OUR PARALLEL WORLD (MDZS Fanfiction) SLOW UPDATES

CHAPTER 8: MET WHO?

CHAPTER EIGHT
Met Who?

Lan Manor

A car pulled in front of the Lan Manor’s entrance, a chauffeur came down to meet the newly arrived person, he opened the car’s door and the person stepped out. It was the Eldest brother of Wangji, Lan XiChen.

“Good Afternoon Master.” The chauffeur greeted. Lan XiChen nodded in response. His eyes scanned the front of the manor for a while.

The Lan Manor was styled in modern Chinese and ancient intricate design. The walls are white and it has the swirling details of a cloud, which he remembers, it was mentioned before that it was a symbol of the Lan Family. The manor was surrounded with different kinds of flowers; these flowers were dedicated to the late Mistress of the Lan. Xichen started to walk towards the main door.

“Have you seen my brother?” He asked the chauffeur who is silently walking beside him.

“The second Master is in the Library Pavilion, Master XiChen..”

Lan XiChen sighed as he heard him. He handed his coat to the servant who is patiently waiting at the side, the servant took it then walk away. XiChen headed towards the Library to see his younger brother, he can hear the faint melody of a guqin that is playing inside the Library as he getting nearer. He turned to the right corridor that the leads to the Manor’s Library. XiChen stopped on his tracks, surprised when he saw the three servants who are peeking inside through the ajar door. XiChen shook his head, supressing his smile.

XiChen soundlessly approached them, carefully not drawing their attention towards him until he was standing behind him.

“I wonder what things he couldn’t do. He is so talented..” the girl whispered.

“If only he could smile a little, he would be more handsome.”  The girl commented.

XiChen hold back his laughter as he heard the servants whispering to each other, actually he found their conversation quite amusing because of the way they described his brother.

“I wish I may able to witness his smile one day..” the servant gushed dreamily. XiChen noticed that these servants were young around, late teens? or twenties. They were both holding a dirty white cloths, like they were about to wash them.

XiChen peeked as well and he saw his young brother was too focused on playing the guqin, unaware that these ladies were watching him. He sighed soundlessly and he straightened his back then he coughed awkwardly to get their attention.

The servants jumped in surprise, they turned around to look from their behind. Their eyes were wide in shock as they met the Eldest son of the Lan Household who is wearing an amused expression while the two of them are blushing.

“M-master Lan, we didn’t mean t-to..” the other girl stammered as she tried to explain the situation. The other one looked away, her expression is clearly uncomfortable since she’s fiddling her fingers at the hem of the white cloths that she’s holding with her two arms.

XiChen smiled at them, he motioned them to keep quiet.

“Don’t worry, now off you go.. I need to speak with him” he said with soft tone.

The two servants nodded, then they immediately scurried off towards the main hall, faces were blushing hard. XiChen chuckled lightly at their behaviour. The Eldest Lan is aware that his brother and him have an opposite personalities. If Wangji is being described as the cold Master of the Lan household, he on the other hand, is warm and welcoming. Actually, Lan Wangji is not cold but the reason he is like that, it’s because he is not good to open up easily with everyone.

XiChen studied his brother’s expression for a while as he played the guqin. He noticed that the piece that he’s playing is the song he composed five years ago; it’s almost every single day that XiChen hear his brother playing that music piece.

He pushed the double doors of the Library and went inside. Wangji stopped playing and turned his head to the right.

“Brother.” Wangji said while nodding slowly to his brother as an acknowledgement.

“How are you?” XiChen, he took a seat at the empty chair in front of Wangji’s. His young brother poured a tea to an empty cup and handed it to him.

“I’m good.” Wangji’s short reply before he reached to the side and grabbed the white cloth then he wrapped the guqin with it.
XiChen quietly sips his tea while watching his brother doing his task.

“You’re home earlier than I expected.” Wangji, while he pours his own empty cup with tea.

“Yes..” XiChen, put his empty cup on a saucer then leaned back a little from his seat. “The meetings went smoothly and I want to rest for a while.”

“What about Uncle QiRen?” Wangji asked.

“He’ll be going to America to meet with the business partners.”

A comfortable silence fall between the two brothers while they are enjoying their afternoon tea, Wangji on the other hand is lost in his train of thoughts.

“Wangji.”

He looked up to see his brother was gazing at him with questioning look.

“I’m sorry brother, What did you say?”

XiChen smiled. “Oh nothing, I just observed that you are lost in your own thoughts.”

Wangji sighed. His brother is always perceptive in everything that he does, maybe it’s because they grow up together, inseparable and he knows everything about him, even his own secrets …like his dream.

“Wangji may ask you about something?” XiChen said with a slight frown on his face.

“Mn.” He said in short reply. He put his cup on the saucer, he leaned slightly forward, XiChen take it as a queue to proceed on what he’s about to ask to his younger brother.

“Can you describe to me what you felt when you’re having your dreams?”

Wangji is slightly surprised to XiChen’s question. Whenever he had these dreams, he confided it to his brother. XiChen was always there ready to listen to him. He remembered the first time when he started to talk to him about his dreams, it was eight years ago. Wangji felt confused and afraid at the same time while narrating about it, his brother was there to calm him down and ready to listen to him with no judgement in his eyes.

“Whenever I’m having those dreams, I feel that it was real… the pain, the sorrow, the people who are there, the place. I can even smell the summer breeze, the cold water of a lake, the pungent stench of blood in the battle, especially whenever I see that person in my dreams; I feel that I was living my past life in my dreams.” Wangji replied.

XiChen became lost in his own thoughts as if he carefully sort some scenarios inside his head.

He slightly trembled whenever he saw the person in his dreams. He can’t erase the sight of his beloved covered with blood and suffered from the pain that he endured. Wangji, curled his fists and closed his eyes, praying to let this image disappear from his mind.

“Wangji..”

Wangji felt a light tap on his both shoulders, he opened his eyes and XiChen’s worried face met his view.

“Are you alright-“

“I’ve already met him brother.” Wangji suddenly blurted it out.

XiChen's tea stopped on midway as Wangji suddenly dropped the news to him but still he couldn’t believe what he heard so he asked him again.

“You met who Wangji?”

Wangji pursed his lips, his heart beating so loudly inside his chest. XiChen was now sitting back on his chair, his expression is unreadable.

“I’ve already met Wei Ying, he’s real”