Chapter 1: Someone's Messy Divorce is an Opportunity for Another!
Jiang Cheng is a divorced man in denial.
When Jiang Cheng had yelled in a fit of rage that he wanted divorce, he had not expected his spouse of nine years to walk out quietly. He had expected the ever smiling man to raise his nose up, smirk in anger in attempt to laugh it off or just yell back in anger. Wei Wuxian had been his betrothed one since the day they were born, their engagement was arranged before their births. The high priest of Lotus Pier had studied their stars and predicted a long, happy domestic life. And since then they had been raised together, no one understood Jiang Cheng like his A'Xian. They were the twin pride of Jiang Clan, the leader and his protector.
So when his A'Xian walked out with slow and determined steps, Jiang Cheng was left standing dumbfounded for hours in the same spot. In the all the fights they had since the day they could utter words, Wei Wuxian had never left him alone. They had always resolved their fights either with words or fists or wrestling in bed. Every time he had asked Wei Wuxian to leave him alone with the vilest collection of words, he had received a hard punch on his face that left purple marks for weeks or a heartfelt apology from the spouse despite having done no wrong.
But this time Wei Wuxian left, and the signed divorce paper arrived two weeks later at the Sect office. Wei Wuxian wanted a mutual divorce without creating any fuss, he didn't want alimony, he didn't want compensation on the house they bought, nor did he want to see Jiang Cheng. The man had vanished from his vision, no matter where he went he couldn't find Wei Wuxian. He had discarded his phone, suppressed his spiritual energy, and avoided all the places he loved to hang out. Out of desperation, Jiang Cheng went to his estranged husband's work place, he was met with accusing eyes and informed his husband had applied for leave. It was at that moment, realization dawned on him, that Wei Wuxian was not returning; at least not back into his arms.
His first reaction was to break everything in the bedroom they had shared for more than a decade now. One look into their bedroom, he could see there was nothing that belonged to his husband. No scattered talismans, not empty wine jars or piling dark clothes in laundry basket. All the traces of black had followed his husband out. No one better than Jiang Cheng knew, if Wei Wuxian decided to hide himself, no one could find him. He was an expert at the game of hide and seek; sometimes he hid in plain sight and still Jiang Cheng had missed out to find him.
Jiang Cheng had not informed of his disaster to anyone, yet it seemed people who knew Wei Wuxian were aware of their domestic feud and were expecting the divorce paper! Jiang Cheng was too proud a person, hence he did nothing the first two weeks. He was expecting his husband to return with a calmer mind and a curled up body would wait in their huge bed, and the young Lord of Jiang Clan would have slid beside his angry husband, crawl his hands around the narrow waist and fucked each other's brains out. But no such thing happened, Jiang Cheng was at his wit's end, if he wanted to find Wei Wuxian, he needed help. With great reluctance, he called his sister. He prepared his heart for the worst kind of scolding. But the scolding never came, instead he was greeted by a question that left him flabbergasted.
"Why haven't you signed the divorce paper?" Jiang Cheng's soft-spoken elder sister Jiang Yanli asked him with resigned anger.
"How do you know about that?" the younger brother asked.
"It was I who sent the papers."
After a long pause, Jiang Cheng asked, fear and anger vibrating in his throat, "Where is A'Xian?"
"He is safe. Please sign the papers and end this misery for him." Jiang Yanli, was a timidly built woman who was often mistaken for a studious young college girl because of her generally calm presence. But the woman was in her 40s and when time asked for it, she exercised her powers as elder sibling and as a woman with authority. The words she had spoken right now were not a request, but an order. She didn't want this conversation to go on any longer.
"Sis…"
"A'Xian has had enough. Please sign the papers. I cannot turn a blind eye to your neglect. If you don't sign the papers, we have to drag this to the public court, and frankly A'Xian is in no state to deal with your immaturity."
"What are you talking about? Where is he? Let me talk to him."
"No."
"I will not sign the papers. He cannot divorce me! How many times have we fought? This is ridiculous."
"…"
"We have been together since childhood. We don't break up just because of some rude words."
"…"
"Why are you quiet? Where is he? Is he with you? Let me talk to him, please."
"He is not with me. We decided it was best for him to be on his own." Jiang Yanli didn't let her brother continue as she disconnected the call. Faced with dead silence from other side angered him more, Jiang Cheng redialled, he was not done talking. He was so not done.
"A'Che–"
"We? What do you mean by 'We'? Is he finally cheating on me with that brat he picked from the streets, or is it Huaisang." Jiang Cheng barked at his sister.
"I will not tolerate this behaviour, if you can't speak like a civilized person, I do not have to respond to you either." With that, Jiang Yanli had disconnected the call and switched it off, leaving behind a trace of beep beep beep echoing in a furious Jiang Cheng's ear.
Jiang Cheng was left hanging and confused as to why his sister would help his husband divorce her own brother. Yes they fought, they fought all the time, but fighting didn't mean he had no affection for Wei Wuxian. He had spent more than three decades with Wei Wuxian, there was no way, he would agree to a divorce just because an argument went on for too long. If truth be told, Jiang Cheng doesn't even remember what the fight was about. He returned irritated from a night-hunt and found Wei Wuxian tinkering with his toys, and they exchanged words which escalated to verbal war in no time. By the time he had uttered the words, "I want a divorce." Jiang Cheng's fingers had dug deep into Wei Wuxian's arm as he had shaken him hard making the lean and tall man sway like a bamboo tree in a stormy night. He had never seen Wei Wuxian flinch in pain; that was the first time, his husband had closed his eyes in pain and bit his lips and jerked away from his arms. Wei Wuxian was not weak, Jiang Cheng knew it best, and those arms could carry stacks of stone slabs with ease. The face that was always smiling was gloomy and looked back at him with defeat, he took Jiang's hands off him with a jolt and fixed his black shirt and pulled his purple cardigan on and walked out of their home. The man in black didn't look back; he walked out of their shared abode without a single word. Since then, it was one month, and Jiang Cheng was unable to find his husband.
