QT: Don't fall in love with the Male Lead Chapter 19: Don't Panic

Xi Zirui excuses himself out of his own trailer, so he can go have a ltdown in private.

He walks further into the rows of trailers until the bustle of the crew is only a distant hum, and crouches down on the floor, once he's sure no one's around.

"Ni Ni what the fuck is going to happen if the drama doesn't air?" he asks, hissing into his wrist.

The tallic chirp sounds at once. "Informing Host: Host needs to finish filming the drama, and deliver a good performance. The drama will only be aired months after filming finishes. If the drama airs or not isn't host's concern."

Xi Zirui lets out a shuddering exhale and lets his head fall back against the railing of the trailer behind him.

That's one less thing to worry about.

Except..."What if the drama never finishes filming?"

Ni Ni beeps again. "If the drama doesn't finish filming, host will automatically fail the mission."

Xi Zirui gulps. "Which ans?"

"Imdiate termination of the free trial," Ni Ni says, chirpy and robotic as ever.

He tries to be reasonable, there's a very slim chance of that actually happening. A drama never airing because a network gets cold feet is common, but he doesn't think there's ever been one halted so close to the end of shooting. At least, he doesn't rember ever hearing about that.

Why does he have to deal with this, on top of everything else?

Isn't learning how to be an actor on the fly already challenging enough? Why did his coworker's jealous ex have to get involved all of a sudden?

He rembers sothing, "Ni Ni, what would actually happen if I fell in love with the Male Lead?"

Xi Zirui doesn't know why he feels a pressing urge to clear that up.

"Falling in love with the Male Lead will result in a Bad Ending," Ni Ni says.

What's that supposed to an? "What's that supposed to an?" Xi Zirui asks, growing agitated with Ni Ni's vague answers.

"Personality settings insufficient to elaborate." It's the equally unsatisfying reply he gets.

He rembers how annoyingly chipper Ni Ni was when he first talked with her, which led to his decision to lower her personality settings and make her as impersonal as possible.

If he only raises the settings long enough for her to elaborate on what exactly constitutes a 'bad ending' it probably won't lead to irreparable brain damage.

He's about to do just that when a shadow falls over his eyes.

Xi Zirui looks up and sees Su Xueyi looking down at him quizzically, eyes glued to the finger he has raised in the air to touch the holo screen, that of course Su Xueyi can't see.

"What are you doing?" he asks, lifting Xi Zirui from the ground with a hand beneath his arm.

"Oh, ah, the whole thing Ji Lii said about Bai Mi left really uncomfortable, so I wanted to get so air."

Su Xueyi frowns and runs his hand down Xi Zirui's arm. "Don't worry about that, it's just mindless gossip." He sketches a smile and looks Xi Zirui in the eyes. "I already told Ji laoshi to leave, you can go back to your trailer to rest if you want."

Xi Zirui follows Su Xueyi back to his trailer, wondering all the while why did he think he had the authority to kick Ji Lii out of his trailer when it was Xi Zirui who invited her in.

---

He doesn't get much rest, honestly speaking.

Su Xueyi stays there the whole ti haunting the cramped space of the trailer like an hyperactive ghost.

Xi Zirui wishes he had so alone ti to fiddle with Ni Ni's personality settings, but Su Xueyi seems unwilling to leave his side, and Xi Zirui doesn't want to tell him to do so outright.

Besides, his behaviour is odd, and Xi Zirui is trying to make sense of it. In a way, it's as if Su Xueyi is keeping an eye on him, watching to see if Xi Zirui is going to do sothing he shouldn't.

But what? What is Su Xueyi keeping an eye out for?

Is this about Han Yu? Or what Ji Lii said?

And what role does Su Xueyi play in all of it?

He doesn't get any answers before his lunch break is over.

He has to go back to filming so more of those short, excruciatingly intimate scenes with Han Yu.

It's easier this ti around because Han Yu keeps his distance outside of the contact the scenes call for.

In fact, he doesn't talk much with Xi Zirui between takes, drifting off to confer with Cao Fei or the crew mbers he's friendly with.

The distance leaves Xi Zirui disconcerted in a different way than Han Yu's usual blatant CP-baiting flirtation does.

Is he avoiding Xi Zirui? Was it sothing he said earlier?

Thankfully the scenes they're filming call for Hai Yaoi to be struggling with so internal turmoil in the face of his budding feelings for Xiu Xianren and what that ans regarding his core values as a demonic cultivator.

Xi Zirui has no issue nailing Hai Yaoi's conflicted expressions and anxious deanor.

Liao Min tries but she can't find any fault with his acting.

It doesn't make him as relieved as it should when shooting ends and he can go back to the hotel to rest.

---

He doesn't see Han Yu again after they finish filming for the day. Once again, Su Xueyi drives him to the hotel, and the entire ride is tense and uncomfortable.

It's hard to believe there was once such an easy camaraderie between them. Things have changed in an irrevocable way that Xi Zirui can't put his finger on.

He looks over at Su Xueyi from the corner of his eye during the ride and wonders what he's thinking.

