APCF – Chapter 99 Thinking of You

Perhaps due to physical weakness after just regaining consciousness, Tao Xuan fell into a deep sleep right after speaking.

Aside from Qi Jiaze, the person who had spent the most time with Tao Xuan was Liang Jing, and he knew this child’s temperament well. If Tao Xuan said he would do something, he would definitely follow through. To avoid unnecessary efforts, Liang Jing could not be allowed to donate his kidney under any circumstances.

Looking at Tao Xuan’s sleeping face, Qi Xingchen felt both relieved and distressed. He turned around and stepped outside to call Qi Yunxiao.

“Brother, any updates on the kidney donor I asked you to find last time?”

“There are a few potential donors,” Qi Yunxiao replied, “but none of them are a successful match.”

“Can you speed it up? The patient’s condition is worsening—he can’t wait any longer.”

“Understood, hold on.”

Sensing the urgency in his younger brother’s voice, Qi Yunxiao immediately got up and walked straight into the office of his chief assistant. “Starting now, call every medical institution, domestic and international. Find out who has a suitable kidney donor. If any institution has one, don’t wait for them to send the compatibility results—go there in person to verify it. If anyone misses a potential donor, prepare your resignation letter next month.”

Normally, Qi Yunxiao would just make an internal call when giving orders. This time, he came in person, startling the entire office into silence.

After a brief moment of stillness, the room erupted into frantic dialing. The sound of phones being pressed filled the air. Only then did Qi Yunxiao nod in satisfaction and leave the office.

Hearing the efforts being made on the other end of the phone, Qi Xingchen felt somewhat reassured. Now, all he could do was wait for his brother’s news.

If even the resourceful Qi family couldn’t find a donor, then perhaps Tao Xuan’s fate was sealed…

However, there was one thing that gave him confidence: aside from the parts of Night of the Peach that he had disrupted, the rest of the story was still progressing according to its original trajectory.

In the original novel, Tao Xuan survived. By that logic, even without Liang Jing’s kidney donation, he would most likely pull through.

After hanging up the call with Qi Yunxiao, Qi Xingchen exhaled slightly in relief and prepared to return to the hospital room to get a clearer understanding of how serious Tao Xuan’s condition was.

As he turned, at the end of the corridor, he saw Liang Jing’s figure gradually fading into the distance.

Liang Jing was always a gentleman—he always had been. Back when the original host confessed his feelings to him, Liang Jing had chosen to leave for a faraway place, giving both of them time to think and giving the original host a chance to move on.

Now, even though he knew Qi Xingchen had a boyfriend and would definitely reject him, he still confessed his feelings. Then, while Qi Xingchen was on the phone, he quietly left.

Because he was afraid that Qi Xingchen wouldn’t have the heart to reject him too harshly. Because he was afraid of making things awkward.

Liang Jing always put others first. Even when he had a one-night stand with Tao Tao in a moment of confusion, his first instinct was to take responsibility and marry her instead of running away.

In modern society, where nightlife was flashy and casual relationships were common, it wasn’t unusual for men to leave without a second thought after such encounters. Very few actually considered the woman’s situation.

Looking at it this way, Liang Jing was the real luminescent one—he was the true source of light.

Qi Xingchen let out a sigh. At this stage, the best choice was to avoid further contact with Liang Jing.

He arranged for an additional caregiver to help take care of Tao Xuan. With Qi Jiaze occasionally dropping by as well, there shouldn’t be any major issues on this end.

After leaving the hospital, he didn’t go straight home. Instead, he instructed the driver to park in a secluded corner.

Half an hour later, a man knocked on the car door. Qi Xingchen signaled for the driver to let him in.

It was a private investigator that Anran had hired for him.

“Hello, sir.”

“Hello.” Qi Xingchen removed his sunglasses. “Tell me what you’ve observed recently.”

As he spoke, he carefully observed the investigator’s expression. The man showed no surprise upon seeing Qi Xingchen’s face.

People in this profession were likely highly aware of the entertainment industry, especially when it came to someone like him—a celebrity who had recently gained a lot of attention from variety shows. There was no way this investigator wouldn’t recognize him.

Yet, he remained so composed. This level of professionalism reassured Qi Xingchen, who had initially worried that meeting in person might be unsafe. Clearly, he had overthought it.

