Chapter 152: Don't blow your cover

Xi Zirui holds out hope that maybe Han Yu will be called as well, but Ji Limei never says his name.

In the end, he's one of only two people leaving Jade team while 7 others join it.

The show wants to have a dramatic stand off, so the two teams face each other on opposite ends of the stages as the selected trainees change sides.

Xi Zirui can almost feel the cameras zooming in on him and Cao Fei as they cross paths.

He would bet his left arm this whole "switching" sides thing was done for the benefit of increasing online speculation only. He can imagine how long NNI has spent in the top trending in the past few days.

The speculation must be even fiercer since his and Han Yu's live disappearance. The cameras might not have been focused on them, but nothing escapes the eagle-eye of people online with nothing better to do.

He has to stand on his tiptoes to catch even a brief glimpse of Han Yu among the Jade team members while Ji Limei continues to drone on and on about next week's "exciting challenges".

Finally, the broadcast is over, and they're released.

Xi Zirui wants nothing more than to run up to Han Yu and find a way to talk with him, but with all the other trainees jostling him around as they all file out of the set that's impossible.

It's fine, he can hold out until they reach the house and have the chance to find some alone time.

He's waited this long for him to get his memories back, what's a few more minutes.

---

As soon as the last trainee makes it inside the NNI house, Ji Limei's voice rings through the speaker system.

"We love how friendly and supportive you all are of each other's dreams, but in order to keep things interesting this week trainees are only allowed to talk with members of their own team! Infractions will be punished, believe me you don't want to know what the punishment is!"

Xi Zirui looks up at the ceiling in shock.

They have to be kidding him.

Han Yu's gaze finds his own over the sea of upturned heads, the anxiety on his limpid eyes reflecting Xi Zirui's own.

Instinctively he takes a step in his direction, uncaring of the invisible line that has been drawn.

A hand wraps around his shoulder, pulling him back. "You heard Ji laoshi, we can't interact with them," a serious-faced boy with braids on his hair and a straight nose tells him.

Xi Zirui shakes him off with a scowl.

Actually what Ji Limei said is that they can't "talk" -- that still leaves a host of other possible communication avenues on the table.

Xi Zirui will be sure to explore them at a time when he doesn't have all of the Diamond team trainees giving him threatening looks while keeping him at arm's-length.

By the time they disperse from around him, neither Han Yu or the Jade team is anywhere to be found.

---

In the Diamond team dormitories Xi Zirui once again sleeps on the bottom bunk, the one Cao Fei just vacated under Jin Ranyu's.

Someone from the production must have switched all their bags around, because all of Xi Zirui's clothes are already hanging in the closet when he arrives.

He settles in for an uncomfortable night in an unfamiliar bed, in a strange room. As bizarre as this whole thing is, he was used to his cramped bed with the Jade team.

He can't believe he's being kept away from Han Yu because of a stupid idol survival show.

Xi Zirui falls into a fitful sleep with thoughts of Han Yu and all the things he wants to tell him and ask him swirling around in his mind.

---

They also don't get a chance to talk the next day. Breakfast is a stilted affair in which each team keeps to a different side of the room, like a bizarre social experiment into group think.

He and Han Yu exchange only a few glances over bowls of quickly cooling congee before Diamond team is leaving for acting practice with Su Xueyi.

Acting is going to be Sunday's main performance, and Xi Zirui would be tempted to find a way to skip Su Xueyi's unbearable training if it wasn't for Han Yu's restored memories.

They have to find a way to learn more about the event that caused them all to be splintered across the different worlds. 

And more than that, if Han Yu has his memories back, Xi Zirui should keep an eye on Su Xueyi to ensure he hasn't gotten his back too.

---

Su Xueyi is as insufferable as expected, and continues to have a gigantic hate boner for Xi Zirui.

His role for Sunday will be to play Jin Ranyu's dying lover once again, but this time around he gets a little more than a single line of dialogue. He'll even get to step in front of Jin Ranyu and bravely take an arrow in the chest in his place.

Only to die tragically in his arms while Jin Ranyu monologues at him about what a great man his own character is, and how unfortunate that everyone he loves dies.

Xi Zirui is only glad his role allows him to nap on Jin Ranyu's lap while he goes over his lines again and again.

In order to enforce the "no talking" rule, each team trains with a different mentor, so it's just Diamond team and Su Xueyi -- unfortunately for Xi Zirui.

"Are you sleeping?" a smooth voice asks from above Xi Zirui, a shadow falling across his closed eyes.

"No, I'm dead," Xi Zirui says, keeping his eyes stubbornly closed. "I died bravely in my heroic lover's place, so he can keep on being heroic and have lots of future crying scenes as flashbacks of my death play in sad montages."

He doesn't even need to open his eyes to picture Su Xueyi's scowl.

Su Xueyi's next words wipe the smirk out of Xi Zirui's face. "Have we met before, your face seems familiar to me?"

His eyes blink open at once. "Laoshi has probably seen an ad with my face, from one of my modeling jobs."

He doesn't look convinced, his eyes narrowing at Xi Zirui.

"Or maybe one of my livestreams," Xi Zirui adds, remembering the original is supposed to be an influencer.

"I don't watch that kind of thing," he says with a scoff. "Did you use to have longer hair, darker too?"

Xi Zirui shakes his head, trying to school his face into a mask of neutrality.

Shit, could Su Xueyi be remembering him from one of the ancient worlds?

Eventually, Su Xueyi has to check on the other trainees and leaves him blissfully alone.

Jin Ranyu has been oddly silent through this whole thing, and when Xi Zirui chances a glance at him he finds him empty-eyed and staring in the middle distance.

"What's going on?" he asks waving his hand in front of Jin Ranyu's vacant gaze.

With great effort, he manages to focus his eyes on Xi Zirui's face. "Boss, where are we?"

Xi Zirui goes very still.

Why is Jin Ranyu calling him boss?

"Who do you think I am?" he asks, keeping his voice low.

"Boss Xi, Boss Su's husband," Jin Ranyu says, as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

Fuck! He thinks this is the third world and he's sticking to his cover as Xi Zirui's driver.

Jin Ranyu is looking around in utter confusion, one of his hands patting his flank and his side as if hoping to find a hidden weapon somewhere.

In all his elation at Han Yu getting his memories back, and fear of Su Xueyi getting his own, Xi Zirui never considered it could happen to one of the others.

He gets up from Jin Ranyu's lap and puts some distance between them. "Take it easy, try to focus on what we were just doing, remember who you are."

That's probably the wrong thing to say, because it only makes Jin Ranyu grow more agitated. It's a lucky thing that he's not prone to drawing a lot of attention, because his panicked eyes are making Xi Zirui scared people might start giving them odd looks any moment now.

"What does that mean, Boss? I'm me, your husband hired me to be your driver."

He looks around and spots Su Xueyi talking with another trainee. Xi Zirui knows he wants to call him over, and slaps one hand over his mouth before he has the chance to do that.

"Stay calm, I can explain everything," Xi Zirui says, not entirely sure he can explain 30% of it, let alone everything.

Gingerly, he pulls Jin Ranyu up to his feet while holding on tightly to his upper arm. "Ranyu isn't feeling well, I'm going outside with him to catch some air," Xi Zirui says, already walking Ranyu towards the studio doors.

Each step takes an eternity, Xi Zirui fears Jin Ranyu is going to lose it at any moment.

They're almost at the door when he hears a familiar voice from outside.

"No, you're lying to me. I want to know what's happening here."