Work Text:
"Wei Ying."
"Yes?"
"I think it is time for you to meet my family."
Wei Ying stops munching on his Flamin Hot Cheetos and gives him an anxious look.
"But... are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, I love you very much and I'd love to meet your family but your family has so many rules and your uncle has such high expectations of you and I'm jus—"
"Wei Ying. You will be alright."
"You don't understand Lan Zhan! What if I mess up? What if your uncle finds—"
Seeing his boyfriend so nervous, Lan Wangji wraps his hands around his lover's shoulder. That calms Wei Ying down, to a certain degree.
"I am sure my brother will support us. Uncle might disapprove at first, but he too will accept you eventually."
Wei Ying still doesn't look very sure of that. Lan Wangji has been preparing himself for this conversation for days. He made plans to comfort Wei Ying. To convince him that he'll be accepted by the Lan family. But seeing him so alarmed makes him feel terrible for putting his beloved in such a situation.
Lan Wangji knows he shouldn't be forcing Wei Ying to meet his family. But he is only human. His whole life, he had been lonely. Not a single person had ever wanted to befriend him. He was always too intimidating, too cold to be approached. And he had made peace with that. He was content, spending his time surrounded by his work, his books, and his guqin. He was content in the comfort of his apartment, sharing his overly large penthouse with his three pet rabbits.
But then he met Wei Ying. It was a chance encounter, to be honest. He had gone to the local hospital for his routine check-up. After he was done, he entered the elevator, absent-mindedly pressing the buttons, mentally planning to buy some treats for his bunnies. That was when he noticed his co-passenger—a tall, slender man with messy hair tied in a loose ponytail, pierced ears, elaborate tattoos covering his forearms. He was wearing a red t-shirt and black trousers and a black leather jacket. His eyes were a rare shade of grey. The man seemed to be engrossed in his phone, busy typing something.
Lan Wangji was enthralled. He didn't know it was possible to look so chaotic yet so graceful at the same time. Lan Wangji had never felt anything like that ever before.
But he also knew he will never be meeting this man again in the future, so he decided to keep his fascination to himself.
Then the elevator gave a mighty shudder when it reached the fourth floor and stopped abruptly. Lan Wangji tried slamming the buttons but to no avail. He had no luck trying to open the doors either. Panicking slightly, he decided to call the emergency number and inform them of the situation.
When he got off the phone, the beautiful man's eyes were on him. Before Lan Wangji could say anything, the man started asking impatiently–
''What happened? Why did it stop? Have you called 911?"
Lan Wangji felt dumbstruck. Perfect face and a perfect voice! Bombarded by so many questions, he tried to reassure the man as best as he could.
''Mn. They are coming within the next hour."
"Oh no!" the man excalimei. "I'm going to be so late! Well, nothing can be done I guess. I'm Wei Wuxian by the way! You can call me Wei Ying!"
No no no. This cannot be happening to him. Not only is he trapped with his devastatingly handsome individual, but now he has to converse with him! An actual conversation! With this man, who seemingly has no problem speaking to strangers as if they're friends! Not wanting to embarrass himself, Lan Wangji resorted to giving one-word answers.
It took three whole hours for them to get out of the elevator. In that time, Lan Wangji learned more about Wei Ying than he knew about his own uncle. Wei Ying was a full-time grad student and part-time artist. He was scared of dogs. He lived in his one-bedroom apartment. He was friends with a doctor in the hospital, and he was visiting her to treat some minor wounds. He wanted to become a teacher. He loved spicy foods.
Somehow, Lan Wangji also acquired his phone number. Lan Wangji spent the rest of the day in a daze.
The next steps were relatively easy. They met again. They chatted. They went on dates. They fell in love. Soon after their first anniversary, Wei Ying moved in with him.
They are perfect. They are happier than ever.
