Chapter Text
₊‧.°.⋆ ☀︎︎ •˚₊‧⋆.
- Jiang Cheng? What are you doing here? - Jiang Cheng swallowed hard and his mind was racing. How could he explain his presence in that room? Especially since it was one of the most isolated hanshis! Jiang Cheng hesitated a little more then answered - I... I was just...
- I was just? - Lan Xichen said with a curious tone
- I was just... - Jiang Cheng hesitates once more and answers - I was uh... walking down the hallway and... I thought this was my room and then I went in...
- Leader Jiang, don't lie... This is one of the most isolated rooms and from the looks of it, it seems like you've been here for a long time - Lan Xichen said as he stood up
Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng walked back and Lan Xichen, who was already standing, followed him and Jiang Cheng asked trying to avoid the subject;
- Uh... T-the moon is beautiful today, isn't it? - It was obvious that the younger one was trying to change the subject and of course this didn't go unnoticed by Lan
- ... - Lan Xichen got even closer and Jiang walked further back until Jiang hit the wall and Lan held him back and said;
- Jiang Wanyin, don't change the subject.. Remember that invading the rooms of sect leaders is not tolerated, even if they are from the same clan or another leader
- H-hey, I wasn't changing the subject - He said lying once again
- Oh, of course you weren't changing the subject... - He said with a sarcastic smile on his face - Wanyin, before you say that, know that it's the new moon, that is, the moon is not visible
- Oh, really? - Jiang Cheng asked innocently and when Lan Xichen was going to speak... - Knock knock
When he heard the knock, Lan let go of Jiang and returned to his normal persona; the perfect and wonderful Lan, who even boys fall in love with
- Come in - said Lan and his brother entered the room
- Jiang Wanyin, what are you doing here? - said Lan Xichen's younger brother
- Oh, I came... - when he was going to lie again, the older Lan cut him off and said - He came to help me with some things, but he was already leaving.
- Well, as he said, I'm going to go, good night.. - Jiang said goodbye and ran to his room
Right after Jiang Cheng left his room, Lan asked what his brother wanted. He told him that Wei Wuxian had remembered someone who had handwriting similar to the ones in the letters. Lan Xichen said he would talk to Wei Wuxian in the morning, and his brother left. After Wangji left his room, the older Lan spoke softly, looking up at the sky, with his brown eyes shining;
- Dear Wanyin, I'll keep an eye on you...
₊ ° ★ ‧₊˚
The next day
10:04 AM
The beginning of the day was a little cold but despite that everything was going well, but with every step Jiang took it seemed like he was being watched
- Jiang Cheng! - Wei Wuxian said jumping on his shidi
As Jiang Cheng was thinking about being watched, he soon jumped when he heard his name and to prevent what he believed to be an ambush he quickly drew his sword, but when he turned around, he noticed that it was only his shixiong, Wei Wuxian, behind him with a smile on his face
- Ah, it's just you... - Jiang Cheng said, as he composed himself
- Don't shout my name like that - Jiang Cheng said, as he shook his head in disbelief - What do you want?
- Nothing much! - Wei Wuxan said, stretching and hugging Jiang Cheng - I'm just trying to keep my shidi company, what's wrong?
Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes, but does nothing to move away, and remains silent, with Wei Wuxian talking to him as they walk together through Gusu
- Hey, are you feeling that too? - Jiang Cheng suddenly asked
- Uh, what is that? - Wei Wuxian asks curiously
- It's like they're watching you every step of the way... - Jiang Cheng answers in a low tone
- Watching? - Wei Wuxian's smile turns into a serious expression - What do you mean, Jiang Cheng?
- Oh, forget it, it must be in my head... I didn't sleep very well, my head must be playing tricks on me - he answers quickly and runs back to his room, ignoring his brother's pleas
When he gets to his room, he closes the door and sits in front of it for a while, to breathe and convince himself that this feeling of being watched was just his imagination. Then, he sees that A'Yu left the flowers on his bedside table and, when he opens the drawer, he sees the letters there.
- Taiyu, thank you... - Jiang said looking up - But now, where do I leave these? In your room? No, it would be too obvious... Later he will go to the library, if I'm not mistaken. Maybe I can leave them there - he said, redirecting his gaze to the flowers and the letters.
When he arrives, Jiang hides the flowers with the letters in Lan Xichen's closet. After having done what he wanted to do, he takes a book from the library and leaves there as quickly as possible, but on the way he bumps into someone and when I see that it was a certain Lan, his eyes widen
- I'm sorry for bumping into you.. - he bows and picks up the book that fell
- Okay - Lan Xichen tilts his head and looks at the bamboo book and reads a part of the book - Oh.. Jìng yè sī by the poet Li Bai? I suppose you like poetry Jiang Cheng
- Yes... It's interesting, but well, if you'll excuse me I'll be going - as Jiang walked to his room, he only thought about how suspicious he was running away like that
Lan Xichen °•.‧₊˚
After Jiang Cheng left, Lan Xichen entered the library and went to his closet to get the sheet music and his xiao, but when he opened it he saw a small bouquet and a small letter under his flute and on the letter was written;
In the silence of the night, the pen slides across the paper, In loose verses, my heart reveals to you. A love that was never granted, a secret kept, In every word, there is a cherished feeling.
