Chapter Text
The first day was a bit packed for everyone. The resort was far from the airport. It did provide a shuttle bus service, though, which lessened the burden a bit. When they arrived at the hotel, Jin Zixuan gave them a bit of time to organise their things and rest a bit before giving the group a brief tour on where everything is. He had also helpfully pasted in their room numbers in the employee group chat, too. By the time the tour was finished, it was already 6PM.
Dinner was at 7, so as soon as the tour was finished, everyone went off to shower before gathering in the hotel restaurant. Jin Zixuan managed to get everyone to sit in one (huge) table for the night.
Jin Zixuan, “So, does anyone have any plans?”
Meng Yao, “I’m going hiking tomorrow with Da Ge and Er Ge, wish me luck.”
Jin Zixuan, “Be careful, okay?”
Nie Mingjue, “It’s going to be okay. He may be a hobbit, but he’s tougher than he looks.”
Lan Xichen, “Da Ge, that’s not nice.”
Meng Yao grinned victoriously before turning to smile at Nie Mingjue.
Mo Xuanyu, “Aw, but I’m tempted to use the nickname too. How come I'm younger than him but I’m 10cm taller than him?”
Meng Yao, “Xuanyu, please.”
Nie Mingjue, “Hahahahahahahah!”
Jin Zixuan, “A-Yu, what about you? Anything you’re going to do tomorrow?”
Mo Xuanyu, “Not sure. I might just veg out and explore the place.”
Nie Huaisang, “Yeah, me too… I think I’ll flop around in my room.”
Nie Mingjue didn’t say anything, but he saw Huaisang packing in his laptop and tablet, and he knows he’s likely going to continue his doujinshi.
Jiang Cheng, “Same. I might go around and do whatever. The mountain air is good.”
Jiang Yanli, “I know, right? It’s really refreshing.”
Jin Zixuan, “Uh, um… so, A-Li, do you want to… you know, take a walk around the place?”
Jiang Yanli, “Sure! After breakfast, maybe?”
Jin Zixuan, “Sounds good to me, too.”
Jiang Yanli, “A-Xian, do you have any plans?”
Wei Wuxian, “I uh… not really, I guess? Wen Ning, do you and your sister have any plans?”
Wen Ning, “Fishing… in the river. The rental was quite cheap, so…”
Wen Qing, “Yeah, figured we’d add things to the barbecue.”
Jin Zixuan, “Aw, thanks. But you don’t need to, y’know? It’s fine.”
Wen Ning, “No… I, I mean… fishing is fun, we just… don’t know what to do with the fish when we’ve hooked them, so…”
Jin Zixuan, “I see. No problem, let me know when you’re done, so I can borrow the hotel fridge.”
Lan Wangji was silent the entire time. Like his brother, he took the household rules with him. Lan Xichen did say something, but it was only because Nie Mingjue called Meng Yao a hobbit.
Soon enough, dinner was finished and the group split up after returning their plates and cutlery. Some of them returned to their rooms, others didn’t. Jiang Cheng, however, didn’t miss how Wei Wuxian managed to drag Lan Wangji away with him to supposedly go for an evening stroll. His mind flashed back to when they finally met in the cafe for the pre-trip briefing yesterday. Before the meeting!!! Wei Wuxian!!! Had tackled Lan Wangji into a hug!!! Screaming “LAN ZHAN I MISSED YOU” in full view of everyone!!! What the hell???
And thus, Jiang Cheng made the decision to return to his room while the two idiots went about their way. After leaving the dining area, both of them walked together around the nearby forest without a real destination, holding hands.
Lan Wangji, “Wei Ying, where are we going?”
Wei Wuxian, “Just… walking, I guess. I mean… wanna meet up somewhere around here tomorrow at like 10AM?”
Lan Wangji, “Mn.”
Wei Wuxian, “Good! Aha, ha… because that’s kind of what we’re here for. I’m looking for a good spot to meet up.”
Lan Wangji, “What are we doing?”
Wei Wuxian, “I just… have something to tell you. One on one. I don’t… I don’t want anyone to, you know, walk in or something like that?”
Lan Wangji, “Room.”
Wei Wuxian, “What?”
Lan Wangji, “Brother will go out to hike at 5-6AM.”
