"Yao laoshi, I\'m sure you know Xin laoshi," a young woman who introduces herself as the casting director says, waving towards Xin Hulei\'s motionless back.

He hasn\'t bothered to turn around and acknowledge Yao Shen at any point, gaze still fixed on the scenery outside the window.

Yao Shen\'s fingers tighten on his audition script.

"We\'ve met," he says, biting out the words.

\'Met\' is perhaps an overstatement.

Yao Shen recreated a scene of a very famous wuxia drama with a fellow newbie actress in front of a live audience, for the talent show "Lights, Camera Actors!"

And during the judging portion of the show Xin Hulei, one of the guest judges, completely eviscerated his performance.

Yao Shen was once considered a promising up-and-coming actor. There was a lot of buzz around his eventual debut, but his poor performance in the talent show and Xin Hulei\'s harsh criticism effectively blew the wind out of his sails.

His first supporting role in a drama didn\'t garner much attention, and even less praise.

It has all been downhill since then.

Thanks in part to Xin Hulei\'s ruthless critique.

And now Yao Shen is expected to act opposite him, and convincingly play his love interest, if he hopes to have any chance to get the role.

If he didn\'t need this role so much he would just turn around and leave. As it stands, this might be his last chance to save his career from sinking into irrelevance.

Taking a deep breath he steps in front of the camera, shoving the crumpled script into his back pocket. "I\'m ready whenever Xin laoshi is."

Xin Hulei spares him the briefest of glances, before turning back to the window once again. "Let him run some lines on his own, I don\'t want to waste my time," he says in a smooth baritone, his breath barely fogging up the window pane in front of him.

The casting director smiles apologetically at Yao Shen and gestures for him to go ahead, "Please, laoshi."

Yao Shen needs a few moments to get himself under control.

That motherfucker is using his status as \'China\'s movie emperor\' or whatever the internet is calling him these days, to handpick his fucking costar!

And they\'re just letting him!

No wonder the other actors left the audition room looking sickly.

He doubts anyone can measure up to Xin Hulei\'s exacting standards.

The problem is that the scene he prepared for requires a partner. It\'s a confession scene, and since he\'s playing Yan Shuyi, Yao Shen mostly reacts to Xie Huan\'s soulful declaration.

It\'s one of the most emotional scenes between the two characters, and Yao Shen understands why the drama\'s director would want to see it play out to analyse not only if the actor playing Yan Shuyi is able to deliver a moving performance, but more importantly if he has good chemistry with Xin Hulei.

Yao Shen isn\'t one to read webnovels, and his knowledge of \'Shizun, this disciple will have to kill you\', is limited to seeing it trending on weibo from time to time.

But he skimmed through a few pages of the novel in preparation for the role, and there\'s a scene that stuck to his mind.

He schools his features into Yan Shuyi\'s graceful poise, and focuses on the mood he remembers from the scene, rather than staying true to any specific dialogue.

"Not worthy," he says, facing the table where the directors and producers sit, before turning around to face Xin Hulei, still gazing out the window. "This master\'s disciple is not worthy of receiving the Sword of Disquiet"

He waits for a beat of time. "This master has failed in teaching Xie Huan the proper conduct of a Frozen Peak disciple, and apologizes to all the masters for Xie Huan\'s conduct. "

Yao Shen straightens his back, and raises his chin, pouring his impression of Yan Shuyi\'s kindness and resilience into his performance. Allowing the character\'s warm nature and cold grace to inform his actions and speech.

The scene is remarkable not only for Yan Shuyi\'s humility in front of the members of his own sect, as well as the masters of the five other cultivation sects that have gathered for an inner sect competition, which Xie Huan has won. But also, because later on it will be revealed that Yan Shuyi only meant to protect Xie Huan.

However at the time, his words and actions will only inflame Xie Huan\'s hatred for him.

Yao Shen falls to his knees on the floor, in deep prostration. "If Xie Huan is indeed found to have been cheating, this master humbly requests to be punished in his place."

He remains prostrated for a moment, before raising slowly to his feet, as Yan Shuyi, dignified master of Frozen Peak sect might.

Xin Hulei is standing in front of him once he gets up, giving him a cold, accessing look.

"Let\'s run through the confession scene," he says, his eyes never leaving Yao Shen.

Yao Shen swallows dryly and wipes his sweaty palms down the front of his pants.

The casting director nods at them and Xin Hulei immediately falls into character.

His insouciant look of superior boredom vanishes, replaced by the scowl of an impulsive young disciple, a demon who pretended to be a human to infiltrate an immortal cultivation sect and steal a prized artifact to save his dying race.

And along the way fell in love with his kind Shizun.

"There\'s no one in Xie Huan\'s heart beside Shizun," Xin Hulei says, his eyebrows lowered in boyish consternation over his shining eyes.

Yao Shen smiles indulgently up at him. "Shizun also carries Xie Huan in his heart."

Xin Hulei\'s scowl deepens at not making himself understood. "Shizun, is not hearing me," he says, his voice falling to a lower register.

One of his arms snakes around Yao Shen\'s waist while the other wraps around his wrist, pulling him into his chest. "Xie Huan\'s feelings for Shizun aren\'t filial."

A voice inside Yao Shen\'s head screams, \'This isn\'t in the script!\'

Fuck it, he\'s an actor, he can improvise.

He pulls against Xin Hulei\'s grip, his indulgent smile slipping minutely. "Xie Huan shouldn\'t joke about serious matters."

Xin Hulei lets out a growl of frustration, some of Xie Huan\'s demonic nature shining through. "My feelings for Shizun are not a joke," he says, staring deeply into Yao Shen\'s eyes.

The next thing he knows, Xin Hulei is kissing him, the wet tip of his tongue teasing at the seam of Yao Shen\'s lips.

Panicking, Yao Shen bites down and shoves Xin Hulei away.

Xie Huan\'s heated look melts off Xin Hulei\'s face as soon as they break away.

Haughtiness settles over his limpid eyes like a cloak as he wipes the blood on his lower lip with the back of his hand, staining his skin.

He nods towards the casting director, his silky hair falling in front of his eyes. "He\'s the one," he says, before turning his back on Yao Shen and making his way towards the window again.

Yao Shen barely has time to digest his words before a man\'s alien voice echoes inside his mind.

[Demon Capture System: Activated. Target acquired. Capture and bind Demon King Xin Hulei to save the human realm from destruction.]

---

laoshi- lit. teacher, but here it\'s meant in a sense of "professional in a field", coworkers, people with jobs in the same area, might address each other like this.