Lan Xichen stood in front of them, his chuckle gradually turned into a grin. He could almost see steam coming from the pair's heads, he asked, "So, you two had acknowledged each other's feeling?"
Lan Wangji and Xiao Zhan looked at each other. They did not know what to say. It was the second time they had been caught red-handed like this and somehow, it felt worse than the first time.
After a while, Lan Wangji regained his usual calmness and responded for both of them. His voice was gentle as he spoke the words of truth, "Yes, we have."
Xiao Zhan blushed as the words passed Lan Wangji's mouth. He had known all along that Lan Xichen was supportive of whatever the two of them might feel for one another, but it did not make the situation any less awkward.
Lan Xichen seemed to have expected this response, he said with a teasing look in his face, "I could see that and it's pretty difficult for me to unsee what I saw."
"We sincerely apologize, Brother." Lan Wangji said calmly. Under his straight face, he wanted nothing but for his brother to leave them alone quickly as there was no need to prolong this conversation.
"It's fine, Wangji. I have known since a long time now." A fond smile appeared on the first Young Master Lan's lips, knowing how close the two had been. It was too obvious. In fact, he was happy to finally get the confirmation on their relationship although he never expected that it had progressed to such extend. He was a little surprised to witness his brother, who normally disliked physical contacts, to be proactive enough to express his feelings and initiated intimate acts in public places though. His brother who always kept his emotions well-hidden was finally starting to reveal some and for the first time, his brother boldly broke the rules of Gusu Lan sects that usually controlled his every move without fear of consequences. What's more interesting was Young Master Wei who always seemed all powerful, willingly surrendered himself to the embraces of his younger brother as if it was a routine occurrence. His smile broadened, "I am glad that the two of you are happy together."
Lan Xichen looked at Xiao Zhan again who stared back at him silently, "Young Master Wei, please take a good care of my brother. He can be stubborn sometimes, but he really means what he says."
"Brother!" Lan Wangji protested slightly, which earned him a small laugh from his elder brother.
Xiao Zhan let a chuckle out of his lips seeing their brotherly affair, he felt his heart warmed by the sight before him. He then nodded respectfully, "I will, Zewu-Jun. I agree that Lan Zhan is indeed stubborn."
Lan Wangji responded by pulling Xiao Zhan by the hip towards him, which caused the latter to yelp in at the sudden gesture. He kept his grasp on the slender waist tight, to keep him firmly in place. He frowned disapprovingly, "I am not."
Xiao Zhan attempted to pry the fingers that clamped down on his body but soon gave up. He glanced pointedly at the hand that refused to let him go, and simply made a remark, "See this? Stubborn."
Lan Wangji continued glaring at Xiao Zhan, his hands remained firm and refused to budge. Xiao Zhan sighed deeply in resignation, "Fine, fine. You are not stubborn, Lan Zhan. You just like getting your way."
Lan Wangji's frown eased up, he whispered close to Xiao Zhan's, "Maybe, but you always gave in."
Lan Wangji's statement sent chills down Xiao Zhan's spine; he could feel pink blush creeping to his cheeks. He huffed in annoyance, "You...are so shameless!"
As much as Lan Xichen loved his brother's display of affection, the older man had to admit that Xiao Zhan's behaviors towards his brother was rather adorable. It made so much sense that his brother would be attracted to the handsome young man. His younger brother had been smitten with the other since the first time they met. He then shook his head, the two once again wrapped up in their own bubble. He cleared his throat. This effectively startled the two from their intimate moment and the pair finally paid attention to his presence. Lan Xichen knew he needed to leave these two lovebirds alone, he quickly spoke of his reason to return to the training field at the first place, "Wangji, Young Master Wei. Sorry to interrupt your moment again. I'm going to keep it short. The formal discussion will be in three days. So, don't be late."
The pair nodded simultaneously in response. Lan Wangji's face held no trace of redness, as he spoke up, "Brother, if there's nothing else, would you mind?"
"Of course, Wangji. By the way, you two should also rest now and I mean rest. Not 'rest'." Lan Xichen said with a grin. He couldn't help himself. He did not miss the unimpressed look on the young pair got on their face when they heard his words despite their respectful bows. He turned his heel leaving the two for themselves and made his exit from the training ground with a happy hum and wide smile in his face.
With his brother gone from their line of sight, Lan Wangji looked deep into Xiao Zhan's eyes and pulled him flushed to his chest. He pretty much anticipated a couple of slaps on his chest, and he received it. A number of it.
"Lan Zhan, what did I say?? We would get caught!" Xiao Zhan complained while hitting repeatedly at Lan Wangji's chest. It didn't hurt and Xiao Zhan knew what he was doing. His voice however was filled with irritation.
