye’s money. They’re eating Bo Ye’s money. They’re eating Bo Ye’s money.

Even the meat in his own bowl started tasting bland.

Bo Ye, who never had much of an appetite, noticed him just poking at his food and frowned: “You don’t like it?”

“…No, I’m just not that hungry.”

Bo Ye recalled how his arms could nearly wrap around Qi Xingchen’s waist last night and how his bony shoulders had jabbed him earlier. His expression turned serious.

“Not hungry or not, eat more. You’re too skinny.”

Qi Xingchen: “One piece of meat costs over sixty yuan.”

Bo Ye: “……”

Pressing his fingers against his temple, he warned, “If you don’t eat properly, I’ll have to feed you myself.”

Qi Xingchen’s face instantly turned bright red.

Don’t say it, but he actually kind of wanted Bo Ye to feed him.

Of course, it was just a thought. With so many people around, if Bo Ye really did feed him, it would make headlines in no time.

Under Bo Ye’s “tyranny,” Qi Xingchen symbolically ate a few pieces of meat and half a grilled lemon Pacific saury.

Halfway through the meal, now that their stomachs had some food, the trainees couldn’t suppress their lively nature. They started chatting, one after another, their words overlapping as they playfully chased and teased each other, turning the place into a lively mess.

Bo Ye preferred quiet and wasn’t fond of the noise. When he saw the cameraman finish eating and start filming the trainees, he silently moved to a smaller table.

On the way, he grabbed his little fan by the collar and took him along.

He called a waiter and ordered a few more plates of meat and vegetables.

Qi Xingchen quickly stopped him. “I think everyone’s pretty much full. Why are you ordering more?”

“For you.”

Qi Xingchen: “But I’m already full!”

Bo Ye couldn’t be bothered to answer. He had been watching his little fan the whole time—how much he ate, whether he was full or not—did Qi Xingchen really think he wouldn’t notice?

Lowering his gaze, Bo Ye watched the charcoal stove. When the food arrived, he picked up some shrimp and meat with tongs and placed them on the grill. His movements were quite clumsy.

Qi Xingchen watched for a while before realizing—Bo Ye was grilling the meat for him.

…Young Master Bo, who had been pampered since childhood, was actually grilling meat for him!

“N-no need! I can do it myself!” Qi Xingchen hurriedly tried to stop him.

Bo Ye said indifferently, “Sit still and behave. I’ll do it for you.”

Qi Xingchen: “But—”

Bo Ye lifted his eyelids and shot him a look, instantly shutting him up. With no other choice, Qi Xingchen could only sit obediently and wait.

Fortunately, grilling meat wasn’t too complicated, and Bo Ye managed to do a decent job. He picked up a cheese-baked prawn, examined it from multiple angles to confirm it was cooked, removed the head and shell, and then brought it to Qi Xingchen’s mouth.

Qi Xingchen: “!!!”

He-he-he… he actually fed him!

“T-there are people watching!” Qi Xingchen stammered. “Put it down!”

Qi Xingchen was facing away from the long table, while Bo Ye was facing it directly, meaning Bo Ye could see the trainees’ situation. He didn’t move his hand. “Eat. Don’t worry, no one’s looking.”

Regardless of whether anyone was actually watching, if they continued to stay like this, they would only attract more attention. Qi Xingchen clenched his teeth, deciding to just go all in, and swallowed the whole prawn in one bite.

After that, to prevent himself from being fed again, Qi Xingchen focused on stuffing his stomach.

Bo Ye finally showed a satisfied expression. When he saw Qi Xingchen wipe his mouth, he chuckled softly. “Why is your face so red?”

“…The room is too hot. From the grill,” Qi Xingchen muttered.

“Oh, right,” Bo Ye suddenly remembered something. “It’s so warm today—aren’t you hot wearing a high-collared shirt?”

Qi Xingchen’s face turned redder, almost dripping blood.

“It’s because of you…” he said awkwardly. “You kissed my neck last night and left a mark.”

Bo Ye was momentarily stunned. Then, he reached out and tugged at Qi Xingchen’s collar.

Sure enough, slightly to the left on the back of Qi Xingchen’s neck was a faint hickey.

It was from last night when Bo Ye had gotten carried away, but he hadn’t sucked very hard.

Qi Xingchen must have incredibly fair and delicate skin—just the slightest touch left marks.

Just like how two days ago, Bo Ye had grabbed Qi Xingchen’s waist, and later, when Qi Xingchen was dancing, Bo Ye accidentally noticed faint finger marks on his side.

…What kind of skin was this?

Bo Ye let go, straightened Qi Xingchen’s collar, and seeing the little fan’s aggrieved expression, he whispered, “My bad. I won’t kiss your neck next time.”

Qi Xingchen: ….

What the hell? Won’t kiss his neck?

A high-collared shirt doesn’t cost much—he can definitely afford another one!

Bo Ye couldn’t figure out what Qi Xingchen was thinking, so he changed tactics. “Once we get in the car, I’ll massage it for you and try to make the mark fade faster.”

…Enough. Seriously, enough.

Qi Xingchen fell into deep despair.

He had to take matters into his own hands.

He pursed his lips, hesitated for a few seconds, then suddenly gasped, “Ah! Bo Ye, I think some charcoal ash flew into my eye. It really hurts—help me check!”

Bo Ye immediately pushed off the table and bent down to check his eyes.

But before he could see if there was actually a problem, a sudden wet sensation and a tiny sting spread across his Adam’s apple.

Qi Xingchen tilted his chin up and quickly bit him.

“Alright, now we’re even!” he announced triumphantly.