Which brings them to their current situation. Lan Wangji loves Wei Ying. Lan Wangji also loves his family. So naturally, he wants his loved ones to meet and get along with each other. He knows his uncle will be disappointed. Uncle has always wanted him to be with someone of his status. Someone who belongs to the corporate world. As the second heir of The Lan Corp, he is expected to marry someone equally calm, traditional, and sophisticated. Instead, he has chosen Wei Ying. Loud, messy Wei Ying, who always speaks his mind, who is passionate about everything he does, who cannot tolerate injustice when he sees it, who makes Lan Wangji fall in love more and more every day.
"Wei Ying. Everything will be alright. I will be by your side. Nothing will go wrong."
Wei Ying gives a small but hopeful smile.
"If you say so, Lan Zhan."
Lan Wangji is not delusional. He knows if he introduces Wei Ying to Uncle at their ancestral home, Uncle will say some very unpleasant things, perhaps even kick him out. So he has decided to introduce them at a banquet. It will be a big, important dinner with many prominent guests, and therefore Uncle will not be able to create a scene even if he wants to. Now he only hopes things play out according to his plan.
The banquet is a huge affair, as is everything with the Jins. Lan Wangji gets out of his Mercedes, holds the door open, and extends an arm to his beloved. Wei Ying gives him a brave, confident smile and gets out of the car.
They are greeted at the entrance of the banquet hall by Jin Guangyao, who immediately orders the waiters to serve them some refreshments. Soon his brother notices them and starts approaching them. Lan Wangji steadily holds Wei Ying's hand, as if to say "I am here."
"Wangji! It's so good to see you! And you must be Wei Ying!" Lan Xichen says warmly.
Wei Ying gives a plastic smile and smoothly shakes the hand. "It's good to see you too, Mr. Lan."
"Please call me Xichen. We're practically family! Wangji has told me so much about you!"
This time, Wei Ying's smile is more genuine. "I've heard a lot about you too. He really looks up to you."
So far, everything is going well. His brother likes Wei Ying, as expected. Now he only needs to impress one more person.
"Brother, where is Uncle?"
"Uncle is currently discussing some important projects with Mr. Yao. Should I call him?
Just then, as if summoned by some prophetic spirit, his Uncle arrives in his eyesight.
Lan Wangji's heart starts racing. He never thought he would be the one needing comfort, but right now he feels like a student whose parents are being called into the principal's office.
He grabs his lover's hand, holding it steadily.
"Uncle."
"Wangji."
His uncle glares at their joint hands and makes his displeasure known through his scowls.
"So this is the man you live with."
"Ah Uncle! They just arrived. I'm sure we can talk about this later." His brother tries to diffuse the situation as always. Lan Wangji, however, meets his Uncle's eyes firmly.
"Yes, Uncle. This is Wei Ying, my boyfriend."
Uncle seems to scowl even harder at the mention of 'boyfriend'.
Wei Ying, however, is oddly confident today.
"Hello, Mr. Lan. I'm Wei Ying, courtesy name Wuxian. It's nice to meet you."
"Hmph!"
Then, Mr. Yao decides to make his presence known. Lan Wangji can already feel a headache forming.
"Who is this, Mr. Lan? Is he your nephew's friend?"
"Boyfriend, actually." Wei Ying politely interjects.
Mr. Yao starts stammering. But he quickly recovers and says "Mr. Lan, are you not going to say anything about that?"
Lan Wangji almost thinks his Uncle will berate them as well, but he also knows Uncle will never discuss such internal conflicts in public, nor will he allow Mr. Yao to interfere in their private matters.
"My nephew is an adult. He can make his own decisions."
Lan Wangji lets out a relieved sigh. His predictions were right. It was a better idea to bring his lover to the banquet than to their family dinner.
Soon, they move on and start speaking with other guests. Everything is going well.
But there is one thing that is bothering him. The current Wei Ying is nothing like the Wei Ying who lives with him. This Wei Ying is courteous, polite, and refined. This Wei Ying fits into the banquet perfectly. This Wei Ying knows the mannerisms, the dining etiquettes. This Wei Ying is not the same guy who cannot even eat popcorns without spilling all over the couch. He feels proud of him, but he also can't help questioning the whole thing.
