Lan Zhan cannot look away.

Wei Ying is wearing skin tight black formal trousers and a scarlet shirt that hugs his lean body in the way a scabbard is made for its sword.

Wei Ying is a lethal weapon in his own right.

Not only is he hot, as if just emerging from the ashes of a true volcano, but he has added black eyeliner, and a shimmering granite eyeshadow. It highlights his beautiful smoking eyes, accentuating his natural silver flecks.

Lan Zhan is absolutely besotted with him.

But as he goes in to kiss him, Wei Ying's hand stops his mouth from moving forward.

"Uh, uh, Mister. You have some explaining to do, and we don't have the time right now. But we are talking when we get back tonight." And with that, he storms past Lan Zhan, leaving him feeling terribly hot, and anxious, and muddled, and everything in between.

What was the matter?

Lan Zhan's gaze falls on the open wardrobe and the clothes that are spilling out of it, most of them for Wei Ying.

Oh no.

Had he really bought all those?

When did it get out of hand like that?

He couldn't remember purchasing all of those, but he must have, right?

Wei Ying and the children are already waiting for Lan Zhan when he leaves the bedroom, an apologetic look on his face as he pouts at Wei Ying.

Gotta be strong, Wei Ying tells himself, forcing himself to turn away quickly, because he hasn't finished making Lan Zhan grovel yet.

There's an uncomfortable silence in the car as they drive to wherever Lan Zhan's Uncle lives. Lan Zhan is scared to turn on the music even, and the kids have twigged that something is wrong because there's no excited chattering from them, either.

Wei Ying wasn't sure what he was expecting when he wondered about where Uncle Qiren lived. This, certainly wasn't it.

They have arrived in the best part of town where the smallest houses have a minimum of ten bedrooms. There are fountains outside some of these properties, or else gates with winding drives all the way to distant huge buildings, each one more ostentatious than the previous ones.

The sheer wealth on display has Wei Ying sinking deeper and deeper into his seat.

If he had thought having millions of dollars was going to give him a big head, well then, this was the way to get a reality check, because anyone who could afford to live here was rolling in wealth.

In comparison, Wei Ying had a trifling amount to his name.

He had chosen to wear his long hair up in a ponytail tonight, tied with a scarlet ribbon that matched his shirt. The ribbon was in honour of his mother, because he wanted something of his parents with him tonight, something that proved he wasn't alone. And so what if he didn't know for sure if it belonged to her, but she was wearing it in the photo that rested inside the black heart locket around his neck.

His fingers touched it, cold metal on the outer side, and warm where it rested against his skin.

Would his parents be proud of him?

He knew he looked good...but, wasn't internal integrity more valuable?

Wei Ying hoped that his parents would approve of the man he had become now, but the truth was, he hadn't had the luxury of thinking about them for a long time. Only when Lan Zhan had found his old necklace.

And now, he was on his way to meet another older relative, a parental figure of his boyfriend and whether he liked it or not, he would have to strive for Uncle Qiren's approval, too.

These homes and the scenery he was looking at was seriously affecting his confidence.

What if Uncle Qiren found him lacking in some way?

Or worse, what if Uncle Qiren objected to him?

Then what would Wei Ying do? Was he strong enough to walk away from Lan Zhan?

The sharp pain those words caused him, lancing through his heart like a sharp knife, had him gasping. Wei Ying can feel Lan Zhan looking at him, his super sharp hearing having no doubt caught the sound.

Wei Ying took a deep breath, berating himself.

Here he was, professing to love Lan Zhan deeply and forever, and yet, at the first sign of trouble on the horizon, he was thinking about walking away. All because he didn't want to be the wedge that came in between Lan Zhan and his uncle.

But could he really do that? Wei Ying forced himself to be absolutely honest with himself.

No lies, no covering up.

The answer was no.

He was so relieved.

There was even a small smile on his face at the realisation that Wei Ying was going to fight for this, for the wealth of love in his heart for Lan Zhan.

Wei Ying was going to take a stand now.

If he truly believed that Lan Zhan was it for him, then their love was something worth fighting for.

Lan Zhan hadn't dared to take his hand when they got in the car after leaving home, so Wei Ying reached over and tangled their fingers together.

