Too Far Apart

1. The Beginning

Xichen saw a person across the yard, looking concerned, hesitating before he walked up to the person in the centre of the courtyard. The two men tussled a little, frowned and laughed a little before the concerned hesitating man, retrieved to his original spot and kept watching from a distance. Why didn't he just stay with the other man in the courtyard? Shaking his head at complex human tendencies, Xichen left the place.

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Jiang Cheng looked at the man at the head of the table every day, he would look down upon the class with a smile, like a statue. This was the man people spoke of as no.1 beauty in all of the cultivation lands. He truly was beautiful with features so enchanting, it was a blessing to be in the same room for many. To Jiang Cheng, there was just one problem. The smile. It was like one of those smiles where you smiled for too long and the smile started to look creepy. No one can smile that long like a carved statue. If Jiang Cheng looked long enough, he could sometimes see the smile faltering, the corner of the lips struggling to keep it up. Even Wei Wuxian can't smile that long. Not wanting to look creepy, he stopped looking and went back to work.

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"Master Jiang," Sect Leader Lan called to the person as he arrived to stand behind him. Once again, the man had a frown etched on his face as he looked at his brother kneeling in punishment. Lan Xichen had only learned about their relationship this morning.

"Sect Leader Lan." Master Jiang gave him a stiff courtesy but said nothing else and resumed looking at his brother, shifting uncomfortably on the ground.

"He will only be here for another hour." Master Jiang looked at him sharply, The accusation in his eyes turned him serious.

"It is for reflection purposes," he explained himself politely.

"You do not know my brother. There is going to be no reflection." Xichen wasn't surprised, most students never reflected, only grumbled. He didn't have to know Master Wei to know there was going to be no reflection. He looked past the young man before him to the man in the courtyard.

"Master Wei looks rather happy." when Master Jiang didn't say anything he looked back to meat an expression of amusement before he looked past Xichen to something behind him and turned serious.

"I'll take my leave Secr Leader Lan." With another courtesy, he was off. Lan Xichen went about his duties to check on other classes and came back in an hour to see the young man still standing in the same spot, still looking anxious. Somewhere in the distance bell tolled and Master Wei jumped to his feet, rubbed his knees. Master Jiang walked on, stopped in view of Master Wei and said with such casualness, "Oh! You're still here." that it makes Lan Xichen unable to laugh. He held his lips between his teeth and looked on.

"Ah! Jiang Cheng. Are you going for lunch?" Master Jiang nodded and his eyes slid down to Master Wei's knees.

"Ah! They are just a little numb. I'll be fine." Lan Xichen also didn't fail to notice that despite his frivolous ways, Master Wei was quite observant to pick up the slight movement of his brother's eyes and his concern.

Master Wei hopped to his brother who hit him over the head, "You better stop causing trouble while we are here."

"Aish! I am hungry." At that, Master Jiang walked away with a response and Xichen was left with a little laughter and a little envy. They had a kind of brotherly relationship he didn't have with his brother, even if they weren't related.

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Jiang Cheng looked into the smiling eyes, looked at the smiling lips and felt that the smile was real this time.

"Sect Leader Lan." he started with courtesy, "I want to join my brother in the hunt."

"Of course," he smiled wider and turned away.