Chapter 161: Don't be upstaged [END WORLD 7]

This is not the ideal moment for them to have a heart-to-heart about their feelings.

Not while a very confused Cao Fei and Jin Ranyu look on.

Xi Zirui still wants to comfort Han Yu, despite how slim he thinks their chances of escaping Su Xueyi's trap are.

"We can still try to go through with your plan," it's what he says in the end. Kneeling in front of Han Yu and placing his hands on his knees, trying to make him look up at him. "Maybe it can still work if we make some adjustments."

Major adjustments, but Xi Zirui thinks that information is better kept for later.

"I can tell when you're just trying to humor me, you know?" Han Yu says, giving Xi Zirui an unimpressed look from beneath his lashes.

At least he doesn't look so sad anymore, so Xi Zirui considers it a victory.

"What plan?" Cao Fei asks, biting his lower lip.

No matter the world, he always has the slightly harried look of an accountant who has fallen behind on their bookkeeping, as if somehow, he's being kept from some extremely important excel tables.

That this was true even in the world where he was a hired killer, never stops being a source of amazement for Xi Zirui.

"Su Xueyi, most likely working together with Shen Yun, orchestrated everything so the show will have to come clean about keeping me and Han Yu from the top ten in the past voting rounds," Xi Zirui explains. 

"Together with the whole thing he pulled with the video, this means that we are probably going to get fewer votes, and will really stay out of the final lineup of the band, for good."

Jin Ranyu shakes his head. "What's his goal with that? And I thought that's what the two of you wanted? How is that a bad thing?"

"That's the whole problem, all this is just an excuse for him to sign me to a stupid solo contract," Xi Zirui says with a frustrated groan.

It was very smart of Su Xueyi, in a way.

He enlisted Shen Yun's help, who clearly doesn't have memories from any of the previous worlds, to get dirt on Han Yu and Xi Zirui on the sly, subtly creating a picture online peppered with truths that the show's viewers would later see confirmed when the episodes were broadcast.

It must have been easy to get him to join with promises of  making him debut as a center.

Xi Zirui very much doubts Shen Yun would have agreed so readily if he knew this was all a ploy to sign Su Xueyi to an exclusive deal.

Su Xueyi will take advantage of the show's delicate situation with admitting the vote fraud, and will swoop in like their last hope, offering the contract to Xi Zirui. To the public he'll probably come up with some convoluted explanation as to why the vote fraud happened in the first place.

As far as the show and the network are concerned, all that matters is saving face in front of the fans, and Su Xueyi with his amazingly generous offer won't leave any viewers under the impression Xi Zirui was shortchanged in any way.

He explains all this to Jin Ranyu and Cao Fei.

"Boss really hasn't changed a thing, uh?" Jin Ranyu muses, shaking his head.

"How will my plan apply to any of this?" Han Yu says, looking even more forlorn. 

His initial plan consisted of explaining away the voting changes by revealing that Han Yu only joined the show to chase after his long lost schoolyard first love -- Xi Zirui.

And that Xi Zirui only joined the show to help a sick relative -- Han Yu's actual real reason for joining.

That would explain Han Yu's unwillingness to be a part of the band, since he was clearly just a stalker with a crush.

And Xi Zirui would be unable to join because he'd need to take care of said relative, but the publicity he'd get from participating would help him pay some bills.

In either case, the show would come out looking generous for respecting their wishes, and the situation would be somewhat resolved.

Of course, Su Xueyi happened.

"It just needs a few adjustments," Xi Zirui says, his tone as reassuring as possible. "Here's what we're going to do..."

---

They leave the pocket realm and disperse, all aware of the tasks they need to perform. 

Xi Zirui is aware that he's taking a risk by enlisting Jin Ranyu and Cao Fei's help, but he trusts that they have established a bond, since he and Han Yu have been trying to help them get their bearings, and not completely freak out over their new realities.

