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Everything was going wrong. Everything had gone terribly wrong.
Lan Wangji remembers the entire scene clearly. One moment, Wei Wuxian was warning him that his ribbon was about to come loose, and the next, it was completely tangled in his hands.
Perhaps the most vivid part of the memory was the shout his uncle let out upon witnessing the whole thing.
Lan Wangji let out a weary sigh as he warmed his tea. Today would be the final negotiations for his engagement to Wei Wuxian.
But what terrified him the most wasn't that meeting—it was facing Wei Wuxian himself.
The day before, a large hawk had landed on his balcony, carrying a letter from a sender he could never mistake.
The message was simple:
“Tomorrow I want to talk to you, and I want an honest answer.”
Lan Wangji grimaced. His headache returned immediately.
During the initial rituals of their engagement, Wei Wuxian had been unusually quiet. Or rather, indifferent. Maybe even irritated. Lan Wangji hadn’t really been able to read his expression.
Still, at the time, Lan Wangji doubted Wei Wuxian had simply resigned himself to the situation. And that message confirmed it.
Wei Wuxian surely wanted to break off the engagement.
And that… that was fine with Lan Wangji. In fact, that was exactly what he also wanted to discuss with him.
"But… I thought you did like Wei-xiong" said Nie Huaisang, who had been sitting far away the whole time.
Lan Wangji acknowledged his presence again. He had no idea who had invited him into his room.
"This is my business" Lan Wangji replied, to which Nie Huaisang rolled his eyes.
But Nie Huaisang was right. But still, his feelings were irrelevant. For a marriage to flourish, both people must love each other.
One heart alone, no matter how intense, couldn’t keep a fire burning if the other refused to feed it.
Maybe Nie Huaisang had seen it on his face. After all, years of attending alliance meetings between kingdoms must have taught him a thing or two about reading people.
"Whatever. Just drink all your tea. I got it especially for you."
Lan Wangji nodded after taking a sip.
"It tastes good."
"I can’t even tell if that’s a compliment or a critique. Just keep drinking."
***
Wei Wuxian leaned against the window as his carriage carried him toward the Lan palace.
His mother was looking at him—nervous and curious, but mostly nervous.
"Don’t worry, sweetheart," she said as soon as they arrived. "I’ll clear up this misunderstanding with old Qiren and everything will be fine."
Wei Wuxian just nodded, a little lost.
That day kept playing over and over in his mind. How, after the scandal, they were forced to kneel while their sentence was read aloud. He remembered the hard look on Lan Wangji’s face as their hands were pressed together to symbolize their supposed agreement to the engagement.
He clenched his teeth at the memory.
Once Lan Qiren came to receive them, Wei Wuxian excused himself and quickly headed toward one of the castle towers—one he was already very familiar with.
His steps were firm and quick as he climbed toward the top floor, and only stopped when, from the threshold of a room, he saw the one he had been looking for.
For a moment, there was only silence, but Wei Wuxian could tell Lan Wangji had already noticed him.
Wei Wuxian drew in a breath and called out to him, though he hadn’t expected the wave of nerves that hit as soon as their eyes met.
He had come here determined to get an answer, and Lan Wangji looked just as determined to give him one.
He held his gaze for a moment longer, then simply let it out:
"Lan Wangji, tell me the truth. Do you really want to go through with this engagement?"
The man in front of him fell silent—not like he was thinking it over, but like he was bracing himself to say it.
And after a tense moment, he finally said, loud and clear, a simple:
"Yes."
"…"
"…"
"Oh."
That was all Wei Wuxian managed to say, stunned.
He definitely hadn’t seen that answer coming.
And it seemed that Lan Wangji didn’t expect it either, because for the first time, he looked visibly surprised.
"Yes," he repeated, but he only looked more startled than before. "Yes… I want to—yes."
"Yes?" Wei Wuxian echoed, still stunned.
He had braced himself for a bucket of cold water, but instead they threw boiling water on him.
Unable to help himself, he began stepping forward, more and more, cornering a nervous Lan Wangji who glanced around like he was searching for an escape route.
Wei Wuxian could feel the emotion bubbling up inside him, stronger by the second. If at first he thought he’d misheard, Lan Wangji had already repeated it twice. Very enthusiastically, too.
With every passing moment, it became harder to suppress the near-maniacal grin forming on his face.
Once they were face to face, Wei Wuxian struck again.
"So… you do want to marry me?"
Wei Wuxian watched in awe as Lan Wangji pressed his lips together, but still nodded.
He couldn’t hold back his excitement any longer.
"Then—that day!" Wei Wuxian took two big strides and closed the distance completely. "What did you really want that day?"
"I…"
"I did want you to take off my ribbon."
***
Lies. Those were all lies.
Lan Wangji didn’t understand what was happening. He had been completely set on ending this marriage, on setting Wei Wuxian free.
“Well, he doesn’t look like someone who wants to be freed,” whispered a treacherous voice in his head.
And that was just one more senseless thing to add to the list.
It seemed that with every word he said, instead of anger, confusion, or even pity… Wei Wuxian only grew more excited.
And that intense look in his eyes wasn’t letting him think straight.
"What did you really want that day?" Wei Wuxian asked.
