Chapter Text
He’s back.
Wei Wuxian is back. My Shixiong is back. But he is not here—not where he should be. Not with me. He is at the Cloud Recesses, with Lan Wangji. And once again, he has chosen someone else over me.
We were supposed to be inseparable, the twin prides of Yunmeng Jiang, unyielding in our loyalty to each other. You promised, Wei Wuxian. How presumptuous of you to make such promises so easily and then shatter them without hesitation.
Where are you now, Wei Wuxian?
I trusted you with my life and soul. I thought of you as my brother in every sense of the word. And yet, you stood for the Wens, leaving behind the burning remains of the Jiangs who took you in, who raised you, who loved you. Do you even think about the lives lost because of you? A-Die, A-Niang, A-Jie... even Jin Zixuan. You left Jin Ling an orphan.
And for what?
While you disappeared, I was left to pick up the pieces of a shattered sect. I rebuilt Yunmeng Jiang from the ground up, gathering the scattered remnants of our family and trying to restore some semblance of what we once were. Do you know how it felt to do all of this alone? You weren’t there to see my struggle. You weren’t there to witness the pain I carried, day after day, as I tried to live up to the legacy of our family.
I stood in the ruins of Lotus Pier, haunted by the echoes of laughter and the warmth of a family that no longer existed. I worked until my hands bled, desperate to bring life back to what had been destroyed. But nothing felt whole. Nothing felt right.
You promised me that you would be by my side forever. I would lead, and you would stand beside me as my right hand. And yet, you abandoned me. You chose others over me. Why, Wei Wuxian? Why?
Even my golden core—your golden core—was a secret you kept from me. How could you do something so drastic without my consent, without even telling me? You self-sacrificing fool. Did you think I wouldn’t find out? That I wouldn’t hate you for it?
And yet, despite everything, I couldn’t truly hate you. Not fully.
The day you died, I searched for your body. I combed through the ruins of the Nightless City, desperate to find even a trace of you. But there was nothing. Nothing except that damn flute of yours.
I never told anyone, but I carried your flute with me everywhere secretly. It was all I had left of you, and somehow, it made me feel like you were still with me. How ironic, knowing now that you were with me all along—that your strength, your golden core, was what kept me going.
Even after all the pain and betrayal, I wanted to find you. I wanted to drag your sorry ass back to Lotus Pier, kicking and screaming if necessary. I wanted to scream at you, to hit you, to demand answers for everything you put me through. And yet, even now, all I want is for you to come back.
I miss you, Wei Wuxian. I miss you more than I can put into words.
Lan Wangji isn’t the only one who mourned you all these years. I mourned you too. I grieved for the brother I lost. And when I saw you again at the Guanyin Temple, I wanted to hold on to you and never let go. But instead, you told me to forget the past. To let it go.
How can I let it go?
You were my brother. You are my brother. And I love you, even now.
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Days turned into weeks, and I heard nothing from him. The Cloud Recesses felt like a distant, untouchable realm, and he was a part of it now, a life I could never be part of.
But then, one evening, as the sun dipped low over Lotus Pier, a shadow appeared on the horizon. At first, I thought it was a figment of my imagination. But as the figure came closer, the distinctive red robes and mischievous gait became unmistakable.
It was Wei Wuxian.
He stood at the entrance, hesitant and uncharacteristically quiet. His eyes met mine, and for a moment, the world seemed to pause. Neither of us moved. Neither of us spoke.
“What are you doing here?” I finally asked, my voice sharper than I intended.
“I came to see you,” he said softly, his tone devoid of the usual teasing. “I... I owe you an apology.”
An apology. That was a word I never thought I’d hear from Wei Wuxian.
“You owe me more than that,” I snapped, the years of anger and hurt bubbling to the surface. “Do you have any idea—any idea at all—what you’ve put me through?”
“I do,” he said, his voice trembling slightly. “And I’m sorry, Jiang Cheng. I truly am. I made so many mistakes, and I’ve hurt you in ways I can’t undo. But I’m here now. If you’ll let me, I want to make it right.”
I wanted to yell at him, to curse him, to tell him to leave and never come back. But the vulnerability in his eyes, the raw pain and regret etched into his face, stopped me.
For the first time in years, we talked. Really talked. He told me everything—about his choices, his regrets, his reasons. And I told him about my struggles, my grief, my anger.
By the time the moon hung high in the sky, the tension between us had begun to ease. It wasn’t perfect. The scars of our past would never fully heal. But for the first time in a long time, it felt like we were brothers again.
As he stood to leave, I stopped him. “Stay,” I said quietly. “Lotus Pier is your home too.”
He looked at me, surprised, and then a small smile broke across his face. “Thank you, Jiang Cheng.”
And for the first time in years, I felt a glimmer of hope.
....