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Lan Wangji is the last person Wei Wuxian expects to see in Yunmeng.

Lan Xichen maybe, he's more about politeness and courtesy (and smiling), but not Lan Wangji (not that Lan Wangji is discourteous by any means, it's just that Wei Wuxian thinks Lan Wangji wouldn't travel to a place he'd utterly despise simply to, say, make small talk with the clan leader).  

After all, Yunmeng has everything he dislikes; the strong aroma of spices and liquor, the bustle of crowds, the mud puddles, the sound of loud laughter and petty street fights, and most importantly, Wei Wuxian himself.  

As of right now, Lan Wangji stands at the port in his flowing white robes, long dark hair (and that head ribbon) fluttering against the cool river breeze. He looks like an angel descended on earth, and understandably, the common townsfolk are crowding around him, never having seen such a beautiful man before. It seems he wants to ask for directions. But he just stands there at the same spot, unmoving and hesitating. He doesn’t know how to approach the people, some of whom are literally wrestling to see his face. 

He's dead scared of crowds – it's something Wei Wuxian already knows. And as it increases exponentially, Lan Wangji’s face slowly turns into the same shade as his pale blue sleeves. 

Fast, think of something. Quick. Unfortunately, Wei Wuxian's quick mind isn't his best, cleanest mind. 

"Why now, Lan Zhan has come to see me," he says, cutting into the crowd and going up and slightly leaning into Lan Wangji, who surprisingly doesn't flinch at the almost-contact, "We slept together back when I was studying in Gusu, you see." 

Wei Wuxian knows how fast a crowd clears out when you say something embarrassing out loud. It's the fastest, most effective method. Did he go too far, though? Is Lan Wangji already unsheathing his sword? The crowd mostly fizzles, tired and familiar of Wei Wuxian's antics than actually believing his words. A few still wait, staring at Lan Wangji's ethereal, expressionless face, waiting for a reaction (confirmation?). 

Lan Wangji looks into nowhere and hums in his unbothered voice. "Mn." 

The crowd fizzles faster. 

"Did you just – did you just play along? Feeling a bit adventurous today, are we?" Wei Wuxian cannot stop laughing. He doesn’t expect Lan Wangji to say a needless word. If anything, Wei Wuxian expects him to be flustered, but given how smoothly he “mn”ed Wei Wuxian would be lying if he says there aren't wicked prank ideas already swimming in his head. No one believes his silly mischiefs anymore but what if the Second Jade of Lan backs him up? What a riot.   

Lan Wangji renders him a side glance (glare?) and begins to walk briskly. Wei Wuxian chases after him. "Lan Zhan, wait up! What are you doing in Yunmeng? I thought you said you'd never come here. I couldn't even bribe you with pretty girls!" 

Lan Wangji stops short in his tracks, so suddenly that if it weren't for Wei Wuxian's instincts he'd have rammed straight into the other's back. Wei Wuxian thinks Lan Wangji will finally unsheathe his sword but instead he pulls a scroll out of his robes, "Invitation for conference." 

"Oh? Thanks," Wei Wuxian is about to take it when Lan Wangji puts it back in his robes. "No. Only clan leader. Or matriarch." 

"Oh, so you want me to take you to where I live? You didn't have to say it in such a roundabout way," Wei Wuxian teases him again, grinning. Lan Wangji shakes his head to himself, and starts to walk again.  

"Hey, Lan Zhan."  

"No." 

"I didn't even say anything!" Did he just sense it?

"No."  

"Lan Zhan."

"No." 

"Lan Zhan."

"No." 

"One request."  

When they reach Lotus Pier, Wei Wuxian asks Lan Wangji to remain in the outer hall while he looks for Madame Yu (Jiang Fengmian was out of Yunmeng for business and expected to return next morning). He feels apologetic about making Lan Wangji wait alone in the outer hall without even a servant on sight to tend to him.  

Lan Wangji assures him gently. "I will wait." 