"This isn't about the mess at home," he says, meaning it. "But here, we're going to present a united front." His voice is sure and full of confidence.

Lan Zhan would gladly admit that those words have made him fall in love with this beautiful man, all over again. Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say that he's fallen even deeper in love with him, because falling out of whatever this is, is impossible.

Lan Zhan has never been as confident as now of his feelings towards Wei Ying. He brings their hands up to his lips and places a lingering kiss there.

It never fails to make Wei Ying shiver.

They pass by gates with clouds formed out of wrought iron and painted cream and gold. There's a winding drive that twists a couple of times before they reach an avenue of sorts, flanked by beautiful cherry trees in full bloom. Pink petals drift by, some whizzing past to get stuck on their windshield.

It's a beautiful sight, especially in this twilight. The sky is a contrast of purples and blues, with orange streaks that are fading fast, allowing the glittering stars to shine above them.

Lan Zhan parks the car at the side of the mansion. He gets out of the vehicle and goes to open the door for Wei Ying and then the children, all three who are wearing the same expression of awe and disbelief.

Gravel crunches beneath their feet as they step out of the sanctuary that is Lan Zhan's car.

This home looks like a modern Palace. Wei Ying counts the number of windows in one quarter section of it, and he's already past sixteen when Lan Zhan takes his hand.

The outer facade is made from huge brownstone, and there are two round turrets at each side. It's a picturesque building, made even more attractive due to the working fountain in front of Lan Zhan's home.

They slowly walk up to it.

Lights in the water help to illuminate the fountain.

There's a winged dragon attacking a tall man with a staff, who is trying to impale the dragon in this fight. He's wearing a necklace of skulls, which looks rather odd, but Wei Ying doesn't want to say anything. He gets a weird sense of deja vu looking at the fierce scene and it makes him uncomfortable.

Both children are in awe of the remarkable craftsmanship, the way the ripples of the man's robes look fluid even though the entire thing is carved out of stone. Their mouths are open as they stare in wonder at the dragon, baring its teeth in anger. It looks very realistic, as if any moment now, smoke and fire will erupt from its mouth.

Wei Ying thinks it looks strange, but because he's not sure of why, he doesn't want to appear rude.

"It's a nice house." He whispered to Lan Zhan, eyes wide with trepidation.

That's an understatement.

If, after seeing Lan Zhan's apartment, all white and gold, and it giving Wei Ying a complex about the differences in their financial status, this home will surely widen the gap into a chasm that cannot be crossed.

Lan Zhan's expression is priceless. He can't bring himself to care very much about what Wei Ying thinks about the outside of what used to be his home, not when what is going to happen on the inside of it, is causing him more worry. He decides to impart some valuable advice, instead.

"Just remember, start with the outer cutlery and work your way in." Lan Zhan tells him, promising himself that he'll try to use his first so Wei Ying will know which ones to use. Uncle gets annoyed at misused utensils.

"Do you have, like, people to help around the place?" Wei Ying asks him cautiously, feeling like it might be a crime to speak any louder here. And why the heck is Lan Zhan more worried about which fork he's going to use? Doesn't he already know that Wei Ying is a single spoon and possibly one fork type of guy?

Maybe there were other kinds of rules here that hadn't even crossed Wei Ying's mind yet.

"Mn. Generations of families have worked for the Lans," he confirms. "Also, Uncle has rules for mealtimes."

"Such as?" Wei Ying is wishing Lan Zhan could have mentioned all these points earlier. Preferably when he could have backed out of it before. But he seems intent on dropping bomb after bomb like it doesn't even matter.

However, the children draw their attention away from their conversation.

The kids can see something at the bottom in the basin of the fountain, and they ask for coins. Lan Zhan reaches into his pocket and gives the boys what they asked for. But they toss the coins in, just like that.

"No talking at the table." Lan Zhan whispers back to Wei Ying, answering his earlier question, and then in a slightly louder voice, he calls the children back, giving them more coins. He presses one in Wei Ying's palm, too. "Do you know, boys? This is a magical wish-granting fountain. Just before you put your coins in, you have to close your eyes and make a wish. More importantly, you cannot tell anyone what your wish is." He smiles kindly at all of them. "Shall we try?"

