Chapter 31 - Dew

A/N: Happy New Year everyone! 🥳 Enjoy drunk LWJ scene no.1  ;)

After he summoned Wen Ning, Wei WuXian's state of mind was somewhat confused, so it was hard for him to be continuously alert. And, if Lan WangJi didn't want someone to notice his arrival, he could do it without any difficulty. Thus, as he turned around and saw the even colder face under the moonlight, his heart almost skipped a beat.

Once everyone had gotten over the fright of Lan Wangji appearing out of nowhere, they began to see the funny side of the situation.

"Oooh... someone's gonna be in trouble..." snickered a junior disciple.

"Yeah, Hanguang Jun looks really mad, somehow!" another junior from the Jiang sect said, almost in wonder.

"Mad at Wei Wuxian?? Or at Wen Ning?" asked his friend, tilting his head.

"Of course he isn't mad at Senior Wei, Hanguang Jun just looks intimidating like that!" Jingyi interrupted, rolling his eyes, but even he thought Hanguang Jun looked unreasonably angry considering the situation.

He didn't know how long Lan WangJi had been here for or if he had seen and heard what he was doing. If Lan WangJi had never been drunk in the beginning and followed him all the way here, the situation would be even more awkward, especially with him not saying anything to Lan WangJi's face and sneaking out to summon Wen Ning after Lan WangJi fell asleep.

There was a lot of laughter at Wei Wuxian's exceedingly guilty expression, like a child caught in the middle of the night stealing candy from the kitchen.

"How is Lan Wangji perfectly awake and sober again so quickly?? Did he pretend to fall asleep at the inn so he could follow Wei Wuxian afterwards?" a cultivator speculated.

"Hanguang Jun isn't sneaky like that, he wouldn't pretend to be drunk!" frowned Sizhui, always quick to defend his father. "I'm sure he just woke up from the alcohol-induced sleep and went looking for Senior Wei!"

Lan WangJi crossed his arms in front of him and held Bichen in them. His expression was particularly stiff. Wei WuXian had never seen him with such an obviously displeased expression on his face before.

Lan Wangji looked at his picture-self at the front of the room, feeling extremely apprehensive. He was glad he'd finally get to know what he had done all the times he was drunk, and he didn't spare a single care for the audience of people watching - their opinion and gossiping had never mattered to him. He just hoped he hadn't hurt anyone unknowingly (even including Wen Ning).

The cultivators made nervous noises at Lan Wangji's expression. There was something different about Lan Wangji - usually he controlled any emotions rigidly, it was very strange to see him look outwardly upset, with his arms crossed an everything. Surely Wei Wuxian secretly summoning Wen Ning without telling him wasn't such a big deal?

Jingyi, on the other hand, laughed. "Senior Wei, that has to be an exaggeration! When you and Hanguang Jun were teenagers, and you swapped his book with your, um, special book, he definitely looked angrier!"

Wei Wuxian tapped his chin, grinning cheekily as he remembered. "Yeah, I probably wasn't thinking about that because it was so long ago. Good memory, though Jingyi!"

Jingyi beamed at the praise, while Jin Ling rolled his eyes. "You don't need a good memory to remember that. I don't think anyone'd be able to forget if they tried."

He felt that he needed to speak first and explain the situation, ease the atmosphere, "Ahem, HanGuang-Jun." Lan WangJi did not reply. Standing in front of Wen Ning, Wei WuXian stared across at Lan WangJi. He touched his chin and, for some reason, felt exceptionally guilty.

Seeing his Wei Ying looking so guilty, Lan Wangji felt the need to comfort his beloved. "You do not need to worry about not telling me about sensitive things, like summoning Wen Ning. I am not upset. Or angry. "

Unfortunately, Wei Wuxian's grateful smile was interrupted by the picture Lan Wangji, walking forwards angrily, completely contradicting what he'd just said.

Lan WangJi finally let down the hands that held Bichen and walked a few steps forward. Seeing that he went toward Wen Ning with a sword in his hand, Wei WuXian thought that he was going to kill Wen Ning, Oh no. Don't tell me that Lan Zhan really pretended to be drunk so that he could kill Wen Ning after I summon him. Of course. Nobody actually gets drunk after just a bowl.

Wei Wuxian turned hurriedly to Lan Wangji to apologise, and to his consternation, saw (was that a pout??) a trace of a hurt expression on his husband's face. He buried his head in Lan Zhan's chest. "Don't listen to what my past self is thinking, I really didn't understand anything back then! I just assumed you hated Wen Ning like everyone else."

