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

Xi Zirui enters the room and closes the door behind him with a swift thunk.

Bai Mi remains impervious to his deepening scowl and continues to sip her tea leisurely.

He sits down on his knees across from her, and serves himself a cup of tea too. "If this concubine knew Her Royal Highness was coming he would have asked the servants to prepare the reception room."

Translation: What the fuck are you doing in my room?

Bai Mi continues smiling serenely, skimming the lid of the cup across its rim, making the porcelain ring. "This Empress wanted to have a private conversation with little brother, and thought we would have more privacy in his room." 

Eyebrows dipping in fake consternation above her large, khol-lined eyes, she adds, "I hope little brother can forgive the intrusion."

"This lowly concubine is delighted to receive Her Royal Highness's visit," Xi Zirui says, smiling tightly.

Bai Mi laughs coyly and flutters her drooping sleeve in front of her face. "There's no need for such formalities between us, we're brother and sister after all."

"Then, may elder sister speak her mind freely." He takes a sip of his tea and bites down on a smirk when Bai Mi's plush lips tighten minutely.

That's right, Xi Zirui is younger than her. Hotter too.

Also, he doesn't want her terrible husband. Not that she seems to want him all that much, beyond what his power can get her.

"I know that younger brother has been diligently helping with the wedding preparations," she says, as if that isn't her fault. "Undoubtedly, he has spent some time in General Liao's company."

Is that what this is about? She's worried about the character of Li Siqi's future wife? That's almost...sweet.

She rests one hand over her round belly and fixes Xi Zirui with a stern look. "I'll be blunt, I care about Siqi as if she were my own daughter."

Knowing what she allegedly did to her own child, that's perhaps not as strong a statement as she'd like it to be.

In any case, Xi Zirui remains quiet and meets her gaze. He wishes he had his fan with him. 

It has become second nature to use it as a shield.

"I've spent the past three years talking His Majesty out of marrying her to the first Marshall or General in need of a wife. She has a reserved temperament, and she doesn't do well with brutish and uncouth types." She sighs and swallows down the rest of her tea. "My goal was to marry her to some respected scholar, a minister perhaps."

Her shrewd eyes narrow at him. "Of course that all became moot thanks to little brother's intervention."

The way she phrases it, makes it sound like there can be dire consequences in Xi Zirui's future depending on Li Siqi's future happiness.

Thankfully for his continued existence, the two of them actually like each other.

"In that case, elder sister's heart can rest easy, General Liao is smitten with Princess Siqi," Xi Zirui says, pouring himself and Bai Mi another cup of tea.

Bai Mi hums. "Is that so?" Despite her frosty tone, the tension around the corners of her made up eyes and tight lips softens.

"From what I've seen, the Princess seems to like the General as well," he says, enjoying Bai Mi's conflicted expression. "I understand elder sister's concern, however this might prove to be a fortuitous union."

Bai Mi gets up to her feet in a flurry of robes, her second cup of tea untouched. "Is little brother sure that the General won't take advantage of the Princess's innocence?"

Xi Zirui is pretty confident that both Liao Min and Li Siqi are equally clueless. If anything, they'll dance around each other for days before exchanging their first kiss.

"I'm quite certain," Xi Zirui says.

She still doesn't look convinced but she makes her way towards the door, dragging the train of her robes behind her.

She stops at the door and levels Xi Zirui with a probing gaze from above her bare shoulder. "Since little brother has been candid with me, I'll be candid with him."

Xi Zirui has a bad feeling about this. 

"Servants are loyal to the one who pays them the most," she says, her fingers clicking along the door frame. "Little brother would do better to keep his eyes peeled for talkative servants, far too wiling to discuss his private life for an extra silver tael."

Xi Zirui freezes like a deer caught in a trap, his movements mechanic as he raises the teacup to his lips. "I don't know what elder sister means."

Bai Mi snorts. "I'm telling little brother that some of his servants are more than willing to sell him out to the highest bidder."

Xi Zirui narrows his eyes at her. "And who might the highest bidder be?"

"Does little brother think it's me?" She laughs derisively. "No, I've only heard from second-hand sources, but I must say that what I heard was pleasing to the ear." The corner of her lips pulls up in a sharp smirk. "I want this child I carry to be the next Emperor, the physician has all but confirmed it's a boy."

Dread trickles down Xi Zirui's spine like ice. What could have Bai Mi learned that would make her so happy and confident that her son will become Emperor instead of Han Yu?

"From what I've heard....I expect the Crown Prince to abdicate in favor of his youngest brother without much fuss." 

She clucks her tongue when she sees the haunted look in Xi Zirui's eyes.

Crossing the distance between them, she kneels in front of him and take his stunned face between her thumb and forefinger. 

"Don't look like that, little brother, elder sister hasn't harmed you in any way, has she?" She runs her fingers through Xi Zirui's long hair, combing the silky strands into place. "I'm only looking out for my own, little brother should learn to do the same...quickly."

