MXTX LIFE STORY FANZINE 2022

Thank you for following us

on this year-long journey as
we created works for our
beloved characters.

Life looks like a linear path,

where it ends at with us six feet
MXTX Creative Space Discord Server ✦ A MXTX fanzine 2022
under, but these works
— our love —
is forever.

MXTX CREATIVE SPACE DISCORD SERVER:

The end is never truly the end.
Yumi (slowly dying)

HEAD MOD
BTW
Thank you to everyone that participated in the third
MXTX Creative Space Server Zine! I can't believe another year has
passed in the server! And! And! This is zine number 3 from various
amazing creators!

I am eternally grateful for this small community continues to surprise

me with their wonderful contributions to this small passion project and
we're already at the third zine to close off this trilogy.

2022 has been a rough year for both myself and the other
main mod, Chisie. We are not sure if we will be creating more
server-only zines. If we do, I do hope that people continue to join and
support this passion project ��
Thank you to you for checking out this zine and I hope you enjoy the
different content brought to you by brillant creators in the
MXTX fandom!

Mirai CRYPC MOD

prayer deliverer

Thank you for participating in our 3rd ever server zine!

I hope that everyone has an amazing rest of the year~

May you carry the spirit of Creative Space to wherever you go! ��

Chisie GPHIC, FORMA ING &

LAYOUT MOD

*waves from the grave*

 School
Childhood Age

The Wei welcome In Another

To Yuan surprises Life
(things that shouldn't
be a surprise) Canon divergence,
Soft baby
Alternate Universe - wangxian,
Modern, Single Madam Lan
Parent Wei Wuxian, Shang Qinghua &
Shen Yuan, kidfic, deserved better,
Wei Wuxian Lan Wangji and
& Wen Yuan Alternative Universe
- Canon Divergence Wei Wuxian
growing up
together

by Milou by Aditi Nair by ottistry by Mari by Koschei by Citti by Dani by Yumi Hamano by Momo by reiiii

Kids These All We

Days Can Do Is
Try
SVSSS modern AU,
daycare, all the
main characters are Su Xiyan/
now babies and the Tianlang-jun,
older characters are Su Xiyan & Luo
their guardians Binghe, Canon
hehe Divergence, Fix-It,
Fluff

by Baobei by corduroyserpent by Moyitaro/Siku by Eijio by Lycia by Atlas

by Kuku by Kuku
 Adult Elder
Life Years

Gifts of the A Place Grandpa! Treasure

unexpected Called Home Look! Every Moment
rule 63, verbal
bullying, mention of
Shang Qinghua/ past miscarriage, Wei Wuxian & domestic life, soft
Mobei-jun, Slice of grief, nb characters, Grandchild, and fluff, sad
life, Pets, Modern alternate universe - Post-canon, Family, ending, major
AU, No Powers AU, modern day, Fluff, Slice of life character death,
Fluff adoption au married wangxian
—please use some
suspension of
disbelief

by Sid by Sid by C by Prince_kun by C by Zappychild by Aki by Papermelon by Yumi Hamano

all the beauty

t

remain a
stranger that's been Jazz Bar
lost before
(wants to find
us again)
Alternative Universe Lan Wangji/
- The Magnus Hurt/Comfort, Wei Wuxian,
Archives fusion, Post-canon, Jiang Romance, Fluff,
Monster Shen Cheng-centric, First Love
Yuan, Not-Them Jiang Cheng/Lan
Shen Yuan, Huan, Jiang Cheng
Humour & Jin Ling, Soft
Jiang Cheng

by Koschei by Kisse by tinycutefauna by reiiii by star

by Vebira by Hayate by Lycia

Childhood
 The Wei To Yuan

Written by Aditi Nair

SUMMARY:
Having accidentally unravelled the vicious secrets of Wen Corp,
Wei Wuxian— disowned by the Jiangs (once and for all, this
time)— battles the streets, drug dealers and the people sent by
the Wens to silence him forever. As he tries not to break apart,
he finds himself back in the care of the family he had left for
their protection.
Will he find a way to survive through the lapping tides in his time
of strife, or will he give in and sink underneath?

TAGS:
Alternate Universe - Modern, Wei Wuxian & Wen Yuan, Wei
CHILDHOOD

Wuxian, Wei Yuan, Wen Qing, Wen Ning, Luo Qingyang,

Mention of Drugs, Single Parent Wei Wuxian, Parent Wei Ying
| Wei Wuxian, On The Run, Original Character(s), POV Third
Person Limited, Angst With A Happy Ending, Not Beta Read

BETA:
N/A

13
 [There is a shelf of board games at the westward realised what was happening. Remembers—
corner of the room, inviting you to a game. Send off the
dust with a breath, and read the labels Wen Qing shouted at him sternly after everything, claiming
on the covers of the boxes.] he was lucky to avoid nerve damage from the reckless action. He
had starved for three whole days, nearly gotten infected from
the burns and just broke off a fever, but all Wei Wuxian could
feel was awe; she had sounded like she cared, in the unique way
Wei Wuxian awakes cold and empty, blankets kicked off
only Jiejie had: grounding, genuine, real.
and drool on the pillow. This is an oddity, he notes. He eyes the
old ceiling, the old brown fan spinning exactly as it always did,
Even when Mrs Yu kicked him out of the house on her bad
and wonders how he got there.
days, the Wen siblings never asked— Wen Ning smiling sweetly
with some food at hand while Wen Qing wrapped her scarf
The last thing he remembers— greedy punches, hidden
around him like a blanket— simply taking him to their home,
twitches, festering wounds, shadows, running— Ah. Jiejie is
acting blind to the uncomfortable heat in his eyes.
getting married. He remembers childish grand plans made under
giggling blankets, stealing chips as they argue over what colour
They continued finding him every time he was kicked out
the tables should be draped in. Will Jiang Cheng will stubbornly
(and what did it mean when he was thrown out nearly every
decorate the platform with lotuses or give in to Jiejie’s pleading
week?), so ridiculously quick that he often joked that Wen Qing
and add peonies to the mix?
had put a tracker on him.
He closes his eyes, body aching still from nights spent
(They never talk about how he is found in the exact same
sleeping in uncomfortable positions on pavements or rickety
spot: on a rickety bench in the corner of a park reminiscent of
benches. A flaring pain under his ribs; aching, throbbing, twisting
that closest to the Jiangs, reminiscent of the one where Uncle
at the mere thought of it; the old burns sprinkled across his chest,
Jiang had found him lost and hungry.)
sunk deep unto flesh like a blotted sun now acting up again.
Instinct had him push MianMian away back then, protecting her
The Wens gave him a home since his high-school days where
from the bottle of acid Wang Lianjao had somehow gotten her
he simply belonged, but he knew this is different. He couldn’t
hands on and thrown at her. Lan Zhan hadn’t been happy about
exploit their love for him like that when he was the reason why
it, eyes pinched in concern and shock. Wei Wuxian was lucky
Wen Qing and Wen Ning can’t focus on their degrees anymore.
enough to get splashed with only droplets, a tiny splash landing
And so, he hid his new status of homelessness, sleeping in the
a hit on his chest.
secluded haunts of parks and alleys he could never really erase
from memory.
He remembers violent flames crackling in Jiang Cheng’s
eyes, the smouldering flint in Jiejie’s. Remembers Lan Zhan
That plan definitely failed though, after he ended up
ablaze with a rage he had never managed to coax out before,
sleeping near the Wens’ building on instincts alone and got
fierce, beautiful and loud in his silence. Remembers shoving
dragged under a very familiar ceiling: the old storage room that
Jiang Cheng out of the entrance with every bit of strength he
was once repurposed by the Wens into his own room when he
could muster, his brother yelling in shock and then fear as he

14 15
 was seventeen and they decided that they were going to keep
him whether he liked it or not. Wei Wuxian is not daft enough to
deny the comforts of a proper mattress, but he still calls this a
heinous kidnapping.
The fan still spins, and Wei Wuxian opens his eyes. He
hears voices in the kitchen, popo humming a song softly, joined
by the aunties and uncles assisting her. Despite her age, popo
never lets anyone else handle the cooking.
It’s like he never left.
Wei Wuxian stretches his limbs, the ache in his bones
almost completely gone now. A proper mattress really does
wonders. There are bandages covering most of the wounds he
got from his time on the streets, some placed carefully on his
palms, probably treated by Wen Qing when he was unconscious.
No wonder his body hurts less.
Even the door is unchanged, the hinges creaking at the
slightest movement of the door. To think he had really thought
they’d revert this place back to a storage room by now. Wen
Qing must have muttered endless curses in her head, calling
him a fool. He just knew it.
Wei Wuxian heads out and sees Wen Ning asleep on the
couch near his door, a baby blue blanket (warmer than it looks)
draped over the lower half of his legs while reaching the floor.
Wen Ning has always been a light sleeper when he feels chilly, so
he wraps the blanket properly around him as Wen Qing entered.
He really didn’t want to have this talk but it’s not one he could
avoid anymore, not with Wen Qing spearheading it, so he follows
Wen Qing to her room.
Silence filled the room. After a while, Wen Qing sighs.
It’s one of her long ones, the kind that means she is genuinely
disappointed. Or just really tired. “For how long have you been
16
sleeping on the streets?”
That… That’s a question he doesn’t know the exact answer
for. It hasn’t been long since he went full-on undercover, but it’s
hard to keep track… “Two months.”
“Two months. Two entire months! And you spent an entire
month parading around as though it was just another fight
with the Jiangs. Wei Wuxian, you, YOU–” Wen Qing massages her
forehead. This is clearly above her pay grade. “Just… Why? Why
do all this? You know we’d welcome you anytime. You even have
your own room here! And—”
“They started sending people after me.” Wei Wuxian
interrupted softly. “They’ve been eyeing me long before the
Jiangs rid of me, so really, there wasn’t any other option.”
There’s bitterness in Wen Qing’s eyes, a familiar kind. He
doesn’t like it either, but knows this isn’t something she can
help him with.
Wen Qing exhales. It’s easy to read her frustration, taunt
fingers clenched tight enough to draw blood. In all the time he
has known her, Wen Qing has rarely let go of her anger.
Wei Wuxian looks her in the eye and regrets it. He knows
that look all too well. She isn’t going to let him go. Sometimes,
he really did regret teaching the quirks of body language to
her, of discerning sincerity from the masks and facades. For all
that it helps her, it did him no good when his knowledge is used
against him.
The world could live another day without Officer Wen Qing
only because she fell in love with forensics and disliked heavy
action, and on days like these, Wei Wuxian was reminded of it.
Wei Wuxian locks his limbs in place, thinking of ways to
17
 leave before it’s too late. And then Wen Qing smirks and he hates
it despite its rarity, because she calls for Wen Ning, who finally
woke up. This is dangerous. He has never been able to say no to
Wen Ning’s puppy eyes.
And then popo enters behind him. Popo, smiling arms
reaching out to hug and pull his cheeks, kissing his forehead. He
distantly knows that Wen Qing is still there, smirking widely in
triumph. Wen Ning is also smiling, and if he didn’t know what a
precious cinnamon roll he was, he’d think it slightly mischievous
around the edges.
He’s fallen onto Wen Qing’s webs, and he can feel them
noose tightly around his throat. Wei Wuxian has never been able
to stop a Dafan-Wen.
Popo asks if he has had breakfast yet (Yang–shenshen
made your favourite wontons and dumplings today, A-Ying.
Wash up, wash up! You don’t want A-Qing to get there first and
hide your chilli sauce, do you?) and Wei Wuxian follows her
demands, stubbornly ignoring the gleeful traitors who knew
that no one says no to popo.
Damn them all, he thinks, a smile slipping into place amidst
the warmth in his chest.
[You choose the box with the words ‘Snakes & Ladders’ loud
across its surface, the mechanisms familiar to you since
childhood. Unfold the board and lay it down, you have treasure
to reach.]
Food was and always will be a direct path to Wei Wuxian’s
heart. Years of hunger had made it something of a vulnerable
18
spot for him, and the psychology textbooks he once skimmed
through from Wen Qing’s bookshelf had explained that it wasn’t
weird for the signs from his childhood to stick through his life.
Theoretically, he knew it to be true. But it was harder to believe
in practice.
Wei Wuxian grew up with a gaping emptiness in his chest.
Sometimes, the gaps smooth over at the edges, and he’d
feel just like everyone else. Other times, the softened sides
crumbled apart and nothing could make him feel whole again.
The only thing that could make him ignore that chasm was food,
specifically spicy food. Chilli never fails to heat up the chasm
and let him feel like it’s closing up, so maybe that is why he likes
spicy dishes.
This was why Wei Wuxian could not control himself upon
getting the chance to have chilli sauce again after months
without it. Sure, the others were probably estimating what had
happened while he was off the grid, but he could not find it in
himself to care at the moment.
The delicately wrapped wontons tasted heavenly with its
chicken filling, its heat coiling under his palms and fending off
the cold. Even the irreplicable taste that popo always claims to
be a centuries-old family secret remains the same. Wen Qing
tries to swipe off his chilli sauce again, Wen Ning defends him
stoutly in sneaky schemes whenever she gets distracted by
someone else trying to steal her hoard. The uncles laugh as
they regale everyone with tales of their own first attempts at
folding wontons. The aunties distribute more food to everyone,
piling most of it on Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian’s plates and
insisting that they were too thin, scrawny and needed some
‘fattening up’ as growing young men. The radio plays songs in
the background of the humdrum, sometimes joining the singer
whenever a famous favourite starts playing.
It’s all so normal that he chokes on his tears.
19
 Sometimes, he feels trapped by the bubble of normalcy.
Popo’s hips get worse and an uncle breaks an arm when he falls
off the ladder but popo insists she’s strong enough to beat
them all up and run away if they fussed any more, and everyone
scribbles jokes and doodles onto the uncle’s cast when popo
reminiscences of the time when Wen Qing wanted to wrap a
cast on her as a little girl so that her didi could draw on it just
like the cast of an older child that was treated by their parents
that week. All the while, news blares on the papers, radios and
TVs speaking of the recent moves of Wen Corporation that go
unheard by all occupants of the house.
Wei Wuxian smiles, laughs and acts like nothing is wrong.
He acts like he doesn’t want to switch off the TV and stick within
their wonderful bubble, like Wen Qing isn’t spending more time
at work and Wen Ning isn’t growing more silent. Like there aren’t
times when the house is encompassed with silence and no one
speaks out of the future everyone fears.
Wei Wuxian acts like he is anything but a hollow shell he
can’t fill.
Usually, he cracks apart in the solace of his room. Voices
do not leak past the walls easily there, and not many stay in the
living room when the moon is watching over them.
Wei Wuxian lets go of the fragile tapes holding him
together, cries and despairs into the night, and fixes himself up
again once the sun starts to wake. And for a while, that’s just
how it is.
20
[Choose a token and roll the die, its the start of a new
adventure. Jump across snakes and climb up and down ladders,
there’s a chest of gold awaiting you.]
Luo Qingyang, known to her friends as MianMian, fiddles
with the paper in her hands, stopping herself just in time to
prevent inflicting an indelible amount of creases on it. Her
office was one of the better ones, granted to her as a senior
intern (or so they say. Luo Qingyang isn’t blind and knows they
just want her to stay in their firm). It helps that it’s one of the
few law firms not run by a Jin, and they paid all their staff well.
Eying the paper once more, she taps a finger across her
table as she reads the name of the will’s testator. Wen Xiaohui.
A familiar name. Someone she knew from high school.
Luo Qingyang had known she would be dealing with wills
but never had she expected to see that of a friend’s. At least,
not at their age. And now she looks down at the will of Wen
Xiaohui and takes a deep breath, before skimming through the
pages.
Her eyes still at an extremely familiar name. Wei Wuxian.
Somehow, everything always leads to Wei Wuxian. If he wasn’t
such a great friend, she’d probably be jealous. But that spotlight
was as dangerous as enviable, and Luo Qingyang couldn’t
remember the last time she saw him. Was it at the graduation
party after college?
She continues to read the will, and sighs when it’s done.
Wen Xiaohui and her husband both passed away in a car accident
abroad. They had been such a strong couple back in college,
with Wei Wuxian always by their side. The three of them had
been very close, always within sight of each other. Perhaps
that’s why he is there in the will? But the outlier here is that
they had a child. Wen Yuan. Barely a year old. And Wei Wuxian is
21
 written down as the child’s custodian. There’s also a letter and
some money bequeathed to him.
That child will probably never remember his parents, but
she knows he will take good care of him. She takes her phone
and calls Wei Wuxian. She can’t reach him. She looks into their
group chats and sees he hasn’t been online in five months now.
Something is wrong.
Wei Wuxian always keeps in touch no matter what, she
remembers now. This silence isn’t like him. Luo Qingyang sends
a mail to her boss detailing the will’s contents and then cracks
her knuckles.
She has an old friend to find.
[You are close to the treasure merely a few jumps away. Heed
caution for the snakes are always more vicious near the end.]
His heart beating in his throat, Wei Wuxian rushes to the
hotel. He had managed five whole months of hiding before
someone found him. He only agreed to this meeting because
that person is MianMian. Wen Ning and Wen Qing already know
about his trip and they know what to do if the goons like Xue
Yang find him again, so he walks in and asks for a table reserved
for Ms MianMian, keeping his mask up.
He finds MianMian seated at the table, her fingers tapping
across the table in a way that meant she had something on her
mind. It must be why she tracked him down.
As soon as he sat down, MianMian asks, “Did you know
Wen Xiaohui had a son?”
22
It was a name he hadn’t heard in a while. He had dated
Wen Xiaohui once, and after an amicable breakup, kept an open
relationship with Guo Huoren whom she later married. They had
known their boundaries and Wei Wuxian had wished them well
when they went abroad to start a family. But—
“They have a son?” Wei Wuxian asks. The couple had been
excited when leaving, could this have been why? “When did
they have a son?”
“Wen Yuan. He’s over a year old now. He—”
“What happened?” There’s a chill down his spine. This
doesn’t sound good. He looks at her face closely and he knows.
“...They died, didn’t they?” He asks quietly. MianMian bites
her lips. She only does that when she doesn’t want to speak the
truth. “How?”
“Car accident,” She reveals, sighing. “Wen Yuan is alive.
They listed you as his custodian. There’s a letter for you too.”
She then hands it to him, before saying, “We have a lot to talk
about, Wei Wuxian. But let’s get Wen Yuan first. My car.”
Wei Wuxian reads the letter on their drive. He doesn’t want
to believe it. Wei Wuxian had a child all this time, and he didn’t
know. They didn’t hate him for it? It just didn’t make sense. He
was in hiding, how could he care for a child and endanger him?
Wasn’t this just selfish of him?
With such thoughts running in his mind, he almost didn’t
notice that they had reached the hospital. Fingers itching, he
follows MianMian almost mindlessly. Surely this is a bad idea.
Jiang Cheng had always said he couldn’t handle babies.
They enter the room and see a little child sleeping, hugging
a bunny plushie to his chest. Wei Wuxian walks forward, shaky.
23
 That chin, his cheeks, the raven curls atop his head, they were
all him. He doesn’t think as he slowly touches the child’s soft
fingers. They curl around his, and familiar grey eyes open with
a yawn.
Wen Yuan smiles at him, and he smiles back. He could
never let go of this bundle of hope, not even if he wanted to.
[The treasure gleams at you with bright smiles, and you feel like
you are holding stars in your arms. It was a long journey to get
here, but you’ve made it through.]
The Wens love Wei Yuan. They adore him and something
warm coils around his heart and says, ‘this child is so very loved’.
People fight over who gets to play with A-Yuan next, spoiling
him so much that Wei Wuxian would worry they’d kidnap him if
he didn’t know them so well.
They move away after A-Yuan joins the family. The country
is no longer safe for any of them, not after that ambush that
nearly took their lives. Getting in touch with Nie Huaisang was
no easy feat, but it was worth it when the man got them all out
of the country. He also insisted on getting pictures of A-Yuan at
least once a week, and Wei Wuxian was too relieved to say no.
He had missed him, after all.
Their new home is bigger, far away from any Wens out
to hunt them. There’s even a farm, cared for by the uncles
who occasionally enlist Wen Ning for help. Wen Qing sets up a
small practice down the village, and Wei Wuxian plans to start
teaching the local children. He’s going to be Wei-Laoshi! Old Man
Qiren would pull off his beard if he knew!
24
There are multiple wounds from Xue Yang’s ambush, and
he can only be grateful the psychopath had never seen A-Yuan
in the attack. All he needs to do now is wait for his wounds to
heal. Maybe A-Yuan can make friends with the children in the
village. But that’s a thought for tomorrow.
For now, Wei Wuxian sleeps warm and whole, A–Yuan
swaddled to his chest and drooling peacefully.
CODA
Wei Wuxian throws the tiny packet of crystallized powder
against the wall, anger thrumming through his veins. The
audacity of that man, clinging to him and then offering him the
very powder that started this whole mess.
He punches the wall, angry at the stupid wall just wouldn’t
break already, at his facade of a family who threw him away
at first chance, at the stupid world believing words of those
in power blindly, at the dumb killers sent to ‘get him out of the
picture’, and most of all, at the twisted inhumane Wen Ruohan,
who plotted these machinations with a hunger to devour the
world.
It’s tiring. Wei Wuxian is so so tired. Thinking is hard.
Sleeping is bad. Stomach hurts because there’s no food. And he
wasn’t going to consume the drug and turn the false charges
against him true.
The world is spinning in hues of black and brown, tinges of
red, blue, white and so much more that he can’t bother to look
at. He’s sweating. It’s like a merry-go-round. His entire body
aches, and his hands won’t stay still.
Wei Wuxian gulps in air, clinging to the wall. He has to go.
25
 He can’t stay here. He shouldn’t. It’s not safe. Nowhere is safe.
Home. He wants to go home.

Wei Wuxian lets his feet guide him. He feels really dizzy
but it’s okay.

He’s going home.

26
 welcome
surprises
(things that shouldn’t
be a surprise)

Written by Koschei

SUMMARY:
Shang Qinghua brings home a baby.
Shen Yuan, of course, has questions.