Lan Wangji muttered something inaudible. Jingyi spoke up. "If Hanguang Jun wanted to kill Wen Ning, he would search for him himself, not pretend to get drunk and follow you! Not that Hanguang Jun would want to kill Wen Ning."

Sizhui nodded vigorously. "Hanguang Jun is always very nice to Wen Ning!"

He blurted, "HanGuang-Jun, listen to me..."

With a loud smack, Lan WangJi hit Wen Ning.

Sizhui and Jingyi both froze in confusion and horror, both taking their time registering what they'd just seen.

The audience was split between people saying "Oooh..." and people gasping in shock - apart from Lan Xichen who sighed with a small smile (he could spot his little brother's 'jealous' face from a mile away), and Lan Qiren who had his head in his hands in despair.

Jiang Cheng, to his horror, found that his lips were twitching into a smile. Not out of sadistic pleasure at violence (he had mostly gotten over his hatred of Wen Ning. Mostly.), but out of the pure ridiculousness of having watched, with his own two eyes, Lan Wangji slapping the Ghost General, Wen Ning. Who would have guessed the respectable Hanguang Jun was capable of doing such a thing??

Although it sounded quite strong, it didn't actually do any damage. Wen Ning only staggered a few steps backward after the blow. He wobbled a bit and regained his balance, standing properly again with a blank face.

The audience waited, holding their breath, to see how Wen Ning would respond.

When it became clear he wasn't going to attack Lan Wangji, the cultivators didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Of course only Hanguang Jun would be able to get away with slapping the Ghost General without getting any consequences.

Sizhui and Jingyi had semi-recovered. 'At least it was only a slap... 'Sizhui told himself. 'But what did Wen Ning do to make father so angry he would slap him??'

Come to think of it, he was shocked enough that Hanguang Jun had chosen to slap Wen Ning rather than talk to him or settle their dispute in a more dignified way - the only other explanation was... that Hanguang Jun wasn't in his normal state of mind?

Wen Ning wasn't in a state as easily angered as when he flipped out in the past, but his temper wasn't too good either. During the night at Dafan Mountain, nobody could lay a sword on him before everyone was knocked down—he even held someone by his neck. If Wei WuXian didn't stop him, he would've strangled every single one of the people at the scene.

The cultivators who had been there that day shivered at the memory, grudgingly grateful for Wei Wuxian. None of them had, of course, gotten close to touching Wen Ning, and they were more than sure that if they had slapped him, they wouldn't have survived longer than 5 seconds, after Wen Ning snapped their necks and ripped them to shreds.

Yet, although Lan WangJi smacked him once, his head was still lowered, appearing as if he didn't dare to resist. Wei WuXian thought that this was a bit strange, but he nevertheless felt relieved. If Wen Ning returned the strike and the two started fighting, it'd be even harder to intervene.

"Who would you have helped?" asked a cultivator curiously. "Your best friend or your second in command?"

" 'Best friend'? " snorted Jingyi to Zizhen under his breath.

Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows. "You mean, my husband, or my friend? And of course I'd rather stop them from fighting, not help one hurt the other."

As if he didn't think one smack was enough to express his rage, Lan WangJi pushed Wen Ning to about thirty feet away. He spoke to Wen Ning in an annoyed voice, "Go away."

Wei WuXian finally noticed that something was wrong. Both the smack and the push, both his speech and actions were unusually... childish.

At this, many cultivators raised their eyebrows. No one had ever heard Lan Wangji use that tone before.

"Of course something is wrong! How else can you explain Hanguang Jun slapping Wen Ning?"  Sizhui exclaimed.

"What's wrong, though?" a small Lan junior asked Sizhui, looking dismayed that her idol seemed to have lost his head.

"Maybe it's a curse!" Jingyi suggested, scowling fiercely as though threatening anyone who dared to curse Hanguang Jun.

After he pushed Wen Ning so that he was far away enough, Lan WangJi seemed as if he was finally satisfied. He turned around walked over to Wei WuXian. Wei WuXian looked at him scrutinizingly. There wasn't anything wrong with Lan WangJi's face and expression.. He was even more serious, proper, flawless than usual. His face wasn't flushed, his breathing wasn't short. He walked around steadily with confidence. It looked like that he was still the calm, righteous cultivator, HanGuang-Jun.

