#mingxicheng

"Xichen," he grumbled. "You know I am in the middle of a shareholder's meeting. If I want the company to transfer smoothly, I need to do this."

"I was worried," a musical voice replied with an audible pout. "You left without saying goodbye."

"I wrote a note on your gun hand."

"Not the knife hand, A-Cheng is so good for remembering," Xichen chuckled, sounding only a little unhinged. "Such a cute note, too."

Jiang Cheng looked at his watch. "Xichen, where is Mingjue?"

The pout came back. "Why? Would A-Cheng rather talk to him than me? Is he better?"

Jiang Cheng sighed. "I don't like you being lonely when I'm away."

That was the truth. Xichen left unsupervised was bad for everyone. More people died that way. Mostly criminals, but still.

"Then A-Cheng should never leave. Come right now home, then you and I do something fun."

"Two more meetings, gege," Jiang Cheng said. "This one and then the one next week. You're coming with me then, right? After that, no more meetings. I'm done here."

"You'll be home all the time? Tucked away safely?"

"Or with my sister, or you and Mingjue," Jiang Cheng agreed.

He rubbed his forehead, a headache blooming behind his eyes. How had he come to be the emotional support human for a psychopath?

Xichen's absent-minded humming filled his ear while Jiang Cheng waited for the man to decide if he was going on a killing spree out of boredom.

The humming was broken by the sound of a scuffle, a lot of whining, and an exasperated sigh.

"Wanyin," Nie Mingjue's voice was rough with sleep. "Sorry. He wore me out and then turned off my alarm."

"It's fine," Jiang Cheng checked the clock again. Five minutes. "I need to go."

"I've got him. Finish up with your meeting and we'll pick you up for dinner."

"I was going out with Jiejie, remember?"

Nie Mingjue sighed. "Can you bring her here?"

"No." Jiang Cheng's refusal was absolute. "I'll tell her I can't make it, if it's like that."

"I'm sorry."

The bitch of it was that Nie Mingjue was genuinely sorry. But that didn't make Xichen sane and it didn't change the fact that Jiang Cheng had become his fascination.

"I have to go," he said again. "Tell Xichen I'll see him soon."

"Knock 'em dead."

"If I don't, you will."

Jiang Cheng's bitterness couldn't be hidden so he didn't bother. He just hung up. This entire fucking mess was a nightmare and he hated it.

He missed his own apartment. Freedom to see his family and friends. True, this situation wasn't Xichen's or Mingjue's fault, not really.

They'd only found him after Wei Wuxian's enemies had finished with him. Said enemies being their quarry. A semi-retired assassin and an actually retired mafia boss taking to the streets to wipe out a rival gang and exact revenge sounded like some bizarre anti-hero comic series.

Jiang Cheng stood, pocketed his phone, and returned to the meeting. The sooner he wrapped this up and handed the business off to his sister, the safer she had his employees would be.

As it stood, anyone who even looked at him too long was in danger of ending up diced to bits.

Especially since Xichen and Mingjue's doctor, 'Only Qing, no family name', hadn't cleared him to be on his feet long. The broken ribs still ached and the headache implied his cracked skull wasn't too happy.

At least the bruising had faded. The gashes across his chest had healed.

As much as they were going to, anyway.

"My apologies," he said, taking his seat. "Please continue."

Mo Xuanyu nodded. "As I was saying, under your sister's management, Jiang Holdings structure will only change a little. Jin Consolidated will have a non-controlling share."

Jiang Cheng nodded, tuning out as the presentation resumed. He'd never wanted the family business in the first place but his father had gotten the company involved in shady dealings with the Wen and with the ostracized Jin Guangshan. Then he and Yu Ziyuan had died in an accident.

Now that he had no choice but to turn over the business he'd raised from ashes on his own, he was more than a little resentful.

But he would have time to write, which is what he'd really wanted to do. And maybe, if Xichen could be reasoned with, Jiang Cheng could have a pet?

The presentation wrapped up without any further incidents and Jiang Cheng made a point of thanking shareholders and Mo Xuanyu.

It took ten minutes for the room to clear out, for Jiang Cheng to retrieve his briefcase from his office, and to make his way outside.

They waited.

Xichen lounged against Mingjue’s armored tank disguised as a luxury SUV. His face broke into a blinding smile when he saw Jiang Cheng and the sunglasses came off to reveal happy dark amber eyes.

He hugged Jiang Cheng, nearly throwing himself at the other. “You look very nice.”

“This suit really works for you, A-Cheng.” Xichen ran a finger under the lapels, dropping a chaste kiss on Jiang Cheng’s mouth. “You should dress like this more often.”

“Why?” Jiang Cheng scowled. “Soon I won’t have a job or a reason to. I won’t be leaving the house. No point.”

Xichen backed away, as if Jiang Cheng had slapped him. Mingjue appeared, pulling Xichen into a warm hug.

“Have you called your sister?”

Jiang Cheng didn’t answer. Instead he pulled out his phone and texted her, explaining something had come up.

Of course she understood.

“There. Done. Let’s go home.” He got into the back of the SUV.

