Chapter 89 - My Costar Knows His Enemies

Maybe it's because he was alive in the 90's, when the internet wasn't much of a thing, and people didn't really communicate via short messages -- but Jia Hao has absolutely no concept of how a normal text conversation is supposed to go.

Also, he overshares, a lot.

[Jia Hao: Hello, I'm so happy to talk with you, I'm a huge fan! I watched your previous drama 'Love Unbound in the Countryside' in this store that was selling TVs, and I thought you were great in it. You can tell you really improved since your debut, although I thought you were really charming in 'Friends for each season'.]

[Summer Sunligh: uhm, thank you, but why were you watching the drama in a store?]

[Jia Hao: oh I don't have a TV. By the way, you should grow your hair out, you looked really cool as Pei Su! Reminded me of my senior in high school. Thinking back I think I might have had a crush on him haha]

[Summer Sunlight: ha ha]

[Summer Sunlight: lots of people don't have TVs these days, why didn't you just watch on your mobile?]

Yao Shen chuckles a little to himself while reading through the screenshots. Gao Wu got really fixated on the TV thing, uh?

[Jia Hao: oh, I just got a phone so I could talk with you]

Sighing deeply, Yao Shen closes his eyes and massages his temples. He understands that Jia Hao is from another time, but...really? No wonder Gao Wu thinks he's a stalker.

[Summer Sunlight: ha ha that's funny]

When he doesn't get any laughing emoji or anything of the sort back, it's obvious Gao Wu panics.

[Summer Sunlight: how do you know Yao Shen again? I don't think he said.]

[Jia Hao: he owes me a favor]

And at that point Gao Wu just went quiet and sent Yao Shen the screenshots he's currently reading.

[Naughty Ghost: He's just a very sheltered kid ^^' I'll explain later, didi]

Yao Shen startles when he feels an amused puff of hair on his nape. He turns around and finds Xin Hulei reading over his shoulder.

"That's the thing with ghosts," Xin Hulei says, nudging Yao Shen's neck. "they're stuck in time."

He finishes drinking his tea and gets up from the bed, rubbing the back of his head.

Yao Shen's gaze is drawn to the twin dimples on his lower back, just above the waistband of his tight underwear.

"How do you know so much about ghosts, anyway?" Yao Shen asks, just to do something else with his mouth besides lick those two divots.

"Know thy enemy," Xin Hulei says, smirking over his shoulder as he makes his way out of the bedroom.

His words are meant in jest, but they send Yao Shen hurtling back to reality.

The haze of lust and bliss around him begins to dissolve letting in the harsh light of day.

---

After a quick breakfast of supermarket baozi, Xin Hulei takes Yao Shen back to his hotel room, right in time for Bi Jialu to pick him up.

Xin Hulei surprises Yao Shen by wrapping one arm around his waist and pulling him into a searing kiss. 

He leaves after groping Yao Shen one last time.

Yao Shen wonders if he's going insane for finding it cute.

Bi Jialu clearly thinks there's something up with him, judging by the odd looks she shoots him during the car ride, but doesn't comment on it, all the way to the set, except to wish him a nice day.

He's shooting with Ye Fang and Tan Liansi to start the day, a short scene where Tan Liansi's character, Chao Yue, teases Mei Shuang for her uptight ways, establishing the dynamic for their eventual romance.

Yao Shen is mostly there to stop Mei Shuang from throttling Chao Yue, and being comically oblivious to the mounting sexual tension. 

Which is in character for him, since he's only marginally aware of his own budding romance.

Ye Fang runs towards him as soon as she sees him walking up towards the cameras.

"Yao laoshi, thank you," she says, holding on to his forearms, her eyes enormous and humid. "Since yesterday I no longer feel the oppressive presence near my room. I just know that laoshi looked into it on my behalf, and that's how he found the footage."

Her chin trembles with barely restrained emotion, and she steps away a few paces to try and hold back her tears. "I'm glad the poor victims are now at peace, knowing justice will be delivered."

