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Jiang Cheng doesn’t know what’s happening but he would like it to stop immediately. He can’t take even a single step in Lotus Pier without people falling all over themselves, telling him they love him, offering him courtship gifts or simply staring at him with a love-sick gaze and Jiang Cheng’s skin is crawling with it.
“What the fuck,” he groans when he finally manages to flee into his own private rooms but even there he can hear people talking about him, how much they love him and how amazing he is and Jiang Cheng has to fight the acute urge to throw up.
Something is definitely wrong here but he can’t even go out and find out what it is, because as soon as he steps a foot outside, it will be chaos again.
“Someone get me Jin Ling,” he yells outside, not daring to open the door but he can hear at least four disciples falling all over themselves to do what he asked.
Jiang Cheng hopes his nephew won’t get scarred for life by this, but he needs help and it seems highly impractical for him to leave his own room to find what’s causing this.
It’s not long before Jin Ling comes into his room and by the way he’s dragging his feet Jiang Cheng can already tell that he has something to do with this.
“What did you do?” he growls out and Jin Ling can’t quite meet his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he starts with, “I didn’t know it would get out of hand like this.”
“What is it?” Jiang Cheng asks and he forces himself to calm down, as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
“I found a spell,” Jin Ling admits and Jiang Cheng is already so done with this.
“What does it do?” he asks next and Jin Ling shuffles his feet, clearly uncomfortable with the topic.
Well, if Jiang Cheng has to be uncomfortable by being offered multiple love declarations, then Jin Ling can suck it up.
“I know that you’re unhappy,” Jin Ling starts with and Jiang Cheng presses his lips together.
He usually tries his best to not let it show, but it seems like he’s not good enough at it, if Jin Ling acts like this.
“I see how you flinch whenever someone mentions marriage to you, but I also see how you look when two people in a relationship are around you, and I know you want that, too,” Jin Ling goes on and Jiang Cheng sighs as he sinks down on his bed.
“Go on,” he encourages Jin Ling, much gentler than before because Jiang Cheng can guess where this is going and he can’t find it in him to be mad at Jin Ling for that.
“So I found this spell that guaranties love,” Jin Ling admits. “It says that it changes admiration and respect to love but I didn’t think it would cover the whole of Lotus Pier,” Jin Ling cries out. “Jiu-jiu, I don’t know how to undo it!”
“Oh, brat,” Jiang Cheng says and beacons Jin Ling to come closer. “It’s really not your job to worry about me,” Jiang Cheng whispers when Jin Ling steps into his arms and Jin Ling sniffles into his shoulder.
“But I want you to be happy! You deserve someone by your side!”
“And if it’s meant to be, I will find that person,” Jiang Cheng gives back and is secretly glad that for all that his nephew is perceptive he didn’t realize that Jiang Cheng is already in love.
He just knows that it’s not meant to be.
“But you’re lonely,” Jin Ling cries and Jiang Cheng presses a kiss to his head.
“How can I be lonely when I have you?” he asks and it’s enough to make Jin Ling giggle. “Do you still have the spell?” Jiang Cheng then asks and Jin Ling nods.
“I do. It’s in my room.”
“Then go get it. I’ll ask Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue to drop by, they are great at breaking spells, and then everything will go back to normal in a blink, alright?” Jiang Cheng asks and slightly pushes Jin Ling towards the door.
“Okay, jiu-jiu,” Jin Ling whispers but then he hesitates. “I love you,” he then says as if Jiang Cheng could ever doubt that and Jiang Cheng smiles at him.
“I love you, too, you little menace,” he gives back and when Jin Ling beams at him, Jiang Cheng knows that it’s not so bad at all.
When Jin Ling is gone, Jiang Cheng pencils down a short letter to Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen, urgently asking for their assistance but also making it clear that it’s not a life or death situation and he sends them off with a little bit of spiritual energy. It’s likely that those two are together at the moment anyway, seeing as how Lan Xichen spends an awful lot of time at the Unclean Realm lately, but Jiang Cheng pushes those thoughts far away.
He has no right to be jealous over that; he has no right to wish he could just go to the Unclean Realm as well, because Nie Mingjue didn’t invite him.
Jiang Cheng knows that he’s lucky that Nie Mingjue even finds the time to come to Lotus Pier every other week, and it’s stupid to hope or wish for more.
Jiang Cheng knows where he stands with Nie Mingjue.
Instead of allowing his thoughts to go further down that road, he forces himself to concentrate on what Jin Ling said about the spell.
It changes admiration and respect to love, Jin Ling had said. Jiang Cheng will have to check over the spell himself, to see if it’s true, but if Jin Ling spoke the truth then that means more people at Lotus Pier respect him than he ever thought possible.
