Won't you believe me? (Servant no more - book 2)

Chapter 26

Lan Qiren was listening to his nephew's advice. At first, he was thinking that Lan Xichen was perhaps making fun of him. What he was saying was just a list of the Lan family rules that Lan Qiren already knew by heart. He almost believed that his nephew was angry with him for treating Wei Wuxian badly until now so he did not actually intent to give him any advice at all.

But what would this petty behaviour have for effect? Lan Qiren was really trying his best, he had even managed to ask Lan Xichen to enlighten him on the correct approach to interacting with previously abused servants. Could it be that he was just being mocked in the most subtle of ways? Was Lan Qiren supposed to feel ashamed of his behaviour since he had broken those very rules the first days Wei Wuxian had arrived to the Cloud Recesses Manor?

No, that could not be right. Lan Xichen would not do something as petty as this. Moreover, from his sincere and slightly worried expression, Lan Qiren did not have the impression of himself being played. His nephew meant those words seriously.

Lan Qiren thought a little harder. Of course he knew the rules but now that he was looking at them closely, he had not been abiding by them, at least not when facing Wei Wuxian and not in their truest sense.

'Be patient and understanding', Lan Xichen said. Well, that had been a complete failure on Lan Qiren's part during the very first dinner when he had gotten angry at Wei Wuxian and had send him back to his room without finishing his meal.

'Do not assume the other party understood you and always check if they did not interpret your words differently than you have intended them'; his nephew did not even have to spill it out for him to understand that Wei Wuxian did not, or could not, believe their words and still thought he was a servant in the Cloud Recesses Manor. Why else would the boy bow to them and be afraid to look Lan Qiren in the eye?

'Do not be overly strict and provide space'; of course Lan Qiren managed to fail in this aspect as well. He had confronted Wei Wuxian while the boy had been playing peacefully with the bunnies. He had not even let the boy try and explain – if he could have at the moment – what he had been doing there. It had been Lan Wangji who had to remind him that Wei Wuxian had not just been running around on his own terms. It had been only later that Lan Qiren had realized he had scared the boy so much that he had been bowing to him, expecting punishment, his hands outstretched in front of him.

And had he abided by 'Be gentle and show respect' rule? He had let himself be overcome by his preconceptions of the boy, he had only seen the young Wei Wuxian who had used to run around the Lotus Pier Manor with a mischievous but happy smile on his lips. He had slandered him in his head and he had even gone as far as advising his nephews to do the same. If this was not disrespectful towards the boy, Lan Qiren did not know what was.

'Provide protection but do not be overwhelming', just another example of something that Lan Qiren had not been thinking about at all. This was another failure of his. Instead of managing the situation sensibly this morning, he had only terrified Wei Wuxian even more with asking him to show him his hands and shouting at Su Minshan in front of the boy. He had only wanted to protect him, but he could tell this had been a little too much, he should have thought about it more before rushing head in.

'Do not be unjust, show leniency when necessary'; Lan Qiren would laugh at himself if this was not such a sad and upsetting situation. He had not been just or lenient with the boy on any occasion he had met him. He had always thought about the worst possibility before opening his eyes, always first assuming the worst about the boy before thinking anything else.

And as for 'Show love and forgiveness to those deserving them', he had at least tried in the last encounter. However, he knew himself that he had failed at every previous occasion, not only when the boy was here in the Cloud Recesses Manor but also when he had still been living with the Jiangs and Lan Qiren had visited the Lotus Pier Manor.

Thinking about all of this now, Lan Qiren could see that he had failed on all fronts. No wonder that Lan Xichen thought it necessary to remind him of their family rules. He could recite them at any given time of the day, but it seemed like he did not live by them.

This was a rude but much needed awakening for him. He should copy the rules down this evening and think carefully about every last one of them. Perhaps he would find himself lacking in other departments as well. Perhaps Wei Wuxian coming to the Cloud Recesses Manor and needing help this desperately would help Lan Qiren live a better and more righteous life.

He was startled a little bit by Lan Xichen's next words since he had been so deep in his thoughts that he had all but forgotten he was not alone in the room: "And, especially in your case Uncle, it would be best if you would only interact with Young Master Wei while me, Wangji or Maiden Jiang are around. It is not that I doubt your intentions but at least in the beginning, Young Master Wei may and it would be harder for you to convince him that he can trust you."

Lan Qiren started stroking his beard and nodding his head. Even though those words could be perceived as disrespectful seeing that Lan Xichen was so much younger than him and that should not be telling him what to do this openly, he was glad. He realized that this was a much needed advice as well.

It would truly be better it there would be someone accompanying Wei Wuxian whenever Lan Qiren would come to speak to him or simply meet him. The boy seemed very stressed every time their paths crossed and it was no state of mind for him if Lan Qiren wanted to mend their relationship and win the boy's trust. How else was he supposed to apologize sincerely and reassure him that he wanted to change from now on? How else would Wei Wuxian believe that he would not punish him again? The boy had already suffered enough, even if he would come to be a little wild when he would recover, he deserved it and Lan Qiren would not take that away from him.

He gave one last nod of his head and looked at his nephew. Lan Xichen was watching him with a nervous expression hidden behind a polite smile. He must have been fearing how his words would be accepted. If even his own family was this afraid of his reactions, Lan Qiren could not even imagine how much fear he must have installed in Wei Wuxian during their previous interactions.

He cleared his expression, hoping that it was polite and calm enough, and he thanked Lan Xichen for his advice. This action made his nephew blink a few time, apparently in surprise. But he quickly collected himself and gave a small bow. Lan Qiren nodded his head again.

His nephew stood up and straightened his robes. "Uncle, I will leave tomorrow for the Lotus Pier Manor. Please watch over Young Master Wei and if there is anything, I will come back with a single letter from you. This should hopefully not take too long as there is little doubt about the culprit in the case or the crimes committed. And then, we can fully focus on Young Master Wei's recovery, although Wangji had already started in that department. I only hope that nothing will happen in the meantime..."

Lan Qiren stood as well and reassured his nephew: "Xichen, do not worry. I will keep my eye on the boy."

He hoped that Lan Xichen had heard the sincerity in his words and did not misunderstood their meaning. He had after all already said the same one sentence in the past, but that had been when he had known anything and had been fully committed to watch out for Wei Wuxian's every mistake and mischief. Now, he was very far from that; he would watch for anything that could distress or hurt the boy.