Archive of Our Own

“Leave Wàngjī alone, and leave Cloud Recesses.”

Lán Qǐrén despises the fact that he is the one assigned to handle such an uncomfortable situation.

He is questioning himself, about what he is truly doing here, in the middle of the Jìngshì.

He does not have any plans. He couldn’t think of one on his walk here. He understands that it is to be immediate, the actions he has to perform here. The sooner the better.

Instead of coming up with possibilities of how he is going to break the ice, he just resorts to staring at the sword set heavily in his palms.

I am getting too old for this…

Right, he needs to think. He needs to… Looking up to see his feet touching the wooden board of the porch that belongs to the Jìngshì.

I could have sworn I took my own time to get here.

Sometimes Lán Qǐrén just wishes he has the courage to retire from being an Elder in Gūsū Lán.

Oh, this you can think of, but not a plan. A plan.

His mind comes up with absolutely nothing once again.

Improvise as you go… Improvise.

Permitting himself to take a scratch of the rules, and parts his lips to let out a heavy sigh. Do not succumb to excessive expressions. Silently reminds himself of the prestigious rules of Gūsū Lán, and reaches his hand, with the intention to knock on the door three times. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Not too many, because he doesn’t seem to be an impatient person, demanding someone to open the door.

And not too few, because he doesn’t want to seem hesitant, he understands his own goal clearly here.

He has only implemented the first knock, before being slightly startled by the sound of something being smacked onto a piece of wooden furniture. Or someone.

It is not an aspect that can easily be comprehended without sight. His body starts acting on instincts and reaches for the handle of the main entrance of the Jìngshì, only to stop midway when he hears the Wèi Wúxiàn’s voice.

“Lán — Ouch…. Lán Zhàn, is that you? You said you won’t be back until very late today? Wait, give me a moment. I need to clear some things up. Stay — Wait…Lán Zhàn? ”

Lán Qǐrén’s silence was enough for Wèi Wúxiàn's question.

The former tries his best to not show a frustrated expression at the rule he just broke. Neglectance to one’s question is prohibited.

A pregnant silence follows for both parties, and Lán Qǐrén is still wondering why he is still on the radar for not following the rules.

A soft thump, followed by more. Closer, to Lán Qǐrén. A creak of the wooden door slides open, and the first thing Lán Qǐrén observes in his eyes is the starking bright red ribbon flowing freely from the crack of the door.

The sudden red in the line of sight breaks Lán Qǐrén out of the dull colours of the Jìngshì’s door.

Lán Qǐrén was half expecting the signature mischievousness on Wèi Wúxiàn’s face, or perhaps even an inappropriate greeting of Lán Lǎotóu.

But instead, he is greeted by a flash of fear in the bright curious silver eyes. For a split second.

And suddenly he misses the feeling of nostalgia that can remind him of Cángsè Sànrén’s eyes.

“Oh… Lán Xiānshēng —”

He called me Lán Xiānshēng.

“ — I mean, this one greets Lán Xiānshēng —”

He’s greeting me formally.

“ — How can Wèi Wúxiàn be of service to Lán Xiānshēng here today?”

This is not Wèi Wúxiàn. This is not the Yílíng Lǎozǔ.

“Lán Xiānshēng…”

Wèi… Wú… Xiàn?

“Lán Xiānshēng!”

Lán Qǐrén snaps his head up to stare right into Wèi Wúxiàn’s eyes.

“Wèi Wúxiàn.” Lán Qǐrén finds himself saying, “Are you attempting to stop me from visiting my nephew’s abode?”

It is a harsh blow, and one that is completely inappropriate. But to see Wèi Wúxiàn in the Jìngshì, freely taking it as his humble home, just makes Lán Qǐrén’s blood boil.

The horrors of what his nephew has faced over the past thirteen years are the worst, and yet his nephew still happily welcomes the man who is the reason for the thirty-three strikes on his back.

He loves both of his nephews equally, despite knowingly raising them as strictly as he can, he tries to pamper them from time to time. Well, pampering them the best he can try. Xīchén is always willing to accept his Uncle’s love whenever he does provide, but Wàngjī is the stubborn one, unwilling to accept comfort when needed.

Do not say one thing and mean another. Do not covet others’ property.

Denial is the first thing he thinks of, of course he did not mean that he would settle himself into the Jìngshì. Invasion of privacy is a serious offence. Lán Qǐrén said his comment out of spite and annoyance towards Wèi Wúxiàn.

