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One of Lan Xichen's favourite places to find that moment of tranquility was at the botanical garden near his house. It was a beautiful and meticulously maintained place where Lan Xichen had always been able to find comfort during those days when the grasp of life seemed a bit too painfully tight.
Lan Xichen loved to walk under the heavy foliage of the lush trees there. He would read the small placards about the plants and flowers that he would pass by as he walked around the garden.
That day was one of those days that Lan Xichen knew he just had to make his escape. He made a quick call to his secretary to let her know that he would be away from the office for lunch (it's not a lie! Lan Xichen did have some.. mantou with him as he sped away from the office with his car).
It was fortunate that when Lan Xichen arrived at the garden, there were not that many visitors to be seen. Lan Xichen loosened his tie knot as he walked briskly to his favourite spot in the garden.
His walk slowed down as he remembered the events of the day that had led him there.
His uncle had called him earlier. Father was angry because Lan Xichen was still not fulfilling his duties. And that it was long overdue for Lan Xichen to step up and prepare himself to become the CEO of the entire Lan group, instead of merely heading the branch office in Caiyi.
"It is your heritage, one that you know is yours. You can't avoid this forever, Lan Huan," and Lan Xichen could feel his heart rate spiking when he heard those words from his uncle.
This is not what I want from life..
Lan Xichen knew there was something missing in his life. He thought it was perhaps because ever since he could remember, all he wanted to do was play music. He had been classically trained in piano since his feet could barely reach its pedals. He had to give up his dream to become a professional pianist when his father had forced him to transfer to another university known for its business programs.
A small puff of a sigh left Lan Xichen's lips.
A gentle breeze seemed to awaken Lan Xichen with its whispers. He smiled and looked up at the amethyst-coloured wisteria blossoms above and all around him. He was standing in the middle of a small walkway, and to each of his right and left were rows of lush vines of wisteria blossoms that had been entwined to meet above the small walkway, creating the illusion of a tunnel of cascading amethyst-hued flowers. This favourite spot of his never stopped taking his breath away upon sight.
When Lan Xichen looked around him, he did not see anyone else there except for one other person who was gazing at the blossoms that were entwined at the dome of the tunnel. With his back to Lan Xichen, Lan Xichen could safely observe that other visitor from a silent distance.
That person was short-haired with a strong build, wearing a dark overcoat with jeans. He was perhaps about as tall as Lan Xichen. As Lan Xichen was secretly looking at him, that other person turned his body slightly to look at the vines to his right. Lan Xichen inexplicably felt a sharp pang to his heart when he saw that person's face.
This beautiful man, have they met before?
Lan Xichen could feel himself taking a step toward this.. stranger? He thought he should probably greet him, to make his presence known to that other person. Before a sound could come out of Lan Xichen, that other person closed his eyes, and began to sing..
To Lan Xichen it was as if time itself had ceased to exist as the stranger was singing in a language Lan Xichen swore he had never heard of before. Lan Xichen was shaken when he sensed deep inside of him that he knew what was being sung by the stranger. About the river of time, a boundless love, and.. a promised future?
A gush of wind blew amongst the blossoms before quickly dying down in mere seconds. Petals of wisteria were floating down from above, creating an almost surreal cloud of amethyst blossoms around them.
The stranger suddenly stopped singing and slowly turned and laid his eyes on Lan Xichen. His eyes softened with such tenderness, and a smile appeared on that beautiful face with those heavenly purple eyes.
"Huan-ge, you're here.."
And Lan Xichen found himself running to throw his arms around the neck of this stranger, this person that he knew, without a doubt, owned his heart so thoroughly.
"A-Cheng!!"
Strong arms encircled Lan Xichen as a torrent of memories flooded back into him.
Of a cultivation world filled with pain and betrayal and loss and eternal love.
Of traces of white and purple, of ribbons exchanged and impassioned nights.
Of their untimely deaths as they were betrayed by jealous sect leaders.
Of the vow made by Lan Xichen before his last dying breath, that he would find Jiang Cheng in his next reincarnated life.