Wei Wuxian, “Oh, really? Ahaha… I didn’t know that. Um. So… your room it is, I guess?”
Lan Wangji, “Mn.”
Wei Wuxian, “Good, good! Wanna head back now? Or do you want to walk a little bit more?”
Lan Wangji, “Either way is fine.”
Wei Wuxian, “I see! Umm… let’s go back then.”
Lan Wangji, “Okay.”
As soon as they went back, Wei Wuxian plopped down on his bed, buried his face in his pillow, and screeched.
Jiang Cheng, “Don’t blast love songs again.”
Wei Wuxian sat up and retrieved his earbuds, “I know, I know.”
Jiang Cheng, “What’s the music for today, hmm?”
Wei Wuxian, “You wanna hear or not?”
Jiang Cheng, “Try me.”
Wei Wuxian then played his chosen track: Yu Die by Li Yi Jun. When the piano intro played, Jiang Cheng groaned.
“Wow. Okay. Put the earbuds on.”
“Hmph.”
The room was silent as Wei Wuxian returned to burying his face in the pillow, tossing and turning on the bed occasionally as he composed his confession internally. Jiang Cheng just laid down on his bed, playing a mobile game. The silence was broken about a minute or two later after the refrein of the song passed.
Wei Wuxian’s voice was muffled by the pillow, “Lan Zhaaaan…”
Jiang Cheng, “Wei Wuxian. You are fucked.”
The next morning, Wei Wuxian woke up at 9AM sharp. He internally recited his confession for about an hour before sneaking away from the room, leaving Jiang Cheng who was sleeping like a log. When he got in front of the Lans’ room, he knocked the door. Sure enough, Lan Zhan was the one to open the door, and there was no one else inside. Perfect.
Lan Wangji, “Wei Ying.”
Wei Wuxian, “Ahahahahaha… hi!”
Without making any more noise, Wei Wuxian came in and Lan Wangji shut the door behind him before they finally sat down on the bed. Both of them were silent for about a minute as Wei Wuxian scrambled to get his script together. Dammit! He just recited it and polished it, but… the words all disappeared! Why!!! Oh well…
Wei Wuxian, “Um… remember when I said something about marriage being all about being with that person you can’t live without, right?”
Lan Wangji, “Yes.”
Wei Wuxian, “Good! Erm… well. I mean… I’ve been thinking. We’ve only truly become friends for like 6 months, right? But… I’ll just be blunt here. I can’t imagine going back to how before we met again anymore. Bottom line is, I can’t imagine life without you anymore.”
Lan Wangji’s eyes widened.
Wei Wuxian, “I think you’re precious and I want to bundle you up. And it’s not just now or something. Even in high school, too. But now it’s different. You’re part of my life now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Lan Wangji was still silent. His soul was on the verge of leaving his body and running laps around the hotel room.
Wei Wuxian, “I just want to let you know that I… I love you. I’m not entirely sure how you feel, but however it is, I’ll accept it. I just hope that, at the very least, you’ll allow me to be part of your life, too.”
After finishing his little speech, Wei Wuxian couldn’t say anything anymore and waited for a response. His mind had given up on predicting it, but he certainly didn’t expect a tight bear hug.
“I love you too. Let’s be together forever, Wei Ying.”
--------------------
About a few hours later, Nie Huaisang heard a knock on his door. When he opened it, he certainly wasn’t expecting to see a very shell-shocked looking Jiang Cheng.
Nie Huaisang, “J-Jiang-xiong… what happened to you?”
Jiang Cheng, “I fucked up.”
Nie Huaisang, “Um, I’ll need a bit more detail on that… come, come.”
As Jiang Cheng walked in, Nie Huaisang shut the door. The former then sat on the chair while the latter sat on the bed. The shower was on, as Nie Mingjue was showering, having gotten back from hiking.
Jiang Cheng, “Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are officially dating now.”
Nie Huaisang, “Well, that’s good news, isn’t it?”
Jiang Cheng, “Yeah, but then they asked me if we could swap rooms. I said no, unless Lan Wangji could watch all three episodes of Boku no Pico without freaking out.”
Nie Huaisang, “Wha… wo de tian holy shit! Why?”
