Red Rose [Never Let You Go, Again Book 3]

45: Zewu-Jun's Honour

"Mama, fine, I'll show you. But just you."

Cangse sighed. "That is not for me to judge. Zhan-Er, Ying-Er?"

"GEGE!" Wei Ying shouted, hurrying to sit right beside Lan Huan. "You can't kick us out, we aren't going anywhere. Tell us what happened!"

"I... I'm okay with Wangji here but..."

"Am I not your brother, too?"

"You are, of course, you are my didi, but..."

Wei Wuxian nodded slowly. "This is about my A-Cheng, isn't it?"

"Mn..."

"It's fine. I won't tell him a word if you don't want me to tell him anything. I'm a brother who prefers listening to both sides of the story."

"Thank you, didi," Xichen tousled his hair.

"NOW SHOW!"

Xichen took a deep breath and shook his head slowly as he removed his coat. He didn't stand up, remained seated while he threw his outer robes onto the bed nearby. He slipped off the belt inside and removed his inner shirt.

Lan Wangji and Cangse Sanren gasped in shock.

Wei Wuxian was struck dumb. His hand flew to his mouth as he tried to stop himself from crying out loud.

"Gege..." Lan Zhan gulped. "This is..."

"Ah, nothing, really," Lan Huan explained. "Just... Er.. You know they have this thing for torturing, it's like a metal jaw, got sharp-edged iron teeth. Clasp it onto the skin and it leaves this mark..."

"Huan-Er," Cangse sighed. "No lying with me here. I'm older than all of you; I know a bite mark when I see one."

"B– B– Bite mark!" Wei Wuxian stumbled backwards. "WHO?"

Lan Xichen gulped. "I... Yes, yes it's... a bite mark..."

"Tell me it's not A-Cheng!" Wei Ying gawked.

Cangse Sanren leant in and raised her hand. She touched his chest, running her fingers along his tough muscle from the left shoulder to the right before moving down to the wound. "Your skin's tough..." and then when she tapped the wound, Lan Xichen bit his lip hard and gripped Wei Wuxian's hand excruciatingly tight. "M– Mama, please..."

"See? It hurts, it's soft there, wounded severely." Cangse turned to her son. "Ying-Er, that can't be your junior brother, no lover would leave a wound like that."

"Which is why everything went wrong..." Lan Xichen let go of Wei Wuxian's hand and sighed. "I couldn't remember anything much when I returned home, only the water dripping and the... nearly being raped... my head was a mess and I couldn't remember who actually did it, but when I saw Wanyin, I think I remembered him leaving his own marks, and that triggered me to hide from him... Wanyin... I hurt him..."

Cangse held his hand in both hers and clasped it warmly. "Huan-Er, you silly child, I told you. No lover would ever do something like that. It's fine, you made a mistake and it's understandable because of the state you were in. But if you make a mistake," she tucked his hair behind his ear. "Then you have to correct it."

"Whoever did it made the biggest mistake," Wei Ying grumbled, eyes flaming scarlet.

Lan Zhan nodded with a "Mn" and gripped Bichen tighter.

"Wuxian? Wangji? Hey, hey, calm down!" Lan Xichen waved to the two of them.

"What calm down?" Wei Wuxian looked up from his clenched fists.