Capturing My Demon King Costar

MY COSTAR TELLS ME ABOUT THE PAST

Xin Hulei stretches out his long arms across the back of the sofa, making the wide sleeves of his costume drape down over it.

He looks to be deep in contemplation, but after a few moments of reflection, the only thing he says is, "Why?"

"Uh, I think it will help me clear up the anxiety I'm feeling over Yan Shuyi's character."

Xin Hulei gives him a look from the corner of his eyes. "I don't see how the two are related."

They aren't, except that Yao Shen's anxieties are vast and multifaceted. Xin Hulei just can't see it because he has his life together -- a great achievement, all things considered.

"I just think it would help me handle everything better."

Xin Hulei gives him a shrewd look from the corner for his eye. "Maybe it's not Yan Shuyi you're losing your grasp on, but Xie Huan." His nostrils flare with a little huff of amusement. "Maybe you're having trouble getting in character now that you know that your romantic interest is no longer me."

Yao Shen rolls his eyes, but some of the tension is gone, and he feels a lot lighter. "That's it exactly," he says, shuffling towards Xin Hulei across the sofa and burrowing under his arm.

He remembers something. "You know what's funny? I've always thought that Yan Shuyi had terrible taste."

If Yao Shen wasn't so well versed in reading Xin Hulei by now, he might not have noticed the brief flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"How so?" he asks, clearing his throat.

"Well, Xie Huan is just too much, isn't he? He's like a hurricane, whenever he walks into a situation. How many conflicts in the drama could have been avoided if it wasn't for his terrible personality?"

"He could be...intense."

Yao Shen realizes he's talking about someone who Xin Hulei probably held in high regard, and not only that, he shouldn't be talking ill of the dead.

"Anyway...it's just that I find Xie Huan's personality a little overbearing, but maybe it's been changed in the novel."

Xin Hulei shakes his head. "No it's an accurate representation."

Yao Shen thinks it's best for him to stay quiet and only nod in understanding from now on.

One thing he can say for sure: he and Yan Shuyi have very little in common. Including their taste in men. Which isn't helping with the current issue of Yao Shen feeling unable to play Yan Shuyi properly because the connections he had previously established are no longer there.

It's surprising when Xin Hulei goes on unprompted, "I think they complimented each other. Their personalities were a good match."

That's unexpected, considering Xin Hulei was in love with one of them.

Yao Shen wonders if he could ever be that magnanimous.

He rests his head on Xin Hulei's chest and hums, so that he knows he's listening if he wants to go on.

"I was attracted to Yan Shuyi because he made me feel this sense of peace. That was something in short supply. For both me and Xie Huan." His dark eyes are distant, heavy with the weight of memory.

"Being in his presence was enough to soothe me," Xin Hulei continues, "Me and Xie Huan were both very angry when we joined Frozen Peak, but while Xie Huan's anger was explosive, like a tornado that destroys anything in its path, mine was internal, corrosive. I don't know what would have been of the two of us if it wasn't for Yan Shuyi."