Chapter Text
Faced with the departure of the unruly head disciple of the Jiang Sect, Lan Qiren foolishly believed his beloved peace and harmony would return to the Cloud Recesses. He had never planned to encounter an even more catastrophic event that threatened to shatter the friendly agreements between Gusu Lan and Yunmeng Jiang. Though if he stopped to look around him, Grandmaster Lan seemed to be the only one dismayed by the presence of this shy child of approximately four years old, who was clinging tightly to the leg of the First Jade, while a huge group of disciples watched him with concern, heart filled eyes instead.
After Sect Leader Jiang's express visit, his youngest son, Jiang Wanyin, succumbed to the frustration of watching his father indulge his martial brother's antics for the thousandth time. Realizing that Jiang Fengmian had paternal instincts, but never directed them at him, led him to drink the Emperor's Smile jars that Wei Wuxian hid before being expelled. Then, overcome with drunkenness, he stormed into the Treasure Hall, where he tripped over a particular item that cursed him into his four-year-old self. When Lan Xichen was informed of the intruder, he immediately went to handle the situation with his characteristic calm and kindness, though he never imagined he would find a pile of robes loose on the body of a toddler who was looking at him with eyes full of tears.
But Zewu-jun's grace and warm smile managed to win the trust of the little boy, who barely managed to stammer out his birth name. “Jiang Cheng.”
Lan Xichen nearly tripped on the stairs in shock and disbelief. The initial plan was simple, to hide the young master Jiang in the Hanshi while searching for the cure to return him to normal. However, he did not count on the countless disciples who were walking around at that time of morning, nor on the way back that Jiang Cheng would wave his little hand to greet everyone. The enchantment was immediate, and before he could flee down the adjacent path, the young disciples gathered around him to pamper the little boy with the amethyst eyes and chubby cheeks.
That was how that crowd of fans followed his footsteps to his uncle's room. The poor old man agreed to send an urgent letter to Lotus Pier to report the recent events. It was evident that the idea of having Madam Yu around him made him uneasy, but the situation warrants it. He just hopes Zidian stays in her place for the sake of his physical and mental health.
Meanwhile, Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren discussed the reception for Yunmeng's entourage when Lan Wangji appeared to deliver the report of his work, finding a child in the arms of his older brother who looks at him with interest. Master Lan's explanation was vague, but Lan Wangji understood this little boy was Jiang Wanyin from the Yunmeng Sect.
"Gege, gege, are your eyes really gold?" Lan Wangji blinks in confusion, his gaze falling on a pair of tiny fingers tugging at his robes to get his attention. Lan Wangji could not be considered skilled in dealing with children, since he never had to deal with one. However, this child whose face is vaguely familiar to him insists on obtaining the answer he seeks.
"No," Lan Zhan replies stoically. But the cold and unkind reply fails to break the little boy's sweetness as he nods and then turns his attention to Lan Xichen.
“Xichen-ge, doesn’t this gege's eyes appear golden?” Lan Xichen tilted his head to answer the little boy's question with an affectionate smile. Lan Wangji felt even more surprised by the love his older brother had for this child, who laughed as he was tickled, showing a lot of his baby teeth with his laughs.
"They appear gold, but they are not, A-Cheng," Lan Huan replied when the tickling ceased. He then gently tapped his index finger on the tip of his nose, which made Jiang Cheng laugh even more.
Lan Qiren, exhausted by seeing how easily his nephew was distracted from the conversation, sighed loudly and then theatrically cleared his throat. However, Lan Xichen continued to pinch Jiang Cheng's cheeks in awe of his laughter.
"Lan Wangji," the elder Lan called, "Please take care of the young master while Lan Huan and I discuss important matters." He emphasized the phrase " important matters", finally capturing the full attention of his eldest nephew, who let Jiang Cheng go.
Lan Wangji froze as the boy's fingers wrapped around his hand, expecting to be guided out of the room. He usually refused physical contact, but one look at Jiang Cheng's adorable expression was enough for his ears to turn red. He decided to walk towards the exit, while Jiang Cheng said goodbye to Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren.
