TFOD Chapter 46

Lan Jingyi’s chicken wing dropped from his mouth, landing in his bowl, splattering sauce everywhere and staining his chest.

Wei Wuxian’s mind was filled with one thought: after he sobers up, Lan Wangji won’t be able to face anyone.

Jin Ling asked with uncertainty, “…What is he doing?”

Wei Wuxian said, “Showing you a special way to use the Lan family forehead ribbon.”

Lan Sizhui asked, “What special way…?”

Wei Wuxian said, “When you encounter a very strange walking corpse that you feel you need to take back for a thorough examination, you can untie your forehead ribbon and bind it up like this to take it back.”

Lan Jingyi cried, “How can that be? Our family’s forehead ribbon is…”

Lan Sizhui stuffed the chicken wing back into his mouth, and said, “I see. I had no idea it had such a wonderful use!”

Ignoring the strange glances from everyone around them, Lan Wangji dragged Wei Wuxian upstairs.

They entered the room. He turned around, closed the door, and latched it. As a final step, he pushed a table in front of the door as if to block out some enemy. Watching Lan Wangji busily finishing all this, Wei Wuxian said, “Are you going to kill and dismember me here?”

The private room had a wooden painted screen, dividing the space into two parts. One part had a table setting for sitting and eating, and the other had a long couch with curtains for resting. Lan Wangji dragged him behind the screen. With a strong push, Wei Wuxian was knocked onto the couch.

The long couch had a wooden backrest, and Wei Wuxian’s head lightly bumped against it, so he feigned an “Ouch!” while inwardly thinking: “Is he going to force me to sleep with him again? Isn’t it not yet Hai hour?”

Hearing his loud exclamation of pain, Lan Wangji lifted the hem of his white robe and sat gracefully on the edge of the couch. He reached out to feel his head. Though his expression was indifferent, the motion was very gentle, as if to ask, “Did it hurt?”

While he was touching him, Wei Wuxian’s mouth twitched, and he said, “It hurts, it hurts, it really hurts.”

Hearing him repeatedly say it hurt, a trace of concern appeared on Lan Wangji’s face, and his hand became gentler, even patting him consolingly on the shoulder. Wei Wuxian raised both hands for him to see, and said, “Please let go of me. Hanguang-Jun, you’ve tied me so tightly, it’s almost drawing blood, it hurts so much. Untie the forehead ribbon, let me go, okay? Please?”

Lan Wangji suddenly covered his mouth.

Wei Wuxian said, “Mmmph! Mmmm! Mmmph! Mmmph! Mmmph! Mmmph! Mmmph?!!”

If you don’t want to do something, you pretend you don’t understand. If you really can’t pretend you don’t understand, you simply won’t let me talk?!

So terrible!

Wei Wuxian thought, “Since that’s the case, then don’t blame me.”

Lan Wangji was tightly covering his mouth with one hand. Wei Wuxian parted his lips and his tongue lightly flicked against Lan Wangji’s palm.

It was just a light touch, like a dragonfly skimming the water, but Lan Wangji recoiled as if his palm had been burned by a hot flame.

Wei Wuxian deeply inhaled, feeling like he’d released some pent-up anger. But then he saw Lan Wangji turned around, his back to him, hugging his knees while sitting on the wooden couch. He held the hand that had been touched close to his heart, completely still.

Wei Wuxian said, “What are you doing? What is this?”

This pose, like a pure and innocent maiden defiled by a rogue, anyone who didn’t know better would think that he’d done something to Lan Wangji.

Seeing that he seemed so traumatized, Wei Wuxian said, “Did you hate it so much? There’s nothing that can be done if you hated it. Who told you to be so domineering and not let me speak? Why don’t you come over, and I’ll give you a wipe down?”

As he said this, he stretched out his tied hands, trying to touch Lan Wangji’s shoulder, but Lan Wangji dodged him. Seeing Lan Wangji hugging his knees and cowering in the corner of the couch, Wei Wuxian’s mischievous intentions surged again.

He knelt on the bed, moved towards Lan Wangji, and with the most seductive tone he could muster, laughed, “Are you scared?”

Lan Wangji immediately jumped off the bed as if scared, and kept his back to him, keeping his distance.

