Capturing My Demon King Costar

MY COSTAR WHISKS ME OFF MY FEET

Yao Shen recoils in shock at Tan Liansi's words, but she keeps smiling at him as if it's nothing.

"Don't look so surprised, I'm just looking out for my ge" she says, through gritted teeth, her smile never once faltering.

She leaves Yao Shen's side and bounds over towards Xin Hulei, hooking her arm into his and leaning her face into his shoulder.

Xin Hulei barely notices her presence and continues talking with his assistant, as if he's so used to Tan Liansi invading his personal space that it doesn't even register.

Yao Shen watches them from a distance, feeling a mix of ambiguous feelings.

"Sucks, doesn't it?" a voice says from his right, making Yao Shen nearly jump out of his skin.

He finds Jia Hao beside him, with his arms crossed behind his head and a smirk on his pretty face. "Did you get me what I wanted?"

Scowling, Yao Shen fishes inside the convenient pockets of his costume and gives Jia Hao the chip card, using his sleeve to hide it from view.

"I can't talk with you here, there's people watching," Yao Shen says, chancing furtive glances around.

"Afraid someone will see and think you're crazy?" Jia Hao smirks widely, his terrible windbreaker almost blinding in the bright morning sun. "Too late," he says, and then vanishes.

Yao Shen doesn't understand what he means until he sees Xin Hulei walking towards him. Tan Liansi stays behind, a pleased grin curling on her lips.

"Who was that just now?" he asks, looking at the spot Jia Hao just vacated.

Yao Shen tilts his chin towards Tan Liansi. "What did she want?"

"To warn me about you," Xin Hulei says, not mincing words. "Who was that?" he repeats.

"That ghost I told you about," Yao Shen says, leaning closer to Xin Hulei and grinning at Tan Liansi from across the set.

"Oh," Xin Hulei says, his hackles no longer raised. "If he gives you trouble I can send him back to the underworld."

Yao Shen goes very still. "I didn't know you could do that...you didn't mention that when we met Sun Yi."

He shrugs. "It's not pleasant for the ghost, I felt sorry for her."

What would Xin Hulei be able to do to him then? Yao Shen is a human now, because he reincarnated, but...is he still a Ghost King at heart? Does that mean Xin Hulei can just make him disappear into the underworld too?

He tries to reassure himself with the existence of the contract they signed.

He can't do anything to Xin Hulei, and Xin Hulei can't do anything to him.

"You're oddly quiet," Xin Hulei says, his opaque eyes gazing deeply into Yao Shen's own -- as if he's considering some of Tan Liansi's warnings.

The worst part is that Yao Shen can't even feel insulted about it because he really is keeping things from Xin Hulei.

"I feel sorry about him too," he says, as a belated excuse to Xin Hulei's comment. "He likes Gao Wu but has no means of getting in touch with him. Have you figured out yet why is it that Gao Wu attracts ghosts?"

Xin Hulei shakes his head. "Not yet, but he truly doesn't seem to be aware of it."

Before they can talk more, a production assistance comes split them up none too subtly, using some thin excuse about costuming needing Xin Hulei somewhere else and Yao Shen being needed on the next scene's location.