Unable to do anything, Jiang Cheng, pulled his long hair into a frustrated bun and grabbed his car keys, if he was going to be a divorcee, he was going to learn the reason from the source of this decision. Despite Jiang Yanli denying Wei Wuxian's presence in her home, Jiang Cheng found it hard to believe. He soon found himself driving at shooting star speed on the highway. The distance between the places was a few hours, and Jiang Cheng was left alone with is thoughts. He was not lying when he tried to explain that he at no point in life wanted a divorce. His world had always revolved around his family; Wei Wuxian was his family, his person, his husband. He was not going to sign the papers. They were fated to be together, what kind of fated mate asked for divorce just because of some harsh words.
By the time he reached his sister's home, the lights were turned off and the usual laughter and giggles that were ever present were missing. The car was parked without a care for roadside manners, and soon the well-built man was knocking on his sister's door. Ringing the bell was not enough; he had to slam the door hard enough so that Wei Wuxian could hear him.
"Open the door!"
"I know you are in there, Wei Ying…"
"Come out. We can talk this out."
The door opened, but he was neither greeted by his sister nor his husband, but his brother-in-law. Jin Zixuan stood taller and his handsome face was tired, his long hair was braided messily, and his shoulders drooped at a bit. His shrunken eyes scanned Jiang Cheng from bottom to top and opened his mouth with a sigh.
"He is not here."
"I will look for him first."
"He is not, feel free to check every nook and corner. You know, it is hard to hide a man who is 6'3."
Wei Wuxian's height had always been a matter of complex for Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan. The social world of cultivation was so small and closely knit; that people we were bound to run into each other since childhood, the tiny Wei Ying from schooldays had surpassed them in height in adulthood, which never sat well with any of the young masters. And Wei Wuxian for the entirety of his childhood was the small guy, either hanging out with his betrothed or exploring the world with Nie Huaisang, the shortest child in their play group. When all the young masters were done growing up, it was then the growth spurt hit Wei Wuxian, who, at the shiny age of 19, shot up like a bamboo tree. Jin Zixuan was correct; it was hard to hide a man as tall as Wei Wuxian. Heart was a bastard, and Jiang Cheng's bastard refuse to believe anyone's words. Hence, he stomped inside, banging open every door and facing emptiness.
"I told you he is not here. You think I will keep him here so that he gets swayed by your words?" Jiang Yanli stepped out from her bedroom; she was clearly not sleeping well and looked tired. Having a newborn was tiring, Jiang Cheng in his fury had forgotten that his niece A'Qin was barely five months old.
"Where is he? And what has got into you? Why are you treating your own brother like a villain?"
"Jiang Cheng, speak properly to your sister."
"Then tell me where my husband is?"
"We don't know. He left the very next day." Jiang Yanli wiped her invisible sweat as she moved towards her husband.
"Then the divorce papers? How…"
"Our family lawyers are dealing with your divorce." Jin Zixuan added.
"Why is he divorcing me? And why is a Jin helping him?"
"Because you asked for it!" Jiang Yanli replied politely.
"It was a slip of tongue in anger."
"A month back, maybe. But it was not the first time you have threatened him with divorce."
"I never meant it!"
"You sure did, otherwise A'Xian wouldn't have come knocking to us in the middle of the night, crying that he had enough. Do you remember the last time he sobbed? It was when his parents died. Wei Ying never cries!"
Jin Zixuan was not a man who meddled in other people's life. But right now, he was going to meddle for the sake of his wife and his children. He pulled Jiang Yanli into his arms and decided to draw a line.
"For the sake of your life, please leave. Wei Wuxian left the day after he came to us. He told us he will think about the divorce. It took him two weeks to finalize. Once he was assured, my lawyer helped him send you the papers. If you don't agree for a mutual divorce, it will go to court and escalate into a scandal. For everyone's sake, for the sake of your Clan, just sign the papers."
"Oh, I don't care. I will drag this to court." Jiang Cheng spat back.
"Don't hurt him any more, Jiang Cheng!" Jin Zixuan gritted his teeth as he tried not to yell.
"He is mine! He is my husband."
"He is not your toy to torment." Jiang Yanli replied.
"I…"
"Little brother, I beg you. Please leave. And let A'Xian be. For thirty years he has lived for you. Let him go."
Unable to yell back, Jiang Cheng shut his mouth and walked out. He was not done, he was angry, and the night was long. If his husband was not here, he must've been living with his best friend, Nie Huaisang, the spoilt second master of a brute clan. Ever since Jiang Cheng could remember, Nie Huaisang had been part of his husband's life, their first meeting was in a pre-school, since then two were tied by the hips. Despite Jiang Cheng making it clear, Wei Wuxian belonged to him, Nie Huaisang had put his short foot down and claimed Wei Wuxian was his as well. Hence, it was not surprising, Jiang Cheng found himself again impolitely knocking the door of another home in the middle of the night when dogs whimpered at shadows and owls stopped hooting.
The door opened after a while, only for Jiang Cheng to be greeted by Nie Huaisang's giant elder brother.
"What brings you here? Do you know what time is it?" The tall and buff man was dressed for bed, his hair was loosely braided and his eyes droopy. And he clearly had a dislike for Jiang Cheng, despite having seen him from kindergarten, Jiang Cheng couldn't help stop fearing Nie Mingjue.
"I am here for my husband."
