“Wen Qing, what does it mean if you're constantly having weird flashbacks or dreams of things you've never even done?”

Wen Qing glances at Wei Ying from the corner of her eyes, a frown slowly tugging on her eyebrows.

“Why?”

Wei Ying shrugs. “Just answer the question.”

“You know, it's possible to get alcohol-related brain damage.”

“Forget I asked,” Wei Ying mutters, wincing. He doesn't know what's worse; Google's search results telling him he's going to die, or alcohol-related brain damage.

After they returned to Gusu, the weird dreams invading his sleep didn't stop. In fact, every night he would dream of events so realistic that he'd wake up almost forgetting what's real and what isn't. A whole month has passed and these dreams still don't make any sense. When he thinks about them, it's like he's diving head first into an ocean, only to suddenly forget how to swim.

And he's always been good at swimming. These dreams coming out of nowhere to complicate his life are starting to annoy him.

“Seriously though, what's up with you? You're not drinking again, are you?” Wen Qing asks, elbowing him. She sits back on the sofa they're sharing and props her feet on the table, scouring through a list of movies.

Wei Ying shakes his head. “No, no, I'm not, I promise. I just keep getting these weird dreams and flashbacks out of nowhere.”

“Well, there is a link with excessive drinking and dementia—”

“Forget I asked.”

Wen Qing averts her gaze away from the TV to stare at him.

“It's nothing that bad. Don't look at me like that,” Wei Ying insists, sighing.

“If it gets worse, tell me.”

“Sure, sure.” He sighs. “Anyway, what movie do we watch tonight?”

In the end, they decide on watching Huaisang's newest movie, Train to Qinghe. Wei Ying knew next to nothing about what it'd be about but he would have never guessed Huaisang would be in a zombie movie of all things. As far as he could remember, Huaisang was always slacking off in PE classes back in high school. To see him running for his life so much in this zombie-infested train is funny.

Or it would have been funny if Wei Ying wasn't such a coward when it came to horror. He clings onto Wen Qing's arm, screaming every five minutes when another damn zombie jumps out from fucking nowhere. Wen Qing is used to this; she gets it every time they choose a horror movie. All she does is stare at the screen with a blank expression, eating her popcorn in peace while Wei Ying shits himself.

Huaisang isn't one of the leads. He's a side character who's done nothing but hide and escape from the zombies since the beginning. Halfway into the movie, however, it becomes clear he won't be able to outsmart them anymore.

“Shit! Huaisang, turn around! There's a zombie right behind you!” Wei Ying yells at the screen. The background music rises, sending his nerves on edge. Huaisang is desperately trying to fix the train's controls, completely unaware that the companion behind him has been infected.

Wei Ying covers his eyes. “Huaisang's going to die!”

The music is so loud it fills his whole apartment. Then—suddenly, there's a blood curdling scream and a loud bang. Wei Ying jumps, peeking out from his hands and coming face to face with a zombie standing right in his living room.

Wei Ying screams for his life, scrambling over Wen Qing and knocking the bowl of popcorn out her hands. She yells down his ear but Wei Ying is too busy praying to the heavens to spare his sad existence.

“I-It's just me!”

Wait, that doesn't sound like a zombie.

Wei Ying snaps his head around, glaring at the figure shyly waiting by the door. It's Wen Ning. It's Wen Ning, covered in branches and leaves and looking like he's just stepped out of the stupid zombie movie! As Huaisang is ripped to pieces by the horde of zombies now invading his train carriage, Wen Ning shuffles into the room, staring at the TV screen with wide eyes.

“Wen Ning!” Wei Ying cries, crawling off Wen Qing's lap. “I thought you were a zombie!”

“Sorry!”

Now that it becomes clear there isn't a zombie in his home, Wei Ying grabs the remote control and pauses the movie. He helps Wen Qing pick up all the popcorn from the floor, listening to her grumble about how they should have watched something else instead.

“How was your date with that Xuanyu guy?” Wen Qing asks her brother.

It takes less than a second for Wen Ning to start blushing. He scratches the back of his head, trying in vain to hide the sheepish smile now spreading through his face.

“It was nice...” Wen Ning mutters.

“You have lipstick all over your face,” Wen Qing says, as a matter of fact.

Wei Ying snorts. “Did he maul you into a bush before making out with you?”

Horrified, Wen Ning turns around and frantically wipes his mouth. Even with all the lipstick gone, he's still got leaves and branches all over his hair. Wei Ying doesn't even want to know what Mo Xuanyu did to his innocent soul.

“Come here.” Wen Qing sighs. She fishes out all of things stuck to her brother's hair, muttering under her breath.

Once Wen Ning no longer looks like he should belong in Huaisang's movie, he frowns at the screen. “What are you two watching?”

“Train to Qinghe,” Wei Ying answers.

“I know that movie... Isn't it a horror? You don't like horror.”

“I don't! I'm only watching it because my high school friend is one of the characters.”

They suffer through the rest of the movie—or in this case, Wei Ying suffers, Wen Ning cries, and Wen Qing is cursing at the horrible guy who's gotten half the good characters killed because of his selfish tactics. By the time it's over, Wei Ying has screamed his throat raw and Wen Ning is hiccuping sadly in the corner. All in all, it was a pretty good movie.

“So, where's your boyfriend?” Wen Qing asks him after.

Wei Ying flickers through the TV channels, trying to find something light-hearted to calm his heart. For a second, Wen Qing's question makes him falter.

“He's got his music lessons tonight,” he says.

“Last I heard, that doesn't stop you from going round to his. Didn't you two have sex on his piano—”

Wen Ning, who had been sipping on some peach iced tea, chokes and splutters.

“Yeah, and?” Wei Ying grumbles. “Can't I spend time with you two as well?”

“Hmm.” Wen Qing gives him a look that tells him she doesn't believe any of his bullshit.

He isn't lying when he says Lan Zhan has music lessons tonight, and Wen Qing is right that the sex they had on the piano was very nice... but lately, there's been something about Lan Zhan that Wei Ying can't quite shake off. He's a perfect boyfriend and an even better gentleman—so why is Wei Ying's brain trying to convince himself that Lan Zhan is hiding something?

He still doesn't know what's up with the scars and the brand, and by now Wei Ying's given up on asking about them. Every time he looks at the symbol scarred onto Lan Zhan's chest, he's hit with a nostalgia that makes him want to be sick. He doesn't want to ask, but avoiding it feels wrong. For the past month, he's been trying to tell himself the brand is nothing and he's just being paranoid.

The dreams, on the other hand, are really not helping. Whenever he tries to put them together with Lan Zhan's evasive answers, he gets a result he's not sure he really wants to understand.

