Wei Ying

"The line to get into Lotus winds its way down the block and around the corner. As is the case every night, while the last of the sun's rays trickle between Yunmeng's cityscape. The rhythmic thrum of music secreted within the nightclub pulses through the pavement, teasing the bodies that eagerly await entry.

The establishment formerly known as Lotus Pier has belonged to the Jiang family for decades, evolving with the times from Gentlemen's club to notorious speakeasy. Following the tragic and mysterious deaths of Jiang Fengmian and his wife Yu Ziyuan, the club passed suddenly into the hands of their two children, Jiang Cheng, Jiang Yanli and adoptive son, Wei Ying. In the years that followed, the trio have transformed the family's modest patronage into the city's hottest nightclub. No small part of the credit belonging to Wei Ying. Little is known of the the entrepreneur's humble beginnings or how he came to be a ward of the Jiang's. And although his reputation as a playboy and carouser precedes him, his business acumen and killer instincts in the face of today's uncertain climate cannot be denied. The upper echelons of society would do well to stand up and pay attention – "

"Will you stop reading that damn thing," I muttered, hiding my smirk in my third whiskey of the night. It may have been my fourth. I wasn't in the habit of keeping track. Jiang Cheng scowled into the glow of his phone. "You look like a gargoyle, little brother." His head whipped to me. "You're loving this. You slept with her, didn't you? This whole write up is a fucking fan girl letter to Wei Wuxian," Jiang Cheng spat. "Only towards the end," I conceded.

"I'm not even halfway through!"

"Just think how miserable you would be If I didn't give you something to be furious about all the time," I mused.

"They didn't even use a picture with all three of us. It's just you!"

"Can't blame them for choosing the better looking brother." He lunged for me then. Fortunately, we were tucked into one of the private booths upstairs. Gauzy curtains of purple, maroon and navy kept prying eyes from witnessing Jiang Cheng's inelegant efforts to throttle me. Again.

"Enough, Ah-Cheng."

Yanli's sweet, measured tone somehow cut through the pounding electronica below as she drew the curtains aside and took a seat on the plush lounge beside me. I untangled myself from Jiang Cheng with a shove and placed my head in her lap. Yes, I'm a grown ass man. Who would dare question it? My older sister, ever the most graceful person in the room, wore a cream silk gown that complemented her flawless porcelain complexion. With her exquisite hair curled and cascading down her back in a splendid ebony waterfall and vibrant red crystals shimmering at her ears and throat. She was the most beautiful woman I would ever know and my greatest treasure. Yanli brushed a strand of hair from my cheek that had come loose in the scuffle. The silk of her dress cooled my whiskey warmed cheek. She smiled down at me indulgently, her coffee-coloured eyes crinkling prettily. And just like that, it was a typical Friday night at Lotus.

"Look at the mess you've made of Ah Xian's hair," Yanli scolded. Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes and stood up to straighten his clothes. His purple dress shirt had come untucked from his navy suit pants. He straightened his vest and reached for the matching jacket. And people called me a dandy. As if. I clocked him running his hand through his hair, a tick he had developed since he had cut off his ponytail. It had been the twin to mine for most of our lives until…

"I'm going downstairs," he announced.

"Ah Cheng," Yanli called. He turned back to face her, his jaw stubbornly tense. I could all but hear his teeth grinding. "Our brother's success is our success; he works hard for this family."

"Of course it would be too much to ask that the only biological son of the Jiang family received an ounce of recognition, even from you, my own sister," Jiang Cheng shot back as he tossed the curtains aside. His exit was as dramatic as always. Never to be outdone, even by himself. Yanli shook her head and chuckled. "Will the two of you never grow up?" I sat up and gave her a pout. "Won't you fix my hair, sis?" She flicked my nose and turned me around. My hair loosened around my shoulders as she pulled it free from the ponytail. "How about half up, half down?" She asked, combing her fingers through the long strands. "Whatever my sister thinks best," I replied. I closed my eyes as she smoothed my hair back into place and fastened my trademark red ribbon. If only I could stay like this forever with her. Quiet and safe. But nothing about my life was either of those two things. And everything I did was to keep the world that my brother and sister occupied just that. "Your hair is prettier than mine," Yanli remarked, dispelling the brooding turn my thoughts had taken. "Well, you have one very handsome brother," I quipped. She swatted my shoulder playfully as we both stood. "Do I have to tell you again to quit baiting Ah-Cheng?" I shrugged my charcoal jacket on over the blood red dress shirt I wore, scandalously unbuttoned at the top. I wasn't above poking my tongue out and did just that. I waited for her to follow me to the staircase but when she remained behind, I cast her a knowing smirk. "So, the peacock is back from Lanling then?" No doubt the jewellery she wore tonight had been gifted to her by Jin Zixuan. The two of them were practically engaged, though he had yet to present her with an actual ring. The only redeeming quality in that smug prick's possession was that my sister loved him. "Be nice, Xian Xian." She wasn't playing fair. Using her pet name for me like that. I winked as I shouted over my shoulder. "When am I anything but?"

