Archive of Our Own

Wei Ying is desperately trying to study when Lan Zhan looks up from his own books.

"I meant to ask," he says, already sounding more uncertain than Wei Ying is used to, "when do you wish to leave tomorrow?"

Wei Ying blinks in confusion, trying to wrap his mind around what the actual hell Lan Zhan is talking about. They have a short break from classes, so Wei Ying has planned to stay in their dorm and do absolutely nothing.

"What?" he settles for asking, hoping his confusion comes through.

"To Lotus Pier," Lan Zhan says, as if that is any kind of explanation. Why would Lan Zhan possibly take Wei Ying to his childhood home?

"Jiang Cheng is your brother, right?" Lan Zhan asks, succeeding in making Wei Ying even more confused.

"Yes? What does that have to do with anything? Plus, he's in Lotus Pier right now."

"Mn," Lan Zhan hums, the one of few Wei Ying knows means that Lan Zhan is essentially saying that he knows.

"So?" Wei Ying presses for answers. "What are you talking about?"

Lan Zhan inclines his head. "The event. At Lotus Pier. Were you going on your own?"

Oh. Has Madam Yu organised something that she decided she doesn't want Wei Ying there for? It's extremely likely, and Wei Ying doesn't exactly feel like going himself. But… How come neither his jiejie or Jiang Cheng have mentioned it?

"No, I wasn't…" Wei Ying trails off, not knowing how to tell Lan Zhan that he's probably not invited. If Lan Zhan is going there, that must mean it's because the Lan family is invited, which must also mean that the rest of the four big families are invited. How could Wei Ying possibly explain why he, the adopted child of the Jiang family, is not invited to such an event? No, he'll just … not do it.

“So we will go together?” Lan Zhan asks, but it sounds more like a statement.

Wei Ying sighs. “Sure, whenever you want.”

———

The night leading up to their departure is filled with dread. Wei Ying barely manages to fall asleep, and when he does he tosses and turns the whole night. Lan Zhan wakes him early, earlier than Wei Ying ever gets up, but not as early as Lan Zhan is usually awake. Wei Ying grumbles but lets himself be forced awake. Lan Zhan already has to deal with him on a daily basis, the least he can do is not annoy him too much before their long car trip.

They have breakfast together in the dining hall, but Wei Ying only manages a cup of tea and a small bowl of spicy congee, before his stomach protests with nerves. Lan Zhan throws him a quick look when he’s finished his own meal, probably wondering why Wei Ying for once isn’t trying to talk while they eat. He doesn’t say anything, though, so Wei Ying is glad for that at least.

Wei Ying almost forgets to pack a bag to bring along, but is reminded when Lan Zhan just stares at him with his own bag in hand, blocking him from leaving the dorm. He packs two smaller ones quickly, and then they’re walking to Lan Zhan’s car.

Wei Ying had not realised that Lan Zhan was loaded. He stares at the car, his mouth slightly open, as Lan Zhan packs their bags into the car. It’s fancy, but in a subtle way, and Wei Ying only knows because he was complaining to Nie Huaisang about expensive cars the other week.

Lan Zhan gives him a look when he’s done with their bags and goes to sit in the driver seat, so Wei Ying scrambles to enter the car. He goes to put his feet up on the dashboard, but thinks better of it, instead putting his knees against the dashboard, essentially folding himself in half. He pulls up the hood of his hoodie and leans against the window as Lan Zhan starts the car. It will be hours until they reach Lotus Pier, and Lan Zhan is not a conversational person.

Instead, he fishes his phone out to text Jiang Cheng, to see if he can get any info out of him.

江澄弟弟

He doesn’t get an answer right away, but he hadn’t expected that either. Jiang Cheng is usually very slow at responding to his texts. Eventually, though, he gets one.

江澄弟弟

What? An icy feeling settles in Wei Ying’s chest, and he almost drops his phone. Surely he would have remembered if Madam Yu had asked him about it and he said he couldn’t come?

