Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Lan Wang Ji stared at the exquisitely dressed people milling about in the beautifully decorated banquet hall, in complete boredom. He had made himself comfortable on a chair at the corner of the room, happily declaring himself as a wallflower. He was in Lotus Pier, the Jiang’s residence, attending Jiang Yan Li and Jin Zi Xuan’s wedding banquet. He sighed sadly thinking about how he could have been at home, happily confined to his bed, wrapped in the warm and soft blankets, working on destroying his current archenemy, Su Min Shan. But here he was, watching his uncle and brother walk around the hall, greeting and discussing business with just about anyone that they knew.
He watched his brother and the youngest Jiang sibling eye each other discreetly and share flirty looks, causing the corner of his lips to quirk. Lan Xi Chen had met Jiang Cheng about five months back, when the latter had approached the Lan Law Firm to be a legal advisor for Jiang and Co. They had hit it off almost immediately and had been happily dating ever since.
He watched Jiang Yan Li approach Jiang Cheng and together they kept stealing glances at the huge oak doors. Although the party was in full swing, with people making conversation with one another (mainly talking business, bleh), walking around with glasses of whiskey or flutes of champagne, it looked like the Jiang siblings were waiting for someone, as they had made no move to officially start the banquet.
This was the first party that had been thrown in Lotus Pier since the death of the previous CEO and Chairwoman, Jiang Fengmian and Yu ZiYuan, who had succumbed to their fate, in a devastating accident about a year ago. The Jiang’s had come a long way since that fateful day, fighting battles after battles, to stabilize their numerous companies and their positions in their companies. Jiang Yan Li, being the oldest, had taken over the seat of Chairwoman and with her brothers by her side, has successfully gained control of the various branches. The second son of the Jiang family, Wei Wuxian, although adopted, had played a major role in saving their companies from the clutches of the bloodthirsty shareholders and directors. He was appointed as the CEO, after a unanimous vote.
The doors to the banquet hall was pushed open and barreling in came a handsome man that knocked the breath out Lan Wang Ji’s chest. The man was tall, pale, with bright and wild eyes, his dark hair tied up in a loose bun with a red ribbon, a few escaped strands framing his beautifully sculpted face and dressed in a black Armani suit with a satin red shirt that complimented his pale skin. And God! That mole below his lips, those sinfully delicious looking lips accompanied by a mole that Lan Wang Ji could almost imagine sucking on. Apparently the mystery man hadn’t just caught his attention. Lan Wang Ji noticed that almost everyone in the banquet hall had stopped to stare at him, some in recognition, some in awe and some in confusion.
“I am so sorry, A-Jie! I had a very good reason for being late!” the mystery man exclaimed to Jiang Yan Li with a sheepish smile, still standing under the doorframe.
‘This must be the second son,’ Wang Ji pondered, swirling the orange juice in his glass.
The entire banquet hall had gone silent at the new entry, watching the siblings with renowned interest.
Yan Li lifted the hem of her pale purple gown and with Jiang Cheng in tow, made her way to her brother. “A-Xian! Where were you? We’ve been trying to contact you for so long!”
“Sorry, A-Jie. I know that I promised to be here handling everything but I had to go and fetch your gift,” he replied with an apologetic smile.
“My gift?” Now Yan Li was interested. She loved gifts.
Wei Wuxian raised a finger as if to say “Give me a minute” before he walked out of the room. Yan Li and Jiang Cheng shared a look of confusion as they stared at their brother’s retreating back.
Yan Li gasped as an old woman escorted by Wu Xian came into view. “Lao Lao,” she screeched before she threw herself at her maternal grandmother. If it wasn’t for Wei Wu Xian holding onto their grandmother, Yan Li would have surely reversed her Lao Lao’s knee replacement surgery.
Jiang Cheng was fidgeting on his spot, brimming with excitement. To say that he loved his grandmother would have been an understatement. He was completely and utterly devoted to her. Being the youngest of the Jiang children, he was the most pampered and loved by his grandmother. The second his sister pulled away from the hug, he had engulfed the tiny old woman in a hug of his own.
“Lao Lao, I missed you so much!” he whined like a baby. His grandmother laughed and kissed him on the forehead and pulled his cheeks.