TAGS:
kidfic, Alternative Universe - Canon Divergence

BETA:
N/A
CHILDHOOD

27
 “What is this?” Shen Yuan says, staring incredulously at
the bundle in Shang Qinghua’s hands. The tiny being inside the
bundle stares right back, with their wide brown eyes, quietly
observing him.
Shang Qinghua huffed, adjusting the bundle in his arms.
“A baby,” he answered, unhelpfully. Shen Qingqiu could see
that much for himself. Where did Shang Qinghua even get one? It
wasn’t too hard, in this world, but still — most of the ways Shen
Yuan could recall involved at least a modicum of effort. “Have
you forgotten what tiny humans look like, Cucumber-bro?”
“You know that’s not what I mean,” he answers instead,
suppressing the urge to whack Shang Qinghua in the head with
a fan — it wouldn’t do to hurt a child who had nothing to do with
Aeroplane-bro’s antics. “So it’s a human? Where did you even
get them?”
“Eh,” Shang Qinghua shrugs. The baby in his hands reaches
up to grab at the loose strands of hair that seem to escape
his updo every time he tries to wrangle his hair into anything.
Shen Yuan has to admit, it’s somewhat adorable. “The baby’s
human enough now. At least it’s supposed to be? If I didn’t mess
anything up, at least.”
“You’re avoiding the question,” Shen Yuan stated, shifting
his gaze up, to stare at Shang Qinghua instead. “What did you
do? Please tell me you didn’t steal a baby, at least?”
“Cucumber-bro!” Shang Qinghua exclaimed in mock
offence. The baby in his arms giggled at his erratic movement.
“You, of all people, should know better than to suspect me.”
“I, of all people, would know exactly how capable you are
of anything you put your mind to,” Shen Yuan countered.
28
“Complimenting me, I see. That’s just unfair, Cucumber-
bro.”
“Doesn’t mean I’m not right.” Shen Yuan raises his brow,
“So?”
“No, I didn’t steal the baby.” Shang Qinghua shakes his
head, sighing exaggeratedly. He looks adorable like that. “Can’t
believe you slander me so. No, no, obviously I grew them. You
know, with solid and seeds and spiritual energy. The easy way.”
“Right. That’s good then,” Shen Yuan says, almost relieved.
He didn’t believe Shang Qinghua would kidnap a child for no good
reason — but he didn’t want to find out what the reason was if
the man did. And somehow, growing a child like a plant actually
made sense in this world. Though this part of the worldbuilding
was more fascinating than ridiculous — which was why it was
mentioned only a few times, and in passing.
He looks at the baby again. They look back and smile at
Shen Yuan, moving a hand in his direction. It is pretty sweet.
Shang Qinghua hisses at his hair being tugged, as the baby
seemed to manage to grab a few of his locks.
Shen Yuan smiles back at the baby. Shang Qinghua whines,
misinterpreting it, “Go on, laugh at my misery, Cucumber-bro.”
Shan Yuan doesn’t dignify him with a response.
“Why did you grow a baby, again?”
“We~ell,” Shang Qinghua says, slowly, “It was a bit of an
impulsive decision…”
“Decision that required nine months of continuous effort,
just like a pregnancy would,” Shen Yuan noted, “But, go on.”
29
 “That was pretty mean,” Shang Qinghua pouted. The baby
cooed, as if to agree with him. And maybe it was — but it was a
fair clarification. “It really was an impulsive decision, It’s just
that the continuous decision to continue was more thought
out. I do know that kids are plenty of responsibility. I oversee
a whole gaggle of older ones on my peak, just like you do, you
know.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” Shen Yuan did not mean that at all.
Shang Qinghua did only complain about An Ding Peak Lord duties
all the time. Which he maintained was Aeroplane-bro’s karmic
punishment for writing them as such. “Still doesn’t explain why
you decided you needed a kid.”
“Aw, but just look at them? How can we not need this
precious being in our lives?”
“That’s a good reason to keep the kid, not to get one.”
“So we are keeping them?” Shang Qinghua asked hopefully.
“Obviously.” Did he really think so little of Shen Yuan? That
was a concerning thought.
“You’re not exactly easy to read, Cucumber-bro,” he
grumbled, before adding with a smile, “I’m glad.”
“I think I’m happy to have this tiny human in our lives too,”
Shen Yuan said, reaching out towards the baby, “Let me hold
them?”
“You just like raising kids,” Shang Qinghua laughed,
offering the kid to him carefully. “I knew you would approve.”
“Doesn’t let you off the hook for not talking about it with
me beforehand,” Shen Yuan frowned at him, cradling the baby
in his arms carefully, “You’re so lucky I can’t reach my fan with
30
my arms full.”
“Oh, but we talked,” Shang Qinghua’s smile grew wider,
“Remember how you were sighing over Luo Binghe and Liu
Qingge’s kid at their wedding?”
“I do recall being spectacularly drunk,” Shen Yuan narrows
his eyes at the man, “because someone thought it a good idea
to bring a bunch of exotic wines to the ceremony.”
“It was an inspired idea, you have to agree,” Shang Qinghua
protested, raising his hands placatingly, “Much more fun that
way.”
“I agree to nothing. Especially because you didn’t have the
decency to warn me.”
“So that’s your only complaint?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Shen Yuan says stubbornly, “Next time,
ask me when I’m sober.”
“Next time?” Shang Qinghua asks, with genuine surprise.
“I do like dealing with kids,” Shen Yuan shrugs, “And it’s
pretty neat to grow up with siblings, I can tell you that much.
Not like we can’t support a few kids.”
“I’ll start planning immediately, then,” Shang Qinghua
says, in a sing-song manner.
“You’ll do no such thing until I verify that you know how to
take care of one,” Shen Yuan replies sternly.
“Your lack of belief wounds me.”
”Then prove me otherwise,” Shen Yuan shrugs.
The baby coles in agreement.
31
 Kids
These Days

Written by Kuku

SUMMARY:
Tianlang-jun is an ages-old, powerful Demon Lord who used to rule all of
demon-kind… And impressive as that sounds, it’s no longer so relevant to the
modern day, where demons now live in hiding amongst humans.

Tianlang-jun doesn’t mind entirely—he’s happy with his lovely human wife,
his darling son, and his adorable nephew. But like all demons (and humans!),
Tianlang-jun must now work to earn his keep. That’s why, when he’s hired as a
daycare worker, he eagerly accepts the job…but what’s he to do when his son,
Luo Binghe, absolutely hates it?

And what’s he to do when Luo Binghe vanishes along with Shen Yuan and
Shang Qinghua, two human children, on his first day on the job? Can he explain
NEW BEGINNINGS

to the first human child’s guardian, Shen Jiu, that his son didn’t steal away Shen
Yuan to eat him? And why does it feel like the daycare owner, Yue Qingyuan,
knows more than he’s letting on? Can Tianlang-jun turn all this around in his
favour…and maybe one day make his daycare a sanctuary for demon youth?

TAGS:
AU - alternate universe, modern AU, daycare, little kids, fluff, family, all the main
characters are now babies and the older characters are their guardians hehe

BETA:
N/A

33
 ‘Congratulations! You’ve gotten the job. We are honoured
to welcome you to the team…’
Tianlang-jun’s eyes ran over the email once again, making
note of all the details he had to remember. This was the first time
he’d finally landed a job after practically months of searching,
which meant he could feel giddiness bubbling in his veins. His
grip tightened on his phone. After Xiyan’s adoptive father cut
her off like that, I’d better make sure this job—
“Tianlang-laoshi! Welcome to the team.”
Snapping out of his reverie, he glanced up to see Yue
Qingyuan, the owner of the daycare and the man who’d both
interviewed and given him his new job, smiling at him. His grey-
black eyes were crescented slightly, shining with gentle mirth,
and his lips were curled as he stuck out his hand.
Tianlang-jun grinned back and shook that hand. “Hello,
Yue-laoshi. Thanks a bunch for this opportunity.”
“Oh, there’s no need to thank me. I enjoyed your application
quite a lot.” The man then added in a quieter voice, “In fact, I
think you’ll do plenty of good for our daycare, given your more…
forward views on demons.”
Tianlang-jun paused. As a demon himself, he of course
knew how difficult it was currently for demons in the modern
world, attempting to blend in and live disguised as humans. He’d
even once been a Demon Lord, ruling over his demons out in the
open in a relatively peaceful society—broken only occasionally
by battles with other demons and cultivators—before things
had changed. It was thus only natural that he wouldn’t have
denigrated his own kind, but he appreciated the forward-
thinking of these humans all the more for it.
Rather than voice all of that out loud and risk exposing
34
his true identity, however, he just chuckled. “I appreciate it,
Yue-laoshi. Though…I have to say that the other man with you—
Shen-xiansheng, was it?—didn’t seem to appreciate my answers
much.”
“Ah, Xiao Jiu? Don’t worry about him; he’s a bit uptight,
but he means well, and I’m sure you’ll be able to win him over
with time. But let’s not discuss demon politics at this time; here,
allow me to show you everything you’ll need…”
Tianlang-jun listened raptly, trying his best to remember
everything from cubbie placements to first aid treatments. It
was important that he do well in this new job—even if he was
more accustomed to lounging about as what was akin to demon
royalty.
Still, he felt motivated just remembering the night before,
when his darling Su Xiyan had celebrated with him on his at long
last successful job hunt, providing wine and a delicious feast.
Her usually stoic face had broken out into a warm smile as she’d
patted him on the back, telling him she believed in him.
And as for their little ones… Well, Luo Binghe and Zhuzhi-
lang had been excited enough enjoying the party—that was until
he’d actually told them they would be attending the daycare
too…
Zhuzhi-lang had taken it in stride of course—the small,
silly snake didn’t seem capable of not taking things in stride
when it came to following Tianlang-jun—but Luo Binghe had
immediately protested, refusing to leave his loving family and
take part in the big, scary world. Luo Binghe had been so teary-
eyed even on this morning that Su Xiyan had promised she’d
do her best to calm him before bringing him and Zhuzhi-lang to
class with the rest of the students.
Tianlang-jun sighed to himself as he gathered some
35
 supplies he’d need for the first day of class. Perhaps…I really
have spoiled the little guy too much, causing him to refuse
school so strongly like this… I wonder if he’ll be okay later?
He unfortunately couldn’t dwell on it much further, as Yue
Qingyuan was glancing at the clock and exclaiming suddenly,
“Ah, the students will be here any second now. I best get back
to my own classroom, but good luck with everything!”
“Wait!” he tried. “What do you recommend I—?”
But the door was already swinging shut behind him,
leaving Tianlang-jun to stare with outstretched claws.
“—Do if I have a son who’s not happy about attending…?”
Sighing, he lowered his hand and shook his head. I’ll just have
to handle this myself. Come on, Tianlang-jun—think of good
dads like Hui Tai Lang from that cartoon your kids are always
watching, and what they’d do…
As he mulled over the answer, the door opened again and
the high-pitched shrieking of children filled the room, along with
the pitter-patter of tiny feet. Tianlang-jun started and whipped
around, only to be greeted by a few familiar faces—people that
he recognized as actually being demons.
“Jiuzhong-jun, Linguang-jun,” he greeted, arching an
eyebrow in surprise. “I wasn’t expecting you two to have
children to enroll.”
“Tianlang-jun. This is my little princess Sha Hualing,”
Jiuzhong-jun announced, revealing with a flourish the small girl
whose hair was done up in many braids.
“Hello,” he said jovially, crouching down to grin at her.
“Nice to meet you, little one. I’m Tianlang-laoshi, and I’ll be—”
36
Thwack.
Jolting back, Tianlang-jun rubbed his forehead as a rock
dropped to the floor and rolled away. Somewhat stunned,
he blinked from Jiuzhong-jun to Sha Hualing. “Was that…a
slingshot?”
“Yeah,” Jiuzhong-jun said, smiling down at his daughter.
“She’s a firecracker like that.”
Tianlang-jun managed a chuckle before looking to
Linguang-jun. “And you? Do you also have a tiny prince who’s
actually a firecracker?”
“Nah,” he said dismissively, already shoving the child
accompanying him forward. He barely even glanced at the boy
as he said, “This is my nephew Mobei-jun, and if anything, he’s
more like a pillar of ice than some firecracker. Do with him what
you will.”
“Ah.” He sure doesn’t sound very enthusiastic about his
nephew. Tianlang-jun glanced down and smiled but didn’t lower
himself all the way this time, having learned his lesson from
Sha Hualing. “Hello there.”
The boy just glared back at him.
“I can see the pillar of ice aspect,” he finally joked, when
it seemed as if Mobei-jun wasn’t going to speak.
“Room for one more?”
Turning, he brightened as soon as he saw the loves of his
life walking toward him. “Xiyan! Binghe, Xiao Zhuzhi! Welcome
to the class~”
Su Xiyan smiled as she approached, the children trailing
behind her with their hands in hers. “How’s the new job so far?”
37
 “Not bad,” he replied. He smirked and leaned in closer. “But
I think it’ll be even better if my wife gives me a good luck kiss~”
She lifted a book and blocked his lips, shaking her head in
amusement. “Let’s try and be professional,” she chided dryly.
Tianlang-jun just grinned back at her before kneeling to
open his arms for the boys who were staring up at him with
big eyes. “Hey, kiddos~ You two look so cute in the daycare
uniforms! Look at your little caps~”
“Hi, Jiujiu,” Zhuzhi-lang said softly, his lips curling shyly as
he was scooped up.
“Baba,” Luo Binghe added, gripping him tightly around his
neck and burying his face in the older man’s clavicle. “I want to
go home.”
“Awww, Binghe—the day’s barely even started. Let’s give
it more of a chance, okay?”
The boy let out a muffled protest that had Tianlang-jun
ready to try and further soothe him, but a loud noise suddenly
sounded from the front and he glanced up.
The adults had just left, and seemingly having realized
there was not much adult supervision, Sha Hualing and Mobei-
jun had already begun to wreak havoc. The former was giggling
gleefully as she dodged the not yet fully developed ice powers
of Mobei-jun, and Tianlang-jun furrowed his brow.
“Hey, hey!” he tried scolding, despite deep down feeling
actually rather impressed by the mess they’d managed to make.
“No fighting in the daycare!”
The two ignored him completely, causing him to groan. He
looked back at Su Xiyan and handed Luo Binghe and Zhuzhi-lang
38
to her. “You guys go ahead and say your goodbyes. I’m going to
handle this.”
“Jiayou,” she called after him.
“Jiujiu, I can help too,” Zhuzhi-lang added quietly, quickly
scrambling after him.
And so the chaos began as Tianlang-jun settled into his
new role as a caretaker, trying to keep Mobei-jun and Sha Hualing
out of trouble. Thankfully, Zhuzhi-lang proved to be quite the
little helper, but Tianlang-jun found that neither of the other
demons respected him at all. Sha Hualing seemed determined
to try and “kill” him, while Mobei-jun exploded at the drop of a
hat.
Currently, he was attempting to separate Mobei-jun from
fighting some human kids that had refused to stop hogging the
slide—a task that proved a lot harder than he’d like it to be.
“Stop, stop, stop.” He grabbed the tiny ruffian by the
collar and dragged him off one of the weeping humans. Lifting
him into the air, Tianlang-jun frowned sternly at him. “Here we
don’t beat other kids up, got it?”
Mobei-jun shot him a frosty look, his face dark, and began
kicking his short, stubby legs in an attempt to escape. Tianlang-
jun could already feel a mild ice creeping up his foot, causing
him to hiss in mild pain.
That was also when something began tugging on his khaki
shorts. “Baba,” a small voice called.
“Not now, Binghe,” he said distractedly, still facing off
against Mobei-jun. “Baba’s busy—why don’t you go find Xiao
Zhuzhi and play?”
39
 “But Binghe wants Baba,” the boy insisted, and Tianlang-
jun could hear the tears that were forming in his voice.
He stifled an exasperated sigh—this was going to be the
third tantrum Luo Binghe had thrown all day—and shifted his
attention to his son. “I know you want Baba to play with you,
but Baba also has to look after everyone else, okay? So I can’t
just—ow!”
While he’d been distracted, Mobei-jun had kicked him
square in the face.
“Son of a—ugh!” He immediately swung his arm down and
let go of the kid’s collar, which allowed Mobei-jun to jump to the
ground and take off. “Mobei-jun! You get back here!” he yelled
as he chased after the boy.
Luo Binghe was left standing there alone with giant
pearls beginning to leak from his eyes. “Baba…” He sniffled as
his fingers began to curl into fists. “Baba doesn’t care about
Binghe anymore… Baba abandoned Binghe!” That was when he
began bawling.
“Tang-di,” Zhuzhi-lang murmured, his golden eyes wide
and eyebrows creased. “Jiujiu didn’t mean to…”
“No! Baba doesn’t want Binghe anymore!” the other boy
wailed, rubbing at his eyes. “Then I don’t want Baba anymore
either!”
“Tang-di…!”
Luo Binghe ran past Zhuzhi-lang, ignoring his cousin’s
cries. He made his way to the chain-link fence that surrounded
the playground, unsure where he was going but knowing that
he had every intention of running away. Just as he clasped the
metal with his hands and began trying to hook his foot into one
40
of the holes, another voice piped up:
“That’s dangerous, you know.”
“I don’t care,” he retorted with another sniffle, lifting his
other foot.
“Wait, don’t do that,” the newcomer said, grabbing him by
the pants leg. “You shouldn’t—”
“Let me go!”
As Luo Binghe thrashed, the two of them began teetering
backwards and the boy pulling on him let out a startled yelp.
“Shang Qinghua, help!”
Someone else let out a squeak and rushed forward, but
it was already too late. Luo Binghe and the boy fell backwards
onto the gravel, with Luo Binghe squeezing his eyes shut and
flinching…
Before realizing that he didn’t feel anything.
Blinking open his eyes, he shifted his face to the side and
saw that his technically unwanted companion had cushioned
his fall. He was also grimacing, eyes screwed shut with his
giant glasses hanging off his face, and he had his arms wrapped
around Luo Binghe’s torso.
Luo Binghe gasped and began scrabbling to get free.
“Ah, hey! Ow, ow, ow!” the other boy cried, letting him go
as Luo Binghe’s elbow jabbed into his side.
“S-S-Sorry,” he stammered, quickly kneeling to bow
profusely. “A-Are you okay?”
“I’m fine!” He sat up and began rubbing his back while his
41
 eyebrows drew together and he pursed his lips at Luo Binghe.
“What about you?”
He blinked, taken aback that this human boy would ask
after him, when he was the one who was more likely hurting.
“I-I’m okay.”
“But why were you crying and trying to run away?”
Hearing that, his shoulders slumped and he looked down
at his hands, which clenched into fists on his knees. “I…”
“Did you see some scary demons? Is that why you were
crying?” the third boy—who Luo Binghe had pretty much already
forgotten was there, although now he recalled that his saviour
had called him “Shang Qinghua”—asked, his eyes huge and eager
yet also filled with apprehension. He reminded Luo Binghe of a
wide-eyed hamster.
“Demons?” he echoed.
“Mn!” his saviour confirmed, immediately brightening.
He readjusted his glasses, which seemed to gleam under the
sunlight as he leaned in closer to Luo Binghe, whispering loudly,
“Shang Qinghua and I were trying to sneak into the daycare
because I heard my Jiu-ge complaining about there maybe being
secrets like demons here, and I wanted to see!”
Luo Binghe stared back at him, biting his lip. Is Baba going
to be found out? He could hear his brain playing back all his
father’s lectures about how, as demons, they needed to lay low
because humans were afraid of them and how if they were ever
exposed, they could lose their homes and be separated from
their mom and be kidnapped by the government. Luo Binghe
gulped. “You’re…not scared?”
“Nope! Why would I be?” The boy grinned back at him. “I
42
think demons are awesome!”
For a moment, Luo Binghe only blinked, not having
expected such an answer. Then, slowly, his expression lit up
with a hopeful twinkle in his eye, and he closed the gap between
him and his saviour completely. Grasping his hands, he asked
breathlessly, “Really?”
“Yeah! I like them because Jiu-ge told me they have all
these strong powers that they can go like pew pew pew with!
And I bet the really big ones can even make things go ka-boom!”
“They can! They really can!” he confirmed eagerly,
squeezing his hands.
His saviour beamed back at him. “Do you like demons too?”
“Mn!”
“That’s so cool!” His fingers slipped free so that he could
clap an enthusiastic hand to his chest. “I’m Shen Yuan, and this
is my best friend Shang Qinghua! What’s your name?”
“I’m Luo Binghe,” he replied, smiling a huge smile. “And…if
you like demons, I can show you a tiny secret…”
Shen Yuan’s eyes widened. “What is it?”
Luo Binghe didn’t even give himself a chance to hesitate,
unlocking his abilities and allowing his human disguise to fall
away. His eyes flashed a brilliant scarlet as his demon mark
manifested itself on his forehead, and he flicked his fingers to
create a very small ball of red fire. He knew his features weren’t
as prominent as a full demon’s, since he was half-human—for
example, his dad’s canines were a lot sharper and he had pointed
ears and his eyes were even always a brilliant ruby, unlike Luo
Binghe’s usual black—but he figured this would be impressive
43
 enough.
He peeked shyly at Shen Yuan. “What do you think?”
“You…” The human’s mouth had fallen open, and he was
blinking rapidly. Disbelief filled his voice as he whisper-shouted,
“You’re a demon!?”
“I’m a half-demon!” he said proudly. “My baba is a full one
though, and he’s really really powerful. Mama says he’s a Demon
Lord.”
“That…is…amazing!” Shen Yuan burst out.
“And scary,” Shang Qinghua piped up, but even he seemed
to be in awe.
Luo Binghe felt his lips stretch even wider. “I can show you
more stuff, if you want,” he offered, a hopefulness colouring his
tone and his cheeks.
“Really!?”
When he nodded, Shen Yuan’s gaze sparkled like the sun.
“Then let’s go! Show me everything please! I’m sure nobody’s
going to notice if we’re gone for a bit…”
“Where is Shen Yuan!?”
Tianlang-jun resisted the urge to drag his hands down his
face, but couldn’t stifle his groan.
The man who was currently glaring at him with his hand
slammed down on his desk, was a lithe man with long legs and
sharp hazel eyes, though his beauty was offset by a twist to his
lips that transformed him into a blade. His voice was similarly
44
sharp as he snapped, “Don’t give me that attitude! What have
you done with my boy Shen Yuan!?”
“Shen-xiansheng, I really don’t know where your little
brother could be,” he attempted to placate again.
“You—!”
“Xiao Jiu, let’s not be hasty now,” Yue Qingyuan tried,
placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “We don’t yet know
if Tianlang-laoshi had anything to do with his and Qinghua’s
disappearance.”
“Didn’t have anything to do with—!” He cut himself off in
frustrated rage. “He’s clearly a demon just out to snatch up all
our kids for his own nefarious means! What are you still calling
him a laoshi for!?”
“It’s not like demons are really known to eat humans
anymore,” Tianlang-jun said dryly, but that only earned him
another baleful glare.
“You better find him soon, or I’m going to—”
He just barely managed not to roll his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.
You’re going to get me arrested and sued and my life destroyed
and everything else that comes with it. I know; you’ve already
ranted about this.”
Shen Jiu looked about ready to punch him in the face, but
Yue Qingyuan quickly pulled him away and began murmuring
placatingly to him.
Tianlang-jun sighed and rubbed his temples. He’d been
so busy trying to make sure that the other kids stayed out of
trouble, he hadn’t expected trouble to find him. Especially since
he currently couldn’t find Luo Binghe either.
45
 He wasn’t too worried about his son because Luo Binghe
had always been capable, and even with his separation anxiety,
he was a good kid who rarely got into trouble. But he was still
worried overall—even more so because Luo Binghe had gone
missing at around the same time as Shen Yuan and Shang
Qinghua.
As he tried to think of what could’ve happened, there was
a gentle pulling on his Hawaiian shirt. “Xiao Zhuzhi?” he asked,
glancing down at the boy who’d appeared by his side.
He appeared anxious, his brow furrowed, as he pointed at
the window.
Tianlang-jun frowned but followed his finger…before
gasping and leaping upwards. “That’s…Shang Qinghua! One of
the missing children!”
Shen Jiu and Yue Qingyuan both spun towards the window,
and sure enough, there was Shang Qinghua crying as he ran
around the playground away from Mobei-jun.
The three adults burst out the door, surveying the
playground…and it didn’t take long for Shen Jiu to shout, “Shen
Yuan!” He surged forward and picked the young boy up, whose
hand slipped from Luo Binghe’s as a result.
“Jiu-ge?” he gasped.
“Binghe!” Tianlang-jun also called.
“Baba!” As soon as his father lifted him, he looped his arms
around his neck and squeezed. “Baba isn’t too busy for Binghe
anymore?”
“Mn,” he said softly. His throat felt slightly tight. “I’m
sorry, Binghe. Baba never should’ve been too busy for you… Are
46
you okay?”
“I am! Better than okay, actually—because I made a friend!”
Tianlang-jun followed his adoring gaze to where Shen Yuan
was still being interrogated by a furious Shen Jiu. The human
boy appeared sheepish as he fidgeted and explained that he
and Luo Binghe had gotten wrapped up in playing after Shen
Yuan and Shang Qinghua snuck into this section of the daycare
from their own section.
Shen Jiu rubbed the area between his eyes as he listened,
shaking his head. “I cannot believe you, Shen Yuan,” he muttered.
“Just…kids these days…”
“Sorry, Jiu-ge…”
The man let out a sigh before lifting his head to face
Tianlang-jun again. “It would appear,” he said stiffly, “that I owe
you an apology.”
“It’s alright,” Tianlang-jun replied. He let Luo Binghe down
and rubbed the back of his neck. “It also appears that I’m not all
that great at this job anyway… I didn’t even notice my own son
going missing right away, and Binghe hasn’t been a fan of this
set-up from the beginning, so maybe I should just step dow—”
“Wait.”
The duo turned to Yue Qingyuan, who was gazing down at
something with a small, fond smile on his face.
Tianlang-jun tracked his eyes to see that Luo Binghe had
quickly rejoined Shen Yuan, hugging him and chatting excitedly.
Tianlang-jun’s eyes widened at the sight.
“I wouldn’t be so quick to give up,” Yue Qingyuan continued,
placing a reassuring hand on Tianlang-jun’s shoulder. “From
47
 what I’ve seen, you’re a good dad, and I believe in your abilities father. “Binghe likes it here.”
as a caretaker. Look; you’ve made these children happier than I
ever saw them in the other classes.” “Me too,” Zhuzhi-lang agreed quietly.

