APCF – Chapter 96 Transformation

While the other actors returned to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow’s shoot, Qi Xingchen did not. He asked An Ran to rent him an electric bike. Yesterday, he had walked; today, he rode through the maze-like alleys of the urban village.

At first, he thought riding was easy and not tiring. But as his face and hands were gradually slashed by the knife-like northern wind, as the wheels skidded uncontrollably on the ice, nearly causing him to fall several times, he finally understood the hardships of food delivery workers.

Back at the hotel, he soaked in the steaming hot bathtub for nearly half an hour before he finally warmed up. Pulling down the towel to dry himself, he suddenly remembered—

Yesterday, Bo Ye had said he liked seeing him… like that.

He also said no photos were allowed, but during a video call, he could take it off for him.

Qi Xingchen’s hand movements slowed as his mind uncontrollably replayed Bo Ye’s tone when he spoke.

He really, really wanted to make Bo Ye happy.

As if making a firm decision, after drying off, he did the same as last night: wearing only a pair of pajama pants, he slipped under the covers, bare-chested.

Then, he sent Bo Ye a message.

Bo Ye had just finished a guest appearance in Hengdian. Naturally, the film’s director wanted to treat him to dinner. Bo Ye tried to decline several times but couldn’t avoid it. In the end, he joined the lead actor, the assistant director, and about seven or eight others at a restaurant near the film studio.

Once they sat down and ordered, the usual industry flattery began. Bo Ye quietly listened for a while when his phone suddenly vibrated twice.

He glanced at it—it was a message from his little fan.

The director, sitting right beside him, also heard the vibration and clicked his tongue. “Xiao Bo, we haven’t seen each other in so long. If it’s not urgent, put it aside and spend some time with your old buddy.”

“It’s important,” Bo Ye said without even looking up.

“You’re this eager? You haven’t visited me in two years!”

“The matter might be ordinary, but the person is important.” Bo Ye responded casually while opening the message.

[Xingxing]: Can we video call now?

Bo Ye checked the time—just past 9 PM. This director was a heavy drinker; there was no telling when the dinner would end. After thinking for a moment, he got up and went to the restroom. Instead of replying via text, he directly sent a video call request.

The little fan was probably waiting—it connected instantly.

The first thing Bo Ye saw was a light blue quilt. Then, he saw the person leaning against the headboard in a half-sitting position. Bo Ye was surprised. “Sleeping this early?”

“N-no,” the person on the other end averted his gaze. “I had nothing to do, so I got into bed to rest.”

“Filming officially starts tomorrow, right? Get some early sleep and keep yourself in good shape.”

“Okay, I got it.”

Bo Ye instinctively felt that something was off—the hesitant tone, the flickering gaze. Though his sitting posture seemed casual, his arm muscles were tense as if he was nervous.

Most importantly, the other party had pulled the blanket up to his neck, covering himself tightly, with only two small hands sticking out from the sides to hold the phone.

Hotels in the north were already fully heated. It definitely wasn’t that cold. Bo Ye frowned. “Do you have a fever?”

Qi Xingchen hurriedly explained, “No fever!”

“Then why are you covering up so much?” Bo Ye guessed, “Did the hotel’s heating break?”

“No,” Qi Xingchen bit his lip, then declared firmly, “I… I have something I want to show you.”

Bo Ye suddenly realized something. However, before he could speak, the other person tightly shut his eyes, raised his hand, and directly pulled off the blanket.

Before this, Bo Ye had only seen the little fan’s back from photos. Now, the front was fully revealed—including those two bright, small cherries and the slightly protruding ribs from his slender frame.

A bed, plus a half-naked little fan—this was entirely different from yesterday’s scene on the sofa. Bo Ye’s eyelids twitched, his voice turning slightly hoarse. “Baby, don’t tease me. I’m outside.”

Qi Xingchen froze and opened his eyes.

During the call, he had been too embarrassed to look at Bo Ye, so he hadn’t noticed his surroundings. Now, he finally saw the background—behind Bo Ye was a sink, a mirror, and a sign from a restaurant reading [Reminder: Please take care of your belongings].

