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To be fair, Jiang Cheng was under a lot of stress from studying for exams in between attending a multitude of difficult classes and suffering from a severe lack of sleep when, on the way back to his apartment complex, he made the snap decision to walk into a music store and purchase a cheap second-hand violin out of pure spite. Whoever the asshole was in the end unit next to his one had recently developed a habit of playing the fucking xiao of all things during Jiang Cheng's study hours.
Normally he wouldn't give in to such sheer pettiness and would confront the problem directly, but his nerves were frayed to tatters and he was upset. It was time to dish out a taste of that bastard of a neighbor's own medicine. He dedicated an hour of that night to watching youtube videos and basic practice with the violin so he had some idea of how to play it. Quietly, of course, to not tip off the neighbor to what he was planning. Jiang Cheng probably shouldn't have sacrificed that much of his valuable time. Hopefully the payoff was worth it.
The very next day when he heard the smooth, rich notes coming through the adjoining wall as he was chugging one of the energy drinks he'd been sustaining himself upon, he slammed close his textbook and whipped out the violin. Lining the bow up, and with a toothy grin that would frighten small children, he screeched out the beginnings of the most dreadful and cringe-inducing version of the Itsy Bitsy Spider.
It did the trick. The xiao cut off abruptly and Jiang Cheng savored the blissful silence, basking in the victory of being able to concentrate enough to study with no distractions.
For one day.
The next afternoon the asshole was back at it with his xiao, so Jiang Cheng responded with a hideous rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. This time, however, after a short moment of wonderful silence, the xiao started up again, playing the the exact same tune, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star back at him, only soothing and mellow and actually pleasing to the ears.
Jiang Cheng fired back with an even more nails-on-the-chalkboard mockery of a children's song, and his fucking asshole neighbor played the corrected tune back with extra flair.
It only escalated from there.
Unfortunately it soon ended in Jiang Cheng's temporary defeat when he broke a string on his violin while slamming together the most out of key and nonsensical string of notes he could in a rage. And to pour salt in his wound, that bastard in the room over just fucking had to be able to somehow make the mess of sounds into something pleasant when it was played back.
What a fucking dick.
After an extremely rough night with little sleep, an exhausted and pissed off Jiang Cheng took the violin into the shop to have it fixed because he was not. going. to. lose. He did not see the thoughtful pair of eyes from across the street watching him as he stormed back into the apartment complex carrying the repaired instrument. He did not see the way those eyes initially darkened as they drunk in his attractive form and the way a pair of lips curled up in appreciation. Nor did he see the way the admiration turned into concern in worry when those eyes noticed just how haggard and worn down he looked.
During their next musical battle, no matter what horrible sounds Jiang Cheng produced from his violin, the xiao would only respond with soothing lullabies. Like that asshole was sending a fucking message. As if the dick knew Jiang Cheng was having a rough time and was mocking him for it. A night class interrupted and put a pause to their fight. It did not count as a loss.
When Jiang Cheng finally got back three hours later, eyes heavy and lined with dark circles, he found a note on his door.
'I will hold off on playing for a few days. Please get some sleep.'
The note was crumpled and thrown in the trash with a snarl. Jiang Cheng left his own note on the bastard's door.
'Fuck you '
He discovered the response when leaving for morning classes after another terrible night of little sleep.
'I'd like that. You are most welcome to come over tonight. -Lan Xichen '
That was enough to short circuit Jiang Cheng's already overworked brain. How long he stood there, gaping at the note with a red face, he would never know. He also wouldn't know that the one who had left the note had been waiting just out of sight for him to see it. A tap on his shoulder woke him out of his stupor. He turned to face the most gorgeous man he'd ever seen, who was regarding him with a kind smile.
The man, Lan Xichen, stepped closer to a furiously blushing Jiang Cheng, concerned eyes taking in his worn down appearance, and said in a soft and gentle voice, "Let's postpone my offer until tomorrow. Tonight, please let me help you get some actual sleep."