Do not hold grudges.

For the first time in many years, he is starting to have a sense of hatred toward the rules that is carved out in his mind whenever he breaks them.

“Of course not! Please… Please do come in. Lán Xiānshēng is always welcome in his nephew’s abode. This one apologises for not greeting Lán Xiānshēng properly, does… Would Lán Xiānshēng perhaps like to settle down for a cup of tea? I can brew some if you would like.”

Lán Qǐrén feels a slight nudge to his chest, a feeling of guilt washes up to him.

Or perhaps, what he intends to set is a ploy. His mind unhelpfully advises.

“I would like a cup of tea then… Please.” Lán Qǐrén softens his tone, adding in the last word with hesitance. No matter how much hatred he has towards Wèi Wúxiàn, especially since he is residing in the Jìngshì. He understands not to take a risk to endanger the residents inside Cloud Recesses at the moment. After all, the Yílíng Lǎozǔ did have the power to take down the Wēn Clan, in the sunshot campaign, Despite the fact that it was together with the other cultivators of different clans, his claims to enemies' kill streak was not a small number.

Without waiting for a response from the young man, he steps into the surprisingly… dark Jìngshì.

He then proceeds to flourishingly sit at the low table, his white robes flowing around him, like a river.

Tilting his head slightly, he sees a messy set of crumpled papers all around the table, and the saved ones don't seem to be having a good time, with it being so unorganised, and the murdering ink of messy calligraphy all around the notes.

Notes?

The indecipherable characters flowing through the paper, it is no doubt the handwriting of Wèi Wúxiàn, but only, a lot more indecipherable than the last time he saw it when he was still a Lǎoshī to Wèi Wúxiàn.

The source of light, is the candle by the tableside, illuminating the sheets of paper.

Well… It is the only source of light.

There are other candles gathered around the Jìngshì, ones that are completely left unlit.

To be frank, he had assumed the notes to be about demonic cultivation. After all, Wèi Wúxiàn’s path to demonic cultivation was a crooked one. He has heard a massive amount of rumours, even throughout the disciples of Gūsū Lán, despite it being forbidden to gossip among ourselves.

Wèi Wúxiàn himself is a mystery. There are so many questions among the Cultivation World, about his choices, in what he was thinking when he went down this path.

Squinting his eyes, Lán Qǐrén tries to inconspicuously figure out if the notes have any sort of practice of demonic cultivation.

But it's nothing in relation to demonic cultivation, it is the notes of talismans. Transportation talisman.

It didn’t take long for Lán Qǐrén to get distracted by the sudden brightness in the room, the extension of the heat of all the candles lighting up, leaving him startled for a few seconds.

The entire Jìngshì looks appropriately neat and tidy, just as how Wàngjī most likely would have left it. But since the present Hánguāng-Jūn is required for a business conference in Qīnghé Niè, it is only left with Wèi Wúxiàn available and free to roam around the Jìngshì without the invasion of Wàngjī’s privacy, as they both do reside in this abode after all.

“This one apologises for the inconsideration of offending Lán Xiānshēng. I didn’t even realise how dark it was until I noticed that I could barely see your mourn — I mean! Your pristine white robes. I guess I’m kind of… used to working in the dark. Haha…” Wèi Wúxiàn drags the last sentence out, voice meeking out from behind the privacy blind.

“Shouldn’t you be concerned for your health then? If one continues to work in the dark, one could find themselves struggling to see. How would you be able to cultivate and fight properly if you lose your sense of sight? And the way you have been cooped inside the Jìngshì. There is no question about the lack of fresh air one should be taking every day.”

A prolonged silence follows after, and Lán Qǐrén curses himself for being soft towards the man he is supposed to chase out of Cloud Recesses.

“Well… my Shīshū, you know, Xiǎo Xīngchén. Even though he was unable to see, he still shone brightly as a cultivator. I’m not sure what you are implying there, Lán Xiānshēng. If you are saying it for or for all the cultivators out there in the cultivation world. But he was a good cultivator, even if his sight was no longer for him, he was a prestigious cultivator, Lán Xiānshēng. May he rest in peace.”

So please do not talk so lowly about cultivators with the incapacitation of any of the five senses. That last sentence rings in the voice of the Yílíng Lǎozǔ, sending a line of shiver down Lán Qǐrén’s spine, leaving him totally speechless.