“After this period of observation, I’ve found that Mr. Liang’s daily routine is very simple. He mostly moves between home and the hospital, occasionally stopping by a convenience store to buy daily necessities. On December 3rd, he went to a 7-Eleven and purchased—”

The investigator began reporting Liang Jing’s movements. Qi Xingchen listened attentively, filtering for useful information. As the investigator had described, Liang Jing’s life was indeed monotonous—to the point of being dull.

Then, just as the report was about to end, Qi Xingchen caught a key phrase: pharmacy.

“Wait,” he interrupted immediately. “Repeat that last part.”

“Around six in the evening, Mr. Liang entered Xinfang Pharmacy and came out about seven or eight minutes later. He was empty-handed when he left, carrying nothing. Later, when we checked the trash from his home, there were no receipts related to the purchase. At eight o’clock that night, Mr. Liang met with actress Tao Tao at a teahouse. They were alone for ten minutes and thirty-one seconds before she left in her private car, while Mr. Liang drove himself home.”

He went to a pharmacy…

Qi Xingchen suddenly recalled something—back in the emergency exit hallway, Liang Jing had mentioned buying a pregnancy test for Tao Tao.

That must have been this time!

Qi Xingchen had a strong hunch that this was the key to solving the issue. After listening to the rest of the investigator’s report, he pondered for a moment before saying, “Stop following Liang Jing for now. Instead, find out what exactly he purchased at the pharmacy. If my guess is correct, it should be an early pregnancy test kit. I’ll triple your fee—please make sure to track it down.”

After a pause, he added, “Also, check Tao Tao’s recent medical visits or health check-ups. I’ll need those records. If you run into any difficulties during the process, contact me, and I’ll help clear the way.”

If Tao Tao was really pregnant, the test kit would have clear markings. If she later had a miscarriage, she would undoubtedly have sought medical treatment, leaving behind records.

It wouldn’t be easy to find, but these were the most direct pieces of evidence.

Money can make the impossible possible.

The investigator readily agreed. Qi Xingchen took the collected evidence, including photographs, from his hands, then dropped him off at his office before instructing the driver to head to the Qi family residence.

By the time he arrived home, dinner had already ended. He had some porridge, chatted with his family for a while, and then returned to his room. With a thud, he collapsed onto his bed.

After a full day of tension, his muscles finally relaxed, and he could finally take a breath.

He pulled out his phone and checked his unread messages.

Among them were ones from Yan Ruonan, asking if he had landed safely, and from Director Zhou, offering to help if needed. And, naturally, there were messages from Bo Ye.

08:30, Moon: [Good morning.]

13:00, Moon: [Finished today’s schedule. Now heading to a dinner with the production team.]

15:40, Moon: [I saw that temperatures have dropped in J City again. I bought you a few down jackets and sent them over—pick the ones you like.]

20:00, Moon: [Did you have a proper dinner?]

Qi Xingchen stared at the four messages, stunned for a moment.

So even someone as proud as Bo Ye would continue sending WeChat messages despite getting no reply?

He had thought that if he ignored him once, Bo Ye would stop reaching out altogether!

It had been a hectic day, and he genuinely hadn’t meant to leave Bo Ye hanging. He quickly sat up and glanced at himself in the mirror.

Due to the stress and anxiety of the day, his complexion looked terrible.

No way I can do a video call like this—I’d scare Bo Ye.

Clearing his throat, he dialed Bo Ye’s number.

Bo Ye picked up almost instantly. “Finished filming?”

“No,” Qi Xingchen replied. “Something urgent happened at home this morning, so I took leave and came back. I just finished dealing with it now.”

“Do you need my help? I can book a flight and come back to be with you.”

“No, no! That’s not necessary!” Qi Xingchen hurriedly refused. “It’s already resolved, but thank you for your kindness.”

“Are you sure?”

Not wanting to linger on the topic, Qi Xingchen licked his lips and changed the subject. “How did you know the temperature dropped over here? It snowed so much this morning that I could barely see the road. Everything was covered in white—it was incredibly beautiful.”

Bo Ye replied casually, “Because I changed my location setting to J City.”

“…Why would you do that?” Qi Xingchen clicked his tongue. “You’re flying all over the place, from one city to another. You should be keeping track of the local weather where you are. Otherwise, if you don’t dress properly, you might catch a cold!”

