bai zhan peak head disciple

It's a second and a century all at once, in that moment, and she thinks she wouldn't mind dying if that is the cost of stealing a kiss.

_

"Lan-er-jiejie," she croons, and Lan Wangji sucks in a breath, fingers twitching. “Why, Lan-er-jiejie, it seems you've caught a little something of mine."

_

Wei Wuxian likes to play games. Lan Wangji will play along, but this time she would like a reward.

__

Lan Wangji's feels her heart stutter to a brief stop when Wei Wuxian darts forward, face so close to her own that she can feel the whisper of movement from the deity's eyelashes.

It's a second and a century all at once, in that moment, and she thinks she wouldn't mind dying if that is the cost of stealing a kiss. She nearly leans forward, nearly erases the breath of space between the cherry red grin before her and her own lips.

But only nearly, because the grin becomes a mischievous smile, and Lan Wangji finds herself blinking rapidly as Wei Wuxian blows into her face, then immediately throws a horde of flowers onto her. She shakes the flowers off, startled, and sees Wei Wuxian sprint away, cackling.

It's nearly evening, the sun above inching closer to the horizon, and so the sky is a brilliant portrait of warm colors, streaks of bright orange and yellow and pink lining the heavens. A masterpieces almost as vibrant as Wei Wuxian herself, whose red ribbon flies behind her with the trailing ends of her luxurious silk robes.

Beautiful, Lan Wangji can't help but think. The most beautiful in all of history.

Beautiful, but also getting farther away, which absolutely will not do. And so, Lan Wangji gives chase, gaining on the deity rapidly, closing in on the trailing red silk.

Wei Wuxian shouts in mild surprise and great delight when she realizes that the famously stoic and uptight Hanguang-jun has given in and is at her tail. She in turn also increases her speed, for she has never been one to make things easy, laughing brightly all the way.

"No running in the Cloud Recesses!" she scolds mockingly, the effect disrupted by the way her words are broken up by giggles.

"We are not in the Cloud Recesses," counters Lan Wangji, and delights internally at the way it makes Wei Wuxian laugh so hard she stumbles over her feet. She does not let it distract her, however, opting instead to take advantage of it. She increases her speed and reaches out, determined to capture the deity in her arms.

And her hand is expectedly not empty when she retracts it, but instead of tangling in Wei Wuxian's locks or latching onto a sleeve, she finds that it is the red hair ribbon that she has captured, a thick line of red wrapped around her palm. A look up at its owner reveals that her already wild hair is whipping around in the air, the wind swirling it around the way it shapes and thrashes the waves of the ocean.

Lan Wangji's eyes widen imperceptibly at the scene - sunset, Wei Wuxian looking at her, silvery eyes bright and shining, long brown hair framing her head grandly, bright red mouth smiling wide. Wei Wuxian, watching, and beckoning .

"Lan-er-jiejie," she croons, and Lan Wangji sucks in a breath, fingers twitching. “Why, Lan-er-jiejie, it seems you've caught a little something of mine."

She lightly tosses her head back and laughs once again, loudly, like she's told the funniest joke, and Lan Wangji - flushed red and burning, with both the warmth of joy and the heat of desire, and enjoying the feeling of it - runs her fingers along the fabric of the ribbon, and attempts to steady her breaths.

Lan Wangji steps forward, and Wei Wuxian snaps to attention again, almost immediately, no doubt amused that her favorite so-called fuddy duddy is still playing along. Lan Wangji’s hands tighten around the ribbon, and she raises the fist to her heart, eyes locked onto the deity's all the while, unwavering.

Lan Wangji does not miss the glint that crosses Wei Wuxian's eyes in repsonse to her movements. She takes a step forward, and the deity skips backwards a distance - this they do many times, a move forward and a scurry back, studying each other, gauging how far this game of theirs, one of a great many, will last this time.

But Lan Wangji quickly find that she's had enough of games without reward.

"A prize," she says aloud. "If I can catch My Lady."

"Oh?" replies Wei Wuxian, curious and perhaps even excited at the development. Lan Wangji never asks for or seeks anything, even when she offers. "And what would the esteemed Hanguang-jun like?"

"This time - a kiss," answers Lan Wangji clearly, and she revels at the way the deity flushes a furious red, lips parting in shock. Her own lips can't help but quirk upwards in a light smile.

"Well," says Wei Wuxian. "Well! As Hanguang-jun wishes - I am honored to comply."

"Of course," she then adds quickly, already back to her mischief. If it weren’t for the yet to fade pink dusted across her cheeks, Lan Wangji would think that the deity had improved their recovery time to her rare teasing. "This is presuming she wins. And if Hanguang-jun wants that prize -"

In the blink of an eye, Wei Wuxian spins around and leaps across the field and into the skies.

"She best start running!"

And with a cry of encouragement and amusement, Wei Wuxian darts into the distance.

Lan Wangji follows immediately, without a thought but with a newfound determination.

She has a woman to make her own, after all.

“Zhangfu," he says quietly, teasing. "Welcome home."

or

Airen, Airen, Airen - important things must be said three times!

__

Wei Wuxian is decked in robes that are a fusion of the styles of Qinghe Nie and Xiao Ying Village, as the Wen Remnants had named their new home, when he looks out a frosty window one morning a few years into his marriage.

He had quite a bit of work to get done today, as Nie-fujun, so Luli and Yuan-er had been spending the past few hours with Wen popo, and Nie Mingjue had been away on a brief nighthunt.

He glances at his desk and considers the report, and it takes hardly any time for him to decide his husband is far more interesting - and anyway, he can wheedle Huaisang into finishing it. So he gets up giddily and snatches a thick fur cloak, wraps it around him tightly.

