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

Chapter 86

Mo Xuanyu had just left A-Yuan in the care of one other servant to eat his dinner and he went out for a short breather. Today had been quite an eventful day for him and he needed some peace and quiet for a change of pace. Right now, A-Yuan's sleepy questions were a little too much to handle. This whole morning and the last evening were a little too much for him to handle without properly being able to work though the events in his head.

He was glad to meet Wei Wuxian again after thinking they would never be reunited and Mo Xuanyu would never be able to repay all the shy kindness that his friend had once offered him back in the Koi Tower Manor. Now that Wei Wuxian had appeared in his life again, he had that chance and he was determined to make the most of it.

So, of course this morning's little stroll in the courtyard with the bunnies had been an incredibly happy occasion. He had seen Wei Wuxian relaxing and having fun which was something he would have never thought possible. Or at least, he would have not believed it could come to be should they be anywhere else in the Cloud Recesses Manor. Here, Wei Wuxian would be offered shelter and time to recover. Hopefully, he would be able to finally start acting more normal when there would not be mountains of duties which would keep him awake for whole nights and would take eternity to finish by himself.

There was however also something else that Mo Xuanyu could not quite wrap his head around. Meeting Jiang Yanli had been a curious experience indeed. One he would not be able to forget for a long time.

He could not stop thinking about this one person in particular. Just as Wei Wuxian himself, his sister seemed very sweet and kind, although in a different way than her brother, it was still tugging at Mo Xuanyu's heartstrings. When he had passed time with her, it felt extremely comfortable and easy. It was something he was not used to, back in the Koi Tower, servants and his family alike had not been too kind to him so he had learned to avoid people altogether. This habit of his, he retained it even now. If it was Jiang Yanli however, he could not think he could avoid her like everyone else.

In a short while he had spent with her, showing her the Cloud Recesses Manor, he had come to like her very much. When he was with her, he felt comfortable and well at ease. He had only had the same emotions like that during one period of his life: when his mother had still been alive and he had lived with her.

At the same time though, he did not feel the same when it came to Jiang Yanli. She was kind, she comforted him and she wanted to help him. Like his mother had done once upon a time. Even then, she did not feel quite like a mother. If anything, he would describe her as a big sister, always smiling and always there to sooth away all his pains.

Mo Xuanyu was suddenly spiralling down and blaming himself. While spending time with the maiden of the Lotus Pier Manor was something he enjoyed immensely and wanted to do more often, he was conscious of the fact that when Jiang Yanli was with him, he was actually stealing her away from Wei Wuxian. She had made it very clear that she was here to protect her brother and help him in his recovery. Mo Xuanyu should not be interfering in that. Nevertheless, he could still not stop himself from wanting to spend even more time with her.

Whenever he saw her, his heart swelled with unknown feelings and his cheeks would start blushing. He did not know what was happening, only that he wanted to get even closer to her. Unconsciously, perhaps he was searching for her even now.

Yes, he must have been because as soon as he came around the next corner, he bumped right into the person he had been thinking about just now. He stopped himself short of actually running straight into her and looked at her with surprise. Although it was her back which was facing him, he would have never confused her figure for anyone else. He noticed that she was crying and he immediately became concerned.

What could have happened? Was Jiang Yanli sad? Or had something or someone hurt her? He wanted to find that lowly human and go tell them a few words so they would never ever come bothering Jiang Yanli again. Such a fierce sense of protectiveness was ignited inside of him that he thought he would perhaps burst into flames.

The next second, he wanted to slap himself. What he was thinking was absolutely impossible. No one in the Cloud Recesses Manor would do anything to anyone, much less a guest and a new arrival. Everyone knew the first days were crucial and since most of the servants had gone thought something unpleasant, they usually gave the people who were newly taken in time to adjust.

And even when that time was up, they would never bully anyone. There was a collective understanding in the Cloud Recesses, everyone was grateful to the Lans for giving them an opportunity for a better life. It was not as if they were not told they could leave at any time, those were always the first words from Lan Xichen's mouth in fact. However, much like Mo Xuanyu himself, they chose to stay and show their gratitude by working in the Cloud Recesses Manor.

So this could not have been because Jiang Yanli was hurt by any servant or a member of the Lan family either. The only insufferable one, Su Minshan, had been exiled just this morning after all. Mo Xuanyu had already heard all about that from other servants' hushed whispers despite gossip being forbidden in the Cloud Recesses Manor.

He could not understand what had happened and that was why he asked in alarm: "Miss Jiang, is something wrong?"

Jiang Yanli finally turned towards him and he could confirm that indeed, she had been crying. Her eyes were full of tears and from the way she was squinting – quite adorably despite the circumstances – Mo Xuanyu could tell she barely saw him, perhaps she did not even recognise him.

He was proven wrong not long after: "No, everything is alright, Young Master Mo. I am just a little emotional and happy that my brother is finally receiving the support he needs to get better."

Mo Xuanyu's whole being was overtaken by relief. A little soft 'Oh' left his lips. Jiang Yanli was not crying because she was hurt or because someone had bullied her. Those were tears of happiness for her brother. Mo Xuanyu could understand, although he would never go as far as crying for Wei Wuxian himself. But it was probably expected that his friend's family would feel about him even more strongly.

Before his brain could think through his actions, he reached out his hands and came to take hold of Jiang Yanli's slender and soft ones. He started running soothing circles on their backs, fully intending to console her to the best of his abilities. She had done so much for him in this department just a few hours before and he wanted to repay her kindness. Though it was not the whole reason, he genuinely cared about her and seeing her cry, even if it was because of being overly emotional and happy, was hard.

"If Miss Jiang would allow me, why do we not get somewhere less open? I would listen to anything you would like to share." He offered with all his heart.

Mo Xuanyu could not have been any happier when she nodded her acceptance. He did not wait for anything and gently led her away towards his own room. Not A-Yuan's where he had been living for a while now, but his own which he hardly ever used but which the Lans never took away from him. He was thinking she would be more comfortable crying where no one but him could see.