Courtship Rite

Family Dinner

Xichen looked up from his fifth review of the place settings. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Meng Yao took Xichen's hands in his. "We've been over this. When your brother set a wedding date, your uncle's reaction was, well, unfortunate. Even if your uncle isn't here, this dinner shows family support. You've told me Wangji can be impulsive. If we don't calm him down, he might go through with the wedding on his own."

"Wangji's too stubborn to change his mind. He'll marry Wei Ying sooner or later."

Meng Yao had learned that some problems would disappear if you ignored them long enough, but Xichen was correct. Lan Wangji's wedding wasn't one of them. "The more time Wei Ying has to grow accustomed to the situation, the better. We don't want him rejecting Wangji at the altar. He's written four statements already. His being happy here is written out in his own hand. The pressure of commitment will keep him from acting out."

"Do you really believe your mind magic will work?"

"It's psychology. And yes."

"Why did you insist I invite the Nie brothers?"

Meng Yao glanced at Xichen for signs of jealousy. Mingjue had been Meng Yao's first ... well, first. He wasn't entirely certain Xichen believed the flames of that romance had burnt out. "The more people who accept Wei Ying as your brother's fiance, the greater the pressure of commitment will be." It was also something of a test. The Nie brothers had dug up and passed along Wei Ying's personal information when Lan Wangji had first started his hunt. If Wei Ying did reveal he'd been kidnapped, better he do it to someone already in the know. Meng Yao didn't share that with Xichen though. The man was nervous enough.

Xichen turned too quickly at the knock on the door. His smile wasn't completely convincing, but it should be enough to fool Lan Wangji.

"Brother," Lan Wangji said after Xichen had opened the door.

"It's good to see you, Wangji, and you must be Wei Ying. I'm Xichen. Please, come in."

As Lan Wangji led Wei Ying to the closest of the couches, Xichen stopped next to Meng Yao. "Wangji looks so satisfied," he whispered. "I apologize for doubting you."

They joined the other two in the living room. As Meng Yao sat on the couch across from them, he wore a smile he didn't feel. He hadn't wanted to be here. He'd been portraying himself to Wei Ying as an ally, as an employee of the Lans who couldn't block their worst excesses. Being here, at this dinner party, put him in a different light. He'd wanted to beg off but hadn't been able to turn down Xichen's invitation.

"I believe you've met Meng Yao," Xichen said. "The rest of our party should be here in about fifteen minutes. Can I get you something to drink?" Xichen had given the Nie brothers a later arrival time so he could call them to cancel if things went poorly. Meng Yao hadn't gotten a definitive answer on what Xichen had thought Wei Ying would do to ruin the evening, but if the staggered arrival times helped to ease his anxiety, then who was Meng Yao to tell Xichen that he was worrying about nothing.

Lan Wangji asked for water. Wei Ying, his gaze darting about skittishly, asked for the same. In order to avoid awkward topics such as "How do you like being engaged?", Meng Yao and Xichen discussed a local art exhibit until the guards called up to say the Nie brothers were on their way.

Xichen waited by the door with two beers, which Meng Yao thought was a bit of overkill until Mingjue took the first and downed it in one go. Xichen handed him the other and led Mingjue and Huaisang to the living room for introductions. Meng Yao felt a bit hurt when Mingjue forwent their usual hug in favor of taking a seat. Wei Ying, staring at Mingjue's scowl, shrank into Lan Wangji. Oh, this was going swimmingly.

Huaisang, on the other hand, greeted Wei Ying with enthusiasm. "So, you're the mystery man. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I heard Wangji was engaged. As my new bestie, you're going to have to tell me all about the courtship."

When Wei Ying merely stared in response, Xichen quickly called everyone to the dinner table. The menu included a number of dishes that Wei Ying had claimed were favorites such as Yan Du Xian soup as well as sweet and sour lotus roots. The pan-fried noodles should have been cooked in a Cantonese style but were far less spicy, probably to make them acceptable to Lan palates. Xichen had also included some kind of a sticky pork dish, most likely to appease Mingjue who didn't eat vegetarian if he could avoid it.

