Chapter 96: Longing (Part Seven)

Finally, he realized. All his promises, “I’ll just ask a few questions; I won’t do anything else,” that he had told himself before making Lan WangJi drink, were all just a lie.

Even the most disciplined person would throw tantrums, hit people, and cause a mess after getting drunk, meaning Lan WangJi’s actions were out of control. And, even though Wei WuXian knew this, he still took advantage of that easy manipulation, deliberately provoking and goading him into doing whatever he wanted.

No matter how tough he was, Lan WangJi was still a human being. After being teased so harshly by him, how could he possibly remain calm? The day before, Lan WangJi had been humiliated by Jiang Cheng like that, and now he was still worried about his younger brother, yet Wei WuXian had messed things up like this…

Lan WangJi didn’t say anything else after ‘mn’, but Wei WuXian had thought of many things himself.

In her two lives, she had never learned how to write the word “shame,” but now, she understood it better than anyone. Her lips still stung and swollen, and the sticky feeling in her stomach and between her legs made her even more embarrassed. She wanted to bang her head against the wall right now.

This situation clearly proved the worst possible outcome. Lan WangJi was indeed very kind to him, but… perhaps not the kindness he had hoped for.

Not wanting to make things awkward for Lan WangJi, Wei WuXian quickly put on his outer shirt and trousers. As he got dressed, he patted his forehead, speaking in a tone not much different from usual, “You’re awake. Well, I’m almost awake too.”

Lan WangJi turned and looked at him. Wei WuXian didn’t dare guess the emotions radiating from his eyes. With slightly trembling arms, he grabbed his clothes and hurriedly put them over his head. He noticed Lan WangJi reaching out toward him, after a moment of silence, as if to help him wipe away the fluids on his body.

Wei WuXian said, “No, thank you!!!”

Lan WangJi’s hand stopped in midair before being pulled back.

Wei WuXian let out a sigh of relief, muttering, “No need. I’ll do it myself. You don’t need to touch me.”

Someone like Lan WangJi would probably feel like he had ruined someone else’s appearance after doing so. Wei WuXian clearly couldn’t bear to let Lan WangJi clean him up. He fumbled for his underwear, wiped himself with it, and then threw it away, “Uh, Lan Zhan, we both probably drank too much tonight. I’m sorry.”

Lan WangJi didn’t say anything.

Wei WuXian only put on one boot before continuing, “But you don’t have to feel too guilty either. Uh, it’s normal for men to be like this sometimes. Please… don’t take it too seriously.”

Lan WangJi looked at him calmly, “Normal?”

His voice sounded more than calm.

Wei WuXian didn’t dare to answer. Lan WangJi asked again, “Don’t be too serious?”

At first, Wei WuXian had thought that rather than having his feelings discovered and them becoming awkward to the point of not being able to be friends, he would rather Lan WangJi think he was cheap and frivolous. However, now, he was starting to regret his foolish words without thinking it through. He whispered, “…Sorry.”

Lan WangJi suddenly stood up. Wei WuXian began to panic. At that moment, the innkeeper suddenly ran upstairs and knocked on the door. “Young Master, Young Master! Are you asleep?”

Lan WangJi looked away. Wei WuXian hurriedly put on his other boots, “No! I mean, yes, yes. Wait, I’ll get up after getting dressed.”

Only after Wei WuXian was dressed did Lan WangJi walk over and open the door. Wei WuXian, “What’s wrong?”

Standing in the hallway, the owner smiled apologetically, “I’m so sorry to disturb you so late at night. Don’t mind. But I had no choice. The guest sleeping below you said there was water dripping into their room. I thought it might be from your room, so I came to check…” He looked inside the room and was immediately shocked, “W-W-W-What’s going on here?!”

Wei WuXian touched his chin, “I should be the one apologizing. I’m sorry, Mom. I drank too much tonight and wanted to take a bath. Everything was going smoothly, so I hit the bathtub a few times, and it broke. I’m really sorry; I’ll pay for it.” Right after he said that, he remembered that he couldn’t possibly pay. On their journey, Lan WangJi had been the one to cover all their expenses. In the end, Lan WangJi would still be the one paying for this.

Although the owner kept saying ‘it’s okay’ and ‘don’t worry’, his face looked extremely distressed. He went inside, “How could the water leak… There’s not even a place to put my feet in this room…” He bent down, picked up some sitting mats, and exclaimed again, “Why is there a hole in here?!”

The sword was crafted by Lan WangJi using Bichen. Wei WuXian ran a hand through his slightly messy hair. He could only repeat his apology, “Yes, it was my fault too. I was playing with my sword, and…”

Before he could finish, Lan WangJi had already picked up the money pouch on the floor and placed a piece of silver on the table. The landlord’s expression softened, but he still had to say a few words, his hand on his chest, “Young Master, no offense, but how could you throw something as dangerous as a sword? It’s fine if you make a hole in the doormat and the floor, but what if you hurt someone?”

Wei WuXian, “Yes, yes. You’re right, Mistress.”

The owner accepted the money, “Well, that’s all for now. It’s getting late. You two can get some rest. I’ll move you two to new rooms and take care of this one tomorrow morning.”

Wei WuXian, “Yes, please, thank you… Wait! Then, can we have two rooms?”

The owner pondered, “Why two rooms?”

Wei WuXian didn’t dare look at Lan WangJi. He lowered his voice, “…I go crazy every time I drink. You see? I throw things and play with swords. I don’t want to hurt anyone, either.”

The owner, “Right!”

After answering, she indeed moved them to two rooms before heading downstairs, clutching the hem of her dress. Wei WuXian thanked her and opened the door to his room. Turning around, he saw Lan WangJi standing in the hallway, holding Bichen in one hand and playing with his forehead ribbon in the other. He lowered his head and said nothing.

Wei WuXian wanted to hide in his room immediately, but after seeing him, he couldn’t take another step. After much thought, he finally spoke, cautiously but sincerely, “Lan Zhan, about tonight, I’m sorry.”

After a moment of silence, Lan WangJi sighed, “You don’t need to tell me this.”

After he had properly tied his forehead ribbon, he returned to his usual self-disciplined HanGuang-Jun. He nodded, “Rest well. We’ll talk about Guanyin Temple and the trip to Lanling tomorrow.”

With this, Wei WuXian felt a little better. At least they had something to talk about tomorrow. He grinned, “Yeah, you too. Get some rest. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”