THE GRAND BET

Chapter 17 : Is Your Love In Trouble?

Wei Ying was out of the house about two hours past midday. "I have to help the others. You two are coming right?" Wei Ying sai.

"Mn." Was all Lan Wangji needed to say. He was a little sour seeing Wei Ying go so soon but refused to admit it. It was even more difficult to tear himself away when the omega grabbed his face for one last smooch. Wei Ying had to fight his way out of that hug.

Lan Wangji was startled when he turned around to Xichen's troubled face. But his brother swiftly smiles. "Wei Ying is such an interesting character. One moment he wants to kill you, and the next he looks at you as if you were his universe," Xichen said.

"Wei Ying is my universe." Lan Wangji looks back at the car recklessly wheeling onto the streets and grins faintly. "He just doesn't know it yet." That bit came with a heartfelt sigh.

Xichen's eyes followed him closely, feeling stabbed by that confession. Since when did Lan Wangji become this expressive and sentimental? 'He's truly grown up,' Xichen thought to himself.

****

By evening, they were out of the apartment and off to the Jiangs they went. Wei Ying said to come at ten, but the brothers were there by nine.

"Oh great, come help us set up the snacks," Wei Ying was quick to pull Lan Wangji away.

Huaisang paused as he noticed a trend while arranging the board games. Jiang Cheng was actively staying away from the first jade.

His friend maintained a five-feet distance whenever Lan Xichen made the effort, and it looked sad.

"These two make my work so difficult," Huaisang muttered to himself. But then an idea flicked in his head when he saw Wen Ning carrying drinks with the servants available.

Huaisang quickly walked up to Wen Ning, dusting his hand as he took a swift glance at Jiang Cheng. "Hey, is that all of the stuff?"

"No, there are about twenty more crates of rice wine in the cold room. We can use them when the ones up here are almost finished," Wen Ning said.

"Great, then no one has to go down there for a while. Can you be at the kitchen then? The orders are coming in, and we need more hands," Huaisang said.

"Sure," Wen Ning was glad to help.

"Now to plan B. Surely this cannot fail," Huaisang said to himself. He only had to wait for the right moment.

Slowly, the party began to pull in a crowd. The music was loud, the food was bountiful, and the neon rings, glow lights, and glow paints were everywhere.

Wei Ying did not let Lan Wangji out of his sight for a second, holding his hand through the greeting phase.

"You don't have to talk. I know you hate noise, but bear with me. We'll get out of here soon," Wei Ying assured Lan Wangji.

Lan Xichen could not attach himself to his brother with Wei Ying in the picture. So he kept to himself, hoping Jiang Cheng's indifference would simmer down. But that was just wishful thinking.

During his confusion, Xichen was approached by Nie Huaisang.

"Sorry for bothering you, Master Lan, but I could really use your help. Wen Ning was supposed to get more drinks down in the cold room, but one of our food orders got messed up, and he had to go with Yanli. We need more drinks up here, can you help?"

Manual labor was not one of Xichen's hobbies, but it was this or staying useless and alone. "Sure, show me where to go," he said to Huaisang.

"The cold room is downstairs. Just take a left down the kitchen basement, and you should find it. But be careful not to shut it completely. When Ning accidentally broke the lock, and we had to improvise."