Get Your Hands Off My Man (Xicheng)

Chapter 2: Research Materials

However, that wasn't true for the rest of their stay in the Cloud Recesses, for Nie Huaisang's plus one had no intentions of stopping. Asking for help during lessons, touch. "Accidentally" dropping his food during lunch, touch. An inability of keeping his sword straight during practice, touch. The man continuously laying his filthy hands on Lan Xichen was driving Jiang Cheng half insane.

That man did not have any problems with the classes, nor was he clumsy, for those were traits that only reared their ugly heads whenever Zewu-jun was near. No, the only thing he struggled with was keeping his hands to himself.

Something had to be done about this intruder who didn't belong. He did not follow the rules of the game. No one, especially not someone like him, was allowed to thoughtlessly touch Lan Xichen. Not even Jiang Cheng was allowed to do so, but the difference between the two of them was that the Jiang knew better than to break the rules.

Things had to change, but to do that Jiang Cheng needed an excuse. It wasn't like he, the future sect leader Jiang, could go talk to the son of a prostitute without one. So over the next couple of days Jiang Cheng set a trap and the fish took the bait. With an armful of papers Jiang Cheng was on his way over to visit his great friend Nie Huaisang. Having been assigned as the Nie's right-hand man the two shared a house, same as the two Jiang brothers. It would be easy enough to "accidentally" bump into the other man as he was there.

Jiang Cheng kicked on the door in a manner that would sound similar to a knock. He did not have enough hands to knock on the door properly but as long as he was let inside all things would be solved. Stumbling could be heard coming from inside indicating that the one to come greet him was none other than the more likable of the two.

After some more clanging Nie Huaisang opened the door. As he did he shrunk back into himself with a loud shriek. A common reaction people had after meeting your dream paralysis demon in the flesh. Although he had long since forgiven the Jiang, the fear which had been instilled in him had yet to leave. This reaction would have been fine if Jiang Cheng had made a surprise visit, but they had agreed that he should come over just earlier today.

"You done?" Jiang Cheng asked unamused, his arms were getting tired. Paper was a lot heavier than you thought once you stacked enough of them up into high enough of a pile. Huaisang nodded and carefully reached forward and took the Jiang's notes. It was no secret from anyone that The Nie was a less than average student and the most likely to fail Lan Qiren's class. A fact Jiang Cheng had used to set up his trap.

Offering the Nie the notes he had taken in class he could gain access to the Nie's house and by proxy the man known by the name of Meng Yao, his given name. He was so below the rest of them he hadn't even been given a courtesy name yet. Not even deserving of a name yet that's the worm who dared to touch the pure Lan Xichen. Stepping inside, as Nie Huaisang walked off with the notes he had just received, Jiang Cheng could see the real reason why he was here.

"Young master Jiang" he said with a bow, deeper than it had to be. Was it that obvious that he was here to put him in his place? Well, seeing that he didn't have much time before Nie Huaisang would return perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing.

"I know what you're doing. Don't think I haven't seen through your disgusting little plan." Jiang Cheng said as he pushed the man up against a nearby wall. A pair of large frightened eyes met his, Meng Yao looked like he was on the verge of tears. He was good, but it wasn't enough to fool the Jiang. This man wasn't like Huaisang who was experiencing genuine nightmares as a result of Jiang Cheng's glares. This man was nothing but a fake and a fraud. "Cut it out. And not just now, stop playing the fucking damsel to get close to Zewu-jun. You got it?" Jiang Cheng gave him light punch to the arm. Compared to what he gave Wei Ying on a daily basis it was nothing.

"I-I'm sorry. Lan Xichen didn't tell me he had a boyfriend already. I-I really d-didn't know" he stammered as he held up his arms to protect himself. Jiang Cheng was fuming, the worm was mocking him whilst at the same time trying to look like a victim. And he was succeeding. Even without any onlookers he had managed to claim victory because as much as Jiang Cheng despised the manipulative ways Meng Yao was using to try and seduce the Lan, he didn't have the right to complain. Because as the worm had so aptly pointed out though Jiang Cheng had many more titles than the scum, none of them allowed him to intervene.

The Jiang was not the Lan's partner, not a boyfriend, lover, or husband. They weren't even family. Apart from possibly Lan Wangji, there was no outsider with the right to stop what he was doing. No one but Lan Xichen himself could stop this. Veiled in the worm's comment was also a threat, if you keep going Lan Xichen is going to hear about how you walk around acting as though you own him, and so Jiang Cheng took a step back. Nie Huaisang was returning and there was clearly no winning this fight, not right now.

"Sorry it took so long, there was a lot more than I expected." Huaisang apologized as he walked in with a wrapped up present the size of his torso. This was what he would get in exchange for those notes? It was a lot more than he had expected, and probably a lot heavier too.

"What's that?" The worm asked his roommate.

"Oh, it's research materials" Jiang Cheng said before Nie Huaisang had a chance to respond. In return he got a look questioning how he couldn't come up with a better lie. Who would ever ask Nie Huaisang for "research materials"? But it wasn't even a lie, it very much was for research. Not that he needed to explain any of that to the worm and so Jiang Cheng thanked his friend for the trade and then he was off.

After blanking out daydreaming about offering to do some rather inappropriate things to the Lan during the welcome ceremony Jiang Cheng had very quickly realized a big problem. He had no fucking idea how to please a man.

Having gone his entire life up till now thinking he was into women he had never seen a need to seek out such knowledge. But now it seemed like one of the most important things he could learn. It didn't even matter that he would never get an opportunity to use said knowledge, but he needed to know just in case. Refusing to go talk to someone with actual experience or go get experience himself, Jiang Cheng only had one last resort: reading, and Nie Huaisang had the ultimate stash.

He could of course not ask his friend for magazines related to being a cutsleeve directly. They were not close enough for Jiang Cheng to feel even moderately comfortable enough to reveal his one-sided crush. But that didn't mean there was nothing to learn from acts between men and women. As a result, he had asked Nie Huaisang for the most explicit works he had, with as many close-up drawings of blowjobs and handjobs as he could find. Two acts neither of which required the person carrying out the act to have the body of a woman.