"Have you grown tired of me, Wukun-ge?"

Meng Xingyao's face was impassive but Pan Wukun could tell just how uneasy he was.

"What makes you think that, Xingyao-di?"

"You went partying with the guest disciples the other night."

"Without me" went unsaid.

Pan Wukun placed a hand on Meng Xingyao's shoulder. "I would never abandon you, Xingyao-di!"

Meng Xingyao turned his head slowly, keeping his eyes on Pan Wukun's hand to make sure it was actually there on his shoulder. "...You're not ashamed to be seen with me?"

"Of course not."

"Why were you with the guest disciples then? You're not the partying type, Wukun-ge."

"I needed to get close to Wei Wuxian. That way, he'll help me smuggle books from the Library Pavilion."

"Why would you need the books from the Library Pavilion?"

"It's personal, Xingyao-di." Pan Wukun grabbed the spirit-trapping pouch with the unknown sect emblem. "A personal, private matter…"

Seeing the spirit-trapping pouch Pan Wukun always acted so guarded about, Meng Xingyao knew not to pry any further.

And what could he even do to help Pan Wukun? He couldn't possibly ask Lan Xichen for access to the Library Pavilion's books. He was a mere rogue cultivator, not a guest disciple.

Meng Xingyao couldn't just break into the Library Pavilion and smuggle the books out either. He found that he couldn't break Lan Xichen's trust, no matter how much he cared for Pan Wukun.

So he just silently nodded. "Right. You go and continue your work with the healers. I'll just stay here and write my letter to Sisi."

"Breaking the ribs is not actually required for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Pan-xiushi."

Pan Wukun blinked. "Oh…I see…" Her cousin did tell her not to push down so hard on the pillow. She said that she wouldn't be surprised if Pan Wukun ended up breaking someone's ribs one day…

Sure, her cousin turned out to be right. But being alive with broken ribs was better than dying!

The healers had constructed a practice dummy and were currently running breathing tests on it. They were observing how much strength was needed to push down on the chest to be able to reach the heart.

The healers acted as usual with Pan Wukun, eager and inquisitive. They did not kick her out of the infirmary and the Cloud Recesses for partying with the guest disciples. But that was only because Wei Wuxian took the blame for her…

Pan Wukun didn't even know how Wei Wuxian was doing. She couldn't bring herself to visit him in the guest disciples' quarters.

As for Lan Wangji, she avoided him as much as possible as well.

The healers put their medical instruments away. "Thank you for your hard work, Pan-xiushi. That will be all for today."

Leaving the infirmary, Pan Wukun decided to stroll through the forest within the Cloud Recesses, losing herself in her thoughts.

Should she even keep staying here? Her presence was jeopardizing Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's relationship!

But she couldn't just up and leave now! She still needed to get to those books in the Library Pavilion!

Should she still ask Wei Wuxian about the books after all that happened?

Did she need a new plan?

Damn it! She needed to think.

She needed to lie down and take a breather.

Pan Wukun lay under a tree, resting within its shade. As the breeze gently swept over her face, she shut her eyes to nap.

Pan Wukun scrunched her nose.

Something was tickling her face.

Her eyes opened and she was met with wide bright red eyes.

A black rabbit sat atop Pan Wukun's chest. Upon noticing that she was awake, it showed no fear. Instead, it cutely rubbed its face with its paws.

Pan Wukun stayed still on the ground, not wanting to scare the rabbit away.

The black rabbit inched closer to Pan Wukun's face and sniffed her chin. Then it rubbed its nose against her chin.

Pan Wukun gingerly brushed two fingers against the black rabbit's back.

The black rabbit leaned into her touch.

Pan Wukun playfully clicked her tongue.

The black rabbit honked happily and nuzzled its nose against her cheek.

Pan Wukun laughed and rubbed the rabbit's back with her entire hand. "Aw. Cute little rabbit."

Amazing! This rabbit did not seem to be afraid of humans!