Lan Xichen sobbed as he realized that throughout all his life and up until that moment, he had failed to remember Jiang Cheng. He had abandoned A-Cheng, just like those people that had broken A-Cheng's heart so many lifetimes ago.
"A..A-Cheng, I'm.. I'm sorry!" Lan Xichen's cries deepened as he buried his face on Jiang Cheng's shoulder. "I didn't remember, I'm sorry please forgive me, please don't leave me, A-Cheng!!"
"Shh shhh, Huan-ge, Huan-ge.."
"It's alright, breathe in now. Follow me. Inhale.. hold it in.. exhale.. good, now again.."
Lan Xichen did as he was told and he could feel his mind easing as a firm hand was rubbing his back soothingly. He took another deep shuddering breath and pulled back his head from the crook of Jiang Cheng's shoulder. Those purple eyes were the light of my life, how could I have forgotten about A-Cheng, Lan Xichen thought sadly.
Jiang Cheng gently caressed Lan Xichen's temples and hair with the tips of his fingers, drying the remnants of Lan Xichen's tears before bringing down his hands to his waist.
"I think you should be the one calling me Gege now, hmm?" Jiang Cheng whispered teasingly. Lan Xichen's eyes widened at that thought. He gasped, a soft blush blooming on his cheeks.
"Let me guess, you're in your twenties? Barely left college? Well at least you're of legal age," Jiang Cheng's smirk seemed to widen as Lan Xichen's blush deepened.
"Yes, and no! You..!"
A soft pinch to Lan Xichen's waist made Lan Xichen realize that Jiang Cheng's teasing words were only to take his mind off of what he had been crying about earlier. Lan Xichen let out a shaky breath and rested his cheek on Jiang Cheng's shoulder. A hand came up to the back of his neck and began to rub lightly on that soft stretch of skin, and Lan Xichen could feel himself melting into Jiang Cheng's arms. The gentle petals of wisteria floated around them as if to bow in celebration of their reunion.
"It's not your fault, Huan-ge. I think the way these memories could come back just worked differently for us. Mine started returning in bits and pieces about ten years ago, and all of it came back to me about five years after. I'm about to turn forty, Huan-ge," a soft rumble of a laughter could be heard and felt from Jiang Cheng's chest all the way to Lan Xichen's core.
"I'm not sure either why I was born ahead of you. But at least, I'm glad that I've found you. Everything else doesn't matter now. Unless.."
Lan Xichen could feel butterflies in his stomach, as he looked up and caught the hesitancy behind Jiang Cheng's voice. "Huan-ge, if you're already with someone else.."
"No!" Lan Xichen clenched his hands into the lapels of Jiang Cheng's coat.
"Oh.. okay. Good. That's good," a smile that could almost be boyish was on Jiang Cheng's lips.
"A-Cheng, what about you..?"
Jiang Cheng frowned and Lan Xichen had the urge to smooth his thumb between those brows. Did he use to do that before to A-Cheng? Jiang Cheng's hands around his waist tightened, and he softly kissed the tremulous pulse under Lan Xichen's ear.
"Not after I first remembered you dying next to me, Huan-ge. I don't think I slept for days after that.." he whispered into Lan Xichen's ears.
"I'm sorry, A-Cheng.." Lan Xichen brushed his lips in return on Jiang Cheng's hair.
"But A-Cheng, how did you know where to find me?"
"Ah that.." Jiang Cheng sheepishly looked to his side and squeezed Lan Xichen's waist.
"A-Cheng.. what is it?"
Jiang Cheng huffed and thought for a second before giving his explanation. "One of my first memories from the past was of you, Huan-ge," Jiang Cheng pressed his lips to the corner of Lan Xichen's mouth, and he smiled when he could feel Lan Xichen's eyelashes fluttering against his skin. "The memory, however, was not a very clear one, like flashes here and there, and never for too long."
"Another one of my earliest memories was of this Yunmeng folk song that A-Niang used to sing to me. Do you remember me singing that song to you?"