Jiang Cheng, “I dunno, man, I just… if I’m giving up my brother for good, it better not be to anyone squeamish. Wei Wuxian is not for the faint of heart.”
Nie Huaisang, “You have a point… but then what happened?”
Jiang Cheng, “Wei Wuxian’s jaw just about dropped, but Lan Wangji said yes without even flinching. In the end both of them watched while I observed them. And that was when I know I fucked up. They started giving each other the look and I just. Knew I had to yeet out of there.”
Nie Huaisang, “I see… you wanna crash in my room instead?”
Jiang Cheng, “Huh? Then what about your brother?”
Without saying anything more to Jiang Cheng, Nie Huaisang got up from the bed and knocked on the shower door.
Nie Huaisang, “Da Ge!”
Nie Mingjue, “Yes?”
Nie Huaisang, “Jiang-xiong is crashing in my room because Wangji-xiong is moving to Wei-xiong’s room. Is it okay if you stay with Xichen-gege?”
Nie Mingjue, “Yes! Of course! Wait, how did that happen?”
Nie Huaisang, “Wei-xiong and Wangji-xiong are dating now, so.”
Nie Mingjue, “Aaah, I see, I see! Tell them I said congrats, okay?”
Nie Huaisang, “Sure thing!”
Nie Huaisang walked back to Jiang Cheng, “Problem solved.”
Jiang Cheng, “Well, that’s one way of doing it. Thanks, Huaisang.”
------
Having returned from the hiking trip and showered, Meng Yao laid on his bed as he checked the notifications. The hiking trip was fun, but tiring. He knew that he only has enough energy to veg out and use his phone until tomorrow. He’ll be going fishing with Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue the next day anyway. The first chat he opened was the Golden Lotus Cafe employee group chat.
Wei Wuxian, “Lan Zhan and I are dating now!!!”
Lan Wangji, “Yes.”
Jin Zixuan, “Wow, congrats!”
Wen Ning, “I’m so happy for you two.”
Jiang Yanli, “So, when’s the wedding?”
Wei Wuxian, “LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL SHIJIE”
Wei Wuxian, “Haven’t thought that far yet”
Wei Wuxian, “But Lan Zhan is going to move into my room”
Jiang Yanli, “With A-Cheng?”
Lan Wangji, “Jiang Wanyin is moving over with Nie Huaisang.”
Jin Zixuan, “I see, I see. Thanks for letting us know. Have fun!”
After that, he opened up the 3Zuns group chat. The newest message was from Lan Xichen.
Lan Xichen, “Wei-gongzi and Wangji are officially dating now!!! I’m so happy!!!”
Meng Yao replied, “Wow, how did that happen?”
Lan Xichen, “Wei-gongzi confessed this morning. Wangji told me, so he’s staying in Wei-gongzi’s room for tonight.”
Meng Yao, “I saw. So there are like, 3 people in Da Ge’s room tonight?”
Nie Mingjue, “No, two.”
Meng Yao, “Wait, what?”
Lan Xichen, “Da Ge is staying in my room right now. ^^”
Meng Yao, “WHAT”
Nie Mingjue, “Heheheheheheheh”
-------
The next morning, Jiang Cheng was in the hot springs when Nie Huaisang heard a knock on his door. When he opened it, however, he was surprised to find a very happy-looking Lan Wangji (despite the same old poker face) and… the Yiling Patriarch.
Nie Huaisang, “O-oh! Wangji-xiong! And uh, Wei-xiong? What’s up?”
Wei Wuxian’s low-key hostile aura was still there despite his smile, “Huaisang-xiong… let’s talk inside.”
Nie Huaisang, “Okay…”
As both of them walked inside, Nie Huaisang shut the door behind him. He then watched as Lan Wangji took a seat on the chair in the room, and Wei Wuxian took a seat on his lap. But even like that, the Yiling Patriarch was still intimidating! Nie Huaisang sat on the bed, about a meter away from them.
Nie Huaisang, “Um… so what is it?”
Wei Wuxian showed Nie Huaisang his phone screen, “What is this?”
Nie Huaisang screamed at what was displayed… it was the page for his doujinshi of the both of them, in the first page of the Google search results for “yaoi doujins”!!!
