I wrote this story for Valentine's Day last year.

A chapter a little longer than usual, but it's for a good cause !!!!

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

Warning SPOIL of "Another story" I will put 🚨🚨 when you get to the passage in question. The 🟢🟢 will indicate that you are safe!

The chapter takes place about 1 year after the end of "Another Story."

Enjoy reading !!!!

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

The new year had just begun, in 15 days the lantern ceremony would take place! It also meant that in 2 days would be .... the festival of lovers !!!!

This day, just like the day of the lanterns, was special to YunShen Buzhi! The ancestral home of the Lan clan lost its calm for a day!

The lovers' festival .... It was 4 years now that I had become Lan Zhan's husband, and every year, he surprised me: a candlelight picnic in the rabbit glade, the hot springs of Wuxi ... every year he surprised me! But here I decided to prepare a surprise for him!

The problem was that I had no idea what I could do. I left the Jingshi. My steps took me through the gardens of YunShen Buzhi. It was cool but the sun was beginning to break through the clouds. As I passed the cold spring, I noticed that the mist was thicker than usual. I heard laughter. I recognized Jin Ling's laughter and the laughter of ...why was I trying to recognize this laughter? It could only belong to one person! Especially now that they had "gone further", I think! I would have to "cook" my dear nephew about it before he left!

I was wondering if they had planned something for the lovers' day? I would take the opportunity to question him ... when he would be alone.

I continued on my way to the library. I stopped to listen to .... the silence. No doubt Lan Zhan was leading the morning reading!

I took a quick look out the window. My soul mate was standing straight at his desk. He signaled to a disciple to begin the reading while he copied the words out loud.

He was magnificent! His head was slightly tilted and his hair looked like a waterfall of ebony falling on snow similar to the snow covering the eternal peaks of Gusu! His jade skin looked translucent. The corner of his mouth turned up. He knew that I was looking at him, but his sure and firm hand continued to trace the signs on the paper. I decided not to disturb him further.

I resumed my wandering. I still had no idea what I could offer him! I still had two days to go!

The next day, I had no more ideas !!!!! Usually my imagination was fertile! But I wanted to find the perfect gift for Lan Zhan, but all the things I was thinking about. He already had them or we already had them! I wondered if I should ask for help! The first person who came to mind was my Big Brother Xichen! After all, who could know Lan Zhan better than him, except me of course! I went looking for him.

At that time of the day, he must have been in his study. I knocked on the door and waited for him to tell me to come in. He wasn't alone! I would have preferred that he was, but at the same time, whoever was in front of him, was known to be a sharp, intelligent and imaginative mind!

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

"Wuxian, you are very early! To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

I greeted Xichen and Meng Yao.

"Xi-Xiong, A-Yao, I have a problem for you. Do you know what day it is tomorrow? I would like to give Lan Zhan a gift but I can't think of a good idea!"

Meng Yao looked skeptical. I realized that maybe in his world we don't celebrate lovers! Xichen looked embarrassed! Had I done something wrong by asking this question?

Xichen made a point of explaining.

"Tomorrow we celebrate the love that couples have for each other. On this occasion, it is customary either to give each other small gifts or a romantic meal or both.

"Xichen why did not you tell me, I have not prepared anything for you!

"It is not necessary, this year my gift of the lover's day is you!"

"Xichen that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!!!"

I think I had just lost them both! They were looking into each other's eyes... I tried to put my hand between their faces; they couldn't see me!

🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢

It wasn't from them that I was going to learn anything or get any ideas! So I left the Xichen workroom.

Who did I have left? Since the last summit had ended 4 days ago, Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling and HuaiSang were still there! So I went to look for one of them.

The first one I found was HuaiSang! I rushed to him.

"Brother Huai, you are just in time, I have something to ask you!"

He recoiled. Had I come too fast. Probably, given the acceleration of the speed of his fan!

"Brother Huai, do you know what we're celebrating tomorrow? I'd like to surprise Lan Zhan, but I can't think of an idea that makes sense and that I can implement by then!"

"And you thought of me?"

"You're engaged, so you have something planned for tomorrow night! Heeeeelp meeee !" I tugged at his dress and feigned desperation.

