Chapter Text
Running away to join the circus wasn’t as easy as the movies made Wei Ying believe.
First of all, there was no such thing as simply joining, as he found out. He had to apply for it, send a video of his skills, and then be called in for an audition. After the audition, he had to go through a dance test to show that he had some rhythm to him, and to act as a lion for reasons that were still beyond his understanding. All of that to be told he was now on a waiting list, and they would call him in when they had a role for him.
It wasn’t even a permanent role. It was a trial period, and he would only be offered a permanent job if they liked his work. Wei Ying wasn’t so sure about leaving his life behind to chase after something so frail, but he didn’t even like his current job anyway, and this is something he just had to try. His sister told him to be optimistic, and that’s what he decided to do.
Weeks later, the email came. He’d been chosen to be part of the Impure Realm Circus crew for the next round of performances and tours. Whether he stayed or not, it all depended on how well they liked him.
This is how Wei Ying finds himself staring at a huge structured tent that looks way cleaner on the outside than he thought most circuses were.
“You’re the fire guy?” someone asks him at the entrance. “Stage name Yiling Laozu?”
The person has a phone in one hand and a feathered fan in the other. Wei Ying opens his best charming smile.
“Yes! That’s me.”
“I’m Nie Huaisang,” the guy says. “And you’re late.”
Wei Ying’s eyes widen. Huaisang is the name of one of the guys who owns the circus. The Nie Brothers, Huaisang and Mingjue. Is he really already being scolded by the owner on his first minute here?
“I’m–” he starts, then looks at his phone. He’s not late. It’s exactly seven minutes before 5, which was when he was supposed to be here. “I’m sorry. I thought we scheduled my time for 5 pm?”
“If you’re on time, you’re late,” Nie Huaisang says, flipping his fan open. “What excuse do you have?”
Wei Ying gapes. “I thought–”
And then the guy starts laughing, waving his fan around.
“I’m joking. Well, not really, but it’s fine. Come on in.”
The man turns, and Wei Ying barely has time to feel relieved before he has to follow behind.
Huaisang parts the fabric covering the entrance to the Circus with a flourish that would be too dramatic anywhere else. He goes in, and Wei Ying goes in behind him.
“My brother showed me your performance videos,” Nie Huaisang says, walking fast. “Are you ready for a hectic circus life?”
“Very ready,” Wei Ying answers automatically. His attention is split between the man who is apparently his boss and the entire world that just opened up in front of him.
The circus is huge. He remembers seeing the outside of the main tent when he was first here for his audition, which happened in another, smaller place. The inside is a lot more impressive, somehow. It opens into a huge dome, with a ceiling so high Wei Ying can barely see the dark top of it. There are several complicated structures above him, wires and metals holding lights and trapezes and huge strings of fabric. His eyes travel around without stopping, not quite knowing where to look first.
He’s here. He can’t believe he’s here. What would his mother and father say, if they knew their son was following their steps?
“I had a whole tour planned for you, but it turns out I won’t have time to do it,” Huaisang is saying to him. Wei Ying forces himself to pay attention. “So you’re just gonna have to find your way around. I emailed you our schedule. Did you get it?”
“Yes, I did,” Wei Ying says. “Individual performances are first, in a few months. Tour starts in september.”
Huaisang waves his fan in his direction, shaking his head.
“Exactly,” he says. “We’re doing individual performances first so everyone can get back into shape, and we can have tour rehearsals for longer.” Huaisang keeps walking ahead. “It sounds like a lot of time. It isn’t. And you’re gonna want to be in your best shape then. We have plans for you.”
Wei Ying nods, not really understanding what he means yet. He looks intently at the structure of the bleachers all around the circus, his eyes wide with wonder. Do they really put them up and down in every town they go to? He’s dying to know the process behind assembling this entire thing.
“We have someone to help you do your strength training for the tour,” Huaisang says, and this time, Wei Ying notices some amusement in his voice. “How good are you at dealing with difficult people?”
“Very good,” Wei Ying says, because when your employer asks you if you’re good at something, you say yes. “There are no difficult people, only people I haven’t won over yet.”
They’re nearing the stage now. Huaisang sends him a funny look, and hides his face behind the fan again.
“Keep that in mind for the next few minutes, yeah?” he says quizzically, and then climbs the steps to the stage in two swift movements. “Hanguang Jun!”
Wei Ying steps on stage behind him, his heart already racing a little. The first thing he notices is how big the stage is, especially now, standing on it. It looked less intimidating from the doors, or even from the bleachers. But here, everything feels… amplified, even if it isn’t ready for a show yet.
It looks a little messy, a bunch of circus props thrown around, cushions, pads, pieces of fabric. An aerial hoop is lowered down from a string on the ceiling, slowly turning on its own, but there’s no one on it.
And right there in the center of the stage, hanging from a fixed trapeze coming all the way down from the ceiling, is a man dressed entirely in white.
The man is holding himself upside down, both hands on the trapeze bar, his head hanging low. He has his legs up near the bar, hovering there in a perfect split above his head. His body has the stillness of someone who has been holding that position for a long time. His long hair falls in waves of raven black to the floor, and his eyes look peacefully closed.
“Hey, Hanguang Jun, are you going to pretend I’m not here?” Huaisang says.
The man opens his eyes, and suddenly, the peaceful expression turns into a glare. Wei Ying swallows dry. He’s too far to see him properly, but the man looks… Slightly intimidating. And kind of attractive. Not that Wei Ying is noticing it.
“What is it?” Hanguang Jun says.
Wei Ying raises an eyebrow at the sound of his voice. Deep, quiet, but it carries through to him.
“I need you to do something for me. I have very important circus businesses to attend to,” says Huaisang.
“I’m meditating,” the man on the trapeze says.
“You’re always meditating when you don’t want to do what I say. Come on, get down, come meet the new guy.”
At the mention of the new guy, Hanguang Jun’s gaze strays from Huaisang, and lands right on Wei Ying. In the light, he can see the man’s eyes are a light brown, sweet hazel color. Wei Ying stares back without remembering to smile, forgetting his charming persona completely.
Hanguang Jun looks at him for a few seconds, upside down, his gaze piercing. And then, he lets his legs fall, controlling the way his body turns until he’s hanging from the trapeze in a straight line down. He lets go, and lands on his feet with a thud, bending his knees slightly. His hair falls perfectly on his back, not messy even after being upside down for so long.
He turns, and the first thing Wei Ying thinks is whoa.
The second thing Wei Ying thinks is stop. Because he can’t just walk into his new place of work and gawk at someone in the first few seconds of being employed like this.
But as Hanguang Jun approaches, Wei Ying loses the battle against his eyes, and allows himself to look just a little bit.
The man is gorgeous. There’s no other word for it. His face looks like it was perfectly sculpted by a talented artist, not to mention the definition of his body. The leggings he wears show the leg muscles of someone who has probably been doing some form of acrobatics ever since they were a kid, and his arms are huge under his t-shirt. Huge. He’s just as tall as Wei Ying is, but his fit body makes him look shorter, somehow. Wei Ying swallows again, wondering if he has ever seen anyone who looks more like the ideal of beauty in his life.
And then the man starts talking.
“This is the new performer?” Hanguang Jun asks. He looks Wei Ying up and down, not seeming very impressed.
Wei Ying can’t help but feel offended. He isn’t chiseled like this man is, but he’s strong! And he’s flexible, too! He can touch his toes!
“I’m Wei Ying,” he says, remembering to give him his brightest smile, this time. He takes a step in the man’s direction and offers him his hand.
For a second, he thinks the man isn’t going to take it. Hanguang Jun just stares at him, his eyes dipping to his smile like he thinks it’s the most outrageous, insulting thing he has ever seen.
And then he brings one arm forward and shakes Wei Ying’s hand, very briefly.
“I’m Lan Zhan,” he says, leaving a layer of chalk behind on Wei Ying’s fingers. “Welcome.”
Huaisang raises his eyebrows at Lan Zhan, like he wants to say something, but lets it go.
“Thank you,” Wei Ying says.
“He’s the one I told you about, remember?” Huaisang says to Lan Zhan. “The one I need you to train in the mornings.”
Lan Zhan looks at Wei Ying again, and this time, his eyes go down his body much, much slower. When he comes back to his eyes, Wei Ying is almost blushing with it. Which is stupid. He’s looking as a trainer.
“What is your craft?” Lan Zhan asks.
“I’m a fire dancer,” Wei Ying says, not without a hint of pride. He’s done his research, and there have been no fire dancers in this circus so far. He is going to be the first, and he is going to be the best. He’s going to be so good they have to make a spot for him.
Lan Zhan looks at Huaisang again.
“I can’t teach that,” he says.
“You’re not gonna teach him fire dancing,” Huaisang says, with all the tiredness of someone who has had many discussions with the same person in his life. “I need you to make him strong for the tour. He’s gonna need it.”
“I am no fitness instructor,” Lan Zhan says. “If he is a dancer, then–”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to take up teaching once you retired from this, hm?” Huaisang wriggles his eyebrows. “I’m telling you to show me you can do it.”
“Nie Huaisang…”
“If I remember correctly, you did sign a contract with these new specifications…” Huaisang says in a sing-song voice, waving his fan in front of his face. “Got a nice raise for it, too… All for taking up a new instructor position every once in a while… And I haven’t even made you live up to it so far. Wasn’t that so nice of me?”
Lan Zhan glares daggers at him, but even Wei Ying can see that he lost the battle.
“Fine,” Lan Zhan says, reluctantly. Huaisang claps his hands together happily.
“My workers are so good to me!” he says, and then turns to Wei Ying with a smile. “By the way, you applied for housing in the circus, correct?”
Wei Ying blinks a few times, the change of subject almost giving him whiplash.
He’s been living with his brother for the past few months, after he left his boring 9 to 5 job, which was not a good choice for either of them. Once he got the job in the circus, he had to choose between using over half his salary to pay for rent, water, energy and wifi somewhere nearby, or just pay a much smaller fee for living in one of the RVs that travel with the circus. The second option sounded much better, especially considering they would have to tour, even if he would have to share an RV with a roommate. He was good with people. He could deal with it.
“I did,” he says. “It’s more practical.”
Huaisang nods, and closes his fan with a whoop noise.
“That’s settled, then!” he turns to Lan Zhan again. “Hanguang Jun, be a dear and show Wei Ying around the facilities, okay? And then show him your RV.”
“What?” Lan Zhan frowns. “Why?”
Huaisang is already retreating, his polite smile never leaving his face.
“Don’t glare at me, I don’t know who decided this! But of course, you weren’t gonna live without a roommate forever…” he says. “We have limited space! I’m sure you’re gonna get along fine.”
Lan Zhan’s eyes go wide.
“I live–”
“Don’t worry, it’s not forever,” Huaisang winks at him. “Unless Wei Ying charms us all and gets himself included in the permanent crew. Fingers crossed, right? I’m sure you’re rooting for him too. Go Yiling Laozu!”
Lan Zhan opens his lips, but before he can protest, Huaisang is already running off, waving his hand in goodbye.
For a while, they just stare at Huaisang’s retreating figure, until he disappears behind a different flap in the tent, leading somewhere Wei Ying doesn’t know yet.
He turns to Lan Zhan again, an amused smirk already on his lips.
“Don’t worry, I’m a good roommate,” he says. “I don’t leave towels around, and only a little bit of hair.”
Lan Zhan focuses on him again. Wei Ying feels the weight of it in the air around him. God, how can anyone be this intense?
“How long have you been firedancing?” he asks.
“Six years.”
Lan Zhan raises a very not-impressed eyebrow.
“Were you an athlete before?”
“No.”
“A dancer?”
“Only at parties.”
Lan Zhan’s face doesn’t change at all, but he still manages to look like he’s scowling. Wei Ying is sensing some hostility here. He feels the sudden need to boost his own ego.
“Don’t look at me like that, Hanguang Jun,” he says in a teasing tone, just to lighten the mood. “I can assure you I’m the best at what I do. How about you come watch me first, and then you judge my skills, huh?”
He winks, which is obviously a bad choice. Lan Zhan’s lips tighten into a thin line.
It makes him look… Slightly familiar. Wei Ying tries to put his finger on it, but the impression is gone as soon as it appears.
“I am judging your skills in general,” Lan Zhan says. “It will be my job, as your… trainer. How good is your core strength?”
“Very good,” Wei Ying says immediately. “The best.”
Lan Zhan looks down at his body again. It’s the third time now. For a second, Wei Ying thinks about asking if he should take his clothes off, just so he can get a better look.
“Can you do a flag?” Lan Zhan asks.
“A flag?” Wei Ying frowns. “Like on a pole?”
“Mn.”
“Oh,” Wei Ying hesitates. He definitely can’t, but he can’t exactly tell the truth. “... Yes?”
Lan Zhan doesn’t look convinced.
“For how long can you sustain a pull-up?”
Wei Ying beams at him. That, he can answer.
“I can do quite a few of them, actually,” he