"Your ex-husband, is not here." Nie Mingjue, was a straightforward man, he didn't sugar coat nor did he feel any sympathy for Jiang Cheng, Nie Mingjue always found his younger brother's taste in friends questionable. He was also aware as to what happened in his younger brother's friends' lives.
"We are having an argument…" Jiang Cheng clenched his teeth.
"In no argument of your decade old married life have I ever found your ex-husband leaving you. He left you for good."
"So Wei Ying is here?"
"No, he is not."
"How can he not be here? He has always run into your brother's arms since we were children! Finally, Huaisang has the audacity to hide what doesn't belong to him! I know he has been after A'Xian!"
"Leave before I lose my temper as well, my brother is not here, nor is your ex-husband. And they are not together, my brother is visiting our ancestral land to subdue some ill-tempered spirits. As for your ex-husband, he didn't visit us. The day you threw him out of the house, he called Huaisang to inform us he was divorcing you."
"I didn't throw him out of the house! He left me! And I have been unable to trace him."
"Are you sure?"
"I… Didn't throw him out of the house."
"Yeah, stick to that story when you try a plea against the divorce."
"We have been together since we were children."
"Look, I don't particularly like you or care about your ex-husband. But I have seen you all since you were in your nappies. Your ex-husband was orphaned at a young age and didn't have any other place to go. He loved you dearly, but you have never treated him with love, have you? You know why Huaisang sticks to Wei Wuxian, they understand each other as people who have constantly been made to feel like they are not enough. I have tried to rectify my ways as elder brother, but you have not once as a spouse tried to be understanding. Go sign the papers and let that boy go." After having delivered his speech, Nie Mingjue slammed the door on Jiang Cheng's face.
The message was clear; Jiang Cheng was not ever welcomed back into the Nie household.
Ever since he had gained an understanding of the world, he had found two people besides him, supporting him when he needed it most or scolding him when he crossed the line. The two people were his sister and his betrothed one. Before he could write the word 'betrothed' his fiancé had been part of his life; his first playmate, his first physical brawl, his first confidant, together and united. Wei Wuxian had first arrived to their home at age of three months with his parents, his father and mother had agreed to help the Jiang Sect regarding an urgent case of domain breach. For the next four years, the family of three kept dropping in and out of the Sect quarters. On their last voyage, Wei Wuxian's parents sensing the dangers of the mission left their four-year-old in Jiang Sect's care, but they never returned. Jiang Cheng's parents didn't know how to break the news to little Wei Ying, under their elder daughter's command they had decided to delay the news for a few years and conduct the funerals in secret. Wei Ying was still a toddler then, according to Jiang Yanli he would be unable to process what death of his parents would mean.
Jiang Cheng, who was a few months older than his little fiancé, found the boy sitting on the porch waiting for his parents. Wei Wuxian sat on the porch every evening, dangling his little bare feet above the grass; he didn't talk much, but smiled a lot and waited. Jiang Cheng rushed to his betrothed and told him what he had just eavesdropped, moments ago, from his parents and sibling's conversation. To everyone's surprise, Wei Wuxian proved to be the one who understood what the words death of parents meant and began howling, while Jiang Cheng proved he was incapable of understanding the meaning of his actions.
While Jiang Yanli consoled a wailing Wei Wuxian, Madame Yu, her strict mother made Jiang Cheng bow in the ancestral hall after multiple lashes, in his defence Jiang Cheng claimed he was being honest and unjustly punished. He was adamant about his actions for months and refused to apologize for the pain he caused. He had spent nights missing dinner because his pride was hurt. Not only that, but he would rather starve than say sorry. And he never apologized, right now sitting in his car on the verge of losing his mind, the memories of one particular day surfaced back. It was red-eyeed Wei Wuxian who had tiptoed behind him with the bowl of lotus rib soup cooked especially by Jiang Yanli for him. Wei Wuxian loved this dish the most, and he had offered his bowl to Jiang Cheng.
And Wei Wuxian had told him with tear brimmed eyes, "A'Cheng, thank you for being honest."
Lan Wangji Wakes Up To a 'Good' Bad News
Lan Wangji woke up from a deep slumber at sharp 5am. He wanted to laze in bed, but years of training had made him unable to do so. So the tall and broad man sat up, he pulled his waist length jet black hair and tied it in a ponytail. Though he hated to admit it, he had grown addicted to his phone, he liked using it as an alarm clock, music device, camera and most importantly he could video call his dear brother from anywhere in the world. Just as he was about to check his phone, his phone began ringing.
It was way past bedtime in Lan Wangji's homeland. He had been sent away at the age of fifteen, since then he has never received a call from his brother after the bedtime.
"Brother."
"Wangji, I am calling you now because father has gone to sleep and uncle is travelling." Lan Xichen's voice boomed into his sleepy ears like a car honking in an empty traffic signal.
"Is it a matter of urgency?"
"I am uncertain about the gravity of the new, it totally depends on your heart. But I am confident, father will ask everyone in the sect to keep this news from you by sending an official notice, I thought I can abuse a little loophole." Lan Wangji's brother's voice was slightly nervous, but there was a sense of pride in it. Every time his elder brother found a loophole in their sect rules, he took immense pleasure in it and shared it with his little brother.
"What information is he trying to keep from me?"
"Do you still care of Wei Wuxian?"
"…"
"I still care for him, but I am not a home wrecker brother. My care for Wei Ying is out of respect. I do not wish to act upon it. I think it was made clear twelve years ago, hence I have never even contacted him in all these years." Lan Wangji was lying, he cared about Wei Wuxian so much that it pained to utter his name.
"Then come back home, don't come to Gusu, wait a month for me to take over the Sect, head to the address I sent you in your email."
"Why should I?"
"Nie Mingjuie had told me Master Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian were having marital troubles. He just now told me, the divorce has been finalized!"
