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

The wake lasts for three days because that's as much as Xi Zirui can handle, and then it's finally over with a somber funeral, to which Xi Zirui wears white, because it's traditional, and because he looks great.

"Ni Ni thinks Host is just trying on sexy widower looks to piss off Su Xueyi," Ni Ni chimes in, inconvenient as always.

He's going to do much worse than piss off Su Xueyi, very soon.

Over the next couple of days, he gets everything in motion for the final steps of his plan.

But the hardest thing is convincing Su Xueyi to return to Beijing from wherever he's hiding.

"I don't know why we can't meet somewhere else, preferably as far away from the Shen family as possible."

Xi Zirui had some trouble coming up with a reason for that too. It was the only flaw in his plan.

But then inspiration struck him. "You need to come here and disable the cameras for good and clear out all the footage. We're going to go away for some time, and I don't want compromising images of the two of us falling into the wrong hands. I don't think you want that either."

"You and Han Yu seemed to have no issue accessing the local storage bank, why can't you clean it out?"

"There's some sort of biometric system that only allows you to clear out the whole drive and disable the system entirely," Xi Zirui says.

"I don't remember that," Su Xueyi says, his tone disbelieving.

That's because there isn't any.

"Why would you? You just payed some nerd to install the surveillance system and never gave it another thought," Xi Zirui scoffs, glaring straight into the closest camera. "All the conversations we've had are highly incriminating, please, take this seriously."

Su Xueyi chuckles darkly. "Alright, don't get all worked up about it. I'll be there tomorrow."

"Arrive in the middle of the night and don't drive anything flashy," Xi Zirui says, "We're dealing with this and leaving right away."

"You're that eager to start our new life, baby?"

Xi Zirui's delighted smile is genuine when he looks into the camera, handset pressed tightly to his ear. "You have no idea."

---

Su Xueyi arrives a little past midnight, and he even rings the doorbell, as inconspicuous as possible wearing a deliveryman's uniform.

He spreads out his arms as soon as Xi Zirui lets him in. "Can't get more discreet than this, uh?"

Xi Zirui has to admit that he looks pretty unrecognizable out of his expensive suits, with his sleek hair flattened by an ugly baseball cap.

"You have your moments," Xi Zirui says walking towards the kitchen with an insouciant shrug of his bare shoulder.

Predictably, Su Xueyi follows after him.

Xi Zirui already has two glasses of Champaign waiting for them. He picks one flute by the stem and hands it to Su Xueyi.

"To celebrate," he says, taking a sip of his own glass.

Su Xueyi accepts the drink. "To our new life," he says, raising the flute in a toast to Xi Zirui.

Xi Zirui watches avidly as he drinks the whole glass in a single swallow. 

Now it's only a matter of waiting. 

Xi Zirui pulls Su Xueyi by the hand back into the living room. Su Xueyi lets himself be guided without any struggle, following after Xi Zirui dazedly.

He lets out a startled oof as soon as Xi Zirui pushes him into the huge sofa. "Didn't you want me to clean out the video recordings?"

Instead of an answer, Xi Zirui straddles Su Xueyi, bracketing him with his arms against the soft cushions. "You can do that later."

Su Xueyi's eyes widen for a moment, but his hands fly up to Xi Zirui's waist. "What did I do, to deserve such an honor?"

Xi Zirui smirks, and wraps one hand around Su Xueyi's neck. "You've been a very good boy. Obedient. And good boys get rewarded," he says, squeezing tighter with each word.

Ni Ni chimes at the same time Su Xueyi's roll back into his skull.

"Congratulations Host! CEO's favor up by +5 points. Now at 100 points. New rewards unlocked in system shop!"

Xi Zirui couldn't care less.

He releases Su Xueyi's neck, and grins when he doesn't open his eyes again - blissfully passed out.

"Sweet dreams, you fucking bastard."

---

Liao Min whistles as soon as she sees Su Xueyi conked out on the living room sofa. "How did you do that, my guy?"

He ignores her and rushes towards Han Yu, wrapping his arms around his shoulders in a desperate hug. "I missed you," he whispers the words against Han Yu's skin.

Han Yu returns the hug just as fiercely. "You have me now."

The "forever" hangs between them like a promise, and Xi Zirui wants nothing more than to believe it.

"Not to interrupt, but I could use a little help," Liao Min says, pulling Su Xueyi by one of his feet.

The three of them manage to carry Su Xueyi out of the house and into the elevator, and then into the trunk of Liao Min's car.

Liao Min zips out of the garage and into the brightly lit avenues of Beijing.

In the backseat Han Yu takes Xi Zirui's hand in his.

Xi Zirui doesn't let go until they arrive in Granny Ma's house.

---

Granny Ma has everything waiting for them, when they arrive.

The smallest room of her little house converted into an impromptu prison cell.

She rushes them into the house and helps them carry Su Xueyi into the little room, depositing him into a low cot.

Li Siqi hangs near them, her vacant eyes drifting in the direction of their movements. "Is it really him," she asks, in a mix of terror and trepidation when Su Xueyi lets out a sleepy grunt at being rolled unceremoniously on his back.

Liao Min wraps one arm around her waist. "It's him, but you don't need to worry, he's never going to hurt you, ever again."

She lets out a shaky exhale, "But how can we make sure of that? How are we going to-"

"I have the solution for that," Granny Ma says, returning to the room with a sizzling fire poker in hand.

Han Yu gasps, but makes no motion to stop her.

