Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! This story picks up after where the previous one (Leap of Faith) left off. If you haven't read it, please do so first to avoid being spoilered. Enjoy :)

Summary: When Yun BiQiu accepted Guan Hemeng's courtship, he didn't realise he also wanted Su XiaoYong's grandfather's approval.

Disclaimer: The Mysterious Lotus Casebook doesn't belong to me.

- Story Start -

The wedding lunch for Di Feisheng and Li LianHua extends well into the afternoon. Guan HeMeng is once again thankful that Minister Fang and Madam He have limited the guest list to close friends and acquaintances.

Once the merriment is over, the Drug Demon and Liu RuJing take their leave. Both men are aware that their poisonous centipedes have caused everyone to be on tenterhooks over the past two days. Even the feast was a somewhat tense affair for the hosts. Di Feisheng didn't bother to hide his displeasure at the rather adventurous creatures, glaring at any that dared to peek out from the Drug Demon's sleeves. Zhan YunFei managed to intercept the one crawling up Bhante Wuliau's back before it could be spotted by the other guests. Fang DuoBing managed to catch another one lurking around Princess ZhaoLing's chair. Unluckily for him, a horrified Madam He saw him diving under the princess' skirts and pulled his ear as soon as he emerged, to the amusement of those sitting nearby.

By late afternoon, all the guests have left except for those staying at Tianji Hall. Guan HeMeng decides to go for a nice walk along the winding pathways of the flower gardens. It would be nicer still if he had a certain someone to keep him company.

Wait.

Eyes gleaming in anticipation, he turns his footsteps in the direction of Yun BiQiu's guestroom. They didn't have an opportunity to chat during the feast since some idiot had thought it a good idea to seat all four Baichuan Academy directors together. Guan HeMeng noted that Yun BiQiu conversed little with them and only smiled when it was his turn to toast Li LianHua and Di Feisheng's happiness with wine. Other than that, he picked at his food with a pensive expression on his face and disappeared once the feast was over.

Guan HeMeng's eyebrows draw together and he picks up the pace, intent on finding out what is troubling his fiancé.

- o –

The door opens after the third knock. Yun BiQiu looks startled to see Guan HeMeng who's equally surprised to see him with his hair down and dressed only in his sleepwear.

"HeMeng?"

"BiQiu, are you alright?"

Yun BiQiu gives a small smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

"I'm about to take a nap. It's been an eventful day." He glances away, the tip of a pink tongue darting out to wet his lips.

Guan HeMeng has to squash a sudden longing to kiss them again.

"Eventful day for the two newlyweds, but it's not our turn yet," he quips.

"I… don't think there's going to be our turn." Again, Yun BiQiu's smile doesn't reach his eyes.

Guan HeMeng reaches for his hand, finding it cooler than his own despite the nourishing tonic he insisted that Yun BiQiu take every morning.

"Why not? Surely you haven't found someone else?"

Yun BiQiu gives an incredulous laugh at that.

"Of course not! Who would want me apart from, well... you?"

Guan HeMeng nods in satisfaction and relief.

"That's right, I do. Now, can I come in or are we going to continue talking at the door like this?"

Yun BiQiu looks down at himself.

"Ah. I'm not dressed."

"I don't mind at all," Guan HeMeng assures him. He raises the slender hand in his and presses a kiss to it, pleased when Yun BiQiu turns the most delightful shade of pink.

- o –

Once they are seated at the table with a pot of tea, Guan HeMeng clears his throat.

"Now, what's this about us not having a wedding?"

Yun BiQiu looks down and presses his lips together.

"Aren't you going to make an honest man of me?" Guan HeMeng injects a teasing note into his voice. He's a serious man by nature, but he doesn't like how Yun BiQiu keeps avoiding his gaze.

"There's nothing - we haven't done anything," Yun BiQiu mumbles.

Frowning, Guan HeMeng takes both of Yun BiQiu's hands in his.

"Does this have anything to do with our visit to Su-yeye yesterday?"

The flinch – quickly suppressed – is the answer.

Guan HeMeng's frown deepens as he goes over the visit in his mind. Su SongYu is a retired teacher and history buff who spends his days poring over his beloved books and scrolls. His wife died ten years ago and a middle aged couple cooks and cleans for him.

Last night's dinner was pleasant enough. Su XiaoYong was excited about the upcoming wedding while Guan HeMeng and Su SongYu discussed the Tree Man Syndrome from the Nanyin tribe. After the meal, they separated for a while. Su SongYu wanted to look for a scroll he had on Nanyin illnesses. Guan HeMeng went for the kitchen to check and replenish the medicinal herbs the old man was taking while Su XiaoYong went to pack her nicest robes for tomorrow's wedding.

