Chapter Text
There was a new person joining the team, at least temporarily. Beiyue Shangchen explained in place of Huo Zhanji, explaining how she was a new recruit with much potential, that even if she could not be privy to the secrets the Masters and Guardians of the Seven God Beads kept hidden, Huo Zhanji wanted her to stay with them for a few months and watch how they work together and assist them, because she would be a great asset to humanity in the future.
They were all more than a little curious—what was this young lady like to be personally appointed and recommended by the Great Commander? How powerful was she?
It turns out her name was Mei Yu—she hailed from the Magic Domain while also having a connection to the Sacred Domain due to her mixed blood, enabling her to uniquely mix the Holy powers with her demon lineage. The first time she met Lan Ge and Fa Hua, her eyes immediately fell on the latter in recognition. She shook his hand vigorously, only paying half a mind to the handsome man next to him when she briefly greeted him, missing the pointed look both of them shared over her head.
In the next few days, they all spent their time assimilating with each other’s abilities, learning from the new girl as well as sharing their own wisdom with her. And throughout it all, Mei Yu had her own agenda:
Get closer to Fa Hua.
She remembered how he helped her so long ago when her home was about to collapse before he even became the Envoy of Wisdom, and when she got the chance to work with Shenlan, she did her research. Mostly about Fa Hua, but she made sure to note down any important facts she needed from Lan Ge as well.
Despite her extensive research, she still had no idea what his ideal type was…But at least he had no girlfriend or wife yet, so she was determined to let him see her potential!
It was the little things, small pushes to give her the time and opportunity to get closer with him, always leaving lingering looks and touches to hint to him that she was interested, but to her frustration: He either ignored it all, or flat out refused her.
Lu Yuan was the first to confront her and intervene, advising her to give it up. But she was already smitten by Fa Hua due to his kindness and refused to—she would make him see her no matter what!
Lu Yuan just looked at her funny. “But he already has eyes for someone.”
“Eh…? But he- he never said he was taken whenever he refuses my advances! He could‘ve just told me outright if he did!”
Something weird happened on Lu Yuan’s face right then, as though he couldn‘t decide between crying and laughing.
“That‘s all I can say. If you care to look a bit further than Fa Hua-xiongdi, you would know what I mean.”
That was all he said before he bowed slightly to her and walked away.
Mei Yu pursed her lips. Surely he didn’t mean…
And so she spent the next few days watching Fa Hua closely, taking care to keep some distance while also not being suspicious, and she started to see it.
They were having dinner together, and Fa Hua and Lan Ge were sitting next to each other. Fa Hua was eating silently while Lan Ge chatted with Tang Yunqing who was next to him, and then he started putting in more food in Lan Ge‘s plate without a word, content on listening to them talk and even smiling slightly at certain points, muttering something beneath his breath that made Lan Ge turn around to glare at him and bicker with him again.
That’s right. Since the first time she came, they were always bickering with each other. At first she thought they genuinely couldn’t stand one another, but as time went on, it was obvious that it was all playful banter. She suspected Fa Hua was intentionally hiding it, but when he thought she wasn’t looking, she could clearly see the fond look he directed at Lan Ge after successfully winning their little „argument“.
Mei Yu gulped and looked away. No way…right? Between men? She’s only heard of it in stories or jokes between her male friends. Surely they were just really, really good friends…?
But the more she paid attention, it was hard for her to miss the lack of attention Fa Hua showed her or any other person for that matter…and the obvious affection Fa Hua showed towards Lan Ge in the little things.
Like that one time, she heard Lan Ge complain offhandedly about having to peel his favorite fruits all the time, and lo and behold, the next day there were plates of unpeeled fruits in the common area, and Lan Ge greeted her with the brightest smile before offering her a plate. She glanced very briefly at Fa Hua who was sitting thigh to thigh with Lan Ge while reading a scroll. Smiling weakly, she thanked him for the offer before practically running away.
