Chapter Text
"Ah well, Damn it's raining." A-Qing sighed as she and Jingyi looked at the weather from the pavilion with a small frown.
"It's been so long since we had this weather, he was probably very upset." Jingyi said, "It's been two days." He added before glancing behind him when he heard footsteps coming in their direction. Lan Xichen smiled at them, closed his umbrella, and joined them in the pavilion.
"Good Morning" He greeted them and stood beside them; the two greeted him back, and A-Qing moved to the table, followed by Jingyi.
"You have to join us for breakfast today since the boss is clearly upset." He gestured at the weather, and Lan Xichen nodded.
"I am sorry I may have caused it." Lan Xichen sighed as he sat down as well. He felt guilty, though he did not mean to unravel that cloth around Jiang Wanyin's wrist; it was purely by accident, and he was not able to get a proper sleep after that event. and knowing now that Jiang Wanyin hasn't gotten out of his quarters yet is making him feel worse. "I did not know he could control the weather too.."
A-Qing glanced at Jingyi "He controls everything here, that's how powerful he is." She shrugged, and that made Lan Xichen glance in the direction of Jiang Wanyin's room.
"Jingyi here told me that you met him first?" Lan Xichen asked, now totally curious about the mysterious man who owns the place. "What is he truly?"
"None of us really knows; I was once a very vengeful spirit, and he caught me loitering outside Lotus Pier. He was supposed to report me to the grim reapers, but he talked some sense into me. He said, Instead of wasting away, unable to move forward or possibly enter the reincarnation circle, why don't I work for him and try to find peace?"
"Reincartation circle?"
"If a vengeful spirit is caught by a grim reaper, chances are they can't move on in the afterlife, and worse of all, they can't be reincarnated," Jingyi added.
"I see," Lan Xichen murmured, and it made him think back to Meng Yao, How he had looked and turned into something.. something like that.
"So I am grateful to him, He acts like an asshole sometimes, but he is really nice." A-Qing said, shoving a spoonful of food in her mouth before continuing. " I've been with him for so long, but he doesn't talk about his life. But he did mention once that he was punished. I guess he did something in his life before that binded him into the guest house."
"And you two?" Lan Xichen inquired.
"Well, Jingyi here ought to take over, but until our boss is here, we are under his servitude" A-Qing replied.
"I should probably go and apologize to him." Lan Xichen glanced at the stormy weather and stood up.
"Make sure to knock, we don't want to have any more thunderstorms," Jingyi waved at him.
Jiang Wanyin continued his pacing in front of the pond, holding the bottle of wine. He was glaring at the green leaves and clear water on the once-dead plants. He could not grasp how the fuck this happened or what changed all of a sudden. He spent all his years staring at this dead pond, drinking to himself, and now this happened.
"That was bad weather out there."
Jiang Wanyin quickly turned around, his robe billowing with how harshly he moved. Seeing the uninvited guest, he pointed a finger at the woman who was closing her umbrella, shaking the water off.
"You! What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here? Is this how you talk to me?" The woman placed her umbrella on the table before gasping when she saw the pond. Peering at the green leaves, she then turned to Jiang Wanyin.
"The water is getting clearer.. the leaves too." She hummed thoughtfully while looking down at the pond.
Crossing his arms, Jiang Wanyin stared at the pond with disdain and back at her,
"Baoshan Sanren, what are you doing here?"
"Visiting you?"
"Bullshit, You haven't visited me for, like, what? fifty or so years?" He scoffed.
The woman, Baoshan Sanren, shook her head. She removed her sunglasses and gloves as she walked back to the table, placing the items there. Jiang Wanyin observed her, She looked too different from when he had first seen her—an old woman dressed in ragged robes offering him some water while he was on the brink of life and death compared to the woman who stood before him now wearing an elegant dress is a far cry from what he saw centuries ago.
"I sensed something new in this place and wanted to check it out." She smiled and gestured for Jiang Wanyin to hand over the bottle of wine, which he did.