That only caused Lan Wangji smiled with amusement and proceeded to tighten his hold on Xiao Zhan. He ignored his complains and pressed his lips onto Xiao Zhan's forehead. "And I did say, it would be a good thing. Now you really have no choice but to stay with me."
"Urgh! Are you even human?" Xiao Zhan groaned and squirmed to get away from Lan Wangji's grip. This proved futile as the arms around him became even tighter and trapped him. He tried to push his way out again. "Let me go, Lan Zhan! Are you trying to get us caught again?"
"What if I am?" Lan Wangji replied smoothly.
Xiao Zhan stilled his movements, a scowl displayed across his face as he remarked dryly," I'm not joking. You would not like it if I started counting."
"I will gladly count with you." Lan Wangji simply replied without breaking eye contact, his tone serious. He then added, "Besides, you don't have much energy left."
"Oho, you are sorely mistaken, my beloved Lan Zhan." Xiao Zhan leaned forward, bringing him close enough until his mouth was hovering near Lan Wangji's ear. A wicked glint danced in his eyes as he breathed out his words, "You know well what I am capable of. I am just holding back because it's you."
Lan Wangji merely smiled, an indulgent gleam in his eyes as he reached up to stroke the strands of hair out of Xiao Zhan's face. The thought of calling him his 'beloved' caused heat to spread across his face. He asked in equally low voice, "Wei Ying, is that supposed to scare me?"
A devilish grin spread over Xiao Zhan's lips as he replied in a sing song voice, "Yes. Is it working?"
Lan Wangji shook his head lightly as he held gaze steadily, "According to your lecture on tactical approach, I had identified that I am your weakness. So, it was not very effective."
Xiao Zhan laughed heartily. Once he had regained his breath, he rubbed Lan Wangji's cheek with his thumb, "My Lan Zhan is so smart. But you are forgetting one small detail of tactical knowledge."
Lan Wangji tilted his head curiously, "Which is?"
"Lan Er Gege." Xiao Zhan murmured sweetly to his ear, "Your weakness is right here, in front of you. Me."
Lan Wangji swallowed thickly before answering, still unwilling to admit defeat, "True. However, I still have the upper hand."
"Oh, do you now?" Xiao Zhan's eyebrow raised as he leaned back and gave Lan Wangji an amused glance, "Alright, let see how you can deal with this then."
With that declaration, Xiao Zhan shut his eyes and unleashed the remaining spiritual energy stored within his core, sending a burst of shockwave that once again shake the already abused mountain area. The air crackled menacingly in anticipation as it vibrated with power. His lips were slightly parted, his breathing heavy and rapid.
Lan Wangji remained steadfast in his stand despite the small earthquake Xiao Zhan had caused. His face was completely calm and composed as he brought his right arm up from Xiao Zhan's waist to gently cup his cheek, he whispered close to Xiao Zhan's ear, "Wei Ying."
Xiao Zhan felt the same tingling sensation that he always got whenever Lan Wangji called out to him like that. As always, the effect of that deep voice was potent and just like that the tremor that shook the earth gradually subsided, and everything became still once again. He opened his eyes and found himself unable to tear his eyes away from those mesmerizing light eyes that were reflecting utmost devotions and love. His expression softened as he allowed himself to melt under that warm gaze and a quiet whimper escaped him when Lan Wangji press a gentle kiss on his lips. He felt weak all of a sudden, even more so than usual. The aftermath of his foolish act took its toll on him. He indeed had outstretched his limit too far this time. His legs buckled slightly, causing him to stagger a little. His headache getting more intense as if his brain was having house renovation with endless drilling and burring.
"Are you alright?" Lan Wangji asked worry dripping from his tone. He helped steady Xiao Zhan by pulling him close to lean against his chest.
"Just... really dizzy." he mumbled almost incoherently. His eyes drifted shut trying to fight through the aural migraine.
Lan Wangji frowned; he could hear the exhaustion in his voice. He said gently placed his hand behind Xiao Zhan's head, stroking his hair lightly. He admonished slightly, "Reckless."
"Yeah, I should have never done that. "Xiao Zhan acknowledged his misjudgment with the very last drop of energy he had before laying his head against Lan Wangji's shoulder. He listened to the sound of Lan Wangji's heartbeat while closing his eyes. The rhythm lulled him to sleep, soon after.
The next time he awoke, the sunlight was streaming in through the room, and he could tell that it was almost noon. He immediately stretched himself and sat upright, looking around the room. This was not his room. His throat felt dry and parched from dehydration. The feeling of hunger suddenly hit him, and he quickly stood up, intending to find some water to quench his thirst with. It required no effort whatsoever as Lan Wangji did prepare a pot of water and a cup on the table close to the bed. As he was drinking, his mind went blank momentarily when he finally took a look on himself and noticed he was dressed in his undergarment. Technically, he was not naked, so he did not bother much about it. The thing that caught his attention was Lan Wangji was not in the room and he could not find the outer layers of his clothing anywhere either. If he was still in modern world, he would consider himself to be overdressed for sleeping, given the fact that he sometimes would not even bother to wear anything at all to sleep. But he was no longer in modern world, and he could not possibly make his way to his room with only the current garment on his body.
