When morning comes Xi Zirui wakes up with swollen eyes and a scratchy throat. He drags himself out of bed and into the bathroom feeling like yesterday's reheated leftovers.
He has no idea what he's going to say to Han Yu when he sees him, or how he's going to apologize if Han Yu doesn't even want to talk with him.
Li Siqi brings him breakfast, the sugary fare the original preferred, and Xi Zirui forces himself to eat because he can't afford to skip any more meals.
Makeup artists and hair stylists invade his room in Li Siqi's wake, and he spends the next hour being made up in the most extravagant way yet.
They brush and oil his long wig, combing and hairspraying every strand in place. A glimmering gold crown holds the upper half of his hair in place, and a slim hairpin with a long, dangling trail secures the hair inside the crown.
He feels like a wind chime every time he moves his head; announcing his presence like a cat wearing a bell.
It's all a little ridiculous, but it only gets worse when they cake his face with a layer of pale foundation, and gently blush his cheeks so he won't look like a fresh corpse.
"What do you think?" One of the makeup artists asks him after she's done applying a thin layer of lipstick.
He looks at himself in the mirror and his taken aback by his own appearance. He expected all the makeup and the excessive hair ornamentation would make him look feminine and doll-like. Instead the makeup artist's care in sculpting his features pulls the sharp angles of his face into sharp contrast, making him look haughty and ethereal. The accents of red and black on his eyes add a little danger to his gaze.
He looks very much like the proud demonic cultivator Hai Yaomei is supposed to be.
"It looks good," he says, clearing his throat.
He wonders what Han Yu will think of it.
The makeup artist beams at him through the mirror. "Wait until you see Han laoshi."
The question is, will Han Yu be looking forward to seeing him?
---
The set is bustling with activity after Xi Zirui leaves the costume department dressed in Hai Yaomei's red wedding robes, several layers of smooth silk embroidered with soaring cranes. Crew and cast hurry to different locations to film scenes with the secondary actors, while director Liao and the main team focus on filming the wedding scene in the morning, and then the wedding night after lunch.
Su Xueyi leads him to the Heaven and Earth pavilion of Xiu Xianren's sect, where the wedding ceremony is going to be held.
Through a series of contrived events which Xi Zirui didn't waste his time thinking about, the demonic energy flowing through Hai Yaomei got out of hand, and the righteous cultivation sects decided this made him too dangerous and that he should be killed before possibly destroying all of Jianghu (1).
Xiu Xianren, now truly and well smitten with him, offered to marry him. As a way to take responsibility for him, and to try and subdue the demonic energy in his body via dual cultivation (2). Since Xiu Xianren was the most righteous of all the righteous cultivators, the other sects didn't dare go against him, and allowed the marriage to go forth.
Hai Yaomei, forced with the choice of dying (again) or marrying his former nemesis who he had been reluctantly developing feelings for, accepted the deal, as long as he could remain the sect leader of the Demonic sect.
And now Xi Zirui has to act through the whole thing, including the wedding night. While explicit sex scenes are not allowed, the drama's production has been cleared by the Broadcasters Association to film a 'tasteful' fade-to-black.
The entire hall is decked up in red, with bright ribbons going across from pillar to pillar. The ceremonial food is arranged in delicate porcelain bowls on the narrow altar in front of which he and Han Yu will be lighting incense and performing the three bows.
Xi Zirui's palms are sweating, why is he so nervous? It's not like this is his real wedding. Most modern weddings aren't even like this!
Han Yu is standing across the room, on the other side of the altar talking with Liao Min, holding the script in one hand and pointing at something in the text with the other.
He looks resplendent in his red robes, embroidered with gold-thread dragons, their maws open in silent roars, their sharp talons digging through the silk. His hair is gathered on top of his head in a sleek tail, fastened in place by a gold crown similar to Xi Zirui's. His profile looks cut from jade, his eyes have been subtly lined with kohl, and his eyebrows darkened.
Han Yu turns around and their eyes meet. They both stand frozen in place, holding each other's gaze as the din around them quiets into a faint static hum.
Han Yu is the first to look away, his dark eyelashes shuttering down over his bright eyes.
Xi Zirui goes to stand next to him and Liao Min, keeping his own eyes lowered.
He needs to tell Han Yu about Su Xueyi and Bai Mi, but how is he going to bridge that conversation?
"Ok, everyone, on your marks," Liao Min says clapping loudly to get everyone's attention. "We know viewers are going to be paying a lot of attention to these scenes, so everything must look perfect, there isn't a whole lot we'll be able to fix in post production if the lighting is shitty and the acting is off."
That last sentence she says while looking directly at Xi Zirui's face.
Thankfully he's feeling as nervous and confused as Hai Yaomei, so he should be able to evade her wrath for now.
