Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! Enjoy this chapter :)

Beta: JeanGirlMY

- Chapter Start -

As soon as Jiang Cheng stepped past the barrier guarding the main entrance of Cloud Recesses, he was accosted by a familiar voice.

"Jiang Cheng!" A grinning Wei Ying darted forward and threw an arm around his shoulders in a side hug. He was in a good mood after having breakfast with Lan Zhan which included far more utterances of 'Lan Er-gege' and 'Mn' than anyone cared to know about.

"Get off, you already hugged me at the Burial Mounds last week," Jiang Cheng complained. "Where's A-Jie?"

"On a tour of Cloud Recesses with the peacock," Wei Ying answered. "You know, revisiting their old dating spots."

"He didn't like her then."

"He does now. Come on, let's go see GuangYao."

"Is he at the infirmary?"

"No, he's staying at the Hanshi where ZeWu Jun lives."

"He's well enough to be moved there?"

Wei Ying's eyes twinkled.

"He's been there all this while, sharing ZeWu Jun's bed."

"What?!"

"Wei Ying."

"Fine. ZeWu Jun sleeps in the Hanshi's guest room. I think."

- o -

GuangYao was sitting up in bed. He greeted his latest visitor with a smile and a bow from the waist.

"Sect Leader Jiang, thank you for coming to visit me, and for your assistance in getting Healer Wen to Koi Tower. I am forever in your debt."

"Don't mention it. I'm grateful for the warning note since Nie HuaiSang and I could've drunk the poisoned wine too."

The sight of ZeWu Jun and GuangYao's smiles slipping sideways, and Lan Zhan's growing frown made Wei Ying snicker.

"Never mind about me, right? Diplomacy was never your strong suit."

"Shut up," Jiang Cheng said, scowling at him. He looked rather ill at ease.

Wei Ying didn't know if it was because of Wen Qing and Wen Ning's presence, or the significance of the silver accessory securing GuangYao's hair in an elaborate bun, leaving several tendrils to frame his face. Wei Ying made a mental note to persuade Lan Zhan to try something similar soon. He certainly had the cheekbones for it.

In the silence, Wen Qing placed her hands together and bowed.

"Please excuse us," she said and turned to leave without waiting for a reply.

"Maiden Wen, please wait a-" Jiang Cheng broke off when Wen Qing left the Hanshi, giving no indication she had heard him. Wen Ning sketched a hasty bow and hurried after her.

Rolling his eyes, Wei Ying patted Lan Zhan's arm and followed them out, ignoring Jiang Cheng's urgent 'Wei WuXian, get back here!'

"Wen Qing, Wen Ning, wait up!" He called.

They were almost at the small gate by now, but they stopped and turned around.

"We don't want to intrude on family, Young Master Wei," Wen Ning said.

"But you two are my family too," Wei Ying argued.

Wen Qing's eyes softened until she looked behind Wei Ying and pressed her lips together.

Turning around, Wei Ying saw Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng emerge from the Hanshi. Looking straight at Jiang Cheng, he tipped his head at Wen Qing in a 'Go on, say something!' way.

Jiang Cheng's glare intensified when the Nie brothers appeared from another direction.

"Jiang-xiong, you're here!" HuaiSang waved his fan happily and then he frowned, his eyes darting around. "What's going on?"

"Lover's quarrel?" Sect Leader Nie guessed and held up his hands when Wen Qing glared at him. Wei Ying snickered only to be glared at in turn.

"Wei WuXian, stop it!" She snapped.

"But-"

"Sect Leader Jiang doesn't care about me."

"Of course he does," Wei Ying said at once. "He offered to protect you, didn't he? And he gave you that comb too."

"How did you know that?" Jiang Cheng demanded, his face turning as red as Wen Qing's.

"She told me," Wei Ying replied.

It was over a week ago when Lan Zhan visited them at the Burial Mounds. After dinner, Wei Ying and Wen Qing had started rambling, thanks to Fourth Uncle's potent fruit wine. According to Wen Ning, Wei Ying had gone on and on about Jiang Cheng, YanLi, the peacock and Lan Zhan. Not necessarily in that order.

