Chapter Text
'Why did Xichen recommend I come here?'
Lan Wangji walks through the quad, an overly excited girl and a couple other medical students giving him a tour. Their chatter is incessant, grating on his nerves. He's used to mostly silence at his home, and he rarely even sees women. When their chatter turns his way, Lan Wangji barely glances at them, giving monosyllabic responses. Looking around the campus his steps falter as his heart stutters when he notices him walking across the way. 'Wei Ying?!'
He's grown his hair out, but Lan Wangji would recognize that mischievous grin and carefree attitude anywhere. Beside him, as usual, is his adoptive brother, Jiang Cheng. They're walking with a few other guys, Wei Ying knocking his elbow into a shorter, tan-skinned man who musses up his hair, the ends brushing his shoulders.
"Wangji, what are you staring at? You stopped walking." The girl leading his tour, 'Mian she said her name was,' tugs on his sleeve. Lan Wangji looks down at her hand with a frown and pulls his arm out of her grasp.
She leans around him to catch a glimpse of the group of guys he'd been fixated on. Her gaze immediately locks onto the two Chinese men. "Oh, that's Cheng Jiang and Ying Wei, I think."
Mian turns back to Lan Wangji, tilting her head. "Do you know them?"
Lan Wangji just nods, stare fixated on the group as one boy ties his hair back with a red ribbon. "Huh, really? Small world, right?"
"Mn," he murmurs, turning away from the other group to start walking again.
Mian squints at the tall Chinese boy staring after her group of friends with his hands lazily tucked behind his head. He waves to her, but she turns away to continue her tour, walking fast to catch up with Lan Wangji's long strides.
Smoothing back the strands of his messed up hair, Wei Ying slips a red corded ribbon from his pocket. Pulling his hair back into a ponytail, he gets this itch on the side of his face, like the feeling of someone staring at him. He whirls around to catch light eyes looking his way. Across the quad is a ridiculously handsome Chinese man staring at him.
The guy’s hair is as black as ink, cut short in the back with long bangs that frame his sharp features. He is, interestingly enough, wearing white slacks paired with a pressed button down shirt in such a light blue it almost looks white as well. His shirt is even tucked in. Though the sleeves are rolled to his elbows, Wei Ying wonders how stifled he must feel in this heat. Almost every other person on campus today is at least wearing shorts.
Despite the distance between them, with Wei Ying barely able to notice the man’s Chinese features, he can’t help but be fixated by those eyes, so light, like sunlight shining through ice. The only Chinese girl in the group he is walking with grabs his arm, saying something to him, and the man abruptly turns away. Dropping his hands from behind his head, Wei Ying waves to the girl now staring at him, but she turns as well to follow her group, long black hair swinging behind her.
Wei Ying reaches out to tug on Jiang Cheng's sleeve, dragging him closer for a private conversation.
“Cheng, who's that guy? The one walking with Mian." He points to the tall Chinese man walking away. Though his height doesn't stand out so much in the States, he towers over the girls with him. His back is straight and posture rigid, giving him an imperious look. "I thought we knew all the Chinese students; especially one that tall."
Jiang Cheng glances to where Wei Ying is pointing, squinting at the retreating figure. The man turns their way briefly, giving the two a look at his profile. "Ah, I think that’s Lan Wangji, from the Lan family. Y’know, the owners of Jade Pharmaceuticals?"
"From the Jade Medicine Empire? Was he the first or the second son?"
Jiang Cheng stares at Wei Ying. When the other boy just shrugs he rolls his eyes. "Second. The first son's already graduated and is learning about the family business. You’re aware our families know each other, right?"
Ignoring the jab, Wei Ying continues with his questioning, "How long's he been going here?"
"He just started this semester. Transferred from Zhejiang suddenly."
"Then why'd he come to BL University? I know his family could afford any top college in China."
"Did you forget?" Jiang Cheng elbows Wei Ying in the side. He winces and steps out of range. "Huaisang told us about it last month. Something about weird rumors… He keeps rejecting marriage proposals without even meeting the girls."
"So what? You hate that marriage proposal shit, too. Were we drinking?" Wei Ying laces his hands behind his head again, turning around to face Jiang Cheng while walking backward.
"You were. Aren't you always when we're off campus?" Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes again with a shake of his head. "Don't try to tell me you can't remember. You remember everything when you drink."
"Then I might have been distracted," Wei Ying says with a shrug.
"Ugh, you…" Jiang Cheng's face goes red. When one of the other guys with them asks what's up, he just shakes his head and kicks out at Wei Ying, catching him in the thigh, saying, "Shouldn't you be heading to class? It's only the first day but I know how excited you've been to wreak havoc on that World Sociology class."
Wei Ying grins, unbothered by his brother's rough treatment as he scampers toward the Science building. He yells behind him, "You know I just enjoy a healthy philosophical discussion!"