A/N: This is part two of a series called, A Love Both Gentle & Sure. While both this fic and the first one can be read as stand-alone fics, they are companion fics which each tell one side of the story between LXC and JYL. They are both three chapters long each.
Like Flowers Blooming tells JYL's side of the story. Yours Upon Reflection tells LXC's. It's on my profile page if you can't find it.
In addition to these two there are two side fics in this series - Letters From Wei Ying To Lan Zhan & Back; as well as LBG&S Side-Stories & Short Fics. These can be read at any time without giving spoilers. LFWYTLZ&B was originally written as a multi-media fic; you can find the letters (from both boys) and drawings (from WWX) in the original multi-media format posted on the archive. (Of our own organization.)
There are two fics that follow these two as well.
As The Sun Goes Down continues the story from shortly before the beginning of the Sunshot Campaign to its end; though it can also be read as a stand-alone fic. Springtime Contemplations rounds out the series by going through the aftermath of the war, marriage, and focuses a lot more on the WangXian relationship than the earlier fics do.
I may eventually follow these up with a couple of one-shots about baby Lans (and possibly a PWP or two about the making of them, as well as LXC/JYL's wedding night), and their life together. And/or a few more WangXian-centric fics in this verse.
Chapter Two
Sunshine Over Fertile Ground
Yanli hummed to herself as she dressed and readied herself to attend the first competition event of the Discussion Conference in Qishan.
She took her time, trying to stretch out the luxury of solitude while it was still available to her. While she had no intention of delaying long enough to trouble anyone from her sect unduly, the opportunity to be alone without any of the many guards her parents had insisted upon was something to be savoured.
It was slightly ridiculous how well-guarded she was; as though she were a princess of some sort!
But it was true that the Wens were unusually bold lately, and did not display appropriate respect for the leaders of the other major sects.
Her cultivation was too weak for her to protect herself if someone attempted to harm her; therefore a number of disciples who were too old to participate in the scheduled entertainment had come along specifically in order to ensure her safety.
It was the condition upon which she had been allowed to attend, in the end.
Her parents had been reluctant to allow her to go, but she had been persistent and persevered throughout their many objections until they granted her their reluctant permission.
Their primary objections laid in the rumours regarding Wen Chao and his behaviour towards desirable females. They feared that the current attitude of the Wen Sect might encourage Wen-er-gonzi to over-reach himself and attempt a sect leader's daughter.
Yanli privately thought their caution unnecessary, as she was too plain to pose enough of a temptation for him to wish to take such a risk. She nevertheless had agreed for their peace of mind. And it was true that in the unlikely event that the worst were to come to pass, stolen chastity could not be retrieved as one might a stolen purse.
Therefore she was in no way ungrateful for the consideration – she merely found the persistent shadowing to be rather wearying.
Privately, she also felt she had been in rather more danger when visiting Lanling; but her parents had been much less wary of the Jin Sect Leader.
It was a sentiment Yanli personally considered to be a foolish underestimation of the danger he posed – or perhaps an undeserved overestimation of the man's self-restraint on their part.
They might have believed her status – both as a Sect Leader's daughter and as his son's betrothed – would have been enough to protect her, but Yanli had heard too many things from the Jin Sect's servants when she spent time in the kitchens to believe it entirely. She was deeply grateful that the vigilance they used to protect one another had been extended to her as well.
Regardless, she believed the risks to her during this conference were minimal.
And she truly wished to meet Lan-gongzi again.
His letters had been such a comfort to her through her heartache, and his friendship a constant source of joy. They wrote to each other quite regularly; each sending and receiving a letter almost once a week.
Their correspondence was much more frequent than their little brothers' was.
While A-Xian had indeed written a letter to Lan-er-gongzi to send with her first reply, neither of them were particularly adept at written communication.
As such, their exchanges were much more infrequent; perhaps once or twice a month.
Yanli thought it a mark of how highly A-Xian valued their friendship that he continued to make an effort, despite the length of time between Lan-er-gongzi's replies to his own rambling missives, and the slightly awkward formality of them.
He had been rather disheartened by how brief and sparse the first response had been; it contained little in the way of personal information or anecdotes that he could respond to.
Recognizing his discouragement, she had simply taken him aside and mentioned that Lan-gongzi had told her that Lan-er-gongzi's way of expressing himself often made it difficult for him to form connections with others his own age, and that A-Xian was actually his very first friend. She suggested that rather than simply complaining that Lan-er-gongzi hadn't written enough or that what he'd said was boring, he should remember how proper and respectable Lan-er-gongzi attempted to remain at all times.
