Chapter Text
"Coffee for two?", The Barista asked raising a brow. She looked confused and concerned at the same time. Her usual customer who was here almost every single day with his boyfriend was suddenly alone.
She wondered if he was fine. He surely didn't seem fine.
He gave her a half-hearted smile and shook his head. It looked as if he had been crying for days and the bags under his eyes did no justice to his beautiful features. She swore that he looked as if he was about to start crying again. If it wasn't for the woman who had not so gently tapped on the back of his head to make her presence known he would have started sobbing.
She recognized her as his friend-slash coworker of sorts. There were rumors about her regular customer being insanely smart despite his extremely young age.
"He'll take a sandwich and lukewarm milk.", She said without breaking her eye contact with him.
"No, I won't. I'll take a cup o-", He was cut off by a rather dismissive sound of her tongue clicking on disapproval.
"Yes, he will. He will have exactly what I ordered right now. Thanks a lot.", The woman gave her a smooth smile and sat down next to him.
She looked at her customer who went by the name of Wei Wuxian and watched as he slumped against the chair and closed his eyes for a few seconds of peace.
"Your hair is still wet. Do you even realize that you resemble a wet chicken right now?", Wen Qing scolded after touching his hair that was still wet in patches.
Wei Ying snorted with his eyes still closed and let her run her hands through his hair as much as she wished to.
It had been exactly a week since the break-up. A week since the terrible end of his relationship with whom he thought was the love of his life. Wei Ying wanted to rip his hair apart and wail the loudest he could. Everything felt as if it was over. The man he loves with his whole heart has left him for his brother. And, there was nothing he could do about it.
He left him citing that he had fallen for another man. The other man being his brother, the man that he grew up with. By the end of their relationship, he had completely lost it and told him that he did not like the way things were between them and that he had found stability and happiness with Jiang Cheng, which he did not find when he was with him.
'I hope you find someone who loves you.', His words pierced through his heart and broke them into pieces.
Lan WangJi left the apartment the very next second not even bothering to say a proper goodbye, he left silently after giving him a quick apology for how harsh he had come off with his words.
Wei Ying wanted to end it all. Because nothing felt worth living any longer. The love of his life had left him. His life's work was being poached back and forth in pretense of giving people the greater good which was nothing but a sham.
He felt his eyes sting as tears cascaded down his cheeks and watched his blurry hands missing the warmth that Lan Zhan was by his side. Now he knew that Lan Zhan would never love him the way he did once. The love he had for him was now reserved for someone else and that was not him.
All Wei Ying ever did was worship him the way he deserved to, he deserved the best of everything he gave him his best version. He did not understand where he had gone wrong or proven himself disrespectful enough to lose his love and affection.
Had he not done a good thing fighting with his ex-boyfriend's homophobic uncle who once called him out for carrying his mother's blood? Did he go wrong when he fought against the rules of his family that did more harm than good for people? Was loving him so wrong that it made him leave him?
If that was what Lan Wangji had found disrespectful, Wei Ying was not going to deny a thing. He was not going to fight it anymore. Perhaps Lan WangJi did not want to be with someone like him who gave him everything he could.
Perhaps falling in love with a man who had been always with him since high school was a big mistake. He had grown into his presence and now he did not know how to live without the only man that he had loved so much.
Wen Qing stopped by his apartment twice a day and Nie Huaisang along with Wen Ning had pretty much moved into his apartment. They made sure that he continued to live. After being deemed extremely depressed by his therapist which was more alarming than it sounded they had made it a habit to always keep Wei Ying in their sight.
While he blankly stared into the distance hoping that this nightmare would be over soon, Nie Huaisang continued to talk to him to keep him engaged and made him watch television with him and catch up on all the shows that only he watches.
' A'sang... am I a horrible person?' , It made Nie Huaisang break down instantly. The blank look on Wei Ying's face with nothing but misery written on it showed just how far gone he was.
Lan WangJi threw him away and Wei Ying broke into a million pieces.
"Forget him Wei Wuxian! Everything happens for a reason! He did not deserve your love or your affection!", Wen Qing says angrily as she tries to drag him out of the house. Wei Ying sighed for the nth time of the day and plopped back down on the couch. He had been sleeping there for a long time now, and went days without consuming a proper meal, he had somehow managed to survive through the nights.
He felt pathetic.
The truth was, he did not like how everything had turned out. He did not like how he got the shorter end of the stick. He felt used. He felt filthy for some reason. He felt as though Lan Wangji had used him however he wanted and just left him in the dust.
His first kiss. His first date. Lan WangJi had stolen it all from him. Robbed him dry just to leave him for his brother. Jiang Cheng, his brother for as long as he could remember his entire life.
His Shijie hadn't done him much. She had only called him once insisting that he let Lan Wangji go for his brother. She had told him that Jiang Cheng deserved to be happy and that Lan Wangji made him happy. What about him then? Why did he get the short end once again?
Why did he have to get to the end of it like always? When his shijie called him to tell him that, he did not say anything. He pushed back the sob itching at his throat and disconnected the call without speaking a word to her. He did not think that she deserved to call him once again. Maybe once he faces his shortcomings he might consider calling her once again.
He blocked Jiang Yanli's phone number when she tried to persuade him through text messages. Her message's no matter how sweet they were always came to a single point. She told him that he owed it to Jiang Cheng and that he was his brother first. It was always how Jiang Cheng deserved to be happy and that he should be willing to sacrifice for him.
After being persuaded into blocking her by his therapist and his friends it was the first step he took to heal from the pain that was caused to him.
He found himself in Wen Qing's embrace, crying we hard as he could and she did not say anything except that he deserved to be happy more than anybody else.
