Capturing My Demon King Costar
Chapter 10 - My Costar Is Diligent
The day of the opening ceremony draws closer, and Yao Shen makes preparations for the trip to Hengdian. Bi Jialu comes over to help him pack.
It\'s her first time in his apartment, and as expected, she\'s underwhelmed.
"Laoshi...how long has it been since you vacuumed?"
"That\'s not important right now, help me pack my video games," he says, shoving a duffel bag at Bi Jialu that will be filled with two consoles and his laptop.
Bi Jialu eyes the display case with all his physical games wearily. "I don\'t think laoshi is going to have much free time while filming the drama."
Yao Shen stops what he\'s doing and gives his cramped living room an accessing look.
"This is the first time I\'ll have a main Lead role," he rubs the back of his neck self-consciously, "I\'m usually bored on set."
Bi Jialu nods, her large wire-frame glasses sliding down her thin nose-bridge. "Laoshi\'s fortunes will turn after this role, I know it!"
Her optimism isn\'t contagious, but Yao Shen appreciates the effort. He pats her on the arm. "Thank you for staying with me all these years, I know it would have been easier for you with someone else."
"Ah, laoshi, I\'m very lazy, I\'m afraid I\'ve stayed with you for my own selfish benefits," she lets out a dispirited sigh. "I\'m afraid I\'ll have to find someone else once Yao laoshi becomes very famous."
Yao Shen can\'t help letting out a loud laugh. He can always count on Bi Jialu to be honest to a fault.
He flicks her arm on the same spot he patted it. "I won\'t let you," he flashes her a menacing grin. "If I become famous I\'ll drag you all the way to the top with me."
She flails theatrically and pretends to pass out over his couch.
Yao Shen kicks her foot. "Hey, Lu-jie(1)! Don\'t think you\'re getting out of helping me pack. Lu-jie!"
---
The flight from Beijing to Hengdian is tortuous. As usual, HuaHua didn\'t feel like spending money on Yao Shen, so he and Bi Jialu are flying economy.
The plane is loud and crowded, and there\'s a kid sitting in the seat in front of his who keeps turning around to stare avidly into Yao Shen\'s face.
"Maybe he recognizes you, laoshi," Bi Jialu suggests after the little boy spends five minutes locked into a staring contest with Yao Shen over the back of his chair.
"How can such a small child recognize me?" Yao Shen shakes his head. "No, this is just another of the Universe\'s trials for me."
And so, he spends the entire flight being stared at by the little boy, without his parents doing anything to stop him.
When they\'re close to landing, Yao Shen goes to the bathroom and is shocked to find the small boy waiting for him outside the folding door, his big eyes trained on Yao Shen.
"Listen kid, you should return to your seat," Yao Shen says, with a sigh. "Your parents are probably worried about you.
"Yao Shen, who do you think you are?"
Yao Shen is taken aback by the kid\'s serious tone and oddly mature voice. "I---What?"
The kid grins, revealing a row of sharp teeth. "Ghosts shouldn\'t pretend to be human."
He\'s still trying to process the grisly sight of the kid\'s serrated teeth when he vanishes into thin air.
\'What the fuck was that?\' Yao Shen asks the system, trying to regain control of his breathing.
[What?]
\'The creepy fucking kid with blades for teeth?\'
[This system only saw a child asking Host for an autograph.]
Yao Shen is stumped. He\'s sure of what he saw.
That kid was closer to threatening him than asking for his autograph -- is he even a kid?
Besides, he isn\'t sure how much he should trust the System, anyway. There\'s something unusual about everything that\'s going on around him lately.
Better to keep his head down and be glad the kid is gone for now.
---
He doesn\'t see the kid again until they land. When he returns to his seat he asks Bi Jialu if the little boy is back too but she tells him she hasn\'t seen him for a while.
He tries to put the bizarre encounter out of his mind.
Which becomes easier to do once he realizes the driver HuaHua hired to take him and Bi Jialu to the hotel is late, and that they\'ll have to go directly to the studios for the opening ceremony.
He wanted to change into something a little more presentable than the wrinkly clothes he spent an entire flight in, but no such luck.
His terrible luck strikes again as soon as he walks into the cordoned off area of the opening ceremony, for \'Shizun, this disciple will have to kill you\' and bumps into Xin Hulei.
"Sorry," Yao Shen says, lowering his head and moving away from him.
Xin Hulei\'s hand on his elbow stops him, his penetrating gaze fixed on Yao Shen, his nostrils flaring as if he\'s scenting the air around Yao Shen. "Did something happen?"
