Fluffy WangXian Oneshots

There's a Book...Part 10

"Ideas are like rabbits, you get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon, you have a dozen." John Steinbeck

Jiang Cheng strode into the Institute, anger coming off him in waves.

Maybe there was a reason, maybe there was not, he didn't really know these days...it lived with him like an old sea dog, lying next to the fire, comfortable in his bones. It was a part of him now, like the blood zapping through his veins, and the hot air dispelled from his lungs...and the cause of all his problems was standing right there.

He looked at Wei Ying.

It had been just over a year that they had parted...and not amicably. This past year perhaps had not been kind to Wei Ying; Jiang Cheng saw that he was slimmer than he remembered, but not much else had changed. He still wore the cheeky smile which he hoped would hide his uneasiness...but not to those who knew him well.

Used to know him well.

Jiang Cheng had been dreading this moment, ever since he had walked away from his brother. In his mind, Wei Ying had already walked away from them, their sibling trio, a unit of trust and love, all for a stranger's baby. So if Wei Ying had taken that first step, how was Jiang Cheng to blame for trying to keep damage control to a minimum?

Not a day went by...no, that wasn't true...not an hour went by where he wasn't thinking of Wei Ying in some manner. He could no longer drink hot chocolate without thinking of the wily man, or eat strawberry ice cream because then the tears would start, and who likes soggy ice cream..."ice cream soup" Wei Ying would call it, even though they both knew how disgusting it was.

Wei Ying with his unending joviality, his spirits highly tuned to lets-irritate-the-hell-out-of-Jiang-Cheng-because-I-can mode was constantly on, Wei Ying who gladly shoved them aside for a nobody, years of trust and love thrown away...because he blamed himself.

The old difficulties between them resurfaced in Jiang Cheng's mind and unconsciously, he scowled. It deepened when Wei Ying put his phone away, and Jiang Cheng knew already who had called him, but he was not prepared for the man who was holding Wei Ying's hand, to shove Wei Ying behind him, giving Jiang Cheng a glare strong enough to melt a stone.

Who the hell was this guy?

Why did he suddenly think he had to protect Jiang Cheng's only brother?

Cold, austere, and very serious looking, the stranger was now staring behind Jiang Cheng...which was very puzzling. In the back of his mind, Jiang Cheng could hear panting, and he turned around to see who was making that frightful noise.

It was disturbing him.

There was a red-faced man sweating and huffing, holding onto his own knees as he bent at the waist, trying to squeeze out words when his lungs were already taxed...and it wasn't working.

"Mr. Diarrhea...or whatever problem you have, you can't just waltz in and use our facilities. They are for our customers only." The man spit out, clearly upset.

Jiang Cheng looked around at whomever he was addressing...because no one would talk to him like that...right? He frowned harder.

"What. Did. You. Say?" He bit out, feeling like it was a waste of his time already.

"You! Out!"

The man was the size of a smart car, but maybe comparing him to that was being ambitious, especially because he did not seem to share any qualities.

"Sorry Sir. I'll just take out the trash." The man-car said, before grabbing Jiang Cheng's neck in a steel hold with one hand, and twisting his arm behind his back with his other, without any warning.