He doesn't have much time to worry about that, because soon everyone is being ushered to hair and makeup to get ready for the final.

This time, there's a live audience of fans of the show when they reach the stage. The raucous noise of their cheers as the trainees take their seats on the tiered platform for the last time is deafening.

Ji Limei introduces them all and starts the broadcast as effusively cheery as ever.

She starts interviewing a few trainees, and as Xi Zirui expected, eventually she gets to Jin Ranyu, not a surprise, considering he's in the top 10, and well-positioned to be part of the boyband.

"Are you excited about your last performance on this stage?" Ji Limei asks, the kind of softball question everyone expects from this kind of event.

Jin Ranyu accepts the mike from her and smiles towards the nearest camera. "I'm very thankful for the opportunity to be here, but I want to announce that I won't be part of the band, in solidarity with my fellow trainees. What has been done to them is a travesty. They've earned every vote and deserve a spot in the final lineup, so I give up my third place rank to one of them."

He bows politely to Ji Limei and sits back down.

She's left holding the microphone and staring dazedly towards the backstage, in search of guidance.

Someone must gesture at her to go on, and she replaces her look of confusion for yet another smile, interviewing a few more people as if nothing happened, until she passes close enough to Cao Fei for him to grab the microphone from her hands.

"I give up my sixth place in the rank, in solidarity with my colleagues. They deserve a place in the band," he says, his voice wavering slightly before sitting back down.

Probably thinking that this is just the cool new thing they're doing now, a boy close to Cao Fei jumps in front of the camera and shouts, "They deserve a place in the band!"

Ironic coming for him, since he's probably not getting one.

In any case, chaos is installed, with many of the audience members voicing their dissatisfaction about the injustice.

Xi Zirui watches quietly from his seat.

In the end, it was all a matter of choosing the last awful option. He has no interest in joining the stupid boyband, but that might be the only way for him to avoid both being turned in to the authorities, and Su Xueyi's awful slave contract.

With such a public live spectacle, nothing will appease the viewers except Xi Zirui and Han Yu joining the final lineup, as per their previous vote placements.

Even if they don't get enough votes, Jin Ranyu's and Cao Fei's withdrawal will ensure there are two free spots. 

The two of them will also get the sob story that Han Yu made up for himself and Xi Zirui, as a more  robust justification for giving up their 'dreams' so easily in someone else's benefit.

Xi Zirui has to admit he's jealous of them -- they'll get to walk away without having to be a part of a stupid band!

But the show must go on, so they do their big choreography and all the scheduled performances as if weibo isn't blowing up about NNI for all the wrong reasons.

And then it comes the time to announce the big winners of the night.

Han Yu has already informed Li Siqi beforehand that they want to join the band now actually, and will even give up half their earnings to the show and the network to make up for the confusion -- which will surely go a long way to smooth any ruffled feathers.

Xi Zirui still isn't sure what they're going to do from then on, but at least they have bought themselves some time to think about it.

When everything is said and done, not only do Han Yu and Xi Zirui make it to the band, but Xi Zirui wins the center position.

Because life loves irony, it's Su Xueyi who hands him the trophy. 

"Don't think this is over," he whispers into Xi Zirui's ear, while pretending to hug him and pat his back. "I'm not stuck here with you, you're stuck here with me."

Xi Zirui goes very still, his fingers tightening on the back of Han Yu's expensive suit. "Where is here?"

Su Xueyi smiles. "You should remember it. We loved doing it as children, you could read for hours."

He knew Su Xueyi was lying about not remembering anything else, but his words don't mean anything to Xi Zirui.

Before he can voice any further questions, Su Xueyi is already pulling away, turning towards Shen Yun to hand him the second place silver trophy.

In the next second, Shen Yun is taking the heavy 'NNI' trophy and jabbing the sharp 'I' into Su Xueyi's jugular with all his strength.

Shen Yun's nearly whispered, "You should have kept your end of the bargain", are the last words Xi Zirui hears before everything goes dark.