Capturing My Demon King Costar

MY COSTAR SNOOPS

The drive back to the hotel is silent and awkward.

Yao Shen is in a terrible mood, and he shuts down every attempt at a conversation that either Gao Wu or Xin Hulei start.

Xin Hulei says good bye as soon as they leave the car and saunters off somewhere else. Yao Shen knows he's just going to step out of view long enough to teleport himself back to his apartment.

Gao Wu sighs self-consciously as soon as it's just him and Yao Shen alone. "That didn't go exactly how expected it to," he says, rubbing the back of his neck.

Some of Yao Shen's bad mood dissipates. He shouldn't take out his frustration with Xin Hulei on Gao Wu, who has been nothing but nice and considerate to him.

"It's not your fault," Yao Shen says, trying to inject his voice with a note of warmth. "Next time we'll tell Xin laoshi that he can't come."

Gao Wu perks up at that, the corners of his lips twitching up. "There will be a next time?"

Yao Shen is charmed by his bashfulness. It's cute for such a tall and athletic guy to get shy all of a sudden.

"Unless didi doesn't want to?" he says, unable to stop himself from teasing him.

Gao Wu nods hurriedly, and thrusts the paper bag towards Yao Shen. "Here, for gege."

Yao Shen is a little shocked to be given something out of the blue but the still accepts the bag from Gao Wu. Peering inside he finds two delicate, long craft paper boxes. "Thank you," he says, a little flustered himself now.

"I got gege two fans, I picked the ones I thought gege would like." He lowers his eyes and bites his bottom lip. "I'll be going now, sleep well gege."

It seemed as if he was going to say something else but he just bounds up the hotel stairs. Leaving Yao Shen behind, clutching the paper bag while a riot of tumultuous feelings makes his head hurt.

---

Back in his hotel room, Yao Shen just wants to shower and go to bed, but his mobile starts vibrating not two minutes after he takes his shoes off and steps into the soft carpet.

[Xin Hulei: Next week I can take you to the restaurant again, so you can talk with Sun Yi's fiance]

Yao Shen reads his message and contemplates ignoring it.

In the end he sends only a thumbs up emoji.

A few seconds later Xin Hulei messages him again.

[Xin Hulei: I think Gao Wu likes you]

[Not a monster, a Ghost: What gave you that impression?]

He doubts Xin Hulei can detect sarcasm through text, but he's feeling needlessly petty.

[Xin Hulei: He seemed disappointed that I joined you two]

Great powers of observation, ten points.

Again, Yao Shen sends a thumbs up emoji. Immediately after, he wonders if Xin Hulei was just repaying his sarcasm with some of his own.

When the next message comes, Yao Shen debates ignoring it altogether, but can't help skimming over the notification.

[Xin Hulei: do you like him?]

Yao Shen stares at his mobile for a very long time, long enough for the screen to dim and then go out completely.

Xin Hulei won't know he read his message unless Yao Shen enters their conversation.

So, Yao Shen doesn't.

He places his phone face down on the nightstand and goes take his shower. Determined to wash off the unpleasant film Xin Hulei's question leaves on his skin.

---

The next day on set everyone is scurrying around from place to place trying to get everything ready for the scenes ahead.

For the sake of making everyone's lives easier, and getting it out of the way first thing, Yao Shen is starting the day by filming the scene in which Yan Shuyi suffers the punishment in Xie Huan's stead, at the hands of the other sect elders.

That means he'll spend several hours having wounds painstakingly applied to his back as he takes the fifteen strikes meant for Xie Huan.

Yao Shen is annoyed at the prospect of going through all this, only for the clips of his bleeding, raw back, to end up cut due to excessive gore. Something he's almost entirely certain is going to happen.

Director Chen emphasizes once again the emotional importance of this scene, and asks everyone to be on top of their game.

Yao Shen takes a deep breath and steps into Yan Shuyi's skin, handing a production assistant the robe he has been covering his naked back with before stepping in front of the cameras.

The silence is sepulchral as he kneels with his back to the sect elders, his long hair pulled to the side and his chin held high.

"Master Yan doesn't need to go to such lengths for his deceitful disciple," one of the sect leaders says, his tone dripping with false regret.

The sect leader beside him isn't as conciliatory. "A disciple's sins should fall on the shoulders of the master as well. After all, if the disciple's character is lacking, certainly the master was remiss in his education."

Yan Shuyi says nothing, merely straightening his shoulders.

Yao Shen feels for him. He admires his dedication to his disciple, whose innocence he believes wholeheartedly.

This scene is supposed to be very impactful and emotional for the audience, as it comes on the heels of Xie Huan accusing Yan Shuyi of believing others over him, and siding with the sect leaders who accused him.

In reality, all he did was try to salvage the situation with a public show of humility. In the hope of drawing attention away from Xie Huan. By the time of the public apology, Yan Shuyi had already volunteered to be punished in Xie Huan's stead.

Of course, the real tragedy is that Xie Huan had no idea about that, and left in a huff, thinking Yan Shuyi thought he was everything he was being accused of.

Not everyone is unaware of Yan Shuyi's noble sacrifice, though.

Just out of view of the sect leaders and the kneeling Yan Shuyi, Rong Zi is spying in on the scene, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists in regret. Remorseful for being the cause of Yan Shuyi's current predicament, and bitter that he's sacrificing himself for someone else.

Yao Shen looks around the set in search of Gao Wu's familiar face, and finds him next to Director Chen, observing the scene through the screens in preparation for his own.

A flash of bright robes draws his eye.

At the edge of the set, almost hidden, Xin Hulei stands with his arms crossed, observing the scene with a complicated look.

If Yao Shen didn't know better he'd think the upturned tails of his eyes were a little reddened.