Capturing My Demon King Costar

It's with great trepidation that Yao Shen climbs up onto Xin Hulei's motorcycle. He wraps his arms around his waist loosely, but Xin Hulei's hand descends on top of his and presses them tighter into his solid abdomen.

"Tighter," he says, his voice sounds muffled through the helmet.

Yao Shen does as he's told, and hides his face on Xin Hulei's broad back.

He wishes Xin Hulei wouldn't look at him with such an intense gaze. It makes him flustered for no reason.

Yao Shen's finger tighten of their own accord when Xin Hulei kicks the bike into gear, dreading the biting sting of the wind already.

To his surprise, this time Xin Hulei doesn't speed out of the parking lot.

He rides out of the lot and into the road with easy smoothness, so gently that it's as if the bike's wheels are gliding off the asphalt.

Yao Shen tenses again when they enter a main street, but Xin Hulei cuts confidently through the traffic like a knife gliding over silken tofu.

He's still going fast, Yao Shen can tell by how quickly they leave the cars surrounding them behind, but the ride feels smoother, less frantic. 

Bit by bit, Yao Shen starts enjoying himself. 

The sun is setting over the dense skyline, tinging the horizon with pinks and purples. Someone once told him that those kind of vibrant pink and purple sunsets are caused by pollution. Yao Shen doesn't know if it's true, he never bothered to look it up, but ever since then he has felt a little guilty for admiring a pink sunset and thinking it looks beautiful. 

He doesn't know why he continues to avoid looking up the information, it would be so easy to know whether it's true or not.

The only explanation he has managed to find is that he enjoys that twinge of guilt, that little acidic curl in the pit of his stomach. It makes sense that something beautiful would come with a devastating price.

He wonders if it's the same impulse that leads him to fan out his fingers on Xin Hulei's slim abdomen, and rest his head against his back, inhaling the crisp scent of his leather jacket.

---

Yao Shen feels a little dazed once they finally reach their destination.

His legs feel wobbly, and he struggles to dismount from the bike. 

Xin Hulei extends him a hand to help him out, but Yao Shen ignores it. Slightly embarrassed at how he's behaving.

He needs to get laid, it's been too long and abstinence is getting to his head.

Maybe Gao Wu will still be up for that date once he leaves here.

Xin Hulei is completely unaware of Yao Shen's inner turmoil and walks towards the restaurant, stopping only at the door to look behind his shoulder and ask him, "Are you coming?"

It's a completely neutral question, but to Yao Shen's ears Xin Hulei's tone sounds suggestive.

He follows behind him with his head lowered and his cheeks flaming.

---

They don't have a reservation this time, none of them thought that far ahead, but luckily the restaurant isn't full and they manage to find a table on the upper floor again.

Gong Tao is sitting by himself again, eating his hot pot with a far off stare as if he's actually li away.

Yao Shen didn't notice it the first time they came to the restaurant, because he was more focused on the ghost with the grisly facial injury, but Gong Tao keeps looking out towards the stairs, as if expecting someone to walk up towards him at any moment.

It makes his stomach swoop unpleasantly, to see all the pain written so plainly on the man's face.

"Should we go talk to him," Xin Hulei asks, over the rim of the drink he's been nursing.

Yao Shen feels unnaturally nervous at the thought of approaching the man with news about the death of the woman he loves.

Perhaps sensing his trepidation, Xin Hulei gets up first.

Without a single word he sits down at the empty seat in front of the man.

"Sorry to intrude, but I'm afraid we have something important to tell you." He looks pointedly at Yao Shen who gets up from his chair gingerly, and shuffles his feet towards the bewildered man's table.

"I'm waiting for someone," the man says, looking between the two of them. "I don't know what's the meaning of this but-"

"She's not coming," Xin Hulei says, cutting Gong Tao off.

His eyes go wide, and he reaches forward to grasp Xin Hulei by the wrist. "Do you know Sun Yi?"

Xin Hulei takes the free seat beside Xin Hulei with a long sigh. "This is going to sound unbelievable but-"

"We are Sun Yi's relatives, from her hometown. It took us some time to track you," Xin Hulei says smoothly. Saving Yao Shen from the lie he was about to spin about missing people reports and social media groups.

Some sort of realization dawns over Gong Tao and the excitement dims from his eyes.

"How-how is she?" he asks, his voice suddenly hoarse.

Yao Shen forces himself to look up into his eyes. "I'm so sorry."

---

Telling Gong Tao about Sun Yi's death is a harrowing process. They have to stop and start several times to give Gong Tao time to digest everything they tell him. 

He breaks down into sobs when they describe the circumstances of her death, and how she died returning from her hometown, after paying her respects to her dead parents and informing them of her upcoming wedding.

In the middle of all his grief Yao Shen hopes that at least Gong Tao will get some relief from knowing that Sun Yi didn't abandon him. 

Maybe some part of him already imagined something like that, because he believes them easily. Xin Hulei tells him the location of Sun Yi's hometown.

Gong Tao thanks them for letting him know, and the two of them take their leave.

Yao Shen feels drained by the whole ordeal, but Xin Hulei takes him by the hand and guides him towards his bake again.

"Let me take you somewhere else," he says, leaning in close to whisper the words next to Yao Shen's ticklish ear.

Maybe it's because he feels saddened by what just happened, and a little vulnerable, but he tells Xin Hulei:

"Take me to your place."

All thoughts of going back to the hotel and meeting Gao Wu forgotten.