Work Text:
Wei Ying was laughing so hard he almost dropped the camera, while Lan Zhan was trying to hold it steady, his expression unchanging but his eyes showed amusement.
“Wei Ying, stop moving,” he had said, voice soft but firm.
“You’re the one holding it, Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying protested, leaning closer, their faces almost touching as he reached for the tripod to fix the angle. “Okay, now—Ready? Say hi, Lan Zhan!”
Lan Zhan blinked at the lens, awkwardly raising a hand. “Hi.”
Wei Ying burst out laughing again. “Can you try to look like you actually enjoy doing this?”
He’d said that to tease his boyfriend, but when Lan Zhan smiled honestly, Wei Ying forgot how to breathe. So handsome, his Lan Zhan.
Their first video ever for the newly created Youtube channel was a cooking video. The camera wasn’t the best one, they had no equipment or good lighting, but it was the beginning of everything.
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xiaomei_97: you guys are my favorite couple in the world. pls don’t ever breakup
wwx4life: THEY BROKEUP? WTF? I DONT BELIEVE IN LOVE ANYMORE
qiqi_lotus: please tell me this is a joke. 不敢相信😭😭😭 pls say it’s just a break not a breakup!!!
A_wei_moment: 我哭死了
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To their fans, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying couldn’t live without each other.
They had also thought the same thing. That was until they broke up.
The famous Youtube couple used to post videos and vlogs about their daily lives, contents such as cooking, travelling and shopping were constant and people seemed to love it. But alas, not all love stories survive the spotlight.
After their breakup, Wei Ying felt that they owed their fans an explanation, after all, they were the ones who gave them visibility, so they agreed to record one last video explaining to their followers the reason for their separation.
“3, 2, 1…”
They are both sitting comfortably on the sofa in the apartment they used to share, but now Lan Zhan is the only owner. The camera is attached to the tripod and the ring light illuminates the room so much that the brightness is bothering Wei Ying's watery eyes due to the urge to cry.
Once the camera is recording, Wei Ying starts talking—a little faster than usual. He tells their fans that they made the decision a few weeks ago, and he tries to make his words sound less sad and encourage his followers to see the positive side of things, if there is one, that is. He forces laughter by cracking a few unfunny jokes, while Lan Zhan remains silent the entire time.
It is truly devastating. Wei Ying thought they would spend the rest of their lives together, he really did. And yet, here they are, recording this sad breakup video. It is kind of ridiculous, if you think about it.
“Before we talk about the reason why we broke up, Lan Zhan and I decided to take you guys on one last date with us, to that restaurant we used to go to.”
“Our restaurant,” Lan Zhan’s voice is heard for the first time since the video started being recorded.
This takes Wei Ying by surprise, like a pang in his heart, and although he is trying to be positive, he can’t stop his smile from fading away immediately. Wei Ying seems to remember the camera is on, so he clears his throat and collects himself. He says a brief "see you guys later" and turns off the camera. The two men stare at each other for a moment, until Lan Zhan hooks a hand at Wei Ying’s nape and pulls him into his arms.
Breakups are incredibly difficult, especially when there's still love involved. Especially when you continue to see your ex and enjoy their affection for you. Wei Ying is not ready to let go, he thinks he will never be, but he has to. It’s also very difficult for him to break away from the hug, Lan Zhan’s strong arms and warm embrace make it even harder, but he eventually does so, and they both head to the restaurant.
Lan Zhan and Wei Ying had shared many date vlogs with their fans during the time they were together. This one would be the last.
After ordering the dishes, Wei Ying turns on the camera and starts the vlog, chatting with his followers again as if it’s just another normal date. He mentions the times he and his—now ex—boyfriend went there and created many memories. He talks about Lan Zhan's favorite food, which is completely tasteless, and his own, which is the total opposite.
“Years of relationship and Lan Zhan still doesn’t like spicy food, can you guys believe it?” He smiles and looks at the other.
“But I would eat all the spicy food in the world for Wei Ying,” he says, staring at Wei Ying instead of the camera, as if the object filming them didn’t even exist.
Wei Ying smiles unsettled, but takes some of his extremely spicy noodles, and feeds it to Lan Zhan, who accepts without hesitation. Gradually, however, a flush creeps up Lan Zhan’s neck, and soon his face turns completely red. He even has trouble swallowing.
