Let's start this story with Lan Zhan's POV - Enjoy!
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Before the Sunshot Celebration
Lan Wangji had the feeling his brother knew about his somehow fangirlish obsession with Wei Wuxian. At first, he wasn't really sure, if he was just imagining things. But when he one day came home from university to find a whole bag filled with flyers, shampoo bottles, and basically every product with the model's face on laying on his bed... It seemed like he couldn't hide anything from Xichen... Well, almost anything.
They didn't talk about it, obviously. Xichen just showed his knowing smile whenever an advertisement with Wei Wuxian was on TV while they were waiting for the news or their favorite shows. He probably also knew that Lan Wangji was a longtime fan of the model. Being the always attentive brother, he had picked up on Lan Zhan's ever-changing behavior years ago!
His brother still didn't know the whole story – or the... intensity of their relationship. Hell, he didn't even know that Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian actually knew each other (more than well).
When Lan Zhan first discovered Wei Wuxian and his YouTube channel, the boy had just started making content. They were both teenagers back then and Wangji was still in Middle School, around 12 years old. He just randomly found this video of Wei Wuxian playing his flute Chenqing and talking about his – as he described it – boring as hell day. Lan Zhan was pretty much hooked after that, watching the nearly daily vlogs day after day.
Wei Wuxian became a constant figure in his life. He actually made Lan Wangji do something he had never done before: He actively reached out to another person. He contacted the YouTuber. It started with writing comments on his videos, complimenting his flute-play, or asking polite questions about his health. Their contact continued after that.
Aside from him being bored, the state of his health was another topic Wei Wuxian talked about often. Since people were wondering why he sometimes looked so sickly, why he complained about boredom so often and a few times even uploaded a video showing him in a hospital room, viewers got worried, so, he kept them updated on his health. He explained how he as a preemie was born with a very weak immune system, how that developed in generally bad health, and how his homeschooling and home life were doing.
The mails Lan Zhan wrote Wei Wuxian in private started after the YouTuber had not posted a video in a whole week – which was pretty unusual for him. Lan Wangji was very worried and wrote him a personal message.
And he actually got an answer.
Wei Wuxian was really touched that this person, who had been commenting on his videos from basically day one, was concerned about his wellbeing. They started chatting more and more often, about their days, their moods, life... basically everything and anything.
And Lan Wangji liked it. He liked it a lot.
He didn't tell the boy that he was one of the Lan heirs, because he feared that Wei Wuxian would treat him differently afterward. And he didn't want his behavior to change. He liked how Wei Wuxian would just tell his opinion straightforward. They asked each other for advice without getting judged or questioned for it. He was funny and he was honest. He was basically everything that Lan Zhan wanted in a friend – even though he never even realized that before.
They became best friends, even when at this point, it was just a pen pal-friendship in the YouTube message system. They even called each other by their birth names – Wei Ying and Lan Zhan.
There were times when Wei Wuxian didn't feel good because of his health and he wouldn't upload videos for a few days. When he felt too weak and tired, he would actually not even text Lan Wangji... Instead, he would make a video and send it to him. Wei Wuxian didn't want his friend to worry about him too much, so that was the easiest solution.
Wei Wuxian didn't want his followers to worry too much either, but even more, he couldn't let his best friend become anxious about him – and he knew Lan Wangji got anxious easily. The boy didn't know that, but just by the way he was writing, Wei Wuxian could sense his mood. Actually, it also worked like that the other way around, but neither of the boys realized that, of course.
Lan Wangji found these personal videos Wuxian sent him really sweet. His friend took the extra effort and filmed videos, just for him! It made him feel all fuzzy inside, though at that time he didn't really understand what that meant and how deep he was actually affected by his Wei Wuxian's actions – emotionally.
After a while, the flute playing videos developed into daily vlogs, where Wei Wuxian was talking about his favorite movies, series, books, people, topics in general. He talked about things that he was interested in, may they be political, social, or just personal thoughts. He even made haul videos, where he was showing off new clothes or gimmicks, he bought online. He even made some make-up videos – and he sang. His voice was enchanting and Lan Zhan could only sit and listen to this beautiful human being and his gorgeous voice. Honestly, these videos, and the one he played the flute, were probably Wangji's favorites. Though by now he basically loved every video on that channel.
Wei Wuxian never showed much of his home though, stating that the privacy of his family was really important and that he didn't like showing off his siblings. The only thing the viewers learned about Wei Wuxian over time, was that he was rich – or at least his family was. It showed in his clothes, his knowledge, and even his behavior – he had class (most of the time at least). He never acted spoiled or arrogant, though.
Coming from a similar background – his family was pretty loaded too after all – Lan Wangji had seen the worst kind of people. People who acted like they were ruling the world, were better than others, judgmental, supercilious, just because they had some cash. He hated these people. Wei Wuxian was different, and Lan Zhan liked him even more for that.
At one point, Wei Wuxian started using Instagram and his popularity just took off from there. He basically became an internet celebrity. By that time, his health had improved a lot and he actually started vlogging outside his room, while he was shopping or in a café, going on a trip, on his way to work, or in the make-up room preparing for photoshoots.
Yes, photoshoots.
Probably through his YouTube videos and some fantastic pictures on Instagram, some talent scouts from the Jin model agency had discovered him. He started as a model for designer clothes in group shoots for magazines, but soon he could be seen on billboards, fashion magazines for more and more brands, and even ads. He no longer was just part of a group shoot – he was in the spotlight.
What came as a surprise for many people was the fact, that Wen Ning, who had worked for the Jiang family after the whole Wen scandal, became Wei Wuxian's personal assistant. How he got that position and why he apparently left his work for the Jiang's – one of the biggest and influential corporations in China – were only a few of the questions Wei Wuxian was asked whenever he was live-vlogging on Instagram.
As it turned out, Wen Ning didn't actually leave the Jiang family, but due to the company's connection to the Jin Company, he had taken the chance to gain a bit more work experience. So, he ended up working for the newest model of the Jin's agency, which turned out to be Wei Wuxian. Mystery solved. Simple explanation.
Wuxian still filmed videos, too; though nowadays it was mostly vlogging on Instagram. But he still managed to make content for his YouTube channel, where he was often seen chilling in his room at home or a hotel room, chatting about projects or sharing Behind-the-Scenes footage of the photo shootings or filming he was working on. He still talked about his favorite series and books and found time to relax from his busy schedule.
Their pal pen-friendship had changed over the years. Lan Zhan was one of Wei Wuxian's first followers on Instagram actually and they continued their chat in the DMs there. His own profile had been a private one. Only a handful of people were allowed to follow him. He only used Instagram to keep up with his group of friends (and his brother if he was too busy to have dinner with him). He was part of their group chat, but he himself didn't participate a lot. He took pictures of what he was doing and posted them on Instagram. In this way, he didn't have to send them to the different group chats or people and could still stay in contact with them.
Of course, now that he was texting with Wei Wuxian on that platform Wei Ying would be confused if Lan Zhan wouldn't allow him to follow his profile, so, he couldn't keep his identity hidden any longer – and with his Instagram profile showing him in basically every picture, sometimes with his also very well-known friends or his brother, it was impossible to keep his real name from his friend. Luckily, Wei Wuxian didn't change his behavior towards him. Instead, he laughed about how close they'd become.
The big change in their relationship happened in February, half a year before the SunshotCelebration.