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He only remembered a few words from the exchange, words he frankly didn’t care about. He just wanted to get away for a bit, especially when the lady of the clan would find just about any excuse to put him down.
So of course when the Jiangs received an invitation to the Cloud Recesses, it was only Jiang Wanyin who was heavily disappointed. His home, his sister, his room, the food—of course he was going to miss it.
But Wei Wuxian was as free as a bird and he could take shelter on any branch he wished.
“Jiang Wanyin, pack your suppressors. Your stench may be overwhelming when you arrive at the Cloud Recesses.” Wei Wuxian tossed Jiang Wanyin’s suppressors to him.
Jiang Wanyin’s face scrunched in distaste. “Do I need to? I thought everyone minded their own business. What difference does it make if I don’t bring it?”
Aside from belonging to a clan of snakes, Jiang Wanyin was also a renowned alpha in these parts. Renowned for his temper that is.
Wei Wuxian held back the urge to roll his eyes and walked out of Jiang Wanyin’s room. He remembered how Jiang Wanyin once went into rut in the middle of the street. His pheromones had spread everywhere. It was a mess.
You’d have thought Jiang Wanyin would be the one punished, but, of course, his mother found a way to punish Wei Wuxian instead.
Unlike Jiang Wanyin, Wei Wuxian was a beta. He thought it was quite fortunate.
Amongst all the stories and tales he’d heard about the three different secondary genders, being a Beta was the most unwanted while being an alpha was what most aspired to be.
Omegas? They were coveted, rare. Even if one parent was an omega, there was no indication that their child would be one due to the fact that the omega gene was recessive.
Although being a beta was unwanted to most, it was a haven for Wei Wuxian.
He didn’t need to fret about taking medicine, nor did he have to worry about people’s opinions about him because he was “just a beta”. If he achieved something great, people would be shocked and praise him because he was “just a beta”. If he failed at something, people wouldn’t care because he was “just a beta”.
“Fuck, why do we have to go to a school that’s this cold and THIS high up?” Wei Wuxian was about to joke about the very same thing but heard Jiang Wanyin say it first.
From the tone itself, Jiang Wanyin was pissed over this and rolled his eyes at every little thing he saw. Wei Wuxian just internally sighed.
The sight truly was beautiful—too bad there were just too many rules. He’s heard about it from an insider.
Everything else went smoothly, as long as you ignored the frequent warnings directed towards Wei Wuxian for his misdemeanors.
He tried to avoid causing trouble that would have Jiang Zongzhu or his wife come storming into the Cloud Recesses to punish him. God knows how horrible some of those punishments were. The average alpha was biologically stronger than the average beta, and though a strong golden core made healing easier, it was still nothing compared to an alpha’s biology. Of course the Madam of the house never contemplated how his secondary gender would affect his healing process and punished him just like any alpha from the Jiang sect. Or maybe she just didn’t care. It was no secret that the woman hated Wei Wuxian just for existing.
So instead, Wei Wuxian did rather tame things that would just… irk, some people. Immensely.
For fun.
“Wei Wuxian!” Lan Qiren yelled. It was exactly what Wei Wuxian wanted. “Three more scrolls for you!”
Lan Qiren was an old man with a fetish for rules. He seemed to hate Wei Wuxian nearly as much as Madam Yu, and it amused Wei Wuxian to think that he could rile the man this much with the slightest of provocations. He didn’t think the old man planned for him to hear, but Wei Wuxian managed to catch him murmuring, “Tch, that sly fox…”
Wei Wuxian was aware that his kind of fun rarely came without punishment, so he shrugged it off and went to the library.
This rinse and repeat cycle had been happening over the course of two months now. Wei Wuxian would like to think that he'd become an expert in copying Lan texts.
However, there was something different today.
When he entered the room, it felt like he was being suffocated by the scent of sandalwood. It was strong, stronger than usual.
But maybe he was just tired, classes were energy consuming, afterall. But then… never mind. He shook his head. It couldn’t possibly…
“Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji said as he entered. Surprisingly, he still called him Wei Ying despite dramatically refusing to multiple times. “Lan Xiansheng has given me the scrolls you are to copy. Please prepare your brush and ink.”
“Do you not get tired of calling your Shushu such a title? Come now: we’re alone and no one’s looking at you with the eyes of an eagle. Just relax.”
“No.” Then he glared at Wei Wuxian. “It’s inappropriate to address him so casually, especially in a formal setting.”
Wei Wuxian giggled. “Ah, dragons truly are as unfriendly as the rumors say. I do my best to give you small talk, yet you react so negatively towards me. Lan Zhan, did we still not get past the point of being strangers?”