It's annoying. He loves dating Lan Zhan and he hasn't been this happy in ages—but that happiness is hard to focus on when you've got a thousand questions running in your head and every answer you can think of gives you a headache and an existential crisis.

Sighing, Wei Ying flickers through the channels. So, tonight, he thought he would spend some time with Wen Qing to try and calm his head from all this confusion. As yet, it's not really working because he misses Lan Zhan and Huaisang's damn zombie movie was the furthest from a calming experience.

“A dead body has been found nearby Qishan's newly opened casino, The Nightless City.”

Wei Ying stops changing channels. He raises an eyebrow, listening to the news.

“The man, who remains anonymous, was a regular gambler in Qishan. Judiciary Police have since ruled out the possibility of this being a murder after autopsies show the exact cause of death was a heart attack.”

“That casino again?” Wen Qing says, shaking her head.

Wei Ying barely hears her. The Nightless City. That name sounds familiar...

He frowns at the screen. The towering building that looms over central Qishan is unfamiliar. There's a large flight of stairs leading to the gaudy skyscraper, surrounded by flashing signs and hordes of people ready to lose their money. He half expects an army just waiting at the bottom of those steps, looking up at an evil leader—but of course, there's nothing of that sort. This is just a casino he's never set foot in before in his entire life.

So why does it feel like he knows this place?

“Oh, that's the casino Xuanyu was talking about...” Wen Ning mumbles.

Wen Qing doesn't look pleased. “Why? Is he into gambling?”

“No, no. His brother goes there a lot.”

Tearing his attention away from the TV, Wei Ying sits back on the sofa. He folds his arms. “You mean Meng Yao?”

“Yeah, the actor.”

“Oh yeah,” Wen Qing says. “I heard that place is popular among celebrities.”

Probably because they can afford it, Wei Ying thinks. He scoffs, changing the channel now that he's no longer interested in the news. For the rest of the evening, they watch whatever is interesting on TV, and the news about the Qishan casino is pushed to the back of Wei Ying's mind.

 

- x -

 

One of the many good things about dating Lan Zhan is that it meant he no longer had to get the bus every morning. Instead, it's goodbye buses; hello free rides to school.

Wei Ying runs across the parking lot, yawning into his hand. As usual, he barely got any sleep because of his nightmares. He'd wake up every few hours, panting into the darkness and trying to decipher what his mind is telling him. After no success, he'd try to go back to sleep only for the same thing to happen again, and again, and again.

He doesn't know what to do by this point. A large part of him is hoping the dreams will go away if he ignores them enough.

“Good morning, Teacher Wei,” Sizhui greets him as soon as he enters their car.

Wei Ying forces a grin on his face, waving at the student sitting in the back.

“Good morning to my favourite student,” he says, and then leans in to kiss Lan Zhan's cheek. “And good morning to my favourite man.”

The corners of Lan Zhan's eyes crinkle in what Wei Ying has now started to read as affection. For someone who barely says anything, Lan Zhan is slowly becoming easier to read as time passes by. It helps that he only gives these looks to Wei Ying.

“Hmm. Did you sleep well? You look tired,” Lan Zhan says.

Tired is an understatement. At most, Wei Ying probably only had three hours of sleep last night.

“Coffee hasn't sunk in yet, Lan Zhan. Give it time.”

He ignores the slight frown on Lan Zhan's eyebrows, knowing full well he hasn't believed that lie. Luckily, Lan Zhan starts the engine and doesn't ask any further questions. As they drive to school, Wei Ying looks out towards the window and catches a glimpse of Sizhui through the side mirror.

When they first started dating, Wei Ying considered keeping it a secret from everyone, especially Sizhui. As far as he can remember, there aren't any rules against dating your student's parent but he still didn't want to make things awkward for the young teenager.

As soon as he returned to Gusu, he had a talk with the bullies who were picking on Jin Ling. (Well, a talk is putting it lightly. He also gave them detention for the whole month.) That seemed to be successful, seeing as Jin Ling doesn't look like he hates him as much anymore. Still, Wei Ying wanted to be careful in case dating Lan Zhan will end up making Sizhui the target of any bullying or rumours as well.

His plans in keeping things a secret, however, went straight out the window when Sizhui accidentally walked in on him and Lan Zhan making out in the kitchen. That was an awkward exchange and all Wei Ying can remember is Sizhui desperately covering his eyes and apologising non-stop for ten whole minutes. After he calmed down, he was nothing short of happy for his father. Turns out Sizhui is as supportive as he is good with his grades.

“Are you busy later?”

Wei Ying blinks, turning back to Lan Zhan. He's still staring ahead of the road, eyes fixed on the traffic lights that are now glowing red.

“Me? Not really, just got the usual marking to do. Why?” Wei Ying asks.

Green flashes on the traffic lights. Wei Ying watches as Lan Zhan calmly drives through the roads, his face as passive as ever. Even after a month of dating him, Wei Ying will still find himself spacing out and thinking just how lucky he is to be with someone so pretty. It took a while to get used to the short hair but Lan Zhan is the type of person who could probably pull off the bald look as well. It doesn't help he looks extremely hot when his hair is all messed up after he fucks Wei Ying...

“Wei Ying?”

Wei Ying jumps. Lan Zhan is staring at him.

“Sorry, did you say something?”

“My brother wishes to meet you,” Lan Zhan repeats.

Lan Xichen's face flashes in his head. The last time he saw him was when he confronted Jiang Cheng about Jiejie, just before they went to Ohio. He recalls Lan Xichen had to stop him and Jiang Cheng from fighting any more.

“Your brother? But we've already met.”

“Not properly.”

Wei Ying purses his lips. “Oh no, is this the part where he threatens me to treat you nicely or else he'll forbid us from seeing each other ever again?”

From the back of the car, he hears Sizhui laughing quietly. Lan Zhan shakes his head, sighing.

“He is not like that.”

Wei Ying laughs as well. At least Lan Zhan isn't asking him to meet with Lan Qiren. If it was him, then Wei Ying would be having second thoughts.

“I've got time later,” he says. “Do you want me to come round yours?”

“We will go to my brother's apartment.”

Nodding, Wei Ying cranes his head to look behind them. “Are you coming too, Sizhui?”

Sizhui shakes his head. “No, Teacher Wei.”

“Aw, how come?”

“I have a sleepover with Jingyi and Jin Ling.”

“Jin Ling too? Cute,” Wei Ying teases, grinning wider as the smile on Sizhui's face falters.

Teasing aside, Wei Ying is glad to see Jin Ling hanging around with Sizhui and Jingyi. It's about time that brat had some nice friends. Since they returned to Gusu, Jin Ling isn't glaring at him as much anymore—and he puts effort in class now, minus the attitude.

