Capturing My Demon King Costar

Despite his exhaustion, Yao Shen can't sleep after reading Bi Jialu's messages.

He spends the entire night twisting and turning, tangling his sheets around his legs, with no sign of sleep. 

The idea of seeing Xin Hulei again thrills him as much as it terrifies him. 

What will he do when he looks into Xin Hulei's eyes tomorrow, and instead of the warm indulgence he always seemed to reserve for Yao Shen he finds nothing but coldness?

He doesn't know if he can't withstand Xin Hulei's indifference after having experienced his affection.

---

In the morning, Bi Jialu calls him to clarify the details of the photoshoot. "A car will come pick up laoshi around 2 p.m. Be sure to eat well, because the shoot can drag well into the evening. There will also be an interview portion."

That's going to to suck. Yao Shen can already imagine the awkwardness of trying to sit next to Xin Hulei while answering fluffy questions about their time as costars and their expectations for the second half of the drama.

He spends the entire morning in a state of restless anxiety. Unable to do anything with himself, and yet watching the time he has to leave for the photoshoot approach like a convict facing the gallows.

He warns Xie Bian through the two-way mirror that he'll be unreachable for the next few hours. Xie Bian is confused as to why he would feel the need to tell him that.

"Are you under the illusion that I'd prioritise you over Wujiu's full recovery?"

Yao Shen refrains from mentioning the two of them would probably still not be talking to each other, due to Xie Bian's stubbornness, if it wasn't for him.

Bi Jialu texts him warning that the car is outside waiting for him. Filled with trepidation, Yao Shen goes down to meet it.

---

The ride to the magazine's studio is painfully short, giving Yao Shen very little time to get his thoughts in order before seeing Xin Hulei.

He's escorted to hair and makeup as soon as he walks inside the building, and doesn't cross paths with Xin Hulei at any point.

He doesn't know if it's a coincidence that they ended up with separate changing rooms or if Xin Hulei requested it, in an attempt to reduce the time they spent interacting.

The stylists hover around him like a swarm of bees, but Yao Shen's thoughts are too scattered to pay attention to their conversation.

Which is why he's surprised when a long red wedding robe is rolled in on a rack.

"Why am I wearing that?" Yao Shen asks, looking at the red and gold brocade silk like it's trying to kill him.

One of the stylists, a young guy with a shock of blue hair gives him a confused look. "We were just commenting that we're going to switch up the hairstyling for the two themes of the photoshoot. For the ancient wedding Yao laoshi and Xin laoshi will have modern hairstyles, and for the modern day looks will be wearing wigs with headpieces."

Next to him a tiny girl with a short bob nods enthusiastically. She gestures with her fingers, bringing them together in front of her chest, saying only: "Thematic coherence."

Dumbly, Yao Shen says, "Uh, uh," his brain still snagged on the word "wedding" like a frozen screen.

---

'Shizun, this disciple will have to kill you', does have a wedding scene, in one of the extra chapters. A completely indulgent piece of fanservice that serves no purpose other than to show the readers how happy Xie Huan and Yan Shuyi are.

Knowing what Yao Shen does, it seems cruel on the part of the author, Shi Shi, to even write it to begin with. 

He catches himself wondering, once again, who could have written the novel, and what their end goal was with it.

Why give Yan Shuyi and Xie Huan a fictional happy ending?

Regardless of the author's motives, now Yao Shen is forced to play it out for other people's entertainment. He feels like he got saddled with someone else's karmic debt.

The robe they dress him in is exquisitely made. It's a typical traditional men's wedding robe, with a few creative liberties, that serve no other purpose other than leading up to sexy photos. 

Yao Shen looks himself in the full-length mirror and almost doesn't recognise his reflection. His short hair, when paired with the traditional robe gives him a fresh, slightly irreverent, look -- as if defying both tradition and modernity. The subtle red makeup around his eyes only emphasises that quality.

