Chapter Text
Jiang Cheng hated going to weddings and avoided them whenever possible.
It wasn't so bad when he was a kid, he and Wei Wuxian liked to notice the details and wonder what could be incorporated into their fantasies about Yanli’s dream wedding. But since he had become the leader of his sect, matchmakers simply did not leave him alone.
There was always one at any event behind him, but the ones that approached him at the weddings were the worst, they were very insistent on introducing him to lovely girls and even some lovely guys who would just be delighted to meet him, no matter how many times Jiang Cheng had said he wasn't interested or had time for these things they would always think that maybe that would be the day that The Shengshou Sandu would finally open his heart to the possibility of love. Ugh.
But that particular wedding couldn’t be avoided, it was his brother's wedding to Lan Wangji, and he had been invited. It was the first time they would be face to face since the events at Guanyin Temple, more than a month had passed since then and he wasn’t sure how things were between them.
He and Jin Ling had just arrived at Cloud Recesses preferring to spend the night before at an inn on the outskirts of Gusu along with the disciples of the Jiang sect who were accompanying them.
He asked one of the Lan clan disciples where Wei Wuxian was and was on his way where they indicated.
"Lan Sizhui!" Jin Ling said after seeing his friend across the courtyard.
Jiang Cheng looked in the direction that his nephew was looking. And for a moment he stopped breathing.
In that direction there were three people, Lan Sizhui, Wen Ning and a woman who Jiang Cheng spent the past sixteen years believing to be dead. And she was looking directly at him. It had to be her, she was wearing gray and dark green robes instead of her usual red, but there was no way she could just be someone who looked a bit like her. He had no painting or drawing of her, but her face had not faded from his memory or even stayed away from his thoughts for long.
Her death shouldn't have mattered. He had lost so much, what was one more death compared to everything else. It shouldn't have mattered, but it did and he mourned her.
And now it turned out that she wasn't even dead and it was clear that he had been a fool again, as he had been his whole life when it came to anything to do with her.
He looked away.
"Come on Jin Ling, you can talk to your friend later." he said already walking away.
"Uncle who is that woman?" Jin Ling asked.
"Nobody."
"But you were looking at her for a long time and she looked at you too."
"She is nobody who matters, alright?!" Jiang Cheng said loud enough for everyone in the courtyard to hear.
For Wen Qing to hear.
He didn't turn to see the expression on her face. But he was almost sure that there would be no difference, she never cared about him or what he thought or what he felt.
"Okay."
"If you really want to, you can go talk to your friends while I talk to my brother." Jiang Cheng said and left before Jin Ling answered.
He found his brother where they said he would be. Wei Wuxian was already dressed in red and gold as it was traditional for weddings, with a disciple Jiang Cheng didn’t know braiding part of his hair. Wei Wuxian gave him a smile when he saw him.
"Jiang Cheng you came, I'm really-" Wei Wuxian started to say.
"Why didn't you told me she was alive!?" Jiang Cheng said interrupting him.
"What? Who?"
"Who? Wen Qing of course, I just saw her on your courtyard.”
“Technically, it's not my courtyard yet, just after the wedding and only in certain ways. And I only found out about three weeks ago, if you want to be angry with someone, be angry with Nie Huaisang, he’s the one who hid her for years in Quigue.”
"You should have let me know immediately!"
"Why? It's not like you two were ever friends. What is she to you?”
Jiang Cheng paused for a moment, Wei Wuxian was right, he and Wen Qing were not friends, they helped each other a few times but it had always been transactional. And they weren’t lovers, all of that existed only in his head. The only thing that really connected them was ...
“My golden core, your golden core. She is the woman who took something from your body and put it on mine without ever asking me if I wanted it.”
"If you want to be angry with someone because of that, be angry with me, not with her."
"Without her there would be no way it could have happened and it was my body."
"Jiang Cheng please don't fight with her or anyone, not today, it's my wedding."
"I... fine, but after I'll demand satisfaction from her."
"Thank you... I wasn't sure if you were going to show up today.”
"That was stupid, of course I was going to show up."
“Maybe it was. Still thank you for coming.”
"You're welcome. And congratulations."
"Thank you. I know you must have gotten quite surprised when you read the invitation, it must seem a little insane but I love him a lot and for some reason Lan Zhan loves me too.”
"I knew that already."
"Did you?"
"Of course. Everyone knew except you. Idiot."
"Oh."
“See you at the wedding.”
"Okay. See you later then and remember: no fighting.”