Chapter 116 - Extra—Banquet (Part Three) (2/2)

It was rare he woke up so early in the morning. After he returned to the Jingshi, he first slept for a long while. The result of such a lopsided sleep schedule was that when he woke up, it was already dusk. He missed dinner and there wasn’t anything else for him to eat. Wei WuXian didn’t feel hungry either. He continued to search through Lan WangJi’s old calligraphy prints and essay drafts as he waited. Yet, even until nightfall, his big cabbage didn’t return.

Finally, Wei WuXian felt how empty his stomach was. But the time had already passed the Cloud Recesses’ curfew. According to sect rules, unauthorized people weren’t allowed to roam outside, much less climb the wall and venture outside—if this were back then, no matter what he ‘couldn’t’ do, no matter what was ‘forbidden’, Wei WuXian only cared about eating when he was hungry, sleeping when he was tired, teasing when he was bored, running when he got into trouble. But the situation now was different. Those would count as faults of Lan WangJi now. No matter how hungry, how bored he was, he could only let out a long sigh and endure it.

At this point, a slight noise came from outside the Jingshi. The door was pushed a slit open.

Lan WangJi returned.

Wei WuXian pretended to be dead on the ground.

He heard Lan WangJi walk gently towards the desk and place something on top, never saying anything. Wei WuXian wanted to continue playing dead, but it seemed as if Lan WangJi opened the lid of something as a strong savor of spice overwhelmed the cold sandalwood that originally perfused the Jingshi.

At once, Wei WuXian got up from the ground with a roll, “Er-gege! I’ll do everything you say for the rest of my life!”

Expressionless, Lan WangJi took out the dishes from within the box and laid them on the desk. Wei WuXian gravitated towards him. The sight of the red color atop the half-a-dozen white plates made him so joyous that his eyes glowed red, “You’re too kind, HanGuang-Jun, it’s so thoughtful of you to go out of your way and bring back food for me. You can order me around no matter what you do from now on.”

At last, Lan WangJi took out a pair of ivory white chopsticks and placed them horizontally over the bowl, his voice cool, “Speech is forbidden when dining.”

Wei WuXian, “And you say speech is forbidden when sleeping. Every night when I say so much and make so much noise why have you never stopped me?”

Lan Wangi glanced at him. Wei WuXian, “Fine, fine, fine, I’ll stop. We’re like this already, so why is your face still so thin? You get embarrassed so easily, but that’s exactly what I like about you. Did you bring this from the Hunan cuisine at Caiyi Town?”

Lan WangJi didn’t say anything, so Wei WuXian took it as a silent confirmation. He sat down at the desk, “I wonder if that restaurant is still open. In the past, we always ate there, or else if we only ate your sect’s food, I might not even have pulled through those few months. Oh just look at this. This is what a sect banquet should really be.”

Lan WangJi, “‘We’?”

Wei WuXian, “Jiang Cheng and I. Sometimes Nie HuaiSang and the other few as well.”

Sweeping his eyes over Lan WangJi, Wei WuXian grinned, “Why are you looking at me like this? HanGuang-Jun, don’t forget. Back then I’ve invited you to dine out together before. How passionately I tried! You were the one who refused to go. Every time I talked to you you’d glare at me, and everything you said started with a ‘no’. I’ve really met so many obstacles. I haven’t even squared things with you yet, and here you are unhappy. Speaking of it…” He slipped to Lan WangJi’s side, “I only forced myself not to sneak out because I didn’t want to violate any sect rules, waiting for you inside so obediently. Yet who would’ve thought you violated the rules yourself and went out to find food for me, HanGuang-Jun. Violating the rules like this—if your uncle knew, his heart’s gonna hurt again.”

Lan WangJi lowered his head and wrapped his arms around Wei WuXian’s waist. He looked quiet and motionless, yet Wei WuXian could feel his fingers stroke his waist, whether intentional or not. The fingers were so warm that the heat seeped through his clothes and went straight into his skin. The sensation was extremely clear. Wei WuXian embraced him as well, whispering, “HanGuang-Jun… I drank your sect’s soup and now my whole mouth is bitter. I can’t eat anything. What do I do?”

Lan WangJi, “One sip.”

Wei WuXian, “Yes. I did only drink one sip, but this soup of yours truly has a strong aftereffect. The bitterness slid all the way from the tip of my tongue down into my throat. Tell me—what should I do?”

After some silence, Lan WangJi replied, “Balance it.”

Wei WuXian asked with humility, “How should I balance it?”

Lan WangJi raised his head.

A mild, medicinal aroma was weaved in and out of both of their lips. The slight bitterness made the kiss especially lingering.

When they finally managed to part, Wei WuXian breathed, “HanGuang-Jun, I just remembered. You drank two bowls of that soup. You’re even more bitter than me.”

Lan WangJi, “Mn.”

Wei WuXian, “But you still taste quite sweet. How strange.”

“…” Lan WangJi, “Eat first.” After a pause, he added, “We can do it after you finish.”

Wei WuXian, “I’ll eat the cabbage first.”

Lan WangJi frowned slightly, as though he was confused as to why he’d mention cabbages so suddenly. Wei WuXian laughed as he curled his arm around his neck.

Those so-called banquets were best held behind shut doors.