The cloak was custom made, a gift from Nie Mingjue on their first anniversary, so he'll "never have to fear the cold again."

He darts around stone corridors until he reaches the entrance, and pushes against the massive doors to see Nie Mingjue speaking to Nie Zonghui and some disciples, one of the sect's horses at his side.

He can't help the twitch of the corner of his lips as he quietly meanders up to his husband.

Nie Mingjue notices him quickly of course, and doesn't even finish his words when he dismisses the others and fully faces Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian has to bend his head back to look up at Nie Mingjue, big man that he is, and he's found that he's come to like the slight ache in his neck that comes with having the tallest husband ever.

(He especially likes when Nie Mingjue takes the time to smooth out the chinks with his calloused hands every night.)

“Zhangfu," he says quietly, teasing. "Welcome home."

Nie Mingjue’s eyes are bright and soft. He reaches out a hand to caress the intricate braids in Wei Wuxian’s hair, then his cheek. Wei Wuxian leans into the touch, smile only widening.

"Welcome home indeed," murmurs Nie Mingjue, and presses a chaste kiss to the crown of his husband's head, making the latter shudder. "Where are the little brats?”

Wei Wuxian pokes his stomach, not that it does anything. "Don't call my babies that," he scolds mockingly. "I had some work to get done, so they've spent the day at the village. They should have woken from their naps a while ago."

Nie Mingjue hums in consideration, looking intently at him. They stand there staring at each other in silence for several minutes, before Wei Wuxian is abruptly swept off his feet - literally. He yelps as Nie Mingjue grabs him to swing the both of them onto the horse's saddle.

"Give a man a warning next time, really!" exclaims Wei Wuxian without any bite. "I can get on a horse just fine on my own." Nie Mingjue only laughs gruffly and shifts Wei Wuxian into a more comfortable position, such that he is snug against his chest. Wei Wuxian has no complaints.

Before they set off, Nie Mingjue wraps his arms around Wei Wuxian tightly and presses his face into the braids that signify Wei Wuxian to be the Nie sect leader's spouse. Wei Wuxian knows about Nie Mingjue’s more than slight infatuation with them, and what they mean, even if Nie Mingjue himself doesn't know that he knows. Braids can be quite the bother, especially ones so complex as these, which is why he only ever bothered braiding his hair when he went to bed. That has changed, of course, in the past few years, but the way Nie Mingjue looks at him every time is well worth the half shichen of struggling every morning.

"Wuxian."

"Mingjue."

"Xiao Xian."

"Gege."

"A-Ying."

"A-Jue."

There's no real purpose to them calling out each other's names - they just enjoy the taste of it on their tongues, the roll of each syllable. Wei Wuxian hums and closes his eyes, happy, and presses back into Nie Mingjue’s chest.

"Airen," sighs Nie Mingjue, and Wei Wuxian’s heart sings with joy, as it always does at the pet name. "Airen, Airen, I've missed you."

"Well, I've missed you more," Wei Wuxian whispers back.

"Impossible," huffs Nie Mingjue, eyes twinkling, already expecting Wei Wuxian’s response.

"Just as well that I always attempt the impossible, hm?"

Nie Mingjue laughs out loud in agreement and noses at his cheek, tickling him.

"Aiya, alright, that's enough for now," says Wei Wuxian softly. He opens his eyes and looks into Nie Mingjue’s dark ones, smile at its widest and brightest. "A-Yuan and A-Li are waiting on us, they've missed their Fuqin very much."

"Then we can hardly keep them waiting," says Nie Mingjue, and grabs the reins to set the horse into motion. "Fuqin has missed them very much too." With a quick snap of his wrist, the horse whinnies and launches into a run, and Wei Wuxian is content as the wind whips against them.

'Every weekday at 1:15 p.m. precisely, Lan Wangji drives 52 feet from the Sylvia Blvd-Johnson St intersection and turns right into the entrance of Red Lotus Diner.'

In which Wei Wuxian is a hot carhop and Lan Wangji simps.

_

Every weekday at 1:15 p.m. precisely, Lan Wangji drives 52 feet from the Sylvia Blvd-Johnson St intersection and turns right into the entrance of Red Lotus Diner. He places his order - one yogurt parfait and a large cookie, every time - and waits quietly. To passersby, he looks stoic and distant, which is just as well. It wouldn’t do to have them know that his bones are trying to vibrate out of his skin.

After only a few minutes, he catches the sound of wheels rolling on gravel. Rolling towards him, closer and closer, a pattern of sounds that make his heart race faster as it gets louder. He turns his head slightly, and his eyes catch a red ribbon. It’s the same shade as the glossy lips grinning at him.

“Lan Zhan!” exclaims Wei Wuxian, and they do the little spin - oh heavens, thinks Lan Wangji dazedly, despite the fact that they do this every time - that makes their skirt twirl around them as they rest against his car door. “A-Zhan, Zhanzhan, Lan-er-gege, hello! Here’s your usual!”

“Wei Ying. Good afternoon,” says Lan Wangji softly, a stark contrast to the chaos in his head. It’s worse than the Fourth of July in there - louder and brighter and sharper and so very explosive. He applauds himself for keeping his cool and not crying at the sight of Wei Wuxian’s ethereal self.

They start regaling the happenings of their day and the latest news - “I bugged Qing-jie until she spilled and guess what, she and Cang Liqiu finally got together, it’s been forever I swear” and “You should’ve heard Jiang Cheng’s scream this morning, it was hilarious, this makes me first in our prank war” - as they hand over the tray, but Lan Wangji is only partly paying attention. Wei Wuxian’s fingers brush against his, a brief touch, and his mind completely shatters. Electricity sparks and zips ups his hand, travels along his nerves and spears through every inch of his body, and it takes every ounce of his focus to clamp down on a shudder. He curls his toes in his shoes and grinds his teeth together.

