Chapter Text
"Thanks, Lan Zhan!" says Wei Ying with a big smile after his husband placed his meal in front of him.
It was a Saturday and Wei Ying was planning to invite his husband to go hiking since they both have no work for the day.
As usual, Wei Ying kept speaking as he ate being the talkative man that he is. But he didn't go straight to inviting his husband about that hiking he had planned on doing with him. But as he finally thought of asking him to go hiking, he wasn't able to because Lan Zhan uttered.
"Let's divorce."
There was a long silence that followed between the two of them before Wei Ying finally absorbed what his husband just said.
"What did you just say?" he asked as his heart beats a little faster than normal.
"Let's divorce." Lan Zhan repeated just like how he said it before. As if he didn't care about breaking Wei Ying's heart.
"But why? What made you.. Lan Zhan, did I do something wrong?" Wei Ying said as he stood to go towards his husband who went to sip his tea.
"No. It was me. I fell out of love." Lan Zhan said standing to keep distance from Wei Ying.
Wei Ying scoffed at that. "Lan Zhan, if you wanna lie, you should do it properly! How can I believe you if your hands are shaking as you sipped your tea?"
"Haven't had proper sleep these days."
"Don't give me that sh**!" Wei Ying said as he held both of Lan Zhan's wrist and banged him at the nearby wall which resulted to Lan Zhan letting go of the cup he's holding and it crashed into the floor.
"Wei Ying!"
"What? You're mad at me because I broke your favorite cup? Well, right now I'm oozing with madness because I have no idea why you are doing this to me!"
There was a pause as they looked into each other's eyes.
Then, Lan Zhan looked away from him. "It is for your own good."
"Here we go again." Wei Ying said backing away from Lan Zhan his hands on his hips.
"Wei Ying, one day you will-"
"Understand? No! Lan Zhan no! I don't wanna understand all of this!" cuts Wei Ying and then he went to cup Lan Zhan's face. "Lan Zhan, how many times do I have to tell you not to decide what is good for me? Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do! I know I haven't been a good decision maker and I gave you the reins for my well being ever since I gave my heart to you. But Lan Zhan, I didn't give you the reins of my life just so you could walk away from my life!"
Lan Zhan sniffed as a tear fell from his eyes. It made Wei Ying want to tear up what bothered his husband so much to the point of divorcing him when Lan Zhan doesn't seem to want to do it.
"Lan Zhan, tell me what's bothering you, Hmm? Let's solve the matter together, okay? " he said as he wiped the tear with his thumb.
Lan Zhan shook his head and moved away from Wei Ying standing with his back to the man.
"Wei Ying doesn't understand."
"Then tell me about it so that maybe I will!"
"Wei Ying is a good person. He doesn't deserve to go to hell with me. That is why I must set you free."
Hearing that, Wei Ying thought. "What the fu** is this all about?"
Lan Zhan turned to Wei Ying. "Wei Ying, I saw you. Saw you in my dreams. Every night the past days without fail. This one saw you swimming on a sea of flames. You were.. Wei Ying was asking someone for help. I wanted to help but I could not. Because when I looked at myself, I was swimming as well. I was swimming at the sea with you."
Wei Ying snorted angrily. "So you thought were being warned by some god that were going to hell together? Is that it?"
"Wei Ying, you don't understan-"
"I really don't! I don't want to understand! All I want right now is I don't want to get divorced with you!" Wei Ying shouted angrily and ran away going to their room upstairs. When he got there, he smashed his face on the pillow and cried thinking how can Lan Zhan believe in those myths and divorce him! How could he!
He has to do something. He has to stop his husband from being brainwashed into these things. He has to or else, Lan Zhan would maybe just decide to leave him if he doesn't divorce him. After all, Wei Ying was not the only sacrificial idiot between the two of them.
Wei Ying.
The man he loved more than himself. The man who he picked over his family. The reason of why he was sent away by his Uncle at the age of 23. Because why can't he choose a woman to marry? Why does it have to be a man like he is?
Lan Zhan sat in a chair after his little argument with Wei Ying. He didn't even notice his bloody feet from having stepped on the pieces of cup that was broke on the floor earlier due to the circumstances that took place.
It's not like he wanted to divorce Wei Ying. After all, he loved the man more than his life. But from the past days, those dreams of Wei Ying and him swimming to a sea of fire, it felt like a warning to them.
At first, he didn't want to acknowledge the dream. But after dreaming about it continuously every night, he decided to go to a psychic or some fortune teller as per his brother's suggestion to inquire what the dream was about.