“Here, drink some water, Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying says urgently and pushes the glass of water towards him.
"Wei Ying," he says breathlessly after downing all the water in his glass. "I have to go," without further ado, Lan Zhan gets up and hurries out of the restaurant, leaving behind a very confused ex boyfriend.
Wei Ying, not fully understanding the situation, remains staring open-mouthed at the spot Lan Zhan was sitting just a few seconds ago. After processing the information, he ends the video with a wry smile and the sentence: "Well, Lan Zhan got sick and had to go. I guess we'll have to reschedule this last meeting."
Later, upon arriving at his new—and extremely empty—apartment, Wei Ying discovers that Lan Zhan had a severe stomach ache due to the pepper.
team_wangxian: I watched you two grow together for years… this feels like watching my favorite love story end. Please tell me this isn’t real 😭
A second “last date” is arranged.
This time, they went to the shopping mall. When they were together, they would walk around the mall holding hands, they would go to the movies and eat something delicious afterwards. Lan Zhan would buy anything Wei Ying wanted and Wei Ying would say that he would pay in bed.
Aside from the last part, they decided to do the same things. But this time, during the film, Wei Ying can't concentrate. He takes advantage of the darkness to observe Lan Zhan’s beautiful face and cry, even though they’re watching a comedy movie. The problem is, Wei Ying knows he'll never be able to sit in that movie theater with Lan Zhan again. And that hurts.
The hardest part is when Lan Zhan tries to reach for his hand, and Wei Ying has to push him away. The look on the older man's face, even in the dark, shows disappointment.
When the movie ends, they both start walking back to the parking lot when Lan Zhan suddenly stops. "Wei Ying. I bought you something."
Wei Ying’s heart races in anticipation. He really doesn’t want to do this right now, or else he fears he won’t be able to hold back. "What is it, Lan Zhan?"
Lan Zhan smiles sadly, handing his ex-boyfriend a small box. When he opens it, a bracelet with a very meaningful pendant is revealed: the symbol of their YouTube channel. Inside, the name of the channel is engraved.
Feeling his chest tighten and butterflies fluttering in his stomach, Wei Ying practically throws himself into Lan Zhan's arms, hugging him tightly, as if he never wanted to let go. “Thank you, Lan Zhan,” the sound is muffled because his mouth is pressed against the other person’s shoulder. “It’s beautiful.”
As soon as Lan Zhan's strong arms close around his waist, Wei Ying finds himself forced to end the hug immediately, otherwise he would succumb to his desires and kiss his ex-boyfriend right there. And, oh, Lan Zhan’s lips are so kissable right now. He clears his throat and suggests recording the rest of the video in their— in Lan Zhan’s apartment. They have to finish this.
foreverwxlj: comeonnnn, we can feel how much you still love e/o through the screen, it hurts sfm
The end was near. Wei Ying spent the whole way back with a knot in his stomach, thinking that in less than an hour, all of this would be over. It would be the end of Lan Zhan and Wei Ying, they would once again be just two strangers. He observes the cold weather through the car window, the sky is gloomy as is his mood, which becomes even worse when they both enter the apartment and memories begin to flood him. As soon as Wei Ying steps foot inside the door, he regrets immediately going back there. Every corner of the place smells like their love. There's so much history, even in the most unlikely places there's Lan Zhan and Wei Ying.
Wei Ying sets up the tripod and camera while Lan Zhan makes tea for them both. He stares at the red light on the camera and remembers when they started their channel years ago. His fingers linger on the lens absentmindedly. It takes him back to high school, when Lan Zhan had leaned in to fix the microphone on Wei Ying’s shirt before a class presentation. His hands had brushed against his collarbone, warm and careful, and Wei Ying had laughed loudly and nervously, making Lan Zhan glance up at him with those calm eyes that always said more than his words ever could. Wei Ying still remembers the exact moment when Lan Zhan’s gaze dropped to his lips. He remembers thinking oh, is he going to kiss me? i hope he kisses me.
And Lan Zhan did. It was quick and clumsy and perfect in the way first kisses usually are.
Wei Ying exhales and blinks the memory away, realizing the camera’s still pointed at him. He presses his lips together, forcing a small smile when Lan Zhan touches his shoulder and asks if he’s okay.
