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

Xi Zirui is glad Han Yu isn't in the kitchen to watch him extricate himself from Su Xueyi's embrace as diplomatically as possible.

He's also glad it's relatively easy to drag Su Xueyi upstairs without him making a scene.

Once in the room he manages to peacefully talk Su Xueyi into quietly going to sleep in the same bed where a few short hours ago Xi Zirui was getting rawed by Han Yu.

He has to talk himself into believing that's punishment enough for the kiss, at least until he can enact his revenge.

---

The next day, Xi Zirui gets dressed in some more of the original's gym clothes, which he's quickly running out of, and follows Su Xueyi into the garage.

Han Yu tries to follow them to the elevator but Su Xueyi stops him with a hand on his chest. "Zirui is going to spend the day with me today. You can take the day off."

Wisely, Han Yu doesn't argue with him, and instead shrugs and turns on his heel to go back into the house.

Su Xueyi leads Xi Zirui into the elevator with a hand on the small of his back, and a smirk on his lips.

Xi Zirui is a little apprehensive, at not having Han Yu with him, but not five minutes into the drive to Greydot's offices, his phone vibrates in his jogger's pockets.

He unlocks it and finds a WeChat message from Han Yu: "Put your mobile on your back pocket, so I can always be close to your ass cheeks <3"

Xi Zirui has to make a real effort not to grin as he types, "These joggers don't have pockets on the back."

"That's alright, put it on the front then, I love your balls too <3 <3~~~"

Xi Zirui has to close off his screen or risk laughing like an idiot at his mobile in front of Su Xueyi, who is thankfully engrossed in his own mobile, and doesn't notice Xi Zirui's besotted grin.

Liao Min, however, does, and her eyes find Xi Zirui's through the rearview mirror. She winks at him. He tips his head in acknowledgement.

"Traffic is awful today," Su Xueyi says, looking distractedly out of the window at the chaotic streets. 

Xi Zirui hums in sympathy. "If only there was a mode of transportation that allowed us to bypass the traffic, and travel over the speed limit. Something underground, perhaps."

Su Xueyi pats him on the thigh. "Don't worry baby, the moment they invent flying cars, I'll buy you one."

His generosity earns him a wan smile from Xi Zirui.

---

They go straight to Su Xueyi's office as soon as they arrive at the company. Xi Zirui takes a seat in one of the expensive leather chairs opposite Su Xueyi and waits for something to happen.

"So, what's the first order of business?"

Su Xueyi smiles and taps something on his sleek tablet.

Moments later the door to his office is being opened and Bai Mi walks in with an exasperated sigh.

"I was in the middle of my morning tea," she groans and hands over her paper cup to Xi Zirui. 

Their eyes meet over the plume of steam coming out of the cup which Bai Mi wrenches out of Xi Zirui's hand at the last minute, to point it at Su Xueyi, instead. "What's he doing here?" Some of the tea spills over the wooden table with her brusque movements.

Su Xueyi eyes the tea stains with a frown. "He wants to take a more active role-"

Bai Mi cuts him off. "Good for him, let him top once in a while. What does that have to do with our company?"

"What's the matter? Is older sister afraid I'll prove more resourceful than her?" Xi Zirui asks, kicking his feet up on the table.

She scoffs. "As if a spoiled brat like you wouldn't just stand there shaking in his gucci pants the moment the going got rough."

Her eyes narrow as she gives Xi Zirui a proper once over and notices how different he's dressing from the last time she saw him. "Adiddas tracksuit, whatever."

"By the way, baby, I didn't say anything, but I like the new look. It makes you look younger."

Xi Zirui is 26 in this world, what does he need to look younger for?

Bai Mi gives Su Xueyi a slightly concerned look, and Xi Zirui struggles not to echo the sentiment. 

"As I was saying...he's not needed here."

Su Xueyi grins, turning on the full power of his dimples on Bai Mi - she isn't moved. 

"You should have seen him at lunch with Shen Yun yesterday. He got him to agree to 10 million for 23 crates. A good thing too, because some of that merchandise was getting hot, and better it blow up in his hands than ours."

Su Xueyi beams with pride at Xi Zirui's accomplishment of having successfully negotiated an arms deal. Xi Zirui wants to throttle him with his own necktie.

Bai Mi darts a quick glance towards him while worrying at her bottom lip. She's reconsidering her stance, but it's clear she still doesn't trust Xi Zirui.

"If he's joining us, we need to have collateral on him," she says, taking the empty seat next to Xi Zirui, and finally relenting. "We both know what we stand to lose if we try to fuck each other over, but we have nothing on him."

The corners of Su Xueyi's lips curl up in an enigmatic smile and he takes his phone out of his breast pocket. He searches for something, finds it,  and then places the mobile on the table, facing towards Xi Zirui and Bai Mi, a dark video paused on the screen.

"This is one of our intimate videos," Su Xueyi says, as casually as someone commenting on the weather. "I took the liberty of installing cameras in our bedroom to surprise Zirui," he smirks, "but then forgot to tell him."

Xi Zirui goes very still in his chair. 

This is very bad. And not because Su Xueyi has some homemade porno of himself and the original on his phone.

There's no guarantee he took down those cameras. Which means that somewhere there's a recording of him bouncing on Han Yu's cock.

No matter the world, Su Xueyi clearly doesn't play with a full deck, so there's no telling what his reaction will be if he finds out.