The rest of the journey to school is the same as always. In the back of Wei Ying's mind, he thinks he can get used to spending his mornings with Lan Zhan and Sizhui. It saves being squashed in a bus, almost late for work.

“See you later, Dad,” Sizhui says, getting out of the car once Lan Zhan has parked outside the school.

Lan Zhan nods. “Be good.”

Like he needs to tell Sizhui that, Wei Ying thinks, smirking. Sizhui gives his dad a smile, and then turns to him.

“And see you in class, Teacher Wei!”

Wei Ying waves to him, watching the teenager run into the building. He's lost count of the amount of times Lan Zhan has driven him and Sizhui to school now, though Wei Ying will always take a moment to stop and think about how well mannered the kid is. Lan Zhan really did raise him up very well, didn't he?

“Thanks for the ride, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying says, facing him. “I'll see you later, okay?”

The quiet man doesn't say anything. Instead, he leans in and Wei Ying meets him halfway, already sliding their lips together. He can taste the tea that Lan Zhan's drank for breakfast. Wei Ying smiles into the kiss, running his hands through the neat locks of Lan Zhan's hair.

It's only when he slowly feels Lan Zhan's arms snaking around his waist does Wei Ying stop. Before Lan Zhan can pull him onto his lap, Wei Ying breaks off the kiss and laughs.

“Lan Zhan, you're going to make me late for my own class!” he says. As much as he would like to continue this now, even Wei Ying knows what a bad idea it is to get carried away in a parking lot—in front of the whole school. Maybe if they were somewhere else, and maybe if he didn't have work right now...

Reluctantly, Wei Ying moves away from Lan Zhan and gathers his bags. When he looks back up at his boyfriend, he smiles at how their short kiss has succeeded in messing up his usually immaculate hair. Endeared, Wei Ying tidies up Lan Zhan's hair for him, sparing another kiss on his cheek. Now that they're alone, Lan Zhan rewards him with a small smile of his own. He strokes Wei Ying's hand, and the moment is so peaceful, so sweet, that Wei Ying wouldn't mind staying here and skipping his whole shift if it didn't mean Shen Yuan going ballistic on him.

It's times like this that he can forget all about the nightmares and the weird flashbacks. Just him and Lan Zhan; as it should be.

“Have a good day, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying says. “I'll see you and your brother later for dinner then?”

Lan Zhan nods. “I look forward to it.”

 

- x -

 

Wei Ying has scoured through his entire apartment in search of a suitable gift for Lan Xichen. What does that guy even like? Come to think of it, what does Lan Zhan even like? He knows his boyfriend has a horde of rabbits back in his house and that he likes playing music, but he sincerely doubts Lan Xichen is the same. What do you even give family members when you're officially meeting them?

Losing hope, he looks around the mess that is now his apartment. He considered cooking something earlier but he hasn't got enough time—and he doesn't think Lan Xichen is the type to eat spicy food anyway. Lan Zhan eats very healthily, if he eats at all. Over the course of the month, Wei Ying has noticed he doesn't eat as much as he should, given his size and age...

Sighing, Wei Ying checks his cupboards again. There must be something here... He pushes aside all of the glasses and cans, frowning at a large bottle hidden in the corner.

“Wine?” Wei Ying pulls it out. Wen Qing must have missed this when she emptied his apartment from all the alcohol...

He turns it in his hands. It hasn't been opened yet, so it should be good. He recognises it to be one of the bottles that isn't particularly strong; if he drank this whole thing now, he'd still be sober.

Do the Lans even drink...?

Wei Ying shrugs. This is better than nothing, anyway. He can just ask Lan Xichen if he drinks and then give it to him.

As soon as Wei Ying shoves the wine bottle into his bag, he gets a text from Lan Zhan telling him he's already outside. Perfect timing as always.

Having never been in a relationship before, Wei Ying hadn't thought about the stage where you have to start meeting family members. Come to think about it, Lan Zhan's already met Jiejie, so it's only fair that Wei Ying meets his brother too then? He makes a mental promise not to embarrass himself too much tonight. Lan Zhan seems like he's the type to respect his family a lot; Wei Ying doesn't want to do anything that might jeopardize that.

Lan Xichen's apartment is literally just a few doors down from Jiang Cheng's; a fact that Wei Ying is desperately trying to ignore. Ever since they returned to Gusu, neither have spoken to each other. On the bright side, it's better than constantly arguing like they did before.

Nevertheless, Wei Ying would be lying if he didn't say he was disappointed. His eyes linger on Jiang Cheng's door. He sighs to himself and shakes his head. It doesn't matter anymore. Both of them have their own lives now; there's no point clinging onto the past.

Lan Zhan knocks on his brother's door. In less than a second, it opens and Lan Xichen pops his head outside, smiling at both of them.

“Wangji, come in,” he says, opening the door wider. “Hello, Teacher Wei.”

Wei Ying returns the smile and follows Lan Zhan inside. “Hello, Xichen-ge—can I call you that?”

“Of course. Please make yourselves at home.”

He takes his shoes off by the door and looks around the apartment. One glance is all it takes for him to decide these apartments are much better than his own—then again, anything is better than Burial Complex. Too bad the rent for this place is probably too expensive for him.

Despite their stark similarities, now that they're standing beside each other, it's actually much easier to tell the two brothers apart. It's not just because Lan Zhan cut his hair short (although that does help tremendously), it's also the fact that Lan Xichen's face is stuck in a permanent friendly smile, whereas Lan Zhan rarely ever smiles at all. Wei Ying likes to think that Lan Zhan smiles the most around him.

Nevertheless, even Lan Xichen's smile is much different to Lan Zhan's. When Lan Zhan smiles, it's so small that the average person might miss it—but Wei Ying doesn't. He sees the way his eyes soften and it makes the butterflies in his stomach go haywire, almost as if it's their first kiss all over again. Lan Xichen's smile, while pleasant, is too friendly, too wide for Wei Ying to imagine on Lan Zhan's face.

His long hair is tied into a loose braid that dangles over his right shoulder. Wei Ying has gotten so used to Lan Zhan's short hair that he's almost forgotten what he used to look like when his hair was that long...

As he glances around the apartment, his eyes catch on a jacket on the sofa.

Wei Ying frowns. That's a police jacket.

The only policeman he knows who lives anywhere near here is Jiang Cheng...

Wait... No...

Eyes wide, Wei Ying slowly turns to Lan Xichen. Wasn't Jiang Cheng constantly texting him back in Ohio? Are they seeing each other now? Has Jiang Cheng finally accepted that he's not actually straight?