Wei Wuxian, “You can’t say I don’t know, can you, Huaisang-xiong? After all, it’s by the Thirsty Tapeworm.”
Nie Huaisang wailed as his brain scrambled to come up with an excuse, “I’m sorry!!!”
Suddenly, the Yiling Patriarch disappeared and the normal Wei Wuxian is back, “Aw, it’s okay! I mean, the characters just look like us and the names are similar, that’s it. I was just wondering if we can have a copy each?”
Nie Huaisang, “What?”
Wei Wuxian, “I know you’re adapting our story for your new doujin. So how about this… we help you with creative input, and you give us the result?”
Nie Huaisang, “No problem, no problem! Just… don’t tell Jiang-xiong or Xichen-gege, okay?”
Soon after that, the happy couple left to do couple things, while Nie Huaisang bolted to Mo Xuanyu’s room. Since Nie Mingjue, Lan Xichen, and Meng Yao had all gone out together again, Mo Xuanyu was alone in his room watching YouTube videos when he heard the knock on the door.
Mo Xuanyu, “Who’s there?”
Nie Huaisang, “Xuanyu! It’s me! You have to help me!
Mo Xuanyu got up from the bed and opened the door, “What happened?”
Nie Huaisang, “Wei-xiong and Wangji-xiong found out about the doujin.”
Mo Xuanyu, “Ooooohhh daaaamn. What happened?”
Nie Huaisang, “I’m fine, I just… have a ton of inspiration now and just have to draw! But I can’t let Jiang-xiong see. So uh… can I crash in your room tonight?”
Mo Xuanyu, “Eh, no problem.”
Nie Huaisang then left to haul his stuff, including his laptop and tablet, into Mo Xuanyu’s room, while the latter opened the Jin Brothers chat.
Mo Xuanyu, “Hey”
Mo Xuanyu, “NHS is gonna move to my room cos he has a sudden burst of inspo and will be working on his doujin”
Mo Xuanyu, “Just letting you know”
Jin Zixuan, “Well, no problem with that. As long as you guys are fine with it and you give us updates in the employee group chat, I’m good. WWX and LWJ also moved in together, so”
Mo Xuanyu, “NHS is telling NMJ that he’s moving too”
Meng Yao, “Is that so”
---------
Later that night in the 3Zuns group chat…
Nie Mingjue, “Huaisang sure works hard. Being an artist is… something.”
Lan Xichen, “He’s a good boy. I hope he’s taking good care of himself. So you’re back in your room with Jiang Wanyin?”
Nie Mingjue, “Yeah, and neither of us mind. Huaisang’s having fun too in his own way, so I’m fine with it. This place is pretty. Maybe he can go out sometime and take a few photos for inspiration. His ongoing doujin is set in Ancient China, and this place really has the aesthetics.”
Lan Xichen, “I see… Da Ge, you and A-Yao are both fans of his work, right? Maybe you can show me a few of it?”
Nie Mingjue, “Uhh hold on”
Lan Xichen, “Oh, nevermind. A-Yao has an old doujin stored in his phone.”
Nie Mingjue, “Oh ok then”
Nie Mingjue, “Wait”
Nie Mingjue, “Where are you two?”
Lan Xichen, “In my room. A-Yao moved in, so. ^^”
Nie Mingjue, “WHAT”
Meng Yao, “:)”
Meng Yao, “Check the employee group chat Da Ge”
Nie Mingjue, “HECC”
---------
The next day was Friday, the day of the group barbecue. They spent the day preparing for the event, and at dinnertime, they set out to the spot they reserved by the river. Fortunately, it was not raining, and the barbeque was going smoothly.
Jin Zixuan, “You know, it’s amazing how things can change so much within less than one year.”
Wen Qing, “Hm, tell me about it?”
Jiang Cheng, “Back then for the first few months, it was just me, Wei Wuxian, Zixuan-xiong, and A-jie. And now it’s so lively.”
Wei Wuxian, “It’s because Lan Zhan joined, that’s why!”
Mo Xuanyu, “Yeah, it was a domino effect of sorts. Still can’t believe it happened so fast, though.”
Lan Xichen, “Hmm, I only remember roping Da Ge and A-Yao into joining… what else happened?”
