Capturing My Demon King Costar

MY COSTAR ISN'T WHO I THOUGHT HE WAS

Yao Shen looks up at Xin Hulei's stony expression and tries to disguise his panic as confusion.

"Uhm?" he says, trying to buy himself some time.

Xin Hulei doesn't repeat himself, but he crosses his arms in front of his chest, and his eyebrows draw a little tighter over his eyes.

There's no way Yao Shen can come up with a credible explanation on the spot, he needs to think things over.

"We don't have time right now, I'll tell you later," he says, and after patting Xin Hulei awkwardly on the shoulder, leaves to go stand besides Bi Jialu until Director Chen tells everyone to go again.

Eventually, they get through both scenes without any issue two more times, and Yao Shen keeps avoiding Xin Hulei and the issue entirely. Always finding something else to do when it looks like Xin Hulei is going to come closer to him.

He keeps trying to come up with plausible excuses but nothing comes to his mind.

The problem is that, realistically, there's nothing he could need a ghost's help with!

He has lunch with Bi Jialu, which he feels terrible about, first, because Bi Jialu is happy to be eating with him again, and has a lot of crew gossip to share, but also because he can feel Xin Hulei's eyes boring into the back of his skull from where he's seating with Tan Liansi across the hall.

While he's eating, he gets a text message.

[Jia Hao: Don't think that because that guy is a demon that I'm going to let the issue slide, you still owe me!]

[Jia Hao: I can bother you when he's not around, just wait!]

[Jia Hao: Hair will grow on your feet for breaking a promise!]

Eventually, Yao Shen just gives up an sends him a single text:

[Yao Shen: meet me in my trailer in five minutes]

The lunch break is almost over, so it's not like Yao Shen will have a lot of time, but Jia Hao will just continue to make his life hell if he doesn't get this sorted once and for all.

---

Jia Hao is already waiting for him when he slips inside his trailer, sitting down on a counter with his legs and arms crossed.

"Why has Gao Wu stopped replying to my texts?" he asks, his lower lip sticking out.

Yao Shen sighs and rubs his temples. "Because the way you texted him makes you sound like a manic stalker!"

It's clear that Jia Hao doesn't expect that answer because all his anger deflates immediately. "Did he...did he say that?" His arms fall to his knees, he starts worrying at the ugly, distressed, denin with the corner of his nail. He looks so young when he drops his cool guy act.

Yao Shen's is used to see him animated and full of life, it's easy to forget that he's dead actually, and that he died tragically young at that.

"No, not in those words," Yao Shen says, walking up towards Jia Hao and leaning against the counter he's sitting on.

"I've never had a boyfriend," Jia Hao admits, his shoulders slumping. "It wasn't exactly easy back...well, you know..."

Yao Shen nods, he does.

"It's not your fault, it's just that all these technologies weren't around in your time," Yao Shen says, trying to sound comforting.

"You must think I'm really stupid," Jia Hao says, with a derisive smile.

Yao Shen's throat tightens painfully, he shakes his head.

"Do you know why I even like him?"

He doesn't, but Jia Hao isn't waiting for an answer.