There were too many answers. “That you behaved. That you didn’t provoke my uncle. That you didn’t accidentally propose to me.”
He could still remember the cold indifference with which Wei Wuxian went through every part of the engagement ritual, without saying a word.
“I wanted you to say something. I wanted you to protest. Even if it broke my heart, I wanted—”
"I did want you to take off my ribbon."
But not that!
He should stay quiet. He should run. He should—
But all words died in his throat when he felt the presence of the man standing before him.
By instinct, he tried to escape again, but was firmly cornered against the wall.
"Lan Wangji, look at me."
And how could he possibly refuse such a direct command?
That didn’t stop him from freezing at what he saw.
Despite Wei Wuxian’s heavy breathing, the obvious overwhelming excitement he radiated—his face was different. His gaze was almost pleading, waiting for his next response.
And finally, he asked:
"What do you want now?"
Lan Wangji’s mind suddenly went calm. How was he supposed to answer that?
He wanted explanations. He wanted to start his own interrogation. He wanted to know Wei Wuxian’s true feelings.
But if he tried to say any of those things… would what came out be a lie?
He had to be careful with his words. Maybe, if he stuck to the same kind of truth as before, then he’d say—
“I want to stop all of this so that you can be honest with me.”
"I want you to secure this marriage."
***
His rational side told him that Lan Wangji had definitely gone mad—or that he himself was delirious and misinterpreting Lan Wangji's words.
But that rational side was tucked away in a very distant corner of his mind right now.
“You really… really want it right now?”
“Yes.”
That yes echoed through his entire body. It was absurd, it was immoral—and yet.
***
“I already memorized all their rules. Can we do something else now?” Wei Wuxian lay sprawled over Lan Wangji’s desk in the library, looking up at him with a pleading expression.
But unlike their previous interactions, this time Lan Wangji turned to look at him.
“You’ve memorized them?”
“Yes.”
“All of them?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you take my ribbon that day?”
Wei Wuxian just stared at him, stunned, for a few moments—until the dream ended.
That dream had been happening more and more lately.
He hadn’t wanted to think much about what it meant. Or rather, he’d chosen to ignore it… until now.
When he saw that white ribbon floating in the air, he’d just grabbed it—genuinely without thinking much of it.
But he knows that, unconsciously, the meaning had crossed his mind.
And when it did, he pulled anyway.
***
He had always wanted this marriage, from the beginning—though definitely not like this.
But he wanted Lan Wangji. He wanted the omega standing before him, the man who was shamelessly asking to be… taken, to have their marriage secured.
He wanted him back.
And the foundation of being a good husband… is respecting your spouse’s wishes.
And if Wei Wuxian aspired to be that—
“Well… if that’s what you want.”
He couldn’t deny him now.
***
Lan Qiren was walking alongside Cangse Sanren toward Lan Wangji’s tower, where their respective protégés were likely discussing their positions on the engagement.
After lengthy negotiations, they had agreed that the entire matter would be annulledif both young men truly wanted it. The emotional turmoil up to this point was punishment enough. Surely, the lesson had been learned.
They were just about to reach the top floor when a loud voice echoed down the stairs.
***
Any protest Lan Wangji had died the moment he felt Wei Wuxian pull him down to the floor.
He tried to push him away—Wei Wuxian didn’t let him. Instead, he intertwined their fingers and pinned their hands to either side of his head.
“Lan Zhan, do you really want this? You want to be bound like this?”
“Yes.” No!
Lan Wangji could hear footsteps—someone was coming upstairs. His uncle.
“Wei Ying, hurry—hurry,” he hissed. But what he really meant was: Stop!
“Lan Zhan, wait.” Wei Wuxian suddenly pulled back, his expression unusually serious—serious enough to make Lan Wangji forget, for one brief moment, that disaster was getting closer by the second.
“I… I really want to do what you asked me to, but you need to know something first.”
The sound of a door creaking open echoed from below.
“Don’t tell me,” Lan Wangji interrupted quickly, “I don’t want to know.”
“But you have to know!” Wei Wuxian insisted, gripping his hands tighter. “You’ve been honest with me… I need to do the same.”
Lan Wangji flushed deeper when Wei Wuxian leaned further over him—practically straddling his lap.
A hushed murmur of voices floated up from the lower floors.
“Tell me now—" Lan Wangji tried again, "my uncle—”
“What about your uncle?”
“He’s too far!”
“That's great then! Lan Zhan, you need to hear this—”
Calm footsteps on the stairs. A pause. Then urgent, rapid ones.
Wei Wuxian, blissfully unaware of the situation—or the poor omega beneath him desperately flicking his gaze between him and the open door—went on.
“That day, I… I did want to take your ribbon.”
Lan Qiren froze in the doorway.
“I mean, I didn’t expect the whole engagement thing,” Wei Wuxian continued, oblivious, “I just wanted to… take it. Take you.”
“So it was on purpose?”
The moment shattered.
Lan Wangji could only bury his face in his sleeves as Wei Wuxian slowly turned around… caming face to face with Lan Qiren.
Cangse Santen simply covered her ears. She didn’t want to hear the old man screaming—
Or her son, for that matter.