Darker Side of The Moon (Angel Devourers #1) WangXian FF

37

Both of them got back to the Lan's estate a little while later, and Lan Wangji immediately told Wei Wuxian to go and take a warm bath before resting. 

He didn't say anything else about the incident, but Wei Wuxian could see that he was somehow angry. But since Wei Wuxian was exhausted, dirty and feeling blue, he spent some time soaking in the hot water with bubbles and afterward he slept dreamlessly.

Lan Wangji on the other hand, he went to take a hot shower and he went to the official office downstairs to meet with Xue Qing.

Although he did not show it, he was actually very angry about the incident, although he knew it wasn't anyone's fault other than the perp. But still he couldn't help but felt like a fool. 
 
How dare anyone try to mess with someone who's under his protection?
 
He was still pissed when someone knocked the door to his office and entered right away. 

There was no one who dared to do so except the person who was none other than Xue Qing. It was a miracle she even knocked first, probably because she could sense that her cousin was not in a good mood, thus the precaution.

"Cousin."

She had already taken a bath and changed into her usual clothes of ripped jeans, military boots, t-shirt with a vest and a post boy hat. 

Xue Qing was thin, almost wiry and she was a tomboy through and through. Her hair was cut short like a boy and she wore layers of black rubber bracelets and metal rings. Both of her ears were also decorated with many piercings, so was her eyebrows, lower lip, and tongue. She was an avid fan of body modification, she even did her own piercing without even a flinch. 

"Who did it?" Lan Wangji asked her without preamble.
Xue Qing sat on the couch and crossed her legs.

"I could not see the face clearly, but I'm pretty sure it was a lady from a rich family." 

She described how the woman looked, walked, dressed, and the odd behaviour she did, like stumbling over nothing. She told Lan Wangji about her suspicion of drugs being used by the woman to make her act like that.

"Also, it was like she knew where to find your girlfriend, and she looked like she held a deep grudge. I was thinking that someone else might have informed her about your girlfriend's whereabouts and directed her there."

"Killing two birds with one stone." 

"Exactly."

Lan Wangji thought about Meng Yiran and the whole fiance candidates she mentioned. Was this also because of that damn list? Someone tried to harm his student because they wanted to be his fiance? 

What an absurd thought.
 
But then, who killed Meng Yiran?
 
And who was the woman who tried to kill his student? And why did Mo Xuanyu have that many people who wanted to kill her? There must be something else more sinister involved here.

He should start the deeper investigation into Meng Yiran, Mo Xuanyu and the Jins' background.

"Cousin, why did you choose her as your girlfriend?" Xue Qing suddenly asked him. "I mean, I can see that she's very pretty, but she's… clumsy as hell, and she can't even swim! What do you see in her? Don't you have many options to choose from? I bet there's so many rich and noble ladies who want to be your girlfriend. Why on earth did you pick that one?"
 
Girlfriend.
 
Hmm…
 
Would it be safer for her if she was his girlfriend?
 
"Xue Qing, you're still young, you won't understand." Xue Qing looked like she was about to protest when Lan Wangji stopped her. "But, you gave me a great idea. So, starting from tomorrow, I want you to be on Mo Xuanyu's side at all times, especially at school. You're almost the same age as her, so it won't be that hard to enter her class."

Xue Qing widened her eyes in shock.

"You want me to go to high school, and pretend to be your girlfriend's friend? Just so that no one picks a bone with her? I think you should call a shrink, cousin, it's obvious you're not right in the head. You ask me , the youngest graduate from Harvard, to play house with your dainty little girlfriend? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Don't you forget that I was the youngest graduate from Harvard. With Summa Cum Laude." Lan Wangji smirked at Xue Qing, who felt like he deliberately rubbed her wounds with salt. Her cousin knew well she did not like to be reminded that she graduated the second youngest and only achieved Magna Cum Laude. And only 0.01 point difference at that.

"And there you are, rubbing salt to my wounds. Welcome back, Devil Incarnate. For a while there I thought you were brainwashed by Lilith herself. Well, she does look like Lilith to tell you the truth."

"She may be clumsy and look like that, but did you know that your father likes her?"

"No. Freaking. Way." Xue Qing gasped in surprise. Her father never liked people. "Are you on acid or something? When did you see the old man anyway? I thought he was dead since I last heard from him about… oh I don't know, a month ago?"

"He's still alive and kicking and he told me himself he likes my girlfriend. You can ask him in the morgue."

"I prefer to talk to him using the Ouija board. Fine. I'll give you a week of my time in exchange for your newest bike." She was trying to bargain with him. She would still do the absurd job even if her cousin wouldn't give the bike to her.

"The Icon Sheene?" Lan Wangji thought about his newest acquisition last week just before he met Mo Xuanyu. In fact it was acquired on the night she confessed to him. "No problem."

Xue Qing was surprised. She actually aimed for the Kawasaki Ninja H2R if the first request was denied.

"...that was fast. Did you just scheme me?"

"Why would I scheme you? I got plenty of bikes and cars to use daily for the rest of my life. Giving you one is not a problem at all."

"Showoff."

Lan Wangji chuckled and flicked his silver lighter to light the cigarette, then he inhaled deeply with an indecipherable look on his face.

Xue Qing was a very observant girl, and she observed Lan Wangji like a hawk. So far she did not like what she saw.
 
"...you love her that much?" 
 
Lan Wangji paused his movement, and gave the question some thought. That was the only question that Lan Wangji could not give a definite answer to.
 
Love? What is love?
 
If it meant that you have to force someone to reciprocate your feelings without thinking about what the others really wanted? He would gladly renounce love. He did not need that kind of burden in his life.
But if it's meant like what he was thinking when he thought about Mo Xuanyu, or how he prioritized her safety and well-being, or how he thought about how to make her happy without wanting anything in return, and how his heart beat a little bit faster when he saw her smile? 
 
He didn't think that he would mind being in love.