Wei Ying was freaking out at the no talking rule, but as he watched how gentle Lan Zhan was with the boys, his heart melted at the sight. So patient with them, Lan Zhan helped
JingYi first, waiting until he made his wish before moving on to A-Yuan.

"Now it's your turn." Lan Zhan says to Wei Ying, his wonderful golden eyes appearing like pools of amber in the reflection of the lights spilling out of the numerous windows.

"Lan Zhan...?" Wei Ying suddenly feels foolish for being annoyed at this caring man.

He hadn't actually been angry at him for buying so many clothes, more it was not liking the wastefulness of the gesture. Maybe they can talk later about that and the lack of information about attending a dinner at the Lan household.

"Mn?" Lan Zhan is right here, next to Wei Ying.

"Do you think...should we make a wish together? I won't say it out loud, promise." When Lan Zhan doesn't immediately answer, Wei Ying thinks maybe he doesn't want to.

Maybe, it was a silly thing to want, and he goes to step forward, when Lan Zhan takes his free hand.

"I would be honoured to make a wish with Wei Ying."

These soft words float around him, making happiness burst out in his chest.

Lan Zhan doesn't think it's silly, does not think Wei Ying is foolish for wanting something so simple.

Wei Ying isn't even sure why it seems so important for them to take this step, but he squeezes Lan Zhan's hand and they close their eyes.

The wishes are made and then there are twin plopping sounds as their coins fall into the water.

Lan Zhan risks a quick kiss, chaste but affectionate.

Something settles deep inside both of them as they walk behind the children towards the pillared front of the house, where two double doors await.

Dark wood, heavy and solid, carved with a cloud design.

Wei Ying feels a sense of safety, that once he goes inside past these barriers, nothing can touch him from the outside. It's a good sign.

He does raise a brow when Lan Zhan rings the doorbell. They can hear the chimes reverberating through the inside of the mansion, echoing into stillness.

"Mn?"

"I thought you'd have a key...because, you know, you used to live here." Wei Ying explains.

"None of us have a key. There's always someone inside who can open the door." Lan Zhan tells him, as if that's the most ordinary thing to say.

Wei Ying can only smile; it's a rich people kind of thing to say that.

But all thoughts flee as the door finally opens.

By a butler.

He's dressed better than both of them, in a sharp dark grey suit with a starched, white dress shirt. A bow tie at his neck and a handkerchief square in his pocket, folded perfectly with sharp corners.

He's probably in his late fifties, with salt and pepper hair, short and properly styled.

He's impeccable in all ways.

So when he winks at Lan Zhan after bowing in greeting, and Lan Zhan calls him, "Da Tuzi*." (*Big Bunny), Wei Ying gapes at both of them, stifling a choked laugh.

"No way! Did you really call him that?" He whispers under his breath, but it's clear that everyone heard him.

"I have known Master Lan since birth. And it's just between us." Da Tuzi smiles ever so gently at both of them.

And suddenly, Wei Ying is so, so glad that in this big house, huge in its empty corridors and massive rooms, that Lan Zhan had someone he was comfortable with. Wei Ying thinks about the little kid he must have been, newly arrived back from hospital and losing his mother like that. He thinks about how sad Little Lan Zhan would have felt, all alone and so traumatised that he had stopped speaking.

And then there was this friend, someone who allowed the small child to call him Da Tuzi privately, just among themselves.

This was someone they could trust.

Wei Ying bows to him, too.

"Thank you for taking care of Lan Zhan," he says, simply.

There's a gasp.

Wei Ying returns to his upright self immediately, and looks at the man, even as Lan Zhan is staring at Da Tuzi, and then following his gaze, looks at Wei Ying's chest where the locket has slipped out from his open collar.

But when they look back at him, Da Tuzi has his normal face, wearing a polite smile. It all happened in a fraction of a second and Wei Ying thinks he might have imagined it. Or, it might be because, while he was playing with his necklace in the car, a few more buttons on his shirt came loose, revealing a little more of his chest.

Maybe there was a dress code?

He quickly tucks away his necklace and does another two buttons up, smiling broadly to hide his nervousness.

"Senior Master Lan is waiting." Da Tuzi bows again.

But before they can go in, there are hurried footsteps behind them and it's XiChen with his boyfriend, Nie MingJue.