江澄弟弟

———

Some time into the drive, when they’re closer to Lotus Pier than to campus, Lan Zhan says, speaking for the first time during the drive, “We will meet with my uncle and brother.”

Wei Ying doesn’t know who they are — Lan Zhan does not talk much, and certainly not about his family — but he hopes they’re not as stuffy as Lan Zhan, because he’s not sure he could handle three of that. At least he’s used to Lan Zhan and can get him to open up a tiny amount sometimes.

Before Wei Ying can ask anything, Lan Zhan steers into the parking lot of a restaurant that Wei Ying recognizes to be in Yunmeng. So closer to Lotus Pier than he thought they were. And only then does he realise how absolutely starving he is — they must have been on the road for at least several hours by now. But… he really only knows about the restaurant because he's been there a few times with the Jiang family, and it's expensive . Way more expensive than he can possibly afford.

Lan Zhan parks the car and turns off the engine, then moves to get out of the car, without explaining anything more to Wei Ying.

“Hey, Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying shoots out his hand to grab Lan Zhan’s wrist and stop him from getting out of the car. “Where are you going? You said we would meet up with your uncle and brother.”

“Mn,” Lan Zhan answers, gently prying Wei Ying’s hand off his wrist. “In there.”

“Oh, okay,” Wei Ying finds himself saying. “I’ll just wait here.”

A tiny little furrowed line appears on Lan Zhan’s forehead.

“I’m not really hungry,” Wei Ying says, hoping his stomach won’t betray him.

Thankfully his stomach keeps quiet, but the furrow doesn’t disappear from Lan Zhan’s forehead. “You barely ate at breakfast.” When Wei Ying doesn’t say anything, he adds, “Wei Ying needs to eat.”

“I’m sure Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu have a small feast prepared when we get …” he doesn’t want to say home, “to Lotus Pier. Anyway, I’ll be fine until then.”

Lan Zhan gives him a Look™ and so Wei Ying is forced to follow him out of the car.

Lan Zhan’s uncle and brother are already sitting at a table when they get inside the restaurant. Wei Ying sits down closest to the wall in the booth, and can’t make himself look at Lan Zhan’s uncle after his first look at him.

Logically Wei Ying knows Lan Zhan is part of the Lan family (duh, his family name is Lan). However, he hadn't known Lan Zhan belongs to the inner Lan family. He knew the Lan family head had two sons, but he'd never met them, only their uncle, Lan Qiren. Although only briefly when he was younger, and yet somehow the man seemed to hate him.

Wei Ying ignores Lan Zhan’s attempts to silently communicate with him and orders the cheapest thing he can find on the menu. Lan Qiren harumphs at his choice, but doesn’t say anything to him. It’s awkward. Lan Huan, as Lan Zhan’s brother introduces himself, tries to keep a conversation going, but Lan Qiren doesn’t say anything, and Lan Zhan’s answers are short like usual, dotted in with looks he gives his uncle. Wei Ying tries to be polite and answer, but he can’t help but fall victim to the awkward atmosphere. And, his stomach is turning with knots, nervous beyond belief. He doesn’t really want to go back to Lotus Pier, now that he’s almost there.

A server brings out their food some time later, and places — among other things — a bowl of something clearly spicy next to Lan Zhan. Wei Ying is pretty sure Lan Zhan doesn't actually like spicy things, despite sometimes humouring Wei Ying when he offers some, considering how he frowns whenever Wei Ying puts his chili oil on food. And of course, Lan Zhan pushes the bowl closer to Wei Ying.

He can't protest, not right now, with Lan Zhan's brother and uncle right there. His stomach growls at the heavenly smell, and he thinks he might just be able to eat some despite his stomach turning with nerves.

——— 

They leave the restaurant as soon as they finish eating, as if they're in a hurry. Wei Ying has no idea, considering he has no real information about the event, courtesy of Madam Yu.

Lan Qiren and Lan Huan head to another car, equally as fancy looking as Lan Zhan's car, and then they're off. Wei Ying's stomach turns with nerves for every minute closer they get to Lotus Pier.