The meal itself was more uncomfortable than Meng Yao had expected. Mingjue scowled the entire time and barely spoke. Xichen, who kept glancing at Mingjue, also hardly contributed to the conversation. Luckily, Lan Wangji, who preferred quiet meals, didn't seem to notice the awkwardness. He did frown a few times at Huaisang who pattered on about data security and privacy protection. Meng Yao, who couldn't tell if he was being deliberately hypocritical or not, started to think that inviting the Nies had been a mistake.

After the meal, Meng Yao was about to signal Xichen to bring the evening to a close when Huaisang grabbed Wei Ying's arm. "You all talk among yourselves," he said to the group. "I simply must have a tête-à-tête with my new bestie." Wei Ying looked back as Huaisang dragged him onto the balcony, but Lan Wangji merely nodded and let them go.

Meng Yao sat where he could watch, wondering if he should join them on the balcony, but, honestly, what was the worst that could happen? Still, he ignored the uncomfortable silence in the living room in favor of keeping an eye on the other two. Huaisang did most of the chattering although he did seem to ask the occasional question that got short answers. He often leaned in closely and patted Wei Ying on the arm or shoulder as if unaware of Wei Ying's tension.

After about five minutes, Wei Ying gave the living room a long glance before leaning in closer to Huaisang. Meng Yao couldn't hear what he said, but Huaisang responded with a delighted laugh. Wei Ying tried again and then a third time. Whatever Huaisang said after that left Wei Ying looking as if he'd been punched in the gut.

Meng Yao closed his eyes against what he'd just seen. The dinner was meant to make Wei Ying feel comfortable. Meng Yao should never have left the invites to Xichen. He should have explained what he needed from this evening to the Nie brothers himself.

"We're back!" At Huaisang's exclamation, Meng Yao opened his eyes to see Wei Ying slink to Lan Wangji's side. "Hope you didn't miss us too much."

Huaisang came around behind Meng Yao's chair to whisper in his ear. "Wei Ying tried to tell me he's a prisoner." He sounded delighted. "I laughed and asked him to tell me more about his and Wangji's kinky sex, but he kept harping on about being imprisoned against his will. Not too bright, is he? I told him all newlyweds feel as if they'd given up their freedom and that's why I'll never marry, but he still didn't realize I was trying to shut him down."

Meng Yao sat there, not moving, hoping Huaisang was done. He wasn't.

"I told Wei Ying that I'm the one who gave his personal information to Wangji: his work schedule, his cell number. I shared details he wouldn't expect anyone else to know, enough to convince him. You can get me something nice as a thank you. He won't give you any more trouble." Huaisang moved to the remaining open chair and grinned maliciously at Wei Ying as he sat.

Meng Yao stared at Huaisang, hiding his glare behind a false grin. That damned cheeky brat had set back Wei Ying's conditioning, and he wanted a gift? No, Meng Yao couldn't think of that now. He had to salvage what he could. Rising to his feet, he said, "Wei Ying, you look peaked. I bet it's from that view. I know the height can be disconcerting if you're not used to it. The first time I stood on that balcony, I felt dizzy for hours after. Won't you join me in the kitchen? I'll get you a glass of water."

Ignoring the full glass sitting before him on the coffee table, Wei Ying joined Meng Yao. On the way, Meng Yao signaled Xichen to end the evening. He filled a glass from the tap but left the water running in case Xichen had bugged his own kitchen against private conversations. "I know what you said to Huaisang, and I believe you're afraid of how the young master might respond. Please, do not be concerned. He won't hear a thing. I'll make sure of it. I wish I could help you more, but Lan Corp is dangerous. I'll do what I can for you, but I'm afraid it won't be much."

The evening had been a disaster, but at least he'd reinforced his position as Wei Ying's ally.