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

Chapter 125: Don't be a spectator

It takes a great level of persuasion for Xi Zirui to finally extricate himself from Han Yu and allow him to leave the room. 

A lesser man would have whined more, and employed some dubious emotional manipulation to get his way.

Xi Zirui is a man of average height so he whined a moderate amount and only begged twice.

Right now, he's tossing and turning in bed, having a hard time of trying to fall asleep, his mind plagued by all the previous times he and Han Yu indulged in each other.

He keeps returning to that single year of bliss in Chongqing. 

Leaving that world felt like a special kind of injustice at the time, but now, whenever he reminisces about their tiny apartment in the high rise, it feels like an unprecedented luxury.

Xi Zirui hasn't had the chance to spend so much undisturbed time with Han Yu since then. 

How unfair, that people never know when they are living their happiest days.

He wraps the comforter tighter around himself and tries to force sleep to come. 

It's tiring, searching for tomorrow among the rubble of yesterday.

When he thinks about everything that has happened, the weight of it all almost suffocates him. 

Still, he must find a way to push through, because he believes there's a future for him and Han Yu somewhere. 

The universe wouldn't bring them together if there was no hope for them. 

If Xi Zirui truly is a god, he'll find a way to make it happen -- no matter what it takes.

---

The next day breakfast is brought to him by servants, he stays in the room until Bai Mi comes with another maid to unlock the door.

"The dispute will take place shortly," she says, speaking quietly with him as they make their way outside the pavilion and towards the floating courtyards.

"What exactly will they have to do?" Xi Zirui asks, adjusting the jade hairpin on his hair as he follows Bai Mi.

"I've been up all night setting up the challenges." She doesn't sound pleased about it.

Xi Zirui stops her with a hand on her forearm. "You've made it so that Han Yu will win, right?"

Bai Mi clicks her tongue at him. "My cousin doesn't need my help to win anything." She lowers her voice. "But yes, I chose challenges in which I know he excels."

That makes Xi Zirui feel more at ease. Not that he doubts Han Yu's skills, but who knows what Su Xueyi might pull out of his sleeve.

---

They arrive at the largest courtyard, courtyard of Peaceful Rain, at the back of the palace's main building. Several floating walkways and viewing bridges meet across an expanse of lake, covered with lotus blooms, reeds and bamboos, all of them artfully arranged to look like a garden above the waters.

Most of the guests are standing around the various walkways looking out at the northernmost platform with interest.

There, Su Xueyi and Han Yu face a vast expanse of lake water, as if about to dive in.

Bai Mi leads Xi Zirui to the walkaway immediately behind theirs, where two familiar faces are already waiting.

Jin Ranyu and Cao Fei, standing several feet apart.

Cao Fei has the long, antler-like horns of a dragon, his a light blue, while Jin Ranyu has the shorter carp horns tinged lilac at the tips.

The most surprising thing about the whole thing is that Cao Fei is, apparently, Han Yu's guard captain, and Jin Ranyu Su Xueyi's cousin.

These worlds -- or realms -- never stop throwing him for a loop.

"The first challenge of the mating dispute will be a display of physical ability and skill," Bai Mi says, raising her voice so that the guests all the way in the back can hear her. "Twenty pearls have been scattered at the bottom of the lake, the challengers are allowed to use either their spirit or human form to find and return as many of them before the time runs out."

She nods towards a servant on her left who removes the stopper on the spout of a large porcelain water clock, which starts dripping a thin stream into the bowl beneath it.

Both Su Xueyi and Han Yu strip down to the thin pants of their inner robes, diving into the lake before an exchange of animosity-filled glares.

The lake water is so clear that it's possible to observe their sleek movements on the surface before they dive deeper and disappear from view

Every moment that goes by without him seeing Han Yu fills Xi Zirui with dread.

Who knows what Su Xueyi could be doing underwater?

The walkways start trembling, followed shortly after by a sudden splash from which a gigantic dragon head appears, spraying fine mist with each exhale. 