Lan Xichen, In your eyes, I find a refuge without equal. But the barrier of friendship cruelly separates us, And my love for you, silenced forever.
I admire your strength, your bravery and kindness, I dream of confessing my feelings, with total frankness. But fear holds me back, makes me doubt, Will you one day be able to love me?
I watch you from afar, with my heart on fire, Your smiles warm me, like rays of sunlight in the morning. But I know I must contain my burning desires, And keep this love a secret, amidst pain.
In each encounter, I pretend to be just a colleague and who knows, a friend? But my gaze betrays me, with each word spoken. I want so much to hug you, to feel you close to me, But I settle for your friendship, in the end.
Maybe one day, destiny will unite us on one path, And this love can bloom, without any constraint, just like the delphin flowers, and until then, I will continue loving you in silence and secret, With the hope that one day, our hearts will meet, without fear.
Even so, I write these heartfelt words, So that you know that you are the melody that guides me, The sun that illuminates my grayest days, The reason for my sweetest joys.
I keep your name in my heart, Like a treasure of unparalleled value, And even if we can never love each other, Your love in my soul will forever hover.
₊ ° ︶ Delfino ︶ ‧₊
Lan Xichen, I chose this flower because I think it matches the kind of love I want and what you are to me... Lan Xichen, you are my purple delphin!
-› Blue Dolphin: Symbolizes lightness, love, affection, and attachment.
-› Purple Dolphin: First love
From; A Jiang who loves him just for the sake of loving him
To; My first love, Lan Xichen
₊ ° ︶茶香秋梦后...︶‧₊˚
Lan Xichen read it and was surprised. That was another letter that said that the Jiang guy was in his circle of friends, and the only Jiang in his circle of friends was Jiang Cheng. After finishing his train of thought, he went to perfect his technique at Liebing
₊‧.°.⋆ ✲ •˚₊‧⋆.
_A short time later
Lan Huan's room_
1:47 PM__
Lan Xichen was in his room writing down what was "suspicious" or curious about the letters he had received, and suspicious things that had occurred as well. There were things like:
→ He's liked me since he was a teenager
→ He's a Jiang (confirmations: the latest letters and the small piece of cloth the same color as the Jiang clan's clothes and which happens to have the same smell as Jiang Wanyin)
→ The handwriting is similar to that of a student's test I corrected when I was 18/19
→ He's an acquaintance
→ He's from a more respected part of the clan (I know this by the quality of the paper)
- Suspicious things that happened -
→ Jiang Wanyin having a part of the fabric of his clothes torn (I realized this after finding the small piece of fabric)
→ Jiang Wanyin showing up in my room at night and saying that he just got confused (his room is in the other hallway to the right) and then talking about the moon to avoid the subject (we're in the new moon)
→ Jiang nervously leaving the library (where the letter and the bouquet of flowers happened to be) delfino)
《Close the Notebook》
...
After Lan Xichen analyzes his notes for a while, he looks down and sees his clothes half torn and says;
- Oh, it was torn? - after analyzing his clothes, he returns to his train of thought and looks at the window;
- My dear Jiang Wanyin, is that you? - he whispers with a look full of doubts and seriousness
....
..
- On the other side ᱬ -
..
....
Sneeze - ugh, another sneeze? - He rolls his eyes and grabs the tissue box for the third time - it's already the third sneeze in less than half an hour - another sneeze - I mean fourth sneeze
- Did Yu'Jie already leave the letter in the agreed place? - he whispers as he takes a small piece of cloth from his pocket and places the bamboo book on the table.
After placing the book on the table, he brings the small piece of cloth to his nose and exhales the sweet scent of sandalwood, mixed with a soft scent of magnolia.
- This smells exactly like the clothes that were in the closet... - He looks enchanted at the piece of white clothing - Oh, I tore his clothes... But it's just a piece, I don't think he'll mind - he whispers
Jiang stops for a while and starts to shiver;
- Ugh, what's this feeling of being watched again?
- Ah... You know what, I'm going to take a walk around Caiyi and see if Yu'Jie left the letter in that place... - He stops and thinks - Oh, how could I forget? I'm going to buy some smiles from the emperor for myself too!
Upon arriving in Caiyi...
"Wait, I know that person... JIN LING!? I'll just pretend I didn't see him... It'll be better this way, I don't want to take care of that brat right now. I have to get things... That's right, get things... Jiang Cheng, imagine it's not your nephew drinking and almost kissing that boy... O-oh, he's kissing the other one! Gods... He takes after his father... Saint Xuan Zhen, why did my little nephew have to take after Jin Zixuan?" - Jiang thought as he ran away after seeing his handsome nephew kissing two at the same time
"I'll have a little chat with you later, my dear A'Ling..." - he thought angrily, after buying his 6 bottles of liquor
And after walking a little, he arrived at a small entrance covered in flowers. Upon entering, he saw the small tree house they had agreed on and, by the pair of legs that were there, Taiyu had already arrived
- Hello, little cousin, why did you take so long? I thought you were punctual.