Wei Wuxian tosses their head, hair in their signature ponytail, and huffs to get their bangs out of their eyes. Lan Wangji wants to kiss them.

“Anyway,” they laugh, “How’s Jingyi doing? You said last time he had just about mastered Chopsticks.”

It is Lan Jingyi who Lan Wangji is on his way to meet. A distant relative of his, and close friend to Wei Wuxian’s son and nephew, whom he was teaching the piano. His lessons begin at 2:00 p.m. precisely every weekday. Lan Wangji is fond of him, and glad to speak of him. He tries not to look at Wei Wuxian directly, lest he combust.

“Jingyi is progressing well. He performed The Celebrated Chop Waltz for his school talent show. They did not give awards. However, should they have, he would have likely placed.” Having excessive pride is forbidden, but Lan Wangji does not. Whatever one may say of his personality, Jingyi is an excellent and dedicated student with much skill and potential.

Wei Wuxian smiles bright and delighted, as they always do when they hear about children. If they don’t stop doing that right this instance, Lan Wangji might do something ridiculous, like consider taking a chance and kissing them right in this parking lot.

“Aye, Lan Zhan, so proud of your student! And just as well, huh? Jingyi’s a brilliant little thing, it’s no wonder A-Yuan loves him,” they say. “That actually reminds me, A-Yuan’s been mentioning this for a while but I-”

Lan Wangji does not hear what A-Yuan was mentioning because his 1:30 p.m. alarm goes off. He is irritated enough that he nearly scowls, but thankfully Wei Wuxian’s vibrant presence makes it difficult to be very upset.

“Oh, I’ve kept you too long! You better get going! I’ll tell you later, after shift. Give Jingyi my love, and tell him A-Yuan and his Baba are very proud of him!”

“Mn,” replies Lan Wangji, and refrains from asking if they have some love to spare for him too. “I can pick you up from the university after your last class.”

Wei Wuxian brightens further at this. “Sure, sure, thanks Lan Zhan! You can come and visit A-Yuan if you want, he always wants to see you.” They glance at the clock and their eyes widen. “Wow, yea, ok, you really need to go, and I need to get back to work. I’ll see you later, ok?”

They turn around and skate forward, towards the lot-side entrance of their family’s diner, and Lan Wangji takes a deep breath. He is about to internally lament the loss of Wei Wuxian’s proximity, except they abruptly halt and hesitate, before quickly spinning around and rolling back to his car. He arches a brow slightly in confusion and wonders if telepathy is real. He’s about to open his mouth and ask what’s wrong, because for all that he loves Wei Wuxian, they both really do need to go to work.

And then Wei Wuxian darts forward and kisses his cheek, and his mind completely blanks. His conscience has been reduced to a white void. He has no thoughts, only radio static.

“Um, bye Lan Zhan,” they say quietly, face flushed - Lan Wangji’s thoughts briefly come back online to wonder if that blush spreads further - and skate away so quickly one would think Jiang Wanyin was chasing his down.

It takes Lan Wangji a moment to be acceptably functional, and another to be functional enough to drive. Typically, he arrives at Jingyi’s house 10 minutes before the lesson is to begin, giving him time to set up as Jingyi works through the cookie from the diner. Today, he is only on time, not early, so Jingyi has to wait until after the lesson. Lan Wangji has to hurry a bit setting up so that he wastes no more time.

Later that day, when he goes to pick up Wei Wuxian, he makes them take responsibility for their actions by pressing them against his car and kissing them hard and slow.

Wei Wuxian is dead. He is also in the kitchen.

What, is Lan Xichen's first thought. His second thought is, oh I have to tell Wangji.

_

It is 2:11 pm on Wednesday, exactly one week since Wei Ying was declared dead, when his brother charges into his room.

Lan Wangji had locked himself away since his return home after Wei Wuxian's death, doing little else but crying into his pillow, staring into the distance, crying over his guqin, crying himself to sleep, looking at pictures of Wei Wuxian, crying at the pictures-

There was a lot of crying involved, but he finds he is entitled to that, seeing as the love and light of his life is no longer in the world. His brother had been sympathetic, and left him to his mourning despite his concerns. Lan Xichen would check in on him, leaving food and drink outside his door, and letting him sob on his shoulder when he wished. The house was largely silent besides Wangji's grief and Xichen's gentle inquiries. As such, perhaps Wangji should have realized something of significance - to him - had happened when his brother ran into his room.

In his defense, Lan Xichen's presentation of information wasn't the best.

"Wangji!" he had cried out. "Wangji, oh heavens, you will not believe who I just saw!"

I don't care, thought Wangji irritatedly, and couldn't bring himself to reprimand him. "Xiongzhang, please, I am not-"

"Wei Wuxian is in the kitchen!"

His body was up and out the door before he even processes what his brother had said, and by the time the realization knocked the wind out of him, so did the sight of a translucent young man. His hair was long and held up by a red ribbon, and his eyes were silver.

Wei Ying, thought Wangji, overwhelmed and desperate. "Wei Ying."

Even with his limited (nonexistent) physicality, even when it's small and lopsided and awkward and so very baffled, Wei Wuxian's smile shines brighter than the greatest star.

"Uh, hey, Lan Zhan," he says lightly. "What's up? What am - Oh no, are you crying? Lan Zhan, why are you crying? Who hurt you? Are you ok? No, stupid, of course not, you're crying. Who do I need to beat up, Lan Zhan? Lan Zhan? Lan Zhan? Lan Zhan!"