Pointing out that Lan-er-gongzi having the time to think and decide on the most appropriate and dignified way to respond to A-Xian's words would keep him from knowing his friend's immediate reactions to what he wrote helped A-Xian to realise that communicating through letters was more complicated than speaking face to face.
Seeing that her words had made him less distressed and more thoughtful, she suggested that he try to envision what his friend's initial response would have been to the things he'd written before Lan-er-gongzi had been able to draft a suitably restrained reply.
If he didn't mind talking to Lan-er-gongzi without receiving a reply, she thought, perhaps he wouldn't mind writing several letters for each one he received from his friend. And surely Lan-er-gongzi would feel more at ease to know that he could continue to receive letters from his friend even if he was struggling to draft a reply he deemed suitable; just as A-Xian was willing to carry on a conversation with minimal input from him.
She suggested that he simply make notes each day regarding the things that had reminded him of Lan-er-gongzi; things he wanted to say to him, show him, or do with him. After a week or two, he could put them all together into a single letter; together with his replies to any questions Lan-er-gongzi had asked, responses to any things his last letter had mentioned, and questions about things he wished to know about Lan-er-gongzi.
"Perhaps," she had mentioned, "If A-Xian made sure to mention this method of letter writing in his reply, Lan-er-gongzi would follow it as well. Then A-Xian would surely receive much longer and more interesting letters; even if they were all still very formal and proper. As long as A-Xian explained his shijie's advice about sending multiple letters and asked if his friend liked the idea, he would have a chance to enjoy writing to his friend as often as he wished; and his friend would reply as much as he was comfortable doing."
So the two younger boys followed her suggestions, and while they had been exchanging very lengthy letters, they tended to take quite a while to get them written.
A-Xian's were usually finished within a few days of receiving one, but since he had assured Lan-er-gongzi he would prefer the other not force himself to reply before he was ready, A-Xian would usually send out at least one letter a week, while only receiving one or two a month in return.
Her brother seemed happy enough with the arrangement, as the few letters he had received were all much longer and more interesting than the first had been – despite the occasional complaint about stuffiness, he was always incredibly pleased to hear from his friend.
Lan-gongzi had been quite congratulatory of her ideas; as they enabled his brother to reach out in a way and at a pace that was comfortable for him, while assuring him that A-Xian was no less enthusiastic about the prospect of being his friend than he had been in person. He suspected that his younger brother's greatest reservation towards their friendship was the prospect of A-Xian growing bored with him; her intervention helped both to alleviate that fear and avoid the most likely reason for it to be realised.
As a result, he was extremely grateful to her, and praised her repeatedly.
It had honestly been embarrassing how enthusiastic he was; his fervent compliments had made her parent's speculative glances – which had mercifully stopped after Lan-gongzi wrote them to explain himself – started up again when they noticed her blushing over them.
She had promptly offered the missive up for their perusal when they asked, and they insisted on reviewing the correspondence between the two of them more thoroughly after that.
Eventually, they had accepted that she and her friend were simply that – friends.
Best friends, even; on her part at least. She was aware that he had long considered the Niè Sect leader his closest friend, and was grateful that he had such a person in his life.
While Yanli was acquainted with a number of people she considered her friends, the differences in their statuses unfortunately made it impossible for her to be as close to any of them as she wished. Therefore, before that first letter from Lan-gongzi arrived and changed her life, her brothers were the closest friends she had ever had.
For all that she had not met him in person since they were children, he had somehow managed to become her best friend nonetheless. The steady, gentle faith and encouragement he conveyed to her through his letters had become one of the most vibrant sources of comfort and joy she had.
It was strange how much a year could change.
Yanli smiled to herself as she tapped on the door to let the disciples outside know she was finished.
Today was the first day of the competition; an archery contest.
While she fully intended to support her little brothers, she couldn't deny that a small part of her planned to cheer for Lan-gongzi, too.
Waving at her brothers from the stands, Yanli offered them her best, most encouraging smile.
She was undeniably proud of the two of them, and certain they would perform well.
Catching sight of the Jin heir out of the corner of her eye, she was relieved to feel nothing more than a slight wistful regret; more a regret for having wasted so much of her time pining for him than it was for the nostalgia of her once-love. The careful tending to her thoughts and feelings she had invested in over the past year had paid off – the wistful feeling was no more than a vague flicker that quickly withered away all on its own.
