TIAN GUAN CI FU Fan fic stories

THE UNWILLING THIRD PARTY

There are many problems that come with being friends with both Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, but He Xuan thinks number one on the list is this:

They're both fucking stupid.

If they weren't so stupid, He Xuan (probably) wouldn't be in a hospital bed with a broken nose and a concussion right now.

So how exactly did this happen?

Well.

✧✧✧

It starts when Xie Lian walks in through the door at half-past ten, his shoulders slumped and his eyelids drooping. He Xuan looks up, his brow raising delicately as he watches Xie Lian stomp over to his bed and plop down face-front.

"I take it your date went well," says He Xuan.

Xie Lian groans, one long, drawn-out syllable: "Hnnnnnnnnnngh."

He Xuan nods at this, then lets his laptop slide off his lap and crosses his legs beneath him. He stares across the dorm at Xie Lian's pathetic figure and heaves a sigh. "You know, Xie Lian," he starts, "you could always just avoid all of this by saying no to the people who ask you out."

"I can't do that!" says Xie Lian, voice muffled through the thickness of his comforter. He turns his head, makeup smearing against the pearly white till he's facing He Xuan. "Listen to me. This girl came up to me yesterday and told me about how I inspired her to push through the hardest course she was enrolled in. How was I supposed to say no when she asked me if I wanted to have dinner with her?"

"Her?" He Xuan says, squinting at him. "But I thought you're..."

Another groan, this time shorter but with just as much oomf. "I know, okay? I know."

Xie Lian is what most would call an it boy. Or whatever the hell that means. Everyone on campus is in love with him, which, well, okay. He Xuan can appreciate his friend's attractiveness on an objective scale. Because Xie Lian is gorgeous. Like, drop-dead gorgeous. He Xuan literally hears these exact words every single day from Hua Cheng.

And, because Xie Lian is so perfect and pretty, he gets asked out.

A lot.

"Actually," says He Xuan, reaching over for his computer and lifting the lid open. "I have a solution for you."

Xie Lian immediately perks up. "Do you?"

He Xuan nods. "Yes, listen to me." He refreshes the browser he's currently on, spinning his screen around so that Xie Lian can look at it. "Behold, Archive of our Own."

Xie Lian blinks. Then he leans forward with great interest and says, "What is it?"

"A collection of stories from small, online authors who post works about fictional or non-fictional characters," says He Xuan without missing a beat. "Otherwise known as fanfiction."

Xie Lian nods slowly, as if sinking this all in. "I see," he says. Then his eyebrows furrow. "Your solution is...fanfiction?"

"Obviously not," says He Xuan, "but perhaps you can learn a bit from it. Do you know what fake dating is?"

"Fake...dating?"

"Correct," He Xuan nods. "It's a popular trope. Two people agree to fake-date for some stupid reason, and then often end up falling in—"

"He Xuan," Xie Lian interrupts, his eyes still carefully trained on the screen. His cheeks are dusted pink, which really should be the first sign of trouble. "Are you, um—are you reading, ah..."