“Oh, you’re back. I’m alright,” he answers, “let’s make this video a good one too.”
Lan Zhan offers Wei Ying the tea and he can’t help but notice it’s Wei Ying’s favorite mug. Lan Zhan still keeps it. He swallows his tears along with the hot tea and hits the record button.
When they start the video, Wei Ying is all smiles, showing off his new bracelet to his followers and talking about random things as if it’s just another regular video, when a lump in his throat makes his voice break and prevents him from continuing to speak. He looks at Lan Zhan with teary eyes, his lips curled downward in an expression as if he's holding back tears.
“This is so stupid, Lan Zhan,” he says, referring to the video, and sighs, trying to stop the tears from falling. “I know it was my idea, but why did you agree to it? Why are we doing this? It’s not like we owe anyone an explanation… We should just—stop recording and,”
"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan puts his hand on Wei Ying’s shoulder, trying to reassure him. "If it's important to you, it's not stupid," he smiles briefly, trying to cheer up his ex-boyfriend, but Lan Zhan's smile is too broken to cause this effect.
Either way, Wei Ying ends up feeling better about the whole thing after Lan Zhan’s words and a glass of warm water. Lan Zhan always knows what to say and do to calm him down.
“How am I supposed to live without you, huh, Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying lets his shoulders slump and lets out a small laugh that doesn’t reach his eyes as he realizes he spoke out loud, which he wasn’t supposed to. But before Lan Zhan can answer, he resumes the recording.
“As you guys saw, our first last date didn’t work out, but the second one did!” Wei Ying proceeds to talk about the cinema, the movie and the gift he received from Lan Zhan, while he remains silent, as usual, just adding some comments here and there or agreeing with whatever Wei Ying was saying.
"Now, let's get to what everyone's been waiting to hear: the reason for the breakup," he takes a deep breath, already feeling the lump forming in his throat again.Why is this so hard? "The reason Lan Zhan and I can't be together anymore is because I'm leaving the country."
Wei Ying lowers his head, feeling the first tear fall, knowing that if he gives in to crying, he won't be able to stop. His shaky breathing is louder than he would like to, but he pretends nothing is happening.
"And before you start hating on Lan Zhan, no, he didn't want this, it was my decision," he explains. It's getting harder and harder to talk. "Don't hate me either, I've thought about everything a lot. I... It was a very hard decision, everything is so hard. I don't want to keep Lan Zhan from living his life. I don't want him to wait for years, I don't want to stop him from seeing other people... I don't want him to get stuck in a relationship where we'll only see each other every six months, because you know it doesn’t work. We would end up breaking up anyway, or worse, hating each other..." He sighs deeply, as if gathering the strength to continue. He’s not even talking to the camera anymore.
Lan Zhan looks at him curiously, his brow slightly furrowed as if something in Wei Ying’s words didn't make sense. “Wei Ying… You told me you just didn’t want to be in a relationship with me anymore.” Lan Zhan says in a low tone, as if the microphones couldn’t pick it up. “You told me the love you felt for me was not the same,” he sounds betrayed.
Wei Ying's eyes fill with tears and they start to fall. He taps the screen to stop the camera, sighing. "Yes and it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life, Lan Zhan. Lying to you like that was just wrong, and I am sorry, but I knew that you wouldn’t let go if I told you the truth, you would fight for our relationship and it would only make things harder for both of us," at this point, Wei Ying is almost sobbing, the tears streaming violently down his face.
“Wei Ying, please, look at me…” It’s possible to hear desperation in Lan Zhan’s words. He is begging.
Hesitantly, Wei Ying turns towards his ex-boyfriend, who promptly brings both hands to his face. He tries to avoid Lan Zhan’s eyes because God knows he will be defeated by that yearning look.
“Do you still want me?”
“Lan Zhan, we can’t—I can’t. I can’t make you stop yourself from living—”
"You cannot decide for me," Lan Zhan's expression goes from gentle to serious, and he drops his hands to Wei Ying’s shoulders, squeezing in reassurance. "Wei Ying, I want to be tied to you. I want to be with you even when we're far away. I want you. I want you in any way you’ll have me, in any way we can. Distant or not, you know it does not matter. You know I would do anything for you."
