It's exactly the same, everything.
Wei Ying has to blink a couple of times, adjusting his mind to this reality. It's so much stronger than just a sense of deja vu, and he wonders how on earth his mother had learned how to cope with this gift?
It must have been so hard for her to deal with not only the dreams themselves, but having to explain to adults who might not have had the best attitude or response to her revelations? He has no doubts that Baoshan Sanren and his grandfather would have taken his mother seriously once they discovered the truth behind her words. But still, it was a lot to dump on a kid.
He, as an adult, felt completely overwhelmed, and it was only because of the strong man standing right next to him, that Wei Ying had the courage to step forward.
That first step was the hardest; after that, his own curiosity propelled them into the dirty alley, and his heart went out to the little kittens he knew they would find in the box.
The alley was just as dirty as in his dream, complete with the newspaper stating today's date flying across their path. Stale and rancid food was strewn along the ground, with ravaged black bin bags torn, their contents spilling out on the sides, and the smell of that trash, with whatever was cooking mingled in the air. Wei Ying tried breathing through his mouth, and he looked at Lan Zhan who refused to do either. He doesn't need to breathe, and Wei Ying lets himself be jealous of him, this one time.
They march quickly forwards to the box wedged near the air conditioning vents, and the kittens' mewling becomes louder and louder. But when they get close enough, Lan Zhan's protective instincts take over, and he gets in between Wei Ying and the brown box, lifting it up easily. He frowns because it weighs more than a couple of kittens would.
He holds the box carefully, securely, for Wei Ying to lift aside the flaps to look inside.
They both gasp.
There are two small babies inside, mostly covered by a dirty pink blanket, surrounding their bodies and heads, and they're so little!
"Lan Zhan! We have to take them to a hospital!" Wei Ying says urgently.
They spring into action, treating this as the emergency it is.
They run back to the mouth of the alley and all Wei Ying has to do is show the others what they've found.
"Hospital!" XiChen tells them. "We've got the kids, keep us updated!"
They toss each other their keys so XiChen can take the car with the booster seats, and then they separate. Wei Ying hopes both A-Yuan and JingYi will understand, because this is so unexpected that it doesn't even reach the charts of their wildest guesses.
He only realises he's shaking like the autumn leaves falling around them as they break all the speeding limits in their way, and Lan Zhan stops caring about road laws, not when there are two lives at stake.
He drops Wei Ying off in front of the ER, going to park the car so it doesn't obstruct any ambulances.
Meanwhile, Wei Ying rushes inside and he's greeted by doctors and nurses who take the babies away.
That's when he finally bursts into tears, when his arms are empty.
************
Lan Zhan can feel Wei Ying's distress from the moment he sets foot inside the hospital. He's just further in, talking to a nurse with a clipboard, writing down his answers. He goes to stand right next to where he's seated, trying not to glare at the stranger, who probably has no idea who they are to each other.
Lan Zhan does not care.
Wei Ying needs him, and that comes first, before he deals with even his own shock.
All around them are the sounds of people rushing by and dealing with multiple emergency cases, tension thick in the air and yet amid all that chaos, Lan Zhan can only feel what Wei Ying is feeling right now, a concentration of fear and panic.
"Well, thank you so much for bringing them in." The nurse says, standing up and putting her chair back next to Wei Ying's seat.
"Um, wait, please!" Wei Ying stands up as well. "What's going to happen to them?"
Lan Zhan can feel him trembling and he tightens his hold around Wei Ying's shoulders.
The nurse sighs, visibly choosing her words.
"I wish I could say that abandoned babies are a rarity, but unfortunately that's not the case. We can take in as many as ten babies per month, and that's the ones that make it to us. I know, I can see you care about them."
"We do!" Wei Ying wraps his arms around Lan Zhan's waist, leaning on him.
He still can't believe what they found. Two babies. Poor things, left by someone who could not deal with them. Wei Ying doesn't want to presume anything about their parents, but the smallest part of him is angry. Mostly, he's worried about the babies, needing to know that they're okay.
"Okay, then let me explain the protocol to you. The hospital has a responsibility to find the biological parents first, and we do that by posting on Social media, with a brief description of the babies in question. These are twins, and that's a rarity for sure. But I'll be honest with you; people who abandon their kids usually aren't in a position to change their minds. We might never know who their parents are. Once they become stable, because the hospital cannot be responsible for them, they're handed over to Social services and then it's up to them." She pats Wei Ying's arm sympathetically. "I know this is hard for you."
"Can we visit with them? It doesn't seem right to leave them here all alone." Wei Ying pleads with her.
He's only held them for as long as it took to reach here, but he can't let them go that easily.
"Alright, let me see what I can do," she promises, leaving them.
The moment she goes, Wei Ying tucks his face in Lan Zhan's neck, quietly crying.
"It's not fair," he sobs.
Lan Zhan agrees with him.
His hold tightens and he strokes Wei Ying's back, trying to comfort him.
***************
They sit for what seems like hours.
And then the nurse who had questioned Wei Ying arrives with another nurse in scrubs.