Wei Ying has never seen anyone so big before, and his eyes are as wide as snow globes, watching the gentle giant walk towards them with a blushing XiChen. His ears are a marked red, peeking out from his long hair.

It doesn't help when Nie MingJue actually tucks the few strands behind the hot curve of them.

Lan Zhan wants to greet them, but he's just noticed the way not only Wei Ying, but his children too, are staring at the mountain of muscle in awe.

The scowling glare is real.

Greetings and introductions are exchanged, and then everyone follows Da Tuzi inside. His actual name is Fei Yang.

But it's too late for Wei Ying; he can't think of anything but Da Tuzi as his name now.

They are led to a huge bathroom where everyone can freshen up and wash their hands. The actions are completed quickly and without delay, as the adults help the children, and then they follow Da Tuzi towards another set of double doors.

This room is even grander than the cream and gold foyer, and corridors they've already walked through, not to mention the marbled bathroom.

There's a long narrow table along the centre with chairs on either side, at least fifty. Right at the other end sits an austere man studying them while stroking his whiskers.

He's unsmiling and serious, and looks annoyed at having to be kept waiting.

They are all ushered towards him, and he stands to greet them.

Everyone bows.

No one says anything, and it's freaking Wei Ying out, but it's better because Lan Zhan told him about this. But it's still weird.

Plates and cutlery are set out on either side of Uncle Qiren, and Wei Ying is glad that they're not using the whole table; he smiles to himself with the thought that, if they did, any food to reach them would be cold by the time it did.

Lan XiChen sits closest to Uncle Qiren, on his right side, while Lan Zhan sits on his left. Two chairs with pillows are in between Wei Ying's place and his, for the children.

It's a thoughtful consideration for them, and allows a parent each to attend to the needs of the younger guests.

As they sit down, Wei Ying watches as all three Lans open up the handkerchiefs folded cleverly into crane shapes, and place them on their laps.

When Wei Ying does this for A-Yuan, his son throws him a curious, questioning look, and Wei Ying can only shrug in response.

A polite clearing of a throat is all the warning they get, before the doors to the kitchen open, and an army of staff march out with covered trays.

Wei Ying is shocked to see Lan Zhan looking excited to uncover his food.

But that reminds him of another problem. What is Lan Zhan going to do about his inability to consume solid food?

Are they going to be forced to explain to Uncle Qiren about his condition?

There's so much silent drama happening around him, that Wei Ying is thoroughly entertained, and simultaneously stressed because nothing is as he expected.

MingJue tucks into his food, surreptitiously watching XiChen's exaggeratingly slow movements and copying him, which is heartening to see, that someone as big and confident as him is also worried about making a good impression here. He picks up the correct fork when XiChen does, and then because he's obviously hungry and eats faster, he's left staring at his empty bowl until the next course, and inevitably mimicking appropriate cutlery usage.

The clatter of a dropped fork makes everyone look at Lan Zhan, who looks unrepentant about it, glaring at his plate. Which is a shame, because his matches the children's plates, full of bunny shaped mashed potato balls, and bunny shaped pasta tossed in with the noodles, bunny shaped tomato slices and bunny shaped apple pieces.

Now Wei Ying knows the secret behind the snacks that Lan Zhan prepares daily for their children.

It all started here, in this house.

Someone obviously cared about the Second Master Lan, enough to encourage his eating, because it was no secret that Lan Zhan loved bunnies. Enough that even their butler of so many years encouraged him to use another, more familiar name.

Wei Ying keeps a secret eye on Lan Zhan's plate, and is surprised to see it half empty.

Where did the food go?

And yet, Lan Zhan looks like he's chewing?

It's such a mystery...

Wei Ying returns to his own plate and tries to eat the bland dishes, when suddenly and miraculously, a bottle of chilli oil appears right in front of him. Before he can even thank the beautiful soul, whoever it was, they've disappeared, and Wei Ying doesn't want to draw attention to either the fact, or himself.

But the slight upturning of gorgeous, familiar lips alerts him to the knowledge that somehow, Lan Zhan did that for him.

And all Wei Ying wants to do is throw himself into Lan Zhan's lap and kiss them into oblivion. But that will have to wait, because no one can escape the silent, stern, judgemental frown on Uncle Qiren's face.