Had he been conscious, Lan Wangji would have thought to himself that he was entitled to a faint, given the circumstances. But he wasn't conscious, because he had fainted, so Lan Xichen thought so for him.

-a wangxian royal au slowburn case fic

-wwx is a travelling bard and storyteller under the name yiling laozu, who travels with wn, wq, and his son a-yuan

-wq helps with like managing his stage and special effects if needed when she's not doing some healing work, wn and a-yuan draw in and engage the crowds

-wwx's accused of seducing women, which like shouldn't be a big deal bc no one actually cares about that stuff beyond gossip reasons, except some of these 'women' are married/betrothed, and some of these accusations come from noblemen, and basically it's a whole mess

-chaotic bisexual idiot gremlin wwx kinda had no clue about the rumors? he's heard stuff about him being a womanizer but he didn't know he was a supposed infidel

-he also might've unknowingly made some jokes about his being a womanizer which were taken way too seriously

-what actually happened is that wwx is kinda hot yk so naturally some of his customers want to fuck him and some of them were married women

-anyway everything takes a turn when women are found dead

-wwx is accused though he doesn't know it, until there's an argument where a nobleman is trying to fight him bc his sister was one of the dead women

-and then the nobleman dies and oh my, whoever might have had the motive?

-wwx is summoned to the palace and he's like fuck i'm going to die

-it doesn't help that the emperor is lwj, wwx's estranged ex-bestie whom he kinda was in love with but hasn't seen since he disappeared

-so he's summoned to the palace to explain himself

-lwj internally loses his shit when he sees who the yllz is and just kinda, sweeps wwx and co into a side room and is like yo. wtf.

-and wwx is like ha, haha, ha,,,,,,,,

-and to defend himself he kinda starts rambling about how it's not him he's never even touched a woman he doesn't know where the rumors came from he's a virgin

-the little bit of lwj's brain way in the back is silently pleased but anyway he believes it wasn't wwx

-wwx tries to persuade the public and court to his side with a scheherazade scheme while on a murder road trip with lwj while they dance around each other

-the wens are unfortunate third wheelers but it's ok bc wq is a solid coroner who is enjoying these little "puzzles" and a-yuan likes lwj

>>ok first of all go watch the show

>>second of all due to the presence of the british, the wens' presence will be different bc the sun motif is yikes

>>the major triads of shanghai - lotus pier jiang, unclean realm nie, jinlintai jin

>>there's also a widespread scholars society, lead by the lan, whose base is the cloud recesses institute

>>cloud recesses and the triads avoid each other's business but they have worked together for certain occasions

>>there used to be a nevernight triad, who were the biggest and had a base called nightless city, but it ceased several years ago when the other triads banded together for this big fight

>>cloud recesses assisted via legal means + propaganda spreading certain information

>>wwx was taken in as a ward by the jiang, and trained at lotus pier, but wasn't actually part of the triad

>>not that it mattered half the time bc he's so closely tied and involved that he might as well be

>>he works as a freelance detective, mostly for the public, and has a bit of a reputation bc he's both incredibly talented and effective + is a great guy + has affordable pricing

>>despite the weird thing with lotus pier, he's very close to the jiang children, who consider him a brother

>>jc won't admit but he is very protective of his attractive, caring, selfless brother who always gets into trouble but is so nice and sacrificial

>>look someone needs to keep an eye on him and watch his back bc wwx sure as fuck won't

>>jc ends up accidentally involved with a lot of wwx's cases bc of this

>>from the cloud recesses comes the esteemed lwj, who becomes an inspector

>>the coroners include the renowned doctor-scientist siblings, wn and wq

>>it's partly bc wwx recommended them

>>once lwj gets the job, he starts asking wwx for assistance in cases bc of his diligence and intelligence

>>their partnership becomes an even greater source of gossip - everyone knows the righteous lwj despised the eccentric wwx who is closely associated with the triads

>>jyl + my + nhs, who are partnered journalists, are wwx's primary informants, and by extension lwj once he gets involved

>>jc is very unhappy with lwj seeking out wwx bc he knows wwx is kinda in love and would do anything for lwj even tho the guy seems to hate him and is worried lwj is taking advantage of wwx

>>cue lots of jc vs lwj conflict over wwx

>>lwj has certain Opinions of the triads, and was kinda :\\ about wwx when they studied together bc he thought wwx was an actual member, but then he learns actually no wwx just happens to be a ward of the leaders so technically he's a standard civilian, and so then he's concerned that wwx's ties to the triads puts him at risk and is >:( bc he thinks that the triads aren't careful enough about wwx's safety

>>he's not wholly wrong but not wholly right

>>good time to mention all these rich kids went to school together

>>there's a persistent level of conflict bc of the whole simultaneous pining and not actually unrequited love + the sociopolitics of their backgrounds + the british being shitheads + their actual jobs

>>definitely some fights bc of the dissonance, both wwx vs lwj and jc vs lwj

>>additionally: relationships!!