“Oh, my baby! Lao Lao missed you too!” the frail woman exclaimed.
“I thought that the doctor had strictly warned you against travelling, Lao Lao,” said Yan Li, staring at her grandmother in admonishment.
“He had. It took me quite a long time to convince that doctor to let me travel. After all, my only granddaughter was getting married. Although I missed the ceremony, I wanted to be here with you today.”
“And so she called me last night,” Wu Xian continued his grandmother’s explanation, wrapping an arm around her small frame, “and told me about her predicament. And as much as I hate to say this, we have to thank the peacock for lending us one of his many private flights to get Lao Lao here from London. And that’s why I was late. Because I had to go and pick her up.”
Yan Li turned to her husband, who had appeared behind her and she placed a soft kiss on his cheeks whispering her thanks.
Lao Lao patted Zi Xuan’s cheek softly and whispered, “Thank you, child. You take care of my baby alright?”
“I will, Lao Lao,” Zi Xuan assured.
“Thank you for helping us, Pea- Jin Zi Xuan,” Wei Wu Xian gritted out every single word causing his gut to wrench.
Jin Zi Xuan’s eyes danced with delight. “You know, that’s the first time you’ve ever called me by my name. I like it.”
“Well,” Wu Xian drawled, blandly. “Don’t get used to it.”
“Oh of course. I wasn’t hoping otherwise,” Zi Xuan replied with a bright smile.
“There’s actually another reason why I wanted to be here today,” Lao Lao said, interrupting their childish banter and started digging into her handbag to pull out a small navy blue velvet box. She opened it to reveal a gorgeous rose gold amethyst bracelet, each gem separated by an intricate diamond embedded flower design.
Yan Li gasped at the sheer beauty of the delicately made bracelet. “Oh, Lao Lao, you didn’t have to.”
“It’s an heirloom, A-Li,” began Lao Lao. “It’s passed on to the oldest daughters in our family. Your mother should have been giving you this today but since she couldn’t be here, I had to come and give this to you, dear.” She carefully pulled out the bracelet from the box, passing the empty box to Wei Wu Xian, causing him to pout and murmur, “When will I get a gift?” to which Lao Lao teased with a wink, “Go, find yourself a girlfriend first. Or boyfriend.” She fastened the bracelet on her granddaughter’s slender wrist. “Beautiful, now that it is where it belongs,” she commented.
“Thank you, Lao Lao. This means a lot to me,” Yan Li whispered with a wide smile.
“As long as you are happy, child. Your Ma and Pa would be very proud of you. And you two,” she said turning to her grandsons. “the next time I visit, you better introduce me to your other halves. Otherwise I’ll have to set you two up on blind dates. I’m sure you two don’t want that to happen.” Wei Wu Xian and Jiang Cheng both shook their heads, horrified. “Now,” she sighed tiredly, “I am too tired from the journey to mingle, so I am going to go to my room and rest. I will be here for the rest of the week; we can catch up tomorrow.” When Wei Wu Xian made a move to escort his grandmother she stopped him by reaching out to her accompanying nurse. “A-Xian, dear, go and enjoy the party. Nurse Judy will help me.”
With that Lao Lao left the room with her nurse.
“That was the best gift, A-Xian. Thank you so much, DiDi,” Yan Li said, hugging her brother and placing a kiss on his cheek. “Now, go and greet our guests.”
Wei Wu Xian made a face at the thought of mingling with his stuck up business partners. If he was going to do that, he needed a drink. Preferably something strong. But alas, as he made his way to the bar, he was stopped by the Ouyangs, who tried to pitch their project to him. He listened to the old man Ouyang ramble on and on about some newly modified mixer blender and he tried his best to hide a grimace.
“Um, Ouyang Gongzi,” he said, interrupting the old man, “How about you send the details to my office on Monday and I’ll get back to you? It’s my sister’s wedding banquet and I was hoping to not have to deal with business today.”
“Oh, of course, Wei Gongzi. How thoughtless of me. I’ll make sure your assistant receives the presentation,” he replied with a small smile and walked away to greet (or pester) some of his other clients.
Wei Wu Xian sighed. He knew that this was only the first of many people that he would have to deal with that night.
“Looks like you could use some vodka,” came an amused voice from behind him.