“Wangji told me you liked spicy food,” Lan Xichen tells him. Wei Ying quickly composes his expression, even if his mind is now going through a bunch of conspiracies; all of which lead to Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen secretly dating. “I don't know many spicy recipes, but I hope you like dandan noodles and laziji.”

Wei Ying perks up at that. It's been a while since he's had dandan noodles or laziji. His mouth is already watering at the thought of them.

“Sounds good! Ah—that reminds me. I got you something too—”

Before he can take the bottle out his bag, an alarm goes off from the kitchen. In the blink of an eye, Lan Xichen disappears to turn it off.

“Oh! Thank you! Please wait,” he says, stirring the wok.

Wei Ying exchanges glances with Lan Zhan, not really knowing what to do. It feels awkward to stand here just watching his brother cook. Helpful as always, Lan Zhan only stares back at him. A quiet sigh escapes him when another alarm starts blaring off in the kitchen.

“It's okay, I'll just put it in the kitchen, yeah?” Wei Ying offers. “I didn't know whether you drank or not but—”

“Wangji, please get that,” Lan Xichen says, pointing at the oven. He looks over his shoulder, and despite the several alarms going off around them, gives Wei Ying the most angelic smile he has ever seen. “A drink? That sounds lovely, Teacher Wei. If you would be so kind to pour that into some glasses then we can set the table.”

Eager to help, Wei Ying does just that. There aren't any wine glasses in Lan Xichen's cupboards or drawers when he checks them. Shrugging, he grabs the only mugs he can find and pours the wine into them. Who needs fancy glasses anyway? This thing has barely any alcohol content in it; the brothers will probably think he's serving them juice instead.

Fortunately, no more alarms go off after that and they're able to set the table with no difficulty. Wei Ying breathes in the sharp smell of spices, tempted to steal a piece of the deep-fried chicken from the laziji. He resists the temptation and waits for both brothers to join him by the table.

“I apologise for all the commotion,” Lan Xichen says. A sheepish smile makes its way to his lips. “Wangji should have warned you that I am quite the hectic cook.”

Wei Ying laughs. “That's nothing compared to how I cook. This smells good!”

He wastes no time in tucking into the food. Hectic cook or not, Lan Xichen knows how to make a good bowl of dandan noodles. In fact, Wei Ying notices his bowl is much redder compared to either of them; did Lan Xichen put more chilli oil in his?

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you properly, Teacher Wei,” Lan Xichen says, beaming at him from across the table. “Wangji thinks the world of you.”

Grinning, Wei Ying spots the evident flush on the tips of Lan Zhan's ears. He says nothing, although keeps his golden eyes on his brother, as if silently pleading him to stay silent.

Wei Ying chews the inside of his cheek. He catches the amused glint in Lan Xichen's eyes.

“Aw, now I want to know what Lan Zhan's been saying about me,” Wei Ying insists. He sits up, plastering on the most innocent smile he can muster. “Does he talk about me a lot?”

Lan Xichen chuckles into his hand. “Often, he does not have to say anything. He's very easy to read.”

It takes all of Wei Ying's self control not to cackle out loud when Lan Zhan's eyes narrow at his brother.

Lan Xichen, the absolute troll, doesn't bat an eyelid. “Now, he is thinking he wants me to stay silent in case I reveal all of his affections for you.”

“Brother.”

Wei Ying lets out an undignified snort. He tries, and fails, to cover it with a cough. “I'm listening.”

Lan Zhan grips his chopsticks so hard that Wei Ying fears they'll snap in half. His ears are as red as ever. Cute.

“Wei Ying.”

Luckily for him, Lan Xichen says nothing more. He reaches for his drink, hiding the evident smile behind the mug. Wei Ying watches as he takes a sip, immediately raising an eyebrow at the taste.

“Do you like it?” Wei Ying asks.

Lan Xichen drinks more. “Yes. It's very sweet. I like it a lot.”

“Yeah, it's practically juice, haha.”

Well, Lan Xichen must have really liked it because he downs the whole thing in seconds.

“There's more. Do you want me to get the bottle?” Wei Ying says. He stands up, but Lan Xichen shakes his head and motions for him to sit down again.

“Oh no, I will do it,” he says, already making his way for the kitchen.

Sitting back down, Wei Ying turns to Lan Zhan. He picks up his mug as well, frowning at it slightly before drinking. For some reason, his frown deepens. Does he not like it?

“I didn't know whether you guys drank or not, so it's not very strong,” Wei Ying says, watching as Lan Zhan's eyes actually widen.

He pushes the mug away. “Is it not juice?”

“What? No, it's wine—”

There's a deafening thump from the kitchen. Wei Ying jumps, and his heart stops as soon as he sees Lan Xichen on the floor—collapsed.

He scrambles to his feet. “Shit—is he okay?”

Lan Zhan rises too, but his eyes aren't on his unconscious brother at all. He's still staring at the mug before him as if it's the most horrific thing he's seen in his entire life.

“Alcohol? This is... alcohol?”

Wei Ying is about to confirm it again when he sees Lan Zhan's whole body teetering. His eyes widen—the whole world stops—and Lan Zhan falls smack onto the floor just like his brother.

What the fuck.

Shocked beyond words, Wei Ying stares at the two unconscious figures on the floor. They aren't moving. They're completely still.

What the fuck?

What the? Fuck???

He stays where he is, eyes as wide as saucers, and waits for either of them to get up or laugh or say something—anything. The seconds turn into minutes and the minutes turn into Wei Ying slowly thinking what the fuck, did he just kill his boyfriend and his brother?

What the fuck?

He rounds the table and steps around Lan Zhan's limp body. Is he even breathing? He pats Lan Zhan's cheeks. No response. A poke. Still no response.

Wei Ying pinches his nose.

Lan Zhan is as still as a statue.

Oh god, Wei Ying thinks. I've killed them.

No. No, shit, what the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck!

FUCK. FUCK. FUCK?

He clutches his head into his hands. Shit, he needs to calm down and think—but what if Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen are actually severely allergic to alcohol and he's just given them cardiac arrest by making them drink it?! Seriously, are they even breathing?!

Wei Ying runs over to Lan Xichen's side, squatting down to gauge his face. He hovers a hand over his mouth and nose—

They're not breathing.

Wei Ying staggers back. Okay. Okay. Okay!

What does he do—oh shit, are they literally not breathing? What the fuck do you even do if you think you've killed your boyfriend and his brother during a family meal?

Okay, he needs to calm down. And do something. Anything.

Shit.

Not knowing what else he can do, Wei Ying runs out of the apartment and thunders down the corridor. He's banging on Jiang Cheng's door before he even has time to consider how much of a bad idea this is.