"Okay, enough obsessing over how perfect Hanguang Jun is." muttered Jiang Cheng. "We know, you've done it a hundred times by now."

Wei Wuxian gave a dramatic, heartfelt sigh, enjoying the sight of Lan Zhan's reddening ears, before saying with a swoon, "Ah, even a hundred times isn't enough to describe how radiant my Lan Zhan is, how sturdy of heart, how enchantingly beautiful-"

"Gah!" Jiang Cheng choked on his water. "Shut it!"

But, as he looked down, he found that Lan WangJi's boots were put on the wrong feet.

Before he left, he took Lan WangJi's boots off and tossed them beside the bed. And, now, Lan WangJi's left boot was on his right foot, while his right boot was on his left foot. HanGuang-Ju, the prominent cultivator who valued manners greatly, would never have gone outside with his clothes like this.

Lan Qiren's face had already drained of blood. His nephew was clearly drunk, but taking the alcohol in the first place had led to this. Oh, the embarrassment...the shame their ancestors would be feeling looking down at this sorry scene.

Other cultivators were finding it harder to put together the pieces. "Huh... is that not Hanguang Jun, then? Is it an impostor?"

Wei Wuxian's next question, however, was familiar enough that everyone realised what was wrong with Lan Wangji.

Wei WuXian asked tentatively, "HanGuang-Jun, what number is this?" He made the number two with his fingers. Lan WangJi didn't answer and reached his hands out. With one on the left and one on the right, he solemnly wrapped his hands around both of Wei WuXian's fingers. With a clang, Bichen fell to the ground due to its master's negligence.

Wei WuXian, "..."

"Aww... that's kind of cute!"

"He looks so serious, haha!"

Wei Wuxian replied with a smirk, "Yep, drunk Lan Zhan is the cutest! Though he doesn't take care of poor Bichen well, does he? Guess I'll have to take of it for him!"

Jingyi narrowed his eyes. "Why do you keeping talking about Hanguang Jun's sword?  You want to use it?? You already have your own sword!"

Wei Wuxian gave him an wide smile, wary of Lan Wangji watching like a hawk, making sure he didn't spoil his junior disciple's innocence.

This definitely wasn't the normal Lan Zhan! Wei WuXian, "HanGuang-Jun, are you drunk?" Lan WangJi, "No." Drunk people usually didn't admit that they were drunk. Wei WuXian took his fingers back. Lan WangJi attentively maintained his gesture of how he grasped Wei WuXian's fingers, with both of his hands in loose fists.

Wei WuXian was utterly speechless. Standing amid the chilly night breeze, he removed his gaze from Lan WangJi, and looked up at the moon.

"Wei Wuxian, speechless?? No way." a cultivator said in awe.

"Who wouldn't be speechless, seeing Hanguang Jun like that?" her friend said reasonably.She burst into laughter. "Look at him, staring up at the sky with that expression, he looks so confused!"

"Easy for you to laugh." sniffed Wei Wuxian. "In the moment, I couldn't tell if I had gone insane or if it was really happening."

Most people became drunk before they slept, while Lan WangJi slept before he became drunk. And, when he was drunk, he looked no different from how he usually was, which was why it was hard to tell. In the past, Wei  WuXian had countless friends to drink with. He had seen hundreds and thousands of ways people acted when they were drunk. Some wailed loudly, others giggled idiotically, some flounced about, others collapsed immediately, some were determined in taking their own lives, others whimpered, "Why are you leaving me?"

"Hundreds and thousands?? How many friends did you have, Senior Wei??" Jingyi asked.

"More than Jin Ling, probably." Jin Chan sneered.

Sizhui fixed Jin Chan with an unimpressed, cold stare. "Watch your words. Trying to drag others down to make yourself feel better doesn't work, it just makes you look like an idiot. And you at least need to have a valid argument, which you clearly don't, because Jin Ling has plenty of friends."

Jingyi piped in agressively, "And we're more than willing to fight whatever loser friends you have to prove it. Huh, still want to fight?"

Jin Chan's face was darkening to the colour of a plum. He didn't want to lose face in front of everyone, but he knew he shouldn't pick a fight with the best cultivator of their generation. He settled for a half-muttered "You'll see!"