“Huaisang! You’re a life saver!” Wu Xian exclaimed, grabbing a shot of vodka from his best friend’s hand and downing it in one go. He grabbed the other shot and did the same.
“That one was for me but yeah, go ahead,” he said bluntly.
“A-Xian,” Jiang Cheng approached him. “I want you to meet someone.”
“Who?” Wei Wu Xian asked skeptically. “If it’s related to the company, then please take pity on me and give me a break, A-Cheng.”
“I want you to meet the Lans. Come,” he said, dragging Wei Wuxian away before the latter could ask any more questions (or complain). Wei Wu Xian managed to grab a glass of whiskey from a waiter’s tray on his way to who-knows-where. Nie Huaisang followed them like a lost puppy.
Wang Ji watched his brother’s boyfriend drag the handsome beauty to their table and he would be lying if he said that he didn’t straighten up in his seat in excitement.
“Xi Chen,” Jiang Cheng said, tapping on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “I would like you to meet my brother, Wei Wu Xian. And A-Xian, this is Lan Xi Chen from Lan Law Firm. Jiang and Co. signed them as legal advisors about five months back. He,” Jiang Cheng shot Wei Wu Xian a ‘Don’t embarrass me’ smile, “is also my boyfriend.”
Wei Wuxian choked on his whiskey, causing both Jiang Cheng and Huaisang to pat his back. Hard.
“Boyfriend?!” he gasped. “Ow, ow stop hitting me.” He took a deep breath and rubbed his chest. It felt like his lungs were on fire. “When did you get a boyfriend? And why am I hearing about this only now?” he grilled.
“Because you are one nosy son of a bitch and I didn’t want you prying into my personal life and scaring away the one guy that I have come to like,” Jiang Cheng replied blandly.
“I am not scary,” Wei Wu Xian said meekly.
“You’re not scary. You’re crazy. And if that doesn’t scare anyone away, I don’t know what will,” Jiang Cheng scoffed. “And to answer your question, we started dating about five months back.”
For a minute, Wei Wu Xian stared at his brother in disbelief. He then turned to Lan Xi Chen and quickly schooled his features into a pleasant smile. “Forgive me, Lan Gongzi. That was a little unexpected. But I have to ask, why the hell would you fall for my angry grape of a brother?”
Jiang Cheng elbowed him, hard. Nie Huaisang shook in silent laughter while Xi Chen just smiled, amused at his boyfriend’s brother’s antics. “Trust me, even I don’t know. But for starters, he’s really good looking,” Xi Chen replied, teasingly causing Wei Wu Xian to laugh.
Jiang Cheng sputtered in disbelief. “You-!”
Xi Chen immediately wrapped an arm around his boyfriend and chuckled. “Calm down, A-Cheng. I was just kidding,” he said, causing Jiang Cheng to throw a glare his way.
“Well, whatever it is that you saw in him, I hope that you keep him forever. I don’t want this angry grape back. Although I have to wish you the best of luck. You’ll need it,” Wei Wu Xian continued to tease.
“Well, I’d love to keep him!” Xi Chen replied with a wink.
“Can you two stop talking about me like I’m invisible? And I am not a thing that either of you can keep!” Jiang Cheng growled.
Wei Wu Xian laughed. He loved riling his brother up. He held out a hand and said, “It was nice meeting you, Lan Gongzi.”
“Likewise, Wei Gongzi,” Lan Xi Chen said, accepting the handshake. “And please call me Xi Chen.”
“Only if you call me Wu Xian. Or Wei Ying,” Wu Xian added.
“Wu Xian it is then. And this is my uncle, Lan Qi Ren, Chairman of the Lan Groups,” Xi Chen said pointing at his uncle and Wei Wu Xian bowed slightly in greeting. “And this is my brother, Lan Wang Ji. He is a partner in our Law Firm.”
“Whoa,” Wu Xian stared at the golden eyed beauty dressed in a navy blue suit with a pale blue shirt. A jab to his ribs, courtesy of his brother, forced him to snap out of his reverie. “Ah, I mean, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Lan Er Gongzi,” he said, extending a hand.
