Work Text:
Lan Xichen has heard of Meng Yao, of course he has. It is hard not to, with how Meng Yao first made his entrance at the university. Everyone knows he is a Jin bastard, that has made the round rather quickly, but Meng Yao steadfastly refuses to take the Jin name. He is Professor Meng, and even a talk with the head of the university, Jin Guangshan, hasn’t changed his stance on that.
And yet, Meng Yao is still employed, which is a pretty big thing on campus and enough for Lan Xichen to at least respect him.
Plus, he is teaching Business, a course exclusively reserved for members of the Jin clan.
That alone makes sure that everyone on campus has heard of Meng Yao.
What Lan Xichen isn’t expecting, though, is Nie Mingjue crashing into his office one day with the most furious frown on his face.
“What’s wrong?” Lan Xichen immediately asks, because he knows Nie Mingjue.
If he looks like that, it has to be something serious.
“He’s fucking perfect, and I hate him for it,” Nie Mingjue says, which clears up exactly nothing at all for Lan Xichen.
“Who?” he asks and the frown just gets deeper, if that is even possible.
“Meng Yao,” Nie Mingjue says with a deep sigh and Lan Xichen raises his eyebrows at that.
“You met him?”
“I attended his lecture,” Nie Mingjue gives back. “He’s comically short, but by the gods does he have a presence in class.”
“He has to be a good teacher to be accepted here,” Lan Xichen reasons, but Nie Mingjue shakes his head.
“He’s—dangerous. He knows exactly how to utilize his smile. Fuck, he sure as hell knows how to weaponize those dimples of his.”
“Dimples,” Lan Xichen repeats and that gets him the complete attention of Nie Mingjue.
“Xichen,” he warningly says and Lan Xichen shrugs.
“I didn’t even do anything!”
“Yet,” Nie Mingjue grumbles under his breath, because they both are very aware of Lan Xichen’s weakness for dimples.
“So he’s a good teacher?” Lan Xichen tries to bring the conversation back on track and Nie Mingjue slumps in his chair.
“He’s very good. He knows how to command the classroom and he does it with ease. Plus, it’s clear he has a deep understanding of the subject, even teaches some things that are not in the book. Jin Guangshan is going to hate this.”
“Good,” Lan Xichen mutters and Nie Mingjue laughs at that.
“I will never not be amused by how much you hate him,” Nie Mingjue says and Lan Xichen blushes slightly.
“I don’t hate him,” he weakly gives back, though they both know it’s a lie.
“Sure.”
“So, Meng Yao was a good choice for the university?”
“I don’t wanna say perfect, cause that just—ugh, but yes,” Nie Mingjue admits and Lan Xichen raises one eyebrow at him.
If Nie Mingjue sings Meng Yao’s praise like that, after attending just one lecture, maybe he should check him out, too.
~*~*~
Lan Xichen expected to be awed by Meng Yao’s professional everything, especially after what Nie Mingjue said about him. What he didn’t expect was to be awed by Meng Yao’s entire everything.
He sure as hell knows how to use his dimples most effectively and Lan Xichen still gets a little bit hot under the collar when he remembers the way Meng Yao had smiled at the class in the beginning.
He’s very weak for dimples.
It would even have been fine if that was everything, but Nie Mingjue was right. Meng Yao knows his subject and he has a big presence, despite his relatively small and slender built. He commands the classroom with surety and ease and his students are attentive and eager to learn.
He is a very good professor.
Lan Xichen is still thinking about Meng Yao, even days later, so when the man in question walks into his lecture just seconds before the class starts, he startles badly.
He can do nothing but stare for a few seconds, until one of his students clears his throat, thankfully, and then he tries very hard not to look into Meng Yao’s direction at all.
Lan Xichen cannot be distracted by those dimples, not in his own class.
He still can’t help but to look at Meng Yao from the corners of his eyes, and it seems like he’s following the lecture rather attentively.