"But…"
"I am not asking you to seduce a vulnerable man." Lan Xichen took a deep breath.
"Then?"
"Though divorce has been finalized, Jiang Cheng is a messy man, and he is known to be petty."
"He will drag it to the public court?" Lan Wangji hissed.
"Yes. Not will, he has. Today was the first day of the trial."
"Is Wei Ying alright?" Lan Wangji growled.
"Why don't you see the video I just sent you? Text me when you board your flight. I need to sleep so that I can control father's paranoid behaviour tomorrow"
"Brother…"
"Yes?"
"How long has this divorce thing going on?"
"For a year now, Wei Wuxian had appealed to Jiang Sect with divorce papers, the Sect had approved as the reasons cited matched their requirements. But Jiang Cheng, has refused to abide by the Sect rules and decided to go to public court."
"He will lose." Lan Wangji sighed.
"Yes he will, but he has a pride that he can't let go. You should see the video. Goodnight, see you in a month." Lan Xichen disconnected his call.
Lan Wangji had fallen in love with Wei Wuxian at first sight; he had fallen in love with the older guy at age of fourteen. Wei Wuxian had come to Gusu Lan's school as a guest lecturer, Wei Wuxian was breathtakingly gorgeous. Lan Wangji had heard about his looks and brains from his senior sisters who ran into him while night hunting few weeks prior and had bought hero catalogue book to discuss his height and other qualities. No one had warned him about Wei Wuxian's liveliness and smile, fourteen-year-old Lan Wangji's heart had been watered with rules and fertilized with abstinence, hence he had no idea what he had to do in matters of rampaging crush.
A twenty-three-year-old Wei Wuxian looked younger than his age, and behaved younger than he looked. His presence was so different from the usual teachers Lan Wangji had, that he found himself both intrigued and angry. No matter what he had done, Wei Wuxian had never seen him as an adult.
He still remembered every day of that one year when he fell deeply in love with a man who had a fiancé. Lan Wangji had no information of outside world let alone gossip, he was building his future on empty dreamy clouds and his brother never bothered to correct him. His brother had learned of this crush in a few weeks time, but he never scolded him and advised him not to cross the line or cause Wei Wuxian trouble and hurt his reputation. A teacher and student involved in affairs of heart was the topic of gossip and shame of the Sects. Since Lan Wangji was a minor, Lan Xichen etched into him that he was not allowed to kiss anyone before he turned sixteen! Lan Wangji had no such thought previously, he just wanted to hold Wei Wuixan's hand and listen to his gibberish talking all day. Once the image of kissing Wei Wuxian was planted in his head, there was no going back!
The first lesson Wei Wuxian had taught was, "Read and hear about the happenings of common folks! Sometimes symptoms of a disaster show up earlier and get ignored because we don't listen to common folk who lack the language to express these symptoms. You may see a water born abyss and pinpoint it, but an ordinary fisherman will see a vortex of current and assume a ghost is controlling it. You have to interact with the masses. Cultivating for immortality is pointless and useless if you have not used your gifts to help the masses. I do not care what noble house you come from, if you can't defeat a hanging ghost and cure your own corpse poisoning, you are an idiot. No matter how great your spiritual powers and godly body you have, if you do not have common sense, you will die. Etiquettes can piss off for all I care, if you save a life it matters not whether you addressed that person as Sir or Madame or bowed to them or called them a dog."
Wei Wuxian's eyes were grey, grey like rain clouds and his smile radiated like sun, Lan Wangji had spent the first day of his lesson staring at Wei Wuxian's face. The way his bowstring lips twitched at silly answers, or how his ink stained fingers tucked his long hair behind his ears, his eyes lit up when students asked him interesting questions. This was the nosiest year Cloud Recess had ever had. Students eagerly came to his lectures. Everyone wanted to study under Master Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji was salty about it. Wei Wuxian had requested for an isolated living space as his sleep schedule was different from Lan Sect's. Surprisingly, Wei Wuxian was given Lan Wangji's mother's cottage, which he didn't want to inhabit.
"Why do you pace in front of my mother's cottage?" Lan Wangji had followed his crush innocently on the very first day.
"Ummm… You are Lan Wangji, Xicen's brother."
"You address my brother without any honorific!"
"Ah, I am older than your brother." This information had blown Lan Wangji's mind.
"I do not understand. Are you not 19?"
"19? Who me?" Wei Wuxian turned around his entire body to face a younger Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji was a foot shorter than his new teacher.
"Yes."
"No. I am 23. Who told you I was 19?" Wei Wuxian scratched his head in confusion.
"Senior sisters, I saw them reading those hero listing books. It said you are 19 and Twin Pride of Jiang Yunmeng Sect."
"Aiyo! Young master Lan Wangji! You are innocent. Not everything in those hero books is true. And they get updated every year also, they might be reading an older edition. Twin Pride of Jiang Sect! If that brat A'Cheng hears about it, he will foam in his mouth and suffer from upset stomach. Don't read those silly books, little master."
"Lan Zhan."
"Hmm?" Wei Wuxian looked at the teen as he fixed his purple sleeves.
"You may call me Lan Zhan." Lan Wangji had indeed innocently decided that nine years of age difference was not a big deal, would. He was confident Wei Wuxian would gladly marry him at sixteen. So he offered his birth name. His mother had told him exchanging birth name was a sign of intimacy. Lan Wangji wasn't aware that Gusu Lan Sect's courtship guidelines were a hundred years behind the modern times.
"I am Wei Ying." Wei Wuxian's not so complicated thought made him reciprocate to a teenager in a friendly manner.
"Why are pacing in front of my mother's cottage?"
"Your mom's?"
"Hmm."
"Well… It's too elegant."
"Is that a problem?"
