"So," Lan Qiren had decided the random talk had been enough. He never was a fan of pointless chatter. "We come here with a proposal."

"Ah?" The Jades looked at him, gawking.

"Shufu, I thought we came here just for the conference," Xichen mumbled.

"Silence," Qiren cut his words off.

"Proposal?" Jiang Fengmian smiled. "Well, that's great! And which Young Mistress or Master from the noble Lan sect is it?"

Lan Qiren kept his teacup down. "My eldest nephew. Leader of our sect, Lan Xichen."

Jiang Cheng's mouth opened just slightly.

Oh wow! Wei Wuxian spoke through their temporary core-bond. A-Cheng's damned lucky! He laughed.

Isn't he, now? Jiang Yanli giggled cheerfully. 

A-Cheng, did you feed some potion to your uncle-in-law?

A-Xian! Jiang Wanyin crimsoned and picked up his teacup to quaff it down, hoping his big hand wrapped around it would hide his flushing face. Not to mention, the irresistible smile on his face.

"Oh how wonderful," Yu Ziyuan nodded happily.

Lan Qiren nodded his agreement. "I believe so, too. Xichen and your lovely daughter would look stunning together. Jiang Yanli, I believe her name is?"

"Ptoo!" Tea spat out and Jiang Cheng found himself spluttering for air, coughing with the choked tea.

Palm slamming on his face, Wei Wuxian hurried to his side and replaced the teacup with a bowl of water. "Oi, drink this."

Jiang Cheng gulped down the water in a rush and calmed down when his sister stroked his back. "Th– Thank you," he muttered to them, avoiding his mother's glare. "Sorry, everyone, the tea... scalded my tongue. Terribly sorry."

"Are you alright?" Nie Huaisang asked.

"Sure you don't need a smack on the back?" Wen Qing laughed.

"Haha, no, thank you," bowing his head, laughing at the thought of Wen Qing slapping his back with her superhumanly strong hand.

"So, little Xichen for my A-Li?" Jiang Fengmian enquired. "Now, that should be a wonderful idea. A-Li and Xichen have always been good friends, right?"

Yanli gripped her brother by his hand under the table, smiling helplessly to the nodding Lan Xichen.

"Mn, we've been close since five, I think," Xichen agreed.

"Well, then," Yu Ziyuan nodded. "This proposal should be worth considering." She glimpsed at her anxious children. Something was wrong, so she wasn't going to rush anything. Yes, she was sternly deadly, but she was a caring mother, after all. "Allow me to get back to you?"

"Absolutely," Lan Qiren nodded, satisfied.

"A tie between the Lan and Jiang sect? Now that's splendid," Nie Huaisang clapped, oblivious of his friend's woes because hadn't gotten to spend much time with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng and so never heard of Jiang Cheng's daydreams.

"Matter of fact, we came with a proposal, too," Wen Ruohan spoke up. 

"Also for A-Li?" 

"No," Ruohan shook his head. "My cousin here, Wen Qing. Amazing, she is, number one doctor across the lands. I was thinking maybe she'd do good with your son."

"Oh, A-Cheng?"

"Yes, Jiang Wanyin."

"Ah, looks like we've another fantastic suggestion," Yu Ziyuan smiled beguilingly. "Both are wonderful... I do remember Madam Jin saying something about coming here with a proposal early on, before you came today?"

Jiang Yanli perked up, hopeful heart fluttering. Maybe if Jin Zixuan was proposed to her, maybe her mother would agree to that instead...

"Ah yes," Madam Jin nodded, nudging her husband.

Jin Guangshan slung an arm over his daughter's shoulder. "We were thinking of proposing that your son accept my little one, Qingyang's hand in marriage."

"Huh?" Jin Qingyang gawked at him. Apparently, she was as shocked as Wen Qing and Lan Xichen had been. "Mother..." she whispered. "I thought you were suggesting brother!"

Madam Jin whispered back, "Zixuan? Yes, I was. But now that Xichen's been proposed, it's useless. You think Madam Yu will accept Zixuan's offer when there's Sect Leader Lan offering first? Lan Xichen's Chief Cultivator. No use. And aren't you and that Jiang Cheng friends?"

"But only friends!"

"Ah you'll get along, how do you think we married?"

Qingyang bit her lip and looked away. How she wished to chop down a tree or two now.

"Oh, Qingyang and A-Cheng have been friends for a long time now, too," Jiang Fengmian nodded. "But then again, so has Wen Qing! Boy, am I torn," he laughed. "Young Mistress Jin has always been elegant and decent, charismatic. Doctor Wen is noble and famous. Fiery, as all Wens are. Well, well, well, I really don't know how to answer this. Ziyuan?"

Yu Ziyuan shrugged. "I agree with you. Up to them, I guess. A-Cheng?"

Crrrack! Splash!

The bowl of water Jiang Cheng had been irritatedly swirling for some time now cracked under his clenched grip and shattered into pieces upon his mother's question, the water leaking out, not onto the table — he didn't want his mother beating him later. Instead, he let the water drench his robes.

