As he ran he thought, 'Lan Zhan is going to kill me...' 

Wei Ying laughed as he tipped his head back, and gulped down the wine. "More," he gestured towards the waiter. 

"Of course young master," the waiter exclaimed excitedly. With all the wine Wei Ying had bought, the waiter was sure that he was one of those rich young masters from the big clans. Though he wasn't sure which. He didn't look like one of those Gusu people, didn't they have like 3000 rules carved on a rock or something? There's no way they would produce a disciple this wild. Maybe this young master was one of the Nie Sects? They were the residential sect of the area. But he didn't look like a local.... Oh well, it didn't matter- as long as he had silver, all was well. 

"Young master is quite a drinker!" the waiter observed, bringing Wei Ying his wine. 

Wei Ying just laughed, "I suppose so," he replied. 

After he had escaped from Jiang Cheng, Wei Ying ran all over the city to find Lan Zhan. Unfortunately for him, it was to no avail. Deciding to just give up and wait until Han-Guang Jun came to look for him, Wei Ying had asked around until he found this restaurant. It was supposed to be one of the most famous in the Qinghe area. Judging from the wine it served, the restaurant certainly lived up to its name.  

Wei Ying was just about to tip his head back again when a furious voice sounded behind him, "Wei Ying." 

Wei Ying gulped at the rage in Lan Zhan's tone. It was the same tone he used back when they were kids- back when Wei Ying had tricked Lan Zhan into reading pornography. The latter had been boiling with outrage and distress. He had used the same tone on Wei Ying then, calling his name like he wasn't sure what sort of wild creature Wei Ying was. Wei Ying felt his lips quirking upwards into a smile, at the memory. 

"Wei Ying." the voice sounded again, this time much closer. 

"Heh, Lan Zhan," he replied nervously. He had only seen Han-Guang Jun this mad once before. And the last time Lan Zhan used this tone on him, he had been unceremoniously tossed out the Library Pavillion. 

Lan Zhan set two bars of silver down on the table, and without another word, grabbed Wei Ying's arm and dragged him out the restaurant. 

"AHH LAN ZHAN!" Wei Ying screeched indignantly, "LET GO OF ME!"

Lan Zhan ignored his protests and gave a pointed look at the childish Wei Ying, who was still kicking and screaming in his arms. "How silly," he muttered.

The waiter looked on in shock as the man in white forcefully dragged away the young master in black. He was concerned for a moment, before looking down at the two bars of silver gleaming on the tabletop. He beamed, all his earlier worry dissipating. 'A man this rich surely wouldn't do anything to the young master!'  the waiter reasoned before calling "Young masters take care!" and waving at their retreating figures. 

--------

Lan Zhan pulled Wei Ying over to a nearby inn that he had booked. The inn was located right by the bustling marketplace, and provided little measure of privacy. 

"Lan Zhan..." Wei Ying whined, "It's not like I didn't try to find you. I just couldn't. So I decided to find a restaurant and try to inquire some information on your whereabouts. I swear I just bought the wine to bribe the waiter! You know, they're actually really useful if you use some silver to loosen their tongues..." he babbled. 

Lan Zhan didn't speak, just kept a firm grip on Wei Ying's forearm. When they walked into their room, Lan Zhan immediately led Wei Ying to the bed. 

Wei Ying yelped, thoughts racing a mile a minute. 'Is he going to fuck me?' he thought giddily. 'No Wei Ying. You can't be this horny all the time. Bet Lan Zhan isn't even thinking about that. He's probably just giving you a false sense of security so that he can scold you later.'  

But Lan Zhan wasn't in fact, going to scold him. 

Wei Ying's mouth fell open when he saw Lan Zhan drop to his knees in front of him. 'Is he proposing...?'  he squealed internally before slapped himself silently. 'No Wei Ying... you guys aren't even lovers yet, stop overthinking everything... and besides. Aren't you supposed to avoid him at all costs?' 

Lan Zhan gently rolled up Wei Ying's pant leg. "Good," he nodded in satisfaction when he saw that Wei Ying's curse mark was gone. Lan Zhan was silent for a moment, which worried Wei Ying. Wei Ying had seen the barely suppressed fury in Lan Zhan's eyes. He had been sure that the second they got back, Lan Zhan would be like a volcano, ready to explode. He braced himself the explosion, but it never came. Instead, Lan Zhan looked up at him with pain filled eyes. "Wei Ying..." he whispered, fear clouding his amber eyes. "I-I thought I lost you," he confessed in a small voice. 