Jiang Wanyin sighed, just looking at her with a small frown on his face. He did not say anything and fixed his gaze on the pond.
"Are you not happy? Should we celebrate?" She asked, taking a sip from her wine glass.
"There is nothing to celebrate." He murmured.
"Jiang Wanyin, for how long are you going to stay here?" She sighed and set the glass down, meeting Jiang Wanyin's glare. A scoff could be heard from the owner of the guest house.
"Aren't you the one who put me here? " he replied. His vision blurred for a moment, and the resounding noise of the past filled his ears.
"You are the one who asked for it remember?" She raised a brow before setting the wine glass down the table.
Jiang Wanyin could not even refute, they stared at each other for a while, but the thunderstorms outside did not cease; instead, the more Jiang Wanyin remembered, the more lighting struck Lotus Pier. but Baoshan Sanren only stared back at him, unfazed as if challenging him and Jiang Wanyin knew that he had no power over a higher being.
She suddenly chuckled and raised her hand in surrender. "There is no need to be hostile." She stood up and approached Jiang Wanyin. "You held so much grudge in your heart; it's time to set them free." She murmured before picking up her sunglasses and gloves.
The owner of the guest house only huffed at this.
"I trully am just checking on you, but I can see that there will be changes around here soon, so expect me to be back" She smiled, giving him a little wave before leaving Jiang Wanyin alone. Her words rang in his mind, and he clenched his fist.
She says that as if it were easy, as if he wasn't trying! But no matter how much he tries the moment he recalls the betrayal that was done to him all the hatred and anger just simmers back into his being. It's a cycle that he could not break, and he did not know how to get out, it's probably the reason why he was bounded in this place until he learns his lesson. Gritting his teeth, he picked up the bottle of wine, raising it in the air, but before he could throw it in the pond, a knock on the door made him pause. Jiang Wanyin already knew who was behind the door, and he contemplated for a moment before sighing and placing the bottle back on the table.
"Come in" Jiang Wanyin called out, and the door opened.
Lan Xichen stood there awkwardly before nodding. He met Jiang Wanyin's eyes, and he walked inside, After taking a few steps, the door behind him slammed close. Lan Xichen observed the other; just like the first time he saw this place, it was still dark. The only light coming from the place was from the lanterns that surrounded the area, and Jiang Wanyin stood in there looking ethereal like he always does.
"Are you just going to stare? You can leave if you don't have anything to say."
"No, I.. I am sorry. I did not mean to do that, truly," Lan Xichen said, glancing at his wrist. Jiang Wanyin hid his hand inside his sleeves before he huffed, walking towards the table.
"It's fine; I overreacted. Do not worry about it."
"But.. are you certain you are fine?" Lan Xichen asked, and he looked up at the roof, where the faint sound of thunder could still be heard.
Jiang Wanyin sighed before shaking his head. Setting the bottle of wine on the table, he took a deep breath to calm himself. After doing this, the thunder and rain stopped. It was still cloudy, but at least the rain finally stopped.
"Happy now?"
Lan Xichen only smiled and nodded as Jiang Wanyin refilled his glass of wine. He looked around and took notice of the pond; the once-dead leaves were regaining their color. "Oh.. the pond."
The owner only grunted, casting a small glance at the pond before he proceeded to drink. After taking a sip, he looked at Lan Xichen, who continued to admire the pond, which made Jiang Wanyin uncomfortable. Clearing his throat, he walked towards Lan Xichen. "Now that you apologized, is there something else you need?"
Shaking his head, Lan Xichen smiled at him. "No, that's all. I will leave now. Thank you," he said, walking back towards the door as it opened.
"The painting."
Lan Xichen stopped, looking back at Jiang Wanyin.
"I will pick it up later."
Hearing this, Lan Xichen nodded and left; the door behind him slammed shut once again startling him. He glanced at the room one last time before he continued walking outside Jiang Wanyin's office. While walking, he thought back to what happened that night on the pond; he could not help but glance at his wrist, recalling what he saw on Jiang Wanyin.
The wrist where the soulmate is marked is covered with scars.