If he had only been shy before, now he was utterly humiliated. Qi Xingchen quickly apologized, “I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were eating!”

“It’s okay. Put your clothes back on first.”

After saying that, Bo Ye didn’t hang up the video call. He simply slipped his phone into his pocket and returned to the private dining room.

The screen went dark. Qi Xingchen obediently put on his clothes and burrowed back under the covers, feeling like crying.

Not asking if Bo Ye was busy before taking off his clothes—would Bo Ye think he was being immature?

Bo Ye had likely gone to the restroom specifically for the video call. Once or twice was fine, but if this continued, wouldn’t it become troublesome for him?

The more Qi Xingchen thought about it, the worse he felt. He wanted to end the video call to stop bothering Bo Ye, but they had barely spoken tonight, and he couldn’t bear to hang up.

Moreover, Bo Ye hadn’t hung up either, so he didn’t dare to end it himself.

Lying on the bed, he listened to the sounds from Bo Ye’s side.

First, a stranger’s voice: “Why were you gone so long? Come, sit down—the food’s all here.”

Then, Bo Ye’s voice: “Sorry, something urgent came up—I have to go.”

The group erupted in protest, teasing him, “What’s so urgent? Bo Ye, are we not important to you?”

“Really, it’s not like that,” Bo Ye apologized while putting on his coat. “My master has a situation—I have to go. Lunch is on me tomorrow. Pick any restaurant you want, and I’ll properly apologize.”

Nowadays, many people referred to their pets as “master,” so no one thought much of it.

“Haven’t heard of you keeping a pet. What kind of cat?”

“Show us tomorrow!”

“You’d ditch Director Zhai’s dinner for your pet? You must really love it.”

No one pressed him further.

Bo Ye, thinking to himself that he was the real little kitten, bid farewell to the director and left the private room.

His driver and assistant, Allen, were waiting in the car. Bo Ye quickly got in and pulled out his phone.

His little fan, who had boldly displayed himself earlier, had now curled into a tiny ball—small, pitiful, and helpless.

Bo Ye sighed, “Sit up properly.”

The screen brightened again. Qi Xingchen shot up like a rocket, sitting upright with his legs tucked under him in a kneeling position, back straight.

Bo Ye sighed again. “Why do you look like you’re being disciplined? Do you think I’m mad?”

Qi Xingchen remained silent—clearly, he did.

Bo Ye continued, “Do you really think I get angry that easily?”

“…No!!” Qi Xingchen quickly denied. “I didn’t think that!”

“Then what’s going on? Speak.”

Qi Xingchen bit his lower lip. He didn’t dare to lie and could only admit the truth: “It’s because I’m not good enough.”

Allen’s eyes sparkled: Ohh, so the other side of the video is Xingxing!

Bo Ye instantly guessed what he was thinking, without needing the little fan to say it aloud. He glanced at Allen, who was both eavesdropping and peeking, but when Allen showed no intention of stopping, Bo Ye could only let him continue—for now.

Compared to letting his assistant know he was in a relationship, the little fan was much more important.

Even though he didn’t want to scare him, if he didn’t correct this timid behavior now, it would only hurt more later. Bo Ye hardened his heart, straightened his face, and said coldly, “You’re right. You are really bad at one thing.”

As expected, Qi Xingchen thought he had let Bo Ye down.

It had been bearable when he was only guessing on his own, since he still held onto a shred of hope. But now, hearing it with his own ears—even if he had prepared himself mentally—his nose stung, and he gripped the bedsheet tightly, looking utterly devastated.

Seeing his little fan about to cry, Bo Ye’s heart ached more than his.

He added, “You’re bad at believing in yourself.”

The wrinkles on the bedsheet gradually smoothed out. Qi Xingchen froze.

“You put yourself too low,” Bo Ye continued. “Always forcing yourself to do things to please me, then overthinking my words afterward and scaring yourself.”

He paused, then ordered, “Qi Xingchen, look at me.”