“You! What the fuck are you doing here?!” Jiang Cheng demands as soon as he opens the door.

His glare doesn't even make Wei Ying flinch. He grabs Jiang Cheng's sleeve.

“I need your help!”

Red-faced, Jiang Cheng tries to snatch his arm away. “What? Get out! I didn't say you could come here!”

“No—please! I mean it! I wouldn't be coming to you if it wasn't serious!”

There must be something on his face that spells urgent because Jiang Cheng actually does stop struggling. He scrutinises him; the same expression he used to do when they were kids and he was trying to see if Wei Ying was up to no good. More often than not, Wei Ying was up to no good—but not this time. He's actually serious this time!

“What do you want?” Jiang Cheng eventually sighs.

Wei Ying tugs at his arm. Thankfully, Jiang Cheng doesn't resist, allowing himself to be dragged out of his apartment.

“Just—just follow me!”

Stepping into an apartment with not one, but two unconscious bodies is probably not what Jiang Cheng expected when he followed Wei Ying. He snatches his arm away, freezing at the scene before him.

“What the—”

“I swear I didn't do anything!” Wei Ying wails, clasping his hands together. “They just collapsed! I gave them some wine and they fucking collapsed! What if they're like allergic to alcohol or something? Can you die from an allergic reaction? Did I kill them?”

Jiang Cheng shakes him so hard that Wei Ying is sure his skull would break.

“Calm down, for fuck sake!” he yells, and then lets go of Wei Ying to kneel by Lan Xichen's side. Gently, he lifts him into his arms and lowers his ear next to his mouth. “They're not breathing! What the fuck did you do?!”

So much for calming down. Wei Ying throws his hands in the air and paces the room. “I didn't do anything! You're not supposed to die if you take one sip of alcohol!”

“Why are you even drinking again?! What are you doing here?!”

Wei Ying kneels by Lan Zhan's side as well. Another few pats to his cheek and—nothing, still no response. Whining, he hefts Lan Zhan's head onto his lap and pokes his forehead. Hard.

“It's the really weak stuff, I promise!” he tells Jiang Cheng. “Xichen-ge invited us for dinner and I had some fancy wine left in my cupboards so I thought he would like it...”

This is quite possibly the worst family dinner in all of history. How did he fuck up this badly? Lan Qiren is going to have him arrested—if Jiang Cheng doesn't get to him first now that he's here.

“What... What do we do? What's even wrong with them?” Wei Ying cries.

“How am I supposed to know?!”

Desperate, Wei Ying shakes Lan Zhan. No matter how hard he shakes him, he's as limp as a doll.

“I can't kill my boyfriend! This can't be happening, Jiang Cheng!”

“Just—calm down!” Jiang Cheng pinches the bridge of his nose. “Let's get them off the floor first.”

That would have been easy if Wei Ying's arms weren't so scrawny and Lan Zhan didn't weigh like a fucking tonne. From the corner of his eyes, he sees Jiang Cheng struggling to get Lan Xichen up as well. At this rate, these two brothers are going to be forever glued to the floor.

A quiet groan stops both of them in their struggle.

Wei Ying's head snaps up. Lan Xichen is clutching his head—he's moving, he's alive!

“Xichen!” Jiang Cheng cries, holding him up. “Are you okay?”

Lan Xichen wearily glances around, his eyelids heavy. He blinks several times into complete space and then looks back at Jiang Cheng.

“Jiang Cheng...?”

“Yeah?”

All of a sudden, Lan Xichen sits up. It's so quick that he almost headbutts Jiang Cheng.

“Jiang Cheng!”

Jiang Cheng pulls back. “What?”

Lan Xichen rises to his feet and literally yanks Jiang Cheng with him.

“JIANG CHENG!!!”

“What's wrong with you?!” Jiang Cheng yells back, staring at the man as if he's just grown a second head.

Either Lan Xichen is very happy to see Jiang Cheng or he knocked his head too hard on the floor... Wei Ying is at a loss as to what he can do when Jiang Cheng is currently being shaken by a very enthusiastic man who was just unconscious three seconds ago. He's not sure he can do something. Honestly, he's a bit terrified of how hyper Lan Xichen suddenly is.

Something—or someone stirs in his arms. Wei Ying's face lights up, finally seeing Lan Zhan open his eyes. He's alive! He didn't kill his boyfriend!

“Lan Zhan! Thank fuck you're alive!”

Before he can help Lan Zhan up, Lan Xichen has crossed the whole room and is now dragging his brother to his feet. The expression on Lan Zhan's face is devoid of emotion as always—actually, he looks more dead inside than he usually does. He doesn't even blink as Lan Xichen grabs his shoulders and shakes him vigorously.

“WANGJI!!! You're awake! Everyone's here!” Lan Xichen yells at the top of his lungs. “Look, Wangji! There's Officer Jiang!!”

Lan Zhan nods once, still staring off into space. “Hm.”

“Ah, being surrounded by so many friends makes me happy! I want to play some music!”

Letting go of his brother, Lan Xichen does the most graceful twirl and scurries over to the living room. He shoves everything off his shelves and rambles on about needing to find some music; whatever music is supposed to be then Wei Ying has no idea. All he can do is watch the deranged man searching his living room high and low.

Jiang Cheng inches closer to him. “They're fucking drunk,” he says.

Frowning, Wei Ying observes Lan Zhan. He doesn't look any different... Kind of. He's still spacing out and just standing there like he doesn't know what the fuck to do, but at least he's currently not thrashing the apartment like his brother is.

“They can't be...” Wei Ying mutters. “The wine I gave them barely has any alcohol in it. It's literally just juice.”

Jiang Cheng squints at him. “Do you mean barely any alcohol as in that time you gave me a glass that was half vodka, half Coke, and you still insisted it wouldn't get me drunk?”

“No! I mean it this time!”

A scoff is all that comes out of Jiang Cheng. He folds his arms, grumbling to himself. At the very least, the Lan brothers are alive and Jiang Cheng is kind of talking to him, so Wei Ying will take what he can get.

Lan Zhan turns to them. As soon as his eyes land on Jiang Cheng, his fists clench and a displeased scowl makes its way onto his face.

“You,” he says. “Go away.”

Wei Ying blinks in surprise.

“Excuse me?” Jiang Cheng snarls.

Before he sees it coming, Lan Zhan has closed the distance between them and shoved Jiang Cheng away from Wei Ying. Jiang Cheng staggers back, yelling out a string of curses.

“Do not upset Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan says.

Oh god. Lan Zhan's cheeks are actually pink. He can't actually be drunk, right?

