APCF – Chapter 91 Clothes

Qi Xingchen: “She hasn’t come even once?”

“No,” Tao Xuan replied in confusion. “Why, Brother Xingxing? Has my sister returned to H City?”

Hearing his question, Qi Xingchen froze, unsure how to answer.

If he told Tao Xuan that his sister had come back but hadn’t visited him, wouldn’t that hurt the child?

“I was just asking,” Qi Xingchen said, handing over a peeled apple while vaguely explaining, “I’ve been so busy filming lately that I haven’t been in touch with Sister Tao Tao.”

“Oh.” Tao Xuan took the apple, muttering something under his breath.

Qi Xingchen didn’t catch it. “Xiao Xuan, what did you say?”

“Nothing.”

Tao Xuan lowered his head as he spoke, hiding his expression, but the disappointment in his voice was unmistakable.

“You don’t have to comfort me,” he said. “I’m already used to it. It doesn’t matter.”

Used to it?

What does he mean by ‘used to it’?

Could it be that Tao Tao frequently ignores her sick younger brother?

“Xiao Xuan,” Qi Xingchen felt increasingly uneasy. “Has Sister Tao Tao… always been like this?”

Tao Xuan shook his head but said nothing.

Qi Xingchen wanted to ask more, but he noticed the boy’s expression worsening visibly.

If he continued questioning, it might stir up more negative emotions, undoing all of Qi Jiaze’s efforts to comfort him. It wouldn’t be worth it.

However, thinking carefully, Qi Xingchen found something odd. The last time he visited the hospital, Tao Tao had many work commitments, so it was understandable that she was too busy to visit.

But now, Tao Tao was frequently seen with Liang Jing, whose activity was mostly confined to the hospital. If Tao Tao still hadn’t visited Tao Xuan…

Wasn’t that strange?

It was completely different from what the original novel Night’s Peach Blossom described—the protagonist and her younger brother were supposed to be deeply connected, relying on each other.

Could it be…

A terrifying thought suddenly crossed Qi Xingchen’s mind.

Could Tao Tao have also gained self-awareness?

Was she no longer strictly following the character and plot settings, but instead making her own decisions?

That would explain why she no longer cared for her brother the way she did in the original story. It could even mean that… she had only used her brother to complete a minor plotline before casting him aside.

Qi Xingchen didn’t want to assume the worst about people, but this was too suspicious to ignore.

His expression darkened, and he clenched his teeth unconsciously.

There were many reasons why someone could gain self-awareness. Maybe, like him, Tao Tao was also a transmigrator. Or perhaps, as in the novels An Ran read, she had been reborn. It was even possible that the changes he had made to the storyline had disrupted the plot, forcing the novel itself to awaken its characters in an attempt to restore balance.

No matter the reason, one thing was clear—Tao Tao’s actions all pointed to one goal: to steer Night’s Peach Blossom back to its original trajectory.

After a moment of thought, Qi Xingchen instructed Qi Jiaze to take good care of Tao Xuan before leaving the hospital room.

Speculation alone wasn’t enough to confirm whether Tao Tao had truly gained self-awareness. But Qi Xingchen hated being passive. He decided to prepare in advance so that if things escalated, he wouldn’t be caught off guard.

First, regarding Tao Xuan—he asked Qi Jiaze to report immediately if there were any changes in Tao Xuan’s health.

Next was the kidney transplant. The main conflict between Tao Xuan and Liang Jing stemmed from this issue. If he could find a suitable kidney donor, the problem would be solved easily.

Lastly, he had to keep an eye on Liang Jing. Because of his public identity as a celebrity, he couldn’t tail Liang Jing himself, so he asked An Ran to hire a private detective agency.

He knew this wasn’t the right thing to do, but with a life at stake, he had no choice. He planned to apologize to Liang Jing and seek forgiveness once the crisis was resolved.

After arranging these three matters, Qi Xingchen exhaled deeply at the end of the hospital corridor.

Truthfully, he did feel guilty toward Tao Tao. He had stolen the male lead who was originally meant to be with her.