However, this was his first time seeing someone like Lan WangJi, who didn't make any noise, looked decent, yet acted strangely. The corners of his lips twitched. Trying not to laugh, he picked up Bichen from the ground and carried into onto his back, "Okay. Let's go back." He definitely couldn't let Lan WangJi roam around outside like this. Who knew what else he could do. Luckily, it seemed that Lan WangJi was also quite easy-going when he was drunk. With an elegant nod, they went off. If someone passed by, they would've thought that these were two good friends strolling in the night and praised the refined act. Behind them, Wen Ning silently followed. Just as Wei WuXian was about to speak to him, Lan WangJi whirled around and angrily smacked him once more.

Everyone jumped at Lan Wangji's sudden unprovoked smack, and several people broke out into giggles again.

"I... can't believe I'm seeing this." Guo Wanxin muttered. "It feels wrong to watch."

This time, it was on Wen Ning's head. Wen Ning's head was even more lowered due to the smack. Even though his facial muscles were rigid and couldn't make any sort of expressions, even though his eye whites couldn't make any sort of gazes, for some reason, he still looked as if he had been wronged.

Now that Wei Wuxian pointed it out, Wen Ning did somehow look sad,  which was surprising for a fierce corpse. It constantly surprised the audience how alike a human Wen Ning was - he could feel pain, and hurt at being smacked for no apparent reason.

Not knowing whether to frown or laugh, Wei WuXian grabbed Lan WangJi's arm, "What are you hitting him for?" Lan WangJi spoke to Wen Ning in a threatening tone that he definitely wouldn't have used if he was awake, "Go away!"

"..." The audience were finding it hard to tell if Lan Wangji was serious or not.

"If Lan Wangji was really angry at Wen Ning for the crimes he's done in the past, why is he just smacking him? And telling him to go away? He's not even using his sword!"

"I don't think he's actually trying to hurt Wen Ning. It's more like he's got a personal disagreement with him. Slaps are always personal."

There was some appreciative laughter and nodding at that last statement.

Lan Wangji regarded his drunk self contemplatively. Maybe he should apologise to Wen Ning the next time he showed up to night hunt with Wei Ying and the juniors. He supposed he had been quite rude to Wen Ning, and for unfair reasons.

Wei WuXian knew that he shouldn't disobey someone who was drunk. He hurried, "Okay, okay. It's up to you. I'll make him go away if that's what you want." As he spoke, he took out his bamboo flute. But, before he even placed the flute to his lips, Lan WangJi quickly grabbed it, "Do not play for him." Wei WuXian teased, "Why are you so pushy?" Lan WangJi repeated angrily, "Do not play for him!"

Lan Wangji stared at his image self in alarm. His drunk self was being way too obvious!

Sizhui and some of the more socially adept cultivators instantly understood what was going on. He gave a small laugh - he had been stressed that Hanguang Jun had some sort of grudge againt Wen Ning, but he could see now it was just jealousy about Senior Wei! He supposed it made sense how his father might have gotten jealous after seeing Senior Wei sneak out of the inn to see Wen Ning. He smiled fondly. His parents were so funny sometimes. Well, he reflected, I can say that it's funny in hindsight because I know they have a happy ending together, but I suppose at the time it would have been totally chaotic.

Wei WuXian discovered that, although people who were drunk often had a lot of things to say, as Lan WangJi usually didn't like to speak, he would repeatedly say the same words after he drank. Seeing that Lan WangJi had never been too fond of demonic techniques, he might have not liked how he used his flute to control Wen Ning.

Sizhui gaped at Wei Wuxian. How did he not notice??

"...Wow. He's really blind, isn't he?" remarked Guo Wanxin, shaking her head.

"You have no idea. It's like he'll find any other explanation, except for the truth." Lan Xichen sighed.

"Huh? What are you all getting annoyed about now?" Wei Wuxian asked. He hadn't really been thinking very hard about what was happening on the screen (He'd already lived all these scenes before).

Anyway, he had to pet him in the direction of his fur, of course, "Alright. I'm only going to play for you, okay?" Lan WangJi announced his satisfaction with a mnn, but continued to play with the flute in his hands, unwilling to return it. Wei WuXian could only whistle. He spoke to Wen Ning, "Keep on hiding. Make sure nobody finds you."

"Hmm. Wait." Wei Wuxian seemed like he was having an epiphany, staring very hard at the moving images on the board. He looked at his husband beside him, then back at the board, as if he didn't understand. "Oh!! You only wanted me to play for you and not Wen Ning because you liked me!! Hahaha!"

"Congratulations on finally figuring it out." Guo Wanxin said, rolling her eyes.