Nie Huaisang, “First it was Wangji-xiong, then Da Ge. After that, I found out about the cafe through Xuanyu. And then after me, I think it was Yao-ge. Right?”
Meng Yao nodded as he took a sip from his drink.
Wen Ning, “Wow… it’s like a chain reaction. By the time Jie and I came in, it was already very lively.”
Jiang Yanli, “I genuinely thought that the cafe building will forever be too big… but wow, I was proven wrong.”
Nie Mingjue, “Yeah. It’s amazing watching the number of customers gradually increase.”
Jin Zixuan, “I got myself a real family, too.”
Meng Yao, “Yeah, same. I never dreamed of coming this far, but you never know, huh?”
Lan Wangji, “Mn.”
Wen Ning, “Ah, there’s still a lot of stuff that’s not cooked… should we, like… start cooking those?”
Jiang Yanli, “I’ll do it.”
Jin Zixuan said nothing, but he took out a video camera.
Jiang Cheng, “A-jie? Zixuan-xiong? What is going on?”
Jiang Yanli, “I’ve been practicing for a while, and I figure that I should put it to good use. I’m going to flambe some food for our celebration tonight!”
Wen Ning, “A-ah, you mean, like… the cooking food on fire thing? Is… is it going to be okay?”
Jiang Yanli, “The motto of the Jiang family is to attempt the impossible!”
Jiang Cheng, “Yep, what A-jie said.”
The flambe wasn’t meant to last for the rest of the barbecue, but Jiang Yanli cooked enough for everyone to have a bite. No one minded, because as far as they were concerned, the alcohol from the food was cooked off. Even if it didn’t, no one would legit get drunk from eating cooked alcohol… right?
Right?
Meng Yao, “Er Ge, get down from there!”
Lan Xichen, “But the moon and the stars are beautiful tonight!!! I will be fine!!!”
Nie Mingjue, “Xichen! Jump! Jump into my arms! I’ll lift you up and fly you to the moon, just… get back here!”
Lan Xichen, “But Da Ge!!! You are not an astronaut!!! And the moon!!! Is so far away!!! I’m fine with staying on Earth, because everyone I love is here!!! I love you, Da Ge!!! I love A-Yao too!!!”
Meng Yao, “Er Ge, that’s very sweet of you. Why don’t you come down here so you can express your love for me properly?”
Lan Xichen jumped off the tree, and landed right into Nie Mingjue’s arms.
Nie Mingjue heaved a sigh of relief as he set Lan Xichen down. But just as Meng Yao was about to sigh in relief too, Lan Xichen grabbed him with one arm and grabbed Nie Mingjue with the other, prompting both men to shriek.
Lan Xichen, “We can enjoy the moonlight together!!!”
Jin Zixuan and Mo Xuanyu stared in bewilderment as Lan Xichen launched himself to the tree branch he was standing on by jumping once. Once. While carrying two other men, one of which is about his own size. Both brothers had known from Meng Yao that the Lan brothers are very, very good at martial arts -- almost like ancient Chinese cultivators! -- but seeing it is another thing!!! Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng is chasing Lan Wangji, who is running away to the direction of the hotel, carrying Wei Wuxian in his arms.
Jiang Cheng, “Where the fuck are you going??? Stop running!”
Lan Wangji, “Getting a room as you said.”
Wei Wuxian, “Awwww. Er-gege ah, we already did it last night. Are you sure you can pull this off?”
Lan Wangji, “Everyday is everyday.”
Jiang Cheng, “What!!!”
Wei Wuxian just laughed, “Serves you right! What has been seen cannot be unseen. My innocent Lan Zhan is an adult now, and I’m loving it! Thanks, Jiang Cheng!”
Jiang Cheng yelled as he ran faster.
Meanwhile, Nie Huaisang managed to borrow Jin Zixuan’s video camera to record everything. Wen Ning, Wen Qing, and Jiang Yanli were the only ones who were peacefully eating and watching.
Jiang Yanli, “Today I learned about the importance of Googling.”
Wen Qing, “This isn’t too bad, though.”
Wen Ning, “Jie… shouldn’t we do something?”
Wen Qing, “I don’t mind. This is going to be an unforgettable memory. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.”
