Baoshan Sanren is a wild, untamed driver.
That is Wei Ying's first thought.
Then, she gets rid of the roof and suddenly, the wind is whipping through Wei Ying's hair, stealing his breath and obliterating his thoughts as they race back to the National Park and Recs building.
Reckless but somehow, safe? That's his second thought, when feeling returns to his face.
He wondered what would happen if the cops stopped her, and then he wondered whether his grandmother had actually tampered with anyone's mental state in that situation, because he supposed that she could always make them "forget" her and her car, whichever of the many ones at her disposal she might be driving that day.
Her parking is immaculate, sliding into the empty spot with the grace of a ballerina.
He stumbles when it's time to get out of the car.
She's a fantastic driver though, if a little spontaneous, and maybe Xiao XingChen was expecting it, because he catches Wei Ying and prevents him from eating the floor.
"I'll take him," his grandmother says, gesturing to the trunk. "There's a surprise for you and A-Lan in there. We'll talk more in my office."
Baoshan Sanren grabs his arm with a grin and marches Wei Ying towards the elevator.
"Aren't we gonna wait for him?" Wei Ying asks, a lot better now.
"Nah, him and Song Lan have been inseparable these past few days. I think they've done the deed," she winks exaggeratedly, and continues. "They'll wanna look through that box together, and then I'll tell them about going home."
"Right, but TMI, grandma!" Wei Ying makes a face. "Anyway, what are we gonna do?" He stretches, his hands clasped and high above his head.
"I thought we could start sorting through the documents and notes that Wen Rouhan and Wen Qing had. Maybe translating can wait until we have a system in place? I'd like to know the gist of what we have."
They get off on the library level, and there's a sandwich and a thermos of hot tea waiting for Wei Ying, in the third room from the circular one. Wei Ying's stomach is very much on board with this plan.
"Let's get started," she says, as soon as he's finished eating.
The following few hours are spent cataloguing papers and the few artifacts that the undercover ninja teams were able to retrieve, until Wei Ying thinks they've gone through about half of the haul.
He's come across plans for items which would help with the Cultivation World, not only at that time, but would come in useful even now. There are modifications on spirit luring flags, compasses that would point to the source of resentment when cleansing places of hauntings, or cursed items. There were specific and detailed instructions on how to construct a spiritual cage of containment, very much like spiritual nets designed to lure and trap beasts full of resentment.
All in all, the time flies by and it's only when Wei Ying's stomach protests that just a sandwich isn't going to substitute a proper meal, organising a full-on protest with pitchforks and molotov cocktails, that Wei Ying checks his watch.
It's gone past seven.
He hadn't even noticed the hours speeding by, and neither did his grandmother, because she's chewing on the end of a biro, fully absorbed with reading the notes Wei Ying had scribbled in the margins of a paper detailing how to create a heat seeking missive, but this was tailor-made for yin-strength beasts and animals.
With a jolt to his system, Wei Ying realises that Lan Zhan hasn't come for him.
Didn't he promise to come and collect Wei Ying, after he had fetched the children from school? Then where was he?
Wei Ying fishes out his phone and dials Lan Zhan, who picks up on the fourth ring. And why does he sound breathless?
"Hi...Sweetheart, where are you? Did you get the kids?" Wei Ying feels unsettled for some reason.
But Lan Zhan sounds fine. "Traffic held me up, but I'm nearly there," he promises. "And Friday is a Teacher's training day, so no school."
"Oh, okay," Wei Ying hums, wondering why he's still feeling off.
"I'm heading to the elevator, there'll be no signal," Lan Zhan warns him.
"Okay then, see you soon." Wei Ying ends the call, and finds Baoshan Sanren studying him.
"You seem sad," she remarks.
"It's nothing," Wei Ying quickly brushes it off, putting the brightest smile on his face.
The truth was, these past few years he always became a little melancholy around this time of year. It wasn't just the season, but the end of October always reminded him of his parents, of people who must have been glad to have him be part of their lives. Maybe it was the doubt that used to remain constantly at the back of his mind, which was rearing its ugly head again.
But through all these passing years, he never had the proof of his parents' love for him; and now he has a book full of words from his mother.
He tells himself that he's just being silly and not to think about it. That's easy to do, since it's the mantra he's been living with, all of his life.
A sound interrupts his thoughts, and then they're both staring at the door, which opens with a slightly dishevelled Lan Zhan. He marches straight to Wei Ying, three quick strides and he's there, hauling him up into a fiery kiss.
It lasts only a minute, but it heals all of Wei Ying's fears and doubts swimming to the surface of his mind like little piranha fish feasting on his anxiety.
Lan Zhan still loves him.
"I missed you," Wei Ying tells him, when his mouth is set free.
He turns to grab his coat and in doing so, misses the fleeting look between his grandmother and Lan Zhan. When he turns around, Lan Zhan is taking his jacket from him, his beautifully long fingers brushing against Wei Ying's hands as he helps Wei Ying wear it. He carefully lifts Wei Ying's ponytail out of the way, and presses a sweet kiss on the back of his bare neck, enjoying the resulting shiver that passes through Wei Ying like a current.
"Let's go home," Lan Zhan tells him, taking his hand.
******************
The unsettling feeling doesn't go away.
If anything, it is only growing stronger like an itch Wei Ying can't scratch in a hard to reach place.
All through the dinner that Da Tuzi has kept warm for him, Wei Ying feels as if he's forgotten something and it's really important, but for the life of him, he cannot remember what it could be.