He's lost for a second at the sudden softness in Lan Wangji's features, when he hears the tinkle of jewels and rustle of silk behind him. She has arrived before he could go fetch her, and has spotted him idly chatting with a guest in the hall. His legs freeze slightly.  

He turns and bows. "Madame Yu. Second Young Master Lan has come to see you." 

Madame Yu ignores him. Her cold eyes shift at the person beside him. "Second Young Master Lan, please come in." 

Wei Wuxian wonders unsurely if he should follow them inside, then does it anyway. The interior hall is empty but for them and Madame Yu's two most trusted armed maids – Jinzhu and Yinzhu – almost as fierce as Madame Yu herself. He fidgets in a corner while the others talk.  

"Second Young Master Lan," announces Madame Yu, with none of the warmth typical of the ladies of important gentry clans but an air of authority and restrained regality, "Welcome to Lotus Pier. If I'm not wrong, this must be your first time here? Unfortunately Clan Leader Jiang is out for business." 

Lan Wangji bows in respect. "Please do not trouble yourselves, Lady Jiang. I am here to deliver an invitation for the conference." He pulls out the scroll again and passes it to Jinzhu.  

Madame Yu looks into the scroll, her eyebrows furrowed, before she rolls it close with a scathing smile. "I am surprised Yunmeng Jiang still gets invitations to Gusu after the mess someone made at the last lecture." 

Wei Wuxian thinks he deserves that off-hand remark. He did make a mess and there's no denying it. He doesn't look up at Madame Yu even as he feels her gaze on him. 

"I assure that this time we will send better mannered disciples," she continues, her words laced with vitriol, "We wouldn't want to taint the reputation of Gusu Lan." 

Lan Wangji bows again. His face holds the same expression as before but something about it feels different. It feels stonier. "Lady Jiang, with due respect, the events at the Cloud Recesses have been dealt with apt discipline and punishment. We do not wish to hold past grudges." 

That's a lot of words for Lan Wangji to speak at one go. He must feel strongly about this, thinks Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji is always up at arms against anyone trying to talk bad about the Lan clan. 

"Of course," Madame Yu subsists, "anyway, Second Young Master Lan, thank you for the invitation. Since you took the trouble to visit us, please stay for dinner. Unless you have a more important task to attend to." 

Lan Wangji doesn't say anything, simply bows and walks out of the hall. Wei Wuxian is about to follow suit, when he's stopped by a resounding "Wei Ying." 

He turns and bows again. "Yes, Madame Yu." 

"Do you remember the task I assigned you in the morning?" 

Right. He didn't forget, but he did get distracted. He was supposed to scrub some of the large boats clean and repair some of the lousy parts, but then he went off to chase a pheasant that had kicked itself free from a boy's fist. Once he caught it he was back to the port but then he saw Lan Wangji, and now he's here. 

"Yes, Madame Yu." 

"Then what are you doing here?" 

"I was showing Lan Wangji the way to Lotus Pier." 

"Of course you did. Aren't you the prince around here? Doing whatever you please! You keep association with Lan Wangji after you wreaked havoc at his sect. Have you ever apologised to him?" 

Has he? Has he not? He can't really remember. "I don't remember." 

"Great wits have bad memories, is that what you're saying? Always so smart, Wei Ying. One would think you're the next clan leader." 

Her words were filled with such hate that Wei Wuxian was glad Jiang Cheng wasn't there to hear them. Wei Wuxian has never aspired or wanted to be anything like a clan leader. He opens his mouth to protest, but then he sees the spark of Zidian and his insides seize in fear. It's an instinctive fear, like his fear of dogs – he's received injuries far worse than dog bites and yet he can't help but freeze at the sound of barking. Madame Yu has never used Zidian on him, but he still feels wary that one day he'll receive that extreme punishment. 

"I will... I will tend to the boats immediately." 

"That you will. I will leave for Lanling tomorrow. I cannot travel in a dirty boat." 

"Yes, Madame Yu." 

