Chapter Text
Wei Ying tried to not let it get into him. He really did.
But as he sees it from his peripheral view, how Lan Zhan keeps staring at him, he can’t help but groan inside. But he knows, his face is flustered.
Currently, they are on their date inside a cafe. Earlier, Wei Ying waited for Lan Zhan to be done in her office work so that they can have their date before the man sends her home. A routine they’ve arranged ever since he courted her.
They have been speaking over the duration of time then Wei Ying paused from talking and decided to look outside through the transparent glass made wall as he savored the serenity of a peaceful atmosphere together with the woman he loves. He lets his eyes look at the passing cars and a few people passing by.
He does this sometimes and he’s glad he can do it without the pressure of having to speak all the time like what he usually does whenever he’s with his friends. But with Lan Zhan, he never felt the pressure of being the life of a party. With Lan Zhan, he can just be- Wei Ying. Not jolly all the time Wei Ying or something like that. Just.. Wei Ying. And he appreciates that very much. Not all people are willing to accept you for who you are after all.
If only! If only she stops staring at him intensely like now. Not that he didn’t like it. He really like it very much! He really does! It’s just that if she keeps on doing that, he might do something stupid like kiss her here and now and then the woman would get mad at him for kissing her when they’re not even lovers yet. He can’t risk that.
Has she been staring at him like that ever since? Why had he not notice it before?
Or maybe he did. But it’s just that everytime he thinks the woman is staring, he just drops it as his imagination because that can’t be right right? Lan Zhan doesn’t like him like that. Not yet anyways since he’s still wooing her.
But now that he found out that’s not the case-because he saw the proof himself on the posters of his face plastered around her room. And it’s clear she’s been crushing at him for years- he’s feeling quite overwhelmed to feel just how intense she can look at him.
Trying to pretend he didn’t notice her stare, he turned his face back to her (and to his amusement, the woman looked down immediately and cut a piece of cake on the table making it look as if she wasn’t looking at Wei Ying just a while ago) and said trying not to snicker. “ Lan Zhan! I know I’ve been pestering you about this for days, but please- “
“No.” she interrupted before he can even finish his sentence.
It made him thought grumbling. Tsk. What if I call out on how you just stared at me intensely while you thought I didn’t notice? Would you still act this boldly, interrupting me after knowing the fact? This woman…
But of course he didn’t do it.
“I haven’t even finished what I was going to say yet."
" Wei Ying wants me to come to the Gala with him. “
Sigh. So yeah. That’s what he’s been pestering her about the past days. It’s not that he wanted to be insufferable about it. It’s just that, it’s his last gala as a model since he’s retiring soon. And he wants it to be memorable. And it can only be memorable if the woman comes with him. He thinks.
“The answer is no.” she added.
As usual. What did he expect?
He understands though. Why she didn’t want to come. She loved her private life after all and doesn’t like publicity. And gala means, paparazzi and reporters and such.
He has seen and even met Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen before, but he never saw Lan Wangji. They appear on television after all, having one of the biggest companies that ever existed in the country. Of course they would be invited for national tv interviews for people to see.
He’s heard rumors about Lan Xichen’s sister before. But he never saw her until that day at the bar. He only realize it was Lan Xichen’s sister after he met the man once again(since upclose, he noticed that the man looked similar to the woman he’s been crushing after only seeing her one time) weeks later after he signed a contract at their company for modelling.
Wei Ying pouted. “ Fine.” now with a mischievous smile. “ But stop staring sneakily at me. You really think I didn’t notice? “
oops! He actually called her out on her staring! He snickered internally.
The woman looked surprised at that and avoided his eyes, tips of ears blushing. But then she said. “ Does it bother you? If I.. stare?”
“Of course not! I was just teasing you, Lan Zhan. You were just too cute staring at me and then looking away afraid of getting caught. Haha”
She blushed even more when the man called her cute.
“ Not cute.” She says because she’s nothing like cute. If there is anyone who looks cute, it would be Wei Ying. Aside from her bunnies that is. Of course.
“ I don’t care what you think, Lan Zhan. Because for me, you’re cute! And when I say you’re cute, then you are. You’re not allowed to argue with me. “ he says making the woman huff.
“ Anyways! What were you thinking while you’re staring at me? Tell me about it l, Lan Zhan. Don’t be shy come on“
He never really expected her to answer that despite his words. But then the woman actually paused as if she was thinking and then opened her mouth to say, “I was thinking of how to think about Wei Ying less.”
Hearing the response, the man was dumbfounded. “Huh? Why? ”
“I can’t stop thinking about Wei Ying. ” She says, her gaze at her cup of tea before she raised it to her lips and drank it.
Okay what the Fu.
He thinks he already knows the answer to that but hearing and knowing it is entirely a different thing. That’s why, as his heart pounds so hard in his chest, he can only utter. “ Lan Zhan, please marry me. “ like an idiot.
Once again, the woman went surprised at that. “ Do not say things you don’t mean.”
But he means it! Very much! Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean it’ll happen anytime soon! After all, they’re not even officially lovers yet. So he decided to drop the subject.
“ haha anyways, have you learned a strategy then on how to think of me less?” he says playfully wiggling his brows.
“I have.”
Oh? She just really has an answer everytime he asks huh? Even when it’s nothing really serious.
But he’s not complaining! He loves how the woman’s mind works after all. He loves to hear it everytime. And above all that, he loves hearing her voice.
“ oh? Mind sharing it with me? Because to be honest with you, I also can’t stop thinking about you. Whether I’m eating, or drinking, taking a bath, when I wake up in the morning, before I sleep at night and more! I can give you a list if you want me to."
Wangji went red at that. “The more you suppress the urge, the stronger it becomes. Therefore, let it pass through. Let it go. Drop it.”