>>nhs, jc, wwx, wn are renowned Bros (jzx becomes honorable mention when he gets his shit together)

>>lwj and mianmian, who left jinlintai to marry a cute baker and be a lawyer, are besties

>>mianmian, jyl, wq, qs are equivalent to the Bros

>>my, lxc (who is a scholar), nmj (who is only an heir bc his dad's alive) are "bros"

>>also additionally: lwj is secretly kinda baffled by how wwx is completely unfazed by gore (and the crimes get pretty gory sometimes) but as soon as there's even the hint of a dog's presence he makes a run for it

>>also also additionally: ever so charming wwx naturally has many 'suitors' but bc he's oblivious and self deprecating he doesn't realize and so jc is persistently Protecting his brother's Honor from these Despicable Bloodthirsty Beasts yes, this includes lwj, when he realizes wangxian requite the other's feelings

>>also also also: i can't believe i forgot to mention that lwj and wwx end up roommates bc i'm a tropey bitch

>>wwx has his bisexual epiphany much sooner in life bc Reasons

>>so when he starts crushing on lwj Immediately at cr, he knows it too

>>anyway: sometime pre-cloud recesses, wx and wwx cross paths and wwx is being his usual mischievous self

>>he's very dramatic and flirty and running around on roofs

>>wx is like Hey You're Cute but doesn't catch his name

>>wwx is oblivious so he didn't know who wx was lol

>>they cross paths a few more times

>>wwx just knows wx as 'that one gongzi i see sometimes'

>>then cr happens and they meet again when wwx is heading back to cr with his alcohol

>>wx is like my how charming

>>the next morning the wens show up and wc pisses everyone off

>>and then wwx is telling him off and wc gets pissed and tries to fight wwx while also insulting his status

>>and jc is like EXCUSE YOU and draws his sword bc i'm a sucker for protective jc and will throw in as much yunmeng shuangjie as i want

>>but then wx shows up and tells off wc (bc of wwx) and tells everyone to calm down

>>wx learns wwx's name, wwx learns who 'that one gongzi i see sometimes' is, only one of them is happy with the revelation

>>wx is being weird and oily to everyone and the lans begrudgingly accept the 'apology'

>>wx is publicly weird to wwx, wwx is publicly uncomfy, jc is publicly offended and pissed and defensive and also has an inkling of where wx's head is at

>>cue jc aggressively glaring at wens and shielding wwx from them

>>nhs, who's more aware of what's happening than anyone else bc nhs, helps

>>doesn't stop wwx from adopting wn as a bestie but wn is a kitten so it's ok

>>cr arc is largely the same, wangxian shenanigans, yunmeng shuangjie shenanigans, alcohol shenanigans, you know the drill

>>except for two major things

>>one - wwx has been crushing on lwj since day one but he Knows it

>>and he gets sad sometimes when lwj rejects him

>>so jc is not only angry at the wens but he's angry at lwj's audacity too

>>lwj, who hasn't a clue about anything:

>>two - wx sometimes shows up randomly to 'check up'

>>he isn't, he just drops by to make wwx uncomfy via unsolicited gifts and flirting

>>jc usually passive aggressively intervenes

>>or nhs makes some excuse that is usually 'jc wants to see you'

>>there's an incident during a wx visit where wwx panics bc he really doesn't want to deal with him

>>and essentially bolts from the vicinity and runs right into lwj

>>lwj almost starts telling off wwx but he sees quite clearly that wwx is Not Ok

>>and then they hear wx approaching and wwx basically begs lwj to Get Him Out

>>lwj dislikes wx far more than he dislikes acknowledging his affections for wwx

>>so they quickly run into and hide in a room

>>cue bonding moment where lwj and wwx have a Talk and lwj says they're friends for the first time

>>and then immediately goes silent bc wwx is looking at him with complete adoration and he has to force himself not to kiss him lol

>>this is also the point where lwj has it confirmed that wwx very much does not like wx's presence

>>which is how lwj joins the defend wwx against wx's advances club

>>jc isn't happy about it bc wwx is mooning for lwj still but he lets it slide

>>wn actually joined the club accidentally and discretely

>>jc's like why couldn't wwx get This wen to crush on him i like him so much better???

>>lwj vinegar moment + flustered wn who just thinks wwx is really cool and nice

>>wq catches wind of what's going on and is worried about wn's involvement

>>but also greatly dislikes wx and doesn't want some random innocent boy to suffer

>>which is how she too accidentally joins the club

>>mianmian joins too but loudly bc she's friends with wwx and lwj and also wx sucks

>>jzx is friends with mianmian so he gets dragged in

>>and he might be an arrogant prat atm but he's not a bad guy and wx's behavior is very despicable

>>jzx has some um Revelations about himself and his family

>>and accidentally becomes an honorary member of the club

>>they're all kinda friends now, it truly sucks, thinks jzx with a small smile

>>xuanli engagement is not broken/salvaged much earlier on bc of this whole

thing

>>anyway that's how all the major sects' youth became so closely entwined

>>lqr was very proud that his lectures enacted firm inter sect relationships

>>lxc is just egging on wangxian while also becoming an honorary member of the club

>>waterborne abyss and stuff still happens

>>jc is even angrier at the wens and straight up completely hides wwx the next time wx comes around so he doesn't even catch a glimpse

>>wx is not happy, especially when lwj is silently passive aggressive the whole time

>>cr study ends, there's this whole lingering wangxian moment when they say their goodbyes

>>wwx and lwj are close now but also lwj can sort of admit it instead of shoving it under years of repression and gay panic

>>lwj agrees to visit at lotus pier and wwx looks so enamored that jc gags and drags him away

>>mianmian snickers and pokes lwj in jest, who actually pokes her back

>>lxc is so proud, his brother has Friends

>>wx is a bit more careful around lotus pier, but he does visit once

>>jfm greets him and is very polite but yzy is very blunt and pissed

>>jc upon getting home had immediately spilled all the info on the wx thing

>>yzy doesn't like wwx but she hates the main wen and wx was being vv disrespectful

>>so she kinda tells wx that wwx isn't here (not a lie, he's on a nighthunt) and that he can go jump a cliff now thanks

