WangXian Forever Book 9: The Flower Demon

Chapter 75 Guilt

"Oh dear." Wei Ying says, looking around.

It seems woefully inadequate in comparison to the catastrophic quantity of hair to man ratio.

No one quite knows what to say.

XiChen clears his throat, and the sound is loud in the quiet room.

"So, I've organised teams of six in rotating shifts of eight hours." He announces.

Wei Ying narrows his eyes at his Brother-in-Bond.

There was definitely amusement in those honey coloured eyes and the longer he stared, XiChen's lips were turning up, too.

Lan Zhan was a different story.

He was desperately staring from Uncle Qiren to Wei Ying, seeking for some answers, and since no one was forthcoming, he was about to ask his own questions, but Wei Ying interrupted him.

"Looks like you've got everything sorted, XiChen-Ge!" He beamed at him, the shock of seeing hair growing faster than weeds, wearing off quickly. Instead, Wei Ying saw a prime opportunity for information.

"Yes, Uncle has been very patient up until now." XiChen replied, amicably. "The only thing I fear Uncle misses, is company. It's quite lonely...underneath all that." He tittered.

Wei Ying's gaze snapped back towards him, but XiChen had schooled his features into appropriate solemnity.

"I will stay with Uncle, Xiongzhang." Lan Zhan offered straight away, and Wei Ying recognised the deep felt guilt lurking in his beautiful golden eyes.

He would have intervened and absolved Lan Zhan of this; but Wei Ying had an agenda, and this move would fit perfectly with having a private word with the First Jade.

"That's probably best. We wouldn't want Uncle to be sad at all." He joined in, sagely nodding his agreement.

Uncle Qiren was awkwardly wielding a pair of heavy duty shears, trying to cut his own hair, and Lan Zhan went to help him, in case he took his own eye out accidentally.

"Actually, A-Xian, I was wondering if you would accompany me? I would like your advice on something." XiChen smiled, enjoying himself far too much.

"Of course!" Wei Ying told him. He quickly skipped and jumped over lots of hair to Lan Zhan's side and kissed his cheek. "I won't be gone long, and when I return, we can try some solutions about..." He gestured towards the silky lengths of long, long locks. "Maybe Uncle would be more comfortable lying down? All of this must weigh quite a bit!" He said, sympathetically.

Lan Zhan smiles his thanks and manoeuvres Uncle Qiren into a vertical position, taking care to lift the hair which would have caught on his back, out of the way.

"Read to me, WangJi." Is the last thing they hear as Wei Ying and XiChen walk out of there.

"I'm glad we're getting a chance to chat, XiChen-Ge." Wei Ying says, dangerously.

XiChen's smile drops off his face; he knows exactly what's coming next.

But he still tries to buy himself some time. "What can I do for you, A-Xian?" He asks, keeping his voice level and innocent.

"Well, ever since you mentioned marriage proposals, albeit rejected ones, it's all I can think about. And then when I asked Lan Zhan about it, he said you were the buffer, so thanks for that. But then, he skirted around the fact that some of the people who wanted to marry my husband," hard emphasis on those two words, "were less than polite. I want to know who they were." He finishes, with a hand on XiChen's arm, stopping him from walking on ahead.

"May I ask why?" XiChen is a little more serious now.

"Oh, no reason." Wei Ying lies through his teeth. "I'm just interested. That's all."

"Are you sure?" XiChen asks, suspicious already. But it's not like he can accuse him of lying, right? He wishes Jiang Cheng was here, because if there was one person who could call him out on his words, it would be his brother.

"Absolutely." Wei Ying says, airily. "I just thought it would be easier to ask you, seeing as you replied to them originally."

"My memory isn't what it used to be, I'm afraid." XiChen hedges, looking around and hoping, because why the hell wasn't there a disciple running towards him with some sort of urgent crisis already? Instead, he was having to dance his way out of a conversation that would certainly turn into his own urgent crisis pretty soon...

"Oh, I completely understand, XiChen-Ge!" Wei Ying wraps an arm around his shoulders.

XiChen isn't stupid enough to let his guard down that easily, as they continue to walk down the mountain path.

"Then we'll just have to go through the records of all those letters, all those years ago. Isn't it wonderful that the Lan Clan insists on keeping copies of everything?" He hums nonchalantly.

XiChen knows he's been played.

He's just about to give up the information that Wei Ying wants, when he sees the blessed light at the end of the tunnel, in the shape of his husband, walking towards them with a huge scowl on his face.

XiChen has never been so glad to see him.

"WanYin! Thank goodness. I was just about to tell A-Xian that the things in the past should stay there, don't you agree?" He shouts, cheerfully, expecting support.

Wei Ying turns to glare at him, because he's suddenly changed what he was about to say, AND they both know it!

"Yeah, I guess so. Can't think though, because -" He stares pointedly at Wei Ying's arm which is still slung about XiChen's shoulders.

XiChen quickly shrugs off the extra limb, smiling at his transformed husband, who leans in for a kiss.

"Oh, is that what you really think, Cheng Cheng?" Wei Ying raises a brow in a challenge, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, why?" Jiang Cheng has sidled closer to wrap an arm around XiChen. He's already distracted.

That won't do at all!

Time to pull a fast one, Wei Ying thinks, not liking XiChen's smug smile of an easy victory at all.

"Did you know, BOTH Lan Zhan and XiChen-Ge received lots of marriage proposals? Right after we left the guest lectures, all those years ago..." Wei Ying lets that sink in, his smile spreading when Jiang Cheng finally scowls, and comes to stand next to him.

"Who?" He asks XiChen, in a hard voice.

It is uncompromising in every single way imaginable.

XiChen just sighs.

Maybe he should have stayed with Uncle instead.