************

After dinner, which had been followed by the most delightfully cute bunny decorated cupcakes for everyone, including Uncle Qiren, which allowed Wei Ying to see the gruff older man's eyes soften when they landed on his nephews, only for a second, because there was a calculated change when he saw Wei Ying looking at him, they are shepherded into a drawing room.

It is formal and minimalist, decorated in pale greys, pale blues and contrasting dark mahogany furniture. The chairs are all cream leather with neutral shades beige and gold cushions providing the only splash of colour.

Everyone sits down quietly.

The silence is tense and static, as if they're all waiting for something to happen.

Lan Zhan stands up to bow, tugging on Wei Ying's hand to raise him up, too.

"Shifu, it is good to see you. Please meet Wei WuXian, Wei Ying. He is my chosen partner. And these are our children, Lan JingYi, and Wei Yuan."

Wei Ying bows too, and of course, then they have to go through the details of how they all met.

Every time Wei Ying is uncertain, XiChen jumps in with a funny anecdote or a question, which eases the tension considerably. He throws XiChen a grateful smile every time it happens, receiving a happy nod in return.

Nie MingJue watches everything without comment, as silent as Uncle Qiren is, listening to everything they have to say.

And then there's another tense silence.

This time, it's broken by XiChen, who opens his briefcase and comes to sit by Wei Ying, so that Wei Ying is sandwiched protectively between both the Lan brothers. And all throughout, Lan Zhan hasn't let go of Wei Ying's hand once.

XiChen explains the different investments Wei Ying can choose from, and all are carefully considered to give him the greatest benefits. The returns on his core sum will mean that it can remain untouched, yet yielding him a regular payment of interest.

"XiChen-Ge, I still have to thank you for selling the watch for me, in the first place." Wei Ying stands up and bows, to which XiChen also stands up and hugs him.

"Not necessary," he says sternly, looking at both Wei Ying and his baby brother. "You're making my Didi so happy, and there's nothing better than that. We're family now."

That makes joyful tears spring up in Wei Ying's eyes. At least one person approves of him, someone close to Lan Zhan.

When he looks towards Uncle Qiren, there's a swift look of approval before the older man returns to gazing at the children. And then suddenly, he stands up.

Everyone watches the older man go to a chest of drawers and take something out. He returns to the coffee table with his arms full of colouring books and pencils, smiling slightly awkwardly at the children, who are suddenly very interested in him.

Wei Ying watches as he beckons them closer and they scramble to sit next to him, one on each side.

Nie MingJue asks him a question, and then they're chatting quietly among themselves.

It's some time later that Wei Ying hears JingYi say, "who's that?"

The little boy points at the pictures around the room, and Uncle Qiren gruffly, but in a pleased way, tells him who all these people are.

Wei Ying hopes that may be the end of it, but then to his horror, JingYi says, "so, where's your mama?"

It seems everyone heard him say that.

Wei Ying is about to open his mouth and say something (what? WHAT??), when Lan Zhan shakes his head subtly, telling him to wait without saying the actual words.

"My mama went away, a long while ago." Uncle Qiren says quietly.

"My mama went away, too." JingYi has tears in his eyes, but he pats Uncle Qiren's hand bravely. "But it's okay. I have A-Yuan. And you can have us. We can be your friends."

"I don't have a mama, but I have Baba and A-Die. They make me happy, and they can make you happy as well." A-Yuan tells them, proud and eagerly.

Wei Ying has buried his tear-stricken face in Lan Zhan's shoulder, trying not to make a noise, but he's ready to bawl at their cuteness, despite the tragedy that they're talking about.

Uncle Qiren looks up at them then, and smiles.

*********

A/N

Dear Beautiful Readers,

I wanna bawl too, because this dinner was supposed to be done many, many chapters ago, and we're at 50 already, and way past 165K in word count, and we haven't even gotten to the best part yet.

I wish these people would just shut up and let me do what I want, but sadly, it cannot be helped.

Anyway, put your seat belts on, because we're in for a ride. No cliffhangers because it's the last time I'm gonna be kind.

*throws back head and laughs maniacally...

I hope you all have a great day....

Charlie