Wei Ying smiled gently at the confession, "Lan Zhan, you didn't lose me. See? I'm here aren't I?" Wei Ying hesistated, knowing he should stop here. But seeing the lost look on Lan Zhan's face, his heart twisted and without even thinking about it, he reached out and pulled Lan Zhan into a hug. 

Lan Zhan froze and Wei Ying closed his eyes for a second, breathing in Lan Zhan's familiar sandalwood smell. Then he stopped dead. 'Ah shit.' he thought. 'Ah shitty, shit, shit, shit, shit... FUCK Wei Ying didn't you say you were going to leave him alone? You clearly know that you guys are impossible... so why do you still latch onto him? Don't you know you're acting like a parasite? Why can't you just stay away from him? What do you not understand? He. Doesn't. Love. You.' 

Wei Ying tried to scramble back, but Lan Zhan held him tight, tucking Wei Ying's head onto his chest. "I'm sorry," Lan Zhan said, voice cracking. Wei Ying froze. It's amazing what impact two little words can make. Two measly little words, and Wei Ying's entire body froze in shock, his mind struggling to process what Lan Zhan just said. 

Lan Zhan continued, undaunted by Wei Ying's silence, "You have no idea... no idea how much I've missed you. How guilty I felt when you died..." he trailed off, unwanted memories assaulting him. "I'm sorry," he whispered again. "I should've stood by your side..." 

Wei Ying brain seemed to have malfunctioned, and his thoughts were running wild. 'Is the great Han-Guang Jun... apologizing? Is he really voicing his regret right now? I didn't think that was even possible! Who is so special to receive such an honor?' Wei Ying furrowed his brow, 'Wait a minute... what did he say again? Something about feeling guilty and standing by Wei Ying's side...'  

With a shock, Wei Ying realized, 'Lan Zhan regretted leaving him. He regretted not standing by his side. He regretted ever pointing his sword towards Wei Ying. He... he had grieved over Wei Ying when he died. He had missed Wei Ying... Lan Zhan had missed him!'  Wei Ying thought, pride swelling up in his chest. 

For the first time since his death, Wei Ying felt an overwhelming amount of hope blossom inside him. And for the first time, he felt a feeling of surrender. He didn't want to keep fighting- didn't want to keep lying to himself. For the longest time, Wei Ying had tricked himself into believing that he hated Lan Zhan. Indeed, for the past 13 years he spent in that dark and dreary place, he had spent every second of it training himself into hating the very reason for his existence. He had told himself time and time again, that Lan Zhan betrayed him. Lan Zhan abandoned him. Lan Zhan hurt him... Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan. That's all he would ever think about. 

But it's easier to hate someone behind their back, than in front of their face. The first time Lan Zhan had appeared before him, Wei Ying had felt all his defenses drop. The love that burst out of him, scared Wei Ying. Scared him so badly. He had spent 13 years teaching himself how to hate Lan Zhan. 13 miserable, long, and bitter years. But the second he saw Lan Zhan, 13 years of pain and heartache washed away. All that was left, was the joy and utter happiness that he felt when he looked into Lan Zhan's familiar eyes. That feeling terrified him. It terrified him to think that 13 years of preparing himself for the worse, was gone. Just like that. He kept denying it, but Wei Ying knew. If Lan Zhan had left him the second time, it would hurt just as much as the first. Perhaps even more because this time, Wei Ying loved him from the start. 

Wei Ying remembered what Jiang Fengmian had taught him. His uncle had told him that everyone exists for a purpose. Some like Jiang Cheng, existed to compete. Some like Lan Qiren, existed to teach. Some like Jin Guangyao, existed to prove. Some like Yu Ziyuan, existed to command. Some like his Shijie, existed to sympathize. Some like himself, existed to protect. And some... some very special souls, they existed for a purpose so simple- that it was almost laughable. Lan Zhan was one of those rare beings that existed to do nothing more than ecompass everyone he met, in a blanket of love and care. 

Wei Ying sighed. He was tired. So incredibly weary. He was tired of constantly fighting the yearning in his heart. He was worn out from the never-ending dilemma he seemed to be in. He was sick and tired of always having to warn himself away from Lan Zhan. He didn't want to keep fighting every fiber of his being. 

Wei Ying was exhausted from lying to himself. And at last, he finally admitted the words that had been stuck in his throat for so long. The words that had haunted his dreams for months, the words that strangled his soul, the words that once upon a time-he mumbled in pain and desolation.  

Words that now became his olive branch, his offering of peace as he held tight to the fragile hope in his heart. 

"Lan Zhan." he cried silently, "Please don't break my heart again."