Wei Wuxian secretly felt very pleased every time he found more proof that Lan Zhan loved him. He kissed his husband adoringly and rested his chin flirtatiously on his shoulder. "You didn't have to hit Wen Ning, you know. I only love you ~ I'll play you any song you want,  just for you."

Lan Wangji's ears were burning, but it was nothing compared to the heat in his eyes as he met Wei Wuxian's earnest gaze.

Jiang Cheng wanted to say something snarky, but Lan Xichen caught his eye and shook his head smilingly. Jiang Cheng suppressed his groan and heeded him. Lan Xichen was a better and much more tolerant brother to Lan Wangji than he was to Wei Wuxian, that was sure.

Wen Ning seemed as if he really wanted to follow, but having received his commands and being scared that Lan WangJi would hit him a few more times, he slowly turned around. Dragging the chains behind him, he walked away dejectedly.

The cultivators kept on getting surprised at how they could feel sympathy for someone they'd swear they hated. Why did the way he  stumped away sadly after getting smacked by Lan Wangji trigger an instinctual need to give the infamous fierce corpse a hug??

Wei WuXian turned to Lan WangJi, "Lan Zhan, now that you're drunk, why doesn't your face flush at all?" Since Lan WangJi looked too normal, almost even more normal than Wei WuXian, he couldn't help but to talk to him as if he was talking to an ordinary person.

That was the same question many cultivators had secretly been thinking. Mis was surely the oddest drunk behaviour they'd ever seen.

"Almost more normal than Wei Wuxian??" laughed Zizhen. "That's not saying much, because Senior Wei acts drunk all day."

"Hey!"

Yet, unexpectedly, after Lan WangJi heard this, he reached out, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him into his arms. Caught off guard, Wei WuXian's head was slammed right into his chest.

There was a second of surprised silence, broken by a considerable amount of delighted squealing (Wei Wuxian noticed that these enthusiastic fans were mostly girls, but there were some male cheers as well.)

"Aww. That's so cute!!" cooed Mianmian, her friends giggling in agreement.

Lan Wangji wanted to close his eyes in horror. He'd always daydreamed about holding Wei Ying in his arms, and it was not a good sign that his drunk self was not controlling any of his urges.

Lan Xichen allowed himself a huge grin, and Jiang Chen just rolled his eyes.

As he recovered from the dizziness, Lan WangJi's voice came from above, "The heartbeats." "What?" Lan WangJi, "The face doesn't show anything. Listen to the heartbeats." As he spoke, his chest vibrated from the low voice. A heart pulsated steadily and continuously. Thump, thump. It was a bit fast. Wei WuXian understood and looked up again, "I won't be able to tell from your face, only if I listen to your heartbeat?" Lan WangJi answered sincerely, "Mnn."

The juniors began sweating a bit, getting the strong sensation that this was going to get not-child-friendly soon.

A band of young cultivators were swooning over themselves. "That's so romantic!"

"I wish I had someone like Lan Wangji..."

Wei Wuxian smirked when he heard this, turning to stick his tongue out at them and wrap his arms tighter around his husband.

Wei WuXian bent over in laughter. Was Lan WangJi's face so thick that the blush couldn't even be seen? He wasn't this sort of person, was he? And, Lan WangJi was so honest after he was drunk. His actions and comments were also... bolder! Since this was a rare occasion to see such an honest, open Lan WangJi, it would've been impossible for Wei WuXian to treat him with respect and not play any tricks.

There was a collective groan.

"Aiya, Wei Wuxian! Why is the first thing you think of always playing a trick on him?!"

"Uh, oh. Lan Wangji better sober up really quick."

He hurried Lan WangJi back to the inn. Entering the room, he held him down on the bed and took off the boots that were put on wrong. Guessing that he probably didn't know how to wash his own face in such a state, he took off Lan WangJi's forehead ribbon, and brought in a basin of hot water along with a towel. Wringing the towel out, he folded it into a square and gently rubbed Lan WangJi's face. During the process, Lan WangJi didn't resist at all, obediently allowing his face to be kneaded in all kinds of directions.

Lan Qiren wanted to cry. Traditionally, only husband and wife would do something like that. Doing something so intimate before marriage was not allowed ever!

Nobody else, even including Lan Xichen, had any problem with it though. It just seemed like a sweet gesture from Wei Wuxian to help Lan Wangji clean up while he was drunk.

Aside from squinting when the towel went near his eyes, he stared at Wei WuXian without even blinking. Wei WuXian had a ton of amusing ideas inside his head. Seeing his clear gaze, he couldn't help brushing a finger against Lan WangJi's chin. He laughed, "Why are you looking at me? Am I good-looking?"

