It's afternoon, the clouds are looking pretty gloomy and the sky is threatening rain. Still, Zhan was set on going through with his plans. If he will go tomorrow, he couldn't figure out how to tell Zhoucheng where and why he was going alone. He spent quite a while in his room thinking it over before finally deciding.
He will go to that place he saw in the painting. He's really eager to see it for himself. Since it's just by the shore, he shouldn't have too much trouble finding it if he strolls along the beach. And he can count on that big rock being there as his landmark.
"I'm really sorry, but it's not possible," the groom refused when Zhan said he wanted to run the horse along the coast. "The Lan's has a strict rule against it. It's a pretty long run for the horse, and you might get caught in the rain on the way back."
Zhan thinks that pretty much everything on this planet has a price tag. He grinned at the groom and pulled something out of his pocket. The amount he pulled out was definitely not a small one.
He leaned over to the young boy and casually slid a few hundred-dollar bills into his polo pocket. "Trust me, no one will find out I'm bringing the horse to shore. I will be back before nightfall. And if your bosses spot me, I will not say a word about you. This is all on me."
The groom paused, realizing that the cash the handsome guy slipped him was no joke.
"I can lead you through the forest to sneak down to the coast," the boy said, intrigued by the guest's desire to go there. "Just make sure you get back before it gets dark, it seems that the rain will fall anytime soon."
Zhan grinned as he gently guided the horse into the forest. He might not be a pro but he knows how to ride a horse. He had two friends in the US who had a farm and that is where he learned to ride a horse. Every summer his parents let him spend a week there.
After a while, he caught a glimpse of the ocean peeking through the coconut trees.
"I'll find that place," he said determinedly despite his own doubts.
If Lan Wangji had been young when that house was built, he must have had him in mind while building it. You are a fool, Zhan. Wuxian is the one who's on his mind, not you.
He brushed off that nagging thought in his head and kept riding the horse smoothly. According to the curator that house no longer exists. What was the point of going there? He doesn't know. Maybe he wanted to feel Lan Wangji's presence. Or perhaps his emotions were just getting the better of him. And he must be so foolish to entertain such feelings for a man who died ages ago, way before he was even born.
The horse ran a long way, and a light rain was beginning to fall, but he couldn't see the shoreline that looked like the one in the painting.
Sure, it had been ages since Lan Wangji painted that house, but he figured the big rock was still around as a landmark. Maybe it was just too far away since he didn't see any big rock in sight. He brushed the raindrops off his face.
"Help me, Wangji. Help me find that place."
The rain and wind are getting stronger, and the forest looks the same. There are just coconut trees lining the coast and a mix of other trees behind them, with weeds and grass sprouting everywhere.
But Zhan does not want to give up. He didn't even realize it was almost getting dark. He kept guiding the horse along smoothly. Amidst the heavy rain, he finally saw the rock that was blocking the shore. "That's it!"
He gave the horse a gentle nudge to pick up the pace and soon found himself in front of a rock. It was taller than a person, and it looked like three people with their arms wide open could squeeze in there. He turned to look back at the coconut trees, the route he took was the only clear path.
As he pulled the reins of his horse, he made his way into the coconut trees. And he was right, at the far end, the place was not a forest at all. And if it wasn't for the heavy rain, he was pretty sure people would definitely be passing through those trees. Looking around, could not find a trace of the house that used to be there.
"Oh, please, I must find it. It's getting dark out here. How am I supposed to make my way back if it gets any darker?" he muttered to himself, struggling to see through the heavy rain. He pushed deeper into the coconut trees, and the surrounding darkness thickened as he left the open space. Minutes passed as he aimlessly led the horse along, until suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated what looked like the roof of a structure in the distance.
"That must be it! Oh, thank God!"
He rushed over, nearly tripping on the sticking-out roots of coconut trees and small dips in the ground. The rain was heavy and he was drenched. "A fence!" he shouted when he touched the iron bars.
He tied the horse to the iron post, he traced the fence trying to find the gate with the fading light and the occasional flash of lightning. At last, he found it, and the metal creaked ominously as he opened it.
"W-what is this place?" he asked himself nervously.
Besides the heavy rain, it was pitch black, and he could not see anything. When lightning flashed again, he saw a covered area. It was the same place he had noticed from afar earlier. Maybe he could take shelter there until the rain stopped.
Blindly, he ran to the place, until he felt the drops no longer hitting him. He slumped against what seemed like a wall, shivering on the cold tiles. His tears mingled with the raindrops dripping from his hair, and a wave of fear washed over him. He didn't even know what he was in for.
"I'll take care of you, Xian. Always... in any way."
Zhan sobbed at the memory. "You can't do that anymore, Wangji... you can't do that anymore. And I'm not Wuxian. He's dead like you!" He said as he was sobbing hysterically. "I'm Zhan. And I am so foolish to have fallen in love with you... a man from the past... a man who was born even before my own father was born!"
He stayed there, hunched over, with tears streaming down his face, matching the rain pouring outside.
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