“It’s fine,” Bo Ye said in a low voice. “More than my own weather, I want to know if you’re cold.”

Bo Ye rarely said such straightforward sweet words. Every time he did, Qi Xingchen’s heart fluttered uncontrollably. He mumbled softly, “That’s not necessary… Sister An Ran helps me prepare my clothes.”

Then, an idea popped into his head. “Then I’ll change my location setting to yours, too. If there’s a big temperature drop, I’ll let you know.”

Without hesitation, Qi Xingchen lay on his pillow and changed his location to Bo Ye’s current city. Hearing the “tap, tap, tap” of Qi Xingchen typing on his phone, Bo Ye chuckled quietly.

It sounded so close, almost as if he were right beside him. Qi Xingchen’s ears grew hot and itchy.

He reached up to rub them and suddenly realized—it had been almost a month since Bo Ye last spoke to him this intimately.

It had been too long since they’d seen each other.

He missed Bo Ye.

A phone call wasn’t the same as a video call—Bo Ye couldn’t see his expression. He only noticed Qi Xingchen had gone silent for a long time and asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Qi Xingchen buried his face into his soft pillow, his voice muffled. “Nothing.”

It was the most unconvincing answer ever. Bo Ye feigned annoyance. “Don’t forget what you promised me—if something’s wrong, you have to tell me.”

Qi Xingchen hesitated.

Bo Ye: “Hm?”

“…Really, it’s nothing.”

Qi Xingchen squeezed the corner of his pillow, feeling embarrassed, but under Bo Ye’s “intimidation,” he had no choice but to admit, “I just… miss you a little.”

Bo Ye paused, his hand resting on the book he was flipping through. A wave of warmth and heartache surged through him.

Of course, he missed Qi Xingchen, too.

Softening his tone, Bo Ye said, “Wait a little longer.”

“Mm, okay. I’ll wait.”

Qi Xingchen assumed Bo Ye meant waiting until Gray Trajectory finished filming, so he didn’t overthink it. They chatted for a while longer, but when Bo Ye heard Qi Xingchen yawning non-stop, he told him to go to bed early.

After hanging up, Qi Xingchen was too tired to take a proper shower. He rinsed off quickly and burrowed into his blanket.

But maybe he had thought too much during the day—despite his exhaustion, he couldn’t fall asleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was the image of Liang Jing about to donate his kidney.

To be honest, he was still shaken.

But at least the crisis had been averted thanks to Tao Xuan. Now, the only thing left to do was find evidence to clear Liang Jing’s name.

At the same time, he needed to know—had he overthought everything and wrongfully blamed Tao Tao, or did she truly have independent consciousness?

From what Tao Xuan had said last time, Qi Xingchen suspected Tao Tao had her own awareness, but he lacked concrete proof.

If he could confirm that she was deceiving Liang Jing this time, it would mean one thing—Tao Tao was no longer just a simple, one-dimensional character.

Qi Xingchen lay on his side, carefully thinking through solutions for every possible scenario. His gaze wandered aimlessly until it suddenly landed on a corner of his bookshelf.

There, sitting quietly, was the album Bo Ye had given him.

When he first received it, he had still been struggling over whether to accept a role in My Era. In the blink of an eye, a few months had passed, and now, he and Bo Ye were together.

Yet, this album remained unopened.

Feeling a slight headache, he wanted to listen to some music to relax. But since Bo Ye was basically his personal music library now, he could get any album he wanted—or even have Bo Ye himself sing for him. This one album wouldn’t make much of a difference.

Still, he got out of bed, unwrapped the album, powered on his multifunction record player, and placed the vinyl inside.

As expected, Bo Ye’s voice was the perfect remedy for relaxation. Qi Xingchen thoroughly enjoyed it, his mind growing hazy, drifting…

The more he listened, the sleepier he became…

Until, just before he completely dozed off, he noticed something unusual—the physical album seemed to have one more song than its digital version.

Strangely enough, he had heard a snippet of this song before in real life.

It was the same melody his fan site’s admin had recorded at Bo Ye’s concert and sent to him—the one Bo Ye had improvised a few lines of.

But Night’s Peach had been released a year or two ago. How could it possibly contain a song Bo Ye had yet to officially compose?

Half-conscious, Qi Xingchen pondered over it before slipping into a deep sleep.