He wonders what Xin Hulei will look like, and his stomach ties itself into knots.

---

The set he's taken to resembles a nuptial chamber. A little square of wood floors and panelled walls, surrounding a canopy bed, enveloped in hazy red gauze.

Yao Shen is told to sit on the bed while the photographer takes some test shots.

Outside the little square of the nuptial bedroom the studio resembles an industrial outpost, all cold steel and sharp, fluorescent lights.

There's a clinical feel to the whole set up. Yao Shen wonders how he's going to relax back into Yan Shuyi's role in such a sterile environment.

Moments later, a steel swing door opens and Xin Hulei walks in accompanied by some of his agency's personnel. 

His robe has a similar cut to Yao Shen. The tight embroidered sash around his waist emphasises his narrow waist and broad shoulders. The longer top of his hair falls wildly around his angular face, making him look dangerous and unrestrained.

His eyes barely glance in Yao Shen's direction.

He makes his way towards the bed with easy strides, and stands a few feet apart from Yao Shen, as if they are two strangers forced into an awkwardly intimate situation.

The photographer gestures towards the lighting assistants who move two large softbox lighting fixtures around.

"Did Gao Wu try to contact you?" Yao Shen asks, keeping his voice down while the crew works around them.

Xin Hulei gives him a look from the corner of his eyes.

"We should focus on the shoot," Xin Hulei says, his voice as cold and distant as when they first met.

No, not even that. Back then, Xin Hulei was at least curious about him.

Now it's as if he barely sees Yao Shen.

---

"Ok everyone, we're working against the clock because we still need to shoot the modern wedding, and then the two laoshi will have to sit down with the journalists for the interview segment."

Yao Shen straightens his back and looks expectantly at the photographer.

"Let's start with Yao laoshi sitting on the bed with his back to the camera, looking over his shoulder as Xin laoshi approaches."

Already sitting down on the bed, Yao Shen just shifts around a little. He lets his lips fall open in breathless anticipation, and behind him the camera shutter clicks wildly.

"Hold that pose Yao laoshi," the photographer says. "Xin laoshi approach him from behind and pull down the shoulder of his robe."

Yao Shen flinches the moment he feels Xin Hulei's hands on him. His right hand drifts up Yao Shen's neck tilting his head to the side, while the left bares his shoulder to the camera lens.

That bare patch of shoulder feels electrified. Xin Hulei's fingers tighten on the back of his head, and Yao Shen lets out an involuntary gasp.

"Very good, thank you both. Now let's try with Yao laoshi reaching for Xin laoshi's belt and undoing his robes."

Yao Shen closes his eyes and swears under his breath. Just how intimate is this photoshoot going to get?

Xin Hulei seems to be thinking the same thing, because he turns to the photographer with an inquisitive look. "You're not going to be able to publish these photos," he says, his tone cold.

"Don't worry laoshi the final result won't be vulgar. We'll send the final photos for both of your agencies to approve before publishing."

That's not nearly as reassuring as he thinks. Yao Shen's heart is on the verge of giving out, and it's only the second pose.

Xin Hulei circles the bed to stand in front of him, and Yao Shen is forced to look up at him from up close.

The smokey dark makeup around his eyes accentuates their shape, and turns his gaze even more alluring and mysterious.

Following the photographer's instructions, Yao Shen reaches up towards Xin Hulei's belt with trembling fingers.

"Hold your fingers in the air between the two of you, Yao laoshi," the photographer says, the bulky camera hiding almost all of his head. "Look up at his face as if you're at once thrilled and scared about what's going to happen."

Yao Shen follows his instructions reluctantly, lifting up his eyes towards Xin Hulei and giving him a look of intense longing from beneath his lashes.

"Xin laoshi reach forward and touch his face."

Yao Shen can't help closing his eyes when Xin Hulei's fingers cup his cheek. 

Under his breath, Xin Hulei says, "Bear with it a little while longer."

Yao Shen isn't sure who the words are meant for.