07: BLOOD, LOVE & PAIN ||Yizhan Fanfic - BJYX|| 18+

020: Unpredictable

“Here.”

Xiao Zhan observed as the fourth prince placed five beads on the table before him. With his head cocked, he studied them. The beads were five glowing spheres, unlike anything he had ever seen. They appeared intriguing, and Xiao Zhan resisted the urge to touch them. Surely, these were the beads the old man was referring to. He didn't need to be a genius to figure out something magical when he saw one. Slowly, he raised his head and looked back at the prince. What was he doing?

"Yuan has disclosed everything. I know they are the reason you were in my quarters,” Lan Wangji watched the other male with a calculating gaze.

Xiao Zhan’s breath hitched and he drew himself away from the table. Now he knew why the prince had referred to him by his name instead of Wei Ying. Yuan—that little- he chuckled nervously.

“Are you afraid?”

Xiao Zhan snorted and flipped the hair on his shoulder off. "There is no cause for me to feel fearful. What are you going to do about it? You are even offering your magical beads. Obviously, you want to help me return; perhaps you want your Wei Ying back.” He brought himself back, placing his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his palm, and winking at Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji tsked. Now he knew who was shameless among them and who he found intriguing enough to want to study and this shameless person was what captured his attention. “What do you know about the beads?” he bluntly ignored his words.

Xiao Zhan simply shrugged. "Not much. I was told to find the key and the beads would take me back to my world.”

“There is no such thing as a key.” Lan Wangji leaned his body forward and Xiao Zhan took bait to get closer, getting a sniff of the prince’s scent. He shamelessly inhaled deeply. If the prince noticed it, he decided to ignore it. “The key is the successor. Are you the successor, Xiao Zhan?”

Xiao Zhan immediately met the prince’s eyes, staring at him through his silver mask. Xiao Zhan didn't see the reason why he still kept the mask on when he had seen everything—well, not everything but surely enough to get rid of that mask. “Who’s a successor, Lan Zhan?”

The fourth prince's eye twitched. He nearly heard his given name, people fear to call it but this person’s boldness was what he couldn't easily comprehend. What type of world was he from? He leaned back and poured himself a cup of tea but Xiao Zhan snatched it off the table before he could reach out for it and gulped it down his throat, then left the empty cup back on the table.

So uncultured and unmannered. Perhaps that was what he found interesting about him. He shook his head, slightly displeased with his taste, and got another cup. "A successor is a key to the beads—I have been fortunate to have found them, but they are useless in my possession because I am not the successor."

“Other than getting me back to my world, what do they do?”

Lan Wangji fixed him with the same calculated look. He noticed the genuine curiosity lingering in his eyes and the way he stared at the bead. He decided to test the waters. “The beads hold the power to grant the desire of men. When utilized properly, they can be beneficial, but when misused, they can lead to harm and destruction. That’s why a successor only appears once in two to three centuries, they become a myth.”

Xiao Zhan looked at the bead with renewed interest. "But how will I know if I am the successor? The old man was really adamant they would take me back.”

Lan Wangji took the beads off the table and extended them towards Xiao Zhan, who accepted them with both hands. “They glow in their color in the right hands.”

Xiao Zhan waited for the magic or miracle to occur, but with each passing second, he understood that nothing was happening. With disappointment and a pout, he placed them back on the table. “I don't think I’m the successor.”

Lan Wangji bit back a smile. “They don't work instantly. You can take them back with you. They will grant you what you desire the most.”

Xiao Zhan hummed, then nodded but when he looked back at the prince, a thought crossed his mind. He knew he had a lot of weaknesses and flaws and one of them was his lack of self-control. He bolted to his feet and then he went over to the prince’s side and sat beside him. He placed his elbows on his thighs and rested his chin on his palms. He looked at the prince with glee in his eyes but the prince, since the very moment he met the omega, wasn't able to conceal the shock from his eyes—he had been nothing but unpredictable and Lan Wangji wasn't sure he could get used to it.

“W-what are you doing?” and for the first time, he stuttered as he lost his composure. The person affected him in ways he couldn't explain.

"Well, as you already know, Wei Ying and I are not the same person. Who do you like better? Me or Wei Ying?” he gazed at him with fluttering eyes.

Lan Wangji couldn't believe the absurdity. He tried to push him off but Xiao Zhan only swayed back and embraced his arm.

“Come on, you don't have to be so afraid of me, I don't bite, you know,” impulsively, he reached out and yanked the mask off the prince's face, revealing the beauty underneath. “You are so pretty.”

Lan Wangji had had people fear him because of the abilities he had. People trembled at the sound of his name but this…this person made him speechless to no end. He dared to take off his mask?! Lan Wangji felt exposed and suddenly vulnerable knowing he could let someone affect him this much without wanting to set him on fire.

Was there something wrong with him or was this shameless person just so lucky to get what with anything. He couldn't let this continue any further. “Jian-Jun!” He shouted for his guard and the Commander came bursting in through the door at his call, looking around for danger but the only red flag he found was Xiao Zhan clinging onto the prince like his life depended on it.

Jian-Jun only admired the courage this person had. What kind of world was he used to? Was everyone this shameless?

“Get him away from me!” He ordered and Xiao Zhan gasped.

“Hey, you haven't answered my question yet!” He protested as he was yanked away from the prince, then dragged out of the room.

Lan Wangji finally exclaimed a sigh and fixed his mask back in its place.

He never knew a person could be that wild and what in the name of the god was wrong with his heart? Why did his heart beat like it wanted to rip out of his chest?

He slammed his palm on the table. He hated having a feeling he couldn't understand to explain. It made him feel vulnerable and it was all because of Xiao Zhan, not Wei Ying—this was the answer to his question.

He liked Xiao Zhan better.