A huff.
Wei Wuxian silently giggled. It was really enjoyable to poke fun at this stuffy young master. “Alright, alright. Fine. Not going to disturb you anymore.”
As he stood to walk back to his table, he stumbled.
His vision was going hazy, but he ignored it. Lan Wangji glanced over to him a couple times, probably wondering why he was so silent.
The rest of his time was spent in silence, not a word of teasing coming from Wei Wuxian. When he finally finished copying, he passed the copied transcripts and hurried back to his room. Lan Wangji must have been worried because the moment he stepped out the door running, his birth name was called.
He ignored it in favor of resting. He didn’t even bother greeting Jiang Cheng—just smashed his head against his pillow.
He was out cold in seconds.
•••
He’d been feeling weak for a week now, and there was this new foreign feeling in his stomach. It felt painful, like a dozen knives were trying to push out.
He tried applying pressure to alleviate the pain. At some point, he went into the woods, the earthy part of the Cloud Recesses, and punched his stomach with all his might. He’d hoped the ache would drown out the pain. It didn’t work, and the only thing he managed to do was bruise his stomach.
A week and a half now, the entire class was uneasy. Even Lan Qiren looked at him every once in a while just to check on him.
And finally, on the thirteenth day of his weakness, he dozed off a little.
“Lan Xiansheng, Wei Wuxian is napping in your class.”
He whipped his head up so fast, you would’ve thought it’d break off with the strength and speed of it. “N-no I swear I didn’t nap—“ he turned to see who told Lan Qiren such a lie and, to his surprise, it was Lan Wangji. “Lan Zhan,” he tried to reason. “You know I didn’t sleep. I was awake this entire time, and I just blinked a little bit—“
“Your eyes are red,” Lan Wangji argued. “You are given eight hours to sleep. How have you been using them?”
“I swear I really did sleep! I’ve just been tired lately and—“
“Lan Xiansheng, I will handle this. I’ll allow him to copy scrolls for discipline and time management.”
Lan Qiren sighed for some reason. He was probably relieved that Wei Wuxian had stopped causing trouble recently. “Alright. I trust you to handle this, Wangji. I shall continue the lesson. If Wei Wuxian manages to finish before class ends, return. If not, then you both will take a remedial class.”
“Yes, Lan Xiansheng.”
Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
It wasn’t because he was against copying scriptures—he’d been doing that the majority of his time here. It was because…
Because he felt that something was wrong with Lan Wangji.
•••
He once asked Jiang Cheng to go to the library with him to study. Nie Huaisang asked to join them so that Wei Wuxian could tutor him. On that day, the three of them headed to the Library Pavilion together, a foreign experience considering all of them usually go alone.
“Odd,” Wei Wuxian said when they entered. “I thought they loved placing sandalwood as a freshener. It seems they forgot to today.”
“Freshener?” Nie Huaisang looked surprised. “I’ve been going to the library thrice every week but I don’t remember there being the smell of sandalwood.”
“… What?”
“Huaisang’s right. Have you been drinking again? Look, I don’t really give a shit what you do, just don’t mess this up for us.” Wanyin scolded.
“Aw, you’re all so lucky, worrying about getting kicked out. I’ve been trying to, but I still can’t.“
They continued chatting, getting lost in their own world while trying to prove who had a better point. But despite how Wei Wuxian went with the flow, his mind was in another place entirely.
What did they mean the library never smelled of sandalwood?
And just when he thought that, he was able to catch its scent again.
“Why is Lan Wangji so obsessed with flaunting his pheromones lately? We get it, you’re an Alpha-alpha, no need to make it even clearer.” Jiang Wanyin grumbled.
“Yeah. I mean, I’m a recessive alpha, yet his pheromones are still clogging my nose. You’re so lucky, Wei-Xiong. I wouldn’t mind being a beta if it meant I didn’t have to smell this.” Nie Huaisang made a gagging sound.
A couple pieces slid into place and suspicion settled. Nervous, Wei Wuxian asked, “What do his pheromones smell like?”
Jiang Wanyin grumbled. “That damn sandalwood scent. It’s everywhere right now, and my mood to study is gone. Damn it. Let’s just go to the gardens…”
‘Fuck,’ Wei Wuxian thought over and over again as he allowed Nie Huaisang and Jiang Wanyin pull him out of the place.
When he looked back, he swore he saw Lan Wangji glare—not at him, but his companions.
•••
So Wei Wuxian wasn’t enthusiastic to be alone with Lan Wangji.
