"A-Li, A-Li! My dear, beautiful wife! Good morning!"
Running down the stairs as a grown adult is preposterous, or so the Lanling elders would say if they did see their newly appointed Sect Leader jumping around like a child.
"Of course I can't forget our cute A-Ling whole will soon turn one, good morning little guy!"
As if to greet his father in return, Jin Ling mustered to babble in small voice.
"Jiu!"
And of course his favorite word is always Jiu.
"A-Ling, A-Liiinngg. Say A-die. A...die...A-die!"
Jin Ling then chirps away in mockery, "Jiujiu!"
And now he can say that word straightly without lisping? How brutal.
Ah really, what a mischievous little guy. Jin Zixuan wonders where did he get such mischief.
"Pipe down now, A-Xuan. And good morning too."
Jin Zixuan giggles, unable to contain his joy. Jin Ling giggles along with him then.
At the corner of his eyes, he could see Jiang Cheng outside by the window walking around while carrying boxes of what it seemed like it will be used for the birthday party tomorrow.
"Jiangㅡ!"
Just as he was about to call out towards the younger, another figure walked beside Jiang Cheng and carried half of the boxes he was carrying.
"Huh?"
Jin Zixuan blinked and gasped in confusion, making Jiang Yanli turn to look at what her husband was looking at.
"Oh? I didn't know that the two of them are close."
Jin Zixuan hums then nods, "I know, right?"
It came as a surprise for both of them to see Jiang Cheng and Jin Guangyao together and helping each other like they are friends.
"Well, your brother seemed like a good person." Jiang Yanli points out, in which Jin Zixuan simply nodded.
"Well, he really is."
Jin Zixuan didn't point out the fact that Jiang Cheng had that dark aura around him for the past few days ever since he came back from that specific day.
"Well as a good brother, I should join to them in their bonding time."
As he bid goodbye to his wife and son by kissing them on their cheeks, Jin Zixuan ran with all his might to catch up with the two of them.
"A-Yao! A-Cheng!"
He waved his hand jovially as a greeting when they turned their heads to look at him. Jin Zixuan then carried the other box that Jiang Cheng was carrying.
"Let me help. You two look quite tired so early in the morning." Jin Zixuan starts, expecting for them to initiate a conversation.
"Of course, it's our nephew's first birthday. How can we afford to slack off like a certain someone does?" Jin Guangyao says with a hint of a jab, making Jin Zixuan look at him in confusion.
A certain...someone?
"Stop it." Jiang Cheng warns, and Jin Guangyao shrugged in return.
Jin Zixuan wonders if his brother is pertaining to Wei Wuxian. Well, he is not that dense to know that they are regarding him.
When Jiang Cheng had returned to Lotus Pier that day, Jin Zixuan thinks that he may have gone to see his shixiong. And when Wei Xun asked him where he had been, it was the first time he glared at the redhead before walking away and shut himself in his room.
The days that followed that were like everyone around him walking on thin eggshells.
Everyone couldn't perceive how to deal with his mood, even with the help of Jiang Yanli and Wei Xun.
'Something has changed.'
And Jin Guangyao befriending Jiang Cheng signifies that change.
Deep in his thoughts, Jin Zixuan didn't notice that they had already arrived at the place where Jin Ling's party will be held tomorrow until Jiang Cheng had call him out of his trance.
"You can leave those on the floor. Go back to Shijie and your son."
Jin Zixuan blinked at the coldness of his tone before nodding briefly.
"Yes...don't tire yourself too much."
Jiang Cheng never answered him then, just simply scurrying away to keep himself busy.
"Well, I'm glad that the two of you are now friends." Jin Zixuan added a comment then before leaving the room.
Jiang Cheng just scowled at the word that was used, making Jin Guangyao see his expression before gasping.
"How cold, Cheng Cheng." Jin Guangyao says the moment his half-brother was nowhere out of sight.
"Do not try my patience, Lianfang-zun." He says as he dropped the box intendedly, creating a loud thud that echoed throughout the pavilion.
Jin Guangyao do want to test his patience, so he spoke, "Right, noted. Only your martial brother, Wei Wuxian can call you that."
