Yao Shen manages to lose himself in work, he can barely believe it when the day comes to an end and he's being shuffled back to the hotel.
Despite his lack of sleep the night before he feels rested and alert, probably because of the Sleep Upgrade.
He comes out of his bath and lazes around in bed, flipping through channels without really watching anything before switching his attention to his mobile.
He's playing a timesink mobile game, when he gets a WeChat message.
[Summer Sunlight: Is gege busy?]
Xi Zirui looks at Gao Wu's smiling WeChat profile picture and feels a burst of excitement low in his stomach.
[Not a happy Monster: I'm not, what's up?]
[Summer Sunlight: Nothing much, I was just alone in my room and thought gege might need some company.]
[Not a happy Monster: Do you want to come over?]
Yao Shen debates whether to send that last message or not, it sounds very forward of him, but the flirty back-and-forth at the beginning of a relationship is his favorite part.
He isn't thinking about anything more than watching a movie and maybe some kissing. He thinks he'd like that. Something to wash his mind clean of the odd dreams with Xin Hulei.
[Summer Sunlight: Can't :( my manager has been harping on for me to read a few scripts for some upcoming projects and I've been putting him off.]
[Summer Sunlight: I'm talking with gege to procrastinate as much as I can laugh. jpg]
[Not a happy Monster: Oh]
[Not a happy Monster: That's the only reason didi is talking with me?]
[Summer Sunlight: Of course not, I like talking with gege]
[Summer Sunlight: I like a lot of things about gege]
Yao Shen isn't seeing Gao Wu but he imagines he would have looked flustered as the typed that message.
The mental image prompts Yao Shen to change Gao Wu's profile name.
[Cute didi: I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that]
Ah, he probably thought he overstepped and that's why Yao Shen hasn't replied yet.
Yao Shen is quick to snap a screenshot of the changes he has made to Gao Wu's profile name on his WeChat.
[Not a happy Monster: No, I think it was cute]
[Cute didi: blushing.jpg]
[Cute didi: attachement]
Gao Wu sends him a screenshot of the changes he has made to Yao Shen's own profile name, now showing 'Cute Gege' instead.
[Not a happy Monster: we match]
Realizing they actually don't, considering they haven't actually changed their own display profiles he adds:
[Not a happy Monster: sorta]
[Cute didi: What's gege doing now?]
Yao Shen stares down at his phone, thinking of something suitably flirty to reply but not too forward when he receives another incoming message.
He opens it right away thinking it's Gao Wu again, not registering he's getting a notification for a separate conversation.
[Xin Hulei: You never gave me your WeChat]
[Xin Hulei: So I asked your assistant]
Yao Shen is going to kill Bi Jialu, just as soon as she gets over the thrill of exchanging two words with Xin Hulei, which should happen in one to two business weeks.
[Not a happy Monster: you shouldn't have]
He intends to end the conversation there and go back to his mild flirting with Gao Wu, but his phone vibrates with another incoming text from Xin Hulei.
[Xin Hulei: I want to learn how not to be boring]
[Not a happy Monster: Read a book with jokes]
He's composing an answer for Gao Wu when Xin Hulei replies. He tells himself he won't answer, he's actively ignoring him when another message comes.
[Xin Hulei: Do you have any recommendations?]
It's impossible for him not to notice Yao Shen is trying to ignore him.
[Cute didi: Gege?]
Fuck, he's supposed to be talking with Gao Wu!
[Not a happy monster: Sorry, I'm not doing anything, I just got some other messages]
Xin Hulei messages him again.
[Xin Hulei: ?]
Fuck it's extremely annoying to try and have two conversation at once.
[Not a happy monster: I don't want to talk with you!]
Maybe if he's direct Xin Hulei will understand what he means once and for all.
[Cute didi: Oh, sorry to bother you gege, we'll talk tomorrow]
He can't believe he sent the message to the wrong person, Xin Hulei continues to be the bane of his existence.
[Not a happy monster: No, sorry that was meant for someone else!]
[Not a happy monster: We can keep talking]
[Cute didi: It's okay, we can talk tomorrow]
[Cute didi: Sleep well blowingkiss.jpg]
Should Yao Shen read something into that kiss emoji?
He decides to send one of his own.
[Not a happy monster: good night heart.jpg blowingkiss.jpg]
[Xin Hulei: Good night]
Fuck, he did it again, he sent the message to the wrong person! Now Xin Hulei will think Yao Shen is flirting with him or something.
He's so annoyed by the whole thing that he turns his phone off in frustration and just gets into bed, ready to turn in early.
That's when he notices a shadowy figure, hunched down by his bathroom door.
It notices him looking, paralyzed by fear, and then it smiles.
Yao Shen recognizes him immediately, the little boy from the plane, who isn't a boy at all, his mouth full of jagged teeth.
"Time to wake up, little ghost, you have work to do," the boy tells him, his sharp teeth glinting in the darkness of the room.