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

Chapter 109

Lan Wangji was sitting on his chair and silently berating his uncle for making things difficult for Wei Ying. Although he believed that it was because of good intentions, Lan Qiren was still not going in the right direction. Oh, how he wished Lan Xichen was here! His brother always knew what to do and what to say to remedy any situation. On the contrary, Lan Wangji himself had his lips sealed now and he had no idea what he should say when he would finally be able to use his voice again.

He had tried calling out to Wei Ying, but it had not worked. This had made his heart hurt so much that he was now afraid of trying again. He wanted to help dearly; however, it did not seem like the boy could hear him anyway. He was distressed and angry with himself and his uncle. He somehow wanted all of this to already be over and have Wei Ying look directly at him with that small smile on his lips again. He truly hated seeing him this vulnerable and scared.

Lan Wangji's eyes were darting between Lan Qiren, at whom he was scowling fiercely, and Wei Ying's bowing form which he watched with worry and a broken heart. Why had things become like this, he was asking himself. Had he not been careful enough to prevent anything from hurting Wei Ying? It was clear that even if he had promised the boy he would always protect him and stand by his side, he was already failing, so soon after saying those words too. What should he do now?

He was willing himself to move, to open his mouth and call Wei Ying's name again, to stand up and go sooth the boy physically – although he was not sure how effective this method would be, with Wei Ying in this state, it could very well end up in an even bigger mess –, to do anything at all. However, his body refused to listen to him, his muscles were frozen into a solid block of ice.

Luckily, and he was thanking all the heavens for it, Jiang Yanli was the one who decided to mediate between the parties, much like Lan Xichen would. Lan Wangji watched her standing up and slowly approaching Wei Ying. He was slightly jealous when the boy did not even flinch upon contact. He wanted to be the person who had provided this kind of comfort. Yet, he had been unable to. Now, he could only thank Jiang Yanli for her intervention.

For it looked like even though Wei Ying did not relax after she put her hands on his shoulders, the atmosphere around him became less panicky. If anyone asked, Lan Wangji would not have been able to say why he thought this way, he could sense it somehow. Be it as may, he knew that Jiang Yanli had just saved all three of them, his uncle included, and a long silent sigh escaped his no longer sealed lips. He went almost boneless with relief. Hopefully now, Wei Ying would be fine and would listen to them, no longer hiding in his own word and worrying about everything and overthinking even the smallest things.

He relaxed even more when Jiang Yanli said exactly what he had in mind, soothing the boy just in the right way: "A-Xian, it is fine. Everything is fine. Please do not be afraid. Master Lan do not want to punish you or scold you. He truly only wishes to speak with you."

For a second, Lan Wangji was tempted to step in and add his own reassurance. However, he did not think it necessary anymore. Also, he did not want to outshine Jiang Yanli's efforts. They worked and he was glad for it, there was nothing more to add. If he intervened at this moment, he could even upset the fragile balance. He did not believe that his words would change anything, and besides, Wei Ying had already relaxed ever so slightly and his trembling subsided. Or was it just Lan Wangji's wishful thinking?

To his even bigger relief, Lan Qiren finally got a clue about this whole ordeal and did not hesitate this time: "Yes, that is correct, Wei Wuxian. I just wanted to talk to you. Stand up, you are not a servant to be bowing like this."

Luckily, his uncle's voice continued to be calm and soothing, he had not gone back to his usual strict behaviour. It would have only sent the boy spiralling back down where no one would be able to get to him. Lan Wangji was glad Lan Qiren was finally realizing just how fragile Wei Ying's mental state was and that he needed to be exceedingly careful when approaching him or talking to him. He sympathized with him a little, he had also learned this fact the hard way.

He was finally able to breathe freely. He had not realized he had been holding his breath until this moment when Wei Ying relaxed almost fully and the only visible tell of his previous distress was that he was still bowing to Lan Qiren. He did not straighten up as he had been told, probably doubting what he had heard or maybe too surprised by those words, Lan Wangji could not tell which one was more probable.

In the end, it did not matter. At least not for the moment. When Lan Qiren saw that Wei Ying did not stand straight as he had been prompted to, he continued his coaxing, even more kindly and carefully than before: "Wei Wuxian, you did nothing wrong. There is no reason to give you any punishment. Now, please, do not bow anymore, I only want to speak with you."

Tears were stinging in Lan Wangji's eyes. Finally, Lan Qiren was seeing the situation for what it was and behaving accordingly. He was sure that what his uncle had just said had been exactly what Wei Ying needed to hear. There would never be too many reassurances and kind words when it came to the boy. Lan Wangji suspected that Wei Ying still did not believe them fully, or at least not everything they told him. But it was fine, there was progress and he would never stop repeating those words until he would be sure Wei Ying did not believe anything else.

He was proud of the boy, very much so. He watched as he slowly straightened himself up – his eyes still glued to the floor, but it was fine, there were baby steps of progress anyway – and did not bow anymore. He still looked too cautious for Lan Wangji's comfort, after all, he had an image of a smiling and easy-going Wei Ying from this morning still in his mind and he could not help but to compare. Nevertheless, this was much better than a few second ago already. Much, much better.

Lan Wangji's chest was swelling with pride for the boy's effort and he was inspired by how hard he was working. It was this influence which finally helped him to regain control over his own body. He stood up, a little stiffly but it was also better than doing nothing at all, and went to stand by Wei Ying's side. He followed Jiang Yanli's example in this, he wanted to provide as much support as he could so Wei Ying would be able to relax. He needed him to understand that they were all on his side and were ready to stand up for him and protect him.