- Oh, it's just that I got scared by some things. But then, where are the things? I brought the liquor!
- Well, here's your letter and here's your bouquet
- Thank you, Taiyu
- You're welcome, A'Cheng, but how about we drink now?
- Good..
｡𖦹°｡°. •｡. ° ˚｡°
After drinking 4 bottles of liquor alone and Taiyu drinking 2, Jiang Cheng went to the Lan clan again with the letter hidden in his sleeve and the bouquet in his hand, his excuse; "It's just to decorate my room."
He managed to get to his room, but since he was very drunk, he rested for a while until he heard a knock on his door
- A'Cheng, you smell like liquor! How many bottles did you drink? - asked his brother when Jiang opened the door
Jiang in response just pointed with his fingers and then said like a sleepy cat: Four...
- Oh... Oh, four!? You get drunk with one, oh my God. Take a shower, rest and call me if you need anything. Bye, A'Cheng
- Bye, I guess.. - he says goodbye and his brother leaves - he came and gave me a lecture and left, you idiot! - Jiang grumbles, as he goes to take a shower
After the shower⋆ ˚｡ʚɞ⋆ ˚｡⋆
⋆ ˚｡⋆ ʚɞ ｡˚⋆ 15:17 PM
Jiang Cheng after getting out of the shower went to deliver the letter and the bouquet to their rightful place.. he placed them on top of Lan's window but as he was still drunk, he wrote down a number, a very specific number...
Then he went back to his room and went to rest to see if his senses would get better..
ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 Lan Huan
Upon arriving in his room Lan Huan comes across a letter on the window, he approaches and picks up the letter, the letter said:
In the silence of the night, the pen slides across the paper,
In loose verses, my heart reveals to you. A love that was never granted, a secret kept,
In every word, there is a cherished feeling.
Lan Xichen,
In your eyes, I find a refuge without equal. But the barrier of friendship cruelly separates us,
And my love for you, silenced forever.
I admire your strength, your bravery and kindness,
I dream of confessing my feelings, with total frankness.
But fear holds me back, makes me doubt, Will you one day be able to love me?
I watch you from afar, with my heart on fire,
Your smiles warm me, like rays of sunlight in the morning.
But I know that I must contain my burning desires,
And keep this love a secret, amidst pain.
In every encounter, I pretend to be just a colleague and who knows, a friend?
But my gaze betrays me, with every word spoken.
I want so much to hug you, to feel you close to me,
But I settle for your friendship, in the end.
Maybe one day, destiny will unite us on the same path,
And this love can blossom, without any constraint, just like the delphin flowers, and until then, I will continue loving you in silence and secret,
With the hope that one day, our hearts will meet, without fear.
Even so, I write these heartfelt words,
So that you know that you are the melody that guides me,
The sun that illuminates my grayest days,
The reason for my sweetest joys.
I keep your name in my heart,
Like a treasure of unparalleled value,
And even if we can never love each other, Your love in my soul will forever hover.
₊ ° ︶ Gloxinia ︶ ‧₊
Lan Xichen, I chose this flower because I think it matches the way I fell in love...
--› Gloxinia: Love at first sight
From; An Jiang who loves you just for the sake of loving you
To; Lan Xichen
385547
₊ ° ︶茶香秋梦后...︶‧₊˚
Lan Xichen sat alone in his room at Hanshi, the paper in his hands. He had reread the poem several times, feeling a mix of emotions. The poem was sweet and sad at the same time, tugging at his heartstrings. But one thing intrigued him... The number written at the bottom corner of the paper. The meaning of this number was a mystery to him. He frowned, lost in thought, and sighed, placing his hand on his forehead.
Lan Xichen tried to decipher the meaning of the number, but he could find no meaning. He sat there for a long time, staring at the number and the paper, trying to understand if there was some kind of code or hidden meaning. However, he could not reach any conclusion. Frustration began to grow in him. Was there some clue that he was missing? It was not as if... He reads it again, coded letters?
Lan Xichen frowned as he examined the number again. He could not help but wonder if it could be some kind of code. With this in mind, he took out paper and ink to try to decipher the message.
He tried several combinations, replacing each number with a different letter. However, none of them seemed to make sense. Frustrated, Lan Xichen sighed and leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the paper with the strange numerical sequence. He thought for a while and wrote again;
A or J or S = 1
B or K or T = 2
C or L or U = 3
D or M or V = 4
E or N or W = 5
F or O other X = 6
G or P or Y = 7
H or Q or Z = 8
I or R = 9
He tried but the alternatives were still few, he sighed and tried again, some alternatives were;
Lan Xichen sat up straight, his gaze fixed on the number again. Suddenly, a light seemed to turn on inside his mind.
- Cheng... Jiang Cheng? - He muttered to himself.
He picked up the paper again and this time began replacing the letters of the name with their numerical equivalents in the corresponding table. As he did so, the numerical sequence seemed to make more and more sense.
Breathing in anticipation, he waited for a moment, in a way hoping that his guess would be right.
₊‧.°.⋆ ☀︎︎ •˚₊‧⋆.