Jiang Yanli giggled and nodded before taking a few photos with her phone.
The next day, both Lan brothers woke up, confused as to what happened last night after Jiang Yanli cooked flambe for everyone, but the videos and photos in the Golden Lotus employee group chat was enough information for them. Drunk incident aside, the rest of the trip was relatively uneventful, but still very much fun.
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A few months passed, and life in Golden Lotus Cafe continued on.
Nie Huaisang stretched as he took a seat in the break room. He then pulled out his phone and opened up the doujinshi website forum to check out the comments on his work.
“The plot improved really drastically, wow!”
“Yeah, the flashback arc was pretty sudden, but it was so worth it.”
“THE SEME OMG NO WONDER HE KEPT THE UKE SO CLOSELY”
“I know, right? When he cried, I cried too! His internal monologues are the best!”
“Internal monologue? More like internal screaming. No complaints though.”
“That said no wonder the uke was dense. But at the same time dude… u too dense man”
“It took him considering retiring together with the seme for him to get it wow wodetian holyshit”
“You know what was amazing, though? The escape from hell!!! The seme just carried the uke like a boss while being chased by the demon king and his army!!!”
Nie Huaisang could only laugh dryly as he remembered the real scene that inspired the escape. Meanwhile, the models of his doujins were still doing their thing in the dining area. Except…
Wei Wuxian greeted the customers at the door, “Tch, you’re here again? You never learn, do you?”
The two girls at the door were positively charmed. They nodded with a smile.
Wei Wuxian chuckled, “Hmph, you two are ridiculous. Follow me, then. But you have to sit down like good girls, otherwise you’ll be punished, understand?”
The first girl, “Of course! Anything you say…”
The second girl, “But even if I get punished, I don’t think I would mind…”
Wei Wuxian turned around to start leading them to their seats, “Pathetic. Keep your obscene thoughts to yourselves.”
The first girl, “Yes, Daddy…”
Wei Wuxian turned to them with a piercing glare, “Shameless.”
Both girls proceeded to squeal.
Meanwhile, Lan Wangji delivered a customer’s order, “Here you go. Enjoy your meal.”
The customer, “Mm, yes, thank you…”
Lan Wangji, “Do you need anything else?”
The customer just sat there and stared, as if he was looking at an angel, “N… no, thank you…”
After officially dating Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian couldn’t bring himself to flirt with girls anymore, even if it was part of the job. And so the Yiling Patriarch returned to stay this time. To mark the change in character, Wei Wuxian would always do his hair in a half-ponytail at work. Lan Wangji’s own character, on the other hand, moved to “kuudere.” It worked because while his intimidating aura still remained, he’s also a lot happier, and both aspects balance each other out.
Nie Huaisang, Jiang Cheng, and Wen Ning kept their characters, and all of them were well-liked by the customers. Although in Nie Huaisang’s case, he was asked to break character more often than not, because he had already gotten famous as the Thirsty Tapeworm. Jin Zixuan continued to manage the cafe, but not alone. Meng Yao and Mo Xuanyu helped him with his managerial duties.
Wen Qing continued working in the cafe along with Nie Mingjue and Jiang Yanli. Wen Qing still has to go through medical school, but the latter two are graduating soon, but will continue to work there until they could find a full-time job. For the time being, they continued on their usual responsibilities while mentoring the two new staff members who will later replace them: Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen.
However, the waiters will be hard to replace. Jin Zixuan is not sure whether they can keep up the anime theme in the future. Eventually, the waiters -- all of them first-years -- will graduate too, and they haven’t been able to scout new waiters for the time being. But even if the anime theme is dropped, the cafe had already become a big-name establishment because of the food. Golden Lotus cafe will live on.
Soon enough the work day was over, and everyone went back home. The Jiangs and Lan Wangji walked to the train station together and waited for their trains to arrive.
Jiang Cheng, “Are you staying over again?”
Wei Wuxian, “Yep! See you on Monday!”
Jiang Yanli, “Have a nice weekend, A-Xian!”
Jiang Cheng, “Say hello to Xichen-xiong for me, alright?”
Lan Wangji, “Mn.”
As their train arrived, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji walked in together holding hands.