Wang Ji engulfed Wu Xian’s smaller hand in his large one and squeezed. His golden eyes bored into the latter’s wide greys and he was pleased to notice the fade pinks that had begun to gather on the latter’s cheek bones. For Lan Wang Ji, the party had just begun. “Pleasure is all mine, Wei Ying,” Wang Ji replied with a slight smirk.
Wei Wu Xian was a gone man. His name sounded divine coming out of the other’s mouth. If he was a teen with no responsibilities, he would have run to his room and definitely screamed and jumped on his bed, gushing about this moment. But he wasn’t in his room and neither was he a teen. He grabbed the nearest arm, which was Huaisang’s and squeezed causing the latter to let out a short yelp.
Lan Qi Ren sighed and muttered under his breath, “And there goes another precious nephew,” and decided to walk away, choosing to save himself from an aneurysm. Curse his brother for being such a romantic! He was officially giving up on both of his nephews. There was no hope for them.
Lan Xi Chen observed his brother curiously. It was only when he noticed the tell-tale signs of a crush did he look away, amused.
Wei Wu Xian took his own sweet time to recover and once he did, he smiled brightly at Wang Ji. “If you’re going to call me Wei Ying, then I deserve to know your birth name too.”
“Lan Zhan,” Wang Ji replied, smoothly.
Jiang Cheng who had been silently watching the exchange leaned closer to his boyfriend and whispered, “I know that I am very dense. But are they flirting right now?”
Before Xi Chen could reply, Wu Xian turned to his brother, “Damn right, we’re flirting, you dense idiot! I can’t believe it took you five months to introduce us to each other.”
Jiang Cheng was truly speechless. He honestly did not know what to say. He silently shuddered at the thought of his brother and his boyfriend’s brother dating. Thankfully, he was saved from replying by the high pitched yells of a toddler.
“Baba!! Baba!” came a child’s cry, as he came barreling towards Wu Xian dressed in his red pajamas.
Wei Wu Xian had just enough time, to thrust his glass towards his brother and catch the tiny body with a soft “Oof!” He placed the three year old on his hips and stared at the child with narrowed eyes.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in bed, my little radish? And where’s your nanny?” he scolded.
Wang Ji stared at the child in Wu Xian’s arms and blanched. He really hoped that the man wasn’t married or taken. After all, he seemed to have returned his advances with full interest. His worries were put to rest when Huaisang appeared next to him and wiggling his brows, whispered, “Don’t worry. He’s very much single and ready to jingle.” Wang Ji’s eyes widened at Huaisang’s suggestion. ‘Shameless,’ he wanted to say but instead just nodded his head in silent gratitude.
“Not sleepy and I don’t know,” the child whined, with wide eyes and a cute pout.
“Please tell me that you did not lock her up in a room again,” Wu Xian pleaded. “I know Jiang Shushu is cool and fun but please don’t learn his pathetic pranks.”
The child shook his head vehemently while Jiang Cheng screeched, “My pranks are not pathetic!”
“And pray tell me, Jiang Cheng, who gave my son the wonderful idea of locking nanny Chu in the bathroom?” Wu Xian glared. “Do you have any idea for how long I had to stand there while she disciplined ME because she thought it was ME spoiling MY son?!”
Jiang Cheng snickered. He had really enjoyed watching his brother squirm under the gaze of a strict, old lady and while he tried to apologize to her over and over again.
“That was indeed very mean of you, A-Cheng,” Xi Chen tutted while at the same time Nie Huaisang exclaimed, “When did that happen?! Please tell me you took a video, Jiang Xiong!”
“Of course, I did, Huiasang! I’ll send it to you later,” Jiang Cheng answered Huaisang and then turned to his boyfriend. “And you’re only telling that because you don’t know the kind of shit that A-Xian is always up to!”
Wei Wu Xian sighed and turned to the Lan siblings. He could feel the gaze of the younger Lan drilling holes into the side of his forehead and he tried his best to keep his eyes on the older Lan.
“This is Wei Yuan, my son,” said Wuxian, pointing at the smiling little munchkin in his arms. “A-Yuan, say hi to these uncles. They are Baba’s and Shushu’s friends.”
“Hi,” he said shyly, trying to hide his face in his father’s neck. He stared at Lan Xi Chen who kept smiling softly at him and whispered loudly to his father, “He is very pwetty!”