Where is he? And where the hell did, he put my clothes?
He sighed heavily, rubbing his temples with grimace on his face. So, he just grabbed for something appropriate to wear in the closet and put on Lan Wangji's clothing. The clothes were surprisingly comfortable and smelled exactly like Lan Wangji. The material was a lot softer than the material he had worn during the spring season. When Xiao Zhan had finished dressing, he tied the belt tightly and fixed the sleeves before putting on his own boots that were kept right by the bed. He felt funny in wearing an off-white-colored attire after wearing only dark nuances for as long as he can remember. He suddenly missed the fashionable modern clothing. His collections of clothes. His shoes. His short hair.
Thinking about his hair brought him back to his current long hair. He had this urge to chop them off. His hair was untied, and it framed his slim face and fell beautifully to his back to almost reaching his waist. He tied them up with his usual red ribbon which was placed neatly beside the pillow. Looking at his reflection on the mirror he found in the room, he checked his appearance. The collar of the scarlet red undergarment popped out and contrasted strikingly with the cloud motive outer tunic. In his usual signature attires, he looked charismatic and dashingly handsome. Right now, in the snowy white and red ensemble, he looked like a graceful and refined man, making him resemble a beautiful young man who had just fallen from heaven. He looked younger and more innocent. It was fashionable and not bad at all. Well, it did not matter much to him anyway as this was a temporary measure; his plan was to go straight to his room and change into his own clothes right away. Plus, his stomach was already grumbling and demanding to be filled.
Xiao Zhan proceeded to walked out and he stopped dead in his mid-step in surprise. Standing next to the stairs was, Lan Xichen who was smiling widely at him as if he had just witnessed something incredibly funny.
"Young Master Wei, I did not expect to find you in Wangji's place." Lan Xichen stated bluntly, his tone filled with amusement. He added, emphasizing as his smile morphed into a teasing grin, "Again."
Xiao Zhan could see the playful twinkle in the elder brother of Lan Wangji's eyes, and he was quite ill at ease. He began explaining, "Zewu-Jun, Lan Zhan brought me here last night - "
"Oh? Last night?" Before he could finish, Lan Xichen interrupted him hastily. He laughed lightly and continued with his playful banter, "Young Master Wei, please spare me the details."
"Zewu-Jun, I think you misunderstood this. We didn't do anything improper or inappropriate." Xiao Zhan insisted, hoping that would clear his name. His face started to heat up.
"Is that so?" Lan Xichen said with a raised brow. He smiled broadly, wiggling his eyebrows, "However, I recalled witnessing something inappropriate and improper."
Xiao Zhan's eyes widened significantly at the remembrance. He knew well that the first Jade of Lan was just teasing. Despite that, he still blushed furiously, and he could not put out his words without stammering, "I mean... apart from those... We did not..."
How do I say 'we did not have sex' out loud??
In the end, he couldn't complete his sentence. He gave up on explaining and just persisted, "It's really nothing of sorts."
"Do you want to tell me why you are wearing Wangji's clothes?" Lan Xichen continued to tease, ignoring his previous attempts of explanation. His mind seemed to have drifted far.
This persistent hopeless incorrigible romantic!
"I can't find my clothes, so I just borrowed his. Temporarily." Xiao Zhan explained lamely while pinching his nose bridge.
Lan Xichen's expression grew even more amused. He rubbed his chin, "You can't find your clothes? How did that happen? Hmm..."
This is getting worse and worse. I am so damn hungry...Can you let me off, please? I swear to God, I am going to start crying soon. How relentless...
Xiao Zhan decided to exercise his right to remain silent as he tried his hardest not to panic and embarrass himself. He knew that it was pointless trying to explain, since his whatever he said would be used against him and ultimately lead to more teasing.
Thankfully, he did not have to answer the question as Lan Wangji came around the corner. He wore a deep frown on his face and chided, "Brother. Please do not tease him. It's really unbecoming."
Xiao Zhan looked at Lan Wangji with pursed lips. His eyes started glittered innocently and were pleading for help, his voice sounded like a pouting child, "Lan Zhan."
His brother spoke matter of factly but there was underlying hint of mischief. His smirk widened ever so slightly. "I'm not teasing him, I'm stating facts. So why did you lend your clothes to someone else?"
"Brother, it's my clothes. It's my right to lend it." Lan Wangji argued vehemently. It was very apparent on his face that he was displeased.