He starts getting lost in his thoughts, trying to connect the pieces when he sees the Jiang family arrive through the main entrance.
The next thing that happens leaves him open-mouthed.
Wei Ying drops his elegant, charming persona. He abruptly stops his current conversation, a vague discussion about something Lan Wangji doesn't remember, and runs towards Miss Jiang.
"JIEJIEE!!"
Wei Ying launches himself in front of Miss Jiang and proceeds to wrap his arms around her in a bear hug. She instantly hugs him back, with as much enthusiasm.
"Jiejie! I missed you so so much!"
"Aww! I missed A-Xian too!"
Lan Wangji is a disciplined person. He always makes plans before doing something. He even makes backup plans, just in case. And right now, he can safely say that this is not a part of his plan or his backup plan.
Wei Ying is still excitedly talking to Miss Jiang, who seems to adore him. Then, Mr. Jiang Fengmian, CEO of The Jiang Industries, pats Wei Ying's head fondly. Even Jiang Wanyin, his heir punches Wei Ying lightly, as if they've known each other their whole lives.
Lan Wangji doesn't know what to do. He is not prepared for this at all. But Wei Ying notices him and hurries towards him. The next thing he knows, he is being dragged towards the Jiang family.
"Jiejie, A-Cheng, Uncle. This is Lan Zhan, my boyfriend. Lan Zhan! Meet my family!"
Lan Wangji is even more confused than before. He knows about Wei Ying's family. Wei Ying always talks about his elder sister and her famous pork rib soup, his younger brother who is always angry, his gentle but supportive uncle, and his not-so-supportive aunt.
He knows about Wei Ying's family, but he never thought they were one of the most influential families in the country.
Jiang Fengmian and Jiang Yanli greet him courteously. Jiang Wanyin also gruffly shakes his hand, muttering something about dumb brothers and dumb life choices.
Lan Wangji feels out of place. He is happy that Wei Ying's family has accepted him, but he also feels overwhelmed by this new information.
Beside him, Wei Ying has already launched into a conversation with Jiang Wanyin, who is explaining why his mother could not attend the banquet.
"Apologies for my interruption, but I will have to borrow Wei Ying for a minute." Lan Wangji says and guides Wei Ying to a less crowded corner of the hall.
"Okay I know I should have given you a heads up, but I was so stressed about your Uncle that it completely left my mind. I'm sorry Lan Zhan, please don't be mad."
Wei Ying says apologetically, his eyes downcast.
"Wei Ying. I'm not mad."
"You aren't?"
"No. I'm just surprised. Why did you never tell me that your family was the Jiangs?"
"Because it doesn't matter! After my parents died, I was adopted by Uncle Jiang. I was raised as their family, but Madam Yu never liked me. So when I turned 18, I moved out and chose my own path. They still pay for my grad school, even when I tell them not to, and they still send me money every month, which I never use." Wei Ying takes a deep breath.
"I never told you because I didn't want you to think of me differently. I'm still the same man! I'm still the same messy, obnoxious Wei Ying who cannot organize a single thing. I'm still the same Wei Ying who cannot live without you."
Lan Wangji feels overwhelmed for the second time that night, albeit due to different reasons. He wishes he could kiss Wei Ying right there and assure him that he loves him too, more than anything. But he cannot do that, since they are in public. So he can only hold his hands and say– "Love Wei Ying too. Cannot live without Wei Ying."
Lan Wangji turns his attention back to the Jiangs. He sees his Uncle exchanging regards with Jiang Fengmian.
He once again takes Wei Ying's hand and goes back to them. Uncle, who has somehow gotten hold of the situation, is not frowning at them anymore, which he considers a win.
"A-Xian, weren't you saying something about the rabbits?"
Wei Ying's eyes light up. As he starts giving a melodramatic speech about how the rabbits never like him, and how the whole world is cruel to him, Lan Wangji allows himself to relax for the first time in the night.
Maybe everything didn't go according to his plan, but Lan Wangji isn't complaining.