"Yes… No. I mean, it's lovely, but I wanted something more barren and not so personal."
"Is this not adequate?"
"It is! I wanted something like a workshop, you know make tools and conduct experiment."
"Then why not stay in teacher's quarters, each house has a workroom?"
"I work late into the night, I don't do well waking up early. So I wanted to be somewhat isolated. And I drink, I don't want your other teachers to feel at unease."
"Will you be offended if I suggest you to use the outhouse behind the cottage?" Lan Wangji spoke after thinking for few minutes.
"Not at all. In Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng threw me out of our room! Because that idiot, he couldn't bear the noise of me tinkering with things in the middle of the night. One night he gathered all my things and said 'A'Xian! Go to the outhouse!' he didn't use such polite words though."
Lan Wangji still regrets not asking who Jiang Cheng to Wei Wuxian was then and why they were living together. Instead, he had asked, "Why do you work in the night?"
"You see, Lan Zhan, people's brains function differently. I find day time to be noisy and extremely distracting; I love the peace of the night."
"Then…"
"Ssssh! Show me the outhouse, I don't want your uncle to feel insulted about me not living in the cottage. It was I who requested a separate living space. I will sleep in the cottage, but I will work in the outhouse. Can you keep it to yourself? It will be our little secret." Wei Wuxian had gently placed his long ink stained skinny fingers on Lan Wangji's pouty lips. Unable to process this sudden gesture, a blushing Lan Wangji had nodded. Lan Wangji protected this information like an oath.*
Lan Wangji did not play the video long after the call was disconnected. It was too much information to process. He hated Jiang Cheng, not because he was Wei Wuxian's fiancé even before was Lan Wangji was born, but he disliked the man since the age of fourteen. Jiang Cheng had visited Cloud Recess thrice during Wei Wuixan's stay, and each meeting had soured his impression in Lan Wangji's head. At fourteen, he was innocent, and had not understood how adult relationships had worked. He just remembered how eager Jiang Cheng was to kick him out of his own mother's cottage. Lan Wangji too had been arrogant and had refused to leave his Wei Ying's side. He was Wei Wuxian's teaching assistant. Though a year later, he realized why Jiang Cheng would come out from the outhouse the next day. The thought of Jiang Cheng having touched Wei Wuxian boiled his blood. Now that they were finally getting divorced a part of Lan Wangji's heart was delighted, another part angry at Jiang Cheng for hurting Wei Wuxian despite him having no knowledge of what happened in their marriage, he knew the fault was Jiang Cheng's. A tiny part of his heart began to re-water the long suppressed love for Wei Wuxian. A tiny what if sprouted in his heart, what if Wei Wuixan gives him a chance now?
So he pressed the play button on the video.
Wei Wuxian is happily divorced or so he wants to be.
Nine years ago, the wedding was planned by Jiang Yanli and now his former mother-in-law. Despite having been punished numerous times by Madame Yu, Wei Wuxian cared for her, and she worried about him too. Though Wei Wuxian's betrothal was decided before his birth, he knew he was not the ideal 'bride.' Foremost he couldn't give Jiang Clan an heir and the Sect a future master. Secondly, both his parents didn't have a lineage, his mother was an orphan rouge cultivator and his father was his father-in-law's subordinate. Thirdly, despite his attempts not to, he outshone Jiang Cheng at everything, academically and spiritually, they were competitive as children, but a Sect appreciated a spouse who was humble. Had Wei Wuxian been a girl, this arrangement with inferior bloodline wouldn't have been an issue, as her competitiveness would've made up for it. But every aspect of this arrangement, plainly, yelled; unprofitable for Jiang Sect's future.
Their wedding had been delayed by years because the Sect elders couldn't imagine having a male consort for the future clan leader. According to clan rules, Wei Wuxian was to marry Jiang Cheng as soon both had turned sixteen. Their wedding had been delayed by ten years! Madame Yu despite her traditional beliefs, had demanded that either the clan elders agree to the marriage or she will go ahead with her own arrangements. Now that the divorce was approved, Wei Wuixan felt he had betrayed his former mother-in-law and father-in-law's hard work.
He was thirty-five this year, among which the thirty-three years had been spent in the company of Jiang Cheng. He didn't even remember his parents' voices or faces, had there been no pictures of them Wei Wuxian would've walked a bleak memory lane. Madame Yu and Sir Jiang had been his parents, Jiang Yanli his sister and Jiang Cheng his brother, lover and best friend. Now with a signature on a piece of paper, he had lost it all. Wei Wuxian was curled up on the couch. His left hand holding the hairpin he had received as a wedding gift from his former mother-in-law. The hairpin was made of gold and jade with tiny decorative bells that jingled, it was now broken in half, the long hair where it sat was now gone too.
On the day of the wedding, he was dressed in purple silk and golden robes and his hair was washed and perfumed and neatly braided and arranged in a bun with the golden hairpin. His lips were painted too! Jiang Yanli had added flowers to his hair, though everyone knew he was not the bride, but they couldn't help but beautify him and make him as effeminate as possible because his groom was shorter than he.
"A'Xian… Today is your wedding night, as formality, I should explain you your wifely duties." Jiang Yanli was giggling.
"Sister! I have been performing my wifely duties since we turned fifteen!" The beautiful groom spoke shamelessly.
"A'Xian! Don't say this in front of the leaders when they recite the chants of chastity." Jiang Yanli gently pinched her brother-in-law's cheeks.
"Aiyooo. It hurts!" Wei Wuxian feigned a hurt expression.
"Aww, my XianXian is hurt." Jiang Yanli hugged him as lightly as possible without creasing his robes.