"Ah yes, I suppose you're right." Lan Xichen replied nonchalantly. That, however, was not the end of his ruthless joshing, he directed his previous question to his younger brother with his head tilted to one side, "Wangji, I heard from Young Master Wei that you brought him here last night?"
Oh God, when will this cruelty ends? I'm about to get gastritis.
Xiao Zhan buried his face in his hands and groaned inwardly. Lan Wangji glared daggers at his brother and answered curtly, "Yes, I did. What about it?"
Lan Xichen smiled brightly at his brother's retort, he patted on Lan Wangji's shoulder, "Wangji, just be careful. I can understand that you two love each other and matured enough to-"
"Brother, straight to your point please." Lan Wangji cut him off abruptly. He knew his behavior might be disrespectful and unacceptable, but he could not tolerate his brother's nosy questions for too long.
Lan Xichen was undeterred, instead smiled sweetly and ignored his younger sibling's outburst, "Oh dear, my brother seems to get a lot more impatient since he met you, Young Master Wei."
And I am getting more impatient because of you! Ah, my blood pressure.... I really need to learn that silence spell. Wait, should I just freeze him? No no... Let's just breath in and out, breath in and out...
The comment made Xiao Zhan bit his tongue a little, he started to chant in his brain to remind himself that hurting a brother of his lover might seriously jeopardize their relationship. He would love to challenge this Zewu-Jun to a duel right now just to have a justified reason to beat him up. He kept his mouth shut, just in case he said something he might regret if he opened it.
Lan Wangji noticed Xiao Zhan's discomfort and he glowered at his brother once again, "Brother, please."
The first Young Master Lan was unfazed, he seemed to have found a new hobby, "Alright, Wangji. My point is, try to save something for after you two are married. Oh, wait, is this too late for this advice? Should I take back what I said?"
That scandalized statement earned an incredulous look from Lan Wangji. Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly. Both of them denied simultaneously, "No!"
A look of pure joy flashed through Lan Xichen's features. His lips were stretched into another big and wide smile, the corner of his eyes crinkled with glee. "Good to know that. Anyway, just don't rush to it."
The young couple shot him a glance of irritation. They both had no doubt that Lan Xichen was enjoying himself in the process and wanted them to suffer a little, so the duo was irked greatly.
"Oh, next time try not to do that kind of activities in places where you two might get caught." Lan Xichen's expression was a little serious this time although his face still held the gentle smile. "It was lucky for you two that I was the one who happened upon you both. Uncle might not be as accepting as I am."
Both of the remained quiet. They could not deny the truth in the sound advisory.
"Just try to keep yourself under control, Wangji." Lan Xichen said solemnly as he laid his eyes on his brother. He glanced between the pair once more; he stressed his gentle reminder "I mean it."
Lan Wangji just nodded in response. He was slightly bothered that his brother was touching in their private matters, but he couldn't argue against that word of the wise.
"You too, Young Master Wei. Try to resist a little more. I mean, you are truly powerful and all." Lan Xichen continued chuckling lightly at that very thought. Without waiting for a reply, Lan Xichen turned around and walked away, "Well then, I will leave you two now to your own now."
Xiao Zhan looked at the ground as he found that advice of Lan Xichen was hard to refute. He was indeed always lost his senses and logic whenever he was embraced by the second Young Master Lan. He wondered bitterly inside his head about this.
Was it even possible for me to refuse that handsome face? Or that strong biceps? Or those eyes? Those lips? He was too good at kissing... Shit, I am really weak. Should I be worried? What am I saying? Technically speaking, I probably have the most knowledge compared to most people in this place when it came to sexual education. Why am I still acting like clueless adolescent then? Every day is everyday...Damn it! Stop thinking! You mustn't think! Think of something else!
Xiao Zhan caught Lan Wangji's enthralling gazes and he felt his face flush once again. The warmth spread to every inch of his body from head to toes as he tried to ignore the sensation. It was impossible for his body to not react against that person! If anything, he should just admit defeat and beg for mercy. He closed his eyes in utter surrender and continued to chastise himself in his swirling thoughts. He got lost in it that he forgot entirely about the gnawing hunger he was having.
Lan Wangji observed Xiao Zhan's closely, his gaze lingered on the flushed cheeks. His brows furrowed as he noticed his partner's troubled countenance. When he was sure that his annoying brother of his was far enough, Lan Wangji gently placed his hand on Xiao Zhan's back and called out to him, "Wei Ying, are you upset?"
Xiao Zhan flinched and finally snapped out his stupor. His heart skipped a beat before it picked up its pace even faster and the heat spread all over his body again. He blinked a few times to compose himself before turning to see Lan Wangji staring at him with that intense expression of his and he immediately had to force himself to calm his racing hearts. He hastily excused himself, "I'll go to my room and change."