The Tamed

Variant

Lan Wangji stared at the plate of hot pancake that Wei Wuxian whipped up quickly for both of them. He took a bite and a faint smile of approval passed over his lips.

"Do you like it?" Wei Wuxian grinned brightly.

Lan Wangji simply nodded in response as he continued eating the food, enjoying it immensely.

Wei Wuxian smiled before turning his attention to the phone in his hands, checking on Wang Yibo's schedule for the week. "Lan Zhan, looks like you're doomed." He remarked dryly.

Lan Wangji raised an eyebrow in question but he remained silent and continued eating his food.

"You have a back-to-back filming at Shanghai in two days and a few commercial shots afterwards." Wei Wuxian explained, reading through the itinerary on his phone. "That means, you will need to work all week."

Lan Wangji froze for a moment before swallowing down the remaining pancakes in his mouth. The sudden realization dawned upon him. "Wei Ying, I don't think I can do that." He said seriously and shook his head. He roughly understood what Wang Yibo does for work and what his job scopes are but he wasn't sure if he could pull off acting the part. "I can't... act."

Wei Wuxian sighed, "Look... If it is up to me, I would rather to keep you here until we find a solution for this situation but I am not confident that I can find a way to fix this in a day or two." He admitted, a frown marring his features. "In my current condition, I can't try using Empathy on you in the soonest time and that backlash may happen again."

Lan Wangji frowned at the thought and looked down on the empty plate, "I understand." He responded quietly.

"But I will start looking into ways to reverse this right after this." Wei Wuxian assured him.

Lan Wangji nodded, "I will help too."

"Oh even better! We can figure this out together and start working on it immediately." Wei Wuxian agreed easily. "But first, let me clear the plate for you." He said as he stood up, picking up the plate and walking toward the sink with it. "Would you like some coffee too?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder at Lan Wangji while he washed the dishes.

"Coffee?" Lan Wangji echoed curiously. He wasn't quite sure what it was but according to Wang Yibo's memory, it tasted good. "Okay." He answered. He watched as Wei Wuxian moved around the kitchen, taking a capsule and slotted it in the coffee machine. The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted in the air and Lan Wangji breathed deeply, appreciating the aromatic fragrance.

"Here. Oat milk latte for you." Wei Wuxian placed the mug in front of him.

"Thank you." Lan Wangji said before he lifted the cup, eager to try. It was flavorful, not too rich and not too sweet. He liked it. His eyes fell on Wei Wuxian's cup as he savored the newfound taste. In contrast to what he was drinking, Wei Wuxian's coffee was pitch black, dark like soy sauce.

"Oh, would you like to try mine?" Wei Wuxian offered. Lan Wangji hesitated for a moment, but still found himself nodding. Wei Wuxian smiled, pushing the cup towards him which Lan Wangji accepted. He could not help the slight frown from forming on his forehead as soon as he tasted it. It was bitter, almost as bitter as the herbal medicine back in Gusu. It was not unpleasant kind of bitterness but he couldn't decide if he liked it or not since he just had a more mellow version of it.

"It's a triple espresso shot. It packs a punch, right? " Wei Wuxian declared, chuckling lightly. "I usually am not a person who likes bitter stuff but this one is an exception. It gives me a boost of energy and keeps me awake when I have those early morning schedules. I don't know how else I would be able to do this job without coffee now." he rambled as he took back the cup. "Anyway, that's enough about the drink. I need to tell you something important."