Capítulo 1: Jealousy
Warning: angst. This is a XiCheng (Xichen and Jiang Cheng) ff.
"They're flirting again..." Jiang Cheng muttered, gritting his teeth, as he looks at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. His face is dark as he draws out Zidian.
Lan Xichen saw his expression. "... are you jealous of them?" he asked. (they're still not M.U. – mutual understanding :/)
"Why the hell should I be?!" Jiang Cheng snapped and glared at Lan Xichen. He then stopped, realizing what he did.
Lan Xichen smiled, understanding. "Forgive me if I pried too much... Sect Leader Jiang." He said and bowed, then silently walked away.
Jiang Cheng was left speechless. He even forgot the two that're flirting, who're the reason he got mad in the first place.
He just stared at the resolute back, the sleeves of snow white robe flutters by the wind as Lan Xichen walks away, not disturbing even a leaf or the sleeping bird in the tree.
He just walked and left like a ghost in the middle of the forest.
The next day.
"Sect Leader Jiang." It was Lan Xichen who called.
Jiang Cheng's eyes went wide. He turned on his heel, his back on Lan Xichen. Wei Wuxian's eyes went wide, shocked by Jiang Cheng's reaction. Lan Wangji's the same as ever.
Jiang Cheng was about to leave when Wei Wuxian called him. "Hey. What's wrong?" Wei Wuxian asked Jiang Cheng. "Why the reaction? ZeWu-Jun just called you." He asked, puzzled by the other's sudden reaction.
But Jiang Cheng didn't answer.
Lan Xichen spoke. "Young master Wei." He called and smiled at Wei Wuxian. "It seems like Sect Leader Jiang and I, our conversation yesterday... I might have offended him." he explained, then turned to Jiang Cheng. "It seems like you're still offended. Please forgive me." he told Jiang Cheng. "I won't appear before Sect Leader Jiang – " he said.
Jiang Cheng cut him off. "That's not it." he said, then turned to Lan Xichen. Lan Xichen looked at him. Jiang Cheng pressed his lips tight. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, then walked first, walking past Wei Wuxian who's puzzled by what's happening, and Lan Wangji who's still the same as ever.
Lan Xichen looked at Jiang Cheng's back, then turned to Wei Wuxian and his brother. He nodded at them, then followed Jiang Cheng.
"I am not offended by what you said yesterday." Jiang Cheng started. "I just..." he said. Lan Xichen didn't speak and just waited for him to continue. "I actually am aware of what I felt." He said. "Yes. I may have somewhat felt stronger feelings towards Wei Wuxian. And when I realized that, I... it was all too late." He said and lowered his head. "I was blinded by my hate towards him, and that hate is stronger than what I feel towards him, so I – " he said, then paused. He didn't continue after that.
Silence fell.
"... I was blinded by my too much sympathy, and that sympathy masked what I felt." Lan Xichen said.
Jiang Cheng turned to him. Lan Xichen smiled, but not his usual smile.
It was a sad smile.
"What do you mean?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"... your hate covered your heart, while my sympathy masked mine." Lan Xichen answered. "But, in the end... we're just the same." He said, then smiled. A bitter smile. "We realized what we felt... all too late." He said and looked at Jiang Cheng.
Neither of them spoke and just let the silence speak what their heart longed to speak.
It must be Jin Guangyao. Jiang Cheng thought as he walks back and forth.
"Hey. Hey - !" Wei Wuxian called and hit Jiang Cheng's forehead.
"WTF!" Jiang Cheng exclaimed when he fell on his back. He immediately sat up, glaring at Wei Wuxian. "How dare you treat a sect leader like this?!" he asked, mad. Wei Wuxian just pouted. "Leave me alone! Go and flirt with Lan Wangji! I'm busy!" he told him, shooing him like a dog.
Wei Wuxian frowned. "busy? With what?" he asked. "You're just spacing out."
"I'm busy spacing out!" Jiang Cheng answered. "I'm thinking!"
"Thinking? About what?"
"About – " Jiang Cheng said, then paused. He glared at Wei Wuxian. "Go flirt with Lan Wangji! Don't disturb me!" he yelled.
"Hmph." Wei Wuxian said and walked away. He was about to leave when Jiang Cheng called him. "What?" he asked.
"If my memory serves right... Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen were really close...?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"Hm? Dunno..." Wei Wuxian answered. "But, I know they're sworn brothers... why you ask?" he asked and looked at Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng frowned. "Nothing!" he answered. "Scram!" he said and threw an apple to Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian caught it and uttered thanks. He's feeding Little Apple with the fruit while on his way to Gusu.
"Sect Leader Jiang!" Lan Xichen exclaimed.
"Lan Xichen..." Jiang Cheng muttered, surprised.
It was a night hunt and the two are accompanying their juniors (Lan Xichen) and disciples (Jiang Cheng).
"Oh." Lan Xichen said. "My close relationship with him isn't really a secret." He told Jiang Cheng after Jiang Cheng asked him about Jin Guangyao. "We are really sworn brothers." He told him. "If Sect Leader Jiang asked me about this, I wouldn't be offended." He added, then smiled at Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng's face flushed, embarrassed, after he remembered how he got mad at Lan Xichen that time. "It seems like you're the one who got offended." He said, frowning, but his face is still flushed.
Lan Xichen just chuckled. Silence fell between them.
"Hey! I caught three corpses! How about you?"
"Ugh. None."
"I caught eight! I win!"
"Hahaha!"
The two turned and looked at the disciples of YunmengJiang and GusuLan laughing with each other.
"May I know what Sect Leader Jiang is thinking?" Lan Xichen asked after a while.
Jiang Cheng looked at him. "About what?" he asked.
