It had been more than a couple minutes since the two of them started standing motionlessly in a knee-deep flowing water, having a silent staring contest. Xiao Zhan felt like his blood circulation to his wrist had been cut off for too long that he could not feel his hand anymore.
Luckily, it was not a ghoul or wraith. It probably worse than that.
Xiao Zhan, finally free from being stupefied, broke the silence. "Let me go."
"..."
"Please." He politely demanded.
Lan Wangji loosened his grip but not letting go.
What is wrong with him now? Is he here to catch me for being absent from class?
Xiao Zhan's patience was running thin, and he was not in the mood to play nice. Just a while ago, he involuntarily accepted that the life he was living up for 30 years might had been already over and he now forced to live someone else's life based on some novel. He had no room to care about those thousands of rules or no desire to fight with the second Jade of Lan. He grunted in annoyance, pulled his wrist free and massaged his poor hand.
Xiao Zhan asked snappily, "Why are you here?"
Lan Wangji had yet to avert his razor-sharp gazes from Xiao Zhan but still adamant of keeping his mouth shut.
"Since you're not going to talk, I am leaving." Turning around, Xiao Zhan was set to leave the other boy to stare his eyes indefinitely at empty space for as long as he liked.
"Wei Ying."
Xiao Zhan body went cold. It was not the name per se that made him stop dead in track. It was the way he said it. The voice, intonation and the obvious raw emotions behind it. The very same one he heard while filming the cliff scene and Yibo was fully immersed in his role at this specific line. That same desperation just by saying the name.
Looking over his shoulder, Xiao Zhan caught a sight at Lan Wangji who was still rooted on the same spot. Tears were slowly falling from those beautiful light golden eyes.
"W-Why are you crying?" Xiao Zhan was puzzled at this sudden flabbergasting change of event. Seeing Lan Wangji letting his vulnerable side shown on his usually expressionless face, his heart softened. He sighed for the hundredth time today, it might reach the heavens. People might think he bullied the second Jade if they witness this scene.
"Hey. Let's go somewhere else. Some place quiet enough to talk." Xiao Zhan seized a hold on Lan Wang Ji's wrist without warning and dragged him to out of the stream.
For as long as Lan Wangji lived, he had an utter dislike towards physical contact with others but for some reason, he did not mind Xiao Zhan's hand on him.
Xiao Zhan let go as he stopped by the shore to put on his boots and took his sword. He then led the way towards the nearby shaded areas.
"It's quiet enough here." Xiao Zhan said while leaning against a tree. With one hand clutched firmly on Suibian, he crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side slightly as he spoke, "Now, would you tell me why are here? And why did you...uh... cry?"
Lan Wangji had regained his usual composure, stood beside him with one hand at his back like a gentleman and another on his side clenching his sword. His voice was calm, but the concern laced in it was obvious, "Were you trying to get yourself drown?"
Xiao Zhan almost choked on his saliva, "Huh? NO!"
Lan Wangji, "..."
Xiao Zhan made sense of what the second Young Master Lan was assuming and when it clicked, he dissolved into a laughter. "Ah, you thought.... Hahahaha"
Lan Wangji facial expression turned bitter, "...."
Xiao Zhan wiped off the tears forming on the corner of his eyes as he stifled the last remnant of laughter and explained gingerly, "I was not trying to take my own life. I was just curious about how it would feel to stand under the waterfall."
"Curious?" Lan Wangji shot him a sharp glare as he spoke, sounding irritated, "Of what? Afterlife?"
"Woah, calm down. Why are you so angry?" Xiao Zhan was taken aback at his reaction. He then clarified, hoping to dissuade the chilly vibe that was exuding from the ice prince. "Look, I told you the truth. I was really curious. Only curious. I have no intention to die. None."
"..." Lan Wangji's expression relaxed a little. After a moment of silence, he asked, "I have questions."
What a straightforward person.
Xiao Zhan glanced at the other man as he prompted, "Do I need to answer?"