More than anything else, Wei Wuxian is glad that the interaction is over. He greets and excuses himself out of the room. Lan Wangji is waiting outside – he does a slight turn of head on seeing Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji must've heard all of that too. His brows are slightly furrowed. Wei Wuxian gives him a wide smile, nonetheless. 

"Lan Zhan, you're staying for dinner then? You want to go sightseeing? I know some quiet places. But I've got to run some errands before I can take you anywhere you'd like. No trivial pursuits, right?" 

"Too much talk," Lan Wangji comments, and starts to walk. Wei Wuxian looks on, bewildered. Does Lan Wangji want to come along while he cleans and fixes some boats? He isn't sure if a rich young master like Lan Wangji can actually stand the sight or smell of a dead fat rat – a common occurrence in big boats.  

Lan Wangji indeed comes along. It's a big task; there are three boats – some of the metal parts look rusted, and there's a leak in one which has formed sludge at the base. Wei Wuxian rolls his pants and takes off his shoes, and gets down into the muddy side of the port. He gets into Madame Yu's boat first.  

"Wei Ying." 

He looks up mid-work at Lan Wangji's frowning, concerned face. "Yeah?" 

"Is this punishment?" 

Of course the Lan clan would think it's punishment. This job is more strenuous than transcribing their three thousand rules while doing a handstand. Wei Wuxian grins, "No, it's just my task. This is how we do things in Yunmeng. No one can sit idle, not under Madame Yu's watch! I'm sure Jiang Cheng is doing something, somewhere..." 

To be honest, Jiang Cheng is teaching the youngest  shidis  how to shoot arrows at kites. He would never be assigned to clean a boat.  

"Let me help." 

"No!" Wei Wuxian refuses. The son of a clan leader doing something as undignified and dirty as this? Plus, it will get slime and mud on Lan Wangji's pristine white robes. And he is a guest. It can create quite a scandal and bring disrepute to the Jiang clan again. As loveable and charming as Wei Wuxian knows he himself is, he's also aware how much damage he does to sect orthodoxy and order on a regular basis. 

He thinks Lan Wangji must be aware of this, the Lans are pretentious and notorious for maintaining appearances, and yet Lan Wangji wants to get into the dirty waters for Wei Wuxian. Maybe he's just feeling awkward standing at the shore.  

"See it this way," Wei Wuxian continues while he scrubs the floor clean, softer this time, "doing odd jobs is also a way to study. It's a bit unorthodox, though. How do you think I remain top of the class while I slog off at classical practice? Hunting pheasants sharpens your instincts. Eh, not sure if that method would suit you, Lan Zhan! If you kneel in the ancestral hall three days without rest I'm sure there's nothing ever hurting your kneecaps again –"  

"Wei Ying." 

His constant babbling is going to send Lan Wangji in an early boat ride back to Gusu. "Yeah? I know what you're going to say. Boring, right?" 

"You look sad." 

Wei Wuxian is taken aback. Sad? Sad about what?  Lan   Wangji  thinks Wei  Wuxian  feels sad about being reprimanded in public? Or assigned dirty tasks? He is a servant's son, and he must not aim too high. Why would he feel sad about who he is? If anything, he feels grateful. If Uncle Fengmian hadn't picked him up, fed him and educated him and given him a loving family, he'd have been devoured by a pack of dogs. Anyway, that’s all in the past he doesn’t want to cling to. It's Lan Wangji's  first visit to Yunmeng. Who does he think he is? Back at the Cloud Recesses,  Lan Wangji used to be annoyed at everything Wei  Wuxian did. Why is he being so weird... weirdly perceptive today? 

"Wow, Lan Zhan, you're talkative today, huh? Who says I'm sad? I'm not expressionless like you, it's not like it's hard to read me. Here, I'll give you a smile, okay?" 

"Fool." 

"What?" 

"Fool Jiang Wanyin. You asked earlier." 