"Mn. I do. And it was the one you had sung earlier."
Jiang Cheng's smile softened even more tenderly so. His eyes went up to trace the blossoms above them, "When I'd first sung that song in this life, it was as if you were alive in my mind, Huan-ge. My memories of you became that much stronger whenever I sang in a place like this, surrounded by nature."
Jiang Cheng's fingers tucked a wisp of Lan Xichen's hair behind his ear, caressing his cheek, "I have been searching for you for so long.." There was a wetness in Jiang Cheng's eyes that Lan Xichen wanted to hide from, knowing he was the cause of his beloved's pain.
"Huan-ge, the song somehow also made me start seeing the you from this life, but you were at these places I couldn't recognize. The brightest.. visions were somehow of you surrounded by all this wisteria. I thought it'd been a sign when I read about this garden here. It led me back to you, Huan-ge, and here you are in my arms.."
The urge within Lan Xichen to hold Jiang Cheng ever closer unfurled within him, and Lan Xichen shyly brought his arms underneath Jiang Cheng's coat when he suddenly felt something hard on the small of Jiang Cheng's back, "A-Cheng, what is.." when his arms were suddenly gripped tightly by Jiang Cheng.
"Ah ah, careful, Huan-ge.. I don't think you're old enough to be playing with guns," Jiang Cheng said lightly.
"G-guns!? Why do y-you have..?"
Jiang Cheng looked at him quietly for a brief moment and gently brought Lan Xichen's arms away from his back. "I'm sorry, Huan-ge, didn't mean to scare you.." Jiang Cheng sighed and rubbed the palm of his hand on his face. "I'm actually a detective, Huan-ge. I have been assigned to Caiyi to help the local squad here, which was what I wanted to tell you earlier. I'd just moved here last week when I found out about this place."
"Oh! I-I was just surprised.. I would've never had guessed without the uniforms.."
"Well," a mischievous tone made its return to Jiang Cheng's voice as he pulled Lan Xichen closer by the hips. "If the missing uniform troubles you that much, I think that can be arranged, hmm? Why Huan-didi, I hadn't known!"
Lan Xichen's blush went to a deeper hue of unthinkable red before he hissed, "A-Cheng, you.. you horndog!"
"Mn, I'm your horndog."
"A-Cheng, stop teasing me!"
"I have thousands of years to make up for, Huan-ge, I don't think I can help it," Jiang Cheng laughed buoyantly. Lan Xichen huffed and pouted, but he glanced from under his eyelashes at his now-older beloved.
"What is it, Huan-ge," Jiang Cheng gently prodded.
"What now, my heart.." Lan Xichen blushed faintly, as he entwined his fingers with Jiang Cheng's calloused ones.
Jiang Cheng brought Lan Xichen's hands up to his face and as he turned his head to the side, he pressed those hands reverently to his cheek. He closed his eyes as if in a silent prayer, and kissed each one of those hands affectionately.
"A-Cheng.." Lan Xichen whispered tremulously.
Jiang Cheng gazed at Lan Xichen with a burning longing, and he placed his arms around Lan Xichen's waist and tugged him closer.
"Huan-ge..," whispered Jiang Cheng, and he kissed Lan Xichen there and then as the wisteria blossoms were falling gently upon them. It was a soft and an open-mouthed kiss, and yet to Lan Xichen it was as if lightning itself had coursed its way through him. Lan Xichen sighed and had his hands running through the strands of Jiang Cheng's hair. Those fingers were tracing the curves and lines on Jiang Cheng's face, those same ones that were so different now, and the new ones that he would learn to cherish in this mortal life. He smiled upon his beloved's lips.
A-Cheng my A-Cheng.., Lan Xichen's heart sang lovingly within him.
"Zewu-jun, Lan Xichen, Lan Huan. Huan-ge, my everlasting reason for being.." Jiang Cheng said fervently.
"Now that we've found each other, let's begin this life anew, shall we?"