32

327 21 9
                                    

As they were heading inside Guangyao led Xichen to the livingroom. He sat him down onto the couch and said, "You're done with work so you should just rest for tonight." Xichen looked up at him, "And what are you going to do?" Guangyao rolled up his sleeves and proudly announced that he would be cooking for him. Xichen had a slight smirk on his face, "So you did come for the food." Guangyao let out a big sigh, "No~ - Well at least that wasn't my plan, but after seeing you so upset it became my plan." Xichen let out a little chuckle, "You don't have to worry to much", he tried to get up from the couch, "We can just order some food." Guangyao imminently pushed him down back onto the couch, "And let you pay for it? No." Xichen let out a little oof sound. Guangyao widened his eyes and removed his hands form him, "I didn't hurt you, right?" Xichen has a soft smile on his face and shook his head. Guangyao put his hands together and bowed his head down, "I just want to make you feel better." Xichen took one of his hands into their own, "Just being here is enough A-Yao. Let's just order something and afterwards I'll bring you back home." Guangyao sat down next to him and looked at him with that worried look as he tightened his grip onto his hand, "Are you sure you don't want me to stay over?" Xichen let go of his hand and started pulling his sleeves down, "We both have work tomorrow." Guangyao had a little pout on his face. Xichen booped his nose and took his phone out of his pocket. As he did, he asked what he has planned for Nie Mingjue. Guangyao moved closer to Xichen to clearly see what he was looking, "Maybe a spa day? Or... I don't know." Xichen chuckled, "That's the only thing you had planned?" Guangyao nodded. "Well a facial would do me good." Xichen rubbed his chin. Guangyao gave him a slight push, "It's for Nie-Ge not you." Xichen laughed, "Okay okay, but what do you want to eat?" Guangyao leaned his head on his shoulder. "I feel like eating soup."

"Lan?" Wei's voice seemed to be echoing through Wangji's room. "Did something bad happen? I guess you wouldn't want to talk about that... I'm sorry for asking." The only reaction Wangji could force out was a, "N-no." Another silence fell. "No?" he could hear Wei's confused voice ring in his head.

"Uhm..." Wangji could feel his heart beat faster and faster. Could he tell him that he cried, would he even care. He wouldn't even remember why he cried. And before Lan could think of words to explain his feelings, tears streamed down his face. He made a sniffling sound and tried to wiped his tears away but they kept coming.

On the other side Wei suddenly heard sound of crying. He didn't know if he should ask him why he was crying. Lan Wangji didn't tell him why he was feeling upset, so he clearly wouldn't want to tell this Wei dude why he was crying. The only think Wei felt like he was able to do was listen. He closed his eyes as he heard a tired Lan Wangji cry on the other side of the phone.

After a while Lan could finally put a stop to the water works. He grabbed his phone and saw that Wei had ended the phone call. For some reason is made him feel worse. It's not like he wouldn't hang up on someone crying, but if it was Wei Ying it would've been different. But to Wei Ying he was just a ...colleague? Before he could think of something else he decided to sleep.

Jiang Cheng was drying his hair in the bathroom, but he stopped when he heard something drop on the ground. He looked around and it didn't seem to be something in the bathroom, so he peaked his head out of the room and saw his brother. Who was fully dressed – in a terrible outfit I mind you – with a bag. Jiang couldn't see what he dropped on the ground, so he looked straight at him.

Wei Wuxian made eye contact with Jiang Cheng. "Are we back to our teenage years?" Wei raised his eyebrow, "What do you mean?" Jiang signed and shook his head. "Where are you going?" he folded his arms as he asked that question. Wei quickly picked up what he dropped and walked towards him. "To Lan Wangji, I think he's sad about something." Jiang frowned his eyebrows, "And why the bag." Wei took the bag of his shoulder and opened it, "Work clothes." Jiang rolled his eyes. Wei gave him a little push, "Be happy that I'm still going to work tomorrow." Jiang widened his eyes, "Does he know you're going there." Wei closed his bag and put it back on his shoulder, Jiang let out a grown and walked back in finish drying his hair. "Shhh, not so loud." Jiang turned his head, "Going to someone's place without permission will just turn into a mess. Have you learned nothing?" Wei raised his eyebrow once again, "Learned from what?" Jiang made an annoyed face and turned his head back, "Forget it." Wei placed his hand on his hip, "We life different lives Jiang Cheng, what you experience is what you experience and n-." Jiang threw his towel at him, "Don't try to lecture me!" Wei took the towel off his face and hanged it on the drying rack, "But you do want to lecture me?" Jiang raised his voice once again, "Yes, because I remember things!" Wei turned his head, "Like what?" Jiang frowned his eyebrows again and pushed Wei's shoulder, "You're so annoying!" after that he ran towards his room. How am I annoying?

After all these years he still couldn't understand the guy he has been living with for over 10 years. Jiang Cheng closed the door to his room and Yanli step out of hers. She walked to the bathroom where Wei was still standing. "A-Xian, where are you going?" Wei made eye contact with her and smiled, "...I wanted to go to Lan Wangji. But...I guess that's not a good plan?" She tilted her head, "Did you ask him?" Wei looked a little upset as he shook his head. Yanli walked towards him and rubbed his arm "Then you shouldn't go, it's late. You can go tomorrow." Wei pouted, "Fine, only because you're telling me to go." Yanli smiled and gently pushed him back to his room, "Go back to bed, you have to get up early." Wei Wuxian let out a little laugh, "I'm going, I'm going."

Before Wei entered his room he turned around to face Yanli. "Shi-Ji?" Yanli looked at him with a faint smile on her face. "Why does A-Cheng keep saying I don't remember things?" Yanli's smile seemed to disappear but she quickly put on another smile. "Aish, don't think too much about it. A-Cheng just has a good memory." She rubbed his cheek, "Now go inside and go to bed, no playing games on your phone. " Wei forced a smile, but he knew that it didn't look normal. "Alright, goodnight."

When Wei closed the door to his bedroom Yanli made her way to Jiang Cheng's room. She knocked on the door. And an aggressive, "What!" came out of the room. She opened the door, "No need to yell so loud. Our parents are still sleeping." After he saw his sister his tone changed, "Ow, sorry." She patted his head, "Did you think I was A-Xian?" He turned his face away from her and shrugged. She took her hand back, "You have to be more careful about what you tell him. We've gone years without those memories." Jiang Cheng let out a big sigh and looked his big sister, "But in those years a Lan Wangji wasn't there, who tries to make him remember." Yanli frowned her eyebrows a bit, "I'm sure he wouldn't push it. He know what will happen...He saw it back then too." This time she was the one to look away. Jiang closed his eyes and pinched the place in between his eyes. "I have some reason to think he doesn't care." Yanli wrapped her arms around herself, "Well I guess we just have to wait and see. We can't keep forcing them to stay away from each other." Cheng opened his eyes, "Why not!" Yanli flinched and her eyes were glued on his. She could see many different emotions, but anger wasn't one of them. Jiang Cheng noticed that his sister flinched and he immediately lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry." He carefully looked back up to see the reaction on her face. "Everytime we try create wedge between them, they found a way to be together. No matter how many times we try to keep A-Xian 'save', he longs for Wangji." She placed both of her hands on her heart, "That's not something you can hide from a person." Jiang Cheng automatically rolled his eyes. Yanli let out a little sigh, he doesn't want to understand, "Go to bed on time." She turned around and headed for the door. She didn't walk as fast as she normally did. She wanted to wait a little longer for A-Cheng's response, but he didn't try to stop her. 

Emperors SmileWhere stories live. Discover now