Chapter 149 - My Costar Gets Reprimanded

The next morning Yao Shen wakes up feeling groggy and poorly rested -- which is a first ever since he got the Sleep Upgrade.

He writes it off as nerves, and doesn't mention anything to Xin Hulei, who is already up and cooking breakfast in the kitchen by the time he gets out of bed.

They share their schedules for the day while Yao Shen does his best not to fall asleep over his bowl of sweet congee.

Back on set, the mood isn't much different from the day before, with everyone running from one place to another trying to film as much as they possibly can.

Yao Shen starts the day shooting with Xin Hulei. One of the most charming scenes of the beginning of Yan Shuyi and Xie Huan's courtship.

Xie Huan has found out the reason behind Yan Shuyi's scars, about the punishment he took in his stead, and is eager to make amends.

He has also began to see Yan Shuyi in a different light, but isn't quite yet at the stage where he can be as bold as he'd like about it.

They're filming in a location nearby which they'll use as a meadow, and compliment with green screens if necessary.

Yao Shen is wearing a lighter, more practical version of Yan Shuyi's robes, since he and Xie Huan are  out looking for a rare plant to make medicine. A rare ailment has afflicted some of the Frozen Peak disciples, and Yan Shuyi and his disciples are some of the rare unaffected ones. They don't know that yet, but that fact will be used against them in the near future.

---

For the first time, Yao Shen sees Jincan and Heimao in their new roles as participating members of human society. 

Heimao makes a convincing bodyguard with the black cap flattening his cat ears against his skull, and the all black leather jacket and pants. While they set up for the scene he just leans against a tree, looking menacing and vaguely superior for no good reason.

Jincan on the other hand looks like a fish out of water. He's wearing a beanie that hides most of his messy golden curls and his butterfly wing ears, but his appearance is still too eye-catching.

He has ambiguous features and colouring that make people want to stop and stare at him, in an effort to pinpoint a race or nationality. 

All the other crew members keep shooting him covert glances, and whispering among themselves.

Jincan is aware of the attention and tries to blend with the scenery, very unsuccessfully.

Finally, everything is ready and Director Chen yells "action".

Yao Shen starts the scene with his back to the camera, inspecting two flowers in his hands with his head lowered.

Xin Hulei enters from behind as the camera pans up Yao Shen's body, giving the audience the same view as Xie Huan, conveying the same visceral pull Xie Huan is feeling.

"Shizun, I think I found it," Xie Huan says, his voice floundering. He holds out a small pink blossom to Yan Shuyi, who turns around slowly, so the camera can catch his every movement and then slow it down further in the final cut, to make it extra romantic and cheesy.

Yao Shen smiles warmly, trying to infuse his smile with Yan Shuyi's natural kindness, and a little of the first romantic stirrings he's beginning to feel for Xie Huan.

He walks towards him, and takes the flower from him, but not before their hands touch for a prolonged moment, and their eyes widen. They both turn around quickly, hiding their flustered faces.

Yan Shuyi clears his throat. "Yes, I believe this is the flower we're looking for."

"This disciple is glad," Xie Huan says, with his back turned to Yan Shuyi.

The cameras capture them like that for a moment, with their backs turned to each other and their heads lowered.

"Cut! That was great, just one more time so we can film other angles, and then we'll move on," Director Chen says, clapping twice to hurry everyone along.

They have a few minutes while the crew resets the scene. Yao Shen uses the excuse of getting a water bottle to move closer to Xin Hulei.

"Were they really like that?" Yao Shen asks, his voice lowered. "So...sugary?"

One corner of Xie Huan's lips quirks up. "They were a demon king and a powerful cultivator. Of course not."

Yao Shen imagined as much. There's something really idyllic about the way Yan Shuyi's and Xie Huan's relationship is portrayed in the novel, which the drama reflects. Every instance of their courtship is like a sweet snapshot out of an early 00's romance drama.

Somehow, Yao Shen can't help thinking that's relevant to discovering ShiShi's identity.

"What were they like, in reality?" he asks, pretending to struggle with the water bottle cap to have some plausible deniability as to why he's still talking with Xin Hulei.

"They were discreet, I had suspicions for a while, but they were never confirmed until much later." He turns to face Yao Shen, one corner of his lips quirking up in amusement. "After I met you in the cabin, actually."

Yao Shen knows that last part already, but the way Xin Hulei says it, in his smooth, low voice, makes heat climb up the back of Yao Shen's neck. He's only relieved the weather is pleasantly cool or he'd be sweating under his costume already.

Their eyes meet for a moment, and some silent communication passes between them, a promise for 'later', and 'soon'.

A growled warning ruins the moment. "Get your hands off him. He said he doesn't want to talk with you!"

When Yao Shen turns around, he finds Heimao lifting a key grip off the floor by his shirt collar, his eyes flashing menacingly, while Jincan tries to pull back his arm.

"Stop, everyone is looking at us," Jincan hisses, ensuring that even more people turn in their direction.

The key grip struggles to get free of Heimao's hands. "I'm sorry alright! I just thought he was being shy because he's new to the set. What's wrong with asking a coworker out for a few beers?"

Heimao's grip tightens. "Why were your hands all over him then?"

"Heimao, stand down," Xin Hulei calls, without raising his voice.

Reluctantly, Heimao lowers the other man to the ground. He scrambles away as soon as Heimao lets go of him without a single look back.

"I could handle it." Jincan glares up at Heimao, his cheeks red with humiliation, and then turns around back towards the other assistants.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the show play out, and it takes Director Chen to call everyone back to their places.

---

The rest of the day passes without issue, albeit at the same breakneck pace. 

With the exception of that scene with Xin Hulei, and a couple with Ye Fang, Yao Shen spends most of the day filming on his own. His schedule tells him he was supposed to shoot with 'Rong Zi' in the afternoon, but that has been crossed over, and replaced with something else.

Gao Wu's absence would have been the talk of the crew and cast, if it wasn't for the much more exciting gossip of Heimao's outburst at the key grip.

Yao Shen is in the makeup trailer, getting his makeup and wig off for the day, when he overhears one of the stylists tell the other:

"You should have seen it, it was like something out of a modern workplace drama." 

Her colleague sighs clutching a hair piece to her chest. "I wish I had. He's so handsome too! Both of them are. I wouldn't be surprised if they were actors."

"That's just it, it's a lot more charming that they are regular people like us. So romantic!"

Yao Shen could say a thing or two about Jincan and Heimao's "regular" people status, but he's better off keeping it to himself and sharing it with Xin Hulei as soon as they're back home.

Xin Hulei picks him up from his hotel room as they agreed, and takes him directly to the apartment.

They're in the middle of setting up dining table when Xin Hulei's phone starts vibrating wildly on top of the coffee table.

He tries to ignore it, but when the noise doesn't subside, he picks it up with a frown. "My manager, telling me to keep Jincan and Heimao under control."

"But why?" Yao Shen asks, wondering if what happened today was big enough to warrant a warning.

Xin Hulei's frown disappears as he scrolls through his phone. He chuckles, and hands the phone to Yao Shen.

His manager must have linked him to weibo, where 'Crimson Promise' is trending once again, this time due to a short behind the scenes clip.

At first the clip seems to be focused on Yao Shen and Xin Hulei, filming their backs as they talk by the craft table.

But then the camera wrenches violently to the side, to focus on Heimao's altercation with the key grip instead.

Heimao's voice can be heard clearly in the video: "Get your hands off him!"