Wei Wuxian was really feeling playful now.

He slowly got off the couch, giggling, “Oh, why are you hiding? Don’t run away, my hands are still tied, even I’m not afraid, so what are you afraid of? Come, come, come here.”

As he laughed, he maliciously approached him. Lan Wangji rushed out from behind the screen and encountered the table that he had pushed in front of the door, blocking his way. Wei Wuxian circled around the screen to chase him, and he circled to the other side. The two circled around the screen, chasing each other for seven or eight laps. Wei Wuxian was getting excited by the chase when he suddenly woke up, thinking, “What am I doing? Playing hide-and-seek? What is this, did my head get stuck in a door? It’s okay for Lan Zhan to be drunk, why am I playing along with him?”

Finding that the person chasing him was standing still, Lan Wangji also stopped moving.

He hid behind the screen, peeking out with half of his pale face, silently observing Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian carefully looked at him. The man was still as serious and upright as ever, as if the person who had been running around the screen like a six-year-old with Wei Wuxian was someone else.

Wei Wuxian said, “Do you want to continue?”

Lan Wangji nodded expressionlessly.

Wei Wuxian was about to burst with suppressed laughter.

Hahahahahaha! Oh my god, Lan Zhan wants to play hide-and-seek after getting drunk hahahahahaha!

The laughter in his heart was like a surging tidal wave, and after finally controlling it, he was trembling all over, thinking, “The Gusu Lan Clan is a family that doesn’t allow loud noises, doesn’t allow playing, not even quick walking is permitted. Lan Zhan must never have been this crazy when he was a child. Tsk, tsk, tsk, so pitiful. Anyway, he won’t remember anything after he sobers up, it wouldn’t hurt to play with him a little.”

He took two steps toward Lan Wangji, pretending to be about to chase him. As expected, Lan Wangji ran away. Wei Wuxian treated him like he was teasing a child, diligently cooperating, chasing him for two or three laps, saying, “Run, run, run faster, don’t let me catch you. If I catch you once, I’ll lick you again, see if you’re afraid or not.”

He had originally intended to scare him with that sentence. Who knew, Lan Wangji suddenly walked out from behind the screen and bumped directly into him.

Wei Wuxian had been intending to grab him, but who would have expected him to come to him. He was speechless for a moment, and forgot to stretch out his hand. Seeing that he wasn’t moving, Lan Wangji raised the wrist that was tied into a bundle, wrapped both his arms around his neck, like willingly entering a firm embrace. He said, “Caught you.”

Wei Wuxian, “…Huh? Oh, caught me.”

As if waiting for something expectantly, but not receiving it for a long time, Lan Wangji repeated the three words again, this time pronouncing each word clearly and forcefully, as if impatiently urging him, “Caught you.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Yeah, I’m caught.”

Caught, then what?

What had he said–once he was caught, he would what?

…No way.

Wei Wuxian said, “That doesn’t count. This time you came to me on your own…”

Before he finished speaking, he saw Lan Wangji’s face fall, his face like ice. He looked extremely unhappy.

Wei Wuxian thought: “No way, after Lan Zhan gets drunk, not only does he like to play hide-and-seek, but he also likes to be licked?”

He tried to take his arms off Lan Wangji’s neck, but Lan Wangji raised a hand, pressing them firmly, not letting him take them off. Seeing that one of Lan Wangji’s hands was pressed against his arm, Wei Wuxian thought for a moment, leaned closer, and tentatively brought his cheek close, brushing his lips across the back of Lan Wangji’s hand as if touching it lightly and fleetingly. His tongue touched the cool, jade-like skin lightly.

It was just a light, light touch.

Lan Wangji recoiled his hand like lightning, removed Wei Wuxian’s arms, and then turned his back to him and jumped to the side, hugging the hand that had been licked, silently lowering his head and facing the wall without saying a word.

Wei Wuxian pondered, “Is he afraid or does he like it? Or does he both fear and like it?”

While he was pondering, Lan Wangji turned around, and again, with a calm face, said, “Again.”

Wei Wuxian, “Again? What again?”

Lan Wangji hid behind the screen again, showing half of his face as he looked at him.

The meaning was clear: again, you chase, I run.