Fuck, what are he and Han Yu going to do now? If Bai Mi knows, then what's stopping her from telling Su Xueyi whenever it's most convenient for her?

"Little brother has surprised me. I thought he was a smart little fox, using his looks to grow closer to the Emperor and curry favor for himself, for his family perhaps..." she shakes her head, an amused smile playing at her lips. "Imagine my surprise when I found out that little brother would throw out all he has achieved for a doomed relationship."

"Little brother knows what happens to concubines who are found warming the bed of their husband's sons, no?" 

She doesn't wait for Xi Zirui's answer before drawing a manicured fingertip across her pale throat.

Xi Zirui closes his eyes and swallows around nothing. That's fine, as long as no harm comes to Han Yu.

He has already died once. It doesn't scare him, going through it again.

Bai Mi sighs loudly and shakes Xi Zirui by the shoulder. "Why the long face, little brother? You look as if I've dragged you to the executioner's block, when I'm only warning you."

"What do you want?" Xi Zirui asks, spiting out the words with as much venom as he can muster.

"Haven't I said? I want my son to be Emperor, I trust little brother will impart on the Crown Prince what's at stake to make sure he complies," she shrugs her shoulders. "Other than that...I want for nothing. In fact, I would even be willing to help."

Now it's Xi Zirui's turn to snort.

Bai Mi gets up to her feet, supporting her heavy belly and giving him a playful half-smile. "I meant what I said. I look out for my own, who says little brother can't belong to those ranks?"

Now that's something Xi Zirui didn't expect to hear, not even in a million years. 

Bai Mi makes her way to the door again, but this time she doesn't turn around as she says, "Little brother should be glad I found out when I did, I was planning on crushing him underfoot until I discovered he was so little a threat that he was happy to do that himself." 

She shakes her head as if mourning the loss of a worthy opponent.

Xi Zirui doesn't know what to make of the entire surreal conversation, except that if Ba Mi heard about him and Han Yu from someone else, that means he has an enemy he hasn't even considered. 

"If elder sister isn't the 'highest bidder', then who is?" Xi Zirui asks, kneeling in place at the table, his furious grip on the fabric covering his thighs betraying his anxiety.

Bai Mi stops and gives Xi Zirui a look from the corner of her cat-like eyes. "Like I said, I look after my own."

---

That night, after Su Xueyi falls asleep as usual, Xi Zirui sits with his back against the bed, hugging his knees to his chest and thinking about everything that can go wrong.

"Host is worrying too much, nothing has happened," Ni Ni says. "The Emperor clearly doesn't know, and if he ever learns about it, Host will be warned in advance, because I'll inform him of the drop in favor."

Xi Zirui scoffs. "That is if I don't drop dead from his favor dropping all the way down to 0."

A pause. "That probably won't happen...all at once."

Xi Zirui is left alone with that cheery thought until Han Yu's song seeps in through the sliding doors and the open windows.

He only has enough presence of mind to slip on the veil hat and run outside as fast as he can.

Han Yu startles when he sees him approaching with the veil on. Xi Zirui usually only wears it when they meet at the Fragrant Spring Winds pavilion. 

"Has something happened?" Han Yu asks, taking Xi Zirui by the hand and pulling him against his chest.

Xi Zirui can feel Han Yu's heart beating frantically under his cheek, it pains him to know he's only going to add to his worry.

He lifts up the veil in front of his face and brushes his lips against Han Yu in a fleeting, pained kiss, before pulling away.

"Bai Mi knows," he says lowering his eyes.

Han Yu doesn't need to ask him what.

"What is she going to do?" he asks, tone stricken.

Xi Zirui shakes his head. "Nothing, she heard it from someone else. That's who we need to worry about."

"I can't believe a snake like her is just going to sit on something like this and not do anything," Han Yu scoffs, and tightens his arms around Xi Zirui's back. "Zirui needs to be careful with her."

"She thinks this benefits her. She wants her unborn son to be the future Emperor, and thinks she can use this secret to make Han Yu abdicate. She has told me as much."

Han Yu chuckles bitterly. "That's all? She won't hear any complaints from me, it's Imperial father she needs to worry about. She has another thing coming if she thinks he'll let her son sit on the throne."

In any case, Xi Zirui has no idea if he'll even be alive in this world by the time the Crown Prince is officially declared. 

His days are looking pretty numbered.

Noticing his wan look, Han Yu tries to smile, a fluttering effort that doesn't meet his eyes. "We can talk about this tomorrow in my mother's pavilion. We can think things more carefully then."

Xi Zirui shakes his head and puts some distance between him and Han Yu. "No, we can't risk more people finding out, or risk giving more ammunition to those who already know."

"But-" Han Yu starts, trying to reach out to Xi Zirui.

Cutting him off, Xi Zirui says, "We can't keep meeting here either, it's too dangerous. Until we learn the identity of the person who told Bai Mi, and what they want, we can't take any more risks."

It hurts something fierce to see the pleading in Han Yu's humid eyes and turn his back on him.

But that's what Xi Zirui has to do.

It takes everything in him to not look back and run into his arms.