One of his large amber eyes locks in on Xi Zirui when he lowers his head and spits out three tiny pearls -- disappearing into the still waters moments later.

Next, Su Xueyi springs out of the lake in an athletic jump, landing on his feet on the walkway and dropping two pearls at Xi Zirui's feet.

His smirk before he dives back into the waters pulls on his lips like a hook.

They go on at this pace for some time, as the water from the water clock drips steadily into the bowl. 

At the moment, Han Yu leads by one pearl, and Xi Zirui can't stop stealing glances at the clock, paranoid that the trickle is narrowing, signaling the end of Han Yu's time.

Both Jin Ranyu and Cao Fei are watching the competition solemnly, their hands dutifully clasped behind their backs, both of them as quiet as mouses.

That is until Cao Fei lets out a loud yelp. 

Everyone who has their eyes trained on the lake turns towards him at once, watching as he points an accusing finger at Jin Ranyu.

"He tried to trip me into the lake!"

Jin Ranyu scoffs. "Why would I do something like that? What would that accomplish? Young master should save this kind of petty squabble for after the competition."

Cao Fei shoots him a poisonous glare, his hands shaking with barely restrained fury at his sides, but he remains quiet. His cheeks are flushed with the embarrassment of having everyone looking at him, he won't press the issue.

Su Xueyi comes up to drop another pearl into his ever increasing pile. "Oh, it seems we've run out of time," he says, looking out towards the water clock.

Not at all upset about that outcome since he has nine pearls to Han Yu's seven.

Xi Zirui's stomach sinks, he could have sworn there was still more time left.

Han Yu surfaces moments later in his human form, grinning triumphantly with three pearls clutched between his fingers.

His grin drops the moment he sees Xi Zirui's somber look.

"This challenge has come to an end, only the pearls already in the piles will be counted," Bai Mi says, forlorn. "Judges, please count the pearls and announce the winner."

Xi Zirui counts the pearls twice, but the total doesn't change.

"Su Xueyi from Brocade Carp clan is the winner," Jin Ranyu announces.

Xi Zirui can feel Su Xueyi's smugness coming off him in waves.

Bai Mi sighs. "Do the other judges confirm this?" she asks, although the outcome is more than obvious.

Cao Fei whispers a hissed, "yes", while Xi Zirui merely nods.

"Let's move on to the next challenge," she says, despirited, leading the way through the walkways back to the palace's main building.

Su Xueyi walks by Xi Zirui and leans down to whisper next to his ear, "I'll win the next one too, and I'll claim you on the floor in front of him."

Xi Zirui steps away from him with a grimace, Su Xueyi gives him one parting wink before following after Jin Ranyu, patting him on the shoulder.

A strong arm comes around his waist, pulling him against Han Yu's wet chest. "What did he say?"

Xi Zirui tilts his head back, nosing along Han Yu's chin. "It doesn't matter."

Han Yu doesn't press him for an answer. "I won't let him take you from me, not now that I finally have you."

Xi Zirui laces his fingers with Han Yu's above his waist. He feels exactly the same way.

---

The next challenge takes place inside. In the main hall where the feast celebrating Han Yu's and Xi Zirui's engagement was supposed to take place.

Everyone gathers around three tables, where three sheets of paper are laid face down. 

"The next challenge will test intellectual prowess and reasoning," Bai Mi says, gesturing down at the three tables. "A kunjun will want his qianjun to be not only strong and physically capable, but also sharp and clever. If our judges could please take a seat behind any table..."

Xi Zirui doesn't understand what Bai Mi is getting at just yet. He reaches towards the sheet of paper in front of him but her sharp glare freezes him in his tracks.

"On each sheet is the description of a character. Every character is linked by a common scenario. One of them is a victim, one is a killer."

A rumble of excitement bubbles up from the crowd of guests. 

Su Xueyi, now back in his purple robes, crosses his arms in front of his chest with a look of utter boredom.

Bai Mi locks eyes with Han Yu behind him. "The challengers will have to guess who is which, and explain the reasoning behind their choice." She nods towards a second water clock. "All before their time runs out."