Wei Wuxian's eyes glimmer in mischief and every other topic slides to the rear of his head. So Lan Wangji is volunteering to be a partner in crime? He can't believe this. Also the fact that Lan Wangji is too dignified to say "prank" and yet sounding ten times more savage is sending him to an early death.  

"You really want to do that? Lan Zhan ah Lan Zhan, you sure are more interesting than I thought!" he laughs, doubled over, dropping the dirty bucket in the mud. “Now let me think of something that’ll send Jiang Cheng's soul flying out of his body.” 

Lan Wangji turns his back. His ears are red and glaring. He utters a slow, culpable "Mn." 

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji spot Jiang Cheng returning to Lotus Pier with a hoard of ruined kites in the late afternoon. “Jiang Cheng!” Wei Wuxian calls out without warning. He had suggested a few prank ideas out loud to Lan Wangji but after his initial interest Lan Wangji never responded again. Maybe they were all terrible ideas. So Wei Wuxian is going impromptu – whatever is to happen will be a surprise to Lan Wangji as well.  

“Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Cheng turns to face them, a little confused about Lan Wangji’s presence as his eyes flick from one person to other, “Second Young Master Lan.”  

“Jiang Cheng, I’m troubled. There’s something I need to tell you.” 

Jiang Cheng narrows his eyes at him. “What is it?” 

“My dearest shidi,” Wei  Wuxian  continues, internally giggling while he takes up a low dramatic tone, “you are the first person I’m going to confide this to. You remember the day before yesterday when I took off on my own  in the morning and returned at midnight?  Actually, I was…” and now a shy tone, “how do I say this… I met Lan Zhan, and we eloped and got betrothed. This is why Lan Zhan came to visit me today. We decided to make it… public.” 

Beside him, Wei Wuxian feels Lan Wangji stiffen in his position. After collecting a bit of self-restraint (so that he doesn’t laugh in his face) Wei Wuxian finally looks up at Jiang Cheng. His “confession” has hit his younger brother like a whiplash – his face is white and his mouth is a bit gaping. He must be thinking –  weren’t Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji enemies? They hated each other! Or at least,  Lan Wangji hated Wei Wuxian! From enemies to friends to lovers to betrothed  – when did it all happen?!  

“I…” Jiang Cheng says a word after the initial shock, “Congratulations?” 

Congratulations? Jiang Cheng, whose face is always twisted in exasperation at everything Wei Wuxian does or says, is happy that he’s getting married to Lan Wangji?  

“Thank you,” says Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian's head whips up at him; Lan Wangji’s ears have never been redder, but his face is neutral and he’s keeping his word and contributing to the wildfire. What a historic day. 

Wei Wuxian grabs Lan Wangji’s hand and intertwines their fingers. Lan Wangji gives him a glance he doesn’t quite understand; his heart throbs but it’s only because of the spirit of the game. “Yes, thank you, Jiang Cheng! I knew you’d be supportive! Now, will you keep it a secret for a while? For us, please?” 

“You just said you want to make it public.” 

Darn, rookie mistake. Wei Wuxian tries to cover it up. “Yes, but not like that! We want to get the elders' blessings first. You know how gossip spreads. Especially since Hanguang Jun is the most sought after bachelor in all of the sects.” 

“Whatever,” Jiang Cheng just leaves, his head too overloaded with new information to care about politeness or courtesy. He walks into the hallway and disappears from sight.  

That was a thrilling episode. Now all he has to do is continue being affectionate with Lan Wangji till dinner, and Jiang Cheng won’t be getting any sleep tonight. Wei Wuxian looks down at their tangled fingers, before he flings his hand away. “Ah, sorry about grabbing your hand suddenly, Lan Zhan –  hey, why are you looking like that? I swear this isn’t going to affect your reputation and I’ll just tell him the truth tomorrow, I swear!” 

The face that Lan Wangji is making, is a new kind of face. Wei Wuxian has never seen it before. He doesn’t look angry, just part-sad and part-hopeful. “You should not trifle with people’s emotions.” 