Or the other time when they were out on patrol, she had the fortune (or misfortune) of being in the same team as them, and as the night grew deeper, Lan Ge started to yawn more and nod off, leaning further and further into Fa Hua who was sitting beside him.
When he inevitably fell asleep on Fa Hua’s shoulder, Fa Hua didn’t even flinch, continuing to meditate as his friend started to snore lightly. But as time went on, Lan Ge kept leaning until he was ready to slide right off of him. Seeing him about to fall on his face, Mei Yu was about to stand up to catch him when a hand caught him first and guided him back to the shoulder, even repositioning him so that he’d feel more comfortable.
Fa Hua’s eyes were still closed, and Lan Ge settled back against him, even snuggling closer with a small hum.
Mei Yu stared.
The last time she tried to pull this trick, she ended up falling onto Guo’er’s shoulder instead, the young woman asking her if everything was alright when she looked around frantically and confused, because Fa Hua was literally right there . And there he was, somehow already up and talking to Beiyue Shangchen as though he was never beside her.
She pursed her lips, clenching her hands.
Surely…?
The final nail in the coffin was during the last few weeks she was there. By now, she had seen them fight together and knew about their connection through the Wushuang Bead and how they use it. Physical touch. That’s right.
It temporarily gave her hope that whatever they had going on was only due to the Wushuang Bead and nothing else, but her hopes were shattered when she saw Fa Hua holding Lan Ge protectively by the waist multiple times during the battle, or the way they held hands so tight and comfortably even after it was done.
Her heart throbbed.
Fa Hua barely looked at her the whole time she was here, only doing the bare minimum of exchanges and still being as kind and helpful as he would to an acquaintance, but never had he ever allowed her anywhere close.
Lan Ge on the other hand…was always there by his side.
It irked her in the beginning how clingy he was to Fa Hua. But by the time she was about to leave, she realized one thing:
They were both very attached to each other.
Wherever Lan Ge was, Fa Hua would not be far behind. If one came, you would immediately expect to see the other because they were a package deal—they were inseparable.
And the thing was, it wasn’t the first time she dealt with a potential lover who had a really close friend who was territorial and never left his side.
…But it was the first time she felt like she really had no chance.
And what confused her, is that Lan Ge didn’t even seem to intentionally do it unlike previous experiences. He never seemed jealous of her despite her attempts, only glancing at her sometimes in a way that made her feel like she was being silly.
In her desperation and curiosity, she even started to look into people who are into the same sex, and well…suffice to say, her world has been widened just a tiny bit. She still felt like it didn’t feel…right? But no one else in the team seemed to share her view.
It was Lu Yuan who even hinted at her after all, and she probably looked like a fool trying to woo a man who would never even be interested in her. It made her feel…humiliated somehow. A tiny spark of anger festered until she was about to leave, where she demanded right then and there to speak to Fa Hua and Fa Hua alone after saying goodbye to everyone else.
The man was obviously stunned, never seeing her look so angry before. He shared a look with Lan Ge before he nodded.
“Alright.”
Fa Hua followed her to a quiet, deserted corner, and waited, hands clasped calmly behind him.
Mei Yu opened her mouth but shut it immediately. Why was it so hard to say it aloud now…?
A few minutes passed by in silence before Fa Hua coughed into his hand. “Mei-xiaojie? Is there anything you want to tell me?”
Clenching her fists, Mei Yu bit her lips before blurting out: “A-are you in a relationship with Lan Ge?!”
Fa Hua’s eyes widened slightly in surprise before it dissipated, his gaze turning calm and a little chilly.
“And what if I am?”
A shiver ran down her spine at the sudden spike of fear his presence struck her. She gulped. This was the first time she had ever seen Fa Hua look so cold, his gaze piercing into her very soul.
She managed to break away from his eyes and shook her head.
“N-nothing! I just…”
“Just?”
“I-I just wished you or anyone would have told me sooner so I wouldn’t look like an idiot for trying to win you over! ” She snapped in the end, chest heaving as she glared back at Fa Hua.