Tianlang-jun looked around the playground. The children
did indeed seem to be having fun. Mobei-jun had caught Shang
Qinghua but was no longer beating him up, instead forcing the
human to sit beside him while he gripped his collar, and there
seemed to be a peacefulness to his stoic face that wasn’t there
before. Sha Hualing was cackling, swinging from the trees,
showing off to some human children who’d come out to see
what all the ruckus was about. Zhuzhi-lang was standing right
beside his uncle, smiling at him and offering some supplies he
may need later.
And of course, there was Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan, who
were beaming at the adults with their hands intertwined.
Tianlang-jun shifted his attention inquisitively to Shen Jiu.
Tianlang-jun chuckled, lifting them both into the air. “That
settles it then! We’ll stay here!”
As the kids cheered at that, Tianlang-jun gazed out at his
new “empire” with a giant grin. His heart filled with delight at
how his new job had worked out after all.
Xiyan will be so happy too, he thought, squeezing Zhuzhi-
lang and Luo Binghe tight. We finally have a place where we
belong, and…I’ll make sure that other demons feel like they can
belong here too. He paused momentarily, seeing Luo Binghe
shifting to talk more with Shen Yuan, and the joy in Tianlang-
jun’s system seemed to grow both stronger and softer, and he
laughed. Making this a place just for us…and for those willing to
accept us as we are.

The man huffed, folding his arms. “I suppose…you have

done an adequate enough job for your first day,” he finally
stated, his voice stilted. “I may still find your background
somewhat suspicious, but…” His eyes softened as they landed
on his younger brother. “I haven’t seen Shen Yuan so happy in a
long time, so I won’t object to you staying.”

Tianlang-jun raised an eyebrow at the gruff yet approving

words, and his lips quirked upwards. “Well…that leaves just one
more thing…” He turned to Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan, gesturing
for them to come nearer. As soon as they were close enough, he
wrapped his arms around his son and nephew, asking, “Binghe,
Xiao Zhuzhi… It’s up to you two now. Do you want me to keep
this job and keep coming to this daycare?”

Luo Binghe glanced at Shen Yuan and at his family,

breaking out into a huge smile. “Mn!” he confirmed, hugging his

48 49
 He is a God - mine,
heavenly amidst flowers,
I devote myself.
 All We
Can Do Is
Try
Written by corduroyserpent

SUMMARY:
Su Xiyan can take deadly poison…it’s parenting she worries
about.

TAGS:
Su Xiyan/Tianlang-jun, Su Xiyan & Luo Binghe,
Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Fluff

BETA:
cringewerewolf
CHILDHOOD

53
 Being a parent does not come naturally to Su Xiyan.
She hasn’t been a mother for long enough to believe she’s
incompetent by any means. Her child is healthy, despite the
way he was brought into this world. And safe, despite his trip
down the freezing river just after his birth. And loved, though
this goes without saying.
But Su Xiyan is under no illusions regarding the simple
fact that she was never supposed to be a mother.
“Maiden Su.” There’s a tinge of panic in Zhuzhi-lang’s
gentle voice. The baby squirms in his arms, tiny face scrunching
up in a clear precursor to tears. “I don’t think the young master
likes me.”
Su Xiyan’s smile is mild, barely there at all, as she gestures
for Zhuzhi-lang to bring him over. She’s still on bed rest; the
poison that should have taken her life has drained her of energy,
left her limbs shaky and mind fuzzy. She’ll recover her strength
in time. But for now she appreciates Tianlang-jun’s steady hand
at the small of her back to help her sit upright.
“He can sense your fear,” she teases as Zhuzhi-lang
carefully places the wriggling child in her arms. She settles him
against her chest, making sure to support his head. He gradually
calms enough to blink round, clear eyes up at her.
“Then I best not hold him again,” Zhuzhi-lang says gravely.
“Are you truly so frightened of your cousin?” Tianlang-jun
pokes at one of Binghe’s soft cheeks. “He doesn’t even bite yet.”
“Junshang is teasing me. Surely human children don’t
bite.”
“I did,” Su Xiyan deadpans.
54
Tianlang-jun huffs an amused breath. “You still do.”
Zhuzhi-lang is stone faced as he takes a half a step back.
“If there is nothing else Junshang or Maiden Su requires…”
“Did you hear that, baobao?” Tianlang-jun addresses
Binghe. “Zhuzhi-lang is so scared of you he’s trying to leave
after only an incense time.”
Su Xiyan raises an eyebrow. “Is it not your blatant flirting
that’s sending him away?”
“Can’t be. He’s sat through worse. Remember our fifth
date?”
She does. An unavoidable blush dusts across her cheeks,
though her face stays impassive.
Tianlang-jun continues, “I find it unbelievable that Zhuzhi-
lang would sit through that and yet be unable to stand a basic
innuendo.”
“It’s a healthy combination of both,” Zhuzhi-lang assures.
“Please excuse me.”
He bows and leaves, gingerly closing the door behind him.
The footsteps don’t continue once he’s out of sight. Su Xiyan
and Tianlang-jun share a look. They both know he’s standing
guard just outside.
“Don’t worry, baobao. He’ll get used to you.” Tianlang-jun
has moved on from squishing Binghe’s cheeks and instead plays
with his son’s tiny hands in an obvious effort to get Binghe to
wrap those little fingers around one of his own.
Su Xiyan leans her head on Tianlang-jun’s shoulder,
watching her beloved mess around. His smile is radiant when
Binghe finally curls a chubby fist around his pinky.
55
 “Ah, Xiyan look!”
“I’m looking.”
“He’s marvelous,” Tianlang-jun sighs. “I can’t believe
we made this. You made this. That’s incredible. And he’s so
small. Baobao, you’re so small!” He shakes his finger slightly in
excitement. Binghe grips tighter and Tianlang-jun laughs. “And
clingy already. Just like your mother.”
“Liar,” Su Xiyan says. “You’re the clingy one.”
The arm Tianlang-jun has around her waist tightens as he
snuggles closer. “No, that doesn’t sound right. I’m notoriously
fickle with my affections. Ask anyone.”
Su Xiyan doesn’t dignify this with a response. Tianlang-jun
has been passionate and eager to show his love for as long as
she’s known him. It’s laughable to think he can be any other way.
His thumb slowly strokes along her side, casual and intimate.
And it’s because of this small tenderness that Su Xiyan finally
realizes that something is different about him. She decides
to chalk her belated awareness up to the fact that she’s still
recovering but…the usual pinch of Tianlang-jun’s sharp nails
is absent. Su Xiyan blinks, then glances down at the hand held
captive by their son. The nails are all blunt.
“You cut your nails,” Su Xiyan observes.
“Mn? Oh! I did, yes. I figured the usual two wouldn’t be
good enough in this sort of situation. I don’t want to hurt him
by accident.” Tianlang-jun’s dark eyes hold a seriousness not
often displayed. “I can’t bear the thought of any harm coming
to him, no matter how insubstantial. It’s dangerous enough for
him to merely exist in a world like this.”
He nearly didn’t exist at all. Su Xiyan presses her lips
56
together, keeping the thought to herself. If it wasn’t for those
fishermen who found him floating along the Luo River…
Su Xiyan inhales slowly through her nose, holding her
breath for a long moment before releasing it. Logically she
knows there is no point in dwelling on events that have already
passed, but she can’t help wondering what might have happened
if she had lied to her shifu. If she had agreed to trick Tianlang-
jun and then run off with him instead. What would it have been
like to have a child not named by a stranger for the icy river he
was found floating on?
Not that she’s picky about names. Honestly, it’s probably
better that her son doesn’t carry her family name. But still…
Binghe’s eyes are closed, he’s fallen asleep with his hand
still wrapped tight around Tianlang-jun’s finger. Su Xiyan doesn’t
look away from his relaxed face as she quietly asks, “Should we
call him by another name?”
Tianlang-jun’s brow pinches. “Is Luo Binghe not good? The
nice humans who found him were already calling him such but
if Xiyan doesn’t like it…”
“I have no problem with it. I just thought you might wish to
follow demonic naming conventions.”
Tianlang-jun pulls a face. “Demonic names are only so-
so.” He rests his hand on their son’s chest, careful not to allow
his finger to slip from Binghe’s sleepy grip. “I much prefer your
human ones.”
The corners of his lips turn up as he simply watches their
son sleep. And Su Xiyan thinks, He’s going to be a good father.
There’s no uncertainty; she knows without a doubt that he will
be.
57
 She wishes to have the same faith in herself.
“Binghe.” Su Xiyan grasps her crying toddler under his
arms and hefts him to rest against her hip. “Will you tell me
what’s wrong?”
Binghe only wails louder and though Su Xiyan’s impassive
expression gives nothing away, her heart speeds up with a
sudden and terrible helplessness. She has always been reticent.
It is difficult for her to express her emotions, but this does not
stop her from feeling things just as deeply as anyone else.
She understands that children cry because they lack
the means to communicate exactly what they need. She also
knows that it doesn’t mean she’s a horrible mother if she can’t
figure out why he’s crying, nor differentiate his—supposedly, if
Tianlang-jun is to be believed—different types of cries. But she
doesn’t feel good about it.
She strokes a soothing palm down Binghe’s back and goes
in search of her husband. He has always been able to calm their
son when no one else can. Not bothering to check anywhere
else, Su Xiyan heads straight for the library. He’s either in there
or singing under a tree somewhere. She hopes it’s the former.
“My love,” Su Xiyan calls as she enters.
Zhuzhi-lang startles, nearly dropping the stack of books
he’s in the process of putting away. “Oh, Madam Su! Junshang
isn’t here.”
“Do you know where he is?” Su Xiyan raises her voice
slightly to be heard over Binghe’s continuing sobs.
“I believe he’s at his book club.” Zhuzhi-lang tilts his head
58
in that vaguely inhuman way he’s prone to. “Is there something
I can help you with?”
Su Xiyan wordlessly bounces the hiccuping child in her
arms.
“Ah. Yes, um…” Zhuzhi-lang rushes to set the books down
before stepping closer. He anxiously curls his fingers against
his palms. “Young master…hello…”
A curious snake peeks its triangular head out of his collar
and slithers out to twist around his shoulder. Binghe watches its
slow movements with wide eyes. He sniffs, rubbing his hands
against ruddy cheeks, and mumbles, “Tang-ge.”
“Yes?” Zhuzhi-lang sends Su Xiyan a vaguely panicked
look. This isn’t the first time Binghe has addressed him as such
but Zhuzhi-lang seems taken aback whenever it happens.
Binghe’s breath hitches as his tears begin to slow. He
holds out his arms and Su Xiyan wastes no time in handing him
over to Zhuzhi-lang. Her nephew has gone stiff; he awkwardly
shifts Binghe against the side of his chest furthest from the
snake but Binghe shakes his head and reaches for it.
“Ah, careful!” Zhuzhi-lang chides as Binghe grabs a fistful
of venomous serpent.
Binghe pouts; a big, fat tear drips down his chin. Before
the waterworks can start up again, Su Xiyan calmly adds,
“Zhuzhi-lang isn’t telling you not to touch. He means you need
to be gentle.”
“Gentle,” Binghe slowly repeats.
“Mn. So you do not hurt it.”
“Oh.” His fingers loosen and he begins to stroke the poor
59
 snake with as much care as a two year old can muster.
“There you go.” Su Xiyan lets out a slight exhale, relieved
that the worst appears to be over. She still isn’t sure why he
was crying in the first place but as long as he’s calm now…
“Don’t worry, Madam Su.” Zhuzhi-lang’s clever eyes meet
hers. “No matter how firm his grip is, my snakes know better
than to attack the young master. No harm will come to him. I
was merely surprised.”
Su Xiyan blinks. “I’m not worried.”
“Ah, apologies. You just looked a bit…um, never mind.”
Zhuzhi-lang averts his gaze to focus on the child in his arms.
Su Xiyan regards him thoughtfully. She is almost positive
that her feelings of inadequacy have not shown on her face but
Zhuzhi-lang is perceptive. He tends to pick up on things others
don’t.
“Thank you for your concern,” she says. “It is welcome,
even if unneeded.”
Zhuzhi-lang purses his lips, the tips of his ears going red.
“Why do I feel like Madam Su is teasing me.”
“Because I often am.” She places a hand on the back of
Binghe’s head and he looks up at her with freshly dry eyes. “Is
Binghe feeling better?”
He nods, still stroking the snake with clumsy yet deliberate
movements.
“Touching scales always makes me feel better too,”
Zhuzhi-lang shyly clears his throat, “when I’m overwhelmed.”
“It’s warm,” Binghe murmurs.
60
“Right now it is, yes. This little one was recently basking.”
Off Binghe’s furrowed brow, Zhuzhi-lang continues, “That
means lying in the sun to get warmer.”
“Why?”
“Well…”
Su Xiyan crosses her arms, content to observe as Zhuzhi-
lang sates Binghe’s curiosity. She finds the measured cadence
of her nephew’s voice to be calming and it seems she’s not
the only one. Judging by Binghe’s growing smile and his rapid
questions, he has all but forgotten his recent distress.
She is, of course, glad to see the return of his happiness. But
she also can’t help wishing—as she often does—that parenting
came more naturally to her. That her voice was gentler or her
expressions softer or…
“Madam Su,” Zhuzhi-lang calls.
Su Xiyan puts aside her melancholic musing to raise an
inquiring brow.
“Young master wishes to be held by his mother now.”
Zhuzhi-lang adjusts his grip, already prepared to transfer the
child over.
The corners of Su Xiyan’s lips curl up, just slightly. She
takes her son into her arms and presses a kiss to the top of his
head. Even if she isn’t adept at knowing what upsets Binghe, at
least he doesn’t seem to hold it against her.
“Mama.” His little hands fist into the fabric covering her
shoulders; his face is turned up expectantly. “Again.”
Dimples appear on Su Xiyan’s cheeks as she complies,
brushing her lips against the crimson demon mark in the middle
61
 of his forehead.
Su Xiyan isn’t sure how she got herself into this mess but
she’s nothing if not thorough. She will manage to complete this
near-insurmountable task if it kills her.
“Baba washes it first,” Binghe pipes up helpfully from his
seat at the small table near the edge of the kitchen.
“Yes.” Su Xiyan puts down the bowl of rice. “Of course he
does.”
She has watched Tianlang-jun make congee before but her
focus tends to slip away whenever he explains how it’s done.
In Su Xiyan’s defense, her shifu never allowed her to learn the
culinary arts or anything resembling homemaking. Her entire
life has been spent with a sword in her grip and other people to
cook for her.
Also her husband’s hands are…distracting. To say the least.
How is she supposed to pay attention to recipes or technique in
the presence of those?
Binghe swings his legs back and forth, resting his cheeks
in his palms as he watches Su Xiyan pour water into the bowl.
She doesn’t feel judged, necessarily. But she does worry Binghe
can tell she has no idea what she’s doing.
“Can I chop the vegetables?” Binghe asks.
Su Xiyan’s gaze slides towards the large rectangular knife
she’s set aside for the task. Considering her son is five years
old…it’s probably fine? His hands are steadier than the average
child and he is on track to form a good cultivation base under
her watchful eye.
62
“Does your father let you?”
“Mmhm!” Binghe has already jumped down and begun to
make his way over. “Baba says I’m the best at it.”
Su Xiyan gives him one of her rare smiles. “Then how could
I possibly refuse?”
She finds him a stool to stand on and helps him tie back
his sleeves. There is an adorable, determined set to his brow as
he sets up his workspace. He starts to rearrange the vegetables
but stops abruptly, holding up the ginger. “It isn’t peeled.”
“...I thought you might want to do that.”
“Oh.” Binghe shrugs. “Okay!”
Su Xiyan exhales quietly. She wishes Tianlang-jun were
here to help.
She doesn’t feel entirely comfortable leaving Binghe to his
own devices so while her son uses a spoon to scrape the skin
off a piece of ginger, she sets about boiling water—she knows
to do that much—and returns to watch him cut vegetables.
His pace is slow and steady, prioritizing uniform slices over
speed. Su Xiyan is glad to see him taking his time. He pushes
the slivers of ginger aside and moves on to the scallions, biting
his lip in concentration as he makes sure each small piece is
approximately the same shape and size.
It’s a familiar expression; one that Su Xiyan is currently
mimicking subconsciously. She relaxes her mouth when she
realizes.
She waits until Binghe has set the knife down before she
rests her hand on his head, petting his soft hair. “You do that
well.”
63
 Binghe returns her praise with a smile. He recently lost
his first tooth—one in the front—and part of his tongue pokes
through the new hole. “Does mama want more help?”
“If you’re not too busy.”
“I’m not!” Binghe bounces on the balls of his feet, radiating
an excitement not dissimilar to when one of Tianlang-jun’s
favorite authors releases a new chapter. “I wanna help, I wanna
help!”
“All right.” Su Xiyan releases an amused huff. “You can
help.”
And it is in this way—with Binghe doing most of the heavy
lifting while Su Xiyan acts as his assistant—that they manage
to make a glorious pot of thick white congee. It looks better
than Su Xiyan could have hoped for, and she says as much while
watching Binghe sprinkle his carefully chopped scallions on top.
“Made with love.” Binghe grins. “So it’ll taste good too.”
Su Xiyan’s chest fills with warmth. “Mn. Binghe is right.”
“What is Binghe right about?” Tianlang-jun’s black robes
swish around his ankles as he enters, Zhuzhi-lang at his heels.
“Most things.” Su Xiyan tilts her chin up for the kiss she
knows is coming. Not one to disappoint, Tianlang-jun captures
her lips in his version of a chaste peck. Which is neither chaste
nor as brief as a peck.
Zhuzhi-lang rushes to cover Binghe’s eyes.
“Welcome home,” Su Xiyan says once they have broken
apart. She cups Tianlang-jun’s cheek, stroking her thumb along
his cheekbone briefly.
64
Tianlang-jun takes her hand and presses a kiss to her
palm. “Happy to be back.”
He glances at a blushing Zhuzhi-lang and the squirming
child attempting to remove the hands over his face. Tianlang-
jun goes over to free his son, laughing as he picks him up. He
gives Binghe a kiss too, lips smacking loudly against his son’s
cheek. “I see you and your mother have been busy.”
“We made food!” Binghe exclaims. He turns to Zhuzhi-
lang. “Tang-ge, did you see? I put extra green for you.”
Tianlang-jun quirks a brow. “Extra green?”
“The scallions…” Zhuzhi-lang bashfully lifts a trailing
sleeve to cover his mouth. “Because of my…”
Su Xiyan has no trouble inferring Binghe’s thought
process on this one. She swallows down a chuckle. “Binghe is
so thoughtful.”
“Um. Yes.” The pointed tips of Zhuzhi-lang’s ears are red.
“Thank you.”
“So young and already teasing your cousin with aplomb.”
Tianlang-jun adjusts his hold, hefting his giggling son onto his
shoulder. He winks at Su Xiyan. “We’ve raised him well.”
Yes, Su Xiyan thinks, I’m trying to.
She playfully nudges Binghe’s chin with the knuckle of her
index finger while her other hand finds its way to rest against
Tianlang-jun’s lower back.
All she can do is continue to try.
65
School
Age
 In
Another
Life
Written by Yumi Hamano

SUMMARY:
Madam Lan escaped the Lan sect on night and raised her sec-
ond son by herself. She met Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze
by chance and their sons became friends. At the news of her
friends’ death, she ventured to Yiling to take the boy under her
wing and raised both of them together.

TAGS:
Canon divergence, Soft baby wangxian, Madam Lan deserved
better, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian growing up together
SCHOOL AGE

BETA:
Chisie

73

It had been many years since Bai Liqin left Cloud Recesses.
She was pregnant with her second child at the time but could
not bear the idea of being separated from yet another child.
She would have taken Lan Huan with her if she could, but
her escape was a hasty move.
Sometimes, Bai Liqin regretted leaving behind her first
child with her husband, despite his promise to keep him safe.
But when she saw Lan Zhan look up at her with his chubby
cheeks and soft gaze, Bai Liqin knew that she would not be able
to have that if she stayed.
She was humming to herself as she walked to the market
for some vegetables for tonight’s soup. But when she arrived, she
could hear furious whispers everywhere. Her heart constricted
at the idea of the Lan clan finally discovering her hiding spot
and here to take away her son. However, nothing could prepare
her for the grave news about her good friends.
When Lan Zhan was three years old, Bai Liqin met Cangse
Sanren, Wei Changze, and their adorable son, Wei Ying, who was
the same age as her second son. They became fast friends just
like their sons. The couple promised to visit again when they
passed by the area, but it was impossible now.
Bai Liqin tried to ask about Wei Ying’s fate, but no one
heard anything about a child in the rumours that floated around.
She knew the couple would leave Wei Ying in town or
somewhere safe if they left on a night hunt. Worried for the boy,
she abandoned her dinner plans and went to the school. There
was a scholar in the village that started up a school for the
children in the village and the next town over. His wife was the
one she left Lan Zhan with if she was joining rogue cultivators
in night hunts.
74
H/W
due
“A-Zhan, do you remember Wei Ying?” Bai Liqin asked
once they returned home. The boy nodded, looking around
expectantly. She knew they made fast friends, but never
expected him to be this excited to see him again. “Something
happened to Auntie and Uncle Wei, so we are going to find Wei
Ying. How does that sound?”
Lan Zhan nodded. It wasn’t the first time she was going to
fly with Lan Zhan on her sword, but the last time she did so, he
was barely able to walk at two years old.
Luckily, Yiling wasn’t too far from where they lived but
still took a day and a half with frequent breaks to ensure Lan
Zhan was not motion sick and well fed. When they arrived in
Yiling, the sun was still high in the sky but it would set soon if
they didn’t hurry.
She went to an inn and paid for a room before they walked
back out into the streets. Bai Liqin tried to ask around for a
boy around her son’s age, but everyone either brushed her off
or said all street kids look the same. Lan Zhan moved with his
mother as she asked around, his grip firm around her hand.
Because of this, she knew the exact moment Lan Zhan let go
and she spun around to look for her son.
Lan Zhan was a quiet and obedient child that would not
have run off for no reason. He must have found Wei Ying.
Bai Liqin apologized as she went against the flow of
people to find where her son weaved to. Before she knew it,
she was standing in front of an alleyway. Her son was standing
next to a dirtied child, who was holding the mantou like it was
gold. The wild curls of hair looked the same as what Bai Liqin
remembered, but she couldn’t say for sure until she stepped
closer enough to see his features under layers of dirt.
Wei Ying was scarfing down the food like he hadn’t eaten
75

in days. Judging from the state of his robes and what appear to
be bite marks on his arms and legs, Wei Ying was not well taken
care of.
“A-Zhan,” Bai Liqin admonished. Her son looked up at her
with a guilty expression and looked down at his feet. Lan Zhan
knew that he was wrong but did not apologize, which meant
that he thought he didn’t do anything wrong. “Next time, can
you tell A-Niang before you leave?”
“Nn,” Lan Zhan replied. Then she turned her sights to Wei
Ying. He finished eating the mantou and looking at her with
wide eyes. She hesitated for a moment, unsure if the child
remembered her.
“Wei Ying, do you remember me?” she asked softly.
“Mm, Auntie Bai and A-Zhan!” Wei Ying said brightly. Bai
Liqin was happy to see that despite the hardship Wei Ying no
doubt endured, he was still able to smile. The world was cruel to
orphaned children and she refused to let Wei Ying become one
of them.
“Would you like to come with Auntie?” Bai Liqin asked.
Wei Ying nodded and she reached out to hold his hand but
stopped when he flinched. When she asked him what was wrong,
he shrunk into himself, looking timid unlike the bright child she
remembered. Even Lan Zhan’s small brows were furrowed.
“A-Ying is dirty,” he finally said in a small voice. Bai Liqin
opened her mouth to tell him it was nonsense, but Lan Zhan was
quicker to reach out and take Wei Ying’s hand into his. Then, he
looked up expectantly at his mother for her hand. Warmth filled
her heart as the children talked, though it was mostly Wei Ying
talking and Lan Zhan’s short replies.
76
H/W
due
They made their way back to the inn but Wei Ying stopped
short when the innkeeper yelled at him. Bai Liqin was about to
pull out her sword when Lan Zhan spoke up.
“If you do not want our business, give us back our coins
and we’ll leave.”
Her son just turned six a few months ago. Bai Liqin barely
held herself together as the innkeeper turned three different
shades of red before slamming their money on the counter and
barking at them to leave.
As they went to find a new inn, Bai Liqin strained her ear
to hear what her son was whispering to Wei Ying. From what she
could hear, it sounded like Lan Zhan was trying to comfort the
boy. She could piece together the story, but Bai Liqin wanted
them to be in a more private place before asking.
The next inn they found shot Wei Ying dirty looks but
accepted their payment and brought bath water to their room.
Wei Ying’s clothes were basically rags, but Bai Liqin was
never one to waste anything so she kept it to wash later. Even
rags have their use in her house.
Lan Zhan originally waited in the room for them to finish,
but Wei Ying looked incredibly distressed when she picked him
up to place him in the bathtub. Bai Liqin called over her son in
hopes of raising Wei Ying’s mood. It was amusing seeing a naked
child in tears and her fully dressed son promising to hold Wei
Ying’s hand so he doesn’t slip and drown.
 Bai Liqin did her best to wash out the matted hair while
Wei Ying scrubbed the rest of his body with his one free hand.
It took a while but Wei Ying’s hair was free of grime and
tangle while the bathwater looked too murky to see the bottom
77

of the tub. Wei Ying was dressed in Lan Zhan’s clothes, which
sat loosely on his tiny frame despite being the same age.
Bai Liqin had no frame of reference for how long her
friends had been dead. Wei Ying looked malnourish and was
hungry when he was given the mantou.
At dinner, she had to coax him to eat. He would take the
smallest pieces of meat and vegetable after polishing the rice
in his food bowl. When he said he was full, both mother and son
piled more food into his bowl. Wei Ying sputtered at the food in
his bowl but ate it anyway. Bai Liqin saw that Lan Zhan ended
up piling more food in his friend’s bowl instead of his own.
She trusted her son to eat enough to keep himself from being
hungry.
There was only one bed in the room, so the boys took one
side of the bed while Bai Liqin took up the other side. She knew
that Wei Ying was a cuddler, so Bai Liqin was expecting to hold
Wei Ying while her son slept on his back. However, by the time
she finished cleaning up and packing so they were ready to
leave tomorrow, the two boys were asleep and cuddling with
each other.
Bai Liqin smiled at the scene, crawled into bed herself,
and wrapped her arms around both boys, sandwiching Wei Ying
in the middle.
 
