Courtship Rite

Nephew

Meng Yao stared out the window but saw neither the cars parked nearby nor the hospital beyond. His fingers tapped against the armrest, unceasingly drumming upon the leather. He'd been waiting for fifteen minutes. He'd wait as long as necessary.

He shouldn't even be here. When Zixuan had extended the invitation, Meng Yao had said he couldn't get away, but that evening when he'd been laying face-down on the bed with Xichen's fingers digging into his muscles, finding his sorest spots, Xichen had asked about it. "Your nephew's about to be born, isn't he? I thought your brother invited you to the birth."

Xichen's sensitive fingers must have felt Meng Yao tense at the words. "How did you know?"

Xichen's chuckle danced fluidly through the air. "You have to ask? He's no longer the heir of Koi Industries, but he's still a major shareholder. Naturally we keep tabs."

Or you're reading my email, Meng Yao thought. "He did invite me, but you know how busy I am with work."

"You should go. When's the last time you took a break? Your brother wants to connect with you. I don't know what I'd do if I lost touch with Wangji."

Meng Yao hadn't trusted it. Xichen had never insisted he take a vacation before. If Meng Yao had lost the Lans trust, then they'd want him to have connections outside the office. They'd want people they could grab as hostages. When he'd chosen his career, Meng Yao had thought working for the bigger corporations would keep him safe. He'd seen how those rich boys took what they wanted. He'd thought if he made himself useful, irreplaceable, that he'd be safe, but he was starting to believe there was no safety in this world, not unless you were at the very top of it.

The voice that came over the limo's sound system interrupted his musings. "It's clear, sir."

The wait in the limo had been stressful, but the hushed sterility of the lobby felt worse. This private international hospital was a far cry from the public hospital Meng Yao's mother had died in. Meng Yao held his breath as the receptionist checked his name against the list of approved visitors. Even though he'd been invited, he was sure she was going to gently tell him there'd been a mistake, that his name wasn't on the list, and that he'd have to leave. When she gave him the number of Jiang Yanli's room, he thanked her automatically. The elevator barely made a sound as it whisked him upwards.

Meng Yao stopped just inside the door and stared. His gaze pulled past Jiang Yanli, lying on the bed, to the wooden paneling, the painting on the wall, the golden curtains hanging above a couch adorned with golden pillows. And then he saw the cradle. At first he was struck by the ludicrousness of it, a golden chalice rising from the floor. It had to be a family treasure. But then the baby cooed, and he couldn't move, could barely think, until his brother was suddenly before him, pulling him into a hug. "A-Yao, I'm so glad you could make it. Perfect timing. Mother left about ten minutes ago."

"Oh, Zixuan," Jiang Yanli said from the bed. "You are sweet."

Zixuan's gaze turned blank for a moment, for more than a moment actually. "Oh, that wasn't luck, was it?"

"I thought it best to avoid trouble," Meng Yao replied.

Zixuan looked offended. "You shouldn't have to. If mother had a problem, she should have left father decades ago."

He seemed to be gathering steam to go off on a rant until Jiang Yanli interrupted. "Meng Yao, it's so nice to see you. Come here. Would you like to hold your nephew?"

"Are you sure?" Even though Zixuan had invited him, Meng Yao hadn't expected Jiang Yanli's offer. He'd hoped, of course, but he knew most of the Jin considered him tainted, unworthy to breathe the same air as the legitimate son.

"Of course."

Meng Yao had looked up how to hold a baby, knew to support the head, but even so he felt terrified that he'd drop the boy when Zixuan handed him over.

"You're doing fine," Jiang Yanli said.

And then the baby opened his eyes. Oh. "Who's a beautiful baby?" Meng Yao crooned. For the first time in a very long while, he didn't mind that he sounded foolish.

When his phone buzzed, Meng Yao felt unexpectedly irritated, but he handed the baby back to Zixuan. His people knew where he was. They wouldn't interrupt him for anything less than an emergency. The name on the phone filled him with dread. It was one of the guards in the courtesan wing.

He stepped into the hall to answer. "What is it?"

"Sir, it's Lan Wangji. He's gone into the courtesan room wearing red robes."

"Red robes?"

"Wedding robes."