It made Lan Xichen wonder what might have happened to that, if it was due to an accident or.. did Jiang Wanyin do that to himself?
Lan Xichen flopped on his bed with a sigh once he arrived at his room. His gaze turned towards the painting that was resting in the corner of the room. He frowned, not satisfied with how it looked; it was pretty yes but surely way out of his previous caliber. He reasoned that he just started painting again after all and that it was a warm-up. But Jiang Wanyin deserves a better painting, that's for sure.
He turned to his side and glanced at his wrist.
The words that were etched into it made him frown. He used to be obsessed with the thought of finding his soulmate; he thought it was romantic how his mark had been there since he was born when most people had them when they are a little older. It made him think of all these romantic scenarios. How would he meet his soulmate? What kind of person are they? Based on the words, his soulmate might be a performer, so Lan Xichen had visited a few performances by different artists, but there was no such luck. As the years went by and he got older, he gave up looking for them. Perhaps he was really meant to be alone in this world, and after Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao's fate, he suddenly felt scared.
His two friends were soulmates, and yet they crashed and burned each other.
It made Lan Xichen rethink the whole concept of soulmates. To have that deep connection with someone seems to be romantic; however, love is not the only thing that binds people.
There's also hatred.
Later that evening, Lan Xichen found himself dining with Jiang Wanyin again the guest house owner finally left the confines of his office. They ate in silence, and usually Lan Xichen doesn't mind that, but he somehow could not bear the tension in the air between them. He kept glancing at his companion.
Jiang Wanyin could not take it anymore, and he set his chopsticks down, looking at him. "What do you want to ask?"
Startled Lan Xichen also set his chopsticks down. "Huh? no nothing"
"Uh huh? You keep glancing at me like you wanted to ask something." Jiang Wanyin leaned against his chair, crossing his arms.
Lan Xichen looked down; he was busted, and he certainly is bad at lying, so he held his hands together under the table. truthfully, he wanted to ask Jiang Wanyin more about his life, wanted to know him more and be friends with him. his gaze slid to Jiang Wanyin's hand; the white ribbon is now wrapped in his wrist concealing the soulmate mark. and due to his panic he blurted out something else instead. "Do you think I can go back to my body now?"
"I don't know. Like I said, this is a rare case," he murmured. "Do you want me to try it now?" Jiang Wanyin stood up and walked towards him, standing beside Lan Xichen's chair.
"Yes, please"
Jiang Wanyin nodded and grabbed the armchair, turning it slightly. He hovered above Lan Xichen and flicked his forehead. Lan Xichen fell backwards from the force of it, just like the first time Jiang Wanyin did it back in the hospital he felt like a heavy force is pulling him down and he could not help but close his eyes bracing for the impact.
Then nothing happened.
Lan Xichen slowly opened his eyes and blinked. He was trying to process what happened. He raised his hand, blocking away the sunlight coming from behind the leaves. Wait sunlight? He lifted his hand once again and squinted; his other hand could feel what seemed to be grass. He was lying down in a meadow under a huge tree.
"Finally awake?"
Lan Xichen was surprised to see someone looking down at him. He could not see their faces clearly, but he could feel the long strands of their hair brushing against his face. So he slowly sat up and rubbed his head, trying to clear up the confusion he currently had. He turned to look at the person sitting next to him, only to be surprised when he saw who it was.
"..Jiang Wanyin?"
"Who else?" Jiang Wanyin huffed.
Lan Xichen stared at him for a moment, taking in Jiang Wanyin's appearance. He was wearing a purple robe, and his hair was longer and tied in a ponytail. There was a hint of a small smile on the corner of his lips, and Lan Xichen finds it beautiful on him.
"Are you done taking a nap?" He asked before finally standing, and Lan Xichen followed him, taking in his surroundings, which seemed to be on a small hill. "They might be looking for you at the palace."
"Palace?" Lan Xichen echoed, and this time Jiang Wanyin raised a brow.
"Huan-ge, are you alright? Come on now before it gets dark." Jiang Wanyin turned around and started walking.