>>wx is rather irritated when he leaves

>>comes back again on a later date, but this is the day that the cr friends are all hanging out

>>which isn't really an issue bc wwx is a social butterfly, it's part of what wx likes about him, obviously he has friends

>>but he sees the way wwx looks at lwj, and happens upon a moment where they're alone

>>he is Not Happy

>>in the meanwhile the cr friends are all chilling together and making fun of jzx flustering around jyl and eating lotus pods and whatever

>>yzy for once is like not overcome with irrational rage at wwx's presence bc he did something right for once in her eyes

>>so wwx gets some peace of mind at lotus pier

>>madam jin is also very delighted at the xuanli progress and approves wwx for enacting it

>>no one outside of jiangs + cr know why exactly xuanli are doing so well

>>so madam jin assumes wwx just kinda did some wingman stuff and doesn't know about the wx thing

>>anyway, wangxian is progressing quite nicely, and jc is all the more miserable for it

>>jzx kinda doesn't care lol, the rest of the club are delighted by the entertainment, yzy is further not angry at wwx bc wangxian engagement = lan-jiang alliance = advantageous

>>fast forward and we're at the discussion conference

>>jc is scowlier than usual and is literally holding wwx's hand the whole time

>>and wwx is like bro ty and ily but also this is a bit much

>>jc eventually lets go of his hand but he is never more than a few inches away from wwx's side

>>the state of wangxian at this time means we have wangxian blatantly and publicly mooning and everyone's like :eyes:

>>wx is not happy, shows up and immediately starts seeking out wwx, everyone is uncomfy

>>jc at one point grabs wwx and shoves him into the middle of all the jiang disciples

>>kinda doing that zebra camouflage thing but with jiang disciples lol

>>whenever it looks like wx is gonna ask him about wwx he crosses his arms and scowls severely

>>wx takes his seat very unhappily and the discussion conference proceeds as normal ig

>>but the friends are all taking part in the hunt together

>>wwx and lwj have a lil competition for who snags the most shots

>>lots of flirting during the competition, much to jzx and jc's chagrin

>>wn is just :pleading_face: the whole time but he does excellently and gives everyone a run for their money

>>the wc thing goes a lil differently in that wc is more incensed about wwx's existence bc he knows wx likes wwx

>>targets wwx, it backfired bc of lwj, wc leaves in a huff

>>lwj closely attaches himself to wwx after that, jc is pissed bc that's 2 wens who are making problems about wwx

>>the ribbon incident goes a lil differently

>>it happens after the competition, in front of all the sects

>>wx basically

goes oh your ribbon is crooked and fixes it gently and smiles at lwj and lwj says nothing, just quietly nods and thanks him

>>lqr approaches qi deviation, the sects are shocked, wwx is oblivious, lwj is smug, lxc and the friends are all metaphorically eating popcorn, wx is mad, wrh doesn't care, wq is worried bc wx

>>wx actually corners wwx at one point during a banquet when wwx's alone

>>interestingly, it's jzx who steps in to save the day

>>wwx doesn't need saving tbh but there's sociopolitics to consider + he's a lil scared of wx's persistence tbh

>>and he has a crisis bc on the one hand wwx can just run his mouth and hope for the best except he realizes that wx Likes when he runs his mouth

>>so yea jzx steps in and says something about jyl and wwx is like ahaha duty calls again and yeets

>>jzx just says compliments about jyl as they walk back to the jiang under the pretense of wanting to discuss the engagement

>>wwx reluctantly decides he's ok

>>the jiang keep a firm grip on wwx for the rest of the conference after that

>>jyl uses the shijie card to her advantage to get away with dragging wwx with her everywhere

>>the conference ends and wwx is relieved

>>oh btw wwx placed first by a small margin, lwj and wn following, then jc and jzx tied

>>so the sects are leaving and ofc wwx has to say goodbye to lwj

>>and lwj is like what is your request bc you won

>>and wwx is almost like kiss me but then he Doesn't ok

>>so instead wwx is like lemme think of something interesting :wink: to cover his pining

>>and lwj says mn and Smiles at him and wwx melts on the spot

>>wx catches the interaction and is very unhappy

>>fast forward to the burning of cr

>>there's a reason why wx did it personally, and targeted lwj especially

>>fast forward a bit again, wwx is a lil mopey bc his letter from lwj should've come a few days ago

>>they're pining pen pals bc ofc they are smh :rolling_eyes:

>>at this point, news of cr's destruction hasn't spread to lotus pier yet

>>jc is annoyed and yeets him into the lake and makes him swim off the pining

>>cue yunmeng jiang lake shenanigans

>>and then mf wx shows up to personally deliver the invitation to the wen indoctrination

>>jfm and yzy simply Do Not acknowledge wwx's existence at lotus pier in front of him

>>it's a very tense but quick conversation

>>and then wx leaves and hears wwx and heads in the direction of the latter's voice

>>he gets to the lake to see the jiang disciple swimming in the lake, but no wwx

>>bc jyl knew he had come and quickly run over to the lake to warn and hide wwx

>>jc perched himself on a roof to watch wx and let them know when he was gone

>>that meal they had in cql? yea it goes differently this time around

>>it's mostly yzy hissing at the wens and also having a conundrum over whether or not wwx should go