Wei Ying didn’t respond immediately at that, analyzing the words. Cupping his chin, he said. “Hmm.. okay, so how should I let it pass through? Just do it like what you did? You can’t stop thinking about me so you settled on staring at my face? Was it gone then afterwards?”
She shook her head. “It is not gone. Nevertheless, it didn’t bring you along with it. Making you able to do anything else instead of flowing with the feeling.”
“ So you’re saying, let the feelings flow but don’t let the feelings overcome you? Is that it?”
“Mn.”
“Hmm.. Somehow it’s the same as, feel it but also don’t feel it. Haha”
“Wei Ying, it is the same as shooting a gun.”
Confused, he asked. “ Explain further?”
“Project the pistol as your heart.”
“ Okay.” Says Wei Ying, face looking serious. It made the woman’s heart melt because why would her heart not melt when this man always takes her words so seriously like this? Right?
“ The feeling or the urge as the bullet.”
“ Okay, I think I get it! So once you shoot the gun, that’s it! It’s a way of letting the feeling pass from your heart to the target, right?"
“ Mn.”
“ Hmm, so how exactly are you gonna shoot the gun Lan Zhan? What is the bullet?”
“ The words.”
“So you tell the person about it?”
“ Mn.”
“ That’s it? What if you can’t see the person literally? Or can’t call or message them due to inevitable circumstance?”
“ Picture out that the person is in front of you.”
The man nodded very slowly. “ okay! I’ll take note of that. But Lan Zhan, why didn’t you tell me about it then? Tell me now so that you will not be overcome by the feelings.” he says smiling playfully.
“ I did.”
“ Which was it?”
“ I told you.”
He rolled his eyes. “ You told me many things, Lan Zhan. I'm not sure which ones it is.”
Feeling playful though still with a blank expression on her face, the woman fold her right arm and put her elbow on the table, the hand forming into a gun and said. “ The bullet was-” she then point said gun towards Wei Ying. “-Wei Ying, I can’t stop thinking about you.”
The man laughed at that feeling amused at her actions.
The next day, Wei Ying called Lan Zhan after his afternoon photoshoot. He missed her so much after all. He hasn’t heard her voice ever since this morning. Though he sent her a good morning message and some sweet anything’s before he proceed working. It’s a habit he never fails to do ever since he courted the woman.
“ Hi Lan Zhan! Are you busy?” he said as he sat on a chair and drank water from the bottle.
“Not as of the moment.”
He swallowed the water and then uttered. “Good! We can speak longer then?” he put the bottle on the table close to him.
“Mn.”
“Great! How’s your day?” he uttered as he leaned his back on the chair a smile playing on his lips.
“Good. Just-“ the woman paused.
“Just? What is it, Lan Zhan? Su She bothering you again?” he sit up straight at that.
He heard a huff and then. “No.”
“Okay. What is it then?”
He heard no response from the other side but he waited patiently. He knows that the woman was just trying to figure out the right words to say or ask. And truth be told, he heard her speak again. “ Did you invite Sun Lin? To the gala?”
Wei Ying was confused at that. After all, Sun Lin was the one pestering him to come with her to the Gala even after he refused her for the umpteenth time. “Why would I invite Sun Lin?”
“Then who would be your plus one?”
“Lan Zhan, you’re the plus one! But if you’re not coming, then I’ll just go alone. I’m not bringing anyone but you."
Silence.
Just what is Lan Zhan thinking? He’s getting confused. “Lan Zhan?”
A pause and then.
“ Truly? You are not bringing Sun Lin?”
He grimaced. Sun Lin again? Really Lan Zhan?
“ Aiya, why would you not believe me, Lan Zhan? And where did you get the idea that I’m going to invite her anyway? You’re the only one I’ve been pestering to come with me!”
“She told me herself.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” he said frowning.
“Before you called, she came in my office. Told me about Wei Ying inviting her to the gala. Since I won’t come with him.” Says the woman as if telling her parents how someone bullied her at school.
“What? She went there just to say some nonsense lies? ” he pause cussing in his head. “Lan Zhan, don’t believe her. Absolutely not! I promise you, it was her who kept on pestering me to come with her to the gala. I have refused her many times already! I thought she gave up but turns out she pestered you with some lies."
Sh. He never wanted to punch a woman in his life. But right now, he thinks he wanted to! And just how did she knew Lan Zhan’s not going with him anyways? He only talked about it to his friends or his manager! Or maybe..
His post! His post about how he’s going to the gala alone this year because the only woman he wanted to come with him didn’t agree on becoming his plus one! Sun Lin must have known who he was talking about since she met Lan Zhan once and Wei Ying told her how she was the one for him when Sun Lin asked him who Lan Zhan is in his life.
The Fu. Just what is she trying to do? Is she planning to break them up? Not that they’re already official together but it looked like it is!
“ Lan Zhan, you believe me right?”
“Mn. I believe Wei Ying.”
He relaxed at the immediate reply. He doesn’t know what he’ll do if Lan Zhan decides to ignore him because of some lies someone told her. “ Good! I’m glad you believe in me Lan Zhan. I really do.” He said smiling softly.
There was another pause and then.
“Thank you, Wei Ying.”
“Hmm? For what? “
“For being faithful.” Even if we’re not together yet. Is what was unsaid but not unheard.
He smiled at that.
And then thinking how this is the last day he can ask Lan Zhan about becoming his plus one, (The gala would be held tomorrow night after all) he decided to ask her about it once again.
And he can only laugh in slight despair as the answer is once again. “No.”
“Haha fine fine. Let me hang up the call and let me scold Sun Lin for you. No one should hurt my love with the venom in their mouths. I wouldn’t allow anyone to break us apart, Lan Zhan.”
He wouldn’t. He’ll make sure of that.