In the morning, Wei Ying was almost impossible to wake
up. Yet when the breakfast was delivered, Bai Liqin found the
boy sitting up sleepily on the bed with his hair sticking up in
all different directions. She giggled to herself at the sight but
waved the boy to join them for food.
Wei Ying noticed how he got an extra bao compared to Lan
78
H/W
due
Zhan and tried to split it but the older boy refused to take it.
Once again, Lan Zhan piled jiaozi into Wei Ying’s food bowl, which
caused him to whine about still eating his bao before having
a chance to eat jiaozi. Bai Liqin knew that the quiet nature of
her home was going to change with Wei Ying. It was a welcome
change since it felt too quiet at times. She would think back to
her time in the Gentian house before her son reminded her that
she escaped.
“Wei Ying, would you like to come home with us?” Bai Liqin
asked when they finished the food.
“Home?” Wei Ying questioned, then grew anxious again.
Even Lan Zhan holding his hand didn’t seem to ease his worries.
“But mama and baba told me to wait for them. A-Ying left instead
of waiting for them. What if they can’t find A-Ying?”
Bai Liqin pulled the teary-eyed child on her lap and patted
his back to help calm him.
“Wei Ying, I don’t think your parents will come back,” Bai
Liqin said, her own eyes watering at the heartbreaking whimper.
“But if they are, they will come visit and they will see you again,
okay? Remember how your mama and baba are friends with
Auntie Bai? I will take care of you until then, how does that
sound?”
“Is that okay with A-Zhan?” Wei Ying asked. The two of
them turned to the standing boy, who nodded furiously. Bai
Liqin couldn’t hold back her laugh while Wei Ying gave a big
teary smile. Lan Zhan gave his own small smile as he held Wei
Ying’s hand again.
 
Against all odds, Bai Liqin raised Wei Ying along with her
son. It was always difficult as a single mother with a son, but
79

now she has an additional liability. Bai Liqin loved him with all
her heart and didn’t regret taking Wei Ying with her back to
their quaint village. Under her care, Wei Ying would grow up to
remember the love his parents showered him in and know that
he is loved by Lan Zhan and herself.
Regardless of what the two boys became in the future,
Bai Liqin supported them wholeheartedly as she knew that they
were both set on a righteous path.
They both had a strong cultivation base, likely due to their
parentage. There was only so much that Bai Liqin could teach
the two boys so she was glad that passing rogue cultivators
were willing to share a few tips and tricks with them.
Wei Ying was skilled with talismans. When he was younger,
he wanted to draw talismans and used them for the most
mundane things like burning logs for cooking. When he got older
and learned of more powerful talismans, he started creating
his own. While most were a resounding failure, there were a few
that he succeeded and it helped their daily life immensely.
With his talismans, he sold them for cheap to the people
of their village to help with the household finances. Bai Liqin
huffed that Wei Ying shouldn’t be doing that at 10 years old, but
appreciated the extra income.
Bai Liqin owed a debt to the school for teaching Wei Ying
along with Lan Zhan. She originally repaid them by procuring
supplies from other towns on night hunts, but she felt like
her service was not enough to cover for two boys. The couple
insisted that her services were enough, but she knew that they
were already doing her a favour with Lan Zhan. Now, with the
extra money Wei Ying earned, she could slowly repay the slowly
growing debt.
Then, a travelling merchant caught sight of Wei Ying’s
80
H/W
due
talisman and spent a good amount of money for inventory to
sell.
They struck a deal and Bai Liqin found herself with enough
money to commission two swords, one for each boy. They
already outgrew the wooden swords she carved for them, but
she could not afford to have two real spiritual swords welded
for them at the time.
Bai Liqin only acquiesced to them joining her on a night hunt
after both boys showed mastery over archery and proficiency
with talismans. At 12, they joined her on their first night hunt.
It was a disturbed grave with less than 20 walking corpses, but
it took a toll on the boys who relied on talismans after their
quivers ran out. At 13, they both received their swords and their
courtesy names. They both insisted that Bai Liqin was the one
to bestow their name, not needing fancy ceremonies.
They both learned of Lan Zhan’s origins and the paternal
side of his family. Lan Zhan was surprised to learn that he has
an older brother and other family. But, now understood why his
mother insisted that he tell people his family name was Bai,
though she also told him his name was Lan.
Wei Ying, now Wei Wuxian, swore to protect Lan Zhan, or
now Lan Wangji, and received a playful punch to the shoulder.
Bai Liqin said that after they mastered using a spiritual
sword, they could join her on a real night hunt. She did not want
to shield them from reality forever if this was the path they
chose to walk but was not going to send them to their death.
As expected, both boys were quick to learn how to wield
their blade as an extension of themselves. Lan Wangji was the
first to learn how to fly, though Wei Wuxian was not far behind.
However, it was Wei Wuxian who learned how to direct his
sword with his qi first, making it weaving around trees before
81

summoning it back to his hand. Lan Wangji mastered it the next
day.
In Spring, after Lan Wangji turned 14, the three of them
participated in the boys’ first proper night hunt.
Since then, the two boys have been involved in big and
small night hunts, always accompanied by others. At first, Bai
Liqin was always with them to supervise and protect them. In
time, they proved their skills and she started to let them go to
learn and explore the world on their own. Bai Liqin knew they
were destined for great things and so she will guide them along
the way and hope they remember the way home.
They were both still young in her heart, but Bai Liqin knew
that they were growing into dependable young men. Wei Wuxian
was good at information gathering with his people skills. Lan
Wangji was good at instant decision making as he was level-
headed. The two of them balanced out each other.
 
Wei Wuxian knew that they should be heading home, but
neither of them could leave in good conscience at the sounds
of swords clashing.
Wei Wuxian barely registered the bright white robes
among the corpses when he threw himself in front of an injured
cultivator and started fighting. He smiled when he spotted Lan
Wangji’s dark robes on the other side of the fight. There were
a number of injured men before they stepped in and the fight
ended quickly with their aid.
One of the white robed cultivators was shouting orders as
Wei Wuxian bounced over to Lan Wangji cleaning his sword.
Wei Wuxian smiled at Lan Wangji to communicate he was
82
H/W
due
fine and the older teen nodded to rely the same. Wei Wuxian
opened his mouth to say something, but the steady footsteps
towards them gained their attention instead.
“On behalf of the Gusu Lan sect, I thank you for your aid.
There were more corpses than we had anticipated. We will
compensate you both for your help,” the leader of the group
said with a respectful bow.
Wei Wuxian, who grew up with Lan Wangji, knew the
identity of the leader with his familiar face before he had even
given his name. The leader likely came to a similar conclusion,
but with Lan Wangji frozen beside him, Wei Wuxian made the
call.
“There is no need for compensation. We would never turn
our backs to those in need. If we knew that a Great Sect was
handling the problem, we would not have stepped in,” Wei Wuxian
said diplomatically, strategically placing himself between the
leader and Lan Wangji. This did not escape the other man as his
smile tightened.
“May I know your names to properly thank you at least?”
“This one is named Wei Wuxian, a simple rogue cultivator,”
Wei Wuxian bowed low enough to be respectful. “My companion
is–”
“Bai Wangji.”
Wei Wuxian’s eyes never left the man, thus catching the
flash of sadness in his gaze.
“This one is named Lan Xichen, heir of the Gusu Lan sect.
If you wish to visit Cloud Recesses, our gates are open to you
both.”
83
Shixiong? Where are you?
I do not get this question!
Shixiong, please! Help me!

No.
Adult
Life
 Gifts of the
unexpected
Written by Sid

SUMMARY:
Life isn’t at all how Shang Qinghua
expected it to turn out. He’s certainly not
complaining.

TAGS:
Shang Qinghua/Mobei-jun, Slice of
life, Pets, Modern AU, No Powers AU,
Character study, Fluff

BETA:
ADULT LIFE

Mango

95
 ‘See you in bed,’ Shang Qinghua said, bending down to
kiss Mobei on his way to their bedroom. He had his laptop in one
hand and his favorite thermos in the other, the yellow custom-
made one decorated with Bamboosprout’s cute anime art
representing their whole little horde.
Because of Bamboosprout’s legendary shyness,
commissioning them was notoriously difficult. Still, Cucumber-
bro had managed to do so, then gifted him the thermos for his
birthday.
‘I shouldn’t take too long,’ Mobei answered, eyes not
leaving his screen. He was editing a new video, one of a still
unfortunately common occurrence of Shen Jiu perched on a
shelf, his paw ready to push a cup noodle plushy on top of Luo
Binghe.
The husky-chow mix had managed to fit all of his body but
his big head into Shen Jiu’s part of the cat tree. An impressive
feat, but also the reason Shen Jiu was annoyed. But then again,
the cat was also just an asshole who disliked Luo Binghe.
‘Take your time, I want to get some words in before I
crash.’
Every Friday afternoon was a full house at Kafeizhou:
with Tianlang, Liu Mingyan and A-Jiu there, it was likely that
time would be spent gossiping and arguing in their designated
corner of the coffeeshop rather than writing. Shang Qinghua
was certainly looking forward to it: any excuse to avoid thinking
on how to get himself out of the corner he had written himself
into was great. Especially since it would be followed by dinner
with the whole gang, then karaoke in the evening.
Exactly what he needed just before the mandatory lunch
with Mobei’s family the day after. A hangover would allow him to
have something to fill his head with while his boyfriend’s uncle,
96
his husband, and in-laws would keep being the horrible excuses
for human beings they were.
At least family lunch wasn’t happening at the Qiu estate,
he told himself while pushing the door to their room open: they
were still very salty about Mobei stealing Zhuzhi-lang away to
give the green tree python to Tianlang. Granted, it was only one
month ago and it was far from the first time his boyfriend did it,
but Linguang and the Qius were terrible human beings who had
no business taking care of any living beings.
Shang Qinghua stopped right in his tracks when his gaze
fell upon the bed. He looked at the hour displayed on the clock
just under the window, the display mocking and accusatory. He
should’ve known the living room had been a little too quiet.
Well, he sighed loudly, this was what his life had been for
a while, he didn’t know why he was even surprised. Truly, he
should have gotten used to it by now, adapted his schedule, but
time, for Shang Qinghua, was an elusive thing he couldn’t keep
track of. Thus, variations of this scene happened far too often.
This time, Yue Qingyuan had secured the prime real
estate that was the top of the bed, spread all over the pillows.
A very fluffy gray and black tail came from under his belly, the
only visible part of Shen Jiu who had burrowed under both the
samoyed and pillows.
Being an asshole, one of the most assholish cats Shang
Qinghua had ever seen and fitting his namesake far too well,
Shen Jiu was whipping his tail on Luo Binghe’s happy face. The
husky-chow mix let out a loud string of happy woofs and tail
wagging furiously when he saw Shang Qinghua standing at the
feet of the bed. Still, he didn’t move to free up some space.
Liu Qingge would certainly not move either, not when he
was sprawled on his back, pressed next to Luo Binghe’s belly,
97
 paws up in the air.
Shen Yuan, for some reason, had decided that the top of
Luo Binghe’s head would be a better roosting place than his
tree. Even though he was wild and had his own murder. One that
gleefully served as a backup cawing orchestra to the horde’s
morning chorus.
Overall, the five of them were spread all over the top half
of the bed. In their defence, it was what they did every night at
1am sharp. In their offense, it meant there was no place left for
Shang Qinghua to lay down in his own bed, much less for both
Mobei and he.
‘All of you,’ he said, once he had their attention. ‘Are
thieving unfilial sons.’
The effect was lacking.
Luo Binghe answered with three woofs, then turned to
give a lick to Liu Qingge. He put a bit too much strength and
the bunny rolled a bit, waking up grumpy and hopping away to
scratch at his tail. Yue Qingyuan merely continued his happy
panting, a drop of drool falling on one of Shang Qinghua’s pillows.
Shen Jiu, of course, was too busy lounging under Yue Qingyuan
to bother with the rest of the world.
This time, Shen Yuan was the worst, letting out a few
judgmental caws along with an even more judgemental stare.
Shang Qinghua could even hear his human counterpart’s
judgemental voice telling him that if he wanted to have his
share of the bed, he should get in earlier like everyone else did.
Truly, he was far too accurate with his guesses when
he chose to name animals after people. Which, admittedly, he
always did. He couldn’t be blamed for Luo Binghe however.
98
That one was on Mobei, who had decided to name him
after Tialang’s terrible, terrible son. Luo Binghe, the dog, had a
flame-shaped reddish brown mark on his forehead. At the time
Mobei had stolen him from his uncle, Luo Binghe, the human,
was in this period of his life where he had decided that drawing
a big red flame-shaped huadian on his forehead was a great
fashion idea; the asshole had managed to launch a trend that
was still going pretty strong.
Mobei had made the best choice with the name: it would
never not be funny to watch Bing-ge’s offense at his fur didi’s
incessant need for attention and husky sense of drama. Like
Luo Binghe didn’t embody Bing-ge perfectly.
‘We should really have gotten a bigger bed,’ Shang Qinghua
told Mobei when he heard the door open.
Arms slipped around his waist and he let himself be pulled
back against his boyfriend’s chest. It didn’t last though. Mobei
stuck his forever cold fingers under his shirt, the unfair bastard.
With his hands occupied, Shang Qinghua had to wiggle out of
his grip and thus couldn’t escape the hair ruffling that would
tangle his curls.
‘Bold of you to assume they wouldn’t manage to take over
it too,’ the other answered before he retrieved Shang Qinghua’s
phone from his hoodie pocket and snapped a picture of the
bed stealers. ‘Come on,’ he added after, bending down kiss his
temple. ‘Let’s get the futon out.’
Shang Qinghua was opening his laptop when he heard a
pitter-patter of paws, soon followed by Luo Binghe’s loud woofs
heralding the arrival of the horde.
99
 Shen Jiu sprinted between Binghe’s paws, making the
poor dog trip on Shen Jiu’s way straight to Shang Qinghua’s lap,
trying to settle on the keyboard. The hellion took his refusal
with his usual grace: pawing at his face with a hint of claws
while purring.
Luo Binghe, once he regained control of his paws,
proceeded to lie across Mobei and set his head over Shang
Qinghua’s knees.
Liu Qingge, never bothering with manners, just stepped
over the husky-chow mix on his way to the spot between
Shang Qinghua and Mobei’s pillows, flopping on his side, his
butt against his boyfriend’s face. Not that it disturbed him, he
continued tapping away on his phone while petting the bunny
and sending a flurry of fur everywhere.
Shen Yuan, who had absolutely no chill, swooped in with
a caw and appropriated the space left between Luo Binghe and
Liu Qingge. It also happened to be between Shang Qinghua and
Mobei. Meaning there would be no cuddling his boyfriend to
sleep this night. He pouted.
It morphed into a smile when Yue Qingyuan, the best and
only good boy of the lot, padded to them. Like the polite dog
he was who won every obedience contests he was in— and
every other contest he was in—he walked around the futon to
lay down under the low table on Shang Qinghua’s right, body
pressed against his side and snout pushing gently at Shen Jiu
in his lap.
Shang Qinghua rewarded him with a lot of scratches
behind the ears, eyes on the last line he had written. There would
be no more words he would be able to squeeze out of his brain
tonight, not when his mind wasn’t in it at all. Shen Jiu pawing at
his fingers whenever he began typing didn’t help either.
100
He would have to get to Kafeizhou after the morning walk.
He would have to suffer through Bing-ge’s critical stare from
over the counter; his writing group had chosen Friday afternoon
to meet to avoid his shifts. Especially because Bing-ge would
snitch to Cucumber-bro, who then wrote long-winded rants
they would put their best efforts into ignoring.
It was quite chaotic, but then so was his home life.
Luo Binghe, Yue Qingyuan and Shen Jiu were rescues with
separation anxiety who needed their fair share of attention.
Linguang and the Qius had certainly left scars on them and, as
Shang Qinghua kissed Shen Jiu’s forehead, he was so thankful
that Mobei had managed to remove them. Them and all the
other pets they hadn’t kept.
It was fortunate that, when his boyfriend – though not
yet at the time – had started a channel both on YouTube and
Bilibili to show off Liu Qingge, it had fast become popular. Shang
Qinghua was sure that Mobei being gorgeous helped too.
Not long after they had began dating, his partner had
brought him to the Qiu’s for one of their monthly lunches. He
had squirrelled Luo Binghe away then. Only one month later –
the Qius hadn’t yet realised that Luo Binghe hadn’t escaped but
been stolen – Shang Qinghua had found Yue Qingyuan roaming
around the estate by himself, after another family lunch. Maybe
he wasn’t the Qiu’s to begin with, but with their track record…
At the time, Mobei couldn’t fit another big dog on top of Luo
Binghe and Liu Qingge in his flat so Shang Qinghua had taken Yue
Qingyuan. Shen Jiu was the last of the steals they had chosen
to keep, a bengal-maine coon mix whose stunted growth was
a testament to his previous owners’ shittiness: he was small
enough that he could ride on Yue Qingyuan’s back.
Mobei had wanted to take him in, but his first introduction
to Luo Binghe had been a disaster: Shen Jiu had been extremely
101
 skittish while Luo Binghe far too excited. They were lucky that
Shen Jiu and Yue Qingyuan had a love at first sight kind of thing
going on, because Shang Qinghua could take the little ball of
spite in instead of having to look for a foster family or a forever
home.
Shen Yuan had joined at some point. Shang Qinghua
suspected he had tasted Mobei’s food in Luo Binghe’s bowl
one day, then proceeded to come back to steal his share. While
his boyfriend didn’t have Luo Bing-ge’s cooking skills, what he
cooked for the pets’ meals and snacks looked like chef food.
It was certainly better than the fast food and junk food he and
Shang Qinghua usually chose to feed upon, unless they were
mooching off Bing-ge’s cooking. His words, not theirs. Bing-ge
often needed test subjects for his new recipes and food tasting
reaction videos and they were happy to give him a hand.
They had long since accepted the comings and goings of
the crow, especially since he got along well with all the pets,
even with his corvid mischief. Often, the rest of his murder stuck
around on the balcony, lined up like a peanut gallery, playing
around, providing a cackling commentary and occasionally
coming in to pull at Luo Binghe’s tail. Eventually, they had just
begun putting a bit of water and food for them outside.
Moving in together should have meant not seeing them
again, but Shen Yuan had just moved his murder to roost in the
trees of the park across the road.
The introduction of every pet to Mobei’s Moshang account
had only made his popularity skyrocket. Being paid to take care
of their horde certainly helped to get them the best – they
deserve nothing but the best – without Mobei having to pull
from his inheritance.
They had all come a long way since, Shang Qinghua
thought, a smile on his lips as he petted Liu Qingge, then Luo
102
Binghe in turn. Moving in together, with everyone getting along
relatively well, was something they had slowly been working
towards for the past two years. It was a testament to their
progress that they were all able to sleep together when, in the
beginning, they had had to watch Luo Binghe and Shen Jiu like
hawks if they didn’t want to find the former torn to ribbons.
Fortunately, Shang Qinghua was amongst the lucky people
able to make their own schedule: he could be there to support
and help Mobei in his lifetime mission to fuck with his uncle
and take care of their fur babies, with his writing ventures not
suffering for it. On the contrary, it was an open secret amongst
their friends that most of what he wrote was heavily inspired
by their children’s antics.
This wasn’t what he had expected his life to be: certainly
not when he had been a child, with parents so poor he barely
saw them because they were swamped with work so they could
provide. Then, he had day-dreamt about being a good filial son
and studying to become a lawyer, doctor or engineer; something
that would pay him well enough they would never have to worry
about the roof above their head or the hunger clinging to their
belly. He had begun writing stories at that time, as a form of
escapism.
Growing up had been hard because life was difficult for
poor people and time had made it even worse for his parents.
He had begun university much older than the other first years,
ghost-writing for far too many people to make money to add
to what little he got out of his shitty part-time job. Learning to
juggle his jobs, his study workload, and helping his family had
been hell.
Meeting and befriending the Shen twins had been a
blessing for the lonely loser he had been. He would never ever
tell them that he had cried himself to sleep when Cucumber-bro
had invited him home for that one winter holiday, introducing
103
 him to their father, Mobei.
They didn’t use the dad word, didn’t need to use it. Even
though the twins now had their own flat with A-Jiu’s partner
and Mobei moved with Shang Qinghua into a new flat, they had
made sure to keep a room for them there. It was used more
often than what Shang Qinghua had first expected. Still he was
relieved and overjoyed that his best friends had a safe place
they could crash in anytime they needed.
He sighed, closed his laptop and put it on the low table.
When he looked to the left, Mobei’s face was illuminated
by a mix of the moonlight and his phone screen. He was unfairly
pretty. His boyfriend smiled when he caught him watching: a
tiny thing, a slight upturn of his lips that Shang Qinghua had
only been able to spot with a lot of time and observation.
He ignored Luo Binghe and Shen Jiu’s respectively noisy
and clawy outrage when he dislodged them to turn on his side
so he was facing Mobei.
grew larger when the twins sent him disgusted emojis — A-Jiu —
and a long diatribe – A-Yuan. Tianlang, Qingyuan and Liu Mingyan
sent thumb-ups while Luo Bing-ge put an emoji without a mouth.
He used it on every couple picture Shang Qinghua put online. He
suspected it was because the man was still salty that Mobei
was in a relationship while Luo Bing-ge, seducer extraordinaire,
was still fumbling around in his attempts at seducing A-Yuan,
and had to contend with Liu Qing-ge on top of that.
His life wasn’t anything he had expected; it was so much
more. Even when he was being woken up at dawn by Luo
Binghe’s dramatic hungry cries, Liu Qingge scratching his hair,
Yue Qingyuan pawing at his shoulder, and Shen Jiu’s morning
cat breath over his face. Shen Yuan and his murder provided
the soundtrack.
Mobei was already up and preparing their meal, grinning
at him from over his shoulder when he heard Shang Qinghua
groan.
Assholes, the whole lot of them.

The other passed him his phone, showing his new post. It
was a picture of their stolen bed, then one of Shen Jiu slaloming
between Luo Binghe’s legs. The third was Shang Qinghua
surrounded by their fur – and one feathered – babies.

It hadn’t even been an hour yet and already there were

thousands of likes and comments, most of them he knew to
be supportive. He took Mobei’s phone and lifted it. It took him
a few tries to get the right angle so everyone fit. He couldn’t
help the grin as he took a few pictures, then a few others where
Mobei and he were holding hands and a final one where they
were kissing.

He was born shameless so the grin didn’t falter when he

uploaded the pictures on his personal instagram. If anything it

104 105
 A Place
Called Home

Written by Prince_kun

SUMMARY:
Wen Yuan has never complained about the run-down
orphanage they call home. However, everyone that works
there has only ever wished for the children to find homes with
good families. One day, a young couple drops by in search of
a potential child to adopt. An older child. This might finally be
Wen Yuan’s chance at a home….that is unless their friends do
everything in their power to keep Wen Yuan from leaving.

TAGS:
ADULT LIFE

rated T, kidfic, rule 63, verbal bullying, mention of past

miscarriage, grief, mourning a loss, nb characters, alternate
universe - modern day, adoption au—please use some
suspension of disbelief, Lan Jingyi being Lan Jingyi, Jin Ling is
Jin Rulan.