He just happened to have finished cleansing. Before Lan WangJi could answer, Wei WuXian tossed the towel into the basin, "Your face is clean now. Do you want to have some water first?"

"Why did you ask if you weren't going to even wait for the answer?" asked a cultivator, disappointed.

"It's not like we don't know what Lan Wangji would've said." her friend whispered her under her breath, and they both giggled.

"Wow, Senior Wei's suddenly flirting with Hanguang Jun, but he's not even the one who's drunk." commented Zizhen.

Having heard no answer from behind him, he turned around only to see Lan WangJi holding the basin in his hands, his face already buried inside.

Wei WuXian almost paled from the shock. He grabbed the basin and moved it away at once, "I didn't mean the water in here!"

"Ah!"

"What is he doing? Has Hanguang Jun forgotten how to drink water?? How drunk is he??" asked Sizhui fearfully.

"Look, he nearly gave Wei Wuxian a heart attack!" tutted another cultivator.

Lan Xichen shuddered. This was yet another reason why Wangji should never get drunk. The last time he'd tried to drink water by putting his head in a basin was when he was three-years-old, probably.

Lan WangJi raised his head calmly. Transparent droplets of water rolled down his jaw, seeping into the front of his collars. Looking at him, Wei WuXian wasn't sure how to describe what he was feeling right now, ... Did he drink the water or did he not? Hopefully Lan Zhan doesn't remember anything after he wakes up. Or else, for the rest of his life, he wouldn't be able to face anyone.

Everyone looked away awkwardly. Now, not only Lan Wangji, but the entire cultivational world knew the things he'd done while he was drunk.

However, Lan Wangji didn't look embarrassed - just straight-faced as usual. Then again, he'd never really cared about his public reputation. With a warm glow, Wei Wuxian remembered how Lan Zhan was ready to become and outcast with him, turn his back on the cultivation world and help him after his identity was revealed at Carp Tower.

Wei WuXian used his sleeves to wipe off the drops of water on Lan WangJi's jaw and put his arms around him, "HanGuang-Jun. Now, are you going to do whatever I tell you to do?" Lan WangJi, "Mnn." Wei WuXian, "You'll answer whatever I ask you?"

"...Noo, Senior Wei, you can't do that! That's so unfair for Hanguang Jun!" protested Zizhen. "You're not going to ask him anything personal, are you?"

Wei Wuxian chuckled. "I didn't ask anything personal! Well, I did, but...  anyway you can see for yourself."

Hearing this, Lan Wangji turned to look at him questioningly. That didn't sound very reassuring.

Wei WuXian put one knee on the bed and smirked, "Okay. Let me ask you. Have you... secretly tasted the Emperor's Smile you hid in your room?" Lan WangJi, "No."

Wei WuXian, "Do you like rabbits?" Lan WangJi, "Yes."

"Pshh. What type of questions are those??" snorted several cultivators.

"He's just messing around, as usual. He probably respects Hanguang Jun enough to not pry into his private affairs, anyway."

The junior disciples didn't think the questions were silly. Sizhui giggled when he heard Lan Wangji admit to liking rabbits (he already knew, of course. He fed the rabbits with his father all the time), but it was funny to see him say it out loud.

"Of course Hanguang Jun didn't secretly drink the Emperor's Smile." exclaimed a cultivator. "Look at what it does to him!!"

"And he was saving them for Wei Wuxian, of course." added another slyly.

Wei WuXian, "Have you ever violated any rules before?" Lan WangJi, "Yes."

Wei WuXian, "Have you ever liked anyone?" Lan WangJi, "Yes."

Lan Wangji's heart seemed to jerk in his chest. If Wei Wuxian asked who he liked, he would have had to reply 'you', and then - But Wei Wuxian genuinely hadn't seemed to know about his feelings until that night at Guanyin temple... was he just really good at pretending?

While Lan Wangji quietly panicked, the rest of the cultivators made 'oooh' noises and eagerly waited for Wei Wuxian's next question, which they were sure would be 'who do you like?'.

All of Wei WuXian's questions were just for the sake of them, not that he really wanted to find out about Lan WangJi's private matters. He simply wanted to know whether or not Lan WangJi would really answer whatever he asked. He continued, "What do you think about Jiang Cheng?" A frown, "Hmph."

