Work Text:
Chu Ran had always loved Jiang Yuelou. She always had, from the first minute she met him in Hong Kong when he basically came barreling in through her front door to hide from the British Police. There was just something about him that drew her to him and from that moment on, her heart never wanted to let go. And she thought she might have a chance with him, until she met Chen Yuzhi and saw the way that Jiang Yuelou looked at him. She could tell that there was something there…something unexplored, but there was something there, none the less.
~*~*~*~*~
It was a bright and sunny day as Chu Ran sat down at one of the tables at the wonton stall, waiting for Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi to join her for lunch. After their one little drunk promise that the three of them would try to eat lunch with each other or at least spend some time with each other outside of work. Of course, they were all busy, what with Jiang Yuelou trying to crack down on opium in Jing City, Chen Yuzhi and his clinic, and her with the newspaper. But they tried to make time to see each other, even if it was for just a little while.
“Chu Ran!” a voice called out, shaking Chu Ran from her thoughts as she turned to see Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou walking towards her, the two men standing ridiculously close to each other, like they were almost fused together. Well, you could almost technically say that, since they were always by each other’s side, no matter what. Chu Ran smiled before she pointed a finger at them.
“You’re late” she teased. Jiang Yuelou tsked and pointed to Chen Yuzhi.
“Blame him, it’s his fault” he replied. Chen Yuzhi huffed and gave him a gentle nudge.
“I can’t help it if an appointment happens to run late!” he exclaimed. Jiang Yuelou huffed but still gave him a fond look, making Chu Ran’s heart clench a little; she wished that Jiang Yuelou would look at her fondly like that. She then cleared her throat, reminding the two men that she was there, making them blush awkwardly.
“Sorry” Chen Yuzhi apologized as he and Jiang Yuelou quickly sat down, both men naturally sitting on almost the edge of the bench so that their elbows were touching. Chu Ran looked at their touching elbows and felt jealousy rear its ugly head, but she quickly shoved it down as she smiled at them.
“So, how’s work? I feel like we haven’t seen each other in a long time” she explained. Chen Yuzhi nodded in agreement as Jiang Yuelou shrugged.
“Work is work. Just trying to rid Jing City of opium” he replied. Chen Yuzhi hummed as he shrugged as well.
“Work is fine. A little busy, but I’m glad that I’m able to help people” he replied. As he was speaking, Chu Ran noticed how Jiang Yuelou looked at him, hanging onto almost every word. Jealousy reared its ugly head again but she quickly shoved it back down as Chen Yuzhi looked at her and smiled.
“What about you, Chu Ran? How’s the newspaper going?” he asked. Chu Ran smiled and nodded.
“It’s going well. There’s always some story to write, so we’re never bored” she explained. Chen Yuzhi nodded, listening intently like he always did, but when Chu Ran glanced over at Jiang Yuelou, he looked as if he was listening to her, but she could tell that his mind was elsewhere. She sighed internally before she cleared her throat.
“Our food should be here soon” she stated. Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou nodded, just as the wonton lady brought over their three bowls, placing them before them. They dipped their heads to her before they began eating, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi’s elbows still touching. As they sat there, Chu Ran kept her eyes down, since she felt like she was invading something private and intimate, like an awkward third wheel. About halfway through the meal, Chen Yuzhi’s eyes widened and he let out a gasp, making Jiang Yuelou and Chu Ran look at him in concern.
“Yuzhi? What’s wrong?” Jiang Yuelou asked. Chen Yuzhi shook his head.
“I’m so stupid, I forgot that I have an appointment scheduled in ten minutes!” he exclaimed, quickly standing to his feet.
“I’m so sorry Chu Ran. Maybe we could do this another time?” he asked, looking at Chu Ran apologetically. Chu Ran smiled and waved her hand.
“It’s alright. We can call a raincheck” she assured. Chen Yuzhi smiled and began to walk away when Jiang Yuelou stood to his feet.
“Wait, I’ll walk you back” he declared. Chen Yuzhi and Chu Ran looked at him in shock before Chen Yuzhi smiled slightly.
“Really?” he asked. Jiang Yuelou smiled and nodded, standing to his feet before he looked at Chu Ran.
“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked. Chu Ran blinked, she was a bit hurt since she was expecting Jiang Yuelou to stay and finish lunch with her, but it was also Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou would do anything for Chen Yuzhi. She then smiled and shook her head.
“No, it’s fine” she assured. Jiang Yuelou smiled as he reached out, giving her arm a squeeze.