Her thorough weeding and regular pruning of her romantic feelings had finally left nothing but soft, bare earth in their wake; an empty plot in the garden of her heart which she could fill at her leisure with fragrant, lovely blooms worth cultivating, once she found someone worth planting them for.
During previous years, she had not recognized the toxic nature of the greenery she had once grown there. Merely paying attention to the bright colours and the swift flourishing of it, she had ignored the signs of unhealthiness it brought to the rest of her garden.
With the benefit of hindsight, however, she could now recognize it had indeed been filled with poisonous weeds; spreading throughout the soil of her mind and soul like a sickness buried underground.
It was only after tearing it all out by the roots – painstakingly digging through the soil for every last trace of them – that she could clearly see how much it had choked and encroached upon the other parts of her garden; most of all the beds which housed her self-confidence and self-worth. Painful as the uprooting had been, clearing it out had done much to increase her damaged self-esteem and respect; her confidence in herself increasing with every plant she pulled.
While her accomplishment was her own, she was aware that it had been Lan-gongzi who gave her the encouragement she needed to not only begin the process, but to see it through.
His assurance of her value, certainty of what she deserved, and faith in her ability to recover fully had lent her the strength she needed to firm her resolve and see the task through to completion.
She owed him a debt of gratitude.
Thinking of him made her eyes seek him out, almost unconsciously. When she spotted him, she drew in a quick breath of surprise.
He stood amongst the disciples of his Sect, his little brother at his side. Strong, tall, and devastatingly beautiful, she could not help the small, affectionate curving of her lips at the sight of him. The gentle smile on his face and kindness in his bearing were plain for all to see. She could definitely understand why he was ranked first among the Cultivation World's eligible young masters.
Her heartbeat quickened and she tore her gaze away, admonishing herself for her reaction. Carefully guarding her thoughts, she refused to consider what he might think of her, or whether he might find her pretty.
It was not that she was unaware of the potential of her feelings for her friend.
That would have been impossible – not only to due the importance of the role he now held in her life, but also due to her awareness of her own feelings. Like a row of lovely purple-blue gentians springing up along the border of the empty plot within her, she could clearly see how easily they might continue to grow outward, expanding into a deep and genuine romantic love.
However she had decided early on that she did not wish to be trapped in a one-sided love again; neither did she wish to simply replace one love with another. So she told herself that she would wait; focusing first on eliminating all traces of Jin XiXuan from her garden, then on revitalizing and restoring all of the spaces which she had once dedicated to him.
She was as cautious as she could be in managing the growth and development of her own emotions towards her new friend.
In fact, she often found herself needing to work at dedicating the effort required to prevent the gentians from encroaching upon the section of her garden dedicated to romantic sentiments; but for now it was a necessary task. Pruning back the greenery that sought to move beyond her self-imposed boundaries was unpleasant, but nonetheless important.
If, at some point after her heart had let go of all traces of her first poisonous love, Lan-gongzi were to ever express an interest in developing a relationship with her beyond friendship, then – and only then – would she allow those feelings free reign to grow and thrive; blooming and blossoming within her.
Until then, she would be happy with what she had, and try not to hope for more.
No matter just how handsome her friend happened to be.
Distracting herself from contemplating the fine figure Lan-gongzi made in his competition robes was easier when she noticed the seating arrangements given to the sect leaders.
The way Wen Ruohan had set himself up above the other four Great Sects; the way he'd seated Wen Chao as if he were their equal… Sect Leader Niè looked quite justifiably murderous at the blatant disrespect.
A year ago, she might not have understood the entirety of the implications.
However, Lan-gongzi appreciated her perspective on the various ethical and moral issues and dilemmas they discussed enough to begin asking for her views and considerations regarding more and more complex matters. This motivated her to learn as much about politics, diplomacy, negotiation, and various other related topics as she could manage; in order to debate with or advise him more knowledgably on a variety of subjects.
It started when he had written to her requesting her input regarding the way rules were implemented and upheld in the Cloud Recesses; wanting to hear her opinion as an outside, uninvolved party.
He also spoke to his friend, Sect Leader Nie; but felt it best to seek out multiple sources of counsel on the issue.
Initially, he hadn't intended to talk about such things with her very much, but he found her suggestions tended to be far more diplomatic than his other friend's were.