After Pan Wukun felt that she'd petted the rabbit enough, she shifted her body slightly, signaling to the rabbit that she was about to sit up.

The rabbit hopped off of Pan Wukun as she sat up.

But before Pan Wukun could stand up, the rabbit hopped back up onto her lap.

The black rabbit curled up on Pan Wukun's lap. It looked up at her expectantly, its ears twitching.

"Oh? You still want me to keep petting you?" She gently ran her fingers through its fur. The black rabbit clucked in contentment.

A rustling came from the grass.

A white rabbit revealed itself, stepping forward.

"Hi there." Pan Wukun's free hand slowly inched towards the white rabbit. "Do you want me to pet you too?"

The white rabbit bit down on Pan Wukun's finger.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!" Pan Wukun cried out. She pried her finger out of the white rabbit's teeth. Her finger throbbed.

The black rabbit growled and tackled the white rabbit. The two of them rolled around on the ground, aggressively lunging at each other.

"No! No! Stop fighting!" Pan Wukun grabbed the rabbits by the scruffs of their necks, holding them in place and separating them. "You are both good rabbits!"

The black rabbit stopped squirming and looked up at Pan Wukun, blinking cutely.

The white rabbit stilled and glared at Pan Wukun.

Pan Wukun released her hold on the rabbits. She sighed at the white rabbit. "Sorry, little one. I guess you don't like being touched."

The black rabbit hopped over to Pan Wukun's hand. It whimpered and licked at her bite wound.

"Aw. Are you trying to lick my finger better?" Pan Wukun fondly petted the top of the black rabbit's head with her uninjured hand.

"Chun-ge!"

Wei Wuxian came bursting out of the trees.

"Wei-Wei-gongzi!" Pan Wukun called out in surprise.

"What happened? I heard you screaming!" Wei Wuxian got really close to Pan Wukun and looked over her for injuries. "Are you ok? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine! I'm fine! Now give me some space! " Pan Wukun shouted as she leaned away from Wei Wuxian.

"All right! All right!" Wei Wuxian stepped back. He noticed the black rabbit resting on Pan Wukun's lap. "Oh? Did this rabbit scare you earlier, Chun-ge?"

The black rabbit blinked up at Wei Wuxian with curiosity.

"No." Pan Wukun pointed at the white rabbit standing nearby. "I learned the hard way that the other rabbit over there doesn't like being touched." She showed Wei Wuxian the rabbit bite mark on her finger.

Wei Wuxian winced. "Ouch."

Meeting with Wei Wuxian face-to-face after days of avoiding him, Pan Wukun was filled with a sense of guilt. "How are your injuries?"

Wei Wuxian chuckled and rubbed his back. "Still sore in some places here and there." He smiled. "But Lan Xichen gave me some medicine and my shijie's been looking after me!"

Pan Wukun's heart sank. She had ruined so much. Lan Xichen didn't even tell Wei Wuxian about the Cold Spring…

Since Lan Wangji never got beaten, he didn't need to go bathe in the Cold Spring after Wei Wuxian's punishment was dealt with.

Pan Wukun was grateful that Wei Wuxian had shown up alone. She could never face Jiang Yanli's disappointment.

"Lan-xiansheng[1] is back from Qinghe." Wei Wuxian sighed miserably. "He's still a bore as usual."

So Lan Qiren had returned to the Cloud Recesses. Pan Wukun wondered if he knew about her. Lan Xichen and the healers must've informed him about her presence. She wouldn't be surprised if she was called to meet with him later to discuss the Waterborne Abyss.

Wei Wuxian petted the black rabbit, who was in utter bliss from having two people doting on it. Then he glanced over at the white rabbit. "That rabbit's going to be lonely over there all by itself!" He rushed over to the white rabbit.

"Did you not hear me say that particular rabbit does not like being touched?!" Pan Wukun cried in alarm.

As Wei Wuxian scooped up the white rabbit into his arms, it fussed about grumpily, but it did not bite his hand.

Wei Wuxian laughed. "Looks like not all animals hate me!"