Out of nowhere, Lan Xichen appears and literally smacks Lan Zhan on the shoulder.

“Bad Wangji!” he gasps. “Don't hit A-Cheng!”

He grabs Jiang Cheng, who is staring at both brothers with the most confused expression Wei Ying has ever seen on him. Lan Xichen hugs him, patting Jiang Cheng's hair with all the affection of a young mother. Even after being smacked, Lan Zhan remains on the spot and glares at Jiang Cheng as if he's just murdered his entire family.

“Okay, you're right,” Wei Ying says. “They're wasted.”

They actually got drunk off that bottle of wine? And not even the whole thing! Lan Xichen downed the whole cup, but Wei Ying could swear that Lan Zhan only had a few sips! Is it possible to get drunk that easily?

Huh. Lan Zhan... Drunk...

That doesn't sound possible to Wei Ying. Lan Zhan's always been the epitome of grace and dignity ever since they met... The fact that he's drunk off his head right now...

Wei Ying smirks. He drapes his arms around Lan Zhan's shoulders, pouting at the evident glare still directed towards Jiang Cheng. Wow, Lan Zhan really doesn't like him, does he?

“Aw, Lan Zhan, you don't like the scary angry man? It's okay, pay attention to me instead.”

Lan Zhan's eyes are on him in seconds. “Always,” he says.

Well, shit. He's still as smooth with the compliments even when he's wasted!

Wei Ying doesn't have time to be flustered; Lan Zhan is dragging him to the kitchen for some unexplainable reason. He glances over his shoulder to see that Jiang Cheng is also suffering with Lan Xichen, who has now found the radio he's apparently been searching for all along. He cheers in triumph and turns it on—and the whole apartment is filled with Lady Gaga's Bad Romance.

What in the world...?

Lan Xichen climbs on top of the sofa, singing along. Wei Ying doesn't think he's ever seen someone look so happy. It's even funnier when Jiang Cheng, who is the complete opposite of happy, climbs onto the sofa as well, trying (and failing) to get Lan Xichen down.

Shaking his head to himself, Wei Ying returns his attention to Lan Zhan. He'll leave Jiang Cheng to deal with Lan Xichen's crazy drunk ass.

“What are you doing?” Wei Ying asks.

Lan Zhan is currently searching through his brother's fridge, shoving aside each item in search of... well, whatever it is he's looking for. He doesn't answer Wei Ying; only glaring at all of the food on the shelves.

After a while, he pushes a packet of chilli peppers into Wei Ying's arms. “For you.”

Wei Ying looks down at them. “Uh. They belong to your brother...”

Lan Zhan's eyes narrow. “No. You.”

He pushes the chilli peppers to his chest again, not taking no for an answer. The little scowl he has on his face is too cute to argue with. Confused, Wei Ying forces a smile on his face and waves the packet of chilli peppers about.

“Um, thanks,” he says.

That actually makes the scowl on Lan Zhan's face worse.

“No. No thank you.”

“Huh?”

“No need for thank you.”

Wei Ying gradually nods. “Okay then, uh, no thank you.”

The scowl turns into a smug raise of his chin. Lan Zhan nods back at him, and then proceeds to shove his head into the fridge again. The next item he brandishes out is a whole roast chicken.

“Why are you giving me a chicken?” Wei Ying asks. Like before, Lan Zhan is shoving the whole uncooked chicken into his arms and all Wei Ying can do is take it. He's so lost that he can't even laugh. Lan Zhan's face is as stoic and blank as ever. This is a whole new level of being drunk.

“Only for you,” Lan Zhan says.

When Wei Ying started dating Lan Zhan, he expected declarations of love—just not with whole uncooked chickens being given to him as a gift.

“Wow,” he says. “I've... always wanted a whole chicken.”

That seems to please the drunk man. He nods again and folds his arms, standing back as if to admire the image of Wei Ying carrying all of this food.

Wei Ying laughs. He places all of the food on the counter and stands in front of Lan Zhan, cupping his cheeks. His face is still flushed pink and his eyes are hazy. What a mess.

“You're so unbelievably cute, Lan Zhan—”

His words are cut short by a scream that can only belong to someone about to get murdered. Wei Ying spins around, just in time to see Lan Xichen falling right on top of Jiang Cheng on the sofa. He flinches at the loud bang that's the sound of Jiang Cheng's head colliding with the wall behind them.

“Ow! Fuck, you're heavy!” Jiang Cheng shrieks.

Lan Xichen pulls back, but doesn't get off him. His eyes are wide with exaggerated concern. “A-Cheng! You're hurt! Did you hit your head!?”

“You fucking pushed me! Of course it hurts! Get off!”

“You hit your head!!! Let me kiss it better!!!”

“What—”

Wei Ying's jaw drops. One second, Jiang Cheng is yelling at Lan Xichen, and the next—they're kissing. He's frozen on the spot, watching in horror as the older Lan brother is kissing Jiang Cheng's soul out his body. Even from where he's standing, he can see Jiang Cheng frantically patting Lan Xichen's back.

Except, he doesn't really push him away. Wei Ying waits for Jiang Cheng to kick him off and explode, but he doesn't. If he doesn't know any better, Jiang Cheng's actually letting Lan Xichen kiss him. So much for being straight.

Awkwardly, Wei Ying covers his eyes and turns away. Something tells him they shouldn't stay here.

Eventually, it sounds like Jiang Cheng snaps to his senses. He lets out a garbled yell and scrambles back from the sofa. His face is so red it's passed being red—he may as well be as purple as a grape.

“Y-Y-You j-just k-k-kissed me! You kissed me!” he stutters, vigorously wiping his mouth.

Lan Xichen taps his chin in thought. “Did you not like it? Should I try again?!”

Shit. No longer able to hold it in, Wei Ying bursts out laughing. In an instant, Jiang Cheng is glaring at him with all the rage that could rival a volcano. He rises on the seat, yanking his shoe out.

“GET OUT! OUT!”

Wei Ying sees the shoe hurtling towards him. He flinches and covers his face—but it never comes. When he opens his eyes again, Lan Zhan has caught the shoe with one hand and is chucking it back in Jiang Cheng's direction.

Jiang Cheng dodges just in the nick of time. Behind him, a shelf is shattered into pieces as the shoe literally decimates it within impact.

Holy shit.

Lan Zhan grabs Wei Ying's hand and pulls him along, making his way towards the door.

“Wait, Lan Zhan! Where are we going?”

He says nothing. Wei Ying spares one last look at Jiang Cheng before he's whisked away into the unknown by his drunk boyfriend.

This is definitely not how he expected this family meal to turn out. Who'd have thought the Lans could be so wild?