“He is, indeed,” Jiang Cheng agreed, looking between his nephew and boyfriend with a twinkle in his eyes. Lan Xi Chen merely blushed and chuckled at his boyfriend’s childishness.
A-Yuan’s eyes moved to the younger Lan and he was suddenly reminded of a fairy. Although a pair of wings and a wand was missing, A-Yuan easily made up for it with his vivid imagination. He suddenly jumped excitedly in his father’s arms. “Baba, look! A fairy,” he exclaimed, pointing a tiny finger at Wang Ji.
Wei Wu Xian stared at his son, completely mortified at the sudden outburst and smiled apologetically at Lan Wang Ji, who was turning a ridiculous shade of red. He had been called a lot of things in his life and fairy was definitely not one of them. Lan Xi Chen chuckled under his breath while Jiang Cheng didn’t bother hiding his laugh.
“Well, I have to say, Wei Xiong,” began Huaisang. “Your son has a good eye for appreciating beautiful things. Just like his father,” he added with a sly wink.
“Um, A-Yuan,” Wu Xian began, laughing embarrassedly, “You remember how I told you that you cannot say every single thing that comes to your mind out loud?”
“Yes!” the child replied energetically.
“Yeah. You can’t go around calling people fairy and what not,” he said.
“But baba,” A-Yuan whined. “He is a fairy! He looks like one!” the child protested adamantly.
Wei Wu Xian sighed. He was fighting a losing battle. He turned to apologize to Wang Ji but was shocked when the latter leaned closer and tapped A-Yuan’s nose.
“Thank you, A-Yuan. Maybe I can show you my wings and wand one day,” he teased. The hidden meaning of meeting another day was not lost by Wu Xian. He smiled shyly.
“Yes Yes!” the child squealed happily.
“Now, let’s go put you to bed before you start pointing at others and calling them dragons or monkeys,” Wu Xian said, tickling his son’s stomach.
“Only if you read me The Little Red Riding Hood!” A-Yuan whined.
“Come on, then. Let’s go read some Little Red Riding Hood,” Wu Xian said, blandly. He hated that story with a passion. But for some odd reason, his son loved it!
“Who would have thought that the great Wei Wu Xian would ever say, ‘Let’s go read some little red riding hood’?” came a soft voice of a woman dressed in deep red.
A-Yuan was the first to react. “Gugu!!” he screamed.
“How’s my favorite little boy doing?” asked Wen Qing, pulling his chubby cheeks.
“I’m fine!” he cried out.
“Qing Jie! Long time no see!” Wei Wu Xian exclaimed, giving her a side hug.
“Well, what can I say? Being a resident does not give you much time to have a personal life,” she declared.
“You should come and meet us often, Qing Jie,” said Jiang Cheng, softly. “A-Yuan is growing up so fast, you wouldn’t want to miss it.”
“Of course, yes. That is indeed one thing that I do not want to miss,” she said with a sad smile. A-Yuan was her first cousin’s son and after his parent’s death, Wei Wu Xian had offered to adopt him, so that Wen Qing could focus on her profession and A-Yuan would stay within the family.
“Where’s Wen Ning?” asked Wu Xian, looking around, trying to catch a glimpse of his pale faced friend.
“Ah. He has his Pharmacology exam tomorrow,” she shuddered. Even she hated that subject with a passion. “I think he’s going to be pulling an all nighter again. So,” she asked, turning to her nephew and poking his nose, “how about I read you that story, little one? We can have some auntie-nephew time.”
A-Yuan nodded eagerly and leaned towards his aunt. She took him in her arms and turned to his father. “You go and have some fun, A-Xian. God knows, you deserve it. I’ll put him to sleep.”
“Good night, Baba. Good night, ShuShu. Good night, pretty uncle. Good night, Fairy. Good night, Huaisang Shushu,” A-Yuan mumbled to everyone.
Wei Wuxian whispered a silent thanks to his sister/friend and watched them until they disappeared from his vision.
He turned to his brother and retrieved the precious drink that he had thrusted in the latter’s hand, downing it in one go. “That was my friend, Wen Qing. A-Yuan’s biological father was her cousin,” he clarified to the Lans.
“Ah. That makes sense. They have similar eyes,” Xi Chen nodded in understanding.
