The Bond of Red and White

Brotherhood

Jiang Cheng stormed through the penthouse hall, his steps echoing as he reached the suite door. He rapped his knuckles hard against the wood, impatience flaring in his eyes. The door cracked open almost immediately, and Song Jia's sharp gaze met his.

"The Masters are inside," she said briskly, stepping aside.

"Where is he?" Jiang Cheng demanded as he crossed the threshold.

"Jin Ling is missing," came a deep, calm voice. Lan Wangji emerged, his face impassive, though he studied Jiang Cheng's stormy expression closely. "Qin Su took him with her."

"His aunt?" Jiang Cheng's mouth twisted. "That's not my concern. Where's your so-called mate—your 'original' mate? That worthless omega?"

"Yoo-hoo, A'Cheng!" Wei Wuxian called, appearing behind Lan Wangji, half-shielded by his mate's shoulder. A sly smile played on his lips as he leaned out, his eyes bright with a familiar mischief. "Don't tell me you can't recognize your Xian-ge?"

Jiang Cheng's gaze narrowed, his face twisting with confusion as he pointed a finger. "You! You're that beta—the one this unfaithful alpha took up with?"

"Aiyo, A'Cheng, don't talk that way about him." Wei Wuxian tsked, placing a hand lightly on Lan Wangji's shoulder as he stepped forward. "He's loyal in his own way. But maybe you should rethink your allies. If Madame Jin's intentions were aboveboard, why did she resort to such underhanded tricks to take Jin Ling? He was drugged, dressed in another child's clothes, and snuck away as though he were someone else."

The color drained from Jiang Cheng's face as he processed Wei Wuxian's words. But his eyes were fixed on one detail. "You're... not dead?" he murmured, as though the rest of the sentence hadn't reached him.

Wei Wuxian chuckled, holding his hands out as though presenting himself. "You could call it a rebirth, I suppose. I'm a beta now."

Before he could say more, Jiang Cheng's fist shot out, catching him on the shoulder with a crack. "You were supposed to come back with Jie!" His voice was raw, trembling with both anger and something softer. "Who told you to go off on some reckless stunt and almost get yourself killed? Jie was missing for months!"

Wei Wuxian sighed, his face clouded. "Believe me, A'Cheng, I almost did die. I woke up a year later, far from home, in a place where nobody knew my name, my past—nothing. No scars, no sign of the life I had before. It was like... starting fresh as a born beta. If I hadn't run into Wen Qing as my doctor, if I hadn't experienced my heat—which, let me tell you, is painful as hell without the release of pheromones—I might have thought I'd lost my mind."

"A whole year?" Jiang Cheng's eyes widened.

Wei Wuxian nodded, something somber slipping into his gaze. "I was in a coma. They say omegas can't survive having their scent glands removed. I suppose I was lucky."

Lan Wangji, silent until now, cleared his throat gently. "Do you know who Jin Ling's father is?"

Jiang Cheng scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "The whole world knows. That poor child will carry that shame all his life."

"Shame?" Wei Wuxian's voice was steel. "Jin Ling isn't the child of a crime. He's the child of Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli, born of love, conceived after their betrothal. He's the rightful heir of the Jin family, unlike Jin Guangyao." His gaze bore into Jiang Cheng's, pressing the weight of his words. "Now, can you see why it matters that Qin Su took him under false pretenses?"

Jiang Cheng blinked, a dawning realization crossing his face. "Then why... why doesn't anyone else know?"

Wei Wuxian's lip curled slightly, a bitter twist of irony. "You're well aware of how powerful the Jins are. And Jin Guangyao plays a long game, Jiang Cheng. He's planned every move. If you'd let us protect the Jiangs, they would still be standing," Lan Wangji added.