I had to make him feel sorry for me. With his brilliant mind, he was bound to find something!

"Brother Wei, the gift you have to give him must come from your heart. It must be the result of your knowledge of your partner. No one knows him better than you! What pleases the person who shares my life, will not necessarily please the one who shares yours! So I encourage you to think more seriously about what binds you to each other! On that note, Brother Wei, I will have to leave you, we are going back to the Impure Domain within the hour. We wish to be back there by tomorrow night!"

HuaiSang fanned my arm and after a mischievous smile turned away and left, stifling a small laugh behind that horrifying barrier he used to fan himself !!!!

Well, it wasn't from him that I was going to get help either! I saw Jiang Cheng, who was also preparing to leave for Lianhua Wu. After all, he was a newlywed, he had to organize something romantic for his soul mate!

I approached him, in a less lively way than for HuaiSang!

"Brother, I have a favor to ask you!"

"Can't you see I'm busy right now!"

"A-Chennnnng! Your big brother comes to ask you for help and you push me away! My heart is breaking!" I pretended to be hurt in the chest and slumped against him.

"A-Xian, I'm not our Shijie, you won't coax me like that!"

"Ah, really?" I sat up suddenly.

"It worked before!" Jiang Cheng looked at me with an exasperated expression!

"What do you want? I sighed, he was listening to me! Phew!

"For tomorrow, you're planning a romantic dinner, I presume? What exactly are you doing?"

Jiang Cheng stared at me and replied in a wry tone.

"For once the great Wei Wuxian is out of ideas? So you came to steal mine!"

"Jiang Cheng, you're mean! Did you by any chance not digest the joke at your wedding?"

Oops! I think I just hit the nail on the head!

Jiang Cheng thought while staring at me for a long time.

"Think about what he likes. Now I'm going, otherwise we'll never get back in time! ... Good luck, you'll need it." He turned around and laughed loudly!

He wasn't of any use either! That left me with Jin Ling. Youth is inventive. I would surely find some originality in him... although given the identity of those who had raised him, there was still a doubt! I headed for the guest house he occupied.

Hey, I hope I'm not interrupting anything !!!!!

I knocked on the door of his room and he came to open it. He looked around as if he was looking for someone else... I was right! It wasn't me he was expecting to find behind the door and that explained why there was no guard on duty outside his apartments!!!

"Uncle Wei...what are you doing here?"

"I came ...."

No, I shouldn't have done what I did with the others! And then an adult of my age asking advice to someone so young .... was something to laugh about! And Jin Ling wouldn't mind!

"Well, given that tomorrow is the lovers' day and that you are not particularly demonstrative in terms of feelings, I thought you might need some help! Do you have any plans with your lover?"

He looked a little embarrassed.

"Uncle Wei, can I ask you for some advice?"

"Of course, I'm listening! That's what Uncles are for!"

"Uncle Wei, in fact, I would like to take the opportunity of the lovers' day, ... to go a little further in our relationship!"

What ???? further?? I thought they had already done it !!!! Am I wrong?

"Jin Ling, uh, .... You mean you have never ....." I made a discreet movement towards his crotch.

"Uncle Wei !!!! Of course we have, and not just once! But we don't see each other very often, so we take advantage of it whenever we can. I held back a laugh.

"Real little rabbits!"

"What?

"Nothing! .... So you were saying that you wanted to go further .... in which direction?"

Jin Ling took out a cloth folded in 4 from his sleeve. He spread the edges of it. In the center rested a beautiful bracelet finely woven with silver threads intertwining with small jade peonies.

"I plan to give it to him, what do you think?" I stared at the bracelet and was speechless!

"Jin Ling, remove me from a doubt, the peony bracelet, in the Jin clan, is it the symbol of the engagement of the Clan Chief?"

"Yes"

"Are you going to ask him to marry you?"

"Do you think it's too early? We've been together for four years and I want him to stay with me... all the time!"

"I understand you, but he has obligations to the Lan clan. The best thing would be for you to talk about it with him and your uncle Xichen!"

"Then for you it's too soon!"

"No!!! Ooooh and then.... do what you want! You'll iron out the problems as they arise!"