Mingjue got in the driver’s seat, but Xichen got in the back with Jiang Cheng, taking his hand off the seat and toying with his fingers.

Jiang Cheng allowed it. Xichen sighed sadly and slouched down in the seat.

He rested his head on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder but didn’t speak. Nie Mingjue was silent as well, eyes on their surroundings as he drove.

Jiang Cheng stared out the window, watching the scenery. Which was why he realized the happy guy in the SUV beside them had a gun.

He shook them out, one at a time, and then put them on to shuffle into the bathroom. His reflection looked healthier than it had only a month ago. Exercise was giving him some muscle tone and his tan was coming back since it was safe to go outside again. The short hair sucked.

Once his deep chestnut hair had reached to the middle of his back. Now it was shorn nearly to the scalp, a stylized cloud design cut into the stubble. Only the top was left, just long enough to be combed into something respectable. Glaring, he washed up and brushed his teeth.

Shuffling back into the bedroom, he put on a pair of pine green gym shorts that stopped short his knees and a sinfully soft, pale blue sweatshirt that exposed his collarbones but covered his hands and his knees. His glasses were on the wrong nightstand and his phone was missing.

Heaving a sigh, he put the glasses on and left the bedroom. There were strange whimpering noises coming from the kitchen. That only pissed him off more. He hated it when his ... whatever they were ... brought their work home. Jiang Cheng stomped his way into the kitchen.

"Where is my phone?" The words were a stern demand.

They went utterly ignored. Lan Xichen, humming softly while he stirred a mass of eggs in a giant skillet, paused long enough to give him a kiss. He was dressed in a perfect bespoke suit of Lan blue and a frilly purple apron.

His raven hair was a gleaming wave of blue-black down to his impressive ass, held back only with a white silk ribbon embroidered with blue clouds. Nie Mingjue sat at the table, across from their guest, reading a newspaper. He was sweaty in a grey tank top and pine green shorts.

He was the one who finally answered Jiang Cheng. "Your phone is in the living room on my charger. The ones in the bedroom were shorted out by Xichen's new gizmo."

"You can't charge a taser on the same power strip as the phones," Jiang Cheng scolded. "This is the third time!"

"I'm sorry, my pet," Lan Xichen said, pulling the eggs off the stove and giving his full attention to Jiang Cheng. His angel's face solemn.

"I know it's important to you that your sister and nephew can reach you at all times. I compromised that. I apologize."

"No kisses."

Lan Xichen's eyes went wide with shock. Then his entire face fell as if he were a toddler told that Santa had been brutally murdered in his driveway and the toys seized as evidence.

"A-Cheng," Nie Mingjue murmured. "Are you sure you want to take it that far?"

"For three hours." Jiang Cheng gave them both his darkest scowl. "One hour for every time this has happened. The next time it will be DAYS."

Lan Xichen leaned hard on the counter, a hand over his heart. "This is my fault," he said quietly. "There were rules, very reasonable ones. And I broke one."

Jiang Cheng nodded. "It's," he checked the clock on the wall. "Seven. No kisses until ten." He took his seat at the table, opposite Nie Mingjue, who hastily poured him a glass of orange juice with wide eyes. Lan Xichen went back to his eggs. There was no more humming. Only sobs.

The sobbing, however, was their guest. A white man in his mid-fifties, paunchy and balding. His blood shot eyes stared piteously at Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng decided to ask. "Who is this?"

"Work," Nie Mingjue frowned. "You don't want to know, remember?"

"Work is in my kitchen."

Lan Xichen served three plates of fluffy scrambled eggs, crisp scallion pancakes, and sliced fruit. He passed the hot sauce to Jiang Cheng and the nori to Nie Mingjue before taking his own seat opposite their guest. Who looked ready to wet himself.

Jiang Cheng ate. Delicious!

"You got the eggs perfect, Xichen-ge," he praised, savoring each bite. "Thank you for making breakfast."

And just like that, the beautiful morose man was a beaming angel once more. "Anything for you, A-Cheng!"

Nie Mingjue breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Their guest cried.

"Okay, seriously," Jiang Cheng folded a pancake in half and stuffed it in his mouth. Flavor bloomed on his tongue. "Who is this guy?"

"He's a man who specializes in sourcing exotic underage girls and boys," Lan Xichen replied merrily. "A-Sang pinged him near the boys' school."

Jiang Cheng turned to glare at the man, who had, in fact, wet himself. The smell of middle-aged-man urine was in competition with the delicious aromas of Lan Xichen's cooking. "You're that kind of scum?"

"I just provide a service!" The scared man sobbed. "Supply and demand!"

"Uh-huh." Jiang Cheng picked up his plate and his glass. "I'm going to eat in the living room." He gave Lan Xichen a severe look. "Next time I can't contact jiejie and a-ling, it will be four days of no kisses or anything else. Do you understand? You agreed to that condition."

Lan Xichen nodded fervently, eyes dancing with madness. "I understand. I really am very sorry, A-Cheng."

"Yeah, well, clean the kitchen and take out the trash," Jiang Cheng nodded in their guest's direction, "And I will consider the three hours up when you're done."

"So kind!"