Lan Wangji replied, "Yes."
"Should I be honest?" Xiao Zhan, at this point, really wanted to vent his grievances to someone. He needed to talk to someone before he went bonkers. Even if Lan Wangji wouldn't believe him, he did not care. He needed to rant, and he would do just that.
"Only the truth." Lan Wangji replied sternly, fixing his gaze on Xiao Zhan's eyes.
Xiao Zhan did the same to prove his trustworthiness.
The first question that came from Lan Wangji was, "Have we met before you came to Cloud Recesses?"
Xiao Zhan paused at the unexpected question. Selecting his word carefully. Eyes unwavering and steady. He answered, "No."
"..." Lan Wangji shot him a disbelief look.
Xiao Zhan quickly resumed, "I haven't finished. This would sound crazy so brace yourself. Technically, we never met before. But, in another parallel universe, I know someone who looks exactly like you."
"Parallel universe?" He repeated. The words sounded foreign.
Xiao Zhan, "Another world. Different timeline."
"...."
"Lan Zhan." Xiao Zhan blurted out, he only meant to comfort the confused puppy.
Oh no, it's not appropriate to call him by his given name, right? This damned habit. Old habit really dies hard.
Seeing that Lan Wangji did not show any negative reaction that, Xiao Zhan was relieved. Once the dam was opened, there was no stopping it. He continued on his rambling, "We never met but I knew who you are. The first time I met you was during the first lesson. I know this sounds insane. It sounds totally crazy, right? However, this is the truth. So, even if you don't believe what I am going to tell you next, I hope you will listen to the end. All right?"
Lan Wangji knitted his eyebrows closed for a brief moment in contemplation before he hummed a response, "Mn."
"My name is Xiao Zhan, and I came from the year 2022." Xiao Zhan introduced himself while keeping his gaze locked with Lan Wangji. He bit his lips nervously as he watched out for possibility of Bichen flying towards him.
"...." Lan Wang Ji's face muddled in bafflement, searching for sign of dishonesty in Xiao Zhan's eye.
Seeing that the sword stayed in its sheath, he slowly added, "I am not sure if this world is in the same dimension as mine, but you can say I am from the future. A very distant one."
Lan Wang Ji sounded perplexed. "...How?"
"I would like to know the answer to this too." Xiao Zhan sighed heavily. "I was asleep in my world and woke up here the next moment. In this body. Although, I must say I have the same appearance. Except the eye color and I look younger."
Lan Wang Ji questioned, "The one on the roof?"
Xiao Zhan, "Not me."
Silence once again took place for a couple minute.
"Continue." Lan Wangji urged him to continue his tales.
Xiao Zhan decided to not beat around the bush and just told him the truth, "I read about you in a book. To be exact, it's about you and this boy." He pointed to himself.
"Wei Ying?" Lan Wangji didn't need any answer to this.
Xiao Zhan nodded anyway, and he somehow catches a passing thought he saw in Lan Wangji's eyes. He could tell what the teen was thinking, and he narrowed his eyes as he stated earnestly, "Second Young Master Lan. I didn't possess this boy. I am not a ghost or a spirit or a demon. I am just another unfortunate human whose soul was thrown inside this body without my consent. If you can send me back to my world, I will be forever thankful!"
"..." Lan Wang Ji took a breath before he uttered in response. "Understood. Go on."
"So, the story goes like this......"
Given the extraordinary intellect of Wei Wu Xian, Xiao Zhan could even recite the whole novel and he would not even miss a single word. But nobody had time for that. Instead, he told the Second Jade the summary of it, covering the important events and key points that lead to tragedies and war. Halfway through, he paused for a good while, contemplating whether he should talk about the death of the owner of the body. He came to a decision that he should and carried on with the blatant truth, "The world turned their back on Wei Wuxian, and he died thinking he was alone. This is not the ending of the story but to avoid confusion, I think it is better if I tell you the rest of it next time."