"About Wangji and Young Master Wei." Lan Xichen directly answered. Jiang Cheng fell silent. "Pardon my prying again, but it seems Sect Leader Jiang still likes Young master Wei?" he asked and looked at Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng didn't answer. "... you still like Jin Guangyao." He told Lan Xichen. Lan Xichen didn't answer.
Like last time, the silence spoke what their heart wanted to say.
"Brother." Lan Wangji called.
"Wangji." Lan Xichen said. "Young master Wei isn't with you?" he asked when he saw Wei Wuxian isn't around. He looked at Lan Wangji when his little brother didn't answer. "He's feeding Little Apple?" he asked, referring to Wei Wuxian's donkey.
"... brother. You're distracted." Lan Wangji said, staring at his brother. Before Lan Xichen could speak, he added. "Wei Ying's at the Lotus Pier. He's looking after Jiang Wanyin." He told him.
Lan Xichen's expression changed. "Did something happen with Sect Leader Jiang?" he asked, his face serious but covered with worry.
Lan Wangji stared at his brother. Seems like... my brother's ability to read me at the moment is failing. He thought. "Yes." He answered. "Last night, he drowned – "
Before he could continue, Lan Xichen mounted his sword and flew to the direction of Yunmeng.
Lan Wangji's already blank face became even blanker.
"Eh... so he really cares for Jiang Cheng." Wei Wuxian said and laughed as he stood beside Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian never even stepped a foot away from Lan Wangji since last night.
"... mn." Lan Wangji nodded.
What he's about to say – no, lie. Yes. He's lying to his brother, but since Lan Xichen's brother – reading ability is failing today, he never noticed Lan Wangji is lying to him with a straight face. (Though LWJ isn't straight XD and so is his elder brother about to be. ;) )
"'Last night, he drowned himself in liquor', was what you should tell him." Wei Wuxian told Lan Wangji, grinning. "Who knew ZeWu-Jun, he..." he said, then laughed.
Lan Wangji sighed. "... seems like I'll be having a sister – in – law." He said as he pulled Wei Wuxian inside jingshi, though the latter is more than willing.
Lan Xichen's gentle face is covered with worry as he flew towards Yunmeng. He remembered what he and Jiang Cheng talked about last night.
"Sect Leader Jiang." He called. "If you're still carrying a torch, its light enough to destruct my brother and Young master Wei's relationship, please put the torch's light off." He told him. "They're happy now – " he said, then turned, just in time for Jiang Cheng to turn to him sharply.
"What?" Jiang Cheng said. "Do you think I'm that petty minded to break their relationship?" he asked. "If I am, then I would have never agreed for them to be together and continued to break them apart – " he said, mad.
Lan Xichen's face went serious. "Sect Leader Jiang. That's not what I – "
Jiang Cheng cut him off. "Then what?" he asked, then paused. "You don't mean... you're thinking like that when Jin Guangyao married his wife - ?" he asked as he stared at Lan Xichen.
Lan Xichen's eyes narrowed. "Sect Leader Jiang." He called. "It was never my intention to offend you. Never ever." He said. "What I meant by what I said earlier is that if your feelings left towards Young master Wei is strong, enough to make you think breaking him and Wangji apart, then I ask of you to please concede and, if ever, forget your feelings." He explained. "I never thought – " he said, then stared at Jiang Cheng's glaring eyes. " – Sect Leader Jiang..." he called. "Your mouth is really as sharp as your sword, Sandu." He said.
Jiang Cheng humph – ed. "I don't need fancy words to sugarcoat what I should say." He said. "I should say whatever I want. That's how I think, anyways." He said.
Lan Xichen frowned. Jiang Cheng just glared at him. The cold wind blew in this silent night as purple sparks and blue flames appeared around the two gentlemen whose face is darker than the night.
The two went back to their respective groups, not saying a word to each other even after they left after the night hunt.
Since Lan Xichen, one of the Twin Jades of the Lans, is a refined and respected gentleman, he never had a problem with anybody. Not even once.
But, since his weak point was touched, this is the second time he flipped out.
How ironic. The first time he got mad is when he knew the truth about his sworn brother Jin Guangyao. The second time, it's related to the first.
Lan Xichen knew that although the problem came from misunderstanding, and that the topic is too sensitive, but he shouldn't get mad so much. He's the one who first opened this topic.
And so he should close it.
"ZeWu-Jun!" the YunmengJiang Sect disciples said and respectfully bowed when he finally arrived.
"Is Sect Leader Jiang here?" he asked and looked around.
"Yes!" they answered and led him inside.
"Ah. I'll go look for him myself. You continue your training." He told them and smiled, then ventured inside.
"... ahahaha. Sect Leader Jiang loves to take care of dogs..." a woman's voice said.
Lan Xichen froze in his steps.
"Yes. I had three dogs once." It was Jiang Cheng. "Their name is Princess..."
The woman laughed. "The name is cute – " she said.
"Thank you!" Jiang Cheng said, his voice light.
This is the first time Lan Xichen heard Jiang Cheng's voice is gentle, and if not, lighter. Jiang Cheng always talks in a harsh way since he's always on edge.
Somewhere deep in his heart, Lan Xichen can't bear this atmosphere between the two. He immediately left, not even saying a word to the sect leader who's on his way towards him, together with the woman, but they didn't know of his presence.
Lan Xichen left, not noticing the disciples greeting him as he passed by them. His heart is heavy.
Perhaps... what Jiang Cheng told him is true. Lan Xichen can't bear to see Jin Guangyao with his wife. That's why Lan Xichen felt irritated when he heard Jiang Cheng talking to a woman.
Yes. He was irritated.
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