>>jc votes no, wwx votes shut up jc i'm coming with you

>>jfm concedes, jc is irate, wwx and jc go to the indoctrination

>>but jc makes wwx promise to not ever leave his side

>>and wwx is like that's kinda the whole point?? but ok

>>and then ofc that whole opening scene at nightless city happens

>>what with them standing around and then bam an injured lwj

>>ft the cr friends being all fhkjhkjsghk (/neg) internally

>>except wwx, he's very open about his concern

>>wc shows up, spends half the time glaring at wwx

>>he was supposed to be make it hell for lwj

>>but quite frankly he'd be happy if lwj snatched wwx

>>he very much dislikes his brother's infatuation with wwx

>>so yea it's roughly the same, those first few days

>>except wn secretly visits the disciples

>>slips snacks, gives info, exchanges messages between them, and treats lwj

>>wq finds out, scolds him, and then does the same, mostly treatment

>>and then the dungeon day comes

>>by which i mean that day wwx ended up in the dungeons with the dog thing

>>it goes the same as usual, except wc is particularly harsh, and is focused on wwx

>>so it happens sooner, and only wwx is involved

>>spends the night with the wolf thing, wn comes, yk the drill

>>except he knocks out at one point and wx gets him

>>and he wakes up

in a room and wq and wn are treating him

>>he's quickly given a coded warning

>>and then wx comes

>>wc had been forced out of leading the indoctrination and someone relatively competent is in his place

>>wx doesn't really let wwx go back tho

>>just makes wwx stay with him and basically invades his privacy and harasses him

>>for like. quite some time.

>>wwx also meets wrh a few times and it is. not fun.

>>wrh makes thinly veiled threats about war and attacking lotus pier and stuff

>>and wx reveals he was the one who requested and took charge of cr burning

>>and wwx is angry at wx but then wx gets angry and snaps threats

>>and wwx quiets and realizes wx is relentless

>>and that his connections are putting ppl he cares about at risk

>>it all kinda piles up and wx's insistence gets to his head

>>and then the bell scene (which started all this) happens

>>it might seem kinda ooc this whole thing but like

>>sexual trauma is very different from standard child abuse/classic asian toxicity

>>and you have to consider wwx's position as he has to put up with wx's everything

>>am i projecting? probably, but my au my choices

>>so the bell scene begins with all the heirs and their entourages gathered at that. place

>>idk what it's called but that place from cql where wc was lecturing

>>wc's substitute indoctrinator is like so. y'all can go home now. here's your swords.

>>and everyone's like omg????? but also cr friends are like ok where's wwx :upside_down:

>>and it's a very complicated moment

>>and then they give suibian to jc

>>and he almost kills someone bc he thinks they killed wwx

>>and then they're like no he's alive he just won't need that :upside_down:

>>jc is like WHAT does that even MEAN

>>and it's about to be a whole thing but then wwx shows up

>>and it's all ok for half a second

>>bc yes he's here but he is very obviously not ok

>>and it Shows, wwx is doing such a bad job hiding how not ok he is

>>cr friends are like. what did they do. who am i killing.

>>so now we enter - The Bell Exchange

>>wwx comes forward and (very poorly) tries to lighten the mood and tease jc and is like aw did you miss me

>>jc who was very much terrified is just like yes ofc come here Now let's go home

>>and wwx has this look on his face that's summed up as love and affection but also deep apology and secrecy

>>he slowly goes to jc and his hands are shaky as he takes off his bell and grabs jc's hands to give it to him

>>and wwx is very vague about it he's just like i won't be going back it's ok you're all free to go now i'm making sure of it go back home be safe

>>and jc is having the nth meltdown rn bc wwx what did you do

>>nhs has an idea of the gist, and all the c friends are very concerned

>>and then wen xu shows up and wwx does this silent flinch but in his bones and straightens up

>>and wx is mocking the others and stuff and then wraps an arm around a very uncomfortable wwx and is like

>>"you should be grateful to my fiance for his generous nature"

>>wwx is very obviously not having a good time and is not ok with this

>>he looks like he's going to launch himself from a cliff (hehehe) to avoid this

>>everyone is silent for a minute as they realize what happened

>>a lot of the disciples here were at cr indoctrination

>>so they know at least somewhat of wx's pursual of wwx and the unrequited feelings

>>and it becomes obvious that wwx exchanged something - his freedom, hand in marriage, etc - to set all the disciples free

>>jc draws sandu and is about to go for wx's head bc how Dare he

>>but wwx stops him and tells him very firmly but desperately to not try anything, just go, tell shijie i'm sorry, it'll be ok

>>lwj does that death grip on his sword, 2 seconds away from taking wx's head himself

>>jzx is having lots of feelings about this and a lot aren't nice

>>especially with the weird sort of parallels as far as betrothals

>>also he kinda likes wwx?? they're kinda friends?? and they're brother-in-laws to be anyway

>>and even despite all that, the whole situation just Sucks and jzx is kinda an airhead but he's actually pretty noble

>>mianmian is

like So offended and enraged on behalf of everyone she's ready to throw hands

>>nhs is half horrified for his friend and half cold rage and plotting

>>what really worsens the situations is just how bad wwx is taking it

>>bc he always covers up his pain and worries, and very well at that

>>the fact that he can barely even fake a smile now, and has resolved to outright desperate pleading, not even teasing anyone, says a Lot about how bad things were while he was gone

>>they have suspicions about what wx might have done to wwx while they were alone

>>tl;dr: cr friends kinda have an idea of what wx has done and really want him dead

>>but wwx is forcing them out, and eventually they all do leave, miserably

>>they don't know what had happened for them to be let go with their swords and without consequences

>>and they don't want wwx suffering for their (not really helpful atm) stubbornness

>>jc is stiff and clenching his jaw the entire way home, trying to figure out ways to get wwx out

>>lwj is drowning in his emotions as he goes back to the burnt cr

>>mianmian, jzx, nhs are having very complicated thought processes about everything

>>nhs actually goes with lwj to cr first, to make sure he doesn't do anything dumb and to be a friend

>>drops him off, and eventually heads out after a few days (lqr is appraised of the situation)

>>and lo and behold, he happens to find lxc on his way home, and brings big bro lan back to cr

There are 5 rival companies in the food industry: Lotus Pier, spicy cuisine and waterside locations; Cloud Recesses, veg friendly dining; Jinlintai, stereotypical rich ppl restaurants; Unclean Realm, food products for health nuts and those gym ppl; Nevernight, who do basically everything, much to everyone's consternation.