Way too soon they turn off the road onto the driveway leading up to Lotus Pier. They park beside some other cars, and Lan Zhan steps out like he has nothing to worry about. Which he doesn't. He has no reason to have his stomach in knots at the thought of having to step foot in Lotus Pier.

There's a knock on the door, and Lan Zhan asks, muffled through the glass, "Wei Ying?"

"I'm getting out, I'm getting out!" Wei Ying exclaims, trying to mask the tremble in his voice.

As he steps out, somewhere off in the distance he hears Jiang Cheng's voice shout, "Princess!" and the dog finally, finally runs off.

When had he gotten a dog? Why had he gotten a dog, when he knows of Wei Ying's paralysing fear of them? (Distantly in his mind he acknowledges that he hasn't been welcome here since he left for college.)

——— 

Wei Ying feels nervously lucky when the evening comes and he has yet to catch even a glimpse of Madam Yu. He lets out a breath when he finally closes his door behind him and feels relief wash over him. He moves forward to turn on the lamp by his bed, but stumbles when his foot connects with something solid almost immediately, forcing him to turn on the ceiling light.

The room is filled with boxes.

They're stacked on his desk underneath the window, on the floor high along the walls, lower further into the room. There is something wrapped up in fabric on his bed, but he has to walk sideways between two stacks of boxes to reach it.

At some point, his room had become a storeroom. At least all his things are still there from what he can see, but it still stings somewhere deep in his gut. As he sets to move some of the things around to give him room to move about and clear the bed, he realises that he forgot his bags in Lan Zhan’s car. By now it’s way past nine, Lan Zhan’s bed time, so he shrugs with a deep sigh and resigns himself to get them tomorrow.

When he’s given himself some more space he turns on the lamp by his bed and turns off the ceiling light, casting the room in soft light and weird shadows. It looks nothing like what he’s used to.

He settles down on the bed, slumped in a halfway sitting position, and scrolls through his phone for some time. There’s nothing really interesting, and the battery is blinking low at him.

His charger is in one of his bags.

He’s just resigned himself to his fate and put aside the phone and turned off the lamp, when the door to the room bangs open and the ceiling light is turned on. Wei Ying blinks blearily against the spots dancing in his vision from the blinding light, and tries to figure out who is standing in the door.

“Wei Ying!” The voice is angry, and the sharpness of it cuts through his mind. Madam Yu.

Wei Ying hurries to stand up, and Madam Yu stalks over to him, expertly weaving around the boxes.

“ What ,” she practically spits out, “do you think you are doing here?”

Because he is young and stupid, and hasn’t dealth with Madam Yu in a while, he says, "I came with Lan Zhan, he is my roomma-"

Her hand strikes out, her ring catching on his cheek, and his head snaps to the side.

"You do not talk back to me!" She spins around, and is then gone.

Wei Ying slumps back down on the bed. It's been so long since she last slapped him that he's forgotten how much it hurts. He pulls up his hood and curls up on the bed, aimlessly scrolling through his phone until it dies, just shy of an hour later.

———

He blinks, disoriented, when he wakes up. He wonders for a moment why the ceiling light is still turned on, until he remembers the night before. His cheek stings, hurting worse when he reaches a hand up to poke it. He’ll have to look at it in a mirror.

He pushes himself up into a sitting position, stretching his limbs to get rid of the crick that has settled in them over the night.

He'll just go to the bathroom, check his cheek in the mirror and then find Lan Zhan to get his bags. Yeah, a fool proof plan. (Though, it's only fool proof as long as there is no visible mark on his cheek, and deep down, Wei Ying simply knows that he is doomed.)

He's only a few meters from the bathroom when he runs into Lan Zhan.

"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan greets him with a slight bow of his head. When his eyes rise, Wei Ying is pretty sure he imagines the widening of them.

"Good morning, Lan Zhan!"

" Wei Ying ." There's something in Lan Zhan's voice, but Wei Ying has yet to master all his micro expressions and tones. And yet...