The next moment Jin Guangyao blinks, a purplish hue was threatening to strangle him on his neck.
It was Zidian.
"Jin Guangyao."
Friends? What a load of bullshit. He would rather kill himself than be in the same category of friends with this man.
"Aiya. I yield, I yield, Young Master Jiang."
Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue out of annoyance before taking Zidian back, the ring crackling a purple lightning before it calmed down.
Then again, Jiang Cheng does not have the time to be conversing with the likes of him.
"Just leave me alone."
He does not have the need to want a person to pity him when he's already furious with Wei Wuxian.
"If you say so, I will be back later dear friend."
Jiang Cheng just wanted to kick him in his shin at this moment.
"Get lost!"
And Jin Guangyao did get lost, deciding not to loiter around this fuming punk.
Jiang Cheng sighs, before lightly kicking the boxes of decoration beside his feet.
He regretted it soon though.
He kneeled, attempting to ease the crease he made to the poor box before giving up.
He just muttered a small sorry to it.
"Jiang Cheng."
At the sound of his name being called, Jiang Cheng stood straight abruptly making his head spin from the sudden movement. He stumbled considering his legs came numb from squatting so long that he had to lean to the person who called him.
"Don't stand up immediately, you idiot."
It was geㅡWei Xun.
"I understand so please let go of me." He says after he calmed himself.
When Cale had tried to reach for the arm that forcefully tore itself from the redhead's hold, he wanted to hold it down firm but Cale knew he's not strong enough to do it.
"Jiangㅡ"
"Please leave me alone."
That's it?
He didn't bother to call the older by his endearment, gege? What's more, Jiang Cheng does not even dare to look at him in the eye.
"Tell me what happened."
Of course the only probable cause of his behavior is because something had happened without his knowledge.
Something always happen with him being like that. And it irks the redhead in every possible way he knows.
"Jiang Cheㅡ"
"I said leave me alone!"
There was a small, purple spark that ignited between the two of them, making Cale flinch in pain and his hand recoiled in instinct.
Jiang Cheng's pupils shook with fear, he could smell how foul the burn he inflicted on him.
"Iㅡ!"
The younger forced himself to stop, to stop reaching out to the redhead out of fear.
And Cale could see this, but he didn't push on.
If he doesn't want to talk about it, then he won't force him.
The hand that was about to reach out to him earlier fell on the sides of Jiang Cheng, his head lowered as if he was ashamed of himself.
"You were asking what happened, was it?"
When Cale was about to say yes, Jiang Cheng did not bother to let him speak.
In fact, he doesn't want the older to speak at all.
"It was suffocating. Everything is."
'What is?' Cale wants to ask, but he forced himself to shut up and let younger pour his feeling out.
Cale knew that Jiang Cheng does not want any comfort at the moment.
He knew, because he was also like that. He still is.
"It was hard that I looked like I was the only one who was holding to something I thought is tangible, and the moment I woke myself up, everything shattered."
Cale's heart thumped roughly against his chest, the incantations tattooed in his neck started to spark a small wave of pain.
"I was the only one who was trying to salvage of what was left between the three of us."
Cale's lips quivered, 'No...it's not like thatㅡ!'
The pain in his neck intensified as his emotions grew rampant, his body froze in retaliation to at least hide it away.
'See? Even when you are agonizing, you won't let anyone know.' Jiang Cheng had thought before continuing his statement.
"When I realized that I was the only who was trying to make an effort, I let go."
Cale couldn't help himself but answer, "You weren'tㅡ! I didn't let goㅡ!"
"I was, I felt like it was that exact thought."
What had he done for Jiang Cheng to think like this?
"So I gave up, because it was the only choice that was given to me."
There was a small, polite smile that was plastered on the younger's face, yet Cale could see how Jiang Cheng's face trailed with tears running down without stop.
What had Cale really done for him to become like this?
'I...I didn't let...go...why did you easily gave...up?'
As if reading the older's thoughts, Jiang Cheng had hit the final nail on the redhead's conscience.
"Because I feel like you all gave up on me first."