In the grand scheme of things, he was the one disrupting the story’s natural order.

But things had already developed to this point. He couldn’t just sit back and let the plot unfold as intended. He wouldn’t allow his kind-hearted family or Liang Jing to become collateral damage. And there was no way he would hand Bo Ye over to Tao Tao.

Bo Ye had never shown any romantic interest in Tao Tao. Qi Xingchen had to respect his wishes.

With these thoughts in mind, Qi Xingchen headed toward the laboratory he had visited before.

Last night, he had nearly been exposed, so in his panic, he hadn’t asked Liang Jing why he was suddenly so close to Tao Tao.

The last time he checked, Liang Jing only saw Tao Tao as a fellow patient.

So how had things changed so drastically in just half a month, to the point where even his family now knew about Tao Tao?

Outside the laboratory door, Qi Xingchen knocked.

“Come in.”

By coincidence, it was Liang Jing who responded.

Qi Xingchen entered as instructed and found that besides Liang Jing, there was also a male and a female doctor in the lab.

“Sorry to interrupt.”

He nodded slightly at them, but before he could even reach Liang Jing’s desk, the female doctor suddenly exclaimed, “Are you Qi Xingchen?!”

“Mm, hello.”

Lost in thought, he had forgotten to disguise himself. Still, he politely responded, “I’m Qi Xingchen.”

“Oh my god! Seeing a celebrity right here in the office!”

The female doctor couldn’t believe it. She frantically pulled out her phone from her lab coat pocket. “I really liked you in My Era! Can I take a photo with you?”

Qi Xingchen usually didn’t refuse casual fan requests. He was just about to walk over when Liang Jing suddenly stood up and stepped between them.

“I have something urgent to discuss with him. Let’s skip the photo, but I’ll get you an autograph later.”

“…Fine.” The female doctor put away her phone, looking slightly disappointed.

Liang Jing then led Qi Xingchen away.

From the office to the elevator, Liang Jing remained silent. After pressing the floor button, he finally spoke, “Next time, call me before you come to my office.”

Qi Xingchen glanced at Liang Jing’s expression. “Oh… okay.”

“As a public figure, you shouldn’t come to the hospital so often. That female colleague of mine is very active on Weibo and online forums,” Liang Jing explained. “If you had taken a picture with her, she would have posted it for sure.”

Seeing Liang Jing’s displeased expression, Qi Xingchen had initially thought he was upset about the unannounced visit. But it turned out he was just worried about Qi Xingchen’s whereabouts being exposed.

Liang Jing really cared about him.

This only strengthened Qi Xingchen’s resolve to save him.

With a soft ding, the elevator arrived. The doors opened in front of them, and Liang Jing stretched his arm out to keep the doors from closing, motioning for Qi Xingchen to enter first.

Following him inside, Liang Jing lowered his voice and asked, “Have you eaten lunch yet?”

“No,” Qi Xingchen answered smoothly, seizing the opportunity. “I was actually planning to ask you to eat together.”

“Let’s go to the hotel across the street.”

That hotel was owned by the Liang family. Since Liang Jing wasn’t fond of hospital food, he often ate there. It was close by and less likely to attract media attention.

Wanting to gather information about Liang Jing and Tao Tao’s movements, Qi Xingchen feigned casual curiosity. “Do you and Tao Tao come here often?”

Liang Jing frowned. “No.”

To him, Qi Xingchen was special—one of a kind, the most precious person.

How could he possibly take Qi Xingchen to a place Tao Tao frequented?

Qi Xingchen hummed in response, sensing that Liang Jing seemed displeased. He didn’t push the topic further.

After arriving at the hotel and ordering food, they chatted about some amusing incidents from the My Era production team while waiting for the meal. Then, as if unintentionally, Qi Xingchen steered the conversation toward Tao Tao.

“I’ve known Sister Tao Tao for a while now. Overall, she’s a strong and independent person. If you’re interested in pursuing her, you’ll probably have to put in a lot of effort.”

Liang Jing’s hand, which had been wiping his fingers, suddenly paused. He didn’t respond.