Fuck, it's bad then, isn't it? He needs to check, and maybe if he's lucky Jiang Yanli has left some of her make up in this particular bathroom so he has something to conceal it with. (He knows she won't have, he just doesn't want to admit the truth of it.) And then he'll just tell Lan Zhan that he didn't see anything. Yeah, yet another fool proof plan.

That is, until Lan Zhan follows him inside the bathroom.

"Get out," Wei Ying tries, pushing at Lan Zhan's shoulders.

Lan Zhan doesn't budge.

“Get out!” he tries again. “I need to piss!”

Lan Zhan doesn’t move, and nothing in his expression shifts either.

“Fine!” Wei Ying exclaims, and unzips. At least Lan Zhan turns his back.

He still doesn't step out however.

Wei Ying studies his cheek in the mirror as he washes his hands. It's really not too bad, barely visible, even in the bright light from the light above the sink. He should be able to play it off even without putting any makeup on to cover it up.

——— 

Wei Ying wanders around Lotus Pier after, hoping both to tire out Lan Zhan and to keep moving to best be able to avoid Madam Yu. He ends up running into Jiang Yanli instead, and he feels a grin grow on his lips. He barely saw her yesterday, and he hasn't talked to her in a while.

"Jiejie!" he exclaims, making her look up.

“Wei Ying!” she bursts out, a huge grin spreading on her pretty face. “I didn’t know you could come! Last I heard from mom was that you were not able to come.”

“Ah, yeah,” Wei Ying cuckles awkwardly, forcing himself not to rub his neck, “things changed?”

Lan Zhan is still there, looming over his shoulder like a worried mother. Not that Wei Ying would know. But he imagines that's what it probably looks like to Jiang Yanli.

She doesn't comment about his cheek however, and Wein Ying can practically feel Lan Zhan's frown deepen, a dark aura practically radiating off of him.

“Have you been to visit the orphanage yet?” Jiang Yanli asks, when it’s evident that Wei Ying won’t elaborate on why he’s here.

Wei Ying shakes his head with a frown.

“You should," she smiles, "Wen Qing has been asking about you. I think they all miss you a little."

"Don't let Wen Qing hear you say that," Wei Ying says with a laugh that sounds only halfway forced.

Jiang Yanli slaps his shoulder lightly. "She's much nicer than you give her credit for," she chastises. "You're just always on her nerve. Try being a little nicer."

Wei Ying has to laugh at that. She wants him to be nicer towards her? Wei Ying has tried that, has tried being nice to many people, but he's come to a realisation. He doesn't actually think he's capable of being nice to people. He's just always on their nerve, always annoying them, one way or another. It's a miracle, really, that Lan Zhan has put up with being his roommate for this long.

"You should bring Lan Zhan to visit," Jiang Yanli says, smiling up at Lan Zhan. "I'm sure A-Yuan would love to meet him."

It's not technically a bad idea, especially if it will distract Lan Zhan from asking about his cheek. He still has no excuse, only relying on Lan Zhan being too polite to ask when he can clearly see that Wei Ying does not want to talk about it.

———

The orphanage is where Wei Ying used to live before the Jiangs took him in. At the time it was run by an old lady, but her grandkids, Wen Qing and Wen Ning took over after her when she grew too old. Really though, it’s mostly just Wen Qing running it, with Wen Ning there to play with and entertain the kids.

They used to be some of Wei Yings only friends back in the days, and it’s with a pang of pain in his heart that he realises that it’s been way too long since he last saw them or even spoke with them.

That said, he would actually prefer if Wen Qing is busy with something when they get there.

Lan Zhan stays quiet as they step together up to the building, but he’s looking around curiously, as if maybe he’ll be able to get a glimpse into Wei Ying’s past. (Which is ridiculous, because he has no idea that Wei Ying used to live here.)

"Ying-gege!" comes an excited shriek as soon as he steps inside the door of the orphanage.

"A-Yuan!" Wei Ying exclaims, and scoops the toddler up into his arms. A-Yuan shrieks with laughter as Wei Ying twirls him around, feeling his cheek hurt from how big he's grinning.