He knows indeed and that is exactly what makes him scared. “Lan Zhan…”
“The distance won’t be a problem, I’ll visit you often, Wei Ying, I might even move there with you after I graduate. We can make it work, we will make it work. We can find a solution for everything we want,” he doesn’t sound desperate anymore, but he is talking slowly, trying to put some sense in his boyfriend’s mind.
Wei Ying looked away, slightly sulking. "Lan Zhan, it's not fair that you give up your life here for me."
“Wei Ying. You are my life.”
Hearing that, Wei Ying can no longer contain the urge to hug his ex-boyfriend. He pulls Lan Zhan into his arms, burying his face in the crook of his neck and breathing in the scent that reminds him of home.
Lan Zhan continues, “Wei Ying, just answer my question. Can I stay by your side?”
Wei Ying tightens his embrace. "Not literally by my side, Lan Zhan, because the distance won't allow it…" He lets out a muffled chuckle into the other's neck, and Lan Zhan smiles. "But yes. Yes, you can."
Relief washes over the older man. He places a long kiss on Wei Ying's cheek and breathes into his skin, visibly relaxed now. “Then we’ll make it work, Wei Ying.”
They both intertwine their hands and connect their lips in a passionate kiss, full of relief, hunger, and desire. It's only when the kiss ends that they both realize the camera is still on. "Lan Zhan," he laughs, pointing. "Good thing it wasn't a livestream."
"Mn," Lan Zhan runs his fingers through Wei Ying's long hair. God, he'd missed this. "Are you going to post the video anyway?"
“If I post it, our followers will think it was all a lie and that we only did it for attention, after all, we were about to tell them the reason for the breakup,” he shrugs.
“The only lie was the reason for the breakup,” Lan Zhan raises an eyebrow and Wei Ying promptly waves his hands in front of his face.
“No-no-no, Lan Zhan, you know I tried to do this because it would be better for you! I’m sorry!”
"Being away from you will never be better for me," he leans his body toward the younger boy, pressing him against the sofa. "I think Wei Ying deserves to be punished."
Wei Ying smiles mischievously, understanding what the other means. "I accept my penance, Lan Zhan," he pulls the other's head down until it reaches his lips.
After some time kissing him intensely, Wei Ying looks out of the corner of his eye at the camera, remembering that it is still on. He lifts a hand and presses a button, turning it off before things heat up even more.
-
The comments flood in within minutes, Wei Ying feels his phone buzzing nonstop on the table, but the only notification he opens is his boyfriend's text message.
Lan Zhan: Did you post it?
Wei Ying: yessss. also getting the notifs huh? they’re going crazy cause we’re together again
It had been more than a month since the day they decided to get back together, but only now, in a different country, Wei Ying gathered the courage to post the video. He didn’t want it to seem like they were lying about the whole breakup thing for views.
Lan Zhan: Just watched it. You look so pretty in the video, Wei Ying. I can’t wait to see you.
Wei Ying: only two more months until we see each other, lan zhan. looking forward!!
Lan Zhan: Mn. Until then… I will wait for your video call tonight.
Wei Ying laughed. Lan Zhan didn’t use emojis nor suggestive words, but Wei Ying knew exactly what he meant.
Wei Ying: LAN ZHAN, YOU’RE SHAMELESSSSSSS
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wwxlwjlove: I KNEW IT!! I KNEW YOU COULDN’T STAY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER 😭❤️
lianhua_dreams: I’m literally crying at work right now. True love does exist!!
yu.er: you two just gave me hope again. tysm for choosing each other again.
chenxue: the way lan zhan smiled when wei ying said “we’re back”… i had never seen him smile like that, i’m gone 😭 srsly they’re sooooooo in love
lanlan.blue: I watched your breakup video sobbing and now I’m sobbing again, but for a good reason
zhan_ge_stan: 不敢相信我真的看到他们在一起了 again ❤️
spicy_noodles_couple: NOT THE PLOT TWIST OF THE YEAR 😭😭😭
bunnyandwine: I’m calling my therapist to cancel the appointment because I’M HEALED, YOU ARE MY THERAPY
lwjlover_1314: Soooo do we get a reunion vlog or do we pretend we didn’t just witness the kiss of the century??? 😏
golden_core_heart: Love really does find its way back.