Probably call up his mob friends to get rid of the problem for him.

Su Xueyi mistakes Xi Zirui's visible apprehension for embarrassment and pats his hand comfortingly. "Don't worry baby, you look great in it."

To Bai Mi he says, "My face, of course, is not visible. So if he decides to turncoat this video will be sent to all his friends and family. Much worse things would follow, but I believe this is sufficient collateral for you?"

Bai Mi still doesn't look convinced, at least until she taps play on the video an the sound of breathy, tinny moaning comes out of the mobile's speakers, along with a crystal clear image of Xi Zirui writhing beneath someone bulkier than him, his pale arms circling broad shoulders and clawing up the straining muscles.

She cuts the video off with a click of her tongue. "Xueyi, you're a real piece of work. But yes, this is enough, I don't think anyone would like to have something like this exposed."

Xi Zirui couldn't agree more. Except... 

"Only someone with a taste for humiliation would like to see that dismal performance shared around." He inspects his nails nonchalantly. "I mean, I'm clearly putting on a show for someone's benefit other than my own. It's a good thing my husband's face isn't visible or I fear his business partners would think less of him."

A chime - "Congratulations Host!" - followed by a dispirited sigh - "Ni Ni can't do this anymore. CEO's favor up by +5 points. It's now at 64 out of 100."

The look Su Xueyi shoots him is absolutely smoldering. It makes Xi Zirui squirm in his chair.

Bai Mi looks between the two of them with raised eyebrows. "You two have issues, but that's clearly none of my business."

She runs one manicured hand over her smooth hair and clears her throat. "Speaking of business, let's go back to it."

"Wait a minute," Xi Zirui says, uncrossing his ankles and lowering his legs from the table. "You have collateral on me, but I don't have collateral on you?"

Su Xueyi chuckles. "Now, why would you need that, baby? You can trust me, and I already have collateral on Bai Mi, she won't move against us." He stretches across the table to grasp Xi Zirui's fingers in his. "We're a team."

Bai Mi gives him a derisive smirk. "Yeah, welcome to the team." 

---

Being part of the team turns out to be anti-climatic. He's given a password, and access to an encrypted file where he can see who are the buyers aof a series of 'goods'. Unfortunately the goods are labeled with codenames, and so are the buyers, most of them named after fish. 

Someone named "Trout" shows up more than three times. Buying "headphones" twice, "speakers" once, and "keyboards" twice, again.

The codenames make the file useless, if Xi Zirui wants to bring down this operation, he needs to get his hands on the product. 

In the meantime, he can try his luck, "What are 'speakers' supposed to be?" he asks Su Xueyi, pointing at the screen.

"You'll see soon enough." 

Xi Zirui tries very hard not to roll his eyes. It's a close call.

Su Xueyi's eyes flicker at down at his watch. "Speaking of which, we should be going to the warehouse."

Bai Mi hums, and writes something down on her phone. "We're taking your driver."

---

Xi Zirui doesn't quite understand why Bai Mi wants Liao Min to drive them to the warehouse until she sits down on the passenger seat and practically purrs at Liao Min, "Long time no see."

Liao Min hums noncommittally and kicks the car into gear.

Bai Mi stretches languorously and runs her fingers up into her hair, making it frame her face in voluminous waves.

"Give it a rest, Bai Mi, Senior Liao has a boyfriend, or is it a husband?" Su Xueyi interjects distractedly, keeping his eyes glued to his mobile.

How self-absorbed can a person be not to notice that Liao Min is a flaming lesbian? Is the buzzcut not enough? Did he miss the knuckle tattoos?

Maybe he didn't notice the several piercings running down her ear?

Bai Mi throws Su Xueyi a disgruntled look over her shoulder. "Perhaps in another life."

"Not even then, ma'am," Liao Min cuts in, her face gone pale at the prospect.

Xi Zirui who has met her in three lives already, can attest to the veracity of that.

---

The closer they get to the warehouse, the tighter Liao Min grips the wheel. From the backseat Xi Zirui can see her knuckles turn white.

Revisiting this place must bring her awful memories, and who knows how many times she's had to do it, since the day she found Li Siqi with burns on her eyes.

Xi Zirui takes advantage of the fact that Su Xueyi is distracted with his own mobile to send Han Yu a message:

"Check the master bedroom, for cameras! Just found out that Su Xueyi had an old video of us."

He gets a reply back almost instantly. "US????!"

He sighs. "No idiot, me and him. It's probably closed circuit, so see if you can find where the video is being stored, and wipe it clean. Disable the cameras too."

"Ok, but I'm going to watch it first."

Of course he is, Xi Zirui shouldn't even be surprised. He can't help smiling down fondly at his mobile.

"We're here," Liao Min announces, turning the car into a narrow stretch of asphalt in front of a large, industrial warehouse.

The three of them climb out, minus Liao Min who stays put in the car as per Su Xueyi's instructions.

Su Xueyi walks ahead and unlocks the door for them. 

The first thing Xi Zirui notices is the smell of blood, pungent and overwhelming.

His trainers skid on something wet, and when Xi Zirui looks down he sees their soles caked in red.

The blood is fresh too.

Su Xueyi, undaunted by the grisly sight threads ahead, following the trail of blood.

He comes to a sudden stop in front of a vague shape on the ground.

"Shen Yun?" his smooth voice rings out through the empty warehouse.

Behind Xi Zirui, Bai Mi curses in anger.