When Guan HeMeng returned to the living room half an hour later, Su XiaoYong said her grandfather had retired to his room for the night so they returned to Tianji Hall with Yun BiQiu.

"BiQiu, did something happen after dinner?" Guan HeMeng asks.

"… It's nothing."

"So something did happen."

Yun BiQiu tries to tug his hands free, but Guan HeMeng tightens his grip at once.

"Tell me."

"I… Su-gongzi isn't going to agree to our wedding!" The words spill out in a rush.

Guan HeMeng blinks in surprise.

"Of course he will. He insisted on arranging it, remember?"

Yun BiQiu shakes his head and tugs at his hands again. This time, Guan HeMeng releases them.

"Please tell me what happened."

"Fine," Yun BiQiu says at last.

Start of flashback

After last night's dinner, Yun BiQiu was left alone for a while. To pass the time, he went to take a look at the rather impressive collection of items from various lost tribes, all placed in glass cases that lined the long hallway.

When he reached the end, he found himself looking past a half open door to a nicely furnished room… and the most beautiful guzheng he had ever laid eyes on. It was made of a pale wood which was polished until it shimmered like mother of pearl. It rested on a white table with a matching chair.

Yun BiQiu entered the room without thinking and gazed down at it, mesmerised by its beauty. The last time he played on his guzhin, he had ended up flinging it against the wall and breaking it, heartbroken that there was nothing he could do to fix his mistake from ten years ago.

Barely breathing, he reached out a trembling hand and very, very gently plucked a string. The resultant note was soft and sweet. He plucked another string and then another, each note more beautiful than the one before, quavering in the air before fading away.

"Stop! How dare you touch that!"

Startled, Yun BiQiu swung to the doorway and saw Su SongYu standing there, eyes blazing with fury.

End of flashback

The silence when Yun BiQiu finished speaking presses down on him, thick and heavy. Skin prickling all over with embarrassment, he peeps up.

"So what happened then?" Guan HeMeng asks calmly.

"I apologised, of course, but he just left without saying anything. I closed the door and went back to the living room."

Another silence drags out in which Yun BiQiu tries not to squirm.

"I wasn't going to play it! It's just that it looked so-" He clamps his mouth shut and looks away with a grimace. That's exactly what a child would say after being caught touching something they weren't supposed to. The least he could do is be honest about it. Taking a deep breath, he meets Guan HeMeng's gaze again.

"No. I wanted to play it," he confesses. His heart trips a bit at Guan HeMeng's soft smile.

"Well, Su-yeye hasn't heard you play, but I have. BiQiu, you're a talented musician."

Yun BiQiu blinks at him.

"Oh. You heard me that day at Chayin Tower?"

Guan HeMeng nods and reaches for his hands again. They're trembling even more now.

"So this is why you think Su-yeye won't want us to get married?"

Yun BiQiu hears the slightest quiver in Guan HeMeng's voice and bites his lower lip.

"You're laughing at me."

"I'm not."

"You're not a good liar," Yun BiQiu tells him, face growing hot at the petulant note in his voice.

Guan HeMeng smiles and stands up, rounding the table so that Yun BiQiu has to tip his head up to look at him.

"Let's visit Su-yeye tomorrow to clear the air."

Yun BiQiu feels hot and cold just thinking about those angry, disapproving eyes. He nods anyway, one hand clenching into a fist on his lap.

"I will apologise properly to him," he promises.

"Good." Guan HeMeng pulls him to his feet and kisses him soundly. "Now, are you still planning on taking a nap or would you like to go for a walk?"

Yun BiQiu's eyes dart over to the bed in the corner and back to Guan HeMeng, seeing the glint in those eyes. "Walk, please."

Guan HeMeng sighs in disappointment, causing Yun BiQiu to smile.

"We're not married yet."

"In that case, I'm going to tell Su-yeye to hold our wedding as soon as possible," Guan HeMeng promises with a brighter gleam in his eyes.

- Chapter End –

A/N: Thank you for reading! As far as I know, Su XiaoYong's grandfather wasn't named in the series. Hence, I've decided to name him Su Song Yu after the scholar (ref: https/blog/ancient-chinese-names-post-23308/). After all, he seems to know quite a bit about Nanyin history :)

gongzi = young master / mister
yeye = grandfather