She also possessed an excellent knack for coming up with the best approaches to take regarding different situations involving varying people and circumstances; in addition to a finely-honed skill at determining the most likely forms of compromise to succeed in achieving the desired goal. Her advice in this was so impressive and beneficial to him, that he soon began expanding the range of topics he mentioned to her in order to hear her views and considerations.
To her surprise, she found she quite enjoyed the challenge and the novelty of studying such things.
Expanding her understanding and comprehension on the many problems he commented on and concerns he highlighted found her exercising her intelligence in new and exciting ways. It was refreshing to her to contemplate ideas and issues she never had before; or which she had but in different ways.
There was never any judgement from him when she admitted to ignorance of certain topics, and he never hesitated to offer explanations on their particulars in order to educate her and increase her comprehension. That he did so without making her feel foolish, unintelligent, or burdensome in any way was a gift; he never made her feel like it was a bother to teach her about anything she didn't know.
In return, he would question her on subjects on which she had a firmer and wider knowledge base than he did, and was always grateful for her assistance in learning more about them.
One result of this was that she now had a much deeper and more intricate grasp of political implications and undertones.
As such, she immediately recognised the underlying and unspoken statements that were being made here; the power plays both overt and subtle, and consequences and repercussions of the reactions of the other Sect Leaders.
Acting Sect Leader Lan and her father spoke quietly to Sect Leader Niè, convincing him not to storm off in rage; something which gave her no small bit of relief.
While such a move could not go unchallenged, this was neither the time nor the way to do so.
Any rebuttal would need to be both sufficiently subtle and strong to deny the insinuations Wen Ruohan was making without blatant defiance. The situation was volatile enough that it needed to be handled with great delicacy to avoid igniting the current hostile tensions into outright violence.
The most effective and diplomatic way to refute the Chief Cultivator's wordless challenge would be for the disciples of other sects to outperform his own disciples by a large margin.
That would serve as its own sort of statement, without any sign of actual disrespect or confrontation.
Grateful that Sect Leader Nie had been convinced to avoid escalating things right now, Yanli still found herself worrying and hoping that the other Sect Leaders would begin preparing for the inevitable fallout.
Much as she sought peaceful solutions first and foremost, her sinking heart acknowledged that sooner or later it was likely the Wens would make any such resolutions impossible. Uneasily, she couldn't help fearing that they would be allowed to go much too far before the other Sects were forced to respond.
She could only hope that each of the Sects prepared contingency plans for the worst case scenarios.
Cheering for her little brothers as the competition started was nothing new.
Having to wrestle her thoughts back to them repeatedly as they kept wandering to her friend was, however.
I wonder how Lan-gongzi is faring, she would catch herself thinking. I hope he does well!
After which she would chastise herself; reminding herself that, Her brothers deserved more than half-hearted encouragement from her, and Lan-gongzi is a very talented and much-celebrated heir to one of the Five Great Sects; he has more than enough people cheering for him already, so spending time dwelling on his progress rather than A-Cheng's and A-Xian's was unfair to them.
Still, she assured herself that there was nothing odd about occasionally wondering about the accomplishments of a friend.
When Lan-er-gongzi left the competition early, she found herself distracted once again.
I hope everything is alright, she fretted. Lan-gongzi is probably terribly worried about his brother; hopefully nothing serious happened.
Later, when Lan-gongzi was announced as having placed second, part of her idly questioned if he would have done better had he not been concerned for his didi.
She immediately felt ashamed for having had any reaction other than pride in A-Xian for taking first place, and in A-Cheng's performance as well.
So she made sure to praise both of her boys excessively to ensure they knew just how happy she was for them and pleased by their respective accomplishments.
If it was difficult for her to keep her eyes on A-Xian as the winners stood to receive their congratulations, she resolutely refused to think about why they persisted in straying to the dashing figure next to him. Certainly, she refused to contemplate why the sight of A-Xian's victory was less enthralling to her than the man next to him; stood tall and regal like a living homage to masculine strength and beauty.
The fact that neither her eyes nor her thoughts so much as recognized the presence of her former fiancé standing next to him didn't even register to her.
Yanli thought she knew and understood her own heart well enough to manage it as she wished.
It made her initial encounter with the First Jade of Lán something of a revelation; as she realised that her feelings had become a fair bit deeper than she thought, without her even noticing.
Seeing Lan-gongzi before her filled her with an uncomplicated sort of happiness, so different from the complex brand of excitement and dread which had once marked her anticipation of seeing her former fiancé. Therefore she could perhaps be forgiven for not immediately recognizing the emotions in their entirety for what they were.
