Chapter 19: Don't Panic

Xi Zirui excuses himself out of his own trailer, so he can go have a meltdown 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 metallic 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 means?"

"Immediate 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 remember 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 remembers something, "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 mean? "What's that supposed to mean?" 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 remembers 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 Limei said about Bai Mi left me really uncomfortable, so I wanted to get some 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 Limei 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 time haunting the cramped space of the trailer like an hyperactive ghost.

Xi Zirui wishes he had some alone time 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 something he shouldn't.

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

Is this about Han Yu? Or what Ji Limei 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 some more of those short, excruciatingly intimate scenes with Han Yu.

It's easier this time 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 members 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 something he said earlier?

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

Xi Zirui has no issue nailing Hai Yaomei's conflicted expressions and anxious demeanor.

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

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

He hits send before having time to reflect on whether his words would come 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 me much to think about."

What did Xi Zirui say? He combs over their conversation in the morning, but nothing he said strikes him as something 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 message before Xi Zirui can even come up with a reply. "Besides, Cao Fei warned me to keep things strictly professional on set, for the time being. He showed me this, I don't know if didi has seen it."

There's a link in his message. 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 Me, 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 commitments", 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 comment" 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 comment, Bai Mi has pretty much confirmed 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 statement ready, denying that I have any children, but we don't want to come 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 statement puts Han Yu in the unfortunate position of being unable to come 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 comes seconds later in the form of a meme 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 time before his reply comes, 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 met."

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 met.

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

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

"It's a compliment! 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 me?"

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