Pan Wukun was a bit miffed. - So you bite me and not him?

"Now for the other one!" Wei Wuxian rushed over to the black rabbit, picking it up from Pan Wukun's lap. As he moved his hands to hold the rabbits up by their ears, he noticed something. "Oh! They're both male!"

The rabbits squealed in discomfort.

"Hey!" Pan Wukun yelled.

Wei Wuxian blinked in confusion. "What?"

"You're not supposed to hold rabbits like that! How would you like it if someone dragged you by your ponytail? That's how the rabbits feel!" Pan Wukun held her hands out to Wei Wuxian. "Give the rabbits here. I'll show you how to hold them properly."

Wei Wuxian handed the rabbits over to her.

"Rabbits get really scared if you lift them up in the air. To them, it's like one of their predators swooped down and carried them away." Pan Wukun gently petted the black rabbit. Knowing that the white rabbit didn't like her touch, she uttered soothing sounds to comfort it alongside the black rabbit. "You have to ease them into it. And if they don't want it, don't force it on them."

Wei Wuxian gently rubbed both rabbits' backs. "Sorry, little rabbits. I didn't mean to hurt you."

The rabbits relaxed.

Wei Wuxian chuckled. "You really care about animals, don't you, Chun-ge?"

"'Course I do. Especially since I've taken care of farm animals."

"You did say you were a humble farmer when we first met, Chun-ge. I've never really heard of cultivators who are also farmers though."

"Well, there's more variety among rogue cultivators, considering that sect cultivators have servants to do their work."

Knowing how to do farm work certainly helped Pan Wukun get into the good graces of the villagers she came across during her travels. They would say, "A cultivator who actually knows how to do manual labor? Ah! The Heavens have blessed us!"

"Sect cultivators know so much about how to cultivate and exorcize malevolent beings on night-hunts but they don't even know how to do house chores! Tell me, Wei-gongzi, do you even know how to do your own laundry?"

Wei Wuxian frowned. "No…But why should I? That's work for other people to do!"

Pan Wukun gave him an amused smile. "Aw, Wei-gongzi. What would happen when you're anywhere without servants to take care of menial tasks? How would you wash your clothes? Cook your food? Clean your quarters? Without servants, you would fumble doing all of that on your own. Trust me, you would not want to find yourself in such a precarious position, especially out in the wilderness. Appreciate your servants and don't make things harder for them."

Wei Wuxian sighed. "Right…"

Pan Wukun took a food bag out of her cloth sack. She pulled out a carrot and held it to the black rabbit's mouth.

The black rabbit nibbled on the carrot top, clucking happily.

Wei Wuxian laughed. "Wow! These wild rabbits aren't afraid of people!"

Pan Wukun petted the black rabbit fondly. His fur was so soft… "What should we name them?"

Wei Wuxian put a hand to his chin in thought. "How about…Little Carrot!"

"Pfft!" Pan Wukun couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

Wei Wuxian smiled. "Oh? You're actually laughing. What's so funny?"

In the future, Wei Wuxian named his donkey, Little Apple because it liked eating apples. For all that Wei Wuxian made fun of Jiang Cheng for his terrible naming conventions, he was not creative at naming things himself either.

Pan Wukun smiled down softly at the black rabbit. "Little Carrot…It's a cute name."

She looked at the white rabbit. "As for the other one, I think we should name it…" She rubbed her chin in thought, observing the white rabbit from different angles. It was round and white just like a… "Snowball!"

The newly named "Snowball" gave Pan Wukun an unimpressed dead-eyed stare.

Wei Wuxian burst out laughing. "Snowball, haha!" He petted Snowball with a big fat grin on his face. "Do you like your new name, Snowball? It's so fitting for such a cute rabbit!"

The unimpressed expression remained on Snowball's face. But he seemed to relax a bit under Wei Wuxian's touch.

Pan Wukun handed Wei Wuxian a carrot top, which he held to Snowball's mouth. Snowball quietly nibbled on it.