Yao Shen gives him a confused look.
"Uh, the driver was late picking me and my assistant from the airport," he says, and tries dislodge Xin Hulei\'s grip -- with no success.
[Demon Strenght.]
Right. Yao Shen doesn\'t want to deal with this right now.
"Wait, let\'s just go light the incense and get the photos over with," Xin Hulei says, pulling Yao Shen along with him.
It\'s just his luck that in a space crawling with people he\'d bump into Xin Hulei in the first five minutes.
There\'s a sea of photographers behind the protective barriers, their faces obscured by their bulky cameras.
He and Xin Hulei find Director Chen, exchange a few words and then light the incense in front of the altar.
Bowing in silent contemplation.
Despite himself, Yao Shen finds himself actually praying that everything goes smoothly and that he manages to deliver a good performance.
When he opens his eyes, Xin Hulei is already gone.
There\'s not much to the opening ceremony, just some polite small-talk with the rest of the cast and crew, and looking good in front of the cameras.
For once, Yao Shen has no trouble looking like a professional -- mostly because he doesn\'t see Xin Hulei again after they lit the incense together.
---
They\'re staying in a hotel close to Hengdian studios. A sleek, modern building, with spacious rooms and comfortable furnishings.
Yao Shen is unpacking his stuff, and getting distracted every five minutes by the view of the setting sun out of the panoramic windows when there\'s a knock at the door.
Expecting Bi Jialu, he turns the door handle open without sparing a look at the person on the other side.
It\'s only when he hears the rustle of someone taking off their shoes that he chances a quick look behind his shoulder.
Xin Hulei is standing inside his room, looking for all intents and purposes like he plans to stay for a while.
Yao Shen shoots him a glare. "What are you doing here?"
Xin Hulei takes off his hoodie and hangs it on the hanger in the little seating area, partitioned off from the bedroom by two sliding doors.
"We\'re shooting a scene tomorrow, we should practice," he says, making his way to the little sofa facing the TV.
Yao Shen can\'t believe his nerve. "We can practice tomorrow before shooting."
Xin Hulei shakes his head, spreading his arms out across the back of the sofa. "We\'ll do it now, I want to see what you\'ve got."
Yao Shen closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, counting to ten in his head to control the urge to hurl the decorative vase on the nightstand at Xin Hulei\'s head.
---
(1) jie - older sister, also used for non-relatives to show closeness.
It\'s her first time in his apartment, and as expected, she\'s underwhelmed.
"Laoshi...how long has it been since you vacuumed?"
"That\'s not important right now, help me pack my video games," he says, shoving a duffel bag at Bi Jialu that will be filled with two consoles and his laptop.
Bi Jialu eyes the display case with all his physical games wearily. "I don\'t think laoshi is going to have much free time while filming the drama."
Yao Shen stops what he\'s doing and gives his cramped living room an accessing look.
"This is the first time I\'ll have a main Lead role," he rubs the back of his neck self-consciously, "I\'m usually bored on set."
Bi Jialu nods, her large wire-frame glasses sliding down her thin nose-bridge. "Laoshi\'s fortunes will turn after this role, I know it!"
Her optimism isn\'t contagious, but Yao Shen appreciates the effort. He pats her on the arm. "Thank you for staying with me all these years, I know it would have been easier for you with someone else."
"Ah, laoshi, I\'m very lazy, I\'m afraid I\'ve stayed with you for my own selfish benefits," she lets out a dispirited sigh. "I\'m afraid I\'ll have to find someone else once Yao laoshi becomes very famous."
Yao Shen can\'t help letting out a loud laugh. He can always count on Bi Jialu to be honest to a fault.
He flicks her arm on the same spot he patted it. "I won\'t let you," he flashes her a menacing grin. "If I become famous I\'ll drag you all the way to the top with me."
She flails theatrically and pretends to pass out over his couch.
Yao Shen kicks her foot. "Hey, Lu-jie(1)! Don\'t think you\'re getting out of helping me pack. Lu-jie!"
---
The flight from Beijing to Hengdian is tortuous. As usual, HuaHua didn\'t feel like spending money on Yao Shen, so he and Bi Jialu are flying economy.
The plane is loud and crowded, and there\'s a kid sitting in the seat in front of his who keeps turning around to stare avidly into Yao Shen\'s face.
"Maybe he recognizes you, laoshi," Bi Jialu suggests after the little boy spends five minutes locked into a staring contest with Yao Shen over the back of his chair.
"How can such a small child recognize me?" Yao Shen shakes his head. "No, this is just another of the Universe\'s trials for me."
