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

After a very awkward car ride, they finally reach the studio, and Su Xueyi drops Xi Zirui in front of his trailer, leaving to park the car.

Xi Zirui only has a few short scenes to shoot in the afternoon, where he's mostly unconscious in the background while his sect members, and then Xiu Xianren fret over him. He's fairly confident he can at least play dead convincingly.

He's climbing the stairs to his trailer when he hears hushed voices nearby.

Curiosity gets the better of him and he can't avoid snooping around a little.

He turns the corner between the row of trailers and comes across his manager, Li Siqi, and the director, Liao Min, talking with each other.

"Don't get me wrong, he was never 'good' to begin with, but now it's as if he forgot what little he knew about acting," Liao Min says, and takes a drag from the cigarette between her lips.

Li Siqi nods in understanding and holds her tablet closer to her chest. "I understand, I'll have a talk with him about focusing more on his work."

Shit they're talking about him, aren't they? Xi Zirui flattens himself against the side of a trailer and remains still. It's probably in his best interests to hear the rest of their conversation.

Liao Min snorts, and taps off the ash at the end of the cigarette with the practice of someone who's been smoking for a long time.

Li Siqi's sharp eyes follow her movements avidly.

"Don't bother. You're his manager, you know how these idols are. They only care about popularity, they have no passion or interest in acting whatsoever."

"I'm sorry, I know our company imposed his casting on you," Li Siqi starts, her voice low.

"Every company financing this projected imposed their casting choice on this drama, that's not your fault," Liao Min says. "I just wish Xi Zirui didn't decide halfway through shooting to stop giving a crap about at least keeping up the appearance that he is an actor."

"I think it's the whole thing with Han Yu, I don't know what's happening but they're all wrapped up in each other," Li Siqi says.

Her words make Liao Min's frown deepen, she puts out her cigarette viciously against the railing in one of the trailers. "That's another thing. If he's gay, he should understand how important LGBT characters are for actual LGBT people! No matter how silly he finds this drama. It's not like I spent years in college dreaming of one day directing xianxia dramas about how good conquers evil with the power of love! But I did dream about directing stories about LGBT people, and this is one of them, and fuck it if I'm not going to try and make it the best it can possibly be."

Li Siqi's eyes shine with admiration during Liao Min's entire monologue, and her cheeks are red when she adds, "Liao laoshi is a real professional, I truly admire her."

Her words seem to surprise Liao Min, who was mostly letting out steam and not trying to make an impassioned speech.

Li Siqi's cheeks darken further, before she says, "I have a confession to make," she takes in a deep breath. "I really like, 'Evil sect leader, I'll make you fall in love with me', I read all 200 chapters in two days, I got a fever afterwards."

Liao Min gives her an appraising look, and slowly a smile spreads across her full lips. "It does have its charms. The whole underworld arc..."

"That's my favourite part!" Li Siqi cuts in, her eyes wide.

Her excitement sends the two of them into a fit of giggles. It's the most animated Xi Zirui has ever seen Li Siqi.

Liao Min takes another cigarette out of the crushed pack in the pocket of her jacket, and fiddles with the lighter to try and light it.

Li Siqi takes the lighter from her hands, "Here," she says, lighting Liao Min's cigarette and shielding the flame with her tablet.

Their eyes meet over the incandescent tip of the cigarette. Liao Min winks at Li Siqi, who looks away shyly.

Xi Zirui doesn't think he's just imagining the charged atmosphere between the two.

"Liao laoshi, I was thinking, maybe the two of us could..."

Li Siqi never gets to finish that sentence because Liao Min's phone starts ringing and she picks it up right away, holding one finger towards Li Siqi.

"Mn, I see, I'll go there right away, see you," she pockets her phone and spares an apologetic smile towards Li Siqi. "Sorry, I really have to go, but we'll talk later, right?"

Li Siqi hides her disappointment and nods, her expression the model of professional composure.

Xi Zirui waits for them both to leave before making his way towards his trailer to change back into his costume. He's barely inside, when Ni Ni's mechanical chime sounds.

"Opportunity! To improve his relationship with his manager, host should help her secure a date with the director. Successfully completing this mission will increase host's professional standing, and unlock a special romantic scenario for host and his love interest."

He stares at the flashing lights in his bracelet in astonishment. Is he supposed to play matchmaker now, too?

Moreover, "What 'love interest'? Am I not forbidden from falling in love with the male lead?"

Predictably, Ni Ni doesn't answer him.

He taps the thin metal bracelet and calls out to her. "Why do I have to do quests on top of everything else? Wasn't this supposed to be a dating simulator? When did it become an RPG?"

Again, he gets no answer.

He gives up on getting anything from her and decides to get ready for his next scenes. After all, Liao Min already thinks he's incompetent, he should at least do his best to prove her wrong.

---

He goes through his scenes without much fuss. As expected there's not much Liao Min can criticizing him for when he's lying either on the floor or a cot pretending to be dead.