Only a few more seconds passed, before Wèi Wúxiàn’s voice trembles across the Jìngshì.

“I — I mean… Ah, this one feels wronged for his actions. I apologise for my comment. I guess I don’t really get around much when it comes to sight, or… anything, when I am too focused on my work. I mean, I didn’t even realise all the remaining candles burned out throughout the night. And to dirty the entire working space… I promise! I promise to clean it up in time for Hánguāng-Jūn to return! I wouldn’t want his health to be deprived because of me.”

What of your health then?

Lán Qǐrén thinks of it before biting his tongue to stop himself from saying something he doesn’t mean. Truth to be told, the entire Jìngshì is not exactly unpresentable, it is just slightly unorganised at the working desk, but other than that it is neatly cleaned. It gives Lán Qǐrén the feeling that no one actually does live here, except for the occasional cleaning of the furniture and floors.

Another two minutes of silence pass by, only by the sound of ceramic clinking behind the privacy blind. A soft aroma of tea filters around the Jìngshì. But there was something different about the fragrance he has commonly consumed.

Lán Qǐrén notices the soft aroma from… Is that…

“This one presents the tea, apologies for the long wait, Lán Xiānshēng. I um… I hope the tea is up to your standards for today.”

The pleasant scented mixture of lemon and lime is all very familiar. The richness of the aroma, representing the Cloud Recesses specialities in the fruits and vegetables they grow.

It is not the bitterness of the common black tea that is presented as the daily meals of every disciple, it is the aroma of one of Lán Qǐrén’s favourites.

This is the perfect aroma of what citron green tea should be.

Lán Qǐrén must admit that he was certainly shocked. With the aroma of the tea arousing his palette, it took more than a few mere seconds for the information to click in his mind.

“Wàngjī mentioned it?” That didn’t sound like something he would say, but in all honesty, his personality did take drastic turns after he and Wèi Wúxiàn met.

Wèi Wúxiàn just lets out a nervous laugh, before promptly getting to work, setting the notes he made aside, and into a cabinet, before delicately holding the teapot to pour a cup of tea, and using the teacup fork to bring the teacup to Lán Qǐrén’s side.

Lán Qǐrén lets out a small delighted smile before picking up the teacup, and starts savouring the delicacy of the perfectly brewed tea, silently humming at the stress hanging off his head being washed away.

It is only moments after having his tea session, only then did he realise that Wèi Wúxiàn was still standing there and fidgeting around looking like a lost animal out in the woods.

“Have a seat, Wèi Wúxiàn. There’s something I wish to speak to you about.” Lán Qǐrén sighs. He has seen many young cultivators with an expression just like this. After many years of performing lectures and shaping cultivators up to his standards. Many of them started out like this, looking at him in fear of harsh punishments and judgemental calls. All petrified to face him.

But Wèi Wúxiàn is different, he was rebellious from the very start, when he first came into Cloud Recesses as a guest disciple. He was the only disciple that escaped Lán Qǐrén’s harshness. And he was the only disciple that brought him to the edge of qi deviation.

And now, he looks entirely different from the mischievous boy. It is the silvery eyes that expose the feeling he carries.

His eyes began darkening with fear and mental exhaustion, making Lán Qǐrén’s heart pang in sympathy for the young boy.

Wèi Wúxiàn shifts slightly in hesitation, and stares directly at Lán Qǐrén’s eyes before shuffling on the hardwood floors. With minimal noise, he sits down at the working table. His posture shows respect for the other party, clean and neat, but also… stiff, and inhuman.

Looking closely, the discolouration of splotches underline his eyes., The uneven spots of natural skin colour and the eyebags gives Lán Qǐrén a reason to believe that Wèi Wúxiàn is wearing makeup, not understanding the intentions of why he does it. He decides not to question it.

His clothes are an absolute misery too, like a bundle of mess. The outer robes seem to hang off Wèi Wúxiàn’s frame, which he just realised is a size too big. Which leads to the assumption that Wèi Wúxiàn is wearing Wàngjī’s robes.

Strings of hair falling out of place from his usual hairstyle, the coating of unhealthy oil and tangled spots indicate that Wèi Wúxiàn probably has not been taking care of his hair daily, more or less soothing the curls of his hair.

