The Ghost of You

Wei Wuxian

Wei Wuxian was walking with Lan Wangji when he heard someone call his name, not only that, they called him 'A-Xian' and only one person calls him that, Yanli.

Confused, he stopped and looked around. "Did you hear that?" He asked Wangji.

"Hear what?" Wangji replied.

"Actually, I'm just gonna go and check it out myself." 'It's gotta be someone playing a prank on me. Like Jiang Cheng.' He thought, trying to convince himself it wasn't actually Yanli he heard.

Wangji grabbed his arm.

"You can't come with me, and don't worry I'll be fine, it's not like I get myself into trouble *all* the time."

Wangji just looked at him.

"Okay okay~ Maybe I do~ But I think I'm gonna go check out what I heard by myself, you can stay here and wait for me, deal~?"

Wangji looked at him for a minute, then let go of his arm.

"Thank you~" Wei Wuxian quickly went towards the direction he heard the voice. "A-Xian." He heard again. He then got to where the voice was coming from and immediately stopped when he saw her.

It was Yanli. "I- What- But how-" He said in utter confusion, he couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks and didn't even notice them, all he saw was Yanli.

"A-Xian!" Yanli quickly ran over and hugged him, her eyes filled with tears as well.

"Y-you're...real." He said in even more confusion. "But y-you died, I saw it clear as day." Wei Wuxian started shaking. He hugged back, she was definitely real.

"A-Xian, I've missed you so much... I never got to finish what I was saying to you."

Wei Wuxian scoffed and tried to stop crying. "That doesn't matter now, none of that does. It's been 16 years since then."

Yanli pulled back from the hug and looked at him up and down. "16 years? You don't even look any older than you were on that day."

"Yeah about that..." He was about to bring up the fact that Jiang Cheng killed him, if he really did die that day that is, but he didn't want to tell Yanli it was Jiang Cheng who did it.

"I...well you see, on that same day I died as well, or well-"

"What!? Then how are you here???"

"That's the thing. I'm not sure if I 'died' exactly, but this person named 'Mo Xuanyu' brought me back, he summoned me and I'm currently living in his body."

Yanli stood there, baffled.

"And yeah," He put his hands on his hips. "If you're dead how are you here?? Unless I'm hallucinating and you're not real, you felt pretty real to me, but it might've just been my imagination, my mind playing tricks on me-"

"A-Xian! Listen." She grabbed his hands. "That doesn't matter right now, I need to finish telling you what I was saying that day. I...have always believed in you, you have never let me down for a second, all those rumors going around about the 'Yiling Patriarch' and how terrible he was, I knew you weren't terrible, you could never be that terrible, you're still my little A-Xian." She said as she ruffled his hair and the tears started coming back. "You're still only three years old. I...never blamed you for Zixuan's death."

Wei Wuxian's eyes widened as the tears he was holding back suddenly started flowing again.

"I know I wasn't there to witness what had gone down that day, but I know my little A-Xian could never do a thing like that, or at least purposefully. It was an accident I'm sure. You're still the little A-Xian I met on that first day you came to live with us and he could barely do anything without getting scared."

Wei Wuxian chuckled.

She grabbed his face and faced it towards her so their eyes could meet. "You're still my little A-Xian, and I love you so much." She said with a smile. "And I'm sorry I have to do this to you but... I have to go, I can't stay around for too long. I'm sorry."

Wei Wuxian's face turned to horror. "Y-you're leaving again? B-but you just got here a-and I, I haven't told you about all the stuff you've missed out on and-"

"I can stay and listen to one more thing but I really do have to go after that, I'm sorry." She wiped her tears away. "So, tell me. Did you ever confess your love to 'the esteemed' Lan Wangji?"

Wei Wuxian scoffed. "Yeah actually..." He then stopped and looked at her. "Wait...How did you know about that!?"

Yanli chuckled. "You think I wouldn't know when my little brother was crushing on someone? Especially when he was crushing *that hard*?"

Wei Wuxian's face turned pink.

"Also if not that, you kind of gave it away when you asked me what it's like to love someone like that. I mean who would ask that if they weren't currently crushing on someone?"

"I guess you have a point..."

Yanli chuckled. "So? What did he say?"

"We...we're together now." He said as he smiled.

"Oh my god A-Xian I'm so happy for you!" She hugged him. "He better not ever break your heart or I'm gonna go after him, he'll feel my wrath."

He chuckled. "No need to worry, I think even though Jiang Cheng hates us being together, if Lan Zhan ever broke up with me or hurt me in any way he would feel Jiang Cheng's wrath, and believe me for a man his size, he's surprisingly got a lot of it."

Yanli chuckled. "That's for sure."

"Hey, how did you know I was going to be at Gusu anyway?"

"Just a feeling." She replied as she smiled. "Now, I really do have to go, I don't have much time and I still want to visit Jiang Cheng."

"Alright, although this three year old will miss you." He then remembered something. "Oh wait!"

"Yes?" She asked.

"One last thing I promise."

"Alright, go ahead. Keep it short though."

"Even though that peacock is dead I just want you to know... Your son, Jin Ling, is still alive."

Yanli's eyes widened as tears streamed down her cheeks once more. "I-I-I-...How is he??"

"Don't worry, he's being taken good care of by Jiang Cheng, he's a teenager now and since he was raised by Jiang Cheng you *know* he has a temper as well. He's *definitely* learned that from him if anything. And he has a pet dog he got from Jiang Cheng named Fairy."

"Aaww." Yanli said as her heart was filled with joy.

"But, you must be on your way, don't spend all of your time here with me, go visit Jiang Cheng."

"Ah yes, r-right." She wiped her tears. "Well, this is goodbye I guess, an official goodbye." She said as she then hugged him.

He hugged back tightly, not wanting to let go. "Goodbye, Yanli..." And with that, she was gone, she had disappeared. He looked at his hands as the tears were falling down onto them. He closed his eyes, made fists and took a deep breath. "Okay." He said as he wiped the tears and walked back to Wangji.

"I see you waited for me~"

"Mn." Wangji noticed however that Wei Wuxian had been crying, his eyes were all red and puffy. He quickly rushed over. "What's wrong???" He asked very concerned.

"Ah, don't worry about it, it's nothing! Just got some stuff in my eyes."