QT: Don't fall in love with the Male Lead Chapter 192: Don't pry into your fellow god's lives

Liao Min looks at Xi Zirui as if it's the first ti she's seeing him.

Her features rearrange themselves into a complex mixture of disbelief and amusent. "What?" she asks, her chin held high and the scales of her armor glimring iridescently under the morning sun.

"I heard you agreeing to offer a minor god a post while bypassing proper channels." Xi Zirui says, straightening his back and making himself taller. "Sothing like that can get you in a lot of trouble."

Liao Min raises a single eyebrow at him. "And who is going to believe the brat who painted peacocks and set them loose in the imperial courtyards?"

That's a good point, but she's severely underestimating how desperate Xi Zirui is.

"Enough people will believe . Enough to make a lot of trouble for you."

The smirk vanishes from her face, she no longer looks amused. "Just tell what you want, it seems I'm in the mood to answer the prayers of the needful today."

Xi Zirui didn't expect her to go straight to the point. "I need you to get a eting with Li Siqi," he says. "There's sothing I need to discuss with her."

Actually, what he needs is to probe her for so information about the tribulations, and then get access to the civil bureau of mortal affairs.

The rest, he'll continue to figure out as he goes.

He expects a lot of reactions from Liao Min, but not the throaty laugh she lets out.

"I would love to get a eting with her myself." Despite her laughter, all the traces of amusent are well and truly gone from Liao Min's face. "I'm her wife and I can barely get a few hours alone with her, let alone get a eting for soone else."

That stumps Xi Zirui. He doesn't know what to say.

He has never been close to Liao Min or Li Siqi, and therefore has no idea about the particulars of their marriage.

It is odd, to imagine them being anything but close, though.

"I can help," he blurts out. "I can get her to spend more ti with you."

"Really?" Liao Min asks, doubtful.

With good reason, because Xi Zirui is just talking out of his ass.

"Absolutely."

"How would you know? Haven't you been avoiding your betrothed since...," she scrunches up her nose, trying to co up with a asure of ti. "since the dawn of ti, basically?"

Xi Zirui is very successful when it cos to romance with the man he actually loves -- but he can't really boast about that, now, can he?

"Believe , I know everything about romance."

And to prevent his incomparable knowledge from being lost forever, he really needs to reach Li Siqi and find a way to thwart his grandmother's plans.

So Xi Zirui puts on his most trustworthy face and hopes Liao Min is really desperate.

After a mont of silent deliberation with herself she lets out a sigh and hangs up her head in defeat, as if ashad of how low she has sunk.

"Fine, I might as well try." She shakes her head despondently. "It's not like I can humiliate myself any further."

---

She leads Xi Zirui to the civil bureau of mortal affairs, where it takes them an age and a half to locate Li Siqi.

They eventually find her in the upper floor, hidden halfway behind a large shelf as she attempts to organize a series of scrolls according to a system that makes sense only to her.

She looks high-strung and frazzled, and very annoyed to be interrupted in the middle of her important task of organizing bamboo-strip scrolls by thickness of strips -- from what Xi Zirui can tell.

"I'm really busy," she tells Liao Min, voicing it like an accusation. "Is this important?"

Liao Min stumbles on her words for a good five minutes before being able to croak out a garbled, "The imperial prince has so urgent matters to discuss with you."

She turns on her heel to leave, but Xi Zirui holds her back by the skirt flap of her armor, forcing her to face Li Siqi again.

He gives her a aningful look, a silent reminder to say the words they practiced on the way to the civil bureau.

Xi Zirui might have second intentions, but that doesn't an he can't do his best to delivery a quality blackmail(ish) service.

"Uh, you look particular radiant today," Liao Min says, stamring so more. Xi Zirui is secretly proud that she added her own flair by calling Li Siqi 'radiant', it has character. "I'll be going now, but I look forward to hearing all about your day, and the work you've done later today at ho."

Her eyes never once et Li Siqi, but she leaves with her head held high. Her arms swing a little chanically at the sides of her body with each step, but Xi Zirui considers it a good sign that she only stamred a little instead of a lot.

When he chances a surreptitious look at Li Siqi he finds her giving Liao Min's retreating back a puzzled stare.

She shakes her head and refocuses her attention on Xi Zirui. "What can I help his heavenly highness with?"

Such formal ways of address aren't common among high gods, and the fact that Li Siqi is so deferential to him makes it clear that she's only entertaining him because of his status.

"Due to my recent behaviour I've been told to co here and offer my assistance, in order to reflect on my conduct and contemplate the important place all of us occupies in the balance of the universe."

Xi Zirui is very proud of himself for coming up with sothing so believable on the fly. He has Ji Lii to thank for inspiring him with all her boasting about volunteering to help other gods with their prayers.

Li Siqi doesn't look like she doubts his words, but she isn't pleased to hear them. She shoves the scrolls back into the shelf haphazardly, her arched brows knit in annoyance.

"Why must his heavenly highness' punishnt be a punishnt for as well?" She rubs the bridge of her nose and inhales loudly. "I don't an to say that his heavenly highness's presence is unpleasant, rely that I have a lot of work to do and supervising soone else, however useful they may be," -- the corners of her lips flatten gravely, a sure indication that she doesn't expect Xi Zirui to be the least bit useful -- "is still very ti consuming."

Xi Zirui nods, matching her tense posture and serious expression. "Why, though?"

All of the goodwill he earned by looking serious and diligent just now is gone in a flash as she shoots him a withering look. "Why what?"

"Aren't there several other higher gods and minor gods who can do this work as well? Why must it all fall on you?"

She's silent for a long ti, her cheeks growing redder.

Xi Zirui barrels on. "You are married, you should spend so ti with your family as well."

"I appreciate the concern." No she doesn't. "But I don't see how that's any of his heavenly highness's concern."

That last part is true. She really doesn't understand what business Xi Zirui has prying into her private life.

"It's good to be diligent and hardworking, but not at the expense of family ti and personal fulfillnt."

Li Siqi smiles tightly. "I'll be sure to take that advice into consideration." She turns her attention to the shelf in front of her. "His heavenly highness can start by organizing these records by date, while dividing them geographically. It's a ti consuming task, so my advice is to get started as soon as possible."

Xi Zirui is like a dog with a bone now, Li Siqi has sothing else coming if she thinks she's getting away that easily.

"Just now Liao Min seed so eager to see you at ho later. Wouldn't it be a good idea to finish work for today and spend so ti with her?"

That would also have the added benefit of allowing Xi Zirui so ti to poke around the civil bureau undisturbed, which, in the advent of Li Siqi not cooperating, is the next best thing.

His words hit Li Siqi like an arrowhead, she tenses imdiately and her face goes blank. "I appreciate his heavenly highness's marital advice, but it is unwarranted. I'm well aware of my spousal duties and will act in accordance to them."

Her stiffness while talking about her marriage is concerning. He doesn't understand why she's so reluctant to spend ti with Liao Min, when Liao Min is clearly head-over-heels in love with her.

Or maybe he understands too well.

Just because Liao Min and Li Siqi often ended up together in the Transmigrator 4000's worlds, doesn't an their relationship was harmonious to begin with.

Tentatively Xi Zirui asks, "Is there sothing preventing you from going ho?"

Surprisingly, Li Siqi nods. "Yes, my desire not to be there."