Jiang Cheng constantly worries that he’s not doing enough for his people, that he’s too angry and too strict and too bad of a leader for them to ever respect him, but it seems like those insecurities are unfounded.
He got fifteen marriage proposals on the walk towards his room alone, and Jiang Cheng has to close his eyes when he realizes that all those people truly respect and admire him.
Even if he doesn’t find love through this spell, he at least knows that he’s not unloved like he always feared, and that certainly is a thought that warms him through and through.
Jiang Cheng’s thoughts are still stuck on that detail when Jin Ling comes barging into the room, excitedly waving an old scroll around.
“Jiu-jiu, I found it,” he yells and presents it to Jiang Cheng, proud as anything.
Jiang Cheng really can’t be mad at him.
“Good,” Jiang Cheng praises him and then takes the scroll to quickly read the spell over.
It does indeed do what Jin Ling told him it would and if Jiang Cheng is being honest, Jin Ling has every reason to be proud of himself.
It’s a rather complicated spell and Jin Ling is only nine. The fact that he made it work, and correctly at that, is a very promising sign.
Of course there’s no part that tells Jiang Cheng how to undo the spell, because that would have been too easy apparently, and so the only thing they can do is wait for Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue.
It’s not long before they arrive, and they arrive together, so clearly Jiang Cheng has been right with his assessment, and Jiang Cheng realizes his mistake the moment Lan Xichen lays eyes on him.
“Jiang Cheng!” he gasps out and hurries over to Jiang Cheng to grab his hands. “I don’t have a courtship gift, but I hope you will still accept me,” Lan Xichen excitedly tells him and Jiang Cheng groans.
It’s nice to know that Lan Xichen at least respects him, Jiang Cheng tries to convince himself, but when he sees the dazed look on Lan Xichen’s face Jiang Cheng tries to take a step back from him.
Not that Lan Xichen would allow him, it seems, because the grip on his hand only tightens.
“Xichen, what the hell?” Nie Mingjue suddenly asks behind Lan Xichen and pulls him away from Jiang Cheng.
Lan Xichen makes an unhappy sound, but he does allow Nie Mingjue to manhandle him like that and Jiang Cheng abruptly turns away from them when he realizes that Nie Mingjue is entirely unaffected by the spell.
He knew that it was too much to hope that Nie Mingjue would ever return his feelings but the knowledge that he never even held any respect for Jiang Cheng at all sits heavily in his chest.
Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen are having a whispered discussion it seems, and Jiang Cheng is almost glad for it, because it gives him the time to at least try to compose himself.
He just has to hold it together for one afternoon, just until the spell is broken and they can go on their merry way, and then he can wallow in his hurt feelings all he wants.
“It’s a spell,” Jiang Cheng says, his voice loud enough to be heard over their hushed voices and when they turn around to him, it’s only Nie Mingjue who seems clear-minded and his shoulders loose a lot of their tension.
“What spell?” he demands to know and Jiang Cheng motions for them to follow him, which Lan Xichen more than gladly does, going by how happily he trails after Jiang Cheng.
“That’s so damn weird,” Nie Mingjue mutters as he follows them as well, and Jiang Cheng has to agree.
He leads them to his private quarters, which clearly only gives Lan Xichen ideas, because he tries to slide up to Jiang Cheng again, and he’s only stopped by Nie Mingjue’s hand on his arm.
“I swear to the gods, Xichen,” Nie Mingjue tells him, not that Lan Xichen seems to listen to him much, and Jiang Cheng is glad when he can hand him the scroll with the spell, just so that Nie Mingjue can turn his concentration somewhere else.
Nie Mingjue quickly reads it over, his eyebrows raising higher and higher up on his forehead until he lowers the scroll.
“Did you cast this?” he asks and he almost doesn’t sound judging at all.
“Don’t be stupid,” Jiang Cheng scoffs out. “It was Jin Ling. He’s under the impression that I’m unhappy without a partner.”
“And are you?” Nie Mingjue asks and it’s so out of the blue that Jiang Cheng freezes, before he gets himself back under control.
“It doesn’t matter, now, does it. Can you break it? I’m not good with spells, that’s why I called you, though I didn’t think ahead,” Jiang Cheng says with a nod at Lan Xichen, trying desperately not to look at Nie Mingjue at all.
Nie Mingjue doesn’t say anything, and for that Jiang Cheng is thankful, because after he read the scroll, he must now know that Jiang Cheng understands now that Nie Mingjue doesn’t hold an ounce of respect for him.
“I need Jin Ling to break the spell,” Nie Mingjue says and tries to shove the scroll at Lan Xichen, who seems to busy making eyes at Jiang Cheng to accept it.
“I’ll go get him,” Jiang Cheng offers and then basically flees his own rooms because everything is better than being in Nie Mingjue’s presence for a moment longer.
