Capturing My Demon King Costar

MY COSTAR PRAISES ME

Bi Jialu leaves after making arrangements for Yao Shen's flight back to Beijing tomorrow.

All of this is so sudden he can barely catch his breath.

Maybe if he was a more prolific actor he would be more used to the flightiness of the entertainment industry.

As it stands the whole thing is giving him a bad case of whiplash.

He texts Xin Hulei as he said he would, but first he changes his display name on WeChat

[Little Menace: Did your assistant tell you?]

[Xin Hulei: About the hiatus until winter? I heard]

[Little Menace: That's what Lulu wanted to tell me too. It's very sudden]

[Xin Hulei: It's not so bad. Think of the positives, the production crew will be paid extra for more days of work, maybe they'll even have to hire new people in the winter]

[Xin Hulei: good opportunity for locals trying to break into the entertainment industry]

Xin Hulei's little nuggets of practical optimism do make Yao Shen feel a little better.

There's another unforeseen positive consequence of the sudden news that Yao Shen didn't consider.

He won't be in the same physical space as Xin Hulei, therefore, the ghost kings can't make demands of him.

The whole thing with the gu insect will have to be put on hold -- the ghost kings can't expect him to track down Xin Hulei while they aren't shooting together.

Without noticing, Yao Shen starts smiling down at his phone.

Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

He has his answer for the ghost kings, when the fortnight is up, and also the perfect excuse as to why he can't get near Xin Hulei.

By his own admission, the System isn't interested in collaborating with them, so it's not like they can call him out on his bluff.

He probes at the System but doesn't get any feedback from it. The corner of his mind it usually occupies is silent -- could it be because he has reached 100% closeness with Xin Hulei?

No, Yao Shen would never be that lucky twice in a row.

This has happened before. He has long held the belief that the System only occasionally drops in on him. Which often makes him wander what is he up to, the rest of the time?

He doesn't get an answer, but Xin Hulei texts him again in the meantime.

[Xin Hulei: will you miss me?]

Yao Shen stares down at his mobile for a while, reading and rereading the words over and over again. Xin Hulei doesn't usually show such a vulnerable side, it makes Yao Shen want to hug him and cover him in kisses.

His heart twinges painfully, he hates that he's keeping so much from him.

The right thing would be to step away. Use the hiatus as an excuse to put some distance between them. It would be fairer to Xin Hulei, but Yao Shen doesn't know if he could handle that.

The more he thinks about it the more his heart aches, so he stops.

Like everything else, Yao Shen will take it one step at a time.

Besides, he genuinely wants to help Xin Hulei. So maybe...

[Little Menace: will you?]

[Xin Hulei: don't answer a question with another question]