Drunken Mistake

DM 12

When the phone rang in the evening Mianmian and Lan Wangji had sat down with a cup of tea. Wei Wuxian noticed the number and grimaced. 

"Who is it?" Lan Wangji asked. 

"Jiang Cheng," Wei Wuxian answered. 

"Take the call and put it on speaker and start recording," Lan Wangji instructed. 

Mianmian raised a brow in askance. "Later," Lan Wangji mouthed. 

"Hello Jiang Cheng. What made you call?" he asked. 

"The Jins annulled your engagement saying that you're gay and now I have to marry that stuck up bitch. What's all this about?" Jiang Cheng bellowed. Mianmian winced even though she was a distance away. Lan Wangji smirked. 

"It's the truth," Wei Wuxian replied with a sigh. 

"If this is about that Lan bastard again, I don't want to hear it. You are not gay. Having a boy crush isn't abnormal. It doesn't change your sexuality," Jiang Cheng argued. 

"It's not about that. I really am gay. I never mentioned it because how you and Madame Yu gets. I understand that you are homophobic, but I am no longer under your roof nor work under your father, and I can be who I am unapologetically," Wei Wuxian argued.

Mianmian pumped a fist the air

"What? You're really gay? You hid it because of mom and me?" Jiang Cheng asked. 

"Every time I had the nightmare Madame Yu made me sleep on the roof, remember? Even in the dead of the winter. Obviously, I opted for hiding instead of that torture," Wei Wuxian argues. 

"Mom was trying to cure you," Jiang Cheng replied. 

"It's not a disease. It is who I am. You treated it as a disease, and I pretended to be cured but it doesn't go away like that. Why do you think that I never even went on a date with Qin Su even after being engaged for a decade? She doesn't do anything for me, never did. She was just a business match for the Jiāngs and now I don't have to be part of it. I was able to marry my secret lover of six years, and I am finally happy," Wei Wuxian stated. 

"Oh, I...you could have said this earlier. No matter how my parents treated you, you are my brother," Jiang Cheng confessed. 

"Well, brother, where were you when I was made a scapegoat for a crisis that had nothing to do with me? I stopped the malware attack, but someone leaked information personally and I was the one who had to leave my own company? My brainchild? Where were you when your parents took away all my shares of the said company using the power of attorney, they forced me to sign by threatening to stop the lifesaving surgery of their only servant who was ever kind to me?" Wei Wuxian reminded. 

No answer came. 

"Jiang Cheng, do you have no answer?" Wei Wuxian asked. 

"He won't answer A'Xian," a different feminine voice replied. 

"Jie?" Wei Wuxian softened as well. 

"A'Cheng was paying for Zhou Ma's surgery with his own life savings because my parents never intended to go through with their promise. If Zhou Ma is out of danger and in a secure retirement home it is because A'Cheng and A'Xuan took things in their own hands. Jiang Software is your brainchild, a result of your sweat and blood. What my parents did, neither of us support it," Jiang Yanli replied solemnly. 

"Are you willing to testify in court in Wei Wuxian's favour?" Lan Wangji spoke up. 

"Who is this?" Jiang Yanli asked. 

"I am Hanguangjun. Wei Wuxian's lawyer and husband. I am letting you know that we intend to sue the Jiangs for putting false blame, the salary that was never credited to him in the past eight years as Chief Engineer of Jiang Software as well as for the shares of the company that were robbed from him. We have gathered some data through legitimate sources that prove that Wei Wuxian had nothing to do with the data leak. The legal notice should reach your office by Monday," Lan Wangji replied. 

"You're suing the Jiangs. How could you? We fed you, clothed you, educated you, gave you a place to work," Jiang Cheng charged. 

"You exploited me. You took in an orphan, the son of a friend and treated me as a servant. I only wore clothes you outgrew. My trousers never reached my ankles because I was taller than you. Your parents sent me to a free school along with the servant's kids but when you started to do poorly, I was sent to your school so that I could help you keep up with the studies. I went to the same college as you to keep an eye on you and keep you in line. Because you took business administration, and I took software engineering madam Yu refused to pay for my college and I had to work two jobs to afford my education. Still your parents refused to pay me a single penny as salary during the eight years at Jiangs for compensation for allowing me to pursue higher education. Am I wrong in any of it?" Wei Wuxian listed calmly. 

"What do you mean they never paid you any salary?" Jiang Cheng asked. 

"It's true. I have a friend in accounts," Jiang Yanli explained. 

"Why did you not tell me all this?" Jiang Cheng asked. 

"You lived under the same roof. You know how your mother treated me. A single sound will be met with ten lashes of her whip. I stopped voicing my opinions back when I was fifteen. In the last fifteen years all you heard from me were things that they wanted said. But you weren't blind. You could see, couldn't you?" Wei Wuxian charged. 

"Hanguangjun, I'll help you in anything you need. I want my brother to get justice," Jiang Cheng replied after a pause. 

"Good. Firstly, we are recording this call. So, all of what has been said is already evidence for court. Jin Taitai, can you manage to get a copy of the accounts book noting down Wei Wuxian's remuneration or the lack of it?" Lan Wangji asked. 

"Yes, I can," Jiang Yanli confirmed. 

"Where are you now? Are the Jiangs listening in?" Mianmian asked. 

"That's my sister-in-law," Wei Wuxian informed. 

"Ah, well, I am in my apartment. Jiang Cheng left home on Monday after an argument with his parents regarding your dismissal. He is going to the company, but he refuses to go home," Jiang Yanli informed. 

"That's good. It is good to know that my spouse has support from the people he once considered his family," Lan Wangji commended. "I'll send the notice on Monday and we will go from there," he said. 

"I'll wait to hear from you then," Jiang Yanli replied. "I looked after the public relations for Jiangs but as of Tuesday I have turned in my two weeks' notice. But according to terms I should be there on Monday. I'll try to publicize it to generate some support for Wei Wuxian," Jiang Yanli offered. 

"That would actually be quite helpful," Lan Wangji replied looking at Wei Wuxian who was crying. He nodded towards his husband in support. "A'Xian is in tears. I need to console him. I'll call you later," he said, cutting the call.

"Take good care of my baby brother. He has been through enough," Jiang Yanli voiced. Soon the beep was heard, and Lan Wangji turned towards Wei Wuxian and wrapped him in his arms. "You did good, laopo. You were brave and confident, and I loved every moment of it," Lan Wangji cooed in his ears. 

"You are showing signs of healing, A'Xian. Can I call you that since I am also like your Jie?" Mianmian asked wrapping her arms around his neck.  

Wei Wuxian nodded violently, tears still streaming down. Lan Wangji went into the kitchen and brought a tub of vanilla icecream. "Let's go inside and have some ice-cream, 好不好?" he asked. 

Wei Wuxian felt the smile threaten his lips and he barked out a laugh, nodding and wiping his tears. "I really do have a family," he murmured against Mianmian's shoulders who nodded indulgently. 

A/N What do you think about Jiang Cheng? I am sorry if the implicit homophobia in this chapter hurt anyone's sentiments. But it is a part of the world we live in. 

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