BETA:
N/A

109
 When Wen Ning caught sight of the expected couple, he
turned to his sister.
“They’re coming,” he said simply.
His sister, with hands at her hips, sighed. “Go fetch Yuan.
I hope he makes a good impression.”
She said the last part more to herself than to Wen Ning.
From what she knew, this rich couple was looking to adopt a
child so as to spoil them nonetheless. However, they had come
by the orphanage multiple times in search of a child and had
left every appointment seeming distraught.
It was this couple’s last appointment at the orphanage
their agent had told Wen Qing when scheduling the appointment.
Looking at the wall, she noticed more of the paint had
started peeling off. Wen Ning would have to take a look at that
in his free time. She then look at the roof and noticed that the
water stains had gotten larger. She’d have to contact her uncle
and have him check the pipes. Unlike others, this orphanage
didn’t receive the kind of government funding she wished it did.
It was too late to try to make repairs that could take weeks to
fix.
Through the door walked a very elegantly dressed woman
in a white pantsuit with another more jovial woman dressed in a
red sundress with black sneakers while clinging to her partner’s
arm like an accessory.
“Good morning,” Wen Qing said to the couple as she bowed.
Lan Zhan and Wei Ying returned the bow. Wei Wuxian gave
Wen Qing a big smile. “Good morning. I hope you’ve been well.”
“Very good. Thanks for asking. How has your stay in Yiling
110
been?” Wen Qing asked.
“Pleasant.” Lan Zhan answered before Wei Ying but the
word came out as if wanting to say tired instead.
“We’re ready, sister.” Wen Ning announced when he turned
the corner of the hall.
“Excellent. Follow me.” Wen Qing said and they walk down
two corridors. On their way down, the couple walked past a door
labeled “Yuan, Jingyi, Rulan, Zizhen”. At the sight of the names,
Wei Ying’s grip on Lan Zhan’s arm tightened the smile having
slipped off her face.
They reached a brown door at the end of the hall. Wen Qing
turned and quickly noticed the expression on Wei Ying’s face.
“Yuan’s one of our more reserved children but their performance
in school is excellent. Yuan is also musically inclined but I’ll let
them tell you more about that themself.” Wen Qing said.
A smile returned to Wei Ying’s face. She looked up at Lan
Zhan who was already looking down at her. “Ready?” Lan Zhan
asked.
Wei Ying nodded and the two were led into the room by
Wen Qing.
At the center of the room was a table with four chairs. In
one of the chairs sat a child that looked like they could not have
been over the age of eight or nine. The moment Wei Ying laid
eyes on them, she instantly felt her heart stop for a moment.
She almost wondered if time had stood still because the next
moment she knew Lan Zhan was trying to get her attention.
Lan Zhan turned to her and talked her back to the door.
Noticing this, Yuan’s eyes began to water but they said nothing.
Lan Zhan looked firmly into Wei Ying’s eyes. “If you don’t think
111
 you can do it because it’s too soon…we can always cancel the
contract with the agency and adopt later.”
“I want to do this. It’s time to move on from the past.”
“Wei Ying can grieve. It’s only been a little over thirteen
months since…” Lan Zhan stopped dead in her tracks looking
down at Wei Ying’s flat stomach.
“Thirteen months is long enough. I’m tired of grieving and
crying and…Lan Zhan, just please, I think this is the best way to
move on.”
Lan Zhan let out a long, defeated sigh. Crossing the room,
Lan Zhan and Wei Ying rounded the table. Yuan stood up and
bowed to them. Lan Zhan and Wei Ying bowed in return before
taking a seat.
“Why are you crying?” Wei Ying asked as sweetly as she
could.
Not realizing they had let tears drop, Wen Yuan quickly
dried up the tears with the back of their hand. “It’s nothing.”
They said almost in a whisper.
Lan Zhan tucked a loose strand of hair behind Wei Ying’s
ear. At the sight of this, Wen Yuan blushed.
Wei Ying shot a glance in Lan Zhan’s direction but smiled. “I
apologized if we caused you any emotional distress. I tend to get
a little emotional myself when I come for planned visitations.”
Wen Yuan pondered this but nodded. Their gaze met first
Wei Ying, who was smiling, and then moved to Lan Zhan, who
had an unreadable look on her face.
“We’ve read so much about you which is why we wanted
to get a chance to know you in person,” Wei Ying said, her voice
112
calm and collected.
Wen Yuan nodded hesitantly, their gaze never leaving
Lan Zhan’s line of sight. Lan Zhan looked as if every movement
and spoken word Wen Yuan made and said was being heavily
dissected and scrutinized.
Wen Yuan gulped. “I…I was brought here after my popo
passed away. She was in charge of my care since my parents were
not in a suitable condition to properly care for me themselves.”
Wei Ying turned to Lan Zhan with a worried gaze. “Lan
Zhan, your parents also had conflicts with properly caring for
you and your older sister, right?”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan said, “We were removed from their care
and placed into an orphanage too.”
An unexpected trail of goosebumps ran up Wen Yuan’s
arm. It suddenly occurred to them that they’d never expected
the possibility of their new parents to be “orphans.” Their eyes
seemed to glisten anew.
“What about you? Are you an orphan too?” Wen Yuan
asked, abruptly.
“Yuan, don’t ask such rude questions. Madames, please
forgive the child. They—” Wen Qing started but was quickly cut
off by Wei Ying.
“No, no. It’s fine. I should have expected this since I
brought it up,” Wei Ying said with a warm smile. She turned
to Wen Yuan, “To answer your question, yes, I’m an orphan
too. After my parents died in a work-related accident, I was
put in foster care and, later, adopted by the family that was
fostering me.” Wei Ying bumped Lan Zhan’s shoulder playfully
and continued, “As terrible, tragic, and lonely as being orphaned
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 can be, sometimes I think being orphans is one of the things
that brought us together.”
Wen Yuan nodded and smiled a small smile. “I–I’ve always
wanted a pet to accompany me. We aren’t allowed pets here
because others might have allergies.”
Wei Ying’s smile wavered. “As long as it’s not a dog, I’m
sure we can make it work.”
“Wei Ying suffers from severe cynophobia,” Lan Zhan
clarified.
“It’s not severe.”
“You run away screaming at the sight of Jin Zixuan’s
chihuahua.”
“Chihuahuas are vicious.”
“She carries the dog in her purse.”
Wei Ying was rendered silent. She turned away from Lan
Zhan with a pout. Wen Yuan burst out in a fit of laughter. Upon
hearing the joyful laugh, Lan Zhan’s hard face softened and a
small smile surfaced. Lan Zhan squeezed Wei Ying’s shoulder
and Wei Ying also giggled a little.
“I can be a little childish sometimes,” Wei Ying said, a blush
crawling up her cheeks. “But I wouldn’t be myself if I wasn’t!
Take me as I am or not at all, that’s what I said to Lan Zhan on
our first date; however, you could say the same rules apply in
this situation.”
“I would like to ask questions,” Lan Zhan said, “What do
you hope to gain from your adopted family?”
“Gain?” Wen Yuan asked, confusedly.
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“What a hard question for a ten-year-old, Lan Zhan! Is this
a job interview?!” Wei Ying said flabbergasted.
“No, but it’s an interview nonetheless. I want to know
the expectations they have for us as their potential adopted
parents,” Lan Zhan answered smoothly.
Wen Yuan understood then. “I want to be adopted into
a family that will love and shows care for me. Also, one that
appreciates my existence. I don’t care about much else, to be
honest.”
Wei Ying looked close to tears. Lan Zhan nodded and
continued, “What do you aspire to do once you’ve completed
your studies?”
“M-my dream is to study music but I know that it’s not a
financially feasible career path so I plan to study music as long
as I can before I have to change course.”
Lan Zhan’s face remained unreadable with the exception
of the few twitches at her brows and upper lip. She gave an
“mn” before nodding. Wen Yuan noticed Wei Ying’s cat-like smile
which gave a hint their answer had made Lan Zhan unsteady
and, for some reason, they were pretty sure it was a good thing.
“You know, Lan Zhan had her doubts about you before
coming here but the more you talk the more you slide into her
approval which can be difficult to win,” Wei Ying said as she
started braiding a strand of Lan Zhan’s hair while looking over
at Wen Yuan. “I highly suggest you keep talking about yourself.
You seem like you have some interesting things to share.”
“I…I…I also like painting, reading, and hanging out with my
friends—the other kids in the orphanage. My roommates are
kind to me and have helped me come to understand and accept
who I am. I’m thankful to have the experience of having them
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 around.”
Wei Ying smiled warmly. “It’s nice to hear that you have
friends here. We would have been a little worried if you were
completely isolated.”
“At least, if I’m adopted, I’ll be able to come to visit them,”
Wen Yaun said eagerly. Wen Qing, Wei Ying, and Lan Wangji all
shared a concerned look before turning their attention to Wen
Yuan.
Wen Qing was the first to speak up. “Yuan,” she started,
“If you’re adopted by these madames, I don’t think you’ll be able
to visit us…often.”
“Why?” Wen Yuan asked, concerned.
“We live quite far from here,” Wei Ying said bluntly. “I know
Lan Zhan makes a decent buck but it would be very expensive
to take frequent trips back and forth, nonetheless.”
“Where do you live?” Wen Yuan asked, trying to hold back
the tears that threatened to spill out of their eyes.
“We live in the city of Gusu. Lan Zhan’s adopted uncle runs
the top private school there with an amazing music program
that—” Wei Ying said but was cut off by Wen Yuan’s low voice.
“‘I’ve heard of it. Gusu’s music program is known for
making amateurs into prodigies,” Wen Yuan looked up at Lan
Zhan, studying her face. All traces of tears had disappeared
from Wen Yuan’s eyes. Only excitement and hope could be seen
in them. They said, “Do you think I—my music—have potential as
a musician?”
“We don’t know. We’ve never heard you play,” Wei Ying
said giggling. “But next visit, feel free to play something for us.
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I’m sure Lan Zhan would love to give feedback.”
“Wei Ying can give feedback too.”
“You’re much more musically talented than I am.”
“Alright, it’s been an hour,” Wen Qing announced, “Let’s
wrap it up.”
“An hour already?!” Wei Ying said, deflating in her chair.
“I have one more question,” Wen Yuan said, “Why are you
looking to adopt?”
This was a question that had been on Wen Yuan’s mind
since the very beginning. Why hadn’t such a charismatic couple
had a baby of their own or a surrogate? And why adopt an
older child and not a baby? Didn’t young couples typically want
babies?
The question seemed to catch the young couple off-guard.
The pregnant silence was cut in by Wen Qing, “Yuan, don’t you
remember the rule we have about asking—”
Wei Ying suddenly looked up at Wen Yuan and smiled warily,
“It’s fine! It was another good, fair question.” After a pause, Wei
Ying continued, “We lost our would-be son over a year ago in a
car accident…my uterus didn’t make it out in the best shape
either.”
Lan Zhan sighed deeply and Wei Ying hugged Lan Zhan’s
arm, “By that time, Lan Zhan had already had hers removed
but I don’t blame her. She was following her queer heart.” After
another small pause from Wei Ying, Wei Ying continued, “You
asked why adopt? The last thing I want to think is that I’m
replacing my would-have-been firstborn so I told Lan Zhan no
babies and, to be honest, I think Lan Zhan is more content that
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 I didn’t want a baby.”
Wen Yuan was taken aback by the sudden flood of
information and emotions. Tears escaped their eyes. “I’m so
sorry to hear that. I didn’t mean to make you confess all of that
to me.”
“It’s alright. The truth was bound to come out. I mean, the
nursery is still set up at home so it’s not like it’s a well-kept
secret,” Wei Ying said her smile wavering.
Lan Zhan got up and assisted Wei Ying pulling her close as
she got up. “Let’s end it here for today and return another day
this week.”
Lan Zhan then turned to Wen Qing and said, “My agent will
be contacting you.”
She watched as Wen Ning helped the young couple leave
as Wen Qing escorted Wen Yuan back to their room.
When Wen Yuan returned to the room, where their
roommates were standing by the door waiting for them.
“It’s that same couple that’s talked to almost everyone
here, isn’t it?” Lan Jingyi said, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Spill it,” Jin Rulan said, sitting at the edge of the top of
one of the bunk beds.
“Don’t hold back for our sake. We want every detail,”
Ouyang Zizhen chimed in.
Twiddling their thumbs, Wen Yuan flushed. They said, “It’s
not a big deal. We just talked like any other adoption interview.”
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Lan Jingyi slapped her forehead. “She won them over!
She’s definitely getting adopted!”
Suddenly realizing her error Lan Jingyi backtracked and
tried to apologize but Wen Yuan told her not to worry about it
and hugged her, seeing her best friend on the verge of tears.
“You know, I use she/her too.”
“But you told us you feel most comfortable using ‘they/
them’,” Lan Jingyi said and Wen Yuan gave their friend a squeeze.
“I know you care and I appreciate that,” Wen Yuan said
with a tiny smile.
“So…can you tell us about how it went now?”Jin Rulan
repeated putting her hand under her chin.
“They were very nice and we had a lot in common,” Wen
Yuan said.
“I got that feeling when I was talking to them. Like, damn,
why are they interviewing me and not Yuan?” Ouyang Zizhen
said.
Wen Yuan put a hand on Zizhen’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll
find someone that makes you feel like family.”
Ouyang Zizhen grinned and said, “At our age, I doubt it. We
got lucky this couple was not looking for a baby or toddler. But
congratulations, Yuan.”
“Don’t say that yet. We don’t know if it’s going to happen
and I don’t want to get my hopes up,” Wen Yuan said.
Lan Jingyi sighed and said, “I’m going to do some
undercover work and see if I can figure out what the status is.”
“A-Yi don’t—” Wen Yuan started but Jingyi quickly popped
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 open the door and ran out. Ouyang Zizhen shrugged and tailed
Lan Jingyi. Wen Yuan sighed as they heard Jin Rulan’s feet hit
the floor. Wen Yuan blushed as they watched Jin Rulan push her
braids back behind her ears. She grabbed Wen Yuan’s wrist and
the two left the room together.
The four of them poked their head out from behind a
corner.
“Do you hear anything, Jingyi?” Ouyang Zizhen asked.
“Yeah, Madame Wen is speaking to someone on the phone.
I think I heard Yuan’s name! Quick, Yuan, get closer! Now’s your
time to find out!” Jingyi said to the group.
With a sigh, Wen Yuan scooched as close as they could.
“That’s great to hear! I’m glad this visit was to their liking.
So, we can plan for a signing?” Wen Qing said with a rare smile
on her face as she wrote down some notes.
Wen Yuan froze upon hearing the word “signing”. Their
legs wobbled and, all of a sudden, they felt like they weren’t
getting enough oxygen.
“Ah,” Wen Qing said putting her pen down, “I’m sure Yuan
will be so happy to hear. The kids usually get very excited when
they get a second meeting before signing…Sounds perfect.
We’ll see them in a week.”
Wen Yuan’s eyes widened and they quickly retreated.
When they were about to turn the corner, Wen Yuan tripped
on their shoelaces, almost falling forward completely on the
ground. Wen Qing turned her head but saw nothing since, by
that time, Wen Yuan had already turned the corner and started
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down the hall.
“What did they say?!” Lan Jingyi demanded to know
Ouyang Zizhen and Jin Rulan also looked curiously at Wen Yuan.
“They…they’re very serious about potentially adopting
me,” Wen Yuan started, “They planned for another meeting
before signing.”
“Gosh, they are serious if they already brought up signing!”
Ouyang Zizhen wailed.
Lan Jingyi grimaced. Looking completely deflated she
congratulated Wen Yuan and hugged them.
“Is it selfish that I don’t want you to leave?” Jingyi said
through tears as she hugged Wen Yuan tighter.
Ouyang put a hand on Jingyi’s shoulder. “Jingyi, we know
it’s going to be hard without Yuan but…”
“But what? Aren’t you sad A-Yuan’s leaving too?” Jingyi
said pulling her shoulder away.
“I am but—”
“But nothing! You obviously don’t care enough,” Jingyi
said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Jingyi, I’m sure you’ll find a nice family,” Wen Yuan said
but quickly realized the grave error they’d made.
Jingyi pulled away from Yuan. Through her broken voice,
she said, “I can’t believe you’d say such a terrible, ugly lie just
to con me into feeling better. I’m happy for you but can’t I also
feel unhappy for myself? How many interviews have I had
compared to you and Zizhen? None! Have some empathy for me
too, A-Yuan!” Lan Jingyi cried harder, her hands now covering
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 her face.
Wen Yuan’s throat became dry. The door suddenly opened
and Wen Qing stepped in. She put her hands on her hips. “What
is going on here?” she asked.
Jingyi trembled a little and quickly made her escape
before answering. Ouyang Zizhen was about to run after her but
was caught at the shoulder by Wen Qing. Wen Qing asked the
question once more. And the group confessed everything.
Wen Qing sighed and gave A-Yuan a hug. “Jingyi will recover.
Don’t worry too much about it, Yuan. Everyone is so happy for
you. From what the agent said, they’d gone to orphanages in
two other cities before this one and have never once requested
a second meeting. So, they seem a bit picky as if they are
looking for ‘the one’. They seemed very serious and probably
see something special in you.”
Wen Yuan sobbed into the crook of Wen Qing’s neck with a
smile. They couldn’t wait for the week to be done with.
The week zoomed by faster than anyone expected. Ouyang
Zizhen kept Wen Yuan in high spirits while Wen Yuan could tell
that Lan Jingyi was trying her best not to be upset with the
situation at hand. Jin Rulan seemed rather neutral to the whole
thing but Wen Yuan caught Jin Rulan’s glares and glances every
so often making them question whether that was an accurate
read of Jin Rulan’s recent more reserved response—which was
unlike Jin Rulan.
At the sound of the front door’s click, Wen Yuan’s heart
skipped a beat. Their head peaked out of the corner and sure
enough, the couple had returned. He held the black instrument
case in one hand and close to their chest.
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Wen Qing spoke to the couple for a moment before Wen
Ning went back to fetch them. Wen Yuan straightened up, a
smile forming on their face as Wen Ning guided them out.
“Hi again,” Wei Wuxian said excitedly upon laying eyes on
Wen Yuan. She clung to Lan Zhan’s arm as she continued, “we
hope you don’t mind sitting with us and talking for a bit again?”
Wen Yuan shook their head.
Lan Zhan smiled upon seeing the instrument case. “Will
you be playing for us, today?” she asked and Wen Yuan nodded.
Before anything else could be said, there was a series of
young voices heard in the back. Lan Zhan and Wei Ying shared a
look just as the Wen siblings did. Wen Ning headed back to see
what was going on. Before he reached the hallway entrance, Lan
Jingyi, Jin Rulan, and Ouyang Zizhen popped out. Ouyang Zizhen
looked like she was trying and failing to restrain Lan Jingyi and
Jin Rulan.
Upon seeing everyone in the front, Ouyang Zizhen blushed
and released Lan Jingyi and Jin Rulan. She waved hello awkwardly
to the couple that had interviewed her, waved back just as
awkwardly, and ran back to her room. Pouting, Lan Jingyi’s arms
crossed over her chest. Jin Rulan’s brows furrowed as a pout
also formed on her face. Wen Yuan could tell that Lan Jingyi was
visibly distraught though they were trying to mask it.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Wen Yuan said to Lan Zhan
and Wei Ying.
They turned to their roommates and asked if there was
an issue. “I don’t have an issue with you, A-Yuan.” Lan Jingyi
started then turned their attention to the couple, “But I have an
issue with them.”
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 Wei Ying was taken aback. She pointed to herself and Lan
Zhan said in a baffled tone, “Us?! But we don’t even—”
Before Wei Ying could finish what she was saying, Lan
Jingyi interrupted her. “You’re part of the problem! Do you want
to take my best-friend-and-roommate-of-all-times away from
me?! To the last moment, I’m going to fight you to keep—!”
“Lan Jingyi, what is this nonsense? Apologize and go back
to your room,” Wen Qing said in a sharp voice.
“Why? Does nobody care about my feelings too?” Lan
Jingyi said through shaky tears.
Wei Ying weaved her warm fingers into Lan Zhan’s cold,
stiff ones. Just as she was about to whisper something to Lan
Zhan’s ear, Jin Rulan scowled.
“I’ve heard a lot of rumors about you two from the chats.
You’re that couple that’s been orphanage hopping,” Jin Rulan
said with disgust, “I bet as soon as Wen Yuan’s adopted you’ll
enjoy a few months together and then toss them aside like a
used rag.”
Wen Yuan winced.
“Or worse, you’ll come to love A-Yuan so much you end up
replacing that kid you had! We aren’t replaceable!” Jin Rulan
yelled tears starting to stream from her eyes.
“If we were a family…” Lan Jingyi choked through sobs, “if
we were a family you’d probably still try to separate us.”
“Jin Rulan! Lan Jingyi!” Wen Qing said in a louder voice.
She then turned to the couple and apologized for their unruly
behavior.
Lan Zhan’s eyes were narrowed, her eyes flickering from
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her watch, down to the ground, and to the door. Just from one
look, Wen Yuan could tell Lan Zhan was uncomfortable and who
wouldn’t be? Wen Yuan bit their bottom lip as they set down the
instrument and approached their friends, warmly embracing
each of them. Lan Jingyi’s sobs quieted as she slowly and
quietly bowed in apology. Still shaking, she shuffled back. Jin
Rulan gritted her teeth and ran off without saying a word.
Wen Yuan turned to the couple to see them looking
shaken, particularly Wei Ying. Lan Zhan whispered things like
“Don’t forget they are just children. They don’t know…” and
“What they said isn’t true. You’d do a great job…”
“Please accept my apology,” Wen Qing said, “I wasn’t
aware that—”
“It’s fine,” Wei Ying said as she hugged Lan Zhan, “I just
forgot…We’ve been where they are…and having that thrown in
your face burns.”
Lan Zhan squeezed Wei Ying’s hand and asked, “Do you
want to go back to the hotel?”
“I—I really wanted to hear Yuan play. But…I don’t know
if that’s a good idea anymore. I can tell all of this has greatly
troubled you, Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying said with a sad wavering smile
and glassy eyes. Wen Yuan could tell that this time Wei Ying was
the one trying to be strong for Lan Zhan.
Wen Yuan frowned. “You should go,” They said hesitantly
in a hushed tone, “Come back when you’re more comfortable
and I can play for you.”
Wei Ying looked over at Lan Zhan who nodded. “Alright
then,” Wei Ying said as she grabbed a few tissues from the
tissue box offered to her by Wen Ning. “We will see you again
another time.”
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 The couple walked out and Wen Yuan ran off.
They passed Ouyang Zizhen in the hall and headed for
the single, gender-neutral employee bathroom. They locked
themselves in the bathroom and huddled in a corner on the floor.
They leaned their head against the tiled wall, feeling a pulsing
headache come on as their chest began to ache like something
had been ripped from within. Their face burned red as silent
tears streamed down their cheeks like a running faucet that
couldn’t be shut off.
The moment the hotel door closed behind Wei Ying, she
sped off like a bullet toward the bathroom and locked herself
inside. She heard her wife calling to her from the other side but
didn’t have it in her to face her.
Why am I so weak? She thought as she crawled into the
bathtub and let the cool tears run down her red puffy, overly
warm cheeks.
“Wei Ying!” she thought she heard Lan Zhan say for what
could have been the tenth time.
Doing the best she could to take some deep breaths, she
looked up to the empty ceiling and then toward the door. “I—I’m
fine Lan Zhan. Really,” she said and sniffled lightly. “I–I need
some time for myself…Please.”
On the other side, Lan Zhan’s hand clenched and
unclenched. With a look of defeat in her eyes, she walked away
from the bathroom door and sat on the large luxurious bed.
From her handbag, she pulled out her phone and looks at it for
a while. She needed to make a call but she wasn’t sure what to
say yet. Sitting alone in the quiet, the children’s words sunk in:
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If we were family, you’d probably still try to separate us.
We aren’t replaceable!
In the course of a few hours, Lan Zhan felt as if she’d just
been metaphorically smacked by a group of kids that had yet to
reach a pubescent age. She couldn’t imagine the kind of trouble
they’d be in once they were teens, especially the loud one that
roomed with Wen Yuan. Thinking of the energetic young girl,
Lan Zhan had a feeling in her gut that made her sigh. She picked
up her phone and dialed.
“A-jie, it is me,” she said when she put the phone to her
ear. “I have something I would like to ask…”
After a little over a week since the incident, Wen Qing
can’t help but stare at the phone on her desk with her hands on
her cheek. Its ringer has either stopped working or that couple
was so taken aback by what happened that they are having
second thoughts. She wouldn’t be surprised if it were the latter
as opposed to the former. With a heavy sigh, grabbed the phone
and dialed.
“Nie Huaisang speaking,” the person on the other side of
the line said.
“Hi,” Wen Qing started, “I would like to get an update on
Lan Zhan and Wei Ying. For Wen Yuan’s sake.”
Nie Huaisang was quiet for a moment then said, “Ah, yes, I
heard about what happened. They are still discussing the matter
amongst themselves. They should have a decision at the latest
tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Wen Qing forced out.
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 “No, thank you,” Nie Huaisang said and hung up.
Wen Qing slammed the phone down. Her head snapped up
at the sound of the click of a door. Someone had heard and it
was more than likely one of the kids…she rubbed her temples
as she leaned back into her chair, praying this ended well.
Lan Jingyi could tell that her roommate had been crying
again when she saw Wen Yuan enter their room and got a good
look at their face. They’d been crying all week and usually in
the bathroom or in their room while everyone was away. Wen
Qing and Wen Ning had tried to comfort them but their words
seemed to have caused more trouble than helped dull the pain.
Lan Jingyi couldn’t come to look A-Yuan directly in the eyes
most days. Thankfully, Ouyang Zizhen was able to do most of
the talking and comforting that no one else could. Jin Rulan just
glared bitterly the first few days but on the fourth day, she too
apologized to Wen Yuan and asked for forgiveness.
“I’m really sorry, A-Yuan,” Lan Jingyi said for what seemed
like the fiftieth time in a week.
“You don’t need to apologize,” Wen Yuan said, their cheeks
puffed, eyes red and swollen, and voices hoarse.
“Of course, I do. Just look at you!” Lan Jingyi said as she
pointed at A-Yuan. “You look worse than a deflated balloon.”
Wen Yuan shrugged. “I’ll get over it.”
Lan Jingyi wrapped her arms around her friend who started
shaking and sobbing in her arms. “It’s alright,” she whispered.
Just then, Ouyang Zizhen burst into the room. “You guys
will never believe this!”
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“What?” Lan Jingyi said, still holding A-Yuan.
“Their back, Yuan! That couple’s back! They’re looking for
you,” Zizhen announced with glee.
Wen Yuan instantly stopped crying, their face lighting up
like a lightbulb. Lan Jingyi froze, a smile creeping onto her face.
“Go. You’ve been waiting all week for this,” she said.
“Wait!” Zizhen said as she grabbed A-Yuan by their sleeve.
Grabbing a brush off the top of the shelf, she quickly ran it a few
times through A-Yuan’s hair before nodding and letting Yuan go,
watching as her friend ran out.
“Yuan will be so happy to see you again,” A-Yuan heard
Wen Qing say as they turned the corner.
Lan Zhan’s arm was wrapped around Wei Ying’s shoulder.
Wei Ying wore some jeans, a matching jacket, and a tie-dye
tank top underneath while Lan Zhan wore a loose button-up
ocean blue silk blouse, white pants, and a gold belt. A-Yuan was
enamored by their beauty like they had been the first time. The
moment Wei Ying spotted A-Yuan, she smiled.
“Yuan,” she started, “it’s nice to see you again.”
A-Yuan nodded as they walked slowly toward Wei Ying and
Lan Zhan then, all at once, bolted toward them and embraced
the couple.
Lan Zhan stiffened at first but then relaxed and patted
Yuan on the head while Wei Ying returned the embrace.
“I can’t wait to take you home! Gosh, why does paperwork
and processing have to take so damn long?!” Wei Ying groaned.
129
 “Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan said, “We have to wait for the court
hearing.”
“But I want my kids now!” Wei Ying complained.
Kids? Wen Yuan thought. Had they heard right?
“That reminds me,” Wei Ying started. “where are those
troublesome roommates of yours…”
“I have three…” Wen Yuan said.
“The loud ones,” Lan Zhan said looking unimpressed.
“Jingyi…” Wen Yuan whispered as they pulled away from
the embrace and looked around only to find that Lan Jingyi was
slowly approaching them, her head down towards the floor.
When she got to them, she bowed to Lan Zhan and then to
Wei Ying, apologizing for her unruly behavior.
Wei Ying smiled as she put a hand on Lan Jingyi’s shoulder.
However, Lan Jingyi’s eyes had been glued from the floor to Lan
Zhan’s stony face.
“We have a rule in the house,” Lan Zhan started, “about
throwing insults around so casually.”
“Lan Zhan, be nice.”
“There will be punishment if you hurt Wei Ying’s feelings
again. Do we have an understanding?” Lan Zhan asked giving
Jingyi a hard look.
Lan Jingyi looked at Lan Zhan confusedly and then at Wen
Yuan who also seemed confused.
Wen Qing smiled as she said, “Congratulations Jingyi.
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It looks like both you and Yuan will be going to a new home
together.”
Lan Jingyi’s legs wobbled as she approached her soon-to-
be adoptive parents. They hadn’t interviewed her once and yet
they chose to adopt her based on the contents of her file and
their first impression, which was not a good one in her mind, to
say the least. She threw her arms around them and mumbled
‘I’m sorry’s and ‘thank you’s over and over again through tears.
Wei Ying ran a hand through Lan Jingyi’s hair trying to calm
her as Lan Zhan said, “There’s no need for such words.”
“Yeah, it took us a while to realize you were right Jingyi.
Families shouldn’t be separated. So we’ve made arrangements
to adopt the family since family, even a found family, should
always stick together.”
Lan Jingyi trembled as she looked over at Lan Zhan who
said, “‘Family’. ‘Adoption’. These words are other words for
love. We’re trying to tell you that we want to love you.”
Upon hearing that Lan Jingyi cried harder but calmed a
little when Yuan wrapped their arms around her. The two jumped
and yelled together in excitement.
Wen Qing leaned next to Wei Ying and said, “Wait until they
find out the other two are coming with them.”
Wei Ying’s lips formed into the biggest smile she’s had
since her accident. She leaned into Lan Zhan’s hold.
“Happy?” Lan Zhan asked.
“Very,” Wei Ying said as their lips met in a quick peck.
“Plus, now your wish of being a ‘baba’ will come true.”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan said as she and her wife watched their
soon-to-be kids rejoice.
131
 remain
a stranger
Written by Koschei