"I came out here to find some wild pheasants! But I've found these wild rabbits instead!" Wei Wuxian pouted. "How am I supposed to have someone roast them now that they have names?"

"If you actually do take the rabbits to be roasted," Pan Wukun smiled menacingly. "I will hunt you down and kill you myself."

Wei Wuxian laughed nervously. "I was just joking, Chun-ge!"

Wei Wuxian picked up Snowball and nuzzled his nose against the rabbit's.

Despite being held so close to Wei Wuxian's face, Snowball did not look frightened at all.

Wei Wuxian smiled. "Aw! Snowball's warmed up to me so quickly!"

Little Carrot hopped onto Pan Wukun's lap and bumped his head against her hand. Then he looked up at her intently, patting her stomach with his paws.

"Oh? You want me to hold you?" Pan Wukun slowly lifted Little Carrot up, cradling him against her chest.

Little Carrot made happy noises.

Wei Wuxian laughed. "Aw! And looks like Little Carrot's warmed up to you too, Chun-ge!"

As Wei Wuxian continued petting Snowball, Pan Wukun couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't left to see Lan Wangji yet.

Pan Wukun shut her eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply. She couldn't believe what she was about to do. "So...Wei Ying."

Wei Wuxian's eyes lit up. "Did you…just call me-?"

Pan Wukun tried hard to give him a genuine smile. She needed to befriend him to get to the Library Pavilion's books, after all. "Yes, yes, I did."

Still holding onto Snowball, Wei Wuxian stood up and bounced up and down in excitement. "Hahaha! I knew I'd get you to warm up to me eventually, Chun-ge! I'm irresistible!"

"Right, right. We're friends now." Pan Wukun internally sighed with relief. She had successfully befriended Wei Wuxian.

Now to start Operation: Wangxian Damage Control.

"Wei Ying. You should go introduce Little Carrot and Snowball to Lan-er-gongzi."

Wei Wuxian frowned. "Huh? Why? He's the reason my back is so sore. Besides, he's probably busy studying right now." He leaned in close to Pan Wukun with a smile. "I'd rather stay here and spend time with you, Chun-ge!"

Pan Wukun was dying inside. - No! Bad! Bad! Very bad!

She had to come up with a good reason to get Wei Wuxian reattached to Lan Wangji fast.

"Well, you did just get a beating at the Lan ancestral hall, Wei Ying. Despite how emotionless he appears, Lan-er-gongzi must be worried about you."

Wei Wuxian blinked. "Him? Worried about me? No way!"

"You should let him know you're okay. I'm sure you and Lan-er-gongzi would be great friends. He saved our lives at Biling Lake, remember? Trust my judgment, Wei Ying. I'm older and have more experience."

Wei Wuxian sighed. "Oh, all right. Let's go see Lan Zhan." He carefully scooped Snowball into his arms.

"Wait! Don't forget to take Little Carrot with you!" Pan Wukun passed Little Carrot over to Wei Wuxian. He held Little Carrot and Snowball together with one arm.

"And let me know how it goes with Lan-er-gongzi later, all right?"

Wei Wuxian smiled slyly. "Who said I was going to see Lan Zhan alone?"

"Wha- H-Hey!"

Wei Wuxian laughed gleefully as he pulled Pan Wukun along by the hand.

Lan Wangji blinked. "What…is this?"

Wei Wuxian grinned as he placed the rabbits on Lan Wangji's desk. "This one's Little Carrot! And this one's Snowball!"

Lan Wangji frowned. "Ridiculous!"

Pan Wukun stood awkwardly beside Wei Wuxian. Why? Why did he have to drag her to be his and Lan Wangji's third wheel? Was this how Wen Ning felt?

Little Carrot and Snowball proceeded to roll around, stepping on Lan Wangji's inkstone and leaving ink paw prints all over his desk.

Lan Wangji put his face into his hands in tired exasperation.

Wei Wuxian chuckled. "Don't be like that, Lan Zhan! They're just trying to help you get your work done so you can play with them!"