Seriously, everything. They even have this amusement park(?) called Nightless City that's basically if-Disney-Land-was-run-by-a-food-company. They're like food-only Kirkland Signature, but Chinese. All the other CEOs(?) find WRH (who is not a megalomaniac here btw) annoying and uncouth bc he - well, he's basically like WWX but about food. This dude doesn't care about conventionality, if something is cool he's gonna do it. And if there's nothing cool, he'll make it cool.

CSSR and WCZ are alive but they ditched food industry for becoming food tourists(?) and they brought WWX along and CSSR homeschooled him bc she's hella smart with a PhD in software programming and also works for Prof. BSSR's renowned tech company. But then WWX stays with the Jiangs in middle school-ish bc he wants to work for Lotus Pier with his bestie JC, and he goes to reg + culinary school with him, and there's tensions bc JFM seems to favor WWX and there's this drama about it but like not canon level.

Enter high school, they study at Cloud Recesses Culinary Academy, which predates the Cloud Recesses company - the Lans ran the academy for several years before one of the headmasters, Lan An, branched into industry. LWJ and WWX meet and it's the canon weirdness for like 4 years.

Thing is, both of them are more self aware and WWX doesn't deal with heteronormativity-related lack of brain cells, and they were gonna get together but then WWX and JC go missing, then it's found out there was a car crash and JC was comatose but he's awake and stable now and goes home but WWX is missing sort of? He just left (after the hospital made him heal thoroughly). He comes back in 3 years, working on his dual degrees in agricultural engineering and biochemistry, and says Nothing about what happened, acts extremely distant to everyone, and then leaves AGAIN.

And then it's found out that now he's apparently aligned with Nevernight, which has many complications bc WRH has some health problems and there's ppl fighting for his position? WWX was known to be friends with WN and WQ from school but wtf? Doesn't help that no one knows what happened when he was gone and what's going on with the elusive CSSR+WCZ, who haven't been heard from as far as food. So yea, lots of complications and miscommunications, and pining from afar bc Wangxian, y'know.

WWX never explains suddenly working with WRH, and then word gets out that the company has like, closed (whatever it's called) and now everyone's even more confused but also JC doesn't care he's just like oh finally WWX can come back and we'll be colleague bros as destined. But then WWX doesn't and goes off the grid for a decade again and LWJ is sad again.

Meanwhile, this company called the Burial Mounds has gained popularity bc their focus is on providing fresh produce and working with charity organizations, soup kitchens, etc. One day LWJ is at the new farmer's market that Burial Mounds opened nearby and bumps into none other than mf WWX who has a son now apparently? And they awkwardly pine and converse. And then LWJ mentions how his brother wanted to invite the ppl in charge of Burial Mounds to the annual gala Cloud Recesses holds, which is basically your typical rich ppl party gathering but it's food companies. WWX is like, Ah, and then eventually they have to part ways. But not before LWJ gets WWX's # bc ofc he's not making the same mistake twice goshdarnit.

1 month later, the gala is in full swing, and LXC tells LWJ the Burial Mounds ppl are coming but he doesn't know their names still bc they wouldn't tell him for some reason, and then WWX comes in with WQ, WN, and LQY and everyone's like. What.

>>sunshot never happens bc wen ruohan never happened and also there is no qishan wen  >>but there is dafan wen, the healing based 5th great sect >>jgs died in jzx's youth bc he's a failure and tried to bother a nie woman (who turned out to be the not dead sect leader nie's cousin) >>so madam jin, bc the meishan yu girls are bad bitches, steps up as regent sect leader until jzx is of age >>the whole xuanli thing actually goes very well bc jzx has an excellent role model and koi tower isn't a hellhole >>unfortunately wwx and twin jades still suffer family wise bc yunmeng parents still suck at parenting and qingheng-jun is a pos  >>but bc of the significant lack of shittiness compared to canon, lqr is less uh. like that. and more just a comedically strict uncle teacher >>everything is basically same as canon but like. no war + much better jin sect + wn befriends wwx as kids via archery >>when wwx is in cr, lwj does not realize the nature of yunmeng bros and assumes jc feels the same as lwj does about wwx which No but . >>oh forgot to mention that lwj and wwx actually meet as kids bc discussion conference  >>so the pining has already started by the time of the rooftop fight >>but it's less fight and more lwj is exasperated wwx pls stop this nonsense >>so once lwj stops having a meltdown every time wwx is in the vicinity, he becomes determined to not let yunmeng bros. get engaged?  >>who knows, the kid's jealous >>jc doesn't quite get the whole thing  >>but he has seen how lwj looks at wwx ever since that first time at a discussion conference  >>and has since resolved not to let lwj steal wwx from him  >>so it's kinda a weird petty battle >>jc's perspective - i must safeguard my super popular and cool brother (not that i will ever admit it but ik it's true it's why everyone loves him smh) who has gotten even the stoic second jade wrapped around his finger !! >>lwj's perspective - i am in love with wei ying. jiang wanyin is in love with wei ying. this will not do. >>lwj has conversations with jyl, and hears her refer to wwx as brother  >>but assumes it's like. short for brother in law. especially since jc only ever refers to wwx by name