SUMMARY:
Shen Yuan just wants to scare people in peace. A certain
archival assistant makes things more difficult than they should
be.

TAGS:
Alternative Universe - The Magnus Archives fusion,
Monster Shen Yuan, Not-Them Shen Yuan, Humour

BETA:
ADULT LIFE

N/A

133
 “Shizun, Shizun, where are you?”
Shen Yuan sighs, as soon as he hears Luo Binghe’s voice.
The sound of footsteps is not far behind. No doubt the man
would find him sooner than later. He wouldn’t even mind it too
much — the man was pleasant company, despite how annoying
everything about his attitude was — but he had a terrible sense
of timing or appropriate reactions to things.
Could a monster prepare to scare their boss in peace
for once in this cursed Institute? Or anyone, really. Seriously,
he swears, something about it is too wrong even for a temple
dedicated to the Eye. As if the employees in the archives are
subjects to examine, not unwitting and unwilling devotees.
He hastily puts the cassettes into Shang Qinghua’s desk,
making sure the drawers don’t look tempered with. They took
a while to unlock too — it’s not like Shen Yuan needed to break
into anything for a long time, really — and maybe he’s just a
little exasperated by that.
But his latest victim just really got on his nerves. Shen Yuan
almost suspected him to be one of the Spiral’s despite knowing
for sure the man was all too human with how Luo Binghe drove
him mad, never reacting like a normal human should.
It was supposed to be an easy assignment — something
routine, something Shen Yuan did nearly as easy as breathing
(even if he didn’t technically need it). Get in, eat an archival
assistant, scare another one, mark the Archivist. The first step
should have given him the worst trouble.
But getting into the Magnus Institute was the easy part,
despite all logic. And Shen Yuan almost wished he was to
impersonate the Head of the Institute (despite knowing too
well how impossible it was) just to improve the security in this
institution. Seriously. Who accepted random artefacts without
134
researching what they are first, or at least putting them away
from those not in the know? It might have made Shen Yuan’s
life easier, but it was an infuriating mistake.
Shen Yuan straightened, trying to look normal, ruffling
around Shang Qinghua’s desk for a statement he could pretend
to be looking for. He didn’t have to — he suspected that even if
Luo Binghe had found him beating someone to death with a pipe,
he would only offer to help hide the body — but Shen Yuan had
standards, damn it, and an overly friendly co-worker wouldn’t
change that.
“There you are,” Luo Binghe says, clapping his hands
cheerfully, upon seeing Shen Yuan, “Has Shizun had lunch yet?”
Shen Yuan rolls his shoulders in agitation, not bothering
to suppress the urge to cover his face with loose papers in
his hands — oh, how he misses the times when carrying a fan
around was never questioned. “Didn’t I tell you not to call me
that? It’s getting ridiculous.”
“I’m happy to call Shizun by his name instead, if he were
to tell me,” Luo Binghe smiles, politely as always, and somehow
it’s more infuriating that a smirk would have been. Then, he
adds, “I’ll take it as a no then? Let’s go out together.”
“It’s still Shen Qingqiu,” Shen Yuan says, without any hope
that his colleague would listen. The fact that he wasn’t was
very much the point — but Luo Binghe should have acted scared
about it, or question his own sanity, at least, not behave like
nothing of note had happened.
Or smile about actual Shen Qingqiu being replaced, and
welcome the imposter with open arms, as soon as he saw an
unfamiliar man claiming to be him, as the case might have
been. And the roses he occasionally greeted Shen Yuan were
definitely a baffling overkill.
135
 There was a reason Shen Yuan was resorting to cluing the A crush that might or might not be reciprocated. Luo Binghe
Archivist into his nature with the recordings of Shen Qingqiu — is the most interesting human Shen Yuan has met in a while, so
and it wasn’t a desire to help the man along in his search for really, who could blame him for getting a little attached? Not
suspicious people in the Institute. that anyone needed to know.

“Of course, Shizun,” Luo Binghe smiles, and drags Shen
Yuan out of the office by his hand. When did he even have the
time to grab it? And why hasn’t Shen Yuan noticed it? He knows
better than to let his guard down around anyone. “What are you
in the mood for?”
“Tea,” Shen Yuan answers simply. He needs food even
less than he needs breathing — at least one is useful for fooling
those around him on an everyday basis. And, he supposes, if
he must admit, he is rather fond of the beverage and all the
different treats that tend to accompany it. Even if he still firmly
maintained that the tea in ancient times was better — that, or
the traditions around it (hard to say, sometimes).
Luo Binghe frowns. “Are you sure? I never see Shizun eat
much. Are the restaurants around London not to your liking?
And Shizun is so tiny too,” he frets, “Do you not have proper food
at home? Should I make you something? I’m good at cooking, I
promise.”
He looks like he might say something else, before Shen
Yuan stops him.
And it’s not like Shen Yuan can really help his lanky frame
regardless. Not when the real him is practically made of sticks.
“Are you sure?” Luo Binghe asks doubtfully.
And Shen Yuan caves to his worry. “You can pick the
restaurant then.”
The smile on his companion’s face is nearly blinding.
Wide enough that Shen Yuan looks for the marks of Spiral on
him again. Just in case. But no, the most prominent is still the
Lonely, followed closely by the Eye, and a hint of Stranger.
The last two are expected, but the first makes Shen Yuan
want to question the man. Why someone so open and bright has
been affected by isolation so deeply. But that’s the Eye rubbing
off on him from too much time at its temple.
Shen Yuan doesn’t need that information. Not if he wishes
to remain a stranger to Luo Binghe. Which is just his nature.

“I don’t normally eat lunch. And this is just how I look,”

he says, managing to sound neither exasperated, nor fond. It
wouldn’t do to admit to either. “Stop worrying needlessly, you
idiot.”

Really, the fact that he hasn’t eaten in a while is completely

Luo Binghe’s fault. Shen Yuan would be more than sated with
his fear if the man had any, instead of this weird not quite crush
on him.

136 137
 all the beauty
that’s been lost
before
(wants to find us again)

Written by tinycutefauna

SUMMARY:
After everything that happens at the Guanyin Temple, Jiang
Cheng learns what it means to heal, and finds a new love and a
new connection along the way.

TAGS:
Hurt/Comfort, Post-canon, Dancing, Jiang Cheng-centric,
Jiang Cheng/Lan Huan, Jiang Cheng & Jin Ling, Soft Jiang
Cheng
ADULT LIFE

BETA:
N/A

139
 When all was said and done after what happened at the
Guanyin Temple, Jiang Cheng, hollowed out once more, brought
his nephew back to Lotus Pier. Perhaps it was not right for him
to do so—with the death of Jin Guangyao, Jin Ling would now
have to step up as the next Sect Leader Jin—but Jiang Cheng
didn’t give a fuck about what was right at the time. He pointedly
refused to think about how it reminded him of when he had first
brought his nephew to his home all those years ago, after losing
the little family he still had after the war. Jin Ling seemed more
concerned for him rather than himself but it didn’t matter,
he just needed the security of knowing his nephew was safe
before he would have to let go of him for good. It wouldn’t be
long before the Jin sect sent its elders to claim Jin Ling from
Lotus Pier.
In the following days, Jiang Cheng hovered around his
nephew, more intensely than he had done for a long time, too
afraid to let him out of his sight. They fought about it—they
fought about everything these days—and then made up, and Jin
Ling finally let himself grieve yet again for more family loss.
Jiang Cheng didn’t know what curse had laid upon his family that
his nephew had lost another parent for him—an unforgivable as
that man had been, he had raised Jin Ling too.
All too soon, Jin Ling left for his now permanent home at
Koi Tower and the familiar sick feeling of upset and bitterness
rose up in Jiang Cheng’s chest at how no family of his remained
in his home. He had been trying to get used to the idea but
then he (that man, his once-brother) had returned to life and
abruptly forced change Jiang Cheng had been unprepared for.
Not that, Jiang Cheng remembered with a faint sense of horror
underneath his grief and anger, Wei Wuxian was someone he
could continue to rage against. He had no right to, after Wei
Wuxian had given him his golden core (had irrevocably changed
him—against his will—just like the Wens).
However, all that set aside, what Jiang Cheng truly didn’t
140
know what to do with was how his anger was slowly seeping
away. There was no Jin Ling to fight with (no Wei Wuxian,
shijie, a-niang or a-die), no cultivation world to rebel against
as he fought to keep his sect alive (it was thriving now; the
culmination of all of Jiang Cheng’s blood, sweat and tears—the
consolation prize for surviving when nothing else did), no news
of demonic cultivators that needed his input to be put down
(his reputation scared them off from Yunmeng and the other
sects hated his intrusions enough to have their own measures
in place by now). It felt like the heat of his fury had died out
in the wake of all that had happened and he had nothing left.
Maybe less than nothing.
Jiang Cheng was unused to having nothing left. When
the Wens had come, he had had his siblings. When he had lost
them, he had his sect and his nephew to look after. Now, neither
needed him—his second-in-command and the sect elders he had
carefully chosen over the years could take over for however
long he had to leave, and Jin Ling had sent him away after
that first visit to Koi Tower he had taken with Zidian sparking,
challenging anyone who dared oppose his nephew (Jiang Cheng
knew it was for the best since they couldn’t afford rumours of
him taking over the Jins but it hurt to be away from his only
remaining family).
Finally, after one too many days of Jiang Cheng barely
dragging himself out of bed and then doing almost nothing
all day with a numb heart and mind, his second-in-command
dragged him to a mind healer. When Jiang Cheng had grown
up—well, before the Wens and the Sunshot Campaign anyway—
there hadn’t really been a lot of mind healers. He’d only heard of
them in passing, mentioned in conversations about sects that
focused on healing. None of the major sects had them since
they focused more on military power. But, after the war, the
cultivation world changed irrevocably, if only in the death and
trauma the war left behind.
141
 Jiang Cheng wasn’t the only one who had lost everyone he
knew nor was he the only one who still struggled with those old
losses over a decade later. However, he was one of the few in his
sect who had not done anything about it. His second, Xiang Ru,
was a woman who had joined his sect during the war and had
stayed afterwards, fully committed to the sect for being one
of the few who didn’t discriminate against her for her sex. She
compensated for his shortcomings and was the one who had
invited a mind healer to stay with their sect permanently, and
ensured that all disciples and the servants were looked after.
He had been able to fight her on this for a long time—using his
nephew and responsibilities as an excuse for being busy—but
he finally gave up.
The meetings with the mind healer were… overwhelming.
He knew that the man was proficient at his job—he had seen
disciples’ moods visibly improve even as they left meetings
with him in tears—but he had not understood the point of it
all until he met with the man. It felt like someone had ripped
his ribcage open with their bare hands and squeezed his heart
as he was forced to confront himself and his feelings time
and time again. There was a very simple philosophy of… not
‘attempt the impossible’ but ‘be kind to yourself and others’
which felt almost like the same thing. Again and again, he made
Jiang Cheng confront his beliefs and actions and brought them
up before him like no one else had done for him since his family
had all died—perhaps even before then. It felt somewhat like
someone had used Zidian to jolt his heart into feeling again.
Over the years, Jiang Cheng had learned some kindness
when he had been in a position to extend it to others, and his
most trusted disciples had helped with that. Where he had once
sharpened himself to a sword’s point for the sake of battle, he
had gentled his hands to be able to cradle children and correct
juniors. Still, he had not learned how to face himself for all he
was, flaws and cracks and strengths and all. He found himself
taking days off from leadership to just talk to the man and
142
then retreat to his room to cry like he had never done for many
years. Like he perhaps should have done long ago. It was rough
to realise how his stress over others wasn’t normal and how
he still let others’ perceptions of him shape his own. It was…
emotional. It healed him in places he hadn’t known he was hurt.
He sent Jin Ling to meet with the mind healer too. After his own
talks with the man, he could see how his nephew needed that
kind of support as well.
And that was how, three years after the events of the
Guanyin temple, Jiang Cheng found himself at more ease than
he had known was possible, in a better relationship with his
nephew than he had even thought possible, and an acceptance
of himself and his actions that made life easier to bear. It was
empowering to learn how to be better and reassuring to know
it was not too late for him to learn. He accepted his turbulent
feelings regarding his shixiong, letting their relationship settle
into neutrality—if Wei Wuxian wanted them to be close again, he
could reach out but Jiang Cheng wouldn’t hold it all against him
anymore. He still confronted demonic cultivators, but with less
rage powering through him. He still led his sect, but with a better
understanding of his own personal importance to it. He was still
Jin Ling’s uncle, regardless of how frequently or infrequently
they were able to meet. And he learned how to dance.
Learning how to dance hadn’t been an outcome he had ever
expected nor was it a skill he had ever considered adopting into
his repertoire. In fact, if anyone had ever told him beforehand
that dancing was a skill he would pick up, he would have laughed
in their face. But… it came upon him so unexpectedly that he
didn’t realise how deep in he was until he was well past the
point of diving back up for air.
It had started because of his junior disciples and the
meddling of his second in command, because of course it did. He
143
 had a soft spot for children which his sect unabashedly exploited
and Xiang Ru couldn’t keep her nose out of his business if she
tried. For the latest annual Lotus Pier Harvest Festival, a few of
his juniors decided that not only did they want to sign up for the
performances that the sect held every night for the week of
the festival, they also wanted to do a dance that none of them
had experience with and asked Xiang Ru’s help. Being who she
was, she redirected them to him and he had to face a group of
10-year-olds looking up at him pleadingly as they begged for
help.
It wasn’t like he didn’t have time—his sect was as organised
as he could make it and he had reliable senior disciples who
could handle most of their work by themselves. All he had to do
was delegate the check ups for the festivals and organisation to
people who he knew could handle it. And the mind healer he had
been talking to insisted that he should take more opportunities
to do things for the enjoyment of it rather than just because it
was something he had to do. So he ended up accompanying the
juniors in their trips to the library as they searched for forms of
dance they could perform for the festival, and as they visited
the theatres in the Yunmeng area to watch dance troupes. It was
surprisingly fun, even as he ended up supervising increasing
large parties of disciples as the others found out that he was
accompanying the excursions of his juniors.
It wasn’t long until his nephew caught word and started
dropping by to ‘help the Jiang Sect’ (accompany his jiujiu) as a
way to ‘strengthen sect relations’ (take a break from his own
sect politics and get his jiujiu to spoil him). And, with his nephew
came his little gaggle of friends. Ouyang Zizhen showing up
wasn’t a surprise—for some reason, the boy had latched onto
Jiang Cheng and sometimes showed up even without Jin Ling (to
ask for his advice as a sect leader to a sect heir, of all things).
What was more surprising were the two Lan disciples showing
up despite Jiang Cheng seeing those two follow his nephew
around for almost every other night hunt the boy went on. He
144
hadn’t expected that their sect would let them go since he was
sure one or the other was sect heir, and they were both capable
enough to be senior disciples and have responsibilities within
their sect. Maybe they had just reorganised things to be able to
visit? It was still odd to have them join in when they never had
before but Jiang Cheng didn’t think too hard about it.
In fact, Jin Ling had asked them to go to Lotus Pier on his
behalf as he had realised he had been remiss in his duties as
a nephew. Since taking up the mantle of sect leader, he had
missed many festivals and events at Lotus Pier as he was too
focused on his duties to remember when they occurred. But
when he had heard from his contacts at Lotus Pier that his
jiujiu was taking new juniors around Yunmeng to prepare for
the Lotus Harvest Festival, he had remembered the times he
had been who his jiujiu took with him when touring his territory.
All of a sudden, he was ashamed of how he had not spared a
thought for his jiujiu, with no family left, left behind in Lotus
Pier. So he had asked his friends to visit Lotus Pier and made as
many trips as he could himself before his official visit to Lotus
Pier for the festival. It was on one of his visits when all four
of them had gathered in Yunmeng, accompanying him and the
junior disciples, that Lan Jingyi made a comment that found
Jiang Cheng a new love.
They had been watching a ribbon dance whose performers
would later act as their teachers. Though his first group of
disciples had long since picked the dance they wanted to
perform and now spent most of their time practising it, he had
ended up extending his offer to others, even though not all of
them were trying to learn a dance for the festival and some
had just joined him for fun; Jiang Cheng humoured them since
it was surprisingly enjoyable. One of the performers had flicked
out a ribbon out in a manner reminiscent of a whip as they
acted out a battle, and Lan Jingyi had laughed that it wasn’t
145
 dissimilar to how the famous Sandu Shengshou wielded Zidian.
For some reason, that had stuck in his nephew’s mind and, after
the performance, as they watched some of the disciples try out
dancing with ribbons, he insisted that Jiang Cheng join them.
Jiang Cheng had no wish to act like a fool in front of
everyone but Jin Ling wouldn’t let it go. Soon enough, the rest
of them were egging him on and Jiang Cheng sighed deeply as
he gave in, figuring it wasn’t worth his energy to try to fight
them on the matter, and they would give up on it soon enough.
And… he was both right and wrong. Most of them stopped paying
attention as soon as he handed two dowels with some short
ribbons attached and he failed to get them to fly out like Zidian
would. However, he himself was entranced by the ribbons, and
his nephew watched him subtly.
It really was completely different from wielding Zidian—
Zidian was a spiritual weapon that followed his wishes and was
powered by the golden core spinning in him. These ribbons were
attached to dowels that he had to move precisely to get them
to flow right. Furthermore, he had to independently be able to
get his footwork right to be able to truly dance with them. It
strained his muscles in ways different from wielding Sandu and
Zidian. It was... surprisingly difficult and fascinating. One of the
performers came forward to guide him, startling him out of his
focus. Impulsively, he requested further lessons with the ribbon
at a later time, as he was still here as a supervisor for his sect’s
disciples. As he ironed out the details of the lessons, he missed
Jin Ling’s face lighting up at seeing his jiujiu find a new hobby.
Even though the mind healer was working with him on
his tendency to overwork himself, Jiang Cheng found himself
practising with his ribbons at all odd hours of the day. He had
slowly picked up paperwork again and started teaching the
advanced disciples’ class but in his spare moments, he found
146
himself wandering back to his private pavilion to pick up his
ribbon and work through the motions again. He knew it was a
dance that primarily women performed and had no intention
of performing for anyone but sometimes, he found himself a
little frustrated at his progress without the lack of musical
accompaniment. How could he be sure he was dancing correctly
without music to guide him? It was fine when he was taking his
lessons because his teachers would arrange for the music but
he could hardly ask anyone he knew to indulge him in something
like this.
Nevertheless, he persevered, learning how to dance with
longer ribbons without tangling them up, speeding up and
slowing down his movements on his whims, adding flourishes
when he felt like them. He would find someone to play for
him eventually—until then, he would keep dancing. The flow
of purple satin through the air and the strain of his body had
become addicting and he found himself packing them along
with the rest of his things even when he travelled. And that was
precisely how he found himself in trouble.
After the festival had taken place, there had been a
discussion conference at Cloud Recesses and he hadn’t been
able to resist the lure of his ribbons while packing for travel.
After a long day of arguments and logistics and gossip and bland
food, he had sought refuge from all the gathered cultivators
by escaping to the same back hills he had in his youth when
he had studied at Cloud Recesses and was running away from
his shixiong. Of course, Wei Wuxian no longer sought him out to
bother (he only looked Jiang Cheng’s way when the sect leader
couldn’t see him and quietly thought about rebuilding bridges)
but there were still countless other people to avoid.
After finding a secluded clearing unreached by the sounds
of people, Jiang Cheng dug out his ribbons from his sleeves’
storage and, under the warm light of the setting sun, began his
usual routine. With his attention held fully by the feel of the
147
 ground under his feet, the ribbons jerking in his hand and the
wind rushing through his ears and robes, he completely failed to
pick up the sound of weary footsteps treading in his direction.
Those footsteps belonged to the Lan sect leader, Lan Huan, still
in seclusion, taking his evening walk where he wouldn’t be seen
by anyone else.