He decided to stop the story there for now. Reason one, he wasn't sure if Lan Wangji bought his story or believe him. Two, the one standing beside him listening with serious face was barely sixteen. It was too early for him to listen to his romantic development with Wei Wuxian in the reincarnation phase of the novel. Three, because he was currently in Wei Wuxian body. He was not the real one. He would not have to go as far as marrying Lan Wangji on behalf of the genuine one just for the sake of original story plot, would he?
No, he already decided that he would use his knowledge of the future of this world to prevent some events from happening. That means, he can choose how the ending would go. So far, he had already kept his world to answer truthfully. Technically, omitting some details would not be counted as lies, right?
There another one thing Xiao Zhan added to the omit list; the fact that the story was fictional. From how he articulated his story, he worded it like a recorded history or similar. To him, telling someone they were fictional character was like denying them their entire existence. To be honest, the person who is now in front of him in the flesh, was another human with same color of blood, with a beating heart and freaking handsome face! Besides, he himself was here too. In a fictional world. Thus, who could say what was real or not?
Xiao Zhan waited for a reaction and half expecting Lan Wangji to press him to tell the whole story, but the Second Young Master Lan did not probe the matter further. Instead, his countenance was sombre, overwhelmed with sorrow.
About five minutes had passed, Xiao Zhan began to wish for earth to swallow him up as they were still pretty much rivet each other eyes, without talking.
"Did he fell off a cliff?" Lan Wang Ji asked with shaky voice, breaking the suffocating silence.
"Huh?" Xiao Zhan already made up his mind earlier that this world was based on the novel. At this point of time, he was instantaneously sitting back on the fence. Massaging his temple, he replied, "In one version, yes. To be precise, the theatrical play version in which I, myself and the person who looked like you were in. The role he was playing is you. And I, him."
Lan Wang Ji lost his words, processing the narration, "..."
An epiphany hit Xiao Zhan. "Wait. How do you know he fell off a cliff?" He never told him of this version.
Lan Wang Ji breathe audibly and murmured in shaky voice, "I saw, and I failed to save him. A dream."
What the hell...
Xiao Zhan did not know why, but his tears were automatically welling up at the rim of his lower lids as the sorrow that Lan Wangji exuding, somehow affected his emotions. He noticed the fine trembling on Lan Wangji's right hand.
Yibo was using his right hand too while filming that scene.
He got the gist of that the dream was about THAT scene. Testing the theory. "Who else was there?"
"Jiang Wang Yin."
Xiao Zhan started cursing in his heart and was so ready to throw hands at whichever godly or demonic entities who traumatize this precious Jade of Lan. Seeing how shaken up he was, it could only mean that Lan Wangji was fully immersed in the dream and felt every emotion vividly. To witness and fail to save someone he loved chose to fall to his death from the first person's perspective, it must had hurt really bad.
"That song. His death." Lan wangji remarked.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Xiao Zhan was dumfounded.
"You sang."
" Oh.... Yes. The song mentioned it." Xiao Zhan eyes widened. "No wait! Fuck!"
Apparently, the monkey he expected to appear after he pulled the solo musical drama stunt was replaced by this ice prince instead. At this juncture, Xiao Zhan cheeks reddened from embarrassment, and he wanted to bury himself in a hole.
Lan Wangji calmly recited, "Vulgar language is prohibited."
Xiao Zhan could feel his eyes rolling at that rule. He scoffed, "Tsk, you should be more lenient.
No longer fixating his gaze on Xiao Zhan's, Lan Wangji turned to face other direction. The sound of birds chirping, leaves rustling with the soft blow of cool breezes and melodic nature sound filled the atmosphere once again.
End of conversation, it seems.
Xiao Zhan thought as he put both hands behind his head. He then relaxed his back, leaning against the tree as took that quiet moment to close his eyes, giving Lan Wangji some space to process and digest the ludicrous but true story in peace. He needed to take a breather too. He still had the shorter end of the stick after all.
That was until, he felt a cold metal on his neck.
Fuck...