Despite Jiang Yanli's warnings, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng spent their entire wedding ritual exchanging sarcastic glances and occasional giggles. When the chants came to speak about chastity and domestic duties, both grooms had turned into tomatoes ready to explode as they tried hard to suppress their giggles. They were childhood sweethearts; no one expected them to be virgins at twenty-six. They began kissing each other at thirteen, and at fifteen they were entangled in matters of sheets. Eventually, Madame Yu had found of this development and made both of them live separately until both turned sixteen. Once they turned sixteen, no one could say them anything; they went out for night hunting for long period of time, sometimes they would be found making out in one of the boats, everyone in Yunmeng knew about them. If Madame Yu heard elders complain or gossip about their public display of affection, she yelled at the clan members and blamed them for not approving their marriage dates. Rituals were old-fashioned and still demanded marriage between two chaste people! Everyone turned a blind eye to them giggling and continued on with the chants.
Once the rituals were over, bows made, cups of wine shared and blessings collected, they had run off to the house they had built on the edge of Yunmeng, away from the prying eyes of the clan. Once the door had been shut, Jiang Cheng had spent an hour undoing his robes, and another hour was spent helping Wei Wuxian out of his heavier garments.
"Don't they know we are both grooms? Why did they make you wear more garments and veil too?" Jiang Cheng had huffed as he pulled out the pins.
"Well, if you were not future clan leader, they would've let us marry in regular robes. But you are the future leader and I the future leader's consort. I have to look my part. Be happy they overlooked the most important part." Wei Wuxian giggled.
"The part being, you having a cock like me?"
"Nah… The part of me being a lower-birth person."
"A'Xian… Did someone say anything to you?" Jiang had cupped his beautifully painted face and looked into his grey eyes. He would've broken the person's legs who hurt his husband.
"No. No! I am just stating the facts. It is hard for them to accept me. You should be happy they finally gave us a wedding date and their reluctant blessings!" Wei Wuxian relaxed in the warm palms of his husband.
"I love you. We belong together." Jiang Cheng refused to let go of Wei Wuxian's face and gently rubbed his ears. "They even made you wear earrings! These are heavy! Tch." He gently undid the earnings and rubbed Wei Wuxian's aching red lobes.
"I love you too." Wei Wuxian had blushed; he really had felt like a new bride. He cheeks burned and his eyes had watered up. On that wedding night, he felt like a basket of ripe peaches ready to ooze out at first bite. He was kissed tenderly soon after and his robes had left his body, the only thing that had remained on his body was, the gold-plated jade hairpin, the symbol of his marital status; jingling at the slightest of movement and matching the rhythm of every moan that escaped his lips.
Now he was curled up on the couch, clutching the broken hairpin. This was his final desperate act to show Jiang Cheng, that he was not returning to him. He wanted to hammer it into his heart, but the message was ignored again. Wei Wuxian knew that the clan approval of the divorce was not going to be enough. His ex-husband would drag the matter to public court. How could he not know, when Jiang Cheng was hurt, he hurt others twice. He didn't blame him, this was how he had always been, and it was too late to complain about someone's nature. Wei Wuxian really didn't want a public trail. Their divorce was already a topic of gossip; the Sect didn't deserve more unwanted negative attention. Yet Jiang Cheng refused to understand, his pride was hurt, and his heart was broken.
"Should I call him?"
Wei Wuxian finally spoke after three hours of silently mopping on the couch. His hair now rested asymmetrically on his neck. His grey eyes were tired, and his skin had paled.
"No." Nie Huaisang spoke from the other end of the room as made tea.
"If I could calmly explain him?" Wei Wuxian mumbled.
"Wei Wuxian!" Nie Huaisang was his second-oldest friend.
"I know. I thought one year later he would understand. I thought he would understand after not being able to speak to me." Wei Wuxian slammed his empty hand into his face.
"He will not understand, even if you talk to him. I know both of you. You don't have the level field to even have proper conversation right now. Mianmian has asked me specifically to make sure you do not communicate with him. The public opinion is already against you, we don't want more attention. You want some tea?"
"All I ever wanted was to leave everything behind peacefully. I need alcohol!"
"We have no alcohol! Tea is all I have."
"Give me tea then." Wei Wuxian whimpered.
"You can leave now. Mianmain has told me you don't need to be present for the next few trial dates. In the end, it is a divorce case. Your former in-laws and former clan have agreed to it, we have cited our reasons, you are not asking for alimony or compensation. You just want a divorce, I think judges will understand. As for public opinion, give me a few days, I will change it." A cup of tea gently floated into Wei Wuxian's hands from the kitchen.
"No… No… Don't. Don't drag this public slandering. Let him take out his anger. And you mastered how to teleport things!" Wei Wuxian sighed.
"I was not going to slander him, I was going to spread positive stuff about you. Oh, I followed your instructions and practised! You really know how to use magic!" Nie Huaisang walked towards his friend with his own cup of tea.
"Thank you."
"You still care for him, A'Xian."
"I will never stop caring for him. I just don't love him any more." Wei Wuxian twisted the broken hairpin and drank his hot tea.
"Let me fix this disastrous hairstyle for you." Nie Huaisang chuckled as he ran his fingers in Wei Wuxian's terrible bob cut.
"Master Ying! Are you alright?" Wei Wuxian's assistant Wen Ning rushed in and hugged him.
"A'Ning there is tea in the kitchen, help yourself." Nie Huaisang greeted his guest.
"I have seen better days." Wei Wuxian buried his nose in buff man's arms.
"Your hair…" Wen Ning patted his boss' head.
"I wanted a haircut for a long time, you know, just the timings is awful."
"A'Ning please grab a towel from the bathroom so that we can fix this hairstyle and turn on the television, let's see how far the news has spread." Nie Huaisang was small built, but when he wanted, he could make generals bow to him. Wen Ning respected his boss' best friend a lot. Wen Ning's goal in life was to make a close friend like Nie Huaisang.