The audience's disappointment that Wei Wuxian wasn't going to dig up Lan Wangji's personal secrets was quickly covered with amusement at Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng made an identical 'Hmph' noise, making everyone in the vicinity burst into laughter.

Lan Wangji was relieved that Wei Wuxian respected his privacy, and he didn't bother apologising to Jiang Cheng- Jiang Cheng knew very well anyway what Lan Wangji thought of him. Forgiveness was emphasised in 12 different Lan sect rules, but he would only forgive that stubborn sect leader if he apologised for the way he treated Wei Ying, and publicly acknowledged what Wei Ying had done for him.

Wei WuXian, "How about Wen Ning?" Indifference, "Huh." Wei WuXian grinned and pointed at himself, "How about this one?" Lan WangJi, "Mine."

"..."

Lan WangJi stared at him, slowly and articulately stating, "Mine."

Lan Wangji froze as his heart swooped again in his chest. Was that really how he confessed to Wei Wuxian?? What had he done??

The audience gasped, cultivators giggled and some even made swooning gestures.

"Weird way to confess, kind of possessive, but I'll take it!" Guo Wanxin said cheerfully. "Do they get together after this?"

Wei Wuxian was staring at the image too. "Oh." he said, looking too surprised to laugh. "Wait-"

Wei WuXian suddenly understood. He took Bichen off his back, thinking to himself, When I pointed at myself, Lan Zhan probably thought that "this one" meant Bichen.

"...yeah. I didn't realise." Wei Wuxian finished weakly.

The silence in the room was very loud. The juniors gaped soundlessly at Wei Wuxian's oblivious image in utter disbelief, and the expressions on most cultivators' faces were a combination of incredulity and horror that someone could be so dense.

"Is he. Joking??"  Zizhen finally said hoarsely, breaking the long silence.

"Unfortunately, Wei gongzi seems to have missed the point, yet again." Lan Xichen replied, a pained look on his face.

"Ah?? Wei-xiong, you're meant to be smarter than me. But even I would have understood what Lan Wangji actually meant!" Nie Huaisang said dramatically, shaking his head.

"How is it possible to go to such lengths to avoid the truth?? Hanguang Jun's talking to you, not Bichen!!" Mianmian burst out.

Wei Wuxian looked down at his feet guiltily. "I'm sorry...I guess I really was an idiot, huh?"

"Yes, the biggest idiot ever." Mianmian scolded.

He got off the bed and walked around the room with Bichen in his hand, from the left to the right, from the East to the West. As he had expected, Lan WangJi's gaze closely followed wherever he walked, ever so sincere and straightforward, ever so blunt and bare. Wei WuXian's legs almost gave out under Lan WangJi's heated gaze.

Lan Wangji didn't know what to say or feel. He was glad Wei Wuxian backflipped away from the truth, so he might confess in a more dignified way later on. At the same time, how could Wei Wuxian not see??

He lifted Bichen in front of his eyes, "Do you want it?" Lan WangJi, "I want it." As if he thought that this wasn't enough to prove his desire, Lan WangJi grasped the hand that Wei WuXian held Bichen with and stared into his eyes with those light-colored pupils. Taking in a soft breath, he repeated his words, emphasizing every syllable, "... I want it." Wei WuXian knew that Lan WangJi was desperately drunk, that it wasn't directed at him, yet those three words still crashed into him, taking away the strength in his arms and legs. He thought to himself, Lan Zhan, what a person... If he's so sincere, enthusiastic towards a girl, then what a man he'd be!

The cultivators began to feel hot again. They could practically feel the sexually charged atmosphere between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. Who was Wei Wuxian kidding? Lan Wangji was definitely not talking about Bichen.

Zizhen wanted to scream. Hanguang Jun was being that sincere or enthusiastic with Wei Wuxian, not with some future girl!

Recovering from the blow, Wei WuXian asked again, "How did you recognize me? Why did you help me?"

"Changing the topic?" teased a cultivator. "At least he still has the wits to ask the two questions he wanted to ask."

"If he doesn't know why Hanguang Jun is helping him, he clearly has no idea about Hanguang Jun's feelings. " reasoned another cultivator.