In conclusion, Wèi Wúxiàn looks absolutely wrecked. And not just in appearance, in his facial expression. Lán Qǐrén could tell that Wèi Wúxiàn is not sleeping, but at least he had been eating. The Gūsū Lán Elders have mentioned that Lán Sīzhuī has been taking a routine for three times a day, in bringing a tray of a hearty meal of Gūsū Lán Shì’s rations.

Lán Qǐrén had asked before of the young disciple, to which Lán Sīzhuī answered with hesitation.

“Wèi Qiánbèi has… terrible memory, to say the least. But, he always had Hánguāng-Jūn to help him with certain reminders. Hánguāng-Jūn had to settle the sect duties, but he was reluctant to leave Wèi Qiánbèi alone. So I volunteered to help Wèi Qiánbèi by bringing his meals. I am… Very worried for Wèi Qiánbèi. I remembered the past, he had helped me when I was young in so many ways. I believe Wèi Qiánbèi wouldn’t want me to be speaking of the issue, so I shall head off now, have a good day ahead, Lán Shīzūn.”

The words of Lán Sīzhuī left him speechless. Lán Qǐrén had known about Wèi Wúxiàn’s terrible memory, seeing firsthand in how he can forget the faces of different people.

But he never thought his memory would disorientate that badly, it was heartbreaking, truly.

He left himself in his thoughts for too long, leaving his cup to be cold. The soft clinking of ceramic wakes Lán Qǐrén back to reality. He looks down to see another cup of the steaming tea, and looks back at Wèi Wúxiàn.

Wèi Wúxiàn cringes under the heavy stare of Lán Qǐrén, and softly speaks out.

“Your… Your tea seems to be too cold to even be consumed. So I poured another cup for you. Is… Is the tea not to Lán Xiānshēng’s liking? I can brew another pot if you wish for it.”

Lán Qǐrén stares at the teacup still resting in his grip, and shakes his head.

“I do appreciate the tea you have brewed, Wèi Wúxiàn. It is… Quite savoury. Although I am curious, you can even say I am surprised. You don’t seem to be the type of person who would practise the art of tea brewing. Do indulge me in the reason why you started learning the art of tea brewing.”

“I… I learned much, over the past few months. Let's just say I have a good Shīfu.” Wèi Wúxiàn says timidly, being vague over the mention of the mysterious Shīfu.

Lán Qǐrén places down the empty teacup. Wèi Wúxiàn is swift in his actions to pouring another cup for him.

“And how do you know about my preference for tea? The only two people who know about it are Xīchén and Wàngjī. I don’t suppose it was indeed Wàngjī who told you about it, was it?”

Wèi Wúxiàn breaks into a small smile and nods, a slight tinge of blush sticking to his face.

“Lán Zhàn told me about it, I did ask about his favourite tea as well. I thought it was important to take note, especially since he has been arriving back to our — his Jìngshì. He has been tired, so I thought brewing his favourite tea would be good for him.”

Lán Qǐrén gives a small nod, sipping on the second cup of tea.

“Wàngjī has always been like this, to find his calmness through his favourite cup of tea. But he is rarely left unchecked since he was a child. It was torturous really, to have him wanting something very badly, but being neglected because he often seemed to be uninterested. But I know my nephew well, I suppose it is a good attitude, one cannot afford to lose control of their emotions, especially in war.”

Lán Qǐrén seems shocked at his own words, he never planned to expose so much of Wàngjī’s past, especially since it’s a violation of his privacy. And to think that he divulged such information to the boy he once resented was truly dreadful.

But Wèi Wúxiàn is not frazzled in the very least, he seems to already have that knowledge of Wàngjī’s past. Which gives Lán Qǐrén a slightly shocking moment, to think that Wàngjī would willingly be so open about his own childhood.

“Lán Zhàn has always been the stubborn kind, I heard.” It was a slip of his tongue, his face says it all. Wèi Wúxiàn was biting his lips down, and Lán Qǐrén assumes that he had not meant to say that.

“Heard? From whom have you heard that from?” Lán Qǐrén seethed out, knowing that his anger was unnecessary, but he wasn’t very concerned about his own emotions.

“I uhm… I… Lán Zhàn told me himself, you see!” A lie.

“It was really foolish, I got him drunk one night, a few weeks ago. And he blabbered about his childhood to me!” Another lie.

But he doesn’t seem to have any ill intentions from lying.

Lán Qǐrén lets out a heavy sigh and shakes his head at the young man’s stuttering.