Qi Xingchen slowly lifted his head. Bo Ye’s gaze was unusually serious as he looked straight at him and said, word by word:

“You shouldn’t be like this. You are a living, breathing person with your own emotions—not someone’s accessory. You can do what you want to do, and you don’t have to force yourself to do what you don’t. You can want whatever you want. As long as I can give it, I’ll give it all to you.”

“You might ask—what about you is worth me giving my all? Then I’ll tell you: You’re brave, kind, never give up; you’re smart, sharp, and know how to prioritize. You pick up songs fast, dance well, your acting keeps improving… In short, everything about you is a strength. Too many to count.”

“Of course, most importantly, you’re very cute and incredibly lovable.”

As he continued, Bo Ye’s voice grew gentler, nearly coaxing by the end.

“Otherwise, why would I fall for you?”

“You don’t believe in how good you are—but can’t you at least believe in my judgment?”

Qi Xingchen’s eyes grew misty. He didn’t know how to respond.

But Bo Ye didn’t let him off the hook. “Hmm?”

“I believe you,” Qi Xingchen whispered. “I believe in you the most.”

Thud—a dull sound. Allen had dropped his meat pie to the floor. He had just realized something huge.

Holy shit, he thought. This is freaking intense!

Bo Ye planned to go back and deal with Allen later. He scraped the little fan’s nose lightly through the sharp tip of his finger and said, “That’s more like it. Before being my boyfriend, you need to be yourself first.”

“From now on, don’t be hesitant when you speak. If you want something, just tell me directly—whether it’s a gift, or if you miss me, or want to video call me—don’t tiptoe around it. I’m not short on resources or money. In my heart, your priority is number one. As long as I can make time, I’ll always choose to be with you first.”

If the things he said earlier were too abstract and needed time to digest, then the words that followed were nothing short of naked doting. Qi Xingchen suddenly felt he was actually pretty great—at least in Bo Ye’s heart, he was. Otherwise, how could he be priority no. 1?

He tried to act a bit spoiled: “Then… can I apply to extend our daily video call time?”

Bo Ye nodded. “You can.”

Qi Xingchen raised five fingers: “Five minutes more?”

“Yes.”

He crossed his index fingers: “Ten minutes?”

“Okay.”

“Half an hour? You don’t have to talk to me the whole time, just let me watch you!”

“Okay,” Bo Ye chuckled helplessly. “But aren’t you going to sleep?”

Qi Xingchen thought to himself, If I can look at you all night, wouldn’t that be better than sleeping?

Since Bo Ye didn’t mind how long the video call lasted—after all, he’d spent entire nights watching his little fan—he nodded in agreement. Fortunately, the little fan knew when to stop and didn’t keep pushing his luck.

However… Bo Ye lowered his voice so that Allen wouldn’t hear: “There’s one more thing I need to remind you. Next time, before you take off your clothes, ask me where I am first. It’s best if you do it when I’m in a hotel, so at least I have the space to take a cold shower. Can you do that?”

Cold shower…

Qi Xingchen’s brain nearly short-circuited, and he instantly realized why Bo Ye had been taking cold showers!

Just when the little fan had finally started to gain confidence, Bo Ye was in such a good mood that he couldn’t help teasing him even more. His words became increasingly outrageous: “Or, when I visit you, you can take them off for me in person.”

I-In person?!

Just imagining the scene made Qi Xingchen’s ears turn so red they could drip blood.

But no matter how Bo Ye guided him, or how much he indulged himself, there was always one thing that remained the same—

He wanted to make Bo Ye happy.

Clenching his teeth, he agreed: “Alright… When you come, I’ll take them off for you in person. You don’t need to take cold showers anymore—it’s bad for your health.”

“I—I even have condoms and lube here. I’ll take care of you.”

Bo Ye: “…”

No one could handle hearing something like that from their lover.

Luckily, Bo Ye was wearing a long trench coat today—he quickly pulled down the hem to cover his waist and legs.

Crash! Allen’s bubble tea fell to the ground, joining the meat pie from earlier. His expression was utterly stunned.

Five minutes later—Allen was dead. He lived to the age of 27.