They're sitting in the warm kitchen, with a merry fire crackling in the hearth, sending a few sparks sizzling harmlessly onto the cold stone tiles.
Lan Zhan is sitting across from him, playing with his free hand on the table, lifting it up to his lips and kissing his fingers. Wei Ying has pushed away his plate a while ago, and is just leaning back in his seat, resting.
His belly is full, he's warm and comfortable... and yet.
He can't even put his finger on it, why he's feeling so strange.
"What's wrong?" Lan Zhan asks him quietly, after a while.
His words hang in the air, pulling Wei Ying's attention away from the mesmerising orange flames hungrily devouring the new logs Da Tuzi had placed on the grate before leaving them alone here. Wei Ying much prefers the kitchen with its rich coppery colours, welcoming warm wooden table and the liveliness of its general look. Much better than the impersonal dining room with its rigid grand table right in the centre of the room, and a cold, empty space surrounding it. That dining room looked like half the size of his whole apartment, and was daunting with its formality.
"I don't know," Wei Ying replies helplessly.
They had put the children to bed earlier, as soon as they returned from Baoshan Sanren's place. They had insisted on going to sleep in Uncle Qiren's room, and since the man in question had fake-yawned and agreed, there wasn't much they could do about it.
Both A-Yuan and JingYi were strangely excitable, whispering secrets to each other even when they were falling asleep, and going really quiet when Wei Ying asked them what the matter was.
He stands up, the jittery feeling making him restless. Lan Zhan takes his dishes from him to the sink to rinse and he loads the dishwasher, his movements fast and efficient.
"Is Wei Ying tired?" Lan Zhan asks him.
Wei Ying's blood has been smelling weird ever since that afternoon, when they parted ways. Lan Zhan has never smelled it like this, and he's concerned.
"Yeah, that must be it," Wei Ying comes to wrap his arms around Lan Zhan from behind, resting his cheek against the smooth back.
The sandalwood fragrance soothes him, and Wei Ying finally begins to calm. He closes his eyes, letting go of his anxiety and feeling relaxed now. He moves with Lan Zhan, who has slowed his movements to accommodate his fiancé.
It feels good, Wei Ying hugging him like this.
When Lan Zhan turns in his arms, Wei Ying whines, a small sound of discomfort. Lan Zhan hugs him tighter, hushing him. His lips kiss the wide expanse of Wei Ying's forehead, before gently lifting him up into his arms.
There is something so soft, so domestic about this, and Lan Zhan wouldn't give this up for the world. Wei Ying burrows into his chest, clutching at his shirt with his eyes still tightly screwed shut. His warm nose nuzzles at Lan Zhan's neck, trying to get closer.
He climbs the steps to their room slowly and steadily, and doesn't stop until he's standing in the vast, spacious bathroom.
Lan Zhan makes Wei Ying sit on the toilet seat, to undress him. The bathroom is already warm with steam, the scent of vanilla and bergamot stronger here. It makes Wei Ying open his eyes as Lan Zhan coaxes him to stand up so he can remove his socks and trousers.
"You beautiful man!" Wei Ying grabs his face and plants a messy kiss on his eager lips. "You ran a bath for me!"
The water is pink and glittery with rose petals floating on the surface, and Wei Ying is energised enough to quickly strip the rest of his clothes off and tug on Lan Zhan's shirt.
"You're coming in with me," he says, in a tone that banishes any argument.
Sinking into the hot water drags a sigh from his lips as Wei Ying leans back into Lan Zhan's chest.
"I think I've been unconsciously stressed," he whispers, as Lan Zhan washes them with a sponge, kissing along his bare shoulder.
"About what?" Lan Zhan pauses to speak, and then continues, hearing the smile in Wei Ying's voice as he answers.
"Everything," Wei Ying whispers. This feels like a dream, and he's floating upon a cloud of comfort. Each word that slips past his lips feels forced and wrenched from him, as if it requires more effort than he was willing to expend. "Vampires. Grandfather. HeartStone. All of it."
Seconds pass as Lan Zhan continues to use the loofah, massaging his tension away, listening to Wei Ying's heartbeat. He understands more than Wei Ying thinks, concentrating on his task. His fingers, and the pressure he applies all over Wei Ying's body drags the most contented sighs from those beautiful lips, and Lan Zhan wishes this moment could last forever.
There is something so calming, healing about performing this service on his lover, and it's reinforcing his love for Wei Ying as well. The nurturing feelings which are blooming in both of them, soothe and satisfy on another level, like dancing to the beat of their own drum.
When the water begins to cool, Lan Zhan lifts Wei Ying out of the water and wraps him in the warm bathrobe on the heater. Wei Ying is mostly asleep already, and Lan Zhan just has to dry their hair now. He makes Wei Ying sit on their bed to do just that, and ends up letting him rest against him.
Wei Ying zones in and out of whatever is going on outside his body, sinking into that soft place in between being asleep and barely being awake.
Warm and safe, finally he falls into a deep sleep as Lan Zhan pulls the covers over both of them.
"Goodnight, Wei Ying. See you tomorrow," Lan Zhan whispers, pulling him closer.
"G'night...Wan Zhan..." Wei Ying slurs, and his breathing evens out.
Lan Zhan kisses the top of his hair which still smells like their incredible bath, feeling so content.
Tomorrow is going to be a spectacular day for Wei Ying. He has many surprises planned, and he can't wait for Wei Ying to wake up.
He's going to make up for all the missed birthdays in one day.