Secret & Lies (the forsaken #1) [WangXian FF]

22

It was a dark and cloudy day, and even darker and cloudier inside the Cloud Recess Mansion, where the current head of the Lan family, Lan Xichen, resided.

Nie Mingjue, the right hand man of Lan Xichen, was walking toward the study when he felt the killing intent so thick rolling out from the study, and he sighed.

Lan Xichen was in one of his moods again.

Nie Mingjue guessed that he must have heard of what happened to Xiao Hei, judging from the crash of something being broken and the calming voice of Xiao Xingchen inside.

He sighed again before opening the door.

"Xichen."

And just as he thought,there were traces of broken glass everywhere and Lan Xichen was fuming, he literally blew out visible hot smoke.

"You're gonna burn your study again? If you can't control yourself, I can understand why Wangji didn't want to come back." Nie Mingjue signaled Xiao Xingchen to move to a safe distance lest he got caught up in the incoming fiery breath.

"Fuck you, how can I be calm after those vultures and snakes start to target my brother, and my daughter, and now my sweet and innocent nephew? I need to get out there and burn them to crisp, don't you dare stop me Nie Mingjue!" And then he turned to Xiao Xingchen, who stood as far as possible from his boss' impending wrath. "And you! You useless old fox! How could you let him get kidnapped in front of so many people? Aren't you supposed to be the head of security?"

Xiao Xingchen cleared his throat before he answered the question. But before he could utter even a word, Lan Xichen cut him off.

"And who was the peasant who saved my precious darling? How dare he touch my baby!"

"Well, Xichen, about that…" Xiao Xingchen looked at Nie Mingjue, who nodded imperceptibly. "He belongs to Wangji."

"He what?"

"Wangji gave him a blood contract." Nie Mingjue helped Xingchen there.

Blood contract between human and mythical beast was originally a slave contract back in ancient days, depending on whose blood was in the contract.

"Oh for fuck's sake, how come Wangji has a pet human? I thought he hated humans? What didn't you tell me? And how could he even save Xiao Hei? "

"Uh, he's actually quite capable for a human, and he's not just a pet, actually Wangji seems to be… quite fond of him, and even Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei like him very much."

"What? How come I just hear this now? Who is this human? What makes him so special that even my daughter, my brother and my nephew, the three of the most difficult people in the world, like him?"

"If you keep acting like that, they won't tell you about anything, Xichen." Nie Mingjue poured three glasses of whiskey and gave them to Xichen and Xingchen. "Now sit."

"He can suppress the poison in Wangji's body." Xiao Xingchen abruptly told them. He was actually baffled as to how a mere human could do what Wei Wuxian did, but at least he helped Wangji, so he would turn a blind eye for him. He surely hoped that Lan Xichen would do the same instead of insisting on doing something rash, like kidnapping Wei Wuxian and torturing him to get some information.

Xichen paused his movement, aghast, and put the glass back on the table, his expression had gotten grim.

"Tell me more about him."

-----

Jiang Yanli was in the middle of reviewing cases when her personal phone rang. She took the call without looking because it was reserved for her family members only. 

So when the familiar, yet so cold and distant voice filled her ear, she dropped the phone unintentionally. She took the phone again in a flash, trembling, afraid of offending the caller, which could lead to an unwanted decision.

"Why did your little menace of a runt run around wildly, poking at the things that he wasn't supposed to, and on top of that, sniffing that fucking dragon's butt? Can't you put a leash on him or something? Teach him a lesson?"

She knew exactly what the caller meant, and she was wondering the same thing, about why her words didn't mean as much as they did before the so-called runt met the almighty dragon.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about, Zixuan, please don't be mad…"

"For your incompetence, I'm afraid your visiting time this month is cancelled."

"What? No! Please don't! I beg you Zixuan, please…" Jiang Yanli suddenly filled with dread upon the restriction that was so easily said by the one who was supposed to be the love of her life. The long awaited time of the month was the only thing that kept her alive and hoping, the only time when she could see her son, who was imprisoned by his own father, her ex-lover.

"Fix this problem first, then I will see to it that you have double time next month." 

Jiang Yanli still held onto the already-dead phone, as dead as her love to her ex-lover, but she still had to grovel and beg just for a little time with her precious son.

And she would do anything to see him.

Anything.

She took her phone and dialed the familiar number to convey her order.

-----

"Did you hear? The young master is coming back from overseas!"

The whispered good news was spread by the people inside the Wen's mansion that their youngest master, the heir of the Wen, had come back from his long study overseas.

"I heard that he became a fine young man, strong, smart and handsome, Master must be proud to have such an accomplished child… unlike his brothers." 

Wen Xu, the oldest child of Wen Ruohan, at that time was sitting on the table, having his breakfast which now tasted like cardboard. He gritted his teeth in anger because the so-called heir was coming back, and he bet it was just to torment him. 

That kid was so spoiled he bullied his older brother relentlessly, and took a liking to the orphan that they took under their wings just because they had a certain use for him. That brat even treated the runt better than his own flesh and blood brother.

Wen Xu smacked the table loudly, making the hushed conversations quieted, then he left the table to vent his anger in the training room. 

At least he could pretend to torture his younger brother and that fucking runt to his satisfaction there.