Han Yu takes his place across from him.
Xi Zirui spends the time until Liao Min calls 'action' trying to catch his eye again.
---
This first scene of several in the Heaven and Earth pavilion is straightforward, they walk towards each other, one of Xiu Xianren's sect elders says a few words, while implying that Hai Yaomei is a disgrace and that it's a shame to see their sect leader married to one so beneath him, but in a very poetic way.
Xiu Xianren smiles encouragingly at Hai Yaomei, and takes his hand to guide him towards the altar so they can kneel for their bows.
Hai Yaomei glares at him, but blushes a little when Xiu Xianren runs his thumb over his knuckles.
Xi Zirui is self-conscious of how sweaty his hand must feel in Han Yu's palm. He doesn't have any lines for now so he focuses on hitting the right emotional cues.
When Han Yu smiles encouragingly at him, he glares up at him from beneath the fan of his lashes, as the script demands, and watches in surprise as Han Yu's stage smile slips off his lips.
"Cut!" Liao Min says, smacking the script against her thigh. "Han laoshi, focus! From the top."
Han Yu murmured his apologies and walks back to his mark, standing across him Xi Zirui.
They go over the scene twelve more times before Liao Min is satisfied. After that they will be filming the three bows.
This is Xi Zirui's opportunity to talk with Han Yu while the crew resets the lighting and moves the cameras, but Han Yu is already moving away.
Xi Zirui walks towards him and holds him back by the sweeping sleeve of his red robe. "I need to talk with you."
Han Yu gazes at him from the corner of his eye, and lets out a shuddering sigh. "What do you want?"
It's heartbreaking to have Han Yu speak to him so coldly, when just a few days ago his voice was warm and teasing whenever they talked.
"It's about Bai Mi, she's-"
Han Yu cuts him off. "She's getting what she wants. My company thinks it would be best for me to pretend to be in a relationship with her for the time being, until it's obvious there is no child and I can leave her."
His words hit Xi Zirui like a falling hammer, he's stunned silent for a moment.
"You can't let her win like that," he says, when his mind has cleared enough to allow him to form words.
"What do you care?" Han Yu says, and turns to leave.
Xi Zirui tightens his fingers on his sleeve, and raises himself on his tip-toes to whisper against the shell of his ear. "I care a lot."
Han Yu stills. Xi Zirui can see a shiver run up his spine and raise the fine hairs over the exposed skin of his nape.
He turns to Xi Zirui with his eyebrows drawn over his sharp eyes, a steely resolve shining through his dark irises. "Director Liao, there's been a problem with Xi laoshi's bandages, I'm going to his trailer to help him," he says, not breaking eye contact with Xi Zirui.
"What?! Now?" Liao Min lets out a long-suffering moan and hides her face in her palms. "Please be quick."
Han Yu nods and pulls Xi Zirui along with him by the hem of his sleeve, Xi Zirui stumbles after him, his heart pounding loudly inside his chest.
Does this mean Han Yu is going to hear him out?
They're intercepted by Su Xueyi at the pavilion's gate, he chances a worried look at Xi Zirui and says. "Is everything okay? Maybe I should have a look at your bandages."
The nerve of this guy!
Xi Zirui narrows his eyes at him. "That's not necessary, please stay here and ask Director Liao if she has any guidance for me in the upcoming scene."
Su Xueyi's permanent smile falters, and he tilts his head in well-meaning confusion at Xi Zirui. "I don't-"
"It's very important that I know every single word Director Liao said, when I get back." He plasters on a fake smile and rushes past Su Xueyi, pulling Han Yu behind him.
Outside, Han Yu lets go of Xi Zirui's sleeve and walks at a distance behind him. Xi Zirui understands why he's doing it, but it hurts him all the same.
The irony is devastatingly cold. How many times did he push Han Yu away before, only to miss his closeness now?
Fate must be trying to teach him a lesson, unfortunately for Fate, he is too dense to understand it.
He opens the door to his trailer with trembling fingers, and watches expectantly as Han Yu closes it behind him.
"Let's hear it, what is it that you want to tell me so badly?" Han Yu asks, bumping his back against the closed door and spreading his arms in mock invitation, a subdued smirk pulling at the corner of his lips.
Xi Zirui means to tell him everything, not the part about him being from an alternate reality, but everything else. About Su Xueyi, Bai Mi, and his own confusing feelings.
He doesn't do that.
Instead he flattens his palms over Han Yu's chest and raises himself on the tip of his feet to plant a soft, lingering kiss against Han Yu's warm lips.
---
(1) Martial arts world, the setting of most xianxia/wuxia/cultivation novels. Fantasy Ancient China.
(2) Daoist practice meant to refine qi (spiritual energy) through sex.