Although, at one point she says, "Try not to breathe."

Xi Zirui tries not to take it personally.

He's looking forward to soaking in the tub in his hotel room for at least an hour when Li Siqi comes to find him.

"Xi laoshi, I'm sorry to bother you, but there's been a change and the photoshoot scheduled for next week has been move to today, due to unforeseen circumstances."

"Do you mean 'today' as in now? But I was about to go back to my hotel," Xi Zirui says, dismayed.

Li Siqi frowns. "Xi laoshi is not the only one who'll have to work overtime because of this change."

Ah, yes, he certainly increased his affinity points with Li Siqi.

Maybe he can turn her frown upside down by mentioning how great it would be for her to go on a date with Liao Min. Li Siqi would definitely not find that odd, considering she and Xi Zirui are so close.

He wishes Ni Ni was a real person so he could throttle her.

"Li laoshi is right, I apologize. Where will the photoshoot take place?"

---

The outside part of the fucking photoshoot takes place in Lover's Bridge right in the middle of Hengdian Studios most popular attractions.

This means that Xi Zirui has to focus on listening to the photographer's directions while trying to ignore the roar of tourists trying to get through the security guards and closer to them.

"Alright, we want to make this quick to take advantage of the sunset over the bridge," the photographer says, addressing his crew. To Xi Zirui and Han Yu he says, "The outside shoot is supposed to be intimate and romantic, so focus on portraying those kinds of emotions. We'll save the sexier stuff for the inside shots."

There's going to be sexier stuff?

Xi Zirui spares a worried glance towards Han Yu who grins at him, all teeth.

The stylists have dressed him in a black and red robe, heavy on the red accents and light on the subtlety. For reasons that make absolutely no practical or historical sense, the robe has a wide collar and is almost slipping down his shoulders.

To emphasize his collarbones, most of his long wig is pinned up on top of his head, with only a few artful tendrils coming down to frame his face, and fall down his back suggestively.

No one in the entire history of China has ever dressed like this, except Xi Zirui in this exact moment.

He hasn't been a history nerd since he was 12, at which point he became just a nerd, but that long dormant part of him wants to scream at this travesty of ancient dress they have forced him into.

He tries to soothe his nerves by reminding himself that this is supposed to be a wuxia drama, and therefore historical accuracy is not a necessity. He's only partially successful.

He finally achieves some modicum of peace towards the situation when he recalls Liao Min's earlier words, on how LGBT representation is important for LGBT people. He agrees with her on that.

So he sucks it up, and hopes that whatever comes out of this puts a smile on the faces of his brothers and sisters when it's all said and done.

"Han laoshi, hold the paper umbrella over his head and pull him towards your chest by the waist. Xi laoshi, put your hands on Han laoshi's chest and look up at his face with wide eyes and your lips slightly parted," the photographer says.

Han Yu doesn't wait to be told twice.

The hand he wraps around Xi Zirui's waist is almost possessive, digging his fingers into the skin through the thin robe and pulling Xi Zirui forcefully forward.

Xi Zirui bites the inside of his lip and puts himself in position.

"Didi's waist is so thin," Han Yu whispers, bringing his lips close to Xi Zirui's ear. "I love holding it."

"Great pose! Hold it," the photographer says, to Xi Zirui's infinite dismay. "Xi laoshi turn your face to the side so we can get a shot of your profile."

Xi Zirui does as he's told, lowering his eyes demurely, which gets him an appreciative "Great!" from the photographer.

Some evil sect leader Hai Yaomei is, turning into putty the moment his worst enemy lays hands on him.

"Now turn away from him as if you're going to leave. Han laoshi, hold him back by the sleeve."

Xi Zirui turns his back on Han Yu and walks a few steps before extending his arm back so Han Yu can hold on to his hand.

Han Yu rubs circles over Xi Zirui's knuckles with his thumb.

Xi Zirui wishes he could bite him.

"Now, Han laoshi hold on to Xi laoshi from behind. Xi laoshi turn your face to the side to give Han laoshi access to your neck."

Xi Zirui doesn't even want to think about what the sexy photos are supposed to be like.

Han Yu folds Xi Zirui's arms in front of his waist as if he's restraining him, which of course the photographer loves, and brings his nose close to the long column of his neck.

"Didi always smells so good, I can't help myself," Han Yu says.

And then the bastard presses his lips against Xi Zirui's bare neck in a fleeting kiss.

Xi Zirui can't help himself either, so he steps on Han Yu's foot with his heel, putting all of his weight behind it.

It doesn't have the desired effect, instead Han Yu lets out a chuckle and says, "Didi can step on me whenever he wants."

Xi Zirui flips their positions and presses Han Yu over the bridge's railing, almost making him drop the paper umbrella. "I'm going to step on your face!"

"I love the intensity Xi laoshi," the photographer says, "but try to look more like you want to kiss him instead of kill him."

That's a tall fucking order.