He has really missed the little guy, even if he’s sometimes a little annoyed with how he seems to always be hanging on Wei Ying one way or another, or being just a little too noisy about things that doesn't concern him. Like this.

"Ying-gege hurt?" A-Yuan pokes one of his tiny fingers gently into Wei Ying's cheek, just underneath the scratch.

"No, no," Wei Ying quickly assures him, when he sees his lower lip start trembling. "Wei Ying is fine!”

A-Yuan pouts, but he’s still a toddler and as gullible as ever, and completely takes Wei Ying’s word for it. Ah, he loves the little guy.

WIth a secure grip on him he turns around to where Lan Zhan is still standing just inside the door. “This is my friend, Lan Zhan,” he tells A-Yuan, taking a step closer so they can properly say hi.

“Hello, nice to meet you,” Lan Zhan says, his voice low as if he’s afraid to spook A-Yan by speaking too loudly.

“Ying-gege’s friend?”

“Yup,” Wei Ying smiles. “Lan Zhan, this is A-Yuan, the sweetest toddler you’ll ever meet.”

A-Yuan gets a determined look on his face, and proceeds to almost make Wei Ying drop him. He bends forward, in some kind of adorable attempt at a bow, except he only succeeds in twisting around Wei Ying’s arm until he’s held upside down.

Wei Ying swears, trying not to think about what Wen Qing will do to him if she finds out he’s taught little A-Yuan “bad words”, and carefully sets A-Yuan down on the floor, head up and feet down, thank you very much.

“Wei Ying,” a voice comes from behind him.

Wei Ying spins around to face the newcomer. "Wen Qing!" Wei Ying exclaims, hoping that if he's excited enough he can distract her from noticing the scratch on his cheek.

Of course it doesn't work.

She takes his chin in a tight grip, turning his scratched cheek towards her. "Is she doing it again?"

"No, no! It's nothing like that!" He tries to glance at Lan Zhan, but he can't decipher the blank look on his face.

"I don't believe you."

Wei Ying pouts. “What do you want me to say then?”

“The truth,” Wen Qing says, not budging. “If you don’t,” she pauses for maximum effect, and Wei Ying can already guess what she’ll say, “I’ll call A-Ning and Granny over here to make you tell me the truth.”

“No!” Wei Ying finds himself whining before he can stop himself. “Not A-Ning and Granny! They’ll look at me all concerned!”

“Exactly. So do you want to try the truth again?”

“Wei Ying?” Shit. Wei Ying had almost forgotten about Lan Zhan.

“Haha, it’s nothing, ah, Lan Zhan. No need to worry!”

Wen Qing and Lan Zhan just simply give him an identical look, that Wei Ying finds himself shrinking under.

“It was just once!” he exclaims, trying to hide behind himself by raising his shoulder. “And it was my fault because I talked back to her!”

Wen Qing’s shoulder slumps, and something tired sweeps over her face. “Why do you still keep going there? Why won't you let me report it?”

"She'll get in trouble if you do."

"That's the point!"

"Jiejie and Jiang Cheng love her," Wei Ying shoots back.

"So they deserve to know what kind of person she really is!"

Wen Qing sounds like she’s starting to get frustrated with him again, so he puts a hand up and says, “Can we just please drop it? I didn’t come here to think about that.”

Wen Qing studies him for a moment before she sighs. “For now, but only because you’re an adult and you don’t live there. But I won’t forget about it, Wei Ying.” She leans down to takeA-Yuan’s hand, “C’mon, I’ll ask Wen Ning to prepare some tea, he and Granny have been missing you.”

Wei Ying grins, and can’t help but say, “Jiejie said you have been too.”

Wen Qing sends him a glare, but seems to choose not to comment on it. Perhaps she really has missed him.

——— 

Wei Ying leaves Lotus Pier the next day together with Lan Zhan, with the anticlimactic realisation that no more confrontations have happened, and an intense feeling of relief crashing over him like a wave.