He received an answer from a certain psychic which seemed like the right meaning of the dream. But turns out it was useless because the dream still comes to him at night.
After that, he went hopping from psychic to psychic and then from fortune teller to fortune teller. He did as he was told by some of them just to realize the next day, that it only worked for a few days and then the dream would just come back later. And everytime, the dream would make him feel like it was real since he would wake up feeling incredibly hot even though he would turn up the aircon to its fullest since Wei Ying likes it really cold as they sleep at night.
When he became desperate, he was thinking of doing the only thing he never did. Something he got from some fortune teller he met during his journey on finding what the meaning of the dream is all about.
That being, offer his soul to the devil.
That person who told him that said that if he does this, the devil will surely help him stop these dreams and he can continue to live happily with Wei Ying without the fear of the future.
When he finally decided to go back to that fortune teller to ask how he could offer himself up, a man suddenly came up to him and offered to drink tea with him.
Flashback…
Lan Zhan had just arrived at the place where the fortune teller was residing when someone came to him.
"Hello! Before you do what you're about to do, would you do me a favor and have tea with me first?"
The man was wearing a white suit and a white hat. He has this gentle eyes and smile. A magnificent aura about him which makes one unable to doubt that he has a bad intention for inviting anyone for tea.
But that is anyone but Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan is a man on a mission and he doesn't want to delay it any longer. He was just gonna open his mouth to turn down the man's offer when the man in white suit beat him up to it.
"The cafe is not that far actually. Come! I'm sure you're the person who wanted to drink tea right?" the man said, reaching out for Lan Zhan's hand when Lan Zhan moved out of his reach.
"Do not touch." he said to the man.
"Oh! Sorr-"
"It is quite alright. Apologies. However I have to turn down your offer. I must be going now." he said and then turned around to finally go to the fortune teller's shop.
But suddenly, he heard the man spoke. "Would your spouse be happy knowing what you're about to do?"
Hearing those words, Lan Zhan turned around once more looking at the man.
The man took a step forward.
"What do you think I will do?" asks Lan Zhan, remembering what the man said earlier.
"Hello! Before you do what you're about to do, would you do me a favor and have tea with me first?"
Did he know what he's about to do even earlier? And how does he know he has a spouse? It must only be a wild guess right?
"I don't think he would be happy about it, Lan Zhan."
Feeling greatly surprised, Lan Zhan was speechless for a moment before he uttered. "How did you..Who are you?"
The man only smiled and said. "Will you come and have tea with me now?"
With that, Lan Zhan finally went with the man.
Sitting inside a cafe, Lan Zhan looked as the man sipped his tea happily.
"What else does this sir know about me?"
The man only smiled in response, not saying anything. It frustrated Lan Zhan a little bit.
"This sir-"
"Ah, Lan Zhan! The ever straight to the point Lan Zhan! Well then I'll tell you what was asked of me to tell you."
'Finally!' Lan Zhan was relieved.
"It is about time you fulfill your mission on earth."
"Mission?"
"Yes. Lan Zhan, if there was someone who created the humans, do you think he would create them out of boredom?"
Lan Zhan looked down trying to think about what the man said.
"No."
"Of course not, right? And do you think he'll let them live the kind of life that would destroy them and not live the life that would give them real fulfillment?"
Lan Zhan looked at the man.
"Lan Zhan, are you satisfied with what you have right now? Or are there times when you feel like there's a void inside your heart that needs to be filled, and that no one can fill? Not even the man who says he loves you." Says the man and then he sipped his tea.
Lan Zhan frowned at that. "You-"
"Lan Zhan, if you're feeling that way, what makes you think your spouse doesn't? What makes you think most people don't feel the same way?"
There was a pause before Lan Zhan said.
"Why are you saying this?"
"Because I see you live a life unfulfilled."
"If I could live a life with Wei Ying forever, I'd be fulfilled."
The man smiled at that. "Lan Zhan, I see that you love the man quite deeply."
"I love him with all my heart."
Nods. "I see, I see! And you believe you will be together even in the next life on earth right Lan Zhan? Reincarnation right? Hmm.. yes, yes. But Lan Zhan, if you are the god who created the humans, would you just let them live again and again in this world full of evil? Isn't that just cruel? Won't you instead think of creating another world that is better than this? Wouldn't you instead create a world without sickness, pain and evil?"
There was a pause and then.
"Are you saying such a world exists?"
"Yes. But only if you believe."
Hearing that, Lan Zhan can only look at the person in front of him.