Fluffy WangXian Oneshots Book Two

Diamond With A Flaw Part 3

Lan Zhan is left in a haze of warm scents, a mix of pear blossoms and hair products as Wei Ying leaves him.

What a strange encounter!

He checks his phone again to make sure he has Wei Ying's number. He feels bereft suddenly, missing the lively person who was just here only moments ago. Picking up his coat and briefcase feels like wading through honey, with how surreal all of this is. There's no way Lan Zhan could ever have predicted feeling so unbalanced and curiously, unsatisfied. He would have liked spending more time with the enigma that was Wei Ying, a confusing mix of sensitive and caring but flippant and risky at the same time.

As he climbs into the back seat of his car, he goes over the meeting from the beginning, trying to detect why the whole thing still feels as unsettling as it does.

His first impression of Wei Ying was disbelief. How could anyone look like that and not be famous? He was beautiful, in a word. Not just his heart-shaped face, those lovely round cheeks ever so quick to bloom in a rosy blush, but his mesmerising silver eyes were so captivating that Lan Zhan had lost his train of thought more than once. And, God, those indecent trousers! They clung to his lean thighs like a second skin, and Lan Zhan would easily admit that his similar height was a turn on. Not having to look down at his dates is a definite plus point.

Lan Zhan liked shaking his hand. It was smaller than his but no less beautiful, elegant quick fingers, no doubt excellent at whatever he makes them do. His palm felt a little rough, so he probably does some kind of manual work...and judging from the poor quality of his clothes, maybe Wei Ying is doing this for some kind of financial gain. Though he hadn't mentioned money. Yet.

Lan Zhan knows better than to think otherwise, especially his own track record for attracting the wrong sort of people because he didn't want to lose that small thread of trust. But he won't ever make that mistake again, and even Wei Ying, as charming as he is, will not be allowed to get past Lan Zhan's defenses. Not this time. Lan Zhan has learned the hard way that people like himself will always be the target of those less fortunate, and he would be wise to never forget this.

Even if there was a kindness in those smoky grey eyes, especially when Wei Ying wanted to put Lan Zhan at ease, even making a second attempt to introduce themselves so they could get past any lingering awkwardness. Plus, it had made Lan Zhan think twice when Wei Ying reminded him about lying to his own family, that it would have consequences, and was he really prepared to go ahead with it? The thing is, someone motivated by only money would never have pointed that out to him.

But Wei Ying did.

And then, when he said that he had a stipulation of his own, being that he was saving his first kiss for The One...well, Lan Zhan certainly hadn't expected such depth of character from someone who wrote that post advertising himself. If it's a real wish, then it's cute. But if it's contrived...then?

The problem is, when it comes to trusting Wei Ying, Lan Zhan really wants to, even if it is a bad decision in the end. The fact that he's willing to give up his own safety for a man he's only just met, says a lot for a person who has been bitten by falsehoods already.

But thinking about his own deadline makes him wonder if he has a choice. His brother and Nie MingJue are both expecting Lan Zhan to come with a date, preferably one that can dance, right? Well, Lan Zhan is going to make sure Wei Ying fits the bill and then some. He wasn't kidding about wanting to get his family off his back about his personal life, and to that end, Wei Ying looks like a good candidate to help him.

It's also a good thing that Lan Zhan was able to slip his preference for staying single into the conversation; this means that Wei Ying is aware of his choice and won't try to change his mind, or expect more than Lan Zhan is willing to give. To that end, Lan Zhan calls up his own private investigator and orders a background check on him. His guy is efficient and Lan Zhan knows the report will be waiting for him in his inbox tomorrow morning. He squashes the feeling that he's invading Wei Ying's privacy. This is a business transaction, nothing more, nothing less, and Lan Zhan is simply looking out for himself in being cautious about a person he just met today. That's good business sense, and if anything, Wei Ying should understand this if ever the subject comes up.