"Good news," She's smiling broadly. "The twins are fine for now, just a mild case of hypothermia, so they're in the ICU. But they're responding well to treatment, and they were very hungry. They've fed and they're sleeping. If you wish to see them, then my colleague can take you there." She stops them leaving, remembering something. "Oh, I almost forgot, they're both girls."
Wei Ying turns back to her and throws his arms around her out of relief.
Even Lan Zhan needs a moment.
He hadn't realised how stressed they both were with not knowing how the babies were. They are so small, and it's hard to understand why, how they could have been left there, in that quiet little alley.
What if Wei Ying never had the dream? Or he didn't remember having it?
He shudders at the thought, and forces himself to never think about that.
The girls are safe, they are receiving care and that's all that matters for now.
The second nurse brings them to the children's ICU. They're not allowed inside because it's a contained area, to protect all the babies inside from infection. The nurse that brought them here can enter though, and she puts a mask over her nose and mouth, and goes to two incubation tanks on their left, pointing at the two tiny bundles lying side by side, both with oxygen tubes fitted on their faces.
They watch the tiny little bodies, tiny little hearts pumping blood through those small bodies, their chests reassuringly moving up and down. Watching that fragile movement is the single most important factor in making them feel better.
The nurse comes outside again, pulling off her face mask.
"Visiting hours are until eight, then you have to leave."
"Can we leave our numbers here, with you?" Wei Ying asks her. He knows he sounds desperate, but the thought of leaving the babies without any family to care for them seems awful. "When can we come back here?"
"Tomorrow at two," she answers, sympathetically.
It feels like such a long time away from them.
"Trust me, they are getting the best care here. They'll be fine," she tries to reassure them, but Wei Ying has turned his attention back to the two little girls inside that room.
When she leaves, Lan Zhan calls his brother and explains the situation to them. They've reached the manor by now and XiChen tells them that he's told Uncle Qiren what happened.
There's nothing more they can do or say, so Lan Zhan ends the call.
****************
At eight o'clock, they are all but thrown out of the hospital, and Lan Zhan feels terrible for having to pull Wei Ying from where he's plastered against that glass, watching the little girls breathing.
"But Lan Zhan, Sweetheart, no one's watching them! What if they suddenly stop breathing?" His voice is thick with tears.
"They're hooked up to machines that will warn the staff even before anything like that happens," Lan Zhan tells him.
He can't blame Wei Ying for wanting to stay, either. He feels just as attached to the babies as Wei Ying does, and he wishes that they remain strong, and keep fighting for their lives.
They drive home in a morose silence, both feeling exhausted by the day's events, but they know it isn't over yet.
A-Yuan and JingYi are still awake, too anxious to go to sleep and insisting on waiting for their parents to come home and tell them what was happening with the babies.
So it's time for a family meeting.
In Uncle Qiren's study, Da Tuzi brings some honey infused chamomile tea, just the thing to soothe and comfort both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan from their afternoon spent in the ER, surrounded by the smells of bleach and bad hospital food.
Wei Ying says as much, not wanting to eat anything at the moment. Lan Zhan doesn't even want to drink anything, but he can appreciate the gentle fragrance.
They repeat everything they learned at the hospital, and explain to the adults what the nurse had told them was the common protocol for children who had been abandoned.
It sounds very much up in the air and full of uncertainty.
"It seems to me, nothing can happen until you make a decision," Uncle Qiren tells them, stroking his beard.
"What do you mean, Shifu?" XiChen asks, his brow furrowing.
"Well, the hospital can't really help you because at this point, you're only the people who brought the babies to them. They are being kind in allowing you to see them but from a legal standpoint, you are nothing to them." He does not wish to be cruel, he's merely stating facts at this point.
"I've been thinking," Wei Ying starts saying, and already Lan Zhan knows what he's going to end with.
He's already nodding along.
"We should put in a claim for adoption," Lan Zhan finishes.
"Oh, thank God, you agree!" He breathes out, squeezing Lan Zhan's waist and resting his head on his shoulder.
They each have a child in their arms, softly snuffling A-Yuan and JingYi with his puckered lips, both fast asleep. They're already dressed in their pyjamas so it's just a matter of tucking them into their bed.
"Why don't you both take them upstairs, and I'll see what I can do," Uncle Qiren winks at them. "I happen to know the chairman of the hospital you chose this afternoon. We're Bridge partners, and it'll be nice to catch up before our next game on Sunday. Leave it with me. XiChen, call our lawyers, explain what the situation is, and let's get this show moving."
**************
Neither child wakes as they're put to sleep in their room.
But Lan Zhan is surprised when Wei Ying takes him by the hand and leads him to their bedroom instead of returning to the study downstairs. He pushes Lan Zhan down to sit on their bed, and climbs into his lap.
Lan Zhan can tell that there's something on his mind, he wants to talk, and it's just a matter of letting him gather his thoughts and choose which words he wants to use. In the meantime, Lan Zhan takes his hand and begins to nibble on his fingers.
"My love..." Wei Ying begins.