Wei Ying lets Lan Zhan drag him out of the apartment. They pass by a couple of streets, earning a few strange looks from strangers as Lan Zhan is quite literally dragging Wei Ying with the most ferocious determination on his face. Wei Ying doesn't even know where they're going—or how they're going to get home. Lan Zhan's in no state to be driving them back.

On their way, they pass an alley with a group of teenagers huddled together. As soon as they hear Lan Zhan, they scramble away, dropping all of the spray cans in their hands. One look at the wall they were huddled together and it's clear they were about to vandalise it. Kids these days, Wei Ying thinks with a roll of his eyes.

He doesn't expect Lan Zhan to pick the spray can up.

“Hey, what are you—”

He's too late to stop him. Lan Zhan is writing on the wall with the neatest characters you could ever imagine. It's like he's doing calligraphy instead of vandalism—except what he's written isn't as graceful.

Wei Ying covers his mouth, muffling a laugh.

LAN WANGJI OF GUSU WAS HERE is written on the wall for everyone to see. He laughs until he can no longer hold it, throwing his head back and clutching his stomach. Lan Zhan is such a kid when he's drunk! This is amazing!

“Lan Zhan—what the fuck? Jiang Cheng will have you arrested for that!” Wei Ying says, still laughing.

Lan Zhan's lips turn down. “He is irrelevant.”

Wei Ying can only laugh louder. His laughter dies down as soon as he feels Lan Zhan pushing the spray can into his hands.

“Uh, I don't think—”

Lan Zhan covers his ears and closes his eyes. He remains like that, unmoving. It dawns on Wei Ying eventually that he looks exactly like a kid who refuses to listen to their parents.

Seriously... Is he seriously doing this? Wei Ying shakes his head and thinks Fuck it. He sighs, shaking the spray can and writing underneath Lan Zhan's neat script.

WEI YING OF YUNMENG WAS HERE.

“Okay, that's enough crime for today...” Wei Ying says, staring at their masterpiece. If someone told him he'd be doing this at the age of thirty-three, he'd have laughed at them and thought they were drunk. But lo and behold, here he is, vandalising a brick wall with his boyfriend, who may or may not be completely smashed as of this moment.

“We need to get you home,” Wei Ying says, turning back to Lan Zhan.

As soon as he finishes that sentence, the whole world turns upside down. Lan Zhan lifts him into his arms, carrying him like a bride.

“Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan! Put me down! W-What are you doing? Where are you going?”

Too late. Lan Zhan has started running off into the streets. In public. In front of everyone! He's carrying Wei Ying while running like a man possessed!

“Home,” Lan Zhan says, as if the answer is so obvious.

“We are not going home like this!”

His words fall on deaf ears. Lan Zhan runs faster and Wei Ying covers his face, hearing the noises of surprised people they pass by. Many of them cry out, wondering what in the world is happening; some of them are cheering, thinking this is some sort of stunt or romantic proposal. Wei Ying shrinks even more into Lan Zhan's arms and gives up on talking some sense into him.

He's always wanted to be swept off his feet by some prince charming—this is not how he imagined it!

Lan Zhan is seriously inhuman. Wei Ying didn't think it was possible, but they actually manage to reach his house in the end. He isn't even out of breath! He's been running for so long and not one strand of his hair is out of place!

Still carrying Wei Ying in his arms, Lan Zhan kicks open the door and enters his house. The first thing Wei Ying sees is Sizhui, and then there's Jin Ling and Jingyi. As soon as they spot them, Jingyi lunges across the table, doing a very poor job of hiding the stash of alcohol they have in the centre.

“D-Dad?!” Sizhui cries, standing up.

Jin Ling spins around on his chair, pointing at Wei Ying. “You! What... What are you doing?!”

Wei Ying has no clue how to answer that question. All he does is shrug, kicking his feet in the air.

“Wait, are you two dating now?!” Jingyi splutters.

Sizhui shuffles his feet. “I thought you already knew...”

“I thought they were just rumours! I didn't think Uncle was actually capable of dating! He's so bad at talking to anyone!”

Ouch. Talk about being blunt. Wei Ying coughs loudly, interrupting Jingyi's celebratory declaration that he caused this because he gave Lan Zhan's number to Wei Ying in the first place.

Lan Zhan pays them no mind. He doesn't even care about the very obvious collection of alcohol on his table. Who even bought all that anyway?

With no other word, Lan Zhan makes his way for the stairs. Wei Ying has long since given up on getting down; he waves at the kids as they go, smirking at the incredulous looks on all their faces.

Lan Zhan carries him to his room and wastes no time in pushing Wei Ying into the bed. Now, any other time and Wei Ying would already be ripping his clothes off—but Lan Zhan is drunk off his mind. He's had enough drunk sex in his life to know how shitty that can turn out in the end. Wei Ying jerks back, intent on pulling away, but hits his head on the wall behind them.

“Ow!”

In an instant, Lan Zhan is cradling his head to his chest, stroking back Wei Ying's hair. It would have been cute if he wasn't being suffocated by Lan Zhan's shirt. Wei Ying pries himself off before Lan Zhan succeeds in choking him, pulling at his shirt and accidentally taking out a few buttons at the top. Damn it, he thinks. He's not trying to strip Lan Zhan this time!

“You're really drunk, aren't you...” he mutters. Feigning a sigh, Wei Ying ruffles Lan Zhan's hair and waggles his finger in front of his face. “Be a good boy and behave, okay?”

Obediently, Lan Zhan sits back. He tilts his head slightly and Wei Ying revels at how adorable that is. How can Lan Zhan be so hot when he's sober, but be this cute mess when he's drunk? It's not fair!

Wei Ying sits cross legged on the bed, laughing under his breath. He reaches over to tidy Lan Zhan's hair again, running his fingers through the strands. Sighing, Lan Zhan leans into his touch. The movement causes his shirt to open even more. Wei Ying's eyes travel down, cursing the buttons that decided to break now of all times.

His curses are cut short when he catches sight of the brand peeking out. Wei Ying clenches his jaw.

In the back of his mind, he hears the faint sound of running, running; fire, and shouting. He thinks back to all of the nightmares he's had of that same brand, the mockery of a sun that haunts him every night.

Why does Lan Zhan have it?

Wei Ying takes a deep breath, tearing his eyes away. He looks up at Lan Zhan.

“How... How did you get your scars?” he asks. His heart hammers against his ribs, threatening to escape.

Lan Zhan doesn't hesitate to answer. “You.”

“Me?”

“For you.”

Wei Ying frowns. The room suddenly feels a lot smaller. “I don't understand. I... I didn't know you before—”

Lan Zhan grabs his hand, squeezing. “You do.”

