The Scarlet Sunset

Chapter (49): Library Pavilion

"Hey don't look at me. I only called your birth name because you weren't responding." Holding up two hands, Wei Wuxian defended himself, "if you feel unfair, you can call me by my birthname too."

"Put your legs down." Lan Wangji said apathetically. The way Wei Wuxian was currently sitting was very improper with one leg up, spreading his groin area and leaning in on Lan Wangji's desk. "Fine. Fine." Wei Wuxian put down his legs but he still leaned in even closer. Now with both his elbows on Lan Wangji's desk, Wei Wuxian was almost touching Lan Wangji's shoulders given the small size of the desk.

"You know, you really remind me of an aunt of mine back in...," Wei Wuxian almost said 'the heavens' but quickly saved and said, "Yunmeng!".
Lan Wangji did not know why Wei Wuxian especially emphasized Yunmeng but not that he wanted to know either.

"Right, an aunt of mine back in Yunmeng. She is exactly like you too. Always working and writing scrolls. Though, you still seem youthful, if you keep it up, you might begin to have bags under your eyes like her. That's no good, Lan Zhan. Pretty faces should not have eye bags."

"..."

Despite rambling about, Wei Wuxian failed to get another reaction from Lan Wangji who just directed him to return to his punishment. Wei Wuxian tched in disappointment but he still sat beside Lan Wangji. However, having forced a reaction out of the stoic boy, Wei Wuxian obviously couldn't help but want to continue. He was having too much fun. He could have stopped there and be content with his victory, but for some reason, he couldn't stop.

Following almost immediately, a puckish grin appeared on his face,

"Lan Er Gege!" [4]

Wei Wuxian was holding in his grin and observing the reactions of the Second Young Master, but the Young Master seemed to have been frozen in his position as if a black screen befell onto his entire face.

"Ridiculous!"

An obviously angered voice that seemed to have been repressed came from Lan Wangji as he turned back to his desk and forced his hands to continue his work. Wei Wuxian noticed the slight red lining the lower margin of the rigid-looking young master's ear, and was tremendously amused. Wei Wuxian could have stopped here. This was only the first day and it wouldn't be so good to anger his supervisor so much on the first day. But how could Wei Wuxian stop when he was getting such interesting results.

With another interesting plan to tip off the second young master Lan, Wei Wuxian inched closer, his lip grinning with mischievousness. When he tried to pry open his mouth, however, his eyes were filled with surprise. Because his upper and lower lips seemed to be glued to each other! He couldn't open them no matter how hard he tried. At this rate, much less about not being able to talk; he couldn't even laugh!

"Mmmmphh!"

Wei Wuxian struggled but to no avail. He quickly sat down on the other side of Lan Wangji's desk and stroked some characters onto a paper and showed it to Lan Wangji. The cold ice aura seemed to have returned around the stoic boy, and Lan Wangji gave a short glance to the paper to which he only replied, "Ridiculous," and continued writing, dismissing Wei Wuxian's misery.

Wei Wuxian trembled, having been ignored like this. He crumpled up the paper and threw it into a corner, and wrote down a new one and shoved it in Lan Wangji's face. This time, there wasn't even a reply anymore.

Wei Wuxian felt the frustration up to his scalp. He wrote down many other notes which had all been ignored. Frustrated, he went back to his desk and frustratingly poured all his frustrations onto the paper. He was pouting the entire time, thinking 'Even Nan-shu and Fu-shu are not that strict with punishments!'