Despite her age, Granny Ma seems almost energetic as she leans over Su Xueyi's unconscious form with the poker trained on Su Xueyi's right eye. "Hurting my granddaughter was your biggest mistake."

Xi Zirui initially thinks he's going to coldly watch the whole, sordid thing, but in the end, he hides his face against Han Yu's chest, who presses his palms against Xi Zirui's ears when Su Xueyi starts screaming.

---

Xi Zirui and Han Yu leave not long after in a plain blue car, packed full with Han Yu's clothes and whatever he had the time to buy for Xi Zirui.

They also have a rice cooker Granny Ma gave them, because "a house isn't a home without a housewarming gift", never mind that they don't even have a house yet.

"Where to?" Han Yu asks him once they get into the highway. His smile is dazzling, and Xi Zirui feels drunk on all the possibilities opening up before them like empty roads, just waiting for them to choose a direction.

His heart aches for familiar sights, and to make Han Yu part of that.

"Let's go south. I hear Chongqing is lovely this time of the year."

Han Yu nods, ducking his head shyly. 

There's no way they'll drive the whole way there, but Xi Zirui wouldn't mind staying on the road a little while longer.

---

They've been in Chongqing for three months and Xi Zirui still can't stop himself from questioning if the whole thing isn't a fever dream.

Li Siqi insisted on sharing some of the money Xi Zirui wired her with them, and they've managed to put down a deposit on a very nice two-bedroom apartment very close to Chongqing's historical center, in one of the buildings Xi Zirui would walk past as a child and consider the height of luxury.

Now, almost twenty years later, the building doesn't look that impressive, but its bones are still good.

And Xi Zirui wouldn't trade their little balcony where Han Yu is growing a little herb garden for all the penthouses in the world.

Han Yu found work as a bouncer in a nearby club, and Xi Zirui is working part-time at a book store, at least until they have more shifts available.

The store isn't necessarily quiet, with its steady stream of patrons, but they are mostly regulars, and pretty self-reliant and Xi Zirui can drift through the stacks for a great part of his day, putting books in order and getting lost in them, on occasion.

His boss knows to find him in the History section by now.

Han Yu doesn't like his job, and he tells Xi Zirui as much during dinner one day, "I think I'm going to quit."

"Then quit, there will be something else."

Maybe some part of Han Yu expects Xi Zirui to regret running away with him, to regret leaving behind the lavish lifestyle being Su Xueyi's husband afforded him.

Everyday that doesn't happen he grows more relaxed, happier.

They're snuggling on the couch one day, when Han Yu suggests, "What do you think about getting a cat?"

Xi Zirui likes cats, he wouldn't mind having one. "Sure, I think it would be fun."

"I'm thinking of naming it 'Rich Bitch', a homage to all that was," he wiggles his eyebrows playfully and there's nothing Xi Zirui can do but kiss him, and drink down his laughter like water from a spring.

---

They get a cat from a shelter, 7 years old, missing one leg, with a moody temper but a purr like a car engine, and name it Little Thunder.

Their sex life suffers immensely as Little Thunder takes full control of their bedroom, hissing and spitting every time one of them tries to move him from the room.

Eventually Xi Zirui has to throw down the towel. "I guess we'll just have to fuck in the kitchen."

They do, on the kitchen table, which shakes perilously with every harsh snap of Han Yu's hips.

On the kitchen counter, where Xi Zirui keeps trying not to bang his head against the cupboards.

And finally, on top of the washing machine, while it's on. 

"F-Fu-ck m-m-e h-haa-rr-der," Xi Zirui moans, hanging on to Han Yu's neck for dear life while the machine shakes beneath him like a frantic horse.

In the end, they have to stop halfway when they hear a worrying metallic clang.

"Why was kitchen the first thing that came up to you?" Han Yu asks, sweaty and exhausted after they've finished on the floor. "Why not the living room?"

Xi Zirui shrugs. "The kitchen is sexier, nastier," he leans his head on Han Yu's shoulder, "You didn't have to agree, though."

Han Yu pulls him up higher against his chest and runs a hand up his scalp. "I can't think when you're around. You just say things and I follow along."

Xi Zirui presses a tiny kiss over Han Yu's collarbone. "Then we're both fucked, because I only talk nonsense around you."

---

They've been living in the little apartment in Chongqing for almost a year. The lunar new year is drawing close and Xi Zirui has been doing his best to get Little Thunder excited for the celebrations - with little success.

Han Yu comforts him, "Don't worry, he'll get in the mood during the New Year's gala."

Xi Zirui groans and throws up a folded up prosperity wall hanging at him. 

Little Thunder doesn't get in the mood, and Xi Zirui ends up sitting in front of the TV watching the New Year's gala while Han Yu takes forever to eat his Tangyuan since he keeps dropping them back into the bowl because he can't stop laughing at the stupid skit they're showing.

"I really don't know what's so funny about this," Xi Zirui says, pulling a bristly Little Thunder onto his lap. "I swear the gala gets worse every year."

Han Yu rolls his eyes at him. "Come on, it's tradition." 

When Xi Zirui opens his mouth to retort and Han Yu takes the opportunity to shove a tangyuan into his mouth.

Xi Zirui gives him an outraged look.

"Happy New Year, darling, may we have many more," Han Yu says, smiling fondly at Xi Zirui's stuffed cheeks before pressing a kiss against his pursed lips.

As soon as their lips break apart, everything around Xi Zirui goes painfully, blindingly white.