Fa Hua seemed speechless for a second as he processed her words, shadow falling onto his face before he raised them again.
Oh. Mei Yu tried not to run away, wanting the ground to swallow her whole from the sheer emptiness of Fa Hua’s gaze. After some time, he finally opened his mouth:
“We are not obligated to tell others of our private affairs, especially when I’ve made myself clear numerous times that I have no interest whatsoever in pursuing anything.”
With you , he didn’t say. But he didn’t need to.
Mei Yu felt her vision swim—this wasn’t how she planned for it to go. She had envisioned herself screaming at Fa Hua for being inconsiderate and misleading and having him freeze from being unable to say anything back, but reality painted a much different picture.
Ah…she screwed up real bad.
“I…I…”
“If that was all, I’m going back now.”
And without another word, Fa Hua turned to leave.
“W-wait—!”
He stopped.
Desperately, Mei Yu forced her mind to be still just enough for her to get her thoughts in line. She couldn’t- she messed up so bad that she doubted anything she said would make up for it, but —
“I…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I—”
“You could have asked me or Lan Ge directly. None of our close friends told you because it was not theirs to tell. So why didn’t you?”
Mei Yu slowly raised her eyes to watch Fa Hua’s looming back, swallowing the lump in her throat. A deep sense of shame grew in her heart, so much so that she struggled to get her words out. But she had to. If not for her sake, then at least for theirs.
“…I…I think deep down, I already knew the truth somewhere at the start. It‘s just…”
“You ran away from the truth.”
Shamefully, she nodded her head. Tang Yunqing would not have approved, that’s for sure.
“I thought that…as long as it was never officially confirmed…I could still…”
Have a chance with you, her mind supplied, but there was no way she could ever say that aloud. Her dignity was in shambles as is.
But Fa Hua heard it anyway, because the sigh of disappointment he let out cut through her heart like the sharpest of knives.
“I had assumed that when you finally backed off and stopped your advances you'd already realized and accepted it, but clearly that wasn’t the case.”
“I’m sorry,” whispered Mei Yu, voice meek and regretful.
Fa Hua just shook his head.
“I should apologize as well for not making it clearer with you from the get-go, because I thought my refusal was enough.”
“I—”
“Forget it,” cut in Fa Hua, not too unkindly. “Mei-xiaojie, I wish you the best in your future endeavors. And I hope you never find yourself in this kind of incident again.”
And with that, he gave her a respectful nod—more than she deserved—before continuing to walk away, leaving Mei Yu to her despair as she now had to live with the fact that not only had she blown her chance of ever coming back to work with Shenlan, she also blew any possible friendship she could have had with either of them.
When she arrived back at their last meeting point, she watched as Lan Ge tried to coax out what just transpired between them from Fa Hua.
“Fa-duidui, come on,” he grasped his hand, shaking it slightly. “What happened? Why can’t you tell me? You even blocked me out.”
Fa Hua just shook his head slightly, squeezing his hand before giving him a small smile.
“I’ll tell you when the time’s right, I promise.”
Lan Ge pouted a bit before sighing. “…Fine.”
And then she finally saw it, the proof that she’s been asking for all along. Lan Ge blinked when a hand gently brushed his hair away before resting on his cheek, eyes widening when a familiar pair of lips pressed against his.
But it was the way he immediately closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss that really sealed it, comfortably grabbing onto Fa Hua like he’s done this a million times before.
She looked away. They looked perfect together.
When they parted, she could hear Lan Ge saying, “What was that for?”
“Nothing,” replied Fa Hua, obviously smiling from his tone alone. “Let’s go.”
Lan Ge glanced back and forth between her and Fa Hua with an inscrutable look before following suit.
For the last time, Mei Yu bowed low to their disappearing silhouette before rising to her feet. She hoped she would never stumble upon them in the future…because her face would have nowhere to hide.