Qi Xingchen subtly observed his expression and continued, “Besides, her career is on the rise, and you’re busy with your projects. It must be hard for you two to find time for dates, right?”

“That’s enough.”

For the first time, Liang Jing interrupted Qi Xingchen, tossing the napkin onto the table with a hint of irritation.

“Stop bringing her up.”

After two rounds of probing, Qi Xingchen realized that Liang Jing seemed unwilling to discuss anything about Tao Tao.

Thinking back to dinner at home yesterday, Liang Jing had described his relationship with Tao Tao as mere “interaction” rather than pursuit or romance.

Did this mean Liang Jing didn’t actually like Tao Tao?

But… he hadn’t denied that they were in frequent contact.

Qi Xingchen’s mind was in a mess—his intuition told him that something was off between those two. Unfortunately, when he tried asking in a different way, Liang Jing either gave vague responses or simply avoided answering altogether.

There was nothing he could do but wait for another opportunity.

After finishing their meal, Qi Xingchen didn’t let Liang Jing see him off. With a head full of unanswered questions, he drove himself home.

Having barely slept the night before, he took a nap upon arriving home. By the time he woke up, it was nearly dinnertime. There wasn’t enough time to cook anything complicated, so he quickly prepared two simple cold dishes for his family.

Seeing them enjoy the meal, the frustration he had suppressed all day finally eased a little. He chatted with his father and older brother for a bit, then took a shower. Just then, a message came in from An Ran—she informed him that the detective agency had already dispatched their most experienced investigator to observe Liang Jing.

Qi Xingchen repeatedly reminded her, “Make sure to protect him.”

“Don’t worry,” An Ran reassured him. “I signed a confidentiality agreement. Any evidence we collect will be handed over to you for destruction.”

“That’s good to hear. Thanks for your hard work, Sister An Ran.”

Liang Jing had a bright future ahead of him. He couldn’t let these matters ruin him.

Now that he had hired the private investigator, he had done everything he could. All that was left was to wait for the results.

Of course, the best outcome would be if no issues arose at all—if Tao Xuan was healthy, if Liang Jing and Tao Tao were just in a normal relationship, and if everything was moving in a positive direction.

Lying in bed, Qi Xingchen kept thinking about all the possible scenarios and how he should handle them. He didn’t know how long had passed when his phone suddenly vibrated.

[Moon has invited you to a video call.]

“Moon” was the contact name he had given Bo Ye. Only then did Qi Xingchen remember—he had been so caught up thinking about Liang Jing and Tao Tao that he completely forgot about his scheduled video call with Bo Ye!

In a panic, he slid off the bed, rushed to the mirror, and checked his appearance. Other than his slightly messy hair, he still looked decent. Without wasting another second, he dashed back to bed and pressed [Accept].

Two or three seconds later, the screen lit up.

And the first thing that appeared in front of him was… a bare upper body.

A well-proportioned physique, smooth skin, sharply defined abs, and a deep V-line running down into the waistband of his pants.

His collarbones and Adam’s apple were more prominent than usual, likely because he had just finished an intense workout. A thin layer of sweat clung to his skin, making him look incredibly…

Qi Xingchen suddenly remembered the time he had bitten Bo Ye’s Adam’s apple—he had left a small trace of moisture just like that.

His throat went inexplicably dry. He swallowed before finally feeling a bit better. Just then, he noticed Bo Ye’s hands resting on the waistband of his pants.

That posture… was he planning to pull them down?!

“Wait! Stop!” Qi Xingchen immediately covered his eyes and shouted, “Don’t! Don’t take them off!”

Bo Ye: “…?”

Startled by the sudden outburst, Bo Ye picked up his phone. “Huh…? The call connected?”

Qi Xingchen remained in his eye-covering position. “Y-Yeah, it connected!”

Not only had it connected, but he had also gotten an unexpected live show!

“I saw you weren’t answering, so I thought your phone wasn’t nearby,” Bo Ye explained, glancing at his blushing little fan. “I was just about to change clothes and then call you back after.”

Qi Xingchen still had his hands over his eyes. “Ah… Oh.”