His hand is cold. Wei Ying can only stare into his eyes, wondering where exactly he's seen that golden colour before.

“We know each other,” Lan Zhan insists.

We're already familiar with each other, aren't we?

Wei Ying blinks, and sees a flash of a large moon. A rooftop. There's someone there watching him with the same piercing, gold eyes. He glares. Wei Ying thinks his eyes are beautiful.

He blinks again and the image is gone. Lan Zhan is back in front of him; those same golden eyes are as piercing as ever but Wei Ying can't bear to look at them. He clutches his head, forcing out a laugh.

“You're really drunk,” he says.

 

- x -

 

Wei Ying can't sleep. It's three in the morning and he's still thinking about what Lan Zhan said earlier. After that little incidence they had, Lan Zhan passed out and has been asleep ever since. Wei Ying, on the other hand, has been staring up at the ceiling with his thoughts running round and round in circles.

We know each other.

What's that supposed to mean?

Shaking his head, he sits up. Lan Zhan was drunk when he said that though; he could have just been saying anything—so why does it feel so true? Why does Wei Ying get the feeling that they have met each other before?

But that can't be possible. He would have remembered if Lan Zhan went to his high school or something.

The worst thing about this is that it feels like all of the answers are literally right in front of him but he can't piece them together. His dreams and flashbacks are all parts of a story that are in the wrong order, and no matter how long he spends staring up at this ceiling, he can't rearrange them to make sense.

Frustrated, Wei Ying swings his legs off the bed and stands up. He can't sleep like this.

He spares a quick glance at Lan Zhan before he leaves. Still passed out.

Wei Ying walks out into the darkness. There's nothing but empty silence that greets him here; everyone else is asleep, just as he should be. He ambles through the corridor, long enough for his eyes to adjust. It helps that Lan Zhan's house has so many windows and the moonlight outside is bright enough to light the corridor. As he passes by each room, he listens intently to the silence and hears the faint sound of owls from outside.

He reaches the end of the corridor and looks up at the staircase leading to the third floor. Come to think of it, he's completely forgotten Lan Zhan's house is three storeys high. In all the time he's visited this place, he's never set foot on the third floor.

Curiosity gets the better of him. Wei Ying runs up the stairs with baited breath.

What he sees isn't very exciting. The top floor is quite small; just a narrow hallway that's piled with dusty boxes and unused furniture. He didn't know what he expected—a haunted attic, maybe? An abandoned room?

He's definitely been watching too many horror movies. Wei Ying sighs to himself, walking through all of the discarded boxes. A few coughs and sneezes escape him because of all the dust in the air—when was the last time anyone ever set foot up here?

As he finishes coughing into his hand, he spots a door that's almost hidden by all these boxes. He looks around. This seems to be the only door on this floor. Is that the attic or something?

Wei Ying kicks aside the stuff in his way and gives the door a good budge. He expected it to be locked, but it actually opens very easily. Smiling in triumph, he slips inside.

He's right. It is an attic—or at least he thinks it is. He fumbles along the wall for a light switch. Even when he finds it, the lamp on the ceiling barely gives off any light. Wei Ying squints in the near darkness.

The first thing he spots are all of the boxes on the floor like in the previous room—but that's not all there is. There are strange pieces of rectangular yellow paper stuck on the walls. Curious, he takes a closer look at one of them and frowns at the unfamiliar symbols scrawled onto the paper. What are these supposed to be? There's so many of them here!

The more Wei Ying looks around the room, the more he realises that the yellow pieces of paper aren't the strangest things here. As well as towering shelves of books and scrolls, there's glass cases in every corner of the room; all filled with what looks like robes, weapons and other books with intricately designed covers. On each of the glass cases are more of the yellow pieces of paper stuck onto them.

What is all this? Antiques? Things that have been passed down the Lan generation?

He shouldn't be here. Lan Zhan probably hides all of these things for a reason.

Still, there's something inside him that refuses to leave. Wei Ying walks deeper into the room, drawn by the glass case in the very centre.

There's only two items in it. A black sword, and a dizi. The scabbard of the sword is jet black, edged with gold that glimmers even in this darkness.

He doesn't know what possesses him. He snaps open the glass case and reaches for the blade.

This... This is...

His hands move by themselves. Wei Ying turns the sword over and over, staring at all of the golden patterns etched onto the scabbard. The hilt feels foreign, but familiar. He grips it tighter, and pulls.

The blade hisses free. Wei Ying catches his eyes on its reflection.

If this is the case, then why not let this sword be named Suibian?

His reflection is gone. Wei Ying sees Uncle Jiang, smiling as he always did, handing this same sword to him. He blinks and the memory evaporates in less than a second. Suibian. There it is, etched onto the blade; two characters that spell out Suibian.

Wei Ying doesn't know what to think. He doesn't know if he can think. The dust is thick in the air and this sword is heavy in his hands. There are a million questions running through his head but none of them make enough sense for him to voice them out loud. Lost, Wei Ying looks down at the glass case again.

The dizi is still there, made out of black bamboo from the Burial Mounds—

Wei Ying freezes. A shrill noise pierces his eardrums and he staggers back, dropping the sword onto the floor. The noise gets louder, and louder, until his whole world is deafened and all he can do is squeeze his eyes shut and cover his ears.

Louder.

He takes a step back and trips over the scabbard he has dropped. Wei Ying falls, grabbing onto the nearest thing he can find. Disorientated, he looks up and finds that he has managed to pull a large blanket off a painting that's previously been hidden. Dust is flying all around him; he coughs and splutters. The shrill sound of the flute is long gone, but Wei Ying's heart is still pounding in his chest. He wants to be sick.

Still coughing, he pushes the cloth away from him and rises to his feet. Once his coughs finally subside, he opens his eyes.

Before him is a large painting of a portrait. A man.

Wei Ying feels every drop of blood in his body turn cold. His eyes widen, taking in every stroke, every detail of the portrait right in front of him.

Long, black hair, grey eyes, black robes. The expression on his face is sombre, almost sad. There's wariness in the way he stares back, a tired ambience that makes Wei Ying's fists clench and his eyes sting. He can't breathe. He can't move.

He stares and stares, until his eyes water and there are tears rolling down his cheeks. He stares until his mind blanks and he thinks he hears distant screams that come from worlds away. He stares until the faint sound of the dizi returns, until it makes his head spin and his thoughts decay. He stares until he conjures a name for this man before him, a name that makes no sense because it shouldn't be that name—it shouldn't be like this.

Wei Ying starts to breathe again. It comes out in struggles; desperate gasps for air as he steps back and stares at the portrait in its entirety.

It's him. The man on the painting is him.