Lan Wangji suppressed a sigh. He had guessed that 'How did you recognise me' would be one of Wei Ying's first questions. When he had first pestered him for days about it, he had secretly been a bit hurt that Wei Ying didn't remember the origin of the song he'd written for them - he'd apparently just pulled it out of his mind and played it just to control Wen Ning down. But he couldn't tell Wei Ying, of course, because that was as good as admitting his feelings. Speaking of that, his drunkenly honest answer to Wei Ying's question might reveal everything - for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

Lan WangJi opened his mouth. Wei WuXian shifted a bit closer, wanting to hear his answer. However, Lan WangJi's expression suddenly changed. With a shove, he pushed Wei WuXian onto the bed. The candlelight was snuffed out with a wave of his hand. Bichen was thrown onto the ground by its master again.

The juniors yelped in fear. The sight of Lan Wangji pushing Wei Wuxian onto his bed was probably a precursor of some non-child-friendly content coming up.

Wei WuXian's sight spun dizzily from the shove. He thought that Lan WangJi woke up, "Lan Zhan?!" A familiar place behind his back was tapped once. His entire body felt sore and numb and he couldn't move at all, similar to the first night at the Cloud Recesses. Lan WangJi took his hand away, lay down beside him, and put the blanket over them, carefully tucking in the blanket corner on Wei WuXian's side, "It is nine. Rest."

So, after all, it was the scary bedtime routine of the Lan Sect.

"Woah... that really is scary...Lan Wangji is clearly so far gone in his mind, but the Lan sect bedtime routine still works on him."

"It's kind of cool... Do you Lan people just feel an inner warning bell at nine? Or is it something you can't control, like it forces you to go to bed?" Zizhen asked his Lan friends curiously.

"Neither, actually." Sizhui replied, then thought about it for a moment. "It's more like a sensation you get...And you just know it's time to go to bed. I think it becomes more tangible as we get older, because if we sleep at 9 sharp every night, it becomes a habit, ingrained in our bodies. So I suppose Hanguang Jun's inner clock is more powerful than mine, and works even when he's..um..intoxicated."

Zizhen hung onto every word, nodding attentively. "I see... that's still really cool!"

Jin Ling rolled his eyes. "You might as well join the Lan sect, you're obsessed with all the weird things they do."

Sect Leader Ouyang suddenly shouted out, "Over my dead body! Zizhen, you stop talking!"

Zizhen gave evil looks to both Jin Ling and his father, but settled down as he was told.

With the interrogation having been cut off, Wei WuXian stared at the ceiling, "Can't we rest and chat at the same time?" Lan WangJi, "No." ... Oh well. Someday, there'd be a chance to get Lan WangJi drunk again.

The whole room, as one, shuddered in dread.

"No, no, no... I really don't need to see this again. It was horrifying enough." groaned Jingyi.

The answer would be revealed sooner or later. Wei WuXian, "Lan Zhan. Remove it. I got us two rooms. We don't need to be crammed in the same bed." After pausing for a moment, Lan WangJi's hand came over and, after fumbling around in the blanket for a while, started to slowly untie the ribbons holding his clothes together.

Half the room jumped with fright, and the other half gave whistles and excited chatter.

Jingyi, Sizhui and the other Lan junior disciples immediately buried their heads in their laps, refusing to look a moment more.

Lan Xichen glanced over at his uncle, whose eyes were bulging nearly out of their sockets. He winced and turned back to the board.

Wei WuXian exclaimed, "Okay! Enough! I didn't mean for you to remove it in this sense!!! Alright!!! Sure! I'm lying down and I'm sleeping!!!" A dead silence filled the darkness. After keeping quiet for a while, Wei WuXian spoke again, "I finally understand why your sect prohibits liquor. You collapse after just one bowl and can't tell good liquor from bad liquor. If everyone from the Lan Sect is like this when they're drunk, you deserve to be prohibited from drinking. Anyone who drinks should be beaten up."

The Lan junior disciples, hearing this, looked up again. All of them silently vowed to themselves they'd never drink alcohol, if it would affect them like it affected Hanguang Jun.

The rest of the room also looked to be completely in agreement with Wei Wuxian. That had been a crazy, and downright terrifying experience. They weren't sure if they would be able to look at Lan Wangji again without remembering this.

With closed eyes, Lan WangJi raised his hand and covered Wei WuXian's mouth. He shushed, "Shh." The breath that Wei WuXian was about to take got stuck between his chest and his mouth, unable to come up or go down. It seemed that, ever since he came back, whenever he decided to tease Lan WangJi like how he did in the past, he always suffered from his own actions. This shouldn't have been the case! Where exactly did he go wrong?!

The scene finally ended there and the board went dark, leaving the audience chuckling. It seemed that Wei Wuxian definitely regretted asking Lan Wangji to drink the alcohol.