Almost giddy, she called out, "Congratulations on the competition!"
She was looking forward to seeing him up close, and speaking with her friend face-to-face.
However, as he turned and saw her, his already lovely face lit up. The kind of joy that rose over his features at the sight of her was dizzying; his smile so radiant it was almost blinding in its brilliance. It washed over her like dappled sunlight over fertile ground; illuminating and warming her heart and nourishing everything within.
A tiny, dazed part of her mind acknowledged that he was unquestionably the most beautiful man she had ever seen, and her knees locked to keep her legs from giving out on her.
Against her will, she felt herself offering him her sweetest smile as her expression fell into one of helpless adoration.
This was bad, her mind informed her rather numbly. This was very, very bad.
Rather desperately, she hoped that he would be as oblivious to the unmistakable way she was looking at him as he always seemed to be towards the various implications of different behaviours and interactions between males and females.
She exchanged pleasantries with him almost unconsciously, automatically offering up a comment of genuine admiration for his skills. It was difficult to focus on the words when she was trying not to eye the wide set of his shoulders, and keep her eyes from tracing over the firm lines of his muscles where they were highlighted by the fit of his robes.
Not that looking at his face was much better; only it was less obvious that she was staring. The set of his sculpted features and the sincerity which filled them had her heart pounding erratically.
"Thank you," he said.
The low register of his voice and the focus of his attention felt intimate in an unfamiliarity pleasant way. A slight heat pooled low in her belly and her insides quivered in response.
"Call me Xichen," he offered, still in that deep tone that sent unexpected shivers through her body; made less intimidating only by the soft sort of fondness with which he regarded her.
The warm, affectionate expression on his face combined with the understated intimacy of being given the right to address him more casually made her cheeks heat. His eyes widened slightly, and the brief flicker of appreciation she thought she saw in them only made her flush deeper.
"Then you must also call me Yanli," she insisted in an unexpected burst of bravery.
"Yanli, then," he murmured, looking at her in a way that was certainly not helping her blush disappear.
Tucking his reactions to her away in the back of her mind for later perusal; for now she focused on keeping her breathing steady and not betraying her frantic, thundering pulse.
The way he said her name was soft; almost intimate.
It was all she could do not to tremble visibly in reaction to the sound of her name on his lips, and she felt her courage deserting her under the force of his gaze.
His eyes were a rich, deep golden colour; dark and expressive, yet achingly gentle and kind. They were utterly lovely and she had to fight not to get lost in them. His pupils were dilated slightly in a way that she suspected might actually indicate attraction; but she was also aware that she was not experienced enough in being the recipient of such gazes to say for certain.
It was also entirely possible that her perceptions were being coloured by her own desires, so she refused to dwell on the possibility for now.
"It's very nice to see you again, Xichen."
The words came out sounding shyer than she meant them to; she blushed again and lowered her eyes to give herself a momentary reprieve.
"It's good to see you again, as well," he replied.
Meeting his own eyes once again, she couldn't help the happiness and warmth that filled her heart and spilled over to paint themselves across her features.
They stood there, staring at one another in silence for a few moments; just smiling and admiring each other despite the slightly awkward atmosphere between them.
He abruptly looked away, staring over her shoulder as he cleared his throat.
Giddy delight swept through her at the faint pink colour that dusted itself along his cheekbones; her breath catching both at the stunning vision of a blushing Lan Xichen, and at the clear evidence that she affected him at least a little.
She felt a thrill at the prospect, and carefully avoided thinking about whether he would welcome a change in the direction of their relationship – or perhaps, that this was merely the natural progression of a courtship neither of them had intended or even realised they were already engaged in.
Such thoughts could be entertained later, when she was alone with the time and space necessary to give them proper consideration. At the moment they were merely distractions, so she quickly brushed them aside.
Lan-gongzi – no; Xichen – cleared his throat, appearing slightly embarrassed and determined to move past his brief lapse in attention.
"Do you know if Wei Wuxian happens to remember the meaning of the Lan forehead ribbon?" he asked, looking oddly intent on her answer.
Yanli blinked, startled by the abrupt and seemingly random launch into the topic.
"I'm honestly not sure," she admitted. "I'd say It's likely he doesn't; because he tends to forget things like that easily if he doesn't consider them important to know when he hears them – but he also has the strangest gift for remembering the oddest and most unexpected things sometimes, so it's still quite possible that he does. Why do you ask?"