It was only when Lán Qǐrén takes another sip of his tea, before Wèi Wúxiàn speaks up.

“Uhm… Lán Xiānshēng. May I ask for a request?”

A request. It was very surprising to hear that, honestly.

Lán Qǐrén frowns upon his words, dreadful questions of what Wèi Wúxiàn will ask flow through his mind.

“Speak, if it is within my power and within reason, I may accept your request.”

Wèi Wúxiàn lets out a breath of relief, as if he wasn’t expecting to be receiving help when he needs it, and smiles brightly.

“I would like to ask, if you could perhaps persuade Lán Zhàn to… stop speaking up for me.” Lán Qǐrén blinks in surprise, his frown fading away as Wèi Wúxiàn continues.

“It’s just that, I know that the exhaustion from his duties mostly comes from the Elders of Gūsū Lán, with the protests he has been making here and there. About… me. I just, I just don’t wish for this to happen, you know? I do love Lán Zhàn, and I love staying in Cloud Recesses. But I… I just don’t want his relationship with the Gūsū Lán Shì to be deriving more than it already is… I know I’m asking for a lot, but… You know how it is with the stubbornness of Lán Zhàn.”

Lán Qǐrén silently stares at Wèi Wúxiàn, contemplating an answer. In full honesty, he doesn’t know what to do, before his mind clicks on the reason why he was here in the first place.

“There is a way.”

Wèi Wúxiàn’s face brightens with relief, which makes Lán Qǐrén feel the slight guilt sitting on the tip of his tongue.

“Show the Gūsū Lán Elders what you can do for them —”

Leave Wàngjī alone.

“— even if you are the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivator. You are an expert at making talismans —”

And leave Cloud Recesses.

“— You can have your roots of knowledge be taught in Cloud Recesses — ”

And never return to Gūsū Lán.

“ — You can be a teacher here —”

Leave your feelings for Wàngjī,

“— And prove that you are not just a demonic cultivator —”

It will hurt. For both parties. But it’s for the greater good.

“— But a smart young man, with aspiring dreams.”

If you do not wish for Wàngjī to protect you, then you have to be the one making the sacrifice.

Lán Qǐrén looks up, to see Wèi Wúxiàn’s face completely obscured with how low his head is tilting, as if he can be kowtowing any second now.

“Thank — Thank you, Lán Xiānshēng. This one is grateful for the knowledge, and the lesson for this one. I am… really surprised, to say the least. I honestly thought that you were going to ask this one to leave, I was planning to, for a while now. But I needed a push from someone… And I thought you were going to give me one… But I’m so glad you… That Lán Xiānshēng. still found some worth in me. It makes me really pleased to know that.”

Lán Qǐrén lets out a small sigh, after realising what he has done. Yes, he was tasked to ask Wèi Wúxiàn to leave Cloud Recesses.

But he couldn’t… He sees no reason to do it.

Lán Qǐrén finishes the last gulp of his tea, and stands up.

“Do not break my nephew’s heart.” Lán Qǐrén grumbles out, with his back facing Wèi Wúxiàn.

“Tha — Thank you… Lán Xiānshēng..” Wèi Wúxiàn stutters out, and Lán Qǐrén could picture his face beet red, even without seeing it.

“You have my blessing, for you and Wàngjī.” Those words were left unsaid, because he will only say them once he thinks the both of them are ready.

The both of them are quite foolish after all, they would need to take some time to sort out their feelings first.

Lán Qǐrén steps out of the Jìngshì, and nods at the young disciple walking across the path.

“This one greets Lán Shīzūn.” Lán Sīzhuī says flourishly, his face impassive of emotions, not one bit surprised by Lán Qǐrén’s sudden visit.

“Mn, Sīzhuī. Make sure Wèi Wúxiàn eats well.” Lán Qǐrén says softly, not wanting his voice to be heard by Wèi Wúxiàn himself.

Lán Sīzhuī breaks out into a bright smile, gives an affirmative, and steps out of the path, waiting for Lán Qǐrén to walk past.

Lán Qǐrén is happy, he decides, as he walks down the path.

“Wèi Qiánbèi! I have arrived with our meal!” Sīzhuī shouts out, and Lán Qǐrén hears the door to the Jìngshì slide open.

“A-Yuàn! I am so glad you have decided to visit this Wèi Qiánbèi! Come on in! Come on, this Wèi Qiánbèi wants to hear all about your studies today!”