It doesn’t help with calming Lan Xichen’s heart at all.
When the class is over, Meng Yao lingers, like Lan Xichen has hoped he would, but didn’t dare to expect.
“Professor Meng,” Lan Xichen greets him when Meng Yao approaches his desk, where Lan Xichen’s guqin is still resting, his hands still lingering on the strings, after demonstrating a point he had made in his lecture.
“Professor Lan,” Meng Yao gives back, though it’s accompanied by a small smile, just hinting at his dimples, and honestly, Lan Xichen is glad he’s sitting down.
“I didn’t expect you in my lecture,” Lan Xichen tells him, honestly, and Meng Yao shrugs.
“And I didn’t expect you in mine, and yet.”
And yet, indeed.
“How did you find the lecture then?” Lan Xichen wants to know and this time Meng Yao smiles at him, a real smile, dimples in full display.
Lan Xichen’s knees go weak, even sitting down.
“Very capturing. You’re a good professor.”
“I hope you could follow along, despite the different subjects we teach,” Lan Xichen says and immediately scolds himself inwardly.
It doesn’t matter if Meng Yao could follow along or not. He was just paying a visit.
“Oh, I’m actually a trained dancer, so I have a basic understanding about music,” Meng Yao easily says, as if that knowledge isn’t tilting Lan Xichen’s whole worldview on its axis.
A dancer, he thinks, as he quickly darts his eyes over Meng Yao’s slim form. He can see it, even though he wishes he couldn’t. He’s not sure he could take it if Meng Yao ever decided to give a small taste of his training.
Still, Lan Xichen can’t help but to wonder what his specialty is.
“Ah,” Lan Xichen breathes out, rather inadequately and Meng Yao takes a step closer and reaches out to dance his fingers over Lan Xichen’s guqin, dragging soft notes out of it.
“If you would ever play for me, I can show you,” Meng Yao says, eyes cast down and Lan Xichen is too enraptured by his lashes to say anything. “Only if you want to of course.”
“I can only play classical pieces,” Lan Xichen blurts out, and wants to smack his head afterwards.
It was a clear invitation, why the hell did he not just agree?
Meng Yao doesn’t seem put off by it, at all, though; instead he gives Lan Xichen a mischievous grin. Lan Xichen wonders if he’ll ever be able to even stand around this man and his dimples.
“Good thing I am classically trained, then, isn’t it?” he asks with a wink and Lan Xichen’s brain completely short-circuits.
If Meng Yao is able to lift his leg as high as that statement makes Lan Xichen believe, he’s going to die on the spot, Lan Xichen just knows it.
“He’s free right now,” Nie Mingjue suddenly says from the doorway, and Meng Yao turns around to him, clearly displeased by the interruption.
“Oh?” he asks and Nie Mingjue nods towards Lan Xichen.
“Don’t let him fool you if he says anything else, he doesn’t have another lecture and he sure as hell doesn’t have to prepare for the ones tomorrow,” he says and Lan Xichen sends him desperate glare.
Doesn’t Nie Mingjue know that he’s going to die if Meng Yao dances for him?
“And there’s a perfectly empty practice room just down this hallway,” Nie Mingjue throws in for good measure before he walks away.
Lan Xichen is sure he’s whistling, the bastard.
“Is that so?” Meng Yao asks as he turns back around to Lan Xichen.
“Apparently,” Lan Xichen weakly gives back and then straightens his shoulders. “If you would want to, of course,” he adds and is entirely unprepared for the soft smile on Meng Yao’s face.
“It would be my pleasure,” he gives back and leans forward on the table. “It would also be a pleasure to take you out for dinner afterwards.”
Lan Xichen swallows at that, though he can’t help but slightly sway forwards, taken in by Meng Yao’s entire everything.
“Yes,” he breathes out and is blinded by Meng Yao’s smile.
This man is going to be the death of him and Lan Xichen can’t wait.