Lan Zhan really likes that, the way Wei Ying sounds so sincere when he says those two words together, and he means him. It is everything to him. Wei Ying has never judged him for anything, instead he's shown his support every step of the way, and it is humbling. That someone could love all the parts of him, even the violent parts of himself. But then he supposes, it's the same for himself, how much he loves all of Wei Ying, every part of him, too.
"What is Wei Ying worried about?" Lan Zhan asks him, armed with this certainty now.
"Well, everything is happening so fast, and I'm... I guess, I just want to know if you're okay with that? We've barely known each other for a couple of months, and it's a lot, everything from getting engaged, being parents and now we're thinking about adding to our family."
His bright silver eyes reflect his anxiety, and Lan Zhan wants nothing more than to reassure him that his worries are baseless.
"Does Wei Ying expect me to step back at the first challenge we face?" He does feel a little insulted at that, though.
"No! That's not what I meant!" Wei Ying throws his arms around his neck. "Okay, maybe I was projecting a little bit..."
"Is Wei Ying wanting to step back, then?" That's more concerning to Lan Zhan.
If that's what Wei Ying is thinking, then Lan Zhan is going to fight for them.
"No. No, I know it's the right thing to do, to bring the girls into our family. I just, I'm trying to process it, that's all. It's a big step." He leans back, silver pools like a midnight lake shimmering under the reflection of the stars above.
"Mn. It IS a big step. I have never looked after such small babies, however, I believe it is just a matter of learning how to do it. No one is born ready with that knowledge, correct?" Lan Zhan hugs him tighter, letting his own doubts surface. The difference here is, he has his doubts of being a good parent, but he will not let them get in the way of adopting the baby girls.
"Yeah," Wei Ying lets out a shaky breath.
"So we can learn together. And we have our family. Uncle will help, and so will XiChen. Money is no issue, both of us have the means to support our whole family. We can hire nurses to help us until the babies become a little older, if we feel we cannot cope."
It's the right thing to say, because Wei Ying smiles and all the tension seeps away from his shoulders as he finally relaxes.
"We're really doing this, huh?" He says, his smile becoming brighter by the second.
"Mn. I want Wei Ying to know, I am sure." Lan Zhan adds, wanting there to be no doubts as to his intentions.
"Okay. Then me as well, no doubts." He brings Lan Zhan's hand up to form a fist which he bumps with his own before kissing the back of his hand. "I think I was scared, because I was remembering A-Yuan's early years. And because it was difficult for me, and he was three! These are newborn babies...but you're right, we can do this!"
He kisses Lan Zhan's cheek and dives in for another hug.
"Mn." Lan Zhan agrees. "Now, let's go and tell the rest of our family."
***************
Downstairs in the study, Uncle Qiren looks quite smug as he ends the call and settles back in his seat. XiChen has already finished talking to their lawyers, by the looks of it.
"The chairman is willing to make an exception in our case." Uncle Qiren says.
"Uncle was quite persuasive," XiChen adds, knowingly.
"I merely pointed out the advantages of having willing patrons who can provide a stable upbringing. We have to go through the courts again, that part is unavoidable."
"Our lawyers will contact the chairman of the hospital tomorrow morning," XiChen tells them, smiling broadly. MingJue is watching him with awe in his eyes.
XiChen must have been exceptional on the phone.
"Actually, there's another matter we need our lawyers for," Lan Zhan says, squeezing Wei Ying's hand.
Once they finish telling Uncle Qiren and both XiChen and MingJue about the house they had seen that morning, XiChen lets out a low whistle.
"Didi, I'm so proud of you, both of you. It looks like everything is coming together nicely."
"But that brings me to another point," Uncle Qiren says, and this time, he looks even more serious. "When are you thinking about getting married?"
"Why?" Lan Zhan doesn't mean to sound so defensive, but he hates being put on the spot. And he doesn't want Wei Ying to feel pressured, especially because he's asked Wei Ying multiple times and not receiving a certain answer is a little unnerving. He's willing to give Wei Ying time, but his uncle might not be so understanding.
"Surely both of you can see the benefits of your union presented to those you need on your side? At the moment, while you're engaged, that's good but not as great as being married already. One is a single unit, together and stronger for it. Two separate people leaves room for doubt, that is my only concern." Uncle Qiren strokes his beard. "Try to see this from the point of view of strangers who don't know either of you. Facts matter, especially if you wish to gain trust, that's all I'm saying."
"You're right, Uncle. Thank you for looking out for us." Wei Ying gives him a mini bow.
Uncle Qiren bristles at that.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Thank you is reserved for strangers. Not for family," he admonishes sternly.
Wei Ying looks suitably chastised. But he's smiling, and Lan Zhan thinks that's the most important part.
"So? When shall we plan the wedding? I do not think you have the luxury of delaying it now." Uncle Qiren pushes.
Lan Zhan is just about to intervene when Wei Ying speaks up.
"Uncle is right, as soon as possible would be ideal, right?"
Lan Zhan turns to him, bringing their hands up to his face to kiss Wei Ying's hand.
"Are you sure?" He can't help but feel vulnerable by asking this question.
"Yes!" Tears spill out from the side of his beautiful eyes as Wei Ying laughs, a bright and happy sound. "Lan Zhan! Let's get married!"