"Shut up!" Wen Qing barked at him. "He only offered to protect me, not my family."

"I'm sure he wanted to," Wei Ying said in a placating tone.

"Shut up!" Jiang Cheng barked at him. "You don't have make excuses for me."

"I'm not," Wei Ying protested. "It's the truth."

"The truth was that you chose to protect all of us, not just A-Ning and myself." Wen Qing said.

"Well... a few more didn't matter, right?" Wei Ying replied. "But you can't compare me with Jiang Cheng. He couldn't act on his own like I could. He had responsibilities. I had none."

"Wei WuXian," Wen Qing interrupted him. "You don't get it, do you?"

"What don't I get?" Wei Ying was starting to feel a bit exasperated. "Jiang Cheng didn't help us because he couldn't. Not because he didn't want to. He had been left a sect to manage, as young and inexperienced as he was. I don't blame him for it, I never did."

He glanced at Jiang Cheng whose glare had diluted somewhat as he swallowed.

"Besides, I was the one who deserted him," Wei Ying continued. "I promised to stay his side. I didn't."

"Wei WuXian!" Wen Qing looked madder than ever, eyes flashing fire. "You still don't get it!"

"Get what?" Wei Ying was utterly bewildered.

"It wasn't that you didn't stand with Sect Leader Jiang. It was that he didn't stand with you!"

"I already said he couldn't!" Wei Ying protested.

"Hey, I can speak for myself!" Jiang Cheng cut in.

The both ignored him.

"Argh! How can you be so brilliant yet such an idiot at the same time?" Wen Qing seethed, hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"Jiejie, not so loud please," Wen Ning protested, glancing around. Even ZeWu Jun had appeared at the doorway of the Hanshi.

"You succeeded in bringing my brother back to me!" Wen Qing ignored him. "You single-handedly rescued and took care of all twenty of us! You succeeded in cultivating with something no one had thought of or dared to do. You are brilliant! But when it truly, truly mattered, you thought not with your head, but with your heart."

Her voice was shaking and she was tearing up, but she also looked like she could deck Wei Ying one before turning him into a pincushion.

"I... well..." Wei Ying's slightly panicked gaze went to Lan Zhan who just nodded at him. Like there was nothing wrong with Wen Qing chewing him out in front of Jiang Cheng and ZeWu Jun and the Nie brothers.

"You've already proven your loyalty to us ten times over!" Wen Qing ranted on. "You'd die for us! We'd do the same for you - A-Ning, Granny, Fourth Uncle, Sixth Uncle, everyone! We'd all die for you!"

Wei Ying was terrified of her and her words. He took a step back.

"Please don't, not after all I've done to keep you alive. Well, most of you." He gave Wen Ning an apologetic smile.

"It's alright, Young Master Wei. Jiejie?"

"What?" Wen Qing snapped, spinning around to face him.

"You're scaring him." Wen Ning's whisper was as loud as a shout.

"Good!" Wen Qing's eyes still sparkled with angry tears. "It's about time he recognised his achievements!"

She swung back to Wei Ying.

"Do you see now?"

The confused look on his face made her roll her eyes.

"If you had stayed by Sect Leader Jiang's side, Yunmeng Jiang Sect would be invincible but all of us would have died. If he had accepted you and all of us, Yunmeng Jiang would still be strong... and all of us would still be alive."

She paused for breath, tears running down her face. She kept her eyes on Wei Ying and refused to look at Jiang Cheng.

"Do you see what I'm getting at now?" Her voice shook. "It wasn't that you didn't stand with Sect Leader Jiang. It was that he didn't stand with you. With us."

Wei Ying gulped, feeling now rather teary eyed himself. He glanced at Jiang Cheng whose face had gone white and then at Lan Zhan whose eyes were sympathetic. Nie HuaiSang looked about ready to burst into tears.

No one seemed to know what to say. With her head held high, Wen Qing marched off, Wen Ning following after giving a quick bow that included everyone, even Jiang Cheng.

After a minute of silence, Wei Ying cleared his throat.

"Ah, Jiang Cheng, Wen Qing's just stressed out. Don't take it-"

"Wei WuXian," Jiang Cheng interrupted him, eyes glittering and jaw clenched. "Let A-Jie know I... I will see her and the peacock another time. Everyone."