“Huh? Lan Zhan, Jiang Cheng doesn’t give a shit about who I marry. I didn’t hurt him, I promise! I won’t hurt him.” 

“Mn,” Lan Wangji stares at him, his eyes soft, “Are you happy?” It is a genuine question. Lan Wangji probably thinks Wei Wuxian is like a child who giggles after getting a new toy. He may not be too far from the truth. 

“Oh yes, this was great. You were amazing. If you’re up to it, we can keep up the act before Jiang Cheng. While he combusts trying to keep it a secret. Imagine his face when I tell him the truth tomorrow? He might actually stab me.” 

Lan Wangji suddenly grabs his hand and pulls him towards himself, burying Wei Wuxian’s face in his chest. Wei Wuxian panics; surely there’s no need to keep up the act when there’s no one around? Blood rushes to his face as he inhales the sandalwood scent of Lan Wangji’s  robes. Is Lan Wangji  rehearsing so that it isn’t awkward later? Why is his heart throbbing so fast? What even is this feeling and why is Wei Wuxian panicking –  

“A – ah, Lan Zhan, do we need to...” he trails off midway when Lan Wangji brings his face closer to his – are they going to  kiss ?! They don’t, and Wei Wuxian lets out the breath stuck in his throat. Instead, Lan Wangji whispers into his ear. “Jiang Wanyin behind.” 

Oh, oh. That explains it. That’s a relief. Lan Wangji really was acting. Wei  Wuxian  turns around, something heavy pooling at the pit of his stomach that he tries to ignore. Jiang Cheng indeed is behind them, standing in the hallway, arms crossed and staring daggers at them. Wei Wuxian  knows what his brother is thinking: Jiang Cheng didn’t sign up for these public acts of affection that will probably run rampant every time Lan Wangji  visits Lotus Pier, until...  um, marriage. That, and the jarring idea of poised and  stoic Lan Wangji snuggling with his brother. A perfect reaction, if not for the figure standing beside Jiang Cheng. 

“Shijie?!”  

There she is, in her flowy lavender robes, positively glowing. He has never seen her smile so wide before. She comes up and looks at the two of them, “Second Young Master Lan. A-Xian, why would you keep it a secret?” She asks in a slightly-chastising tone, nothing serious – more like a playful bonk at the back of his head. No, no, Jiang Cheng is just the worst.  It was supposed to be only him. Wei  Wuxian would never want to play a practical joke on his lovely shijie.  

“Second Young Master Lan,” Jiang Yanli courteously bows to Lan Wangji, “May I speak to you in private?” 

No, wait – why? What is this about? Why in private? Is she going to scold Lan Wangji for running off with him? It’s uncharacteristic of her, but then again, she may look soft, but she also knows how to hold her ground. Wei Wuxian is low-key terrified. “Shijie – ” 

“Wei Wuxian, don’t interrupt them, why don’t you come with me and help me with this… thing,” Jiang Cheng pops in and slings an arm around Wei Wuxian’s shoulder, pulling him away from Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian looks back as his shijie and Lan Wangji stride into one of the rooms while Jiang Cheng drags him towards the gate.  

Jiang Cheng scrunches his nose. “Why the hell do you smell like boat sludge?” 

Wei Wuxian pushes him off himself. “Cut the crap. Why did you tell Shijie? I asked you to keep it a secret!” 

“What, you run off and get married and I can’t even tell our sister?” 

“You told her I got  married?!” Betrothed was the word. Betrothed is harmless. Marriage is… permanent. 

“I… I didn’t tell anyone else, only her! And I know you’re lying, Wei Wuxian. It doesn’t make sense to elope and get engaged. I know you got married, you’re just taking a piss out of making me mad.” Jiang Cheng is so close and yet so far from the truth that it is hurting Wei Wuxian’s head. 

“Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian sighs in defeat, much to his brother’s puzzlement, “Just dig me a grave and throw me in it, why don’t you.” 

At least Lan Wangji will tell her the truth.