Pan Wukun hurriedly picked up Little Carrot and Snowball so that they could stop making a mess. She was grateful that Snowball didn't bite her this time. "Sorry, Snowball," she whispered.

"Take the rabbits outside and leave," Lan Wangji said tersely.

Wei Wuxian pouted. "Lan Zhan, are you really going to leave these poor rabbits to fend for themselves? Especially after Chun-ge and I have already given them names?"

Lan Wangji stiffened. "You named them?… Together?"

Wei Wuxian smiled. "Yup!"

Lan Wangji reached for his brush again. He took out another sheet of paper to continue writing. The grip he had on his brush tightened and his brush strokes turned harsh.

Pan Wukun grew nervous. Lan Wangji's tense silence was not a good sign.

Wei Wuxian tapped on Lan Wangji's desk. "Lan Zhan. You should take a break from work. You, me, and Chun-ge. Let's play with Little Carrot and Snowball together!"

"No. I'm too busy. Just go spend time with Pan-xiushi."

Wei Wuxian pouted. "Come on, Lan Zhan! Look how badly Little Carrot and Snowball want to play with you!" He gestured to the two rabbits squirming energetically in Pan Wukun's hands.

"Leave," Lan Wangji said again.

It was obvious to Pan Wukun just how irritated Lan Wangji was. She switched the rabbits over to one arm and tugged on Wei Wuxian's sleeve. "We should go, Wei Ying."

Lan Wangji froze.

Wei Wuxian didn't budge. "Let's stay a little longer, Chun-ge. We haven't had enough fun with Lan Zhan yet."

Pan Wukun tugged harder on Wei Wuxian's sleeve. "Seriously, Wei Ying, we need to go now." She turned to Lan Wangji. "Apologies, Lan-er-go-!"

"I told you to leave, Pan-xiushi!" Lan Wangji snapped.

Wei Wuxian's face turned furious. "Lan Wangji! Don't be rude to Chun-ge!"

"Get lost!" Lan Wangji roared.

"Fine then! I will get lost! Since that's what you want so badly!" Wei Wuxian yelled.

"You two! Wait!" Before Pan Wukun could stop them, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji stormed off, going their separate ways.

Pan Wukun rubbed her forehead, sighing in defeat. "Things weren't supposed to be like this…"

Something soft brushed against her hand.

Pan Wukun looked down to see Little Carrot's head nudging against her hand.

"Are you trying to cheer me up, Little Carrot?" Pan Wukun petted Little Carrot's head.

She walked outside with Little Carrot and Snowball hopping after her.

She sat down underneath a tree. Little Carrot lay on Pan Wukun's lap, nuzzling against her stomach. Snowball rested in the grass nearby, keeping an eye on Little Carrot.

Pan Wukun held Little Carrot close. She shut her eyes, focusing on the softness of his fur and wishing that things worked out between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji soon.

Pan Wukun gently set Little Carrot down and sent a small smile to Snowball. "I need to go. Run along now."

She waved as the rabbits left. "Take care, little ones."

Something tapped on Lan Wangji's door.

Irritation rolled through Lan Wangji.

The other disciples knew not to disturb him.

He was already in a bad mood from his argument with Wei Wuxian earlier.

(Why? Why did he have to scream at Wei Wuxian like that? Now Wei Wuxian must hate him!)

But Lan Wangji couldn't help it, couldn't hold the bitterness within him when he heard Pan Wukun call Wei Wuxian "Wei Ying". Had they grown that close to each other already?

Lan Wangji opened his door, ready to show his most stormy ice-cold expression to the inconsiderate visitor.

Instead, he blinked in astonishment.

It wasn't a person at all, but two rabbits.

Little Carrot and Snowball tilted their heads up at Lan Wangji. They promptly hopped into his room.

Lan Wangji was stunned, briefly at a loss of what to do. Should he take them back outside? Should he let them stay? Was this another elaborate prank set up by Wei Wuxian?