“Lan Zhan,” he began, appearing cautious but not so much that he’d scare Lan Wangji away. “Uh, see, why not take the punishment outside, hm? I’d even let you tie me up just to prove I won’t run away, haha!” He even joked around, trying to lighten the mood while saying he’d really love it if other people saw them.
“No. Rules are rules. You are to remain in the library until you have completed the tasks assigned to you.”
“But… but I’ve been feeling a little sick lately. I’d love—really love it if I get to have fresh air while I took my punishment.”
“...” A few seconds of silence. They were almost there, just a few more steps and they would be able to see it. “No.” The library was in view. “You cannot. Try to escape and Lan Xiansheng will not be lenient.”
He was more unsettled now, frantically looking around for anyone who’d be able to help him. But it was class hours—no one would be there to see his distraught expression.
He was sure Lan Wangji had seen his face: worried and planning to make a run for it the second he was given a chance. But Lan Wangji ignored it, striding into the building as per usual, as if he didn’t catch Wei Wuxian’s uncharacteristic behavior. It just made it all the more suspicious.
It made him anticipate something, but what exactly that something is, he didn’t know. All he knew was that he was dreading it.
He knew that thing had come as soon as he stepped in the room.
“L-Lan…”
Vision growing blurry, he swayed back and forth, trying to figure out where he was and why he felt so disoriented. He couldn’t hear, smell, or even feel clearly. He wasn’t sure where he was, despite the fact he’d been walking the same road for months—since his punishments began.
Before he closed his eyes, his head hit the ground. He saw a figure in white, whom he assumed to be Lan Zhan, standing over him.
And at last, he heard. “Sleep well…” It seemed that Lan Zhan hesitated in saying something else. When Wei Wuxian closed his eyes, he heard it finally being said:
“Furen.”
••••
He woke up in an unfamiliar room. It had a beautiful interior and a cozy white bed. The windows had Gusu Lan’s signature symbol, and the breeze tickled his skin just right. He felt refreshed, like the pain from the days before had disappeared without a trace.
But something was off—he felt a little… too refreshed.
He looked down to see himself lying down naked, legs crossed in a way he didn’t expect himself to see—
What happened to his genitalia?
What was… seeping out from his genitalia?
What was going on?
Footsteps alerted him to Lan Wangji’s arrival. The Lan came in holding a bowl of soup. “Good morning Wei Ying,” he said. He placed the bowl beside the bed. “The kitchens made it for you.” Before Wei Wuxian could ask anything, Lan Wangji continued, “I know it hurts, but can you sit up?”
Too tired to make an appropriate judgment, he did what Lan Wangji asked of him.
As soon as he did, a sharp stinging pain made itself known. He hissed but stubbornly stayed up.
What the hell happened yesterday?
“Now, I’ll be back as soon as I handle—“
A loud, piercing shriek came from outside. If Wei Ying were to estimate, it should be a couple of meters away from the room he was staying in. “WEI WUXIAN! WE CLOTHED AND FED YOU, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY US?!”
Madame Yu? Why was she here?
“YOU DISGUSTING, HORRID WHORE! I SHOULD’VE KNOWN YOU WERE LIKE YOUR MOTHER! I SHOULD’VE KNOWN THAT FOXES WERE NOT TO BE TRUSTED, EVEN IF THEY CAME OUT AS BETAS!”
What was she talking about?
“SON OF A BITCH! YOU WHORE! WHAT IS IT THAT YOU FORGOT TO TELL ME, HM? DID YOU LET YOUR SHIDI FROM LOTUS PIER USE YOU TOO? HUH?”
He wanted to reply, to try and explain the situation, on how he doesn’t even know what was happening. But he held back. He would’ve said it was because of himself, but really, it was mostly because of Lan Wangji’s pheromones.
His scent for some reason, was dominating, as if it was forcefully telling him not to meddle. But at the same time, it gave Wei Ying a sense of reassurance, that Lan Zhan would always be there to help him and give him whatever he wanted.
With a kiss on his forehead, Lan Zhan left the room, a serene kind of pride following him. “Madame Yu, please act civilly. You are in a territory that is not your own. Be mindful of your actions.” Their voices carried farther away, and Wei Ying felt lighter. He began eating his soup peacefully.
He touched his stomach unconsciously, feeling the need to protect it.
He didn’t know what Lan Zhan did, and honestly, he knew he should be mad. He knew something was done to his body, yet Lan Zhan pretended he didn’t do anything wrong.
But his content feelings drowned his thoughts. Besides, Lan Zhan seemed willing to take care of him, take care of him well too.
The Jiangs never bothered him again.