“Thanks” he thanked before he paused, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a large sum of cash, throwing it onto the table.
“The least I can do is cover lunch” he stated before he quickly walked over to Chen Yuzhi, both men walking away from the table. Chu Ran watched them leave before she looked down at her bowl, which she had barely touched, and sighed; she wasn’t hungry anymore. She then stood up, deciding to head home, since the whole plan for today was to each lunch with her friends but that plan was absolutely trashed. As she began to walk behind Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou and watched at how close they were walking to each other, both men leaning over to speak into each other’s ear like they were telling each other secrets, laughing afterwards. Once again, jealousy reared its head, but this time its clawed hand reached out and clenched her heart, causing tears to come to her eyes.
Hands touch, eyes meet
Sudden silence, sudden heat
She thought back to how warm Jiang Yuelou’s hand was on her arm when he gave it a squeeze and she shook her head.
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl
He could be that boy
She then let out a heavy sigh and sniffled, quickly wiping her eyes.
But I'm not that girl
After wiping her eyes, she continued after Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi, not really sure why she was following them, but her feet were just kind of walking and she was just sort of following.
Don't dream too far
Don't lose sight of who you are
She chuffed at that.
“Who am I? I’m just some newspaper reporter. I’m not even sure if I’m the type of person Jiang Yuelou would even give the time of day” she grumbled. But then she thought back to the heated look Jiang Yuelou gave her when they first met in Hong Kong and she felt herself shudder.
Don't remember that rush of joy
She shook her head, thinking of that gaze he gave her wouldn’t do her any good and it wouldn’t help her get rid of her stupid fucking crush.
He could be that boy
I'm not that girl
She continued down the street, still just letting her feet take her wherever while she was lost in thought.
Every so often we long to steal
To the land of what-might-have-been
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
When reality sets back in
After walking for what seemed like forever, she didn’t realize she had basically followed Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou back to Chen Yuzhi’s clinic. Her eyes widened and she quickly ducked into a nearby phonebooth so that she wouldn’t be seen by the two men, pretending to be on a call as she looked over, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of Jiang Yuelou cupping Chen Yuzhi’s nape, his thumb gently rubbing the side of his neck. Chu Ran felt tears come to her eyes and she quickly squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to squeeze out the tears and wipe them away.
Soft smile, lithe limb
He who's winsome, he wins him
She didn’t want to be jealous of Chen Yuzhi because Chen Yuzhi was such a good person and so kind but she couldn’t help it. In that very moment when she saw him and Jiang Yuelou together like that, a tiny seed of hatred was planted. And she didn’t want to hate him either because who could hate him, with his big, innocent bambi eyes and his heart of gold? But jealousy was an ugly thing and it could do ugly things to people. She then watched as Jiang Yuelou removed his hand from Chen Yuzhi’s nape to fix Chen Yuzhi’s hair, making sure that the curl of his bang was perfect.
Brown hair with a gentle curl
That's the boy he chose
And Heaven knows
She then placed the phone back on the receiver and let out a soft sob, shaking her head.
I'm not that boy
She quickly exited the phonebooth and walked in the opposite direction at a brisk pace, hoping and praying to God that neither Jiang Yuelou nor Chen Yuzhi saw her.
Don't wish, don't start
Wishing only wounds the heart
She let out another soft sob before she sniffled and wiped her eyes, not caring if her makeup smeared.
I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl
As she walked away, she shut her eyes and took a deep breath, calming herself. It would do her no good to be upset by this because Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi were her friends and she loved them both dearly. And her jealousy would only get in the way of their friendship and honestly, besides Zhong Yiren, they were the only two friends she had. She didn’t want to lose them. After she had gotten far enough away that she was sure Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou couldn’t see her, she turned, looking back towards the clinic, to see Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi still talking, soft smiles on both their faces.
There's a boy I know
He loves him so
I'm not that boy
She then smiled sadly and sighed. She knew, deep down in her heart, that she was never going to be Jiang Yuelou’s. She knew that. She knew that Jiang Yuelou’s heart belong to Chen Yuzhi and Chen Yuzhi’s heart belonged to Jiang Yuelou. Did it make the pain hurt any less? No, of course not. But she was happy for them, that they had found something in each other. So, instead of being jealous and petty, she would remain by their side, loving them and supporting them both unconditionally. Even if she wasn’t the girl that Jiang Yuelou loved…she was glad that Chen Yuzhi was the boy.