He had been strongly encouraged to not stay in the hanshi

all day during his seclusion and, upon the forceful pushing of his
brother and new brother-in-law, he had taken to walking in the
evenings to get some sunlight and fresh air before curfew while
everyone else was preparing to wrap up their daily activities. He
was aware of the discussion conference happening, however his
uncle had allowed him to not attend and he had been carefully
avoiding meeting any of the cultivators that were attending.
However, as he made his way through his usual path, there
was an unusual sound coming from a clearing that drew his
attention.

He let his footsteps sound out as he walked to the clearing,

allowing whoever was there to pick up on his presence and
make themselves scarce, but the sounds continued on. So, he
stepped out into the clearing and found his breath taken away
by the sight of the fearsome Sandu Shengshou, whip-sharp in
battle, gentled by the sunset and swirling fabric. The satin of
the ribbons and the silk of his robes caught the light and the
wind and flowed like water around him. His movements were
slow and purposeful and there was a look of unmistakable,
unfiltered joy on his face despite his eyes being closed to the
world around him.

Lan Huan felt enthralled as he found himself unable to

move, mouth dry and heart beating fast as the Jiang sect leader
kept dancing in front of him. When Jiang Cheng finally stopped,
the grin on his face lingered as they caught each other’s eyes
and hearts. There was a connection in that moment that they
had not felt before in their lives, and it felt solid in the air
between them. It was a promise for a brighter future.

148
 Jazz Bar

Written by Star

SUMMARY:
— Wei Wuxian, a part time barista, falls in love with his stoic
nepotistic boss, Lan Wangji.
Come and enjoy the beauty of their story.

TAGS:
Romance, Fluff, First Love

BETA:
N/A
ADULT LIFE

151
 Wei Wuxian got an earful—again. He couldn’t wake up early
even if his life was dependent on it. He hates the morning air, morning
smell, morning taste. Everything regarding the word, morning.
Even good morning, he despises it.
“Why the fucking hell would someone wish someone good
morning? That’s wrong on several levels. Can’t that person
understand I’ve woken up not for the greatness in the morning,
but rather for the duties which cry my presence. I need the peace,
instead you butt in with the goodness of the morning.”
Nie Huaisang—his colleague—hummed and nodded. He wasn’t
listening or anything, because he knew this was the usual Wei Wuxian.
He always curses the morning which gave him another reason to
wake up from the bed.
If only Wei Wuxian had a bed attached to his waist all the time,
without feeling the weight, he’d enjoy his life to its max.
Nie Huaisang stared longingly towards the door. He couldn’t
believe he was saying this but, he missed his boss immensely at the
moment.
That boss was the only person who could shut Wei Wuxian up.
The moment he steps into the cafe, regardless of where Wei Wuxian
is, that man in question runs and attends the boss immediately.
Who was this boss? The infamous, nepotistic owner of the
cafe they work for, Lan Wangji.
His father is unwell, so all the goodwill and asset of this Jazz
bar was passed onto this ‘elegant, cold, typical boss-like person’,
Lan Wangji.
Nie Huaisang could almost feel the nausea building in his
stomach the moment his boss entered. He hated this concept of
152
nepotism to core. It is not that he didn’t see Lan Wangji being very
great at the work he does—in fact he knows Lan Wangji works
overtime everyday.
He just despises the concept of nepotism and anyone who has
grown into power because of it.
However, his colleague slash best friend begs to differ. He
googles his eyes the moment Lan Wangji enters the Jazz Bar. Wei
Wuxian would shut every hurtful comment he has regarding the
morning essence the moment he sees this lavender-smelling Lan
Wangji walk in.
It was like this: Lan Wangji had the key to all answers Wei
Wuxian withheld. He never spoke up in Lan Wangji’s presence. Let
alone even breath.
However, today seemed to be Nie Huaisang’s bad day. Did he
step on a cat’s tail or break a mirror? For Lan Wangji is actually late
for the first time in his life.
Nie Huaisang tapped his legs impatiently. He couldn’t bear
Wei Wuxian for the day. He already got scolded by his brother, Nie
Mingjue, for not working properly.
Wei Wuxian, surprisingly, shut up after a minute. Nie Huaisang
raised his head from making a drink to a customer and stared at
Wei Wuxian in confusion. That’s when he noticed that Lan Wangji had
entered.
Maybe because Nie Huaisang was too engrossed in his
thoughts, he didn’t hear the bell ringing as the door was pushed. He
scoffed internally and chuckled lightly before giving the drink to the
customer.
He spoke in a feeble yet firm voice, “Wei-Laoshi, people are
coming for drinks. Careful, don’t mistake the drinks again.”
153
 Wei Wuxian would go into trance the moment Lan Wangji
stepped in and once he gave a customer a coffee with lime and
chocolate mixed in it. The customer gave a really good hearing which
grabbed Lan Wangji’s attention for a moment.
Wei Wuxian got more nervous at that time and started spilling
drinks after drinks. Lan Wangji couldn’t bear it and he spoke to Wei
Wuxian—for the first time—advising the latter to go back home.
Possibly the first time in a very long while, Nie Huaisang saw Wei
Wuxian genuinely sad. Not like the sadness he holds every morning
complaining, but a sense of disappointment spread throughout him
as though it was an aura.
It has been weeks, but Wei Wuxian still gets embarrassed at
the slightest mention of that incident. Hence, even if he is in trance,
he’ll ensure he gives the right drink.
Or he instructs Nie Huaisang to keep an eye on him when Wei
Wuxian gives the wrong drink.
That’s the reason for the former incident of Nie Huaisang
subtly warning Wei Wuxian about the drinks.
Wei Wuxian nodded before he looked up through his soft bangs
which fell right on his nose. He stared at the elegant man who would
sit in the corner of the cafe everyday as if it was his place of safety.
Wei Wuxian had the urge to go and clean the place where Lan
Wangji sat. However, he was occupied with customers.
It was just the usual morning rush of Monday.
There was a big line of customers, and most of the seats were
occupied. The music continued playing in the background. It was live
music played by one of the infamous underground musicians.
This jazz bar place was neither too big nor too small. Hence, they
154
could only afford such musicians to keep the bar lively. However, to
differentiate this bar from the rest, the owner, Lan Wangji, ensured
only jazz or slow music was played.
Wei Wuxian softly hummed to the music and gave everyone
their drinks. Almost everyone had their drinks and food in hand as
they settled down.
Wei Wuxian checked the register to count the money to check
if he misplaced anything in a hurry. While he was doing so, he heard
a voice, “One caramel macchiato.”
Wei Wuxian almost stumbled down when he heard this voice,
he looked up and came in contact with the elegant man who stared
back at him very indifferently.
Wei Wuxian lost his speech for a second as he slowly realised
the person standing ahead of him was the person he had been
gushing and crushing over for the past few months—Lan Wangji.
“H-Hi,” he squeaked out as the initial surprise died down. He
later mentally slapped himself as to why he was so surprised. Of
course, Lan Wangji could order drinks, it’s his restaurant after all.
Lan Wangji just ‘mn’-ed in response, as Wei Wuxian closed the
register and started making the drink this ‘young master’ asked for.
In Wei Wuxian’s eyes, Lan Wangji was a young master. Not in
the spoiled brat way. Wei Wuxian hardcore disagreed that Lan Wangji
was using nepotism to reach the riches of his life.
Unlike Nie Huaisang, Wei Wuxian knew that Lan Wangji was
situated as the supervisor of such a small branch of the cafe to test
Lan Wangji’s managerial abilities.
Lan Wangji was the second child of the famous Lan family.
They were a really rich family, but for Lan Wangji to work as head
155
 of such a boring small cafe, which doesn’t even contribute 0.75% of
the annual income of the Lan Family.
Not only that, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji had surprisingly
talked before. It was the day Nie Huaisang had to take a day off from
work, hence Wei Wuxian took up the bar drinks job for that night. Lan
Wangji started getting drunk at the third or fourth drink.
He mumbled some stuff, which Wei Wuxian did a great deal
of ignoring. He was still a man with ideals, he didn’t want to take
advantage of this situation with Lan Wangji and ask for information.
However, Lan Wangji’s mumbling started getting clearer as he
spoke with a rough and thick voice about his family’s situation.
Wei Wuxian was surprised that Lan Wangji opened up just like
that. It wasn’t that he didn’t expect, he just thought Lan Wangji
thought of Wei Wuxian as someone else and told him.
He felt inappropriate and spoke in a soft voice, “I am Wei
Wuxian, you know that right?”
What Lan Wangji told later made Wei Wuxian’s heart flutter for
more than a second, “I know. That’s why I am telling you.”
This was when Wei Wuxian realised that Lan Wangji spoke a lot
more frankly and detailedly when he was drunk than when he was
sober.
Since this incident took place after the big mishap of drinks,
Wei Wuxian felt a little warm. His boss didn’t hate him even after
that big problem he created. His boss actually trusted him with some
good deal of information.
Hence, right after that day, he and Lan Wangji got closer than
ever. Although to other’s eyes it felt like a normal boss-worker
relationship, Wei Wuxian hoped it was something more.
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He knew it was all impossible. Yet, he expected it.
So coming back to the point why Wei Wuxian thought Lan
Wangji was a young master was because he has this childish naivety
in him.
Lan Wangji’s behaviour was righteous, up-right, and ethical.
It was really perfect that he almost resembled a certain type every
woman would fall in love for.
Except, Wei Wuxian wasn’t a girl and he still held that type.
Lan Wangji stared at him in a very stoic way as Wei Wuxian
prepared the drink he was ordered, almost nervous.
Wei Wuxian prayed that his shaking fingers weren’t visible
to others, especially not Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian bit his lower lip
subconsciously, worried about the situation. He finally was done
with the drink.
He passed it to Lan Wangji and said in the most normal voice
he had, “Here’s your drink. On house!”
Lan Wangji stared at Wei Wuxian as if he was expecting
something more from Wei Wuxian which of course, Wei Wuxian
couldn’t comprehend.
He just thought Lan Wangji was stunned when he said ‘on
house’ when the entire cafe was Lan Wangji’s. It was completely
unnecessary, it wasn’t like Lan Wangji would pay anyways.
Lan Wangji blinked before speaking softly, “Thank you.” He
walked away elegantly back to the home—as Wei Wuxian refers to it
as—and continued working.
Wei Wuxian audibly sighed and stared at the back facing him
and wished he had the courage to go up and just confess his love.
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 He definitely knew that Lan Wangji was straight.
A disciplined, strict and righteous person being gay? Ridiculous.
That’s beyond comprehension.
Wei Wuxian knew this, he understood it.
It wasn’t like he wasn’t gay. He coined himself as bisexual
rightfully.
Wei Wuxian shook his thoughts and gave his usual bunny smile
to every customer and gave them their orders in the right way.
Wei Wuxian knew he should never trust Nie Huaisang.
Nie Huaisang ran away back home that afternoon. His brother
asked him to come back home and he went away.
Nie Huaisang told Wei Wuxian to take care of his work before
fleeing from work. Even Lan Wangji had given him the second half of
the day off. Wei Wuxian groaned that he had to work all alone.
The bar gets quieter during the night, hence the doors close
by 6:30 or 7 pm in the evening. Wei Wuxian started winding up the
area. It wasn’t that he had never done this before, but Nie Huaisang
was the one in charge for this.
Wei Wuxian had other work to do after leaving the jazz bar.
Namely, cleaning his house and setting up for a night binge, so he
can enjoy some parts of the day at least.
Wei Wuxian despise for the morning was never a hidden fact.
He internally even knew that Lan Wangji had known about this fact.
Wei Wuxian had squeaked in the cafe long ago that he hated
mornings when Lan Wangji entered and stared at him.
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Wei Wuxian shrugged his thoughts away and started cleaning
the tabletops. He clearly needed his bed at the moment.
He smiled softly as he saw a small drawing left by a kid on the
table. It looked really cute. He didn’t have the heart to wipe it off, but
he had no choice.
He frowned a little as he wiped the artistic creations of brilliant
youths in China. After what felt like 30 minutes, Wei Wuxian finally
came to the last table, where Lan Wangji was working.
He wore glasses—must be anti-glare glass—as he typed into
his laptop softly but loud enough.
Wei Wuxian walked and spoke what he revised for 30 minutes,
“Are you done? I have to clean the area.”
Lan Wangji stopped working as he stared up with his elegant
eyes which made Wei Wuxian’s heart skip a beat. He calmed himself
at the sight as he gave a brilliant smile as a follow up.
Lan Wangji was about to speak when a loud thunder came
from outside. After a moment, rain started pouring down. He looked
outside and frowned, whereas Wei Wuxian let out a soft groan.
Lan Wangji’s ears got sensitive to that sound. He trembled
slightly but still held back from speaking. He had always felt it scary
talking to this man ahead of him.
Wei Wuxian was a puzzle he could never solve, which made him
keen to solve faster and get over the problem. However, as he tried
solving the problem the puzzle changed its hardness and made Wei
Wuxian a tougher open book to read.
Lan Wangji genuinely liked the carefree attitude of Wei Wuxian.
He could never be like that. He was a very gentle and disciplined
person since his birth. He never let his emotions out so easily.
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 His emotions would be easily manipulated with the moment
they are in contact with others. Being in top position is always risky
and scary.
However, with Wei Wuxian it was entirely different.
Wei Wuxian clearly heard him speak a lot of incoherent stuff
(which he definitely regretted later) regarding his family. Wei
Wuxian could have used these emotions to manipulate them in a way
he wanted. Used him to get the peaceful mornings he yearned and
mourned for.
Yet, all Wei Wuxian did was try to distance himself away from
Lan Wangji, not let any of those words Lan Wangji say reach his ears.
Even after they reached his ears, Wei Wuxian didn’t even speak
out to anyone, not even his best friend (that Lan Wangji thought he
was) Nie Huaisang.
It was very secretive, as if Wei Wuxian didn’t let anyone see
his vulnerable sight. As if Wei Wuxian only wanted this vulnerable
side for himself.
Lan Wangji’s heart swayed at the smallest of small gestures
by Wei Wuxian. Unbeknownst to the man in question himself, Wei
Wuxian had successfully snatched Lan Wangji’s heart.
It just followed up as the two spent days together ever since
Lan Wangji spoke out in a drunken way.
Lan Wangji’s eyes would spur in Wei Wuxian’s direction the
moment he entered. He could see the eagerness in those eyes.
Nobody had given such eyes to him before.
Lan Wangji never saw people give raw emotions to him before.
So raw as if the person had cut his heart out and showed it to Lan
Wangji that he had no underlying motive.
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This was why Lan Wangji would try his best to come everyday
to see Wei Wuxian. Sharp 9 am in the morning.
Lan Wangji’s nose scrunches every time Wei Wuxian gives his
best smile to other customers. But he knows, the real smile is shown
when it is genuine from the heart, which reaches the eyes.
He never saw such a smile from Wei Wuxian to others before.
Always to himself. This gesture was another treasure for Lan Wangji.
He wished to ask Wei Wuxian out on a date, but as cliche as it
sounded to himself, he was scared.
Even Lan Wangji himself didn’t know why he was scared of
asking Wei Wuxian out. Clearly their feelings were somehow mutual.
The way Wei Wuxian glitches the minute their eyes come in
contact with each other, and for various reasons, Lan Wangji knows
this feeling is mutual.
However, he is scared.
He doesn’t know how he sees and thinks of Wei Wuxian, it
might not be his true self.
Lan Wangji couldn’t be blamed for his suspicions. Ever since his
childhood he has always met people who had profit in their hearts.
He could read such greedy eyes the minute he saw them.
However, he had never seen Wei Wuxian’s eyes be like that.
Lan Wangji’s trail of thoughts were interrupted with a soft
voice, “Lan er-ge, I am really sorry, but can I stay in the cafe for
another few minutes until the rain settles? I don’t have an umbrella.”
Wei Wuxian regretted the moment he spoke out those words.
He was waiting for rejection. How could an employee be so bold to
ask such a request?
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 Wei Wuxian bowed his head the moment Lan Wangji looked
from the window to him.
Lan Wangji spoke, “As you wish.”
Wei Wuxian shot his gaze up and met those gentle eyes. He
definitely didn’t expect that response. Lan Wangji isn’t that stoic,
heartless man after all.
Lan Wangji spoke, “I am not that heartless, I understand. Stay
here until the rain goes down. I am staying here for the same reasons
anyway.”
Wei Wuxian looked away embarrassed that his thoughts were
read out loud. Lan Wangji found that small gesture cute. The way Wei
Wuxian’s fingers would curl in and fiddle with each other when Wei
Wuxian is embarrassed.
Lan Wangji internally hoped he was the only person who knew
of this habit of Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian slowly looked back and said, “Then you can stay,
I’ll clean your table before leaving. Do you want coffee?”
As if Wei Wuxian read Lan Wangji’s mind, yes he needed hot
chocolate. Very desperately.
Lan Wangji is a caffeine addict. He can live without eating food
and drinking water, but he can’t live without caffeine.
Being seen out like this by Wei Wuxian made him feel a little
embarrassed. He didn’t like letting his emotions show out just like
that, for anyone.
But Wei Wuxian isn’t anyone. Hence, Lan Wangji just shrugged
it away. Before he could answer Wei Wuxian twirled in his heels and
walked behind the counter to make the drink.
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Lan Wangji sighed and sweeped the bangs falling on his nose,
back. He should go for a haircut, he thought.
He thought this was finally the time he could confess his love
and take him out on a date. The environment was perfect.
It was raining, and they had a whole fucking bar for themselves.
What else to worry about? He thought.
He saw Wei Wuxian come back with the hot chocolate in his
hand. His fingertips were slightly pink, probably he got his fingers
burnt.
Lan Wangji took the cup from his grasp and placed it on the
table before he said, “Thank you.”
Wei Wuxian gave the ‘real smile’ — Lan Wangji called — as he
spoke, “Any time for you.”
Wei Wuxian’s smile froze for a second before he corrected it
hurriedly, “N-No w-what I-I meant was that… that you are my boss.
So any time!” Wei Wuxian almost ran back after saying that.
Although Wei Wuxian went back behind the counter, he was
still visible to Lan Wangji. The latter could see the former’s fingers
tremble a little as the man bowed his head in resignation.
Lan Wangji bit his upper lip and frowned. He clearly had a
chance right now, why can’t he just say it!
Lan Wangji huffed at himself. He really tried his level best to
get up and ask Wei Wuxian out.
It was so hard for Lan Wangji to even say the word ‘date’
out aloud. This can’t keep going, how would it be if they got into a
relationship but he can’t do his best?
Lan Wangji mentally remembered the lines and got up—leaving
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 the sizzling hot coffee on the table—and walked to the counter where
Wei Wuxian was counting notes and accounting.
Wei Wuxian looked up from the sound and spoke, “You need
something?”
Lan Wangji stared at the money in his hand and spoke, “Why
do you count money all the time? Do you think we don’t trust you?”
Wei Wuxian counted the last bit and placed it back in the
cashier and closed the drawer. Lan Wangji mentally scolded himself
for not asking the right questions.
“It is a basic necessity as an employee of yours to deliver the
best job from my end. I could be honest and get the amount inside
the cashier, but let’s just say I don’t trust my mind well..”
Wei Wuxian was about to start another conversation about
himself when he almost stopped himself but was stopped by a voice,
“What do you say about tomorrow night?”
Wei Wuxian’s eyes bulged out for a second. He gulped his tiny
voice trying to peep out as he said, “Excuse me?”
Lan Wangji spoke, “Tomorrow night at 9, don’t be late. I’ll text
you the address.” Lan Wangji was about to leave when he heard Wei
Wuxian speak.
“You mean like there is a meeting?” Wei Wuxian’s voice almost
broke because of how he was speaking. Lan Wangji couldn’t believe
himself, how could Wei Wuxian be so dumb?
He spoke, “No… Wei Ying. I mean to take you out on a date.”
Wei Wuxian almost fell down at that. His knees went weak. He
spoke, “L-Lan er-ge, are you firing me?”
Lan Wangji frowned and asked, “Why are you asking me that?”
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“Then why are you taking me out? To tell me I am fired in a nice
way? I am sorry Lan er-ge, I am a really bad employee, but trust me
I can be good. I’ll try…”
Wei Wuxian’s next words were not allowed to come out as he
felt a tug on his shirt and his lips smashed against another pair of
soft lips.
Wei Wuxian’s eyes went completely wide at that. His ears went
numb and his heart tingled to the sky’s extreme. He couldn’t believe
what was happening until he felt a tongue intrude into his mouth and
started kissing him harsher.
Wei Wuxian finally responded back to the kiss and hugged Lan
Wangji’s neck as the kiss deepened.
Lan Wangji broke the kiss and stared at the dark orbs of Wei
Wuxian and spoke, “I can’t believe you are so dumb.”
Wei Wuxian frowned as Lan Wangji continued, “I want to take
you out on a date, not because I want to fire you.”
Lan Wangji stared at Wei Wuxian’s eyes before he completed
his sentence, “It is because… I like you.”
Wei Wuxian would’ve tripped down if not for his hands hugging
Lan Wangji’s neck dearly. If not for the table in between them, Wei
Wuxian would’ve fallen on Lan Wangji’s chest by now.
“I… you like me?!” Wei Wuxian almost screamed. Lan Wangji
didn’t have a chance to clarify to this dumb person before he felt a
pair of lips on his own. Lan Wangi smiled for the first time since Wei
Wuxian had known him amidst the kiss.
The rain outside didn’t reduce but it increased, as these two
enjoyed each other’s company.
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Elder
Years
 Grandpa!
Look!

Written by Aki

SUMMARY:
It is a beautiful day in Cloud Recesses, the sun is out, the wind
is cool, and the birds are singing.
And Wei Wuxian’s youngest grandchild is up to mischief.