It seemed like he wasn’t planning to open his eyes until Bo Ye put on some clothes. Seeing this, Bo Ye couldn’t help but laugh. He quickly reached for his robe.

However, as he was putting it on, he clearly noticed Qi Xingchen make a subtle swallowing motion.

So… the little fan actually wanted to look. He was just too shy to admit it.

A playful thought crossed Bo Ye’s mind. Instead of fully putting on his robe, he let it slip off again and teased, “Alright, you can open your eyes now.”

Qi Xingchen naively lowered his hands from his eyes.

…Only to see that the bare upper body from earlier hadn’t been covered at all. In fact, it was now even closer to the camera.

“You… You…!” Qi Xingchen panicked. “Hurry up and put your clothes on!”

Bo Ye raised an eyebrow. “We’re both men. What are you so afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid! I just… I can’t take advantage of you!”

Bo Ye: “…?”

His little fan? Taking advantage of him?

Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Since when did this logic get so twisted?

Thinking of how Qi Xingchen tended to feel insecure in relationships, Bo Ye sighed. He felt both amused and touched. Deciding not to tease him any further, he put on his robe and leaned back against the headboard.

Qi Xingchen finally relaxed a little. He stared at Bo Ye for a while before asking curiously, “Is it really hot over there?”

“Not really.”

“Then why do you have sweat on your forehead and neck?”

“I saw it was getting late, so I rushed back to video call you,” Bo Ye explained. “I walked a little faster.”

Hearing that, Qi Xingchen glanced at the clock… It was already 11:50 PM!

He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he completely lost track of time.

“It’s okay, the call wasn’t urgent,” he said, feeling a bit guilty.

His heart melted at Bo Ye’s effort, but he didn’t want him to exhaust himself just for a video call. Wanting to be considerate, Qi Xingchen said sweetly, “Next time, if it’s late, just let me know. I can wait for you.”

“No,” Bo Ye rejected the idea outright. “If you wait too long, it’ll hit midnight, and then it won’t count as today anymore. I promised to video call you every day, so I have to keep my word.”

Qi Xingchen was taken aback by his response.

Bo Ye was definitely someone who valued his promises. But a couple changing their video call schedule wasn’t a big deal—adjusting it depending on the situation wouldn’t cause any harm.

And yet, Bo Ye insisted on sticking to even the smallest commitments.

Qi Xingchen had always believed he was the one putting in effort to love Bo Ye and maintain this relationship.

But now, he realized Bo Ye’s efforts were no less than his own.

He, too, was working hard to nurture this relationship, to give him a sense of security and happiness.

Oh my god. How could the person he liked be this wonderful?!

Qi Xingchen was overwhelmed with happiness. He didn’t know how to respond, so he simply flopped onto his bed and gazed at the screen with a silly grin.

Bo Ye thought he was sleepy and asked, “Want to go to bed?”

Knowing that Bo Ye had an early schedule the next morning, Qi Xingchen didn’t want to keep him up. He played along and said, “Yeah, I want to sleep.”

“Then go to sleep first. I’ll take a shower.”

Even though he agreed, Qi Xingchen was reluctant to hang up. He plugged his phone into the charger and placed it by his pillow, casually observing Bo Ye’s hotel room.

Golden wallpaper, a huge projector TV, and a round bed that looked incredibly soft… As he stared, his eyelids grew heavy, and before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, he was startled awake by the sound of horses neighing outside. Dazed for a moment, he suddenly realized—if Bo Ye checked his phone before sleeping, he would definitely notice that the call was still connected.

That meant… Bo Ye would figure out that he had deliberately left the video call running!

And even worse… Bo Ye would have seen his utterly ridiculous sleeping face!

AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

Frantically, he grabbed his phone, ready to end the call immediately. But the moment he saw the screen, his fingers froze.

Bo Ye had probably been woken up by the sudden noise. His eyes were half-open, half-closed, and the moment he saw Qi Xingchen, he instinctively smiled. Then, in that deep, husky morning voice, he murmured,

“Good morning, boyfriend.”