Capturing My Demon King Costar

MY COSTAR AND I, FOREVER

Six months pass and 'Crimson Promise' is cleared for broadcast, in record time even.

The initial buzz around the drama is insane, and the viewership numbers for the first couple of episodes are absolutely record breaking. And then people realise, that despite all the controversy surrounding it, it's still just a romantic xianxia drama, and some of the interest fizzes out.

The fans of the genre, and the novel fans, who watch all 43 episodes to the end, agree that it's a pretty good adaptation, all things considered.

[Drama for days: I mean, the transition from Gao Wu to the actor who replaced him was a bit awkward. Rong Zi's arc as a 'masked villain' had some of drama's weakest episodes, but it's what they could do in the wake of a tragedy so I'm not going to be too harsh about it.]

Most people agree that Xin Hulei and Yao Shen's performances as Yan Shuyi and Xie Huan were very good. The romantic tension was palpable.

Of course that the reveal they were actually in a relationship, and about to get married, takes some of the lustre out of the whole thing.

[Candy Panda: I mean...ofc they had good chemistry on screen, they were dating?...I'm not sure we should be praising them for this kind of thing, actually.]

[ShenLei 4ever: most actors also eat and sleep in their daily lives, doesn't mean they shouldn't be praised when their characters also do these things.]

[Epic gains: ^ I'm sorry, I understand the spirit of what you're saying, but wtf...no one singles out 'sleeping' and 'eating' as memorable parts of an actors' performance]

[Froggy: ^ and the oscar for most convincing sleep goes to....]

One thing that works well for them is that the reveal of their relationship kills the speculation about the two of them.

Everything is already out in the open, and it turns out most people feel a little ridiculous talking online endlessly about an actual couple, instead of just a rumoured one.

Yao Shen still receives some praise, and the public and critics alike agree that he delivered a solid performance on his first big drama role.

It's flattering, and and he gets several invitations for shows, and actually gets offered roles instead of having to audition for them.

While Yao Shen appreciates that all his work is finally being recognised, and the years of gruelling small roles paid off, he still ends up rejecting more offers than accepting them.

Xin Hulei spends most days at home, and Yao Shen wants to spend as much time with him as he can.

---

In the meantime, Jincan's idol career takes off. He goes by Jin Lan now, and with only a stupid song called 'Golden Pill' and a silly choreography, becomes a sensation on douyin and among the under 20 audience.

This is a huge source of amusement to Yao Shen, and extremely aggravating for Xin Hulei who disapproves of pretty much everything Jincan does.

"The music industry is very duplicitous," he says, when they're watching one of Jincan's live performances in a talk show. "He doesn't know what he's getting himself into."

When he gets like that, the only thing Yao Shen does is coo at him, and kiss him until he's distracted.

Deep down he thinks it's sweet. Xin Hulei still sees Jincan as that little caterpillar he rescued from the rubble of Modu, but he's a butterfly now -- he needs to spread his wings.

Besides, whenever they see Jincan, there's always a tall man in a black leather jacket not far away. Yao Shen doubts Heimao will let anything happen to Jincan.