"Yes!"
The towel was placed on the shrunken shoulders in no time while prime time news blared out of the screen. After a few minutes of obnoxious commercials, the hot topic of the night was announced. To none's surprise, it was Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng's very public divorce scandal. Interestingly, today's theme was "WHY DID WEI WUXIAN BREAK HIS HAIRPIN?" In the background, Wei Wuixan chopping his hair and breaking a hairpin in public looped while the so-called news anchor dissected every action of his.
"That hairpin is Jiang Clan heritage, isn't breaking it a crime." One of the presenter asked another.
"Indeed, the hairpin was first gifted to the founder of Jiang Clan's Consort, three hundred years back. It has been treated as a first grade spiritual tool! How could he break it?"
"Master Ying, is it three hundred years old?" Wen Ning asked.
"No. It is a replica. No one has been allowed to wear the original! Every bride gets a replica as wedding gift! I broke mine, mine is nine or ten years old or at best twenty." Wei Wuxian sighed.
"Why did he also cut his hair in public?" The presenter called Su She continued.
"In many common folk cultures, they cut hair as an indicator of widowhood!" The other presenter named Wen Xu explained.
"Do you mean Wei Wuxian wishes for his husband to die?" Su She added fuel to the fire.
"What rubbish are they speaking?" Wei Wuxian gritted his teeth.
"A'Xian don't move! It is very hard to fix your hair. And why did you have to chop your hair in public! You could've had cut the lock and sent the hairpin in a box like a civilized person!" Nie Huaisang scolded.
"The Clan verdict came two days ago, and he dragged me to public court today! When did I have the time to declare my marriage was over? If I had sent it before Clan verdict, it would mean an insult to the entire Sect and Clan! And the repercussions would be faced by Madame Yu! It was the only way!" Wei Wuxian tried to explain without crying.
"Why do you always try to…" Nie Huaisang didn't continue and concentrated on his scissors.
"I do not know either." Wei Wuxian answered in a defeated tone.
"So chopping of the hair and breaking of the hairpin means, your marriage is over, not widowhood?" Wen Ning asked softly.
"Long hair is seen as a symbol of thriving love and marriage; you comb your hair, beautify it, and decorate it for your husband's, these days' wife's affection too. Sometimes when a couple divorces, one of them cut a lock of hair as a symbol of that affection being over and send it with a broken hairpin to formalize the divorce. But sometimes when spouses die, their widow/widower cut their hair as a symbol of grief and break the hairpin to express their loss. These motherfuckers are deliberately leaving out the other part of the lore.**" Nie Huasiang explained calmly.
"Then why did you do it, Wei Wuxian?" Nie Huaisang asked.
"I was desperate to make him understand."
"I don't think he understood Master Ying."
"If anything, he is more determined to bring you back."
"I am not going back. I want to go back to Yiling." Wei Wuxian almost ran his fingers into his hair, but Nie Huaisang flicked his fingers away.
"Ouch."
"I will drop you." Wen Ning suggested.
"No need. A'Cheng is good at following and tracking too. He has never been able to track me since childhood, but you two are easy for him. I expect he has already sent people with you today." Wei Wuxian laughed.
"I was careful." Wen Ning's soft face gloomed.
"So was I." Nie Huaisang added as he dusted off the tiny strands of hair from Wei Wuxian's neck.
"He is simply better than you both." Wei Wuxian smiled.
"If I am not wrong, he will be here in a few minutes, should I talk to him?" Wei Wuxian asked with a resigned face.
"NO." Wen Ning and Nie Huaisang replied in unison.
"Then please excuse me." Wei Wuxian hugged both his friends.
"Just vanish. We will stall him." Nie Huaisang patted Wei Wuxian.
"You can trust us." Wen Ning gently rubbed his forehead against Wei Wuxian's.
"Bye."
With that, Wei Wuxian was gone, in the blink of an eye.
"Wen Ning you know what lie we will say if A'Cheng questions where is A'Xian and what are we doing here?"
"Yes! We deny everything."
"Good. Sit on the couch and put the towel on your shoulders."
Two minutes after Wei Wuxian vanished, the door to Nie Huaisang's flat was banged open. Nie Huaisang pretended to be shocked, while Wen Ning frowned at the sight of two dogs standing behind Jiang Cheng and his men.
"Where is Wei Ying?" Jiang Cheng barked.
"We do not know." Wen Ning answered.
"You shut up! How dare you speak to me about my husband?"
"You asked us a question, and he replied." Nie Huaisang continued to play with Wen Ning's hair. Snipping one strand at a time.
"Huaisang where is he?"
"Not here obviously!"
"My people saw him enter your flat."
"Go ahead, look around, he is not here."
"The dogs will find him, they traced his smell."
"You claim to love Master Ying and you dare to search him with dogs!" Wen Ning grumbled.
"If you open your mouth one more time, I will have these dogs bite you to death."
"If you let these dogs enter my flat, you won't be dealing with me. You will have to answer my brother. And your Clan will have to publicly apologize to my brother!" Nie Huaisang sighed.
"Still riding your brother's coattails, I see."
"Why shouldn't I? I am but a weak cultivator, why will I not rely on my brother? Unlike you, I have a sibling who supports me. I heard Sister Yanli has refused to speak to you." Nie Huaisang stabbed people where it hurt most, with words. Nie Huaisang continued his words and snipping Wen Ning's hair.
"A'Cheng, we both know he is not here, stop trying to intimidate us with dogs. Let him be, when he is ready to talk to you, he will come to you."
"I just want to know what did I do wrong? Why must he take such drastic steps?" Jiang Cheng yelled.