TAGS:
Post-canon, Family, Fluff, Slice of life

BETA:
N/A
ELDER YEARS

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 It is a beautiful day in Cloud Recesses, the sun is out, the
wind is cool, and the birds are singing.
Wei Wuxian is kneeling next to a flower bed, grumbling
as he adds more compost under a stubborn peony bush that
has so far refused any of Wei Wuxian’s coaxing into blooming. If
he had known that peonies were so temperamental, he’d have
never planted it!
–That’s a lie, his beautiful Lan Zhan looks so bewitching
wearing peonies in his hair, of course he is going to keep planting
the dastardly plants and out-stubborn them into flowering.–
“Grandpa! Grandpa! Look!”
Wei Wuxian groans as he straightens his back, his waist
twinging with pain after so long in one position. Heavens above
but he’s getting old! This body of his is turning traitor as he
ages. Truly, no one suffers like he does!
Then he turns to see his darling granddaughter, sweet
little Wenyin, with her round little face and dimpled little hands,
the very image of his A-Yuan back when he was a baby. And just
like her father, there’s nothing Wei Wuxian can do to keep her out
of the mud and dirt. Honestly, he has long given up on keeping
children clean –sometime after their third child he decided it
was a lost cause and just let them go at it– knee-deep in the
lotus pond, bending over so that her face is an inch from the
dark water.
He grins, having a suspicion of what he’ll find, but plays
along and goes to see what she wants to show him.
“What did you find, YinYin?”
“Fishies!” she points at the water and he kicks off his
boots, wading in to take a look. The cool water tickles his skin
and brings back memories of his childhood at Lotus Pier, hazy
summer days when he and his shidis did nothing but horse
around in the water.
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Ah, good times, good times. He should find a way to bring
everyone around to visit Jiang Cheng. It’ll be fun to have the
whole family together.
Snapping out of his plans to annoy his shidi, he holds onto
his knees as he bends over to see what has her in a tizzy. Ah, he
can see how she could make that mistake, the tadpoles don’t
have legs yet and look more like fish than like frogs.
“Those aren’t fish.”
“No?” she stares at him, wide-eyed with surprise and
curiosity. She looks so much like A-Yuan when he was a baby
that Wei Wuxian can’t resist and reaches out to squish her
cheek.
“They are baby frogs!” he informs her and she gasps,
looking at the tadpoles with renewed interest.
“Frogs have babies?”
“All animals have babies.”
“Cranes?”
“Yes.”
“Dogs?”
He shivers but answers an affirmative. She turns
pensative, holding her chin with a muddy hand and leaving a
dark mark that he’s going to have to make her wash later.
“What about crabs?”
“Crabs have babies too, all living things have babies.”
She puts her face close to the water and squints.
“Frog babies don’t look like frogs.”
Wei Wuxian chuckles and picks up her braid before it can
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 fall in the water. With years of experience to call upon, he swiftly
binds the braid around her head while she completely ignores
him in favor of this new, fascinating, discovery.
“Grandpa, were are their parents?” she looks around in
concern, “were they abandoned?”
Wei Wuxian sighs in a mix of amusement and regret, ever
since she learnt her beloved auntie had been abandoned by her
parents, she has been worried of the same happening to anyone
she encounters.
Thankfully, she didn’t think for a second that her own
parents would abandon her. Wei Wuxian is proud of Sizhui for
raising his daughter with so much love the possibility wouldn’t
even enter her mind.
“Their parents went to get some food, I’m sure they’ll
return shortly.”
“Hmm,” she gives him a skeptical look that makes him
laugh and rub her back comfortingly.
“When the sun starts going down you’re going to hear
their parents call their children for dinner.”
“You promise?” she stares at him with her enormous
brown eyes and he almost melts in a puddle of goo at seeing
her worried little face.
“I promise,” then he licks his thumb and rubs the mud off
her face, making her scrunch her nose and try to avoid him.
“No! Gross!”
“Who’s gross, you filthy little mud monster?” he asks and
she stomps her foot, inadvertently splashing them both with
mud and water.
“I’m not a mud monster!” her lips wobble dangerously and
Wei Wuxian smiles and grabs her under the arms to pick up.
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“Alright then, not a mud monster. But a very muddy girl,”
he chuckles and taps her itty bitty nose, laughing out loud when
she goes cross eyed over the black patch now covering her
nose. “Lets get all cleaned up and then have some snacks.”
“Os-man-thus cakes!” she cheers, completely forgetting
her earlier upset and clapping her hands. Wei Wuxian laughs
again.
“Yes, yes, osmanthus cakes, greedy little brat,” he says
fondly as he carries her into the house.
His Lan Wangji, being the genius and thoughtful husband
that he is, anticipated the need for them to bath after their
playtime outside, and left them a tub filled with hot water to
enjoy.
“You’re falling!” he says, playfully letting go for a fraction
of a second before catching her again, she screeches with
laughter.
“Don’t make me fall!” little Wenyin holds onto his arms
tightly but grins so wide her eyes are little new moons.
“Oh nooo, you’re so heavyyyy,” Wei Wuxian pretends to
complain and drops her a couple of inches again, she squeals
and laughs again, kicking in the air.
Finally, he sets her inside the warm bath and she looks
around.
“Grandpa, the water doesn’t have froggies here.”
“No, this is not their home,” he explains patiently, grabbing
a little bowl to start dumping water on her – somehow also
muddy – hair.
“Hm,” she says, holding her chin in a thinking pose. Wei
Wuxian has to hold back his snickering, she’s starting to stroke
her chin as if she had a goat-tee just like her great granduncle.
The resemblance is uncanny.
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 Oh this is hilarious! He has to make sure to be around when
they’re both in the same room to see them do it at the same
time!
One clean lil’girl later, he sets her down next to the table
with some toys and the plate of osmanthus cakes.
“Are you going to be a good girl and stay here?” he asks
her seriously. She nods several times, making her doll nod as
well. “Good, grandpa will be right back.”
He doesn’t need to bathe really, just a quick wash of his
arms and legs and a swift change of clothes. He’s a little out
of breath after hurrying and he bemoans the terrible fate of
growing old.
Thankfully, little Wenyin is not like some of her aunts and
uncles used to be, who’d dash away and get into mischief the
moment he looked away.
Back then they were specially prone to mischief when his
husband, traitor of traitors, was the one looking after them.
Really, Wei Wuxian had been appalled at the sheer cheek of
his husband! Pretending to be a stern and outstanding Lan sect
member, and letting their children get into all sorts of disasters
behind his back.
And people would never believe him when he said it was
Lan Wangji who let them run wild like that! The injustice of it all!
Huffing in long suffering annoyance, he quickly returns to
little Wenyin’s side, smiling at her cheeks, stuffed full of cakes
and looking like a chipmunk.
“Lil’piggy, lil’piggy, can I have some of your food?” he
teases and sits down next to her.
Sweet Wenyin nods several times and picks a cake,
offering it to him. Wei Wuxian feels himself melt.
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“Ah, what a filial child, feeding your grandpa,” then he
smiles wide and eats the cake from her hand, pretending he’s
going to chomp her fingers.
She squeals and pulls away as fast as lightning, Wei Wuxian
happily munches on his cake and grins at her suspicious look.
But she takes another cake and offers it.
So he pretends to chomp her again. She crosses her arms
and looks at him sternly.
“Grandpa! Don’t eat me!”
“But you’re such a sweet little girl! How can I resist?” he
bats his eyelashes innocently and has to fight back the urge to
cackle at her adorable little glare.
“No eating me!”
“I’ll staaaarve,” he whines and falls on his side, pretending
to be dying. Little Wenyin is used to his antics and turns away
with a huff.
Wei Wuxian smirks and looks at her through his lowered
eyelashes, he just has to wait for a minute or so in silence and
then…
“Grandpa?” she turns back to him with eyes wide in
concern.
Wei Wuxian doesn’t answer.
“Grandpa, are you well?” she scoots her little butt closer
and lets her guard down.
“AHA!” he jumps and grabs her, capturing into his arms.
“MY PRISONER!” he cackles and starts tickling her mercilessly.
She squeals, kicks and squirms, trying to get away.
“NO GRANDPA NOOO,” she begs for mercy and he soon
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 stops, mostly because he doesn’t want her to throw up on him.
That is an experience he doesn’t feel like repeating.
“Alright, alright, no more playing, let’s have some tea and
cakes,” he gives his peace offer and she pouts.
“I eated! You played!”
“Fine, grandpa is at fault, come now, don’t be angry with
this old man,” he coaxes her for a few minutes, so she soon
stops being grumpy and starts eating her snacks again.
“Grandpa is not old, great granduncle is old.”
Wei Wuxian snickers and kisses the top of her head.
“Don’t tell him that.”
“I know, I’m not stupid.”
“Of course, you’re a smart little girl.”
Full of tea and snacks, little Wenyin starts yawning. Wei
Wuxian takes a look at the shadows outside, it is about time for
a nap.
“’m not sleepy,” she says as he lays her down on the bed
and climbs after her.
“Of course not, but grandpa is sleepy,” he pretends to
yawn. “Stay with me for a little bit, yeah?”
“Okay.”
“Good girl, so filial.”
She falls asleep within seconds and he smiles, slowly
brushing her hair with his fingers as he watches her sleep.
What a sweet child.
He closes his eyes as well and dozes off, lulled to sleep by
the warmth of the day and the tiredness from all the excitement.
176
It seemed that he only just closed his eyes when he feels
her start to climb out the bed.
“Shh, xiao-guniang, we have to be quiet and let grandpa
sleep,” Wenyin tells her doll as she, not too gently, clambers
over Wei Wuxian and slides down the other side, landing on the
floor.
Wei Wuxian pretends to still be asleep, even giving a loud
snore that sends her into a fit of giggling.
When the pitter-patter of her footsteps starts leaving,
Wei Wuxian opens his eyes and gets up, silently following her.
She takes the bowl from next to the bathing tub and goes
outside. It doesn’t take long to figure out what she’s doing and he
covers his mouth with his hand as she slowly and painstakingly
starts scooping up the tadpoles from the pond.
“Grandpa will give you lots of food and warm baths and
tickles!” she tells her little prisoners as she brings them back
and dumps them in the, thankfully now cold, water. Then she
dashes back outside.
Wei Wuxian keeps an eye on her, lamenting the mud she
trails into the house, but too amused by what she’s doing to
stop her.
When it seems like she’s not going to be wandering outside
anymore, he hurries back to the bed and pretends to be asleep.
“Grandpa! Wake up!” she shakes him and he pretends to
startle and looks around with sleepy eyes.
“Whaaaa?” he says, rubbing his eyes, little Wenyin laughs
at him.
“Grandpa you slept sooo looooong,” she complains
adorably and he smiles and pats her head.
“Grandpa is old and needs to recover his strength,” he
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 lies shamelessly and sits up. “And what has my naughty YinYin
been doing while grandpa slept, hm?” he teases as he tickles
her chin.
She quickly ducks her head to stop him.
“I’m not naughty! I’m good!” she huffs and stomps her,
once again muddy, foot.
“Yes, yes, YinYin is the gentlest and sweetest little girl,”
he tugs at her braid and grins when she huffs at him, then she
seems to remember something and perks up.
“Grandpa! I have a gift!” she says and takes his hand,
pulling him to get up.
“A gift? What kind of gift?” he plays along, following as
she takes him behind the screen towards the bathing section,
he hides his grimace at all the mud around.
“Look! Friends!” she says, pointing inside the bathtub.
He obediently leans in and pretends to gasp in surprise.
“Oh dear! How did they get in here?”
“They moved in to be your friends!” she says, puffing out
her chest and very pleased with herself.
“Well, I won’t say no to some new friends,” he answers,
snickering at the half dozen or so tadpoles now swimming
inside his bathtub.
Seeing them there has given him an idea.
“As happy as I am to have new friends, perhaps we should
clean up these friends’ mess?” he raises an eyebrow and she
looks around at her muddy trails all over the floor.
“Oh,” she frowns adorably and he leans down to kiss the
top of her head.
178
“Come now, we don’t want granddad to get sad if he sees
all this, do we?”
She vehemently shakes her head at that and he guides
her to where the cleaning supplies are.
He has no illusions that she will be of any actual help, but
she should be getting into the habit of cleaning up after herself
anyway.
So after a quick wash of her muddy feet again, this time
just outside, since right now the bathtub can’t be used, they
grab some rags and a bucket of water and begin cleaning the
mud off the floors.
The carpet is better to be left for the laundry people.
Halfway through, his husband and their eldest boy arrive.
“BABA!” Wenyin screeches in glee and shoots off towards
her dad, who quickly picks her up and puts her on his hip.
“Hello my little flower, did you behave for your grandpa?”
“Yes! I’m a good girl!”
Lan Sizhui smiles at that, “I’m happy to hear that,” then he
turns to Wei Wuxian, “did she behave?”
“Of course! She’s an obedient and filial little girl!” he
answers from his place in between his husband’s arms and the
son of his heart gives him an indulgent smile. “I’m happy to hear
that.”
“Wei Ying,” his husband calls him and he turns back to
give him a smile.
“Hello handsome~” he winks and smiles happily when Lan
Wangji kisses his forehead.
“A good day?”
179
 “The best day!”
“Good.”
Lan Sizhui clears his throat and they turn to him as one.
“Wei-gege, father, I will be taking this little one home now.
Have a good evening.”
“Good evening, Sizhui, Wenyin,” Lan Wangji pats her head
and she grins widely at him.
“Sweet dreams to both of you!” Wei Wuxian waves at
them while they follow them outside, watching and continuing
to wave as they make their way back towards their own home.
From her father’s shoulder, Wenyin also keeps waving back at
them.
It isn’t until they have disappeared beyond the treeline
that they stop waving and Wei Wuxian leans into his husband’s
embrace once again.
“Aah~ I’m so tired~” he whines and allows himself to be
swept off his feet by his strong, handsome, silver-fox of a
husband. “My hero~” he teases, kissing his cheek and curling
his finger around the end of the forehead ribbon.
“Always,” Lan Wangji says with a firm nod as he carries
him into the house and sets him down on a cushion next to the
table. “Have you eaten?”
“Just had some snacks so I’m not hungry yet,” he chirps
up in response.
“Good,” he answers, the little wrinkles at the corner of his
eyes as he smiles give him a soft look that makes Wei Wuxian
melt.
“Lan Zhan, warn me before you look at me like that!” he
clasps his heart and almost swoons when it makes his beloved
husband chuckle.
180
“I always look at you like this.”
“Exactly! How can I handle such a thing?!” he continues
playfully complaining, and Lan Wangji shakes his head in fond
exasperation before going behind the screen to prepare a bath.
Then he stops.
Wei Wuxian leans forward eagerly.
“Wei Ying,” his husband’s voice sounds a little hesitant
and he has to do all he can to not snicker.
“Yes, love of my life?” he asks, smiling like butter couldn’t
melt in his mouth.
Lan Wangji returns and gives him a patient look, “we have
visitors?”
Just the way he says that makes the corners of Wei
Wuxian’s mouth tremble.
“Your granddaughter thoughtfully brought in some friends
for us.”
“Our new friends’ parents must be worried,” Lan Wangji
plays along, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.
Wei Wuxian bursts into laughter.
“YOUR FACE AHHAHAHAHA LAN ZHAN AHAHAHAHA,” he’s
howling, clutching his stomach and rolling around like he has
never seen something so funny.
Lan Wangji patiently waits for him to stop.
“Aww darling, don’t look so put upon!” he says as he sees
the annoyance in Lan Wangji’s face. He quickly gets up and takes
his face between his hands, quickly pecking a dozen kisses all
over it as he speaks. “I know you don’t like slimy things, I will
get them out of your hair really quick! You should’ve seen her
face though! She was so hopeful! I couldn’t bear to tell her to
181
 take them out!”

Lan Wangji patiently lets himself be kissed all over, holding

Wei Wuxian’s waist and bringing him close.

“Forgive your foolish husband for his teasing?” Wei Wuxian

asks, pressing their foreheads together.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Lan Wangji answers sweetly

and then shivers, a brief flash of disgust appearing in his face.
“Get them out.”

Wei Wuxian cackles again and goes to do as bid.

182
 Treasure
Every Moment

Written by Yumi Hamano

SUMMARY:
Wei Ying was recalling fond memories of his married life
realizing that their 50th anniversary was soon.

TAGS:
domestic life, soft and fluff, sad ending, major character death,
married wangxian

BETA:
Lightning
ELDER YEARS

183
 Wei Ying thought it was a big deal. It was their 50th
anniversary, which meant he was married to Lan Zhan for a
whole 50 years.
Married at the young age of 22, they were already parents
to the recently orphaned cousin of their friends, Wen Qing and
Wen Ning. The couple knew that people were concerned that
they were rushing into marriage too early after dating for only
3 months. But prior to their mutual confessions, they were best
friends since they were both 15.
As high school graduation dawned on them, the then best
friends had their own idea of their future.
Lan Zhan gave up on any ideas of romance and prepared
himself to take care of Wei Ying on the side, as a friend. Wei Ying,
on the other hand, was going to cling to Lan Zhan for as long as
he could until the other man was married. He couldn’t be too
clingy with a married man. In fact, neither of them considered
dating or being married to the other, much to their friends and
family’s dismay.
It had taken Wei Ying being really drunk and started crying
about Lan Zhan being married to a beautiful woman and having
beautiful children for Lan Zhan to realize that his feelings
weren’t as one-sided as he originally thought.
Wei Ying woke up the next day with a terrible hangover
but he got a boyfriend out of it. He was definitely more whiny
and needy than usual since Lan Zhan loved to take care of him.
Being married for so long, they had their shares of
arguments and fights as any normal couple. Their biggest fight
lasted three days. It ended because Wei Ying missed the comfort
of his husband at night and Lan Zhan missed his welcome back
kisses after a long day at work. Wei Ying couldn’t even remember
what they were arguing about after three lonely days.
184
Three adopted children and eight grandchildren later, 50
married years had passed by and Wei Ying couldn’t be happier.
He may be hobbling around with a walking cane but it didn’t stop
him giving Lan Zhan pecks on the cheeks because his husband
needs to know that he is loved at all times.
Lan Zhan still bought him flowers on the first day of
each month, brightening their living room before they started
pressing the flowers into bookmarks together. At first, they
did it for fun and as a keepsake. Then, their eldest daughter
suggested they sold the bookmarks for charity and even built
them a website to handle everything.
Now with each bouquet, they kept one bookmark for
themselves and sold the other ones to donate the proceeds to
a different local charity or community service.
Wei Ying’s hands are no longer as nimble as they were
when he was younger. Lan Zhan’s eyesight was starting to fail
him, making the man squint to focus. But the two of them work
together with patience and joyous laughter each time.
Sometimes, their children would come over with their
partners to help. Their youngest daughter was the artistic one
of the three, so she was more than happy to help. Her girlfriend
was less well versed in the arts, but Wei Ying always joked that
anything she made was better than what two old men could
hope to accomplish at their age.
When Wei Ying told his husband their 50th anniversary
was coming up, Lan Zhan smiled gently in his own quiet way and
told him that he knew. Wei Ying huffed in response.
Even in their elderly years, Lan Zhan’s memory was far
superior to Wei Ying’s spotty memories.
Wei Ying picked up scrapbooking 30 years ago, long after
185
 they kept albums of photos. Originally, he kept everything on his
hard drive due to his limited phone storage space, but after a
technological scare, Wei Ying had his photos backed up digitally
in three places and then printed out and kept in albums.
It was also nice to look back to sit on the couch, cuddled
against his husband and flipping through pages of their
memories.
After their oldest child graduated and entered the
workforce, Wei Ying found himself wanting to document every
step of his journey. Scrapbooking was his answer to track his
development from when they adopted him as a toddler and
watch him grow into the fine young man he became. Lan Zhan
was helpful to pointing out details that Wei Ying had already
forgotten over the years. Aside from the pointers, he didn’t do
much since he knew it was Wei Ying’s project and it was his way
to record all his precious memories.
Wei Ying didn’t wait until he finished the first one before
he started on the other two. They had three wonderful children
and they all deserved to be loved equally. Their youngest child
was a little spoiled princess that demanded for her scrapbook
to be pink with lots of sparkles and jewels. Ignoring her eight-
year-old request, Wei Ying did choose a pink floral theme for
hers.
When their oldest was married, Wei Ying gifted the newly
wedded couple the scrapbook he made over the years. He even
documented the couple at the end but didn’t add it until the two
of them started talking about settling down before the proposal
was made. After all, Wei Ying didn’t want all his hard work to
go to waste if it was going to end in heartbreak. Lan Zhan, as
the all-knowing father, said that the two of them would have a
loving marriage but Wei Ying refused to believe it until he saw
it.
186
Wei Ying did the same with his second eldest child,
presenting the gift at their housewarming party two months
after the wedding. Their youngest child decided not to get
married, so Wei Ying gifted them the scrapbook after they
moved in together and celebrated their 5th year together.
It wasn’t until later that Wei Ying discovered that Lan Zhan
was also making a scrapbook, but one for them.
Wei Ying knew about his memento box where he had
keepsakes, that started with throwaway stuff from Wei Ying’s
teenage years to gifts and trinkets from special occasions and
vacations. One year, Wei Ying made a treasure box at a workshop
for Lan Zhan’s collection.
It was a delightful surprise on their 30th anniversary and
they started working on a new one together. It was the fifth
one in the collection because Lan Zhan was a sap that recorded
nearly everything of their life together. He was sure that if
Wei Ying did not make separate ones for their children, their
collection would be in the double digits.
They planned their 50th anniversary together. After one
year of double surprise disaster, that luckily worked out after
pushing the dinner reservation after the orchestra performance,
the couple decided to plan their celebrations together so they
didn’t have a clash of events again.
It started as a small family dinner, but it ended up being
a larger event since Wei Ying wanted to celebrate with more
people.
“It’s our 50th anniversary, Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying laughed,
the twinkle in his eyes never faded with age. “I think we deserve
something special, not just for us. Besides, we’re going to have
to deal with little gremlins running around too. Peaceful dinner
plans are not on the table unless they all manage to find a
187
 babysitter.”
“Not hard,” Lan Zhan countered, but crossed out their
initial plans to work on the grander plan Wei Ying wanted. At
this rate, they were going to have to book a banquet hall but
Lan Zhan wasn’t opposed to it.
Wei Ying always thrived where there were people, even
when his bones creak with his excited movements.
In the end, they booked a banquet hall for a gathering and
dinner after. The gathering was more for friends and family so
they could talk and catch up, while some of them sit down for
some mahjong. Dinner was the more formal event where their
acquaintances and colleagues were also invited and make it
the big celebration Wei Ying wanted.
They left the decoration of the venue to Nie Huaisang, a
retired event planner. After all, he was the one to help them
with their wedding and many events after. They trusted that he
knew what they wanted, and deliver it with a nice red bow.
The day of celebration was a chaotic success, which is
what happens when Wei Ying and Nie Huaisang are together.
Lan Zhan had already said goodbye to his peaceful days when
his heart decided Wei Ying was the one for him and there could
never be another. Nie Huaisang was always a silent and lurking
presence in his life, but grew louder and braver when Wei Ying
was involved. The two of them were a chaotic gremlin duo that
got into mischief, but always escaped from being caught. Lan
Zhan was unfortunately included as an accomplice since Wei
Ying would rush to tell him what grand prank they managed to
pull off.
It started off as a normal gathering when their children,
grandchildren, and friends arrived in the early afternoon.
The older generation weren’t able to indulge in the alcoholic
188
beverages, much to Wei Ying’s sadness, but some of the
younger ones drank in moderation. There were some arguing
over mahjong while everyone else broke out into smaller circles
to chat.
Then the evening group started pouring in and the venue
got louder. Some of the volunteers that Lan Zhan worked with
were bright eyed young adults, not yet used to formal events.
Lan Zhan couldn’t blame them for sputtering in surprise
at some of the people gathered in the banquet hall, as both Wei
Ying and himself were involved in higher society before they
decided a quaint lifestyle fit them after retirement.
He did have to admit that it was nice to see some of his
coworkers after all these years since his retirement. Lan Zhan
rarely kept in contact with people in his life outside of family.
Even then, Wei Ying was often the bridge that kept contact with
everyone. The man was a social butterfly and Lan Zhan was
more than happy to allow him to take over in the socialization
department.
As the night went on, some of their guests got fairly drunk
and there was impromptu dancing. Wei Ying would have joined
them on the dancefloor if Lan Zhan didn’t hold him back. His
bones were not able to handle that kind of level of movement
and flexibility no matter how much Wei Ying claimed he could.
Wei Ying was having the time of his life surrounded by
people he loved and other acquaintances, but he was married
to Lan Zhan long enough to tell the man was reaching his limit.
As the old men they were, they retired early in the night and
wished everyone to continue having a good time before they left.
The other nice thing of not being the event planner meant that
Wei Ying could escape anytime he wanted and not worry about
clean up afterwards. He would have cackled at the thought if he
didn’t feel like his energy levels were also flagging.
189
 He used to make fun of Lan Zhan’s nine o’clock sleep
time, but as he grew older, Wei Ying found himself abiding by it
willingly. The only positive thing about his early bedtime was he
got to sleep together with Lan Zhan at the same time instead of
crawling into bed later.

Wei Ying was glad that they were able to have a grand
celebration for their 50th anniversary, as there will never be
another.

“Lan Zhan, didn’t you say you would be with me until

we’re both gray and old. We might be gray, but we only begun
our elderly journey,” Wei Ying said with flowers in his hands. “If
I’m honest, I always thought I would go first since I was the one
doing reckless shit and getting sick all the time. Maybe that
was the problem, you never got sick so your immune system is
weak as shit.”

Wei Ying laughed humorlessly before a cough racked his

frame.

“I don’t think I have to wait long to join you,” Wei Ying

said after the coughing subsided. “I don’t have my wonderful
husband taking care of me and now I’m getting sick again.”

Silence was his only answer.

“Wait for me, Lan Zhan. I won’t let you be alone for too
long,” Wei Ying said as he placed down the flowers. “It’s lonely
here without you. I can’t wait to see you again.”

190
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