Capturing My Demon King Costar

MY COSTAR GOES ON A DATE WITH SOMEONE ELSE

Tan Liansi hangs around for a little while longer, even though she's not needed on set.

Her presence makes Yao Shen uncomfortable, there's something about her knowing smirk every time she catches his eye that makes him stand on edge.

Once she's finally gone, he asks Xin Hulei, "Is she a demon too?"

Xin Hulei gives him an enigmatic half-smile. "That's not for me to say."

Yao Shen rolls his eyes.

Fine, keep your secrets, he thinks to himself.

They finish shooting for the day, and Yao Shen is firmly ushered back to his hotel room by Bi Jialu and a group of bodyguards he hasn't seen before. All in an obvious concerted effort to prevent him from being seen with Xin Hulei outside of filming.

It all seems a bit much, and like something out of a star-crossed lovers drama.

When Yao Shen checks weibo, the strategy becomes obvious.

There are several small clips of him and Xin Hulei circulating online. Just short snippets in which the two of them try to start a conversation before being unceremoniously pulled apart by some crew members.

In one of the videos it's even possible to see Yao Shen's smile fall.

He doesn't remember looking that upset about being separated from Xin Hulei, and truthfully speaking he was likely more annoyed about being moved around like a doll than anything else.

But that's not what it looks like in the short clips released online. All of them come from dummy accounts that claim to have gotten a hold of the footage through a 'friend' who is part of the crew, but that Yao Shen is sure were were personally requested by Xin Hulei's agency.

[Tree sapling: I don't know about you sisters, but this makes me really sad. Now they can't even talk with each other T-T]

[Red cherry sorbet: This is what those haters wanted! They made such a fuss online that now they can't even hang out. It's even worse if they truly are in a relationship. Who are we to dictate how celebrities should live their lives?]

[Big Crab: Are the netizens really that powerful? This is clearly an one-sided decision by the production company, go scold them]

[Tree sapling: Poor Shen Shen looks so sad TwT he wants to spend time with his gege, he looks about to cry]

[Frog: he's a fully grown man...stop talking about him like he's a child, giving me the creeps. All of you are part of the problem. They're both actors, their private relationships are irrelevant for the drama they're filming. Everyone should just respect their privacy and stop speculating.]

[Vivid Kaleidoscope: It's so sad, they're like Romeo and Juliet T-T]

[Frog: they're neither Italian nor 14...how is any of this like Romeo and Juliet????]

[Heimao: This is all Xin Hulei's fault. Yao Shen didn't do anything, it's Xin Hulei who keeps bothering him]

That last comment brings Yao Shen to a screeching halt. He checks that this is the same 'Heimao' who asked what gift Gao Wu got Yao Shen in that previous post, and the posting history confirms it.

He thought that account was one of Xin Hulei's fakes, but now he's not so sure.

And thinking about it more seriously. That day, Xin Hulei stayed behind with Gao Wu, he would have seen it if Gao Wu got him anything.

So who is using this account? And why did they name it after Xin Hulei's demon cat?

He texts Xin Hulei immediately: