As the ashes of my mind fall deceiving to be snow, 
Your love is my shelter, the light of my soul.

---------------------------------------

Lan Wangji's POV

As I wait for Wei Ying in the music room, my phone buzzes from a text.

I had received an image of an article, strangely from Wen Chao, someone whom least interacted with. For its less professional design, I presumed that it was from a school magazine.

When I read through it, I realized that it was an article about Wei Ying's false accusation, except that it was not stated as 'false' in this, but was an explanation of 'why it should be true'.

It didn't take long to understand that I was not the only person who had received this. And that explained all the gazes which were on us in the morning.

The next thing that came to my mind was Wei Ying. Having seen how much pain this incident had caused him, I couldn't imagine what it's like for him to see it all brought up again.

While I'm still deep in thought, Xingchen enters the room and sighs when he sees my face.

"You're not thinking of going after Wen Chao, do you?" he asks.

I shake my head. "Wei Ying doesn't need anyone to solve his problems for him."

Xingchen smiles. "I'm glad that you understand him, in which most of us have failed." He says with a sigh.

"He must be home. I'm going to him."

"Much better. Go to him before he gets stuck in his head and comes to stupid conclusions. He will need you with him."

I nod.

"I'll call in for you in the next class." He yells as I walk out of the music room.

Wei Wuxian's POV

The soft sound of the guitar strings and the faint sound of the rain. I don't know how long I've been numbly listening to them.

My fingers sting from playing for hours. A pain that I welcomed.

This is all I've been doing since I came home after Cheng told me what happened. I needed to think. And I've been thinking, but I'm going in circles again and again.

This is the part of my life that I wish I could forget. Or change. I would do anything to tell myself to not go on that date, or force myself to walk her home, or stop her from jumping, or just punch my own self, I don't know. I just want to do something, so it wouldn't keep haunting me.

Because the regret feels like a sword stabbing inside me, making me cringe each time this comes to my mind. And the unsolvability has fogged up my mind, brutally emphasizing my helplessness. I just wish I could scream it all out.

Should I say that it'd a false accusation, or should I ignore all of it? How will that affect others? Last time we managed to run away from all of it. But this time, with Cheng...

Circle, circle, circle.

The question that hurt the most was how badly this would affect Lan Zhan. How can I stay silent watching such a pure character being stained by my own past?

I bury my face in my hands and silently scream into them.

I hear a knock on the door.

I open it out of habit. Lan Zhan was standing there, looking at me worriedly.

I don't know why, when I see him, my body starts to let out all the weight that I was holding on to. Like a burst balloon, letting the air free.

He quickly paces to me and wraps his arms around me.

Oh god, I needed this. I needed his warmth, I needed him to hold me till I cleared the mess in my head; if I could, I'd just stay in his arms forever. I bury my head on his shoulder, realizing how much I've been holding inside. I clutch his shirt in my hands, and he tightens his hold, soothingly rubbing my back.

"Lan Zhan," I say after some time, mostly thinking out loud, that's the only explanation I can give for how I'm speaking these words. I pull away to look at him. "This is going to affect you. People will say bad things. We should-"

I couldn't continue as his finger was on my lips, silencing me. "No, Wei Ying." He says. "Don't say it."

"But your-"

He shakes his head. "Don't say something that you'll regret later."

"I'm trying to protect you," I yell, helplessly.

He hugs me with a sigh. "I know, Wei Ying. I know. Just... don't make any decisions right now. This is not the time." He softly says, as if he's speaking to my soul itself.

"I don't know what to do," It comes out as a desperate plea.

His hand caress my cheek and move down to my chin, tilting my head up and capturing my lips in a gentle, lingering kiss. I melt into him, feeling the love he showed with it, giving me thousands of comforting words with that simple action.

"You don't have to do anything." He says.

He lifts me up, carries me to the bed, and gently lays me on it. Then he lies down next to me and pulls the covers over us. Pulling me close, he hugs me tightly, making me cuddle against him.

"As long as you know who you are, what they think doesn't matter."

I could only nod realizing how chaotic I would be without him. He is what balances me. He can be my catalyst and my inhibitor when I need it.

I speak out the only words I could think of. "I love you."

He kisses my temple in reply.

The next day, Cheng left the house on his own. He was giving me a silent treatment.

I know that he didn't mean what he said yesterday. He is the kind of person who says anything that comes to his mind when he's angry. But the truth in his words is not negligible. I don't deny that it's my fault.

"What has gotten to him?" Lan Zhan asks when he realized his absence.

"Last time, the change of school affected his scholarships, ruined the perfect future he planned," I reply with a weak smile. "This coming up again puts him on the edge."

Lan Zhan and I go to college together. He hadn't left my side since yesterday. As much as I want to keep him away from all this, I am glad that he's here. I craved the sense of calmness I feel whenever he's around.

As soon as Xingchen sees me he rushes over to me and gives me a hug. "You good?" he asks.

"Yeah, Fine," I reply.

"Cheng told us about the whole thing." He says. "Seriously, that bitch is one heck of a drama queen."

"Bitch? That's new." I reply. Xingchen rarely curses.

"Dude, how do you hold your shit together?" Sang asks. "This thing is crazy."

I shrug. "Where's Cheng?"

"Went in some time ago. Do you want to go?"

I sigh. "Don't have an option, do I?"

Pointed fingers, stopped conversations... I notice all these subtle details as I pass by.

I just sigh thinking of how pathetic it is. How the image everyone had about me changed overnight because of a single article that got the facts all wrong.

"Don't mind them." Lan Zhan says, noticing it all.

"Nothing I'm not used to," I mumble in reply.

When it was time for his class, Lan Zhan kisses my forehead before leaving.

Well, this isn't going that bad.

"Whoa, that smile," Xingchen says.

I smack his head. "Shut up."

Sometime after my last class, the last person I want to see today stands in front of me, blocking my way.

I casually smile at her. "Jiao-Jiao, for what do I owe this honor?"

She snorts. "Didn't know that you're cheap enough to kill your own girlfriend."

I scoff. "Come to think of it, shouldn't you be scared right now? I mean, you're alone here with a murderer. Are you sure that you believe it?" I glare at her bewildered face. "Don't think so." I politely say. "And by the way, thanks for making me the center of the attention today. Really enjoyed it." I give her a huge grin and walk past her.

"Really, We Wuxian?" she yells behind me. "Just because you sneaked your way into a good family, don't think you're the same as us. Know your place."

I don't say anything. Not worth it. I guess my silence irritated her more.

"Where's your boyfriend Wei Wuxian? Shouldn't you be protecting him?" she asks.

That made me stop in my tracks. I turn to look at her, but she was already walking away.

This doesn't sound good.

Where's Lan Zhan?

Extra:

Credits: manjyuya100 on Twitter

I hate to announce it at the end of this sort of a chapter, but I'm going to drop the Saturday updates for a while. So hereafter, you'll get updates for this book every Tuesday for a few weeks. 
I'll try to get back to the old update pattern soon.

Hope you enjoyed this part, and yes, the cliffhanger too (◔‿◔)
Your votes and comments are welcomed and appreciated.
Till next time...