Yes, Lán Qǐrén is contended. His family isn’t perfect, but it is a dysfunctional happy family.

The talisman runs out of its commission as Wèi Wúxiàn approaches from a harmless explosion, right in front of the Hánshì.

Before Wèi Wúxiàn could knock on the wooden doors of the Hánshì, the door slid open to reveal an Lán Xīchén, with a soft sincere smile plastered on his face.

“A-Yīng! I’m so glad you can find the time to visit me today.” Lán Xīchén says, his hand reaching out to pet the soft ruffled hair of Wèi Wúxiàn.

“Zéwú-Jūn! You promised not to mess up my hair even more as it already is!” Wèi Wúxiàn gives a small pout, which makes Lán Xīchén raise an eyebrow at his words.

“I mean~ Huàn-gē! Happy?”

“Ecstatic!” Lán Xīchén gives a small grin before putting his hand on Wèi Wúxiàn’s shoulder, leading him inside the Hánshì.

“Oh, Huàn-gē! I have a lot to talk to you about! You wouldn’t believe what happened yesterday!” Wèi Wúxiàn places a woven basket down onto the low table, before rummaging through it.

“Hmm… Allow me to guess, is it A-Zhàn getting drunk by the Emperor smile again? No that’s not it… Well, A-Yīng. You know I am never good at these guessing games, would you care to entertain your Huàn-gē by what you discovered yesterday?”

Lán Xīchén can keep on with the guessing game, but he loves the enthusiasm and the expressions of Wèi Wúxiàn’s voice. The soothing vocals of Wèi Wúxiàn’s vocalisation, for when Lán Xīchén had a terrible night before.

Lán Xīchén takes a seat by the low table, next to Wèi Wúxiàn.

“Well I believe Lán Xiānshēng has a suspicion about my source of information here. He came over yesterday, and I brewed some of the tea you said he absolutely adores, and you should have seen his expression! He looked like he de-aged to a fair young man, even with that beard of his being there.”

Wèi Wúxiàn starts pulling out a tea set, a plate of sweet peaches, and another plate filled with mooncakes.

Lán Xīchén stays silent for a second, trying to process the words of what Wèi Wúxiàn just said.

“Wait — Shúfù came over yesterday? To the Jìngshì?” Lán Xīchén looks at the younger man, a hint of worry washes over his brown eyes.

Wèi Wúxiàn just gives a small heartfelt smile, and nods his head.

“Mhm, he didn’t say much. But I have a feeling he did want to tell me something, even though he didn’t really bring up the topic.”

Lán Xīchén just gives a short sigh of relief, and reaches forward to take the tea set to start on the preparation of the tea.

“Oh! But guess what? He told me I could teach! Here, in Cloud Recesses! For our little Lán ducklings’! I’m really excited, I suppose I could teach the writing of different talismans? Or maybe the dízi! Although, that probably won’t be such a good idea. After all, the little ducklings can’t accidentally perform demonic cultivation through pedagogy… What do you think, Zéwú-Jūn?” Wèi Wúxiàn gives a bright smile, eyes sparkling in excitement.

Lán Xīchén just laughs silently at Wèi Wúxiàn’s enthusiasm, before focusing on the tea. But not before saying “Not Zéwú-Jūn.”

“Right, right. I just can’t get used to saying Huàn-gē. It just doesn’t feel right, you know? Maybe I am just not used to it.”

Lán Xīchén shakes his head slightly, proceeding to the next step before being stopped by Wèi Wúxiàn, the latter indicating that he had missed out a step for the tea.

Lán Xīchén just barks out a laugh and pets Wèi Wúxiàn’s hair again, much to the latter’s protest.

“The Shīdì has become the Shīfu, I see.” Wèi Wúxiàn gives a grinny tooth at his compliment.

“But you will always be Shīfu for the art of making tea, you will never get rid of me, Huàn-gē.”

“I would never dream of doing that, you are now a part of our family now, A-Yīng.”

Lán Xīchén pours out a cup of Wèi Wúxiàn’s favourite tea. The perfect blend of assam melody, currant and gingerbread.

Lán Xīchén’s heart melts with the sight of Wèi Wúxiàn giving a burst of tearful laughter.

Either by Lán Xīchén’s wise words, or by the sight of his favourite tea. He will never know, and he doesn’t care, as long as his future brother-in-law is happy.