Su Xueyi's neutral smile doesn't give him any answers.

Xi Zirui makes his way to his room in a daze of exhaustion and confusion. He only has enough energy to try and navigate a bath, and then go directly to sleep.

In a way it's a relief knowing that he's going to have the bulky wrist braces replaced with bandages tomorrow. His wrists still feel tender but the extra mobility will be much appreciated.

He's resting on the plush sofa in the living room when his phone's screen lights up with an incoming text notification.

"Unblock on WeChat," reads the ssage that can only have been sent by Han Yu.

Maybe it's because Xi Zirui feels like he's owed so answers, but he does, imdiately sending his own ssage. "Why did you ignore during the afternoon?"

He hits send before having ti to reflect on whether his words would co across as whiny.

Han Yu doesn't make him wait for an answer. "I thought that's what didi wanted. Besides, what didi said gave much to think about."

What did Xi Zirui say? He combs over their conversation in the morning, but nothing he said strikes him as sothing that would give Han Yu pause. Honestly, he doesn't strike Xi Zirui as the kind of person who would think before acting, to begin with.

Han Yu sends another ssage before Xi Zirui can even co up with a reply. "Besides, Cao Fei warned to keep things strictly professional on set, for the ti being. He showed this, I don't know if didi has seen it."

There's a link in his ssage. Xi Zirui taps it.

It leads to a news article.

'Bai Mi breaks her silence! Shocking revelations!'

Xi Zirui starts reading with a heavy heart.

'The renowned actress finally weighted in on the rumours that have been setting social networks ablaze lately.

According to Bai Mi, she did maintain a relationship with co-star Han Yu during the filming of their drama 'All of , All of You', two years ago. The drama has since aired to rave reviews from critics and public alike, with much of the praise being directed at the chemistry between the two actors.

Bai Mi clarified that, "the relationship ended on friendly terms, and due to irreconcilable schedule commitnts", she goes on to say that she "wishes Han Yu all the best."

On the speculation of whether Bai Mi gave birth to a child Han Yu fathered, the actress said only "no comnt" and urged the public to "respect her privacy."

This publication notes that there was a period of several months last year, after Bai Mi started filming the still unaired drama 'Lotus Pond Romance', where the actress was absent from the public eye....'

Xi Zirui doesn't need to read any more after that, the picture is clear enough. By refusing to comnt, Bai Mi has pretty much confird the rumors.

"What are you going to do?" he struggles to type. Wondering what Han Yu's team will do in the face of this article which is bound to cast him in a more villainous light.

"Cao Fei has a press statent ready, denying that I have any children, but we don't want to co out too strong and make it seem like we're attacking her. Bai Mi's saintly image has grown tenfold since the article."

Xi Zirui can imagine that. He can already envision the speculation on weibo: They'll be saying Bai Mi found out about the pregnancy after breaking up with Han Yu, and not wanting to cause problems for him, kept it a secret.

Less generous people might even be inclined to believe that Han Yu broke up with her after learning about the pregnancy.

The way Bai Mi cleverly worded her statent puts Han Yu in the unfortunate position of being unable to co straight out and ask for a paternity test, without that implying that he's aware of the existence of a child.

By neither confirming nor denying the existence of one, she has hefted the burden of proof squarely onto Han Yu's shoulders.

"She's smarter than you," Xi Zirui sends.

The reply cos seconds later in the form of a of a guy gasping in exaggerated affront.

"Why did you even get involved with her? She doesn't seem like your type," Xi Zirui says.

Han Yu's typing bubble remains on the screen for a long ti before his reply cos, a clear sign that he was thinking hard on his answer.

"Smart? Doesn't didi think he's smart?"

Xi Zirui rolls his eyes and sinks himself further into the sofa's plush cushions. He should have known better than to expect a candid answer from Han Yu.

He sends a single eyeroll emoji as his reply.

Han Yu starts typing again.

"It really was all marketing in the beginning, just the usual CP-baiting to drum up interest in the drama, but Bai Mi can be very charming when she wants to..."

He doesn't elaborate further on that, and Xi Zirui gets the impression that it might be a sore topic.

But he doesn't wait for Xi Zirui to answer before sending, "That's why I like you so much, you're the least charming person I've ever t."

That actually makes Xi Zirui laugh, a bubble of delighted giggling that might just be the effect of all the stress building up in his system finally getting the best of his senses.

It could also be genuine delight at the fact that Han Yu always manages to surprise him.

Han Yu can be a lot of things, but he's never boring. Xi Zirui hasn't been bored since they t.

He thinks that must an sothing, but he doesn't want to examine it too closely.

Instead he sends, "Gege's flirting technique needs so work."

"It's a complint! Didi isn't charming, but he's still very cute, prickly like a cactus. Cactus are cute!"

As proof he sends him a gif of a blushing cactus swaying back and forth on a clay pot.

Xi Zirui doesn't know what prompts him to type what he sends next. "What else do you like about ?"

He doesn't realize he's holding his breath until Han Yu's reply arrives and a shuddering exhale leaves his chest.