After a moment of silence, Wei Wuxian then followed his lead, and said “again.” This time, he only chased two steps before Lan Wangji ran into him again.

Wei Wuxian said, “You’re really doing this on purpose.”

Lan Wangji wrapped his arms around his neck again, as if he didn’t understand that sentence, waiting for him to fulfill his promise again.

Wei Wuxian thought: “Am I really just going to let Lan Zhan have this much fun by himself? That won’t do. Anyway, he won’t remember anything after waking up, so let’s play a big one with him.”

He circled his arms around Lan Wangji, and the two sat on the couch together. Wei Wuxian said, “You like this, right? Don’t turn your head, say, do you like it or not? If you like this, you don’t have to chase and run every time. I’ll let you be happy enough.”

As he said this, he raised Lan Wangji’s hand, lowered his head, and kissed his slender, pale fingers.

Lan Wangji was about to pull back his hand, but Wei Wuxian held onto it tightly, not letting him pull it back.

Then, Wei Wuxian’s lips touched his defined knuckles, his light, feathery breath traveled up along his fingers to the back of his hand. He kissed it here again.

Lan Wangji couldn’t pull his hand back no matter what he did, and suddenly balled his fingers into a fist.

Wei Wuxian pulled up a little of his sleeve, revealing his pale wrist, and kissed him there as well.

After kissing him, he didn’t even raise his head, only lifted his eyes, and said, “Is it enough?”

Lan Wangji tightly closed his mouth, not speaking. Only then did Wei Wuxian slowly straighten himself up, and said, “Say, have you burned paper money for me?”

He didn’t answer. Wei Wuxian laughed softly, leaned closer, and kissed him on the chest through his clothes, and said, “If you don’t talk, I won’t give you any. Say, how did you recognize me?”

Lan Wangji closed his eyes, his lips trembling, as if he was about to confess.

But coincidentally, at this moment, Wei Wuxian stared at his soft, light red lips, and as if possessed, he kissed them.

After kissing him, he licked them, as if wanting to savor the taste.

Both of them suddenly widened their eyes.

After a long while, Lan Wangji suddenly raised his hand. Wei Wuxian suddenly woke up, breaking out in a cold sweat, thinking he was about to hit him and send his heart, liver, and lungs flying. He hurriedly rolled off the couch. Turning back, he saw that Lan Wangji had slapped his own forehead, knocking himself unconscious, and collapsed onto the couch.

In the private room, Lan Wangji was lying on the couch, and Wei Wuxian was sitting on the floor. A gust of cold wind blew in from the open window, chilling Wei Wuxian’s back, and making him a little clearer-headed.

He got up from the floor, pushed the table back to its original place, and sat down at the table.

After spacing out for a while, he lowered his head and struggled to bite the knot of the forehead ribbon on his wrist. After what seemed like an eternity of biting, he finally untied those seven or eight dead knots, all tangled up into one mess.

After his hands were freed, to calm his nerves, he naturally poured himself a glass of wine. He brought the wine glass to his mouth, and after drinking for half a day, not a drop of wine touched his lips. Looking down at the glass, there was no wine at all. The wine in the pot had been completely drunk by him in one gulp a long time ago, and he hadn’t even noticed, as he tried to pour the empty pot.

Wei Wuxian placed the empty glass on the table, thinking, “Why drink more? I’ve had enough to drink today.”

At this moment, he turned his head and was able to see past the screen. He could see Lan Wangji quietly lying on the couch, and thought, “…I really drank too much today, that was too much. Lan Zhan is such a proper, good person. Even if he is drunk, even if he mostly won’t remember anything after waking up, it was wrong to act like that and tease him… That was too disrespectful to him.”

But when he thought about what he had done, he couldn’t help but raise his hand and gently touch his lips.

He held the forehead ribbon, stroking it for a long time before smoothing it out. He walked to the couch and placed it by the pillow. He resisted looking at Lan Wangji’s face, crouched down, and helped him take off his boots. He even arranged him in the standard Lan Clan sleeping posture.

After he was done, Wei Wuxian leaned against the couch, sitting on the ground. He thought about many things, mixed and chaotic, but only one thought was crystal clear:

He shouldn’t let Lan Zhan drink alcohol in the future. If he acted like this to anyone, it would be truly disastrous.