"Thanks, Uncle Wei!"

He jumped on my neck and hugged me! Then he ran out of the room!

Well, I was still at the same point! That is, nowhere !!!! I left the guest house and bumped into SiZhui.

"Dié, what are you doing here?"

"What about you? Did you come to see your cousin?" I asked him innocently!

"No, I was going to the library .... Dié, I was thinking, since it's the lovers' day tomorrow, do you want me to take care of Ni Bi so that you and Father will be quiet for the evening?"

"Don't you have any plans?"

"Yes, but Ni Bi can go with me! She won't be in the way.

"If you insist, fine, but I need to have an idea for the party and Lan Zhan's present.

"The tradition is to offer chocolates" SiZhui laughed discreetly as he did!

"Do you know why, Dié?" I shook my head negatively. He looked around to make sure we were alone.

"Because chocolate, .... is an aphrodisiac!

An aphrodisiac? See !!!! I thought I had read something about it in Lan Zhan's book! When I get home I'll go and have a look at it!

"So Die, shall we do like this? Should I take care of Ni Bi?"

"Mnnnn!" my mind was no longer there but at the Jingshi near the book ....

"I leave you Dié, I will be late!"

I let SiZhui go and returned to the Jingshi as quickly as possible. An afternoon of reading was waiting for me !!!!

The next evening:

I was sitting on the roof where it all began. Would he remember? Would he understand the message I had given him?

"I'm waiting for you at the beginning"

I hoped so. I had borrowed one of SiZhui's white dresses for the occasion. I had my 2 jars of "emperor's smile". The night had fallen. I was ready! I was waiting for him.

I didn't have long to wait. He appeared at the top of the tower's stairs. I turned to him.

"Young Master Lan, you are out so late! Have you come to admire the moon?

Would he understand what I was getting at?

"You broke the barrier,  one violation of the Lan Clan rules... Those who arrive at night are not allowed to enter before 7 o'clock. Two violations of Lan Clan rules ... . Alcohol is not allowed. Three violations of Lan Clan rules.

My heart was filled with love, he remembered his words to me that night! I had never forgotten them and neither had he at first sight!

"Second Master Lan, I am not familiar with the rules of your clan, but I swear that this will not happen again! Will you let me pass just once?

"Recalcitrant! You deserve to be punished!

"You want me to copy the Lan clan rules 300 times?"

"I have a better idea, come on"

He jumped on the roof, grabbed me by the waist and flew over the roofs with me to the Jingshi. The Jingshi was only lit by a few candles that I had scattered all over the garden and inside.

"Lan Zhan, I don't really have a present for you. I had planned to prepare chocolate candies for you but when I tasted them .... "

"Inedible?"

"How did you know?"

"What did you put in them?

"I followed the recipe in the book! But SiZhui is right, I'm really not good at cooking!

I was really ashamed. After searching for days, I thought I had found a way to please him and the only thing I managed to do was .... nothing!

Lan Zhan caressed my cheek. And kissed me gently.

"You have given me the most wonderful gift ever! I looked at him in disbelief.

What did he mean?

"You took me back to the wonderful day we met.

He kissed me again but in a much more demanding way this time. I was back to my Lan Zhan, always oscillating between softness and brutality. A strong and tender man at the same time. Reserved and passionate. A complex man, that I would need a whole life and even more to discover in its entirety.

His hands knew divinely how to give birth in me sensual and violent feelings. He suddenly pressed me against the wall, immobilizing my hands above my head. What were his intentions? His lips moved to my neck. He slipped his free hand into the indentation of my dress. Delicious shivers of desire ran down my back. He released my hands and then pulled the fabric of my dress aside, exposing my torso.

"Wei Ying, I do not need chocolate to feel desire for you!

He knew about the chocolate !!!!

"Because my aphrodisiac, ... is you and the only chocolate candies I want to enjoy are the ones on your chest!"

His mouth took hold of one of my nipples and began to nibble on it. He was right. He said I was his gift, but he was mine. We had lost so many years that every minute we spent together was precious.

We were friends, we were lovers, we were accomplices, we were .... soulmates.   

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)