They walked down the stone path toward the Jingshi, Wangji in complete silence, as Jiang Cheng chattered nonstop about a hummingbird that passed by the window. “It had all the colors of the rainbow and moved its wings very quickly. Have you seen a hummingbird? I am very small! And they always fly over the flowers. Does gege know why hummingbirds always fly over the flowers? I once asked a-niang, but she got angry because she said I was wasting my time thinking about it.”
As they crossed the threshold of the Jingshi, Jiang Cheng surveyed the entire room with his gaze. The room seemed boring, since it resembled the room he had just come from. The only difference was the object that rested on a polished and varnished table. Jiang Cheng almost ran over to take a close look at the item without daring to touch it. He remembers that once he touched something without permission in his father's office, he received a reprimand and was removed from the place.
"Gege, what is that?" he asked, pointing his finger at the object. Lan Wangji sighed and took a seat in front of the instrument, trying to keep his nervousness at bay. He is just a sixteen year old teenager. He is inexperienced in many fields, and one of them is fatherhood. He also had no little siblings, or even a childhood of his own.
"Guqin," Lan Wangji replied. His entire body abruptly tensed as Jiang Cheng crawled into his lap.
"Bubin?" The little boy's confused expression made the Second Jade smile unconsciously.
"No, Guqin," he clarified, pronouncing the syllables very slowly so that they would be understandable to Jiang Cheng.
Two hours later, Lan Xichen arrived at the Jingshi to pick up Jiang Cheng and take him to rest. He got some child-sized robes for him, and some osmanthus cakes that might be to his liking. He hadn't imagined finding the little boy sitting comfortably in his brother's lap playing random notes on Wangji's strings. What was most surprising was Lan Wangji's relaxed expression that rarely surfaced. As an introverted young man whose emotions remained tied deep in his heart, seeing him so comfortable in the presence of a child made his heart happy, but that particular child being Jiang Wanyin made him a little jealous.
"Lan Wangji, I have come for Jiang Cheng." Lan Wangji raised his head with a noticeable frown on his face. He even hugged the smiling boy with selfish possessiveness. Jiang Cheng was moved by the warm and protective gesture of his ge’ge. His amethyst eyes filled with tears, as he was not used to receiving such displays of affection other than from his jiejie.
Seconds later, Jiang Cheng burst into tears, overwhelmed by the strange happiness that filled his heart. The problem is that both brothers were so scared that they quickly fell to their knees to check that the boy was not injured.
"I want to stay with Zhan-ge," he exclaimed, his face completely red. Lan Xichen felt his heart break because the little boy had transferred his preference over to his younger brother.
Lan Wangji almost celebrated.
Almost, because he was more concerned with wiping the tears from Jiang Cheng's face than with saying a word. When the hiccups stopped, Lan Wangji held the child against his chest to lull him to sleep. Lan Xichen for his part crumpled the robes he held in his hands and nearly destroyed the cakes out of envy. His characteristic smile at that moment was terrifying.
"Xiongzhang can leave the robes and food here," Lan Wangji said. Lan Xichen wanted to throw a tantrum, he was supposed to be Jiang Cheng's favorite!
The worst betrayals come from your own family, they say!
He had no choice but to leave the robes and sweet cakes on the table and leave with his tail between his legs.
He locked himself in his Hanshi and licked his wounds there.
Jiang Cheng slept, clinging to Lan Wangji's arm like a pillow. The next day, he followed him like a duckling everywhere. It was getting on the older man’s nerves as Lan Wangji glared at anyone who tried to get close to the little boy. He looked like a rabid dog, or worse, an overprotective mother hen capable of pecking at any intruder who dares to touch a feather on her chick.
But Lan Wangji was not as scary as Madam Yu.
As the woman crossed the entrance into Clouds Recesses and caught a glimpse of a brat similar to her youngest son clinging to the Second Jade's robes out of the corner of her eye, her expression darkened, and then Lan Qiren knew he was doomed, very, very doomed.
Now they were all at her mercy, fuck.