He hesitated, then explained about the incident with Lan-er-gongzi's forehead ribbon during the tournament.
Yanli winced.
"Well, I can safely say that he doesn't consciously remember the ribbons significance," she started, then paused, uncertain of how much more she should say.
Her suspicions were just that, after all – suspicions without proof.
Saying the wrong thing could lead to rumours that might damage her brother's reputation; and while she knew that Xichen was not the type to gossip, she could not be certain he would not tell his brother if she confided in him.
After all, if he learned that she suspected her A-Xian might have something of a crush on his didi, he might feel it necessary to warn the younger boy. While different Cultivation Sects had different degrees of tolerance towards cutsleeves overall, common opinions tended towards discomfort with the idea, if not outright disapproval.
While she had learned that the Lán, Niè, and Jiāng Sects were historically the most accepting in those respects, attitudes generally differed over time according to who was in charge; their personal opinions and whether they actually knew any cutsleeves or not.
A-Xian would be crushed if she destroyed his friendship with Lan-er-gongzi, whether or not it was true.
And if it was, and his friend returned his feelings?
That could easily prove disastrous, as she was sure that A-Xian had no idea he was even interested in men.
This was likely a reflection of the present-day attitudes of the Jiāng Sect towards cutsleeves.
While they did not have the same level of disgust and revulsion towards cutsleeves which could be found among the Jin, there had not been any cutsleeves in the Sect for a few generations, and therefore the thoughts of the people within the Sect were generally influenced by common opinion on the subject.
Nevertheless, the official stance of their Sect always had been and always would be that cutsleeves should not be treated or thought of differently to anyone else.
This was due to the fact that the Founder of the Jiāng Sect had been a cutsleeve himself; though that fact was no longer truly common knowledge.
The Niè Sect typically had the most laid-back opinions regarding cutsleeves; in that they valued strength above all – strength in combat, in character, in intellect, and in dedication – and did not dismiss any individual who possessed an admirable degree of strength regardless of the gender of the person they chose to bed. So long as no unwanted advances were being pressed – which was the same for everyone regardless of orientation – they did not consider it an issue.
Gusu Lán Sect was generally accepting on the principle that Lans typically only ever loved once, and their founder had considered recognising and honouring that love to be of utmost importance. Therefore if a Lan fell in love with someone of the same gender, the rules of their Sect required that their relationship be respected just as if they had fallen for a person of the opposite gender.
Nonetheless, Yanli was hesitant to say anymore on the subject without being certain Xichen would not react poorly.
However, hearing her answer, disappointment flashed across his features so quickly she almost missed it.
It gave her hope for her sweet, naive A-Xian's heart; and she decided to tentatively allude to her musings on the subject.
"It's possible that he may have remembered subconsciously," she started slowly, watching closely for his reaction. "That he was unconsciously aware of the significance, and that lead to his fascination with Lan-er-gongzi's ribbon; since he seems to have no interest in the ribbons of anyone else in your Sect."
Xichen looked pleased at her addition, and after a second of hesitation of his own offered, "Wangji would probably be quite pleased to learn that, if that is indeed the case."
Yanli smiled, relieved.
"I do have to ask you not to tell him just yet," she warned. "My suspicions on the matter are as yet unconfirmed; and even if they are true it is best that you not encourage him to act on their affections for now."
Seeing that he was going to ask, she explained.
"A-Xian can be very oblivious sometimes; I am certain that not only is he unaware of the nature of his own regard for Lan-er-gongzi, but also of the fact that he even holds an appreciation for men in that way to begin with."
"That... is rather oblivious, actually," he said, sounding slightly bewildered.
"That's A-Xian for you." She giggled at the expression on his face.
"Now, Xichen; shall we discuss how to help our hopeless little brothers out?"
The beaming, sunny smile he offered her in reply made her heartbeat flutter all over again.
A/N: Ugh. This chapter. My brain did not want to co-operate in writing this.
It kept going off on tangents Every. Single. Time. No matter how hard I tried to drag my brain back to the plot kicking and screaming, it kept running off again the second I set it loose.
First it was alllllll about JYL's adventures and discoveries in LanlingJin; then it was alllllll about the WangXian relationship and the gentle nudges and encouragement she was offering her brother to help him learn to communicate with his friend. And so on.
On the bright side, I now have a number of different oneshots and short fics in this verse that I can post after I've polished them up a bit.