Wei Ying found his inconsolable self being taken to a therapist the next hour. Just like Wen Qing had predicted, he was diagnosed with depression and an eating disorder. Fearing that he might overdose on his antidepressants, Wen Qing and Mian Mian decided to come live with him for a few months after Nie Huaisang had to move out with his boyfriend because of their last semester exams beginning
The breakup left him too damaged. At one point he considered ending his misery but, wen qing was always there to stop him from taking another step.
At nights he would silently cry thinking about his first love and sob over the pictures of his ex and his brother enjoying their life to the fullest after leaving behind in the dust.
No, he doesn't deserve this. Wei Ying knew that he didn't deserve this and so did everybody else who was friends with him. Nie Huaisang who was one of the first to know about the break-up had a very violent reaction, he even went as far as to try to punch Lan Wangji. But, his brother was there to stop him at the right moment. Nie Mingjue was a man who believed in ethics and morality it was rare to see him of all the people angry at how the break-up had gone.
Months passed, and Wei Ying's grades remained unchanged. He got the best grades as usual remaining the academic prodigy that he was came his scholarship in Huang Pharmaceuticals. It was the same place where Wen Qing worked. The older woman was happy when she learned that Wei Ying was going to work with her. Of course, she didn't show it out. She preferred to spoil him with food and loud scoldings
Almost a year rolled out just like that. Wei Ying's works in the field were highly coveted and thus came the big paycheques. He was doing better, but not the way he was before. He didn't think he could ever go back to the way he was.
The only thing he hadn't dared to do being was to date. He did not have the guts to date anybody anymore. He didn't think that he was going to go back to the way he was. There were too many changes and the tears he had shed over the last year painfully reminded him that there must be someone out there who would be willing to do it once again just to enjoy his pain.
Jiang Yanli was not on his block list anymore. They had even talked to one another a few weeks ago. The call just consisted of her apologizing to him and talking about how happy their younger brother was. Wei Ying only hummed and watched as Wen Qing rolled her eyes making him snort.
"I might punch her if I ever get the chance.", Wen Qing said grabbing the test tube from Wei Ying's hands. Wei Ying laughed cracked up lightly and shook his head, he did not understand why she was like this. But he wasn't going to complain. Wen Qing was the sister that he had always wanted to have.
"Don't be like that. There are plenty more women out there who'd be willing to get punched by you.", Wei Ying joked earning a slap to his back from Wen Qing.
"MianMian might poison your coffee.", Wei Ying snorted and continued to focus the microscope.
"This bacilli right here seems to enjoy Lady Gaga a lot. Look at it move.", Wei Ying whistled disposing of his gloves at the same time. It was way past lunch and he had finally decided to get a smoothie for himself after a much-needed shower. Wen Qing laughed at his joke and pushed him out of the lab so that he could get something to eat.
He had lost a considerable amount of weight over the last year and the change was drastic. Wen Qing could see his collarbone protruding out and silently prayed after taking a look at just how lean Wei Ying was now. She forced him to eat how much ever she could but it only worked a fraction of the time.
As Wei Ying walked through the 13th floor of Huang Pharmaceuticals he was greeted by several coworkers. He smiled wide at them and continued to walk. The workers of the thirteenth floor seemed to be a huge fan of him and Wen Qing. Wei Ying knew it was because of his boss, director Huang.
"Hello there A'ying!", His boss appeared in front of him. He beamed wide at him and gave him a perfect bow. Director Huang grinned at him and started walking with him.
"Hello to you too, Mr Huang!", He chirped. Mr Huang was a big fan of him for some reason, they had lunch together at least once a week. The director and his wife were the kindest people he had ever met and they had never once failed to make him blush over and over again with their requests to marry their son.
They had always asked him to marry their son who was nothing but a piece of rich snob who spent money like there was no tomorrow. Their alleged son apparently worked as the managing director for Huang Pharmaceuticals in France and was a model that was quite popular throughout the globe. They also told him that he was coming back soon to take over the Huang enterprises.
At that moment Wei Ying did not know that their encounter was going to change his life's trajectory forever.
It was the next day when he woke up with a shiver running down his spine. Things hadn't gone the way he had expected them to.
He had woken up with a splitting headache slipped on his shirt and fell head first. His usual choice of coffee was not available today and his favorite Barista who gave him a cookie every day had taken a day off.
As he ran through the building after being late by more than an hour he decided to take the staircase to beat the crowd. Knowing that it was a bad idea to begin with given how horrible his day was going he had decided to take a chance and go through with it. He ran as fast as he could making people fear for his life as they watched him bolt.
As he ran through the crowd he opened his bag and pulled out his lab coat. Like a blind bat hitting a wall, Wei Ying ran right into someone's chest as he struggled to get his hands into his coat.
'Fuck.' , He cursed inside of his head realizing that he was about to fall again.
The man with the firm musculature protected him before he could fall on the floor on top of him. Technically it would be the other man who would take the brunt for the fall. But, he did not want it.
"Oof!", The man groaned feeling someone bump into him and immediately grabbed him by his waist and steadied himself before he could take him down too. For a moment he thought he had his hands around a woman when he looked down at the shorter ones red ribbon.
He was quickly proven wrong.
"Fuck! I'm fucking late because of you!", He accused him by having a finger on his chest and did not bother looking up to see who it was that he had bumped into.
Director Huang stared at his favorite intern with a look of awe and shock on his face. The shock morphed into pure humor when he watched him run again this time towards Wen Qing who had just emerged out of her lab.
He turned to look at his son who had a dark look on his face and that did not make him feel any better.
"Him.", He muttered under his breath and looked at his shoes that were ruined by the coffee that the rabbit-looking man knocked over from his hands.
When he held him in his arms to stop his fall he found himself losing himself in his eyes.
"Tell me the procedures to own a rabbit. I'm about to get me one."
Oh, he was about to have a very good day ahead.