"If you still don't understand, then it is a good thing he is avoiding you." Nie Huaisang answered back.
"I… love him. I love him so much." Jiang Cheng stammered.
"No. You don't love him, you loved that he loved you so much." Nie Huaisang replied gently.
"Master Cheng, please let him go." Wen Ning added.
Jiang Cheng was prepared to raise his voice again when the dogs began barking and ran out of the building, he had no more energy to spare, so Jiang Cheng and his men followed after the dogs. He was going to find Wei Wuxian and have him talk with him today. He was determined to gain his husband back.
Lan Wangji will win Wei Wuxian's heart this time right?
The video his brother had sent in the morning made Lan Wangji's heart swell in sadness. In the video, he could see Wei Wuxian walking out-of-court room and being surrounded by paparazzi, who kept asking him personal questions while his lawyer and bodyguard tried to fend them off. After they made past the media pest, a few minutes later, it is Jiang Cheng who cuts through the crowd, asking Wei Wuxain questions. Lan Wangji could see Wei Wuxian flinch at Jiang Cheng's voice. After being unable to convey whatever Wei Wuxian was trying to say, he pulled the small knife that dangled at Jiang Cheng's waist, a part of his clan uniform. In three swift moves, Wei Wuixan had cut his high ponytail and broken the hairpin that was tucked in it. He handed the lock of long inky hair in Jiang Cheng's palms and walked away. It was a formal declaration of their marriage being over according to clan rules.
Jiang Cheng was left stupefied as he glared at the thick lock of hair in his palm while his ex-husband walked away. Wei Wuxian's figure vanished after a few more seconds. But every second until his vanishing, Wei Wuxian was shivering in sadness and humiliation that was brought upon him. Years back when Lan Wangji learned that the love of his life was madly in love with Jiang Cheng, he was hurt, he wanted their engagement to be called off, he wanted Wei Wuxian to stop wearing purple and golden. He wanted to take Wei Wuxian away from Jiang Cheng. Lang Wangji had never imagined his prayers would be answered this late and such twisted manner. Wei Wuxian in the video before chopping his hair was no longer wearing purple and gold, his hair was not decoarted with a Jiang Sect crown but a plain red ribbon and his wedding hairpin, his clothes were black, his shoulders hunched, his eyes lifeless and his smile was gone. Lan Wangji was incapable of understanding Wei Wuxian's current state of being, but he knew one thing Wei Wuxian needed to be loved, even if the former Jiang Consort didn't believe he deserved love, Lan Wangji was going to spoon-feed him love, a love where no one collected Wei Wuxian's tools and sent him to outhouse, a love where Wei Wuxian was not expected to humble himself for his husband to shine, a love where Wuxian felt like being in home. After twelve years of yearning for his one true love, Lan Wangji was going to show Wei Wuxian what it meant to be loved by someone.
TBC
* Lan Wangji protected this information like an oath: Inspired from Taylor Swift's All to Well.
** Hair History: Completely made up by me, after mashing up multiple culture's rituals. It is not real.
Disclaimer: I don't Own Mo Dao Zu Shi
Trading Jade Hairpin for Paper Rings the title will make sense as you read the story and if you listen to Tayor Swift Songs! I am Swifte!
This story was born after reading multiple Twitter threads about how Wei Wuxian had loved Jiang Cheng more than a brother, and now Jiang Cheng being salty about Wei Wuxian's attraction towards Lan Wangji was a sign of jealousy in the book. The way CQL Jiang Cheng and Donghua Jiang Cheng behaved to Lan Wangji's presence in the ancestral room, it almost felt like Wei Wuxian had betrayed their marriage vows. Then I went into deep dive into my own brain and thought, yes, it makes sense. Jiang Cheng ran into Wen Soldiers to protect Wei Wuxian, and we know how Wei Wuxian gave his golden core to Jiang Cheng. Though most of us think it is because they were raised like brothers and Wei Wuxian had a natural tendency to sacrifice himself for others because of misplaced sense of gratitude. I discussed it with my two friends and I sold them the idea of a divorced ChengXian, and they liked it! And this fic was born, I had to watch that melodramatic film called Marriage Story as research! I swear, heterosexual people are so messy!
So I thought how about Childhood betrothed turned sweethearts later married ChengXian where Wei Wuxian is the orphan and Jiang Cheng is his entire world. How would his whole world be when, one day, Wei Wuxian realizes he no longer loves this man the way he used too? It is a thought experiment to see how Wei Wuxian will rebuild his identity after having been treated as the other of Jiang Cheng, they were two halves but not equal halves. And how will he react when a new love greets him? After having spent decades showering love on someone without ever expecting anything in return, receiving love for the first time might not feel great either. Imagine the guilt and the angst, since Wei Wuxian is overthinking king, I want to bully him with emotions!
I love Jiang Cheng as a character, he has such divorced single dad energy with unresolved daddy-mommy issues and generational trauma on his shoulders that I wholeheartedly believe he will sabotage his own relationships out of jealousy and insecurity. If I was in his place, I would have reacted in similar way, he lost his parents, his sister, his only friend and was left alone to look after his nephew! Of course, I would be enraged if I found my golden core was not mine but someone else, whom I had hated for thirteen years! No Jiang Cheng hate in this household. I read something misleading few years back somewhere, which said 'to love is to hurt the one you cherish'. Not only that, but I think Jiang Cheng was raised on this constant diet of nonsense heteronormative behaviour where being happy with your spouse is seen as 'abnormal behaviour' and quarrelling and hating one's spouse is normalized, and he ended up replicating the cycle of neglect in his own marriage.
So I hope you love my Salty Jiang Cheng! And we must protect our Meow Meow Wei Wuxian who has to learn that he deserves love no matter what. As for Lan Wangji you are perfect!