And so, he spends the entire flight being stared at by the little boy, without his parents doing anything to stop him.
When they\'re close to landing, Yao Shen goes to the bathroom and is shocked to find the small boy waiting for him outside the folding door, his big eyes trained on Yao Shen.
"Listen kid, you should return to your seat," Yao Shen says, with a sigh. "Your parents are probably worried about you.
"Yao Shen, who do you think you are?"
Yao Shen is taken aback by the kid\'s serious tone and oddly mature voice. "I---What?"
The kid grins, revealing a row of sharp teeth. "Ghosts shouldn\'t pretend to be human."
He\'s still trying to process the grisly sight of the kid\'s serrated teeth when he vanishes into thin air.
\'What the fuck was that?\' Yao Shen asks the system, trying to regain control of his breathing.
[What?]
\'The creepy fucking kid with blades for teeth?\'
[This system only saw a child asking Host for an autograph.]
Yao Shen is stumped. He\'s sure of what he saw.
That kid was closer to threatening him than asking for his autograph -- is he even a kid?
Besides, he isn\'t sure how much he should trust the System, anyway. There\'s something unusual about everything that\'s going on around him lately.
Better to keep his head down and be glad the kid is gone for now.
---
He doesn\'t see the kid again until they land. When he returns to his seat he asks Bi Jialu if the little boy is back too but she tells him she hasn\'t seen him for a while.
He tries to put the bizarre encounter out of his mind.
Which becomes easier to do once he realizes the driver HuaHua hired to take him and Bi Jialu to the hotel is late, and that they\'ll have to go directly to the studios for the opening ceremony.
He wanted to change into something a little more presentable than the wrinkly clothes he spent an entire flight in, but no such luck.
His terrible luck strikes again as soon as he walks into the cordoned off area of the opening ceremony, for \'Shizun, this disciple will have to kill you\' and bumps into Xin Hulei.
"Sorry," Yao Shen says, lowering his head and moving away from him.
Xin Hulei\'s hand on his elbow stops him, his penetrating gaze fixed on Yao Shen, his nostrils flaring as if he\'s scenting the air around Yao Shen. "Did something happen?"
Yao Shen gives him a confused look.
"Uh, the driver was late picking me and my assistant from the airport," he says, and tries dislodge Xin Hulei\'s grip -- with no success.
[Demon Strenght.]
Right. Yao Shen doesn\'t want to deal with this right now.
"Wait, let\'s just go light the incense and get the photos over with," Xin Hulei says, pulling Yao Shen along with him.
It\'s just his luck that in a space crawling with people he\'d bump into Xin Hulei in the first five minutes.
There\'s a sea of photographers behind the protective barriers, their faces obscured by their bulky cameras.
He and Xin Hulei find Director Chen, exchange a few words and then light the incense in front of the altar.
Bowing in silent contemplation.
Despite himself, Yao Shen finds himself actually praying that everything goes smoothly and that he manages to deliver a good performance.
When he opens his eyes, Xin Hulei is already gone.
There\'s not much to the opening ceremony, just some polite small-talk with the rest of the cast and crew, and looking good in front of the cameras.
For once, Yao Shen has no trouble looking like a professional -- mostly because he doesn\'t see Xin Hulei again after they lit the incense together.
---
They\'re staying in a hotel close to Hengdian studios. A sleek, modern building, with spacious rooms and comfortable furnishings.
Yao Shen is unpacking his stuff, and getting distracted every five minutes by the view of the setting sun out of the panoramic windows when there\'s a knock at the door.
Expecting Bi Jialu, he turns the door handle open without sparing a look at the person on the other side.
It\'s only when he hears the rustle of someone taking off their shoes that he chances a quick look behind his shoulder.
Xin Hulei is standing inside his room, looking for all intents and purposes like he plans to stay for a while.
Yao Shen shoots him a glare. "What are you doing here?"
Xin Hulei takes off his hoodie and hangs it on the hanger in the little seating area, partitioned off from the bedroom by two sliding doors.
"We\'re shooting a scene tomorrow, we should practice," he says, making his way to the little sofa facing the TV.
Yao Shen can\'t believe his nerve. "We can practice tomorrow before shooting."
Xin Hulei shakes his head, spreading his arms out across the back of the sofa. "We\'ll do it now, I want to see what you\'ve got."
Yao Shen closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, counting to ten in his head to control the urge to hurl the decorative vase on the nightstand at Xin Hulei\'s head.
---
(1) jie - older sister, also used for non-relatives to show closeness.