I made my descent down the staircase slowly. Deliberately. There were eyes on me. Some roamed over me with lust. While others speared me with daggers of jealousy. Curiosity. Reproval. I felt them all. The grin on my face was genuine as I hit the dance floor. I welcomed the attention for the most part. Who am I kidding? I loved being the centre of attention. What I didn't care for, however, were the dogs sent to watch me. Taunt me. Keep me in line. Remind me that I was one wrong move away from a bullet to the brain.

"Wei Ying. Dance with me," a smoky voice at my ear whispered. I let myself be pulled into the throng of sweaty bodies by a perfectly manicured hand. The club was awash with inky darkness, lights of red and blue teasing its darkest edges. The music crowded the senses, making slaves of everyone in the room. There were hands on me, tugging at my shirt. Coaxing me closer to a beautiful face, a soft body, that moved in sultry time to mine. And it almost made me forget the promise of death upon my head.

Yanli

I watched the crowd absorb Wei Ying. Or perhaps it was the other way around. My younger brother had a way of drawing people to him the same way nothing and no-one were safe in the path of a cyclone. He was a force of nature. But to me he was still the little boy I piggybacked through our childhood home. Tucked into bed after a long day of grousing Jiang Cheng and defended when the scheme he had inevitably dragged Ah Cheng into, went awry. My troublemakers. It was just the three of us now.

I let my eyes wander to the pearly black bar that ran the length of the club adjacent to the dancefloor. It's surface glittering with ornately etched lotus blossoms. There Jiang Cheng engaged in shy conversation with a petite beauty dressed in crimson. His straight back betrayed his nerves, making me smile. The young woman's face slid into profile. Wen Qing.

"How long has that been going on?" Zixuan asked by way of greeting. His arms slid around my waist, and he leaned down to rest his head on my shoulder.

"Doesn't Jiang Cheng look happy?" I turned my face into his and he pressed a lingering kiss to my mouth.

"I wonder how happy he will be with a knife in his back?"

"Zixuan, please."

"She's a Wen, my love. And her uncle is a threat not to be underestimated."

"Are you finally worrying about my brothers?"

"I'm worried about the trouble those idiots may bring upon you."

I huffed out a sigh. Why were the men I loved determined to despise one another?

"Yanli. Marry me and we'll go to Lanling, where I know I can keep you safe."

"Safe from what? You speak as though I have a target on my back."

"I don't mean it like that…I just miss you whenever I have to leave."

I turned to face him properly. He wore a white shirt tucked into cream pants tonight with a few strands of fine gold embellishing his neckline. And a single red crystal adorned his left earlobe, it matched the set I wore. I smoothed my hand through his dark curls and smiled up at him. He had conceded to growing them out because he knew how much I liked them. His dark eyes met mine and my heart stuttered like it did the first time I saw him. The same way it would every time his eyes found mine until the day I died.

"I miss you too." I pressed my forehead to his.

"Then put me out of my misery. Wear the ring that's been burning a hole in my pocket for the past year."

Somewhere in the countryside…

I tapped my phone, enlarging the photo. His dark brown eyes were alight with mischief, offset by a smile that was all charm. He looked cheerful and at ease in a purple silk shirt, unbuttoned at the top to reveal a muscled chest. Over his shoulders spilled long, jet-black hair that shone like polished onyx. While his porcelain face was all hard angles, his mouth looked soft. Judging by the way he towered over the bar before him, he was tall too. I felt my mouth go dry as I studied the corded muscle of his exposed forearms where he had rolled his sleeves up. Everything about him was distracting. Like he planned it that way. The swarthy bastard.

"He's cute," My mother's voice at my shoulder dragged me back into my body. She moved like the damned sleuth she was. How long had she been watching me? How long had I been staring at my phone? At him? Refusing to be flustered, I scrolled down to the article that I was supposed to be reading. "Who is he?" She whispered, her tone conspiring. "No one," I murmured back. A knowing grin formed on her face, and I scowled in response. She linked her arm through mine and tucked herself against my side. "Tell me everything."

"There's nothing to tell," I huffed back. Worried she might make a grab for my phone; I smoothly locked it and slid it into my pocket. She could be cheeky like that after all.