He sketched a stiff bow and spun on his heel.

"Jiang Cheng, wait! " Wei Ying went after him.

"Get away from me!" Jiang Cheng's strides were long, fast and angry.

"Please don't be angry. Wen Qing's just needs some time-"

Jiang Cheng stopped abruptly and turned to glare at him, face going from white to red again.

"Time for what?" He snapped. "Time to decide if she'll let me court her? The brother of her saviour who was too cowardly to rescue her family?"

Wei Ying winced. He wouldn't have put it quite that way.

"Jiang Cheng, forget what she said. You couldn't have protected all of us then. You had to think of Lotus Pier, I know that."

"But does she?" Jiang Cheng demanded. He was breathing hard, his eyes darting here and there. Then his shoulders slumped and all of his anger seemed to vanish.

"No. She's right," he admitted. "I wanted to protect you, but only you."

"Uhm. Well..."

Jiang Cheng looked at him with something akin to despair on his face.

"I also wanted to protect her, but only her. What does that say about me except that I didn't have the courage to protect her and her family? I even... even tried to stab her brother as he lay there defenseless in that cave. I would've stabbed him if you hadn't stopped me."

He gave a bitter laugh.

"I never wanted to be a hero. I never wanted to attempt the impossible, to right the world's wrongs and protect the weak and help the innocent."

He swallowed.

"I just want my family back again. A-Die and A-Niang smiling instead of sniping at each other all the time. A-Jie admonishing us like she always does. And you and me, training our disciples and when A-Die and A-Niang retire, running Lotus Pier together."

Wei Ying huffed a soft laugh, his eyes wet.

"That... that would've been nice. I'm sorry."

"Not as sorry as I am." Jiang Cheng shook his head and turned to leave.

Wei Ying bit his lip. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement and turned to see YanLi standing there, looking solemn. Lan Zhan and Jin ZiXuan stood a few feet behind her.

"Shijie?"

"A-Jie?" Jiang Cheng's head whipped around so fast Wei Ying almost expected to hear a crack.

YanLi smiled at them.

"A-Cheng, A-Xian, let's go someplace where we can talk," she suggested and looked around.

Wei Ying looked at Lan Zhan and raised his eyebrows in a silent question. Lan Zhan nodded and even inclined his head in the direction of the Jingshi. Wei Ying smiled his thanks, but then inspiration struck and his smile widened.

"I know the perfect place."

- o -

Half an hour later...

"She hates me."

Those were the first three words said after the initial exclamations of delight when they arrived at the meadow filled with rabbits. The three of them had lost no time in kneeling in the grass and picking up a bunny each to cuddle, even Jiang Cheng.

It was reminiscent of their last day here at Cloud Recesses after the three month lecture ended.

"Of course she doesn't," YanLi said, smiling.

"Shijie's right," Wei Ying said. "Who could hate such a crotchety, unsmiling person like you?"

For a moment, he wondered if Jiang Cheng would fling the rabbit in his hands at him.

"A-Xian, you're not helping."

"Sorry."

"No, he's right. I... I can't remember the last time I smiled," Jiang Cheng muttered.

"A-Cheng, you've had to shoulder a lot of responsibilities and you've done very well. Our parents would be proud of you. I know I am." YanLi smiled at him, a gentle hand on his arm.

"For what it's worth, I am too," Wei Ying added. "Give Wen Qing some time. She'll come around, I know she will."

Sudden hope flared bright in Jiang Cheng's eyes before he looked away, his throat working as he swallowed.

"Ever the optimist," he scoffed.

"A-Xian is right," YanLi said firmly. "I'm sure she will change her mind."

"Just because you two are happy," Jiang Cheng muttered but he looked a bit better. He even smiled when a rabbit tried to hop up his leg only to slide back down, looking very surprised.

- Chapter End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! Been wanting to share this scene for quite a while now :) I love JC, but the road to true love is never easy. I also wanted someone to tell him what JGY taunted him with towards the end of the drama series. Please leave a review if you enjoyed it and take care!