“So, Wang Ji,” began Huaisang. “I heard that you are fighting the case against Moling Su. How’s that coming along?”
“Moling Su?” Wei Wu Xian questioned. “The one that is being sued for embezzlement?”
“Mn,” said Wang Ji. “The owner of Moling Su, Su Min Shan,” he grimaced at the bitter taste that name left in his mouth, “used to work for the Lan Companies before he quit and decided to focus on his startup. This happened about two years ago. It was only recently we figured out where he got the capital for his start up. He had been embezzling a steady amount from our company and if it wasn’t for my uncle demanding to check our accounts, we wouldn’t have realized that the accountant was in on it, too.”
“Oh. So you have everything that you need to incriminate him?” Wu Xian asked curiously.
“That bastard is going down,” Wang Ji chuckled, radiating confidence.
“Why does it seem like there’s a personal vendetta involved?” Wu Xian asked, tilting his head to the side.
“No personal vendetta. We just don’t tolerate back stabbers,” he replied. “He’s going to get what’s coming for him.”
“Okay. That’s enough about business,” sighed Jiang Cheng, rubbing his face. He turned to Lan Xi Chen and held out his hand. “Care for a dance, Lan Gongzi?”
“Oh yes, definitely,” Xi Chen replied with a soft smile, taking his lover’s extended hand.
Huaisang stared at the retreating pair and then at Wu Xian and Wang Ji, having just realized that he was third wheeling. “Um… I’m gonna go and get some more alcohol,” he said, and moved to the bar after wiggling his eyebrows at his best friend.
As the current song came to an end, Wei Wu Xian watched the various couples twirling on the dance floor. He watched his sister stare into her husband’s eyes, like he was the moon to her stars. He watched his brother sway with Lan Xi Chen, looking as much in love as the other. Watching his siblings looks so happy and in love, made him feel a pang in his heart. Longing. He longed for what they had. A partner to share his deepest, darkest thoughts. A partner to come back home every day to. A partner to hug and kiss. A partner to hold him in the darkest nights.
As the live band began to play the beginning tune of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love, Wang Ji nervously held out an arm and asked, “Would you like to dance, Wei Ying?”
Wei Ying turned to face him and grinned. “Thought you’d never ask, Lan Zhan.”
Wang Ji led him to the dance floor and they stood face to face. Since Wu Xian was slightly shorter than the other, he wrapped his arms around Wang Ji’s neck and the latter placed his arms on the shorter man’s hips and pulled him close.
Up close, Wu Xian could smell the sandalwood fragrance wafting from the other’s body and it took him immense strength to not lean closer and sniff the other man. He had just met him and scaring him away was not a part of his plan. He tightened his arms around Wang Ji and stared into the golden orbs, that seemed to shine like stars. He mouthed the lyrics to the song as they swayed side to side. Wei Wu Xian could swear that Elvis Presley was teasing him with the song.
‘ Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you?
“Why do I get the feeling that you love this song?” asked Wang Ji, tilting his head curiously.
“Because, I do. It’s a classic and one of my favorites,” he replied with a hum. “Say, Lan Zhan. Do you sing?”
“Mn. I can sing but I play the Zither better,” he answered, softly.
“Zither, huh? Didn’t take you for the zither type. I play the flute. We should do a duet one day,” he said nervously, hoping to not get rejected.
“And I didn’t take you for the flute type,” Wang Ji teased with a slight twitch of his lips.
“Touché,” Wu Xian replied with a smile.
‘Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand
Take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you.’
Wu Xian caught Huaisang’s eye, who had found a dance partner in Wen Qing. Huaisang threw a quick wink his way and smiled in approval causing him to chuckle. Wang Ji stared confusedly and Wu Xian just shook his head.
“Wei Ying,” called Wang Ji, nervously. “Would you be interested in having dinner with me, say, next week?”
“I’d want nothing more, Lan Zhan,” replied Wei Wu Xian with a bright and happy smile.
As they continued to sway into oblivion, Wei Wu Xian stared at the man that was making him feel like a teenager with a crush. He recalled his son’s words and he had to agree. The man did look like a fairy. Even without the wand and wings.
Huh. Looks like he had found his fairy.
Now, all he wanted was a fairtytale.