Lan Xichen blinked; that's not his name. "Wait! Wanyin!" He raised his hand to reach out to him, but he stopped when he saw that he seemed to be also wearing a light blue robe, and a sword was strapped to his side. Afraid to be left alone, he rushed to follow Jiang Wanyin as they went down the hill. He was looking around and did not find this place familiar at all, He tried feeling his face and it was different, his hair is longer, and his hands were calloused. then he looked at Jiang Wanyin that was walking ahead of him, he wanted to say something, but he could not voice out his words as if something was stopping him.
"Will you come and see my performance tonight?"
"huh?"
Jiang Wanyin stopped and turned to look at him. There was a slight disappointment on his face, but he shrugged his shoulders before he continued walking.
"It's fine; you are probably busy, baby, sitting on the crown prince." He waved his hand.
The crown prince?
His thoughts about Jiang Wanyin's reply halted, for some reason, Lan Xichen did not like that look on Jiang Wanyin's face earlier, so he reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him from walking any further. He maneuvered Jiang Wanyin to look at him and they stood in the middle of the woods looking at each other.
"I'll be there; I will watch you." Somehow the words sounded foreign on his lips, as if he weren't the one who uttered them. However, his confusion immediately disappeared when he saw Jiang Wanyin smile, and he reached out to cup Lan Xichen's face, pulling him down to place a chaste kiss on his lips.
"I'll look forward to seeing you tonight, Huan-ge."
GASP.
"Lan Xichen!"
Lan Xichen blinked and looked around; he could see Jiang Wanyin and Jinyi's faces hovering above him.
Is he back?
"What happened? Are you alright?" Jiang Wanyin asked as they took a step back to give Lan Xichen some space. "You did not wake up and stop moving. I was concerned I did something happen?"
"Im.. fine" Lan Xichen sighed. He massaged his head before shaking it, casting a small glance at the owner of the guest house, who was frowning down at him. He could not help but recall what he had witnessed earlier. What was that? Is it a dream? but it's too vivid and real to be a dream.
"What did you do, boss?" Jingyi asked.
"I just tried sending him back to his body, and he suddenly flopped like a dead fish; that never happened before." Jiang Wanyin crossed his arms before turning away, picking up his pipe. He stood there, observing Lan Xichen. "I'll make a report about this. Anyway, we can't just send you back into your body just like that again." Lan Xichen stood up holding the back of the chair for support, thankfully Jingyi went to assist him on steadying on his feet.
"Jiang Wanyin, can we visit the hospital tomorrow? I want to see how everyone is doing. How.. I am doing" He asked, hoping that the others would agree. This time it's a genuine request.
Jingyi shook his head. "Unfortunately, there are certain procedures to follow before you can lea--."
"Alright."
The manager looked at Jiang Wanyin, raising a brow at his answers. Usually, the souls that stayed in the guest house cannot easily leave or contact someone from outside; they have some procedures to follow to ensure they won't cause some trouble once outside. Some souls that are supposed to be ready to leave change their minds when they see their loved ones or the people who caused their suffering, so Jiang Wanyin implemented a thorough check for someone who wanted to visit a living person. Jingyi's face must have been so obvious because Jiang Wanyin only huffed.
"What? He is a special case; he will be under my supervision from now on," he said, turning to Lan Xichen.
"You should get some rest; consume your energy for tomorrow."
Lan Xichen nodded feeling an upcoming headache and said, "Thank you." He excused himself, casting one last glance at Jiang Wanyin before leaving.
Once he was out of earshot Jingyi looked at his boss "I can't believe you just agreed like that." Jingyi said, "When you first took him out, that was understandable, but to do it again?"
Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes, turning to look at Jingyi.
"Who said I agreed just like that? I'm not taking him out there just because I felt like it."
"There's a catch, isn't there?"
"There is always a catch, Jingyi. We can lure that ghost that's stalking him."
"Oh my god, you are using him as bait."
Jiang Wanyin smirked, blowing a puff of smoke before leaving the pavilion.