"Justice hasn't been delivered yet," Tan Liansi says, giving Ye Fang a sarcastic smile. "The investigation has barely begun, a lot of water will run under this bridge."

Ye Fang smiles tightly at her. "Well, I'm sure the spirits of the victims are at peace, knowing that the truth of their horrible deaths is finally out."

She turns to Yao Shen, her smile becoming genuine as she says, "Laoshi saved me from a haunting, the least I can do is treat laoshi to a meal."

He doesn't know how to tell her that there are probably more ghosts around. In fact, Jia Hao is probably around, shadowing Gao Wu.

Before Yao Shen can say anything, Tan Liansi lets out an inelegant snort, looking at Ye Fang as if she's extremely foolish.

"Are you afraid of ghosts?"

Ye Fang is clearly offended by Tan Liansi's mocking tone, but refuses to let it show. "I happen to believe that ghosts are real, yes."

Yao Shen shoots Tan Liansi a pleading look, hoping she'll drop the issue. Both of them know ghosts are real, it's very cruel to mock Ye Fang for using the wrong method to arrive at the right conclusion.

"But why would you be afraid of them?" Tan Liansi asks, chuckling under her breath.

Of course -- Yao Shen should have known -- she's just being petty.

For her part, Ye Fang is dumbfounded. "Who wouldn't be afraid of ghosts?" She looks at Yao Shen for encouragement.

"Right," he says, nodding. "Ghosts are scary."

He still remembers his shock the first time he saw Sun Yi. A ghost's grisly appearance is not something easy to forget.

Tan Liansi shakes her head again. "Most Ghosts are pitiful." Something dark flashes in her eyes and she adds, "but some of them have delusions of grandeur."

Ye Fang's eyes widen even more comically, to the point Yao Shen worries they'll fall right out of her eye sockets.

She changes directions and moves towards Tan Liansi, holding on to the tight sleeve of her character's peasant girl robes. "Could it be that Tan laoshi comes from a family of Daoist priests?"

Yao Shen can see the play of emotions across Tan Liansi's face, and he sees the exact moment she makes the decision to go with maximum chaos.

"Sure," she says, shaking off Ye Fang. "You could say that."

Undeterred, Ye Fang grabs hold of her arm again. "Could Tan laoshi ask her family for some protection talismans and charms? I can pay!"

Poor girl, Yao Shen winces at her desperation. This is what happens when people's base superstition is allowed to grow unchecked.

He's conveniently ignoring that Ye Fang's superstitions are actually real -- but so what?

The talismans and charms aren't about to solve the issue, that's for sure.

Tan Liansi's smirk grows positively feral. "Ok, I'll see what I can do."

Ye Fang lets out a sigh of relief, and stands up on her tiptops to kiss Tan Liansi on the cheek. "Thank you, jiejie."

She wanders off after that as if it was nothing, while Tan Liansi remains rooted in place, a grimace distorting her red lips.

Yao Shen smirks a little to himself. It's good to see things backfiring on her, for a change.

She catches the tail end of his smug smile and shoots him a glare. "What are you looking at?"

Tan Liansi doesn't wait for an answer and joins Ye Fang on her mark, waiting for Director Chen to call the scene. Yao Shen goes to join both of them feeling much better about himself.

---

After the scene with Ye Fang and Tan Liansi he and Xin Hulei have a short scene together, where Xie Huan makes some attempts to show Yan Shuyi his appreciation, in entirely not filial ways, where an always oblivious Yan Shuyi continues to let everything fly right over his head.

It's the first time in some time that Yao Shen and Xin Hulei are going to be filming a scene that involves close proximity, and Yao Shen is feeling a little apprehensive, especially now after they've become...closer.

All the way to the shooting location in Yan Shuyi's private pavilion, he can't help wondering if anyone is going to notice something, if Director Chen will see something different in their chemistry and how they interact.

Xin Hulei is already waiting when he arrives, tall and imposing in Xie Huan's black and red robes. He smiles when Yao Shen walks in, and that brief flicker of emotion on his usually stoic face is enough to kick up a flurry of butterflies in Yao Shen's stomach.