Dusting his hands when the water was all out, and brushing his robes to swipe the pieces of shattered porcelain onto the floor, he stood, bowed halfway, a bare forty degrees, and stepped down from the dais. Walking down the aisle without a word, he stopped in his tracks, sensing the much-loved eyes' gaze on him. He turned his head to see Lan Xichen watching him in shock, and gazed courageously right back into his eyes. Realising his grey eyes were watering fast, all courage crumbling into ashes, he humphed and dashed out of the Main Hall.

"Huh? Jiang-xiong!" Nie Huaisang shouted as Jiang Wanyin marched out through the door. "What's up with him?" 

Wen Ning shrugged to him. 

Seeing Wei Wuxian clearing up the mess, a maid rushed over and patted his back. "Shixiong, you go check on him. I'll clean this."

"Thanks," Wei Wuxian nodded, gave a reassuring smile to an anxious Yanli and ran out through the back door to check on him. 

**********

"A-Cheng!" He ran onto the pier, seeing Jiang Cheng sitting on the deck, legs dangling in the water. Hearing his shout, Jiang Cheng jumped into the water. "OI!" Wei Ying dived in himself.

"What are you doing here?"

"Me? Oh, I came to see the scenery," Wei Wuxian snapped, whacking his head. "The hell did you think I ran here for! What's wrong? Why are you crying!" Wei Ying gasped in horror when he saw the ashen eyes sparkling as bright as his own terrified silver, water gushing out of them.

"What nonsense! I never cry! This is... the water," he waved at the lake in which they stood.

"Yeah, right," Wei Wuxian sighed. "You know, you haven't cried like this since you were four, when Jiang Shushu took away your puppies for me."

"EXACTLY!" Jiang Cheng sniffed. "What the hell am I sobbing like a soppy maiden for?"

"But really, why? Don't tell me you hate Wen Qing and Mianmian so much!"

"No you blasted idiot!"

"Then what?" Wei Wuxian grabbed him by the arm and waded to the deck, seating themselves on the wooden edge.

"I... I don't want this. I never asked to be married. Why me?"

"It's not like I should be the one getting a proposal!"

"But why me? Doesn't Mianmian spend time with Huaisang? Why can't they give the proposal to him? And Wen Qing would probably never marry anyone! Why does it have to be me?"

"Well... when the first proposal popped up, you were smiling... Oh, was it because it was for shijie?"

"I... I thought..." Jiang Cheng gulped down the embarrassment.

"Oh come on, you know we talk and share anything and everything!"

Jiang Cheng nodded. "I... thought that was for me..."

"You!" Wei Wuxian spun around to face him. "You thought they were proposing Zewu-Jun to marry you!"

"What were you and A-Jie laughing in my ear for, if you didn't think the same?"

"Oh, oh, right, right. But wait... Right, so you were upset after you realised that was for shijie... Oh, so that's why you're crying!"

"Bloody Chief Cultivator," Jiang Cheng rubbed his sore nose. "Shiny and mighty, tall and towering above all others, Wretched Swan Part 2, that's what he is. No different from his brother."

"Woah, woah, easy there! Love turned to hate all of a sudden?"

"What damned love are you talking about?"

"What? Isn't it love? You're literally sobbing over not winning your darling. The love of your life is betrothed to your own sister, and you yourself are being pressured between two women who you hardly care for. And you're crying. A-Cheng, you haven't cried for the past thirteen years."

"Exactly my point, it just won't s– stop," Jiang Cheng's shoulders shook.

"It won't stop, not until this mess of a love is sorted."

"It's not some stupid love!"

"Prove it!"

"A-Jie says love is always the winner. If love always wins, then what the bloody goddamned hell am I crying for now, eh?" Jiang Cheng was going raving mad, any strands of hope for the future tumbling like smashed stone. 

"Love always wins, hm... Well... nobody said the game's over yet," Wei Wuxian smirked. "Don't you worry, I'll think of something. And for A-Jie, too. Zewu-Jun has always been a great friend to her, never anything more. Maybe I'll tell Zewu-Jun exactly where Shijie's interests lie, he'll understand, he's kind." He grinned. "After all, it's his kindness you fell for anyway."

"How did you know?" Jiang Cheng sniffed.

"You're not the sort to go head over heels just for beauty. If that was the case, you'd have fallen for me first," Wei Wuxian laughed, punching him playfully, tossing his hair.

"Yeah right," Jiang Cheng humphed. "Mind you, you're only fourth in the Best Looking Cultivators list. He's first."

"Fine, fine, no need to praise your sweetheart so much," Wei Wuxian laughed. "Now look here. I cleaned up your broken cup. I swear I'll fix your broken heart too. Come on, now, smile, I'm not having that heartbroken maiden's face of yours."

"Heartbroken WHAT!"

"Well," Wei Wuxian sighed with a soft chuckle. "I guess flashing furious face is better than crying. There, angry is good, that's more like you. Come on now, get up," he stood and held out his hand. 

Jiang Cheng gripped his hand and rose. "I'm not going back in there."

"I didn't say we are. We'll go have some ice cream. To forget your lover's woes for a while. Chocolate? Or vanilla?"

"Chocolate. With lotus syrup. You'll probably get beaten for running out of the hall for me, so I'll pay."

"Okay, whatever you like," Wei Wuxian wrapped his arm around his shoulders and they sauntered out of Lotus Pier towards the market outside.