Fluffy WangXian Oneshots Book Two

Diamond With A Flaw Part 6

The evening is cool outside the restaurant where XiChen and Nie MingJue are holding their pre-wedding dinner. Most of the guests have arrived except for Nie Huaisang and his plus one, and Wei Ying, hence the reason why Lan Zhan is standing here, looking like an out-of-place traffic warden stuck on a boat.

He's feeling nervous in a way that not even high school speeches in front of the whole year could make him feel, and he suspects it's because of the way Wei Ying casually suggested they meet here instead of Lan Zhan picking him up from home. It's unsettling.

Wei Ying had also told him not to worry, but it was the wink that accompanied the promise that tonight, Wei Ying was gonna go all out, which made the opposite effect happen.

Lan Zhan likes being in control, and lately, in fact ever since his brother announced his celebratory news, it feels like someone has cut his strings, leaving him to float away at the whimsy of a summer breeze. It's the same wild feeling that tugs on his heart every time he knows he's meeting Wei Ying, the unpredictability of the man stealing every ounce of sanity that Lan Zhan held onto dearly before. This is different now, and Lan Zhan is beginning to see an unfamiliar pattern emerging: when things beyond his control used to happen to him, it was like being left to the mercy of whoever else was in control.

But now, being with Wei Ying is like handing him the pair of scissors willingly, taking his hand, and flying away into the unknown together.

It's not exactly fear, so that's a definite difference from how he used to be. More an anticipation of what they will discover with each other, and as their meetings become frequent, Lan Zhan finds that he's looking forward to each one with a secret, hopeful joy.

But he's unsure of how Wei Ying feels about him. Wei Ying, vivid, bright, beautiful, and he could have anyone he wants. Why would he choose someone like Lan Zhan? Someone positively boring in comparison to the lively shining star that is Wei Ying?

Lan Zhan is reluctant to continue thinking about this, but he has no choice.

Lan Qiren has already asked twice (rather eagerly) if Wei Ying has consented to his request and if so, when exactly will he be allowed to meet A-Yuan. There's only so much waylaying he can do, and since he hasn't actually asked, he hasn't gotten an answer. Maybe they can sort it out between them.

Lan Zhan feels a presence next to him and is surprised to see his brother smiling at him.

"I thought you might like some company while we wait."

Lan Zhan glances towards the door of the restaurant pointedly. As usual, his brother correctly predicts what he's asking about.

"A-Jue is getting to know your friend, Jin ZiXuan. He's brought along his wife, and she's a lovely, warm person, easy to talk to." XiChen steps closer hesitantly. "Didi, I've been meaning to thank you for helping us with the wedding. The dance rehearsal isn't complicated at all and can be organised on the morning of the wedding, so that's one less thing to worry about...but truthfully, I wanted to thank you for your cooperation in finding a date."

Lan Zhan's back stiffens, and he waits for anything else XiChen wants to add. After finding out what the guests at the engagement party and indeed, the employees of the gossip magazine were thinking about Wei Ying and his fake vocation, he's unsure of how this conversation is going to go down. But remembering how XiChen basically threw him to the wolves, Lan Zhan decides to maintain his silence. It's a ploy that never fails to work; people with no backbone tend to leave after a few minutes of awkward silence, and if they're persistent in hanging around, they usually dig their own hole to bury themselves in, and then Lan Zhan can walk away in satisfaction. So he's not going to offer an olive branch to his meddling brother just yet.