Jin Ling is in his own quarters, so it’s a quick trip to collect him and when Jiang Cheng shoves Jin Ling into his rooms, he sees that Lan Xichen is bowed over the scroll as well. It seems like Jiang Cheng’s absence did wonders for his concentration and so Jiang Cheng decides not to enter.
They probably don’t need him to break the spell, so he can damn well wait outside, too.
He seems to be right with that, too, when no one comes to get him, but it sounds like a heated discussion is going on inside. Before Jiang Cheng can really start to worry though he can feel a surge in Nie Mingjue’s qi, before it slowly ebbs off again and then Jin Ling stomps out of the room.
“They broke it,” he says, clearly close to tears and Jiang Cheng picks him up.
“I know you only meant well with it, but it’s not right to make people feel things they don’t normally feel,” Jiang Cheng says and wipes Jin Ling’s cheek when a tear rolls down. “I promise I’m happy without a partner, too, because I have you,” he then says and that puts a smile back on Jin Ling’s face.
“I love you, jiu-jiu,” Jin Ling says and Jiang Cheng presses a kiss to his forehead.
“I love you, too, but now you better get going. I’m going to see Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue off.”
“Fine,” Jin Ling huffs and struggles to get down before he dashes off, leaving Jiang Cheng behind to face Nie Mingjue again.
In the end Lan Xichen exits the room before Jiang Cheng can muster the courage to go into it and Lan Xichen seems strangely embarrassed.
“I am really sorry for my behaviour earlier,” Lan Xichen says, his ears slightly red but Jiang Cheng waves him off.
“You weren’t in your right mind, it’s no big deal,” he reassures him and when Lan Xichen smiles at him, he figures they are going to be okay.
“I’ll be off then,” Lan Xichen says with a bow. “Please do let us know if you should ever need anything else.”
“Yeah,” Jiang Cheng vaguely agrees, because he doubts that he’s ever going to ask Nie Mingjue for help again.
Not knowing that Nie Mingjue doesn’t even respect him.
Jiang Cheng watches as Lan Xichen marches off, but when Nie Mingjue doesn’t come out of his rom, he frowns, before he simply marches back in.
“Why are you still here?” he demands to know when he sees that Nie Mingjue is still seated at the table and Nie Mingjue shrugs.
“I think we should talk,” he easily says, and Jiang Cheng sees red.
“There is nothing to talk about, Chifeng-zun,” he hisses out but Nie Mingjue holds his gaze.
“I’m in love with you,” Nie Mingjue suddenly says and he takes Jiang Cheng so completely by surprise that his words don’t even register at first.
“Shut up,” Jiang Cheng almost shouts when they finally do, because he can accept a lot, but he cannot accept when someone he looks up to lies straight into his face.
“I do. That’s why the spell didn’t affect me. I already love you.”
“Bullshit,” Jiang Cheng says, though there’s a trickle of doubt in him all of a sudden.
“Lan Xichen spends so much time with me lately, because he’s helping me with your courtship gift,” Nie Mingjue goes on, clearly not at all caring about what his words do to Jiang Cheng.
“Shut up,” Jiang Cheng says again, though this time it’s barely above a whisper.
“No,” Nie Mingjue decidedly says and gets up. “I will not. I am in love with you, and I should have said it earlier. I’m sorry I didn’t, but I thought you weren’t ready, yet,” he explains and when he steps close to Jiang Cheng he hates to admit that he sways towards him.
“Don’t lie,” Jiang Cheng lowly says, but it’s not a reprimand anymore but him begging and Nie Mingjue cups his cheek in his hands.
“I’m not. I wouldn’t. I love you, that’s why the spell didn’t have an effect on me,” he tells Jiang Cheng and then simply leans in to brush their lips together. “And I would love to court you.”
Jiang Cheng is ashamed to admit that he whimpers against Nie Mingjue’s lips, that he fists his hands into his robes to stop him from ever leaving again, and Nie Mingjue pulls him even closer.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Nie Mingjue promises him and Jiang Cheng hides his face in Nie Mingjue’s chest.
“I love you, too,” he then admits, because it’s easier like that, but he can hear how Nie Mingjue’s heart beats quicker at that and Jiang Cheng presses a kiss to Nie Mingjue’s chest.
“Jin Ling will be unbearably smug that his spell worked,” Jiang Cheng says, just as he feels Nie Mingjue’s lips at the top of his head and Nie Mingjue huffs out a laugh.
“Let him be smug,” he decides. “He deserves it.”
Jiang Cheng is afraid that a smug Jin Ling will be worse than an angry Jin Ling but he can’t really argue Nie Mingjue’s point.
Not when he still holds Jiang Cheng so perfectly in his arms and actually wants to court him.
For that, he most certainly has to thank Jin Ling.