baby it's cold outside (WangXian FF)

8

The walk to the palace was full of chatter from the twin boys about stuff that Wei Wuxian had no idea what it was about. It looked like they were talking about some kind of flying god with a beautiful sword who fought the demon, and he thought that they were talking about some kind of TV show.

Until he arrived at the palace.

He bought the ticket early from the bar owner, Liu Qingge, because apparently they sold the tickets to tour the palace there too. Liu Qingge insisted that he bought the full performance ticket and told him that he would not regret the experience. And then he reminded him to go early because lateness would not be tolerated.

When he put down the kids to show his ticket to the pretty woman who watched the entrance, the kids shot out like little rockets and they ran out to the back of the palace.

Wei Wuxian quickly showed the ticket and followed the kids to the back, and found out that there were already people waiting around the raised platform. He looked around to find the kids, and found them both giggling next to the platform.

He quickly approached them and they pulled him down to sit between them, just when the crowd cheered and clapped. He raised his head to see what the commotion was when he saw a figure in all white, and he was wielding a sword.

His breath was caught when he saw the figure.

The man looked like some kind of a deity with his all white and flowy robe, long hair, and very beautiful sword, and he knew that this was all the kids were talking about seeing they were cheering and clapping hard.

"Uncle! Uncle! Did you see that, Mr. Pervert? That's my uncle!" The boy, Jingyi, pulled his coat and jumped into his lap and then shouted at the man in white – who happened to be Lan Wangji – and he turned to see the kids.

His eyes widened when he saw who the kids were with, but he composed his expression and walked toward the man in black, then started to fight him.

The fight was beautiful.

Every movement, every step, every strand of Lan Wangji's hair was so beautiful, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but hold his breath as a rush of vivid ideas and images entered his brain, and he was frantically trying to remember them all.

This was how his new male lead was born.

The show ended in around twenty minutes, and by the time the audience left, Wei Wuxian was speechless.

He felt this tingling in his spine, and shivers ran through his body when he saw Lan Wangji fight the big demon – whom he also met last night, Luo Binghe – and he wanted him to be his muse. Bad.

When everyone else was leaving, the kids ran toward Lan Wangji and jumped him just like they did him, and Lan Wangji smiled as he carried both twins in his arms. All while still eyeing Wei Wuxian with his golden eyes.

"So you came." He nodded politely while the kids chattered between themselves. Luo Binghe suddenly appeared and took the kids with him.

"I would like to thank you for looking out for the kids. They always went outside alone, but so far they always came back safely." Lan Wangji started to put away the swords and cleaned the platform when Wei Wuxian took a broom and helped him.

"Let me help you."

"No need, please, you're a guest. Please follow the others inside to have some light snacks and hot drinks. I will finish this all and then meet you inside. I believe you have some business with me."

In the end, Wei Wuxian still insisted on helping Lan Wangji to clean up and after that they went inside. Lan Wangji took Wei Wuxian to the dining room where the people – tourists mostly – had already started to eat. Next to the dining room was a souvenir store where they could buy miniature fake swords, beautiful paintings, beautiful colorful robes – where they could rent to take pictures with – many kinds of jade statues, and so on and so on.

Wei Wuxian browsed the souvenir store with such interest and found a few paintings he liked. He took them down and brought them to the same pretty woman he met earlier, who was now watching the cashier.

"Hey, it's you. Thanks for watching the brats, I'm Yaoyao, the aunt." She waved at Wei Wuxian and then she rang his purchase. "They're beautiful, right? Our Hanguang Jun is the one who paints them all. He is so talented. Hey, we also sell the CD of him playing the guqin. You wanna hear them?"

CD? What year was this again?

Wei Wuxian thought that it was weird, but then again everything seemed to move slow here – including time.

"Sure, do you happen to sell a CD player too? I happened to leave mine at home." Wei Wuxian grinned widely, and Yaoyao smiled wider.

"I know you tourists never brought your own CD player because of those online music thingy, so we also sell the CD player. Take your pick." She showed Wei Wuxian a stack of brand new portable CD players and he picked one randomly before paying everything with cash, since apparently they did not have any other payment option.

"Can I leave those here? I have to talk with your husband first before I can go back to the hotel." Wei Wuxian put his purchases down on the table and smiled at Yaoyao. She was a pretty one and she and Lan Wangji made a good couple.

"My husband?" She frowned. "Ah you mean Wangji?" She laughed when she realized what Wei Wuxian meant. "He's the brother of the kid's father, and I'm the half sister of the kids' mother. So, no, I'm not married, and not to Lan Wangji of all people." She took Wei Wuxian's stuff and put it inside the cupboard. "And yes I will keep your stuff here while you talk to Wangji. I assume you want to buy the palace then? You look rich enough to have that kind of serious money and I heard from Binghe that you're the author of Lingyun? Damn man, that's a ballsy move to kill him, but I never really liked him anyway, so, good luck with your next book!"

Ookay, the lady was pretty talkative, but he knew she didn't mean any harm. But damn was she a very talkative one. Just like the brat, Jingyi.

"Oh, by the way, who's the name of the quiet boy? I know one of them is Jingyi, the other…?"

"They're Lan Jingyi and Lan Yuan. They have opposite personalities don't they? But they're such a joy for us, and they live here too by the way."

"How many people live here?" Wei Wuxian couldn't help but try to satisfy his curiosity.

"It's Wangji, Binghe, me and the kids. Only five of us. Imagine that not that long ago this place was bustling with people, but ever since Qiren started to gamble and lost all the money, and then Xichen and my sister's demise… well, things started to fall out of place, and here we are… begging for strangers, anyone, to buy this godforsaken place."

Yaoyao's voice sounded so hurt and bitter, Wei Wuxian couldn't help if there's another story behind this all. But he thought that this was probably not the time to ask her.

"Wei Wuxian."

The cold, baritone voice suddenly called him, and he turned around to see Lan Wangji in his normal clothes.

He took some time to admire the man, and he waved to Yaoyao before he approached Lan Wangji.

"Let's talk now."