Lan Wangji looked outside his room. No sign of Wei Wuxian or Pan Wukun anywhere.

Little Carrot and Snowball had sought Lan Wangji out on their own. They had come all the way from the Library Pavilion to his room.

Lan Wangji stared at the rabbits resting on the floor, concerned that they were tired. When did these rabbits last eat? Were they hungry?

"Stay here," Lan Wangji said to the rabbits before leaving his room.

He made his way to the kitchen, where he took some lettuce. The cooks paid him no mind, thinking that he was merely there to pick up some food to eat.

Returning to his room, Lan Wangji knelt down in front of the rabbits.

Little Carrot and Snowball nibbled on the lettuce Lan Wangji laid out.

As Lan Wangji watched the rabbits enjoy their meal, he couldn't help but feel some fondness for them.

Then he began to feel troubled. What if Lan Qiren believed that these rabbits were detrimental to his cultivation studies? Especially if they had been with Wei Wuxian? What if he was forced to take the rabbits somewhere far away and they fell prey to a predator?

Little Carrot nudged at Lan Wangji's hand with his nose, interrupting his stressful thoughts.

Lan Wangji gently petted Little Carrot's head. His other hand moved to rub Snowball's back.

Little Carrot and Snowball rested on the ground in contentment.

Then Lan Wangji cradled Little Carrot and Snowball in his arms. As the rabbits burrowed closely into his chest, warmth filled his heart.

It was settled then.

These rabbits were here to stay.

"Chun-ge!"

Wei Wuxian ran up to Pan Wukun.

"Wei-Wei Ying!" Damn, it was going to take a while for Pan Wukun to get used to calling him that. She took a breath. "How is…Lan-er-gongzi?"

Wei Wuxian snorted. "Lan Wangji? Being a stick-in-the-mud as usual."

Pan Wukun's heart sank. "I shouldn't have been there. I only made things worse."

Shame filled Wei Wuxian's face. "What? No! No! I'm the one who made Lan Wangji angry. Not you, Chun-ge!"

Pan Wukun shook her head and sighed. "I know Lan-er-gongzi seems difficult now. But there is much more to him than that, Wei Ying."

Wei Wuxian frowned. "I don't exactly want to see Lan Wangji again anytime soon. But…I'll keep what you say in mind." He smiled and chuckled fondly at Pan Wukun. "You have so much patience, Chun-ge."

Wei Wuxian slung his arm over Pan Wukun's shoulder. "So where are Little Carrot and Snowball?"

"They're off back at their home in the forest somewhere."

"Do you think we'll see them again?"

"Please, we gave them free food and cuddles. Of course, they'll come back to us."

Wei Wuxian laughed. "Great! Then we'll be able to play with them together again, Chun-ge!"

Pan Wukun internally groaned. Wei Wuxian was sticking to her side like glue. She wished Lan Wangji was here to attract him away. But that wasn't working out so well right now, was it?

But if Wei Wuxian was going to be so close to her, she might as well make the best of it.

"Wei Ying, do you think you can do me a favor?"

Glossary

1. xiansheng: "teacher"

A/N: OK. I was supposed to post this chapter about cute rabbits during the Lunar New Year, which was actually back on January 22. But then real life got busy and Lan Wangji was a difficult character to write this chapter. But it's still the Year of the Cat/Rabbit! So it still counts!
In Vietnamese culture, we celebrate the Year of the Cat instead of the Year of the Rabbit.
The origins of why the Vietnamese do so are unclear. It's believed that Vietnamese farmers found cats to be great domestic pets and skilled mouse hunters. Mice kept trying to eat the farmers' rice in the rice fields and rabbits tend to be associated with mice as pests.
In honor of the Year of the Cat, I bought several Mèo Thần Tài (the Lucky Waving Arm Cat) or Maneki-Neko, as they are called in Japanese.
I have solar-powered ones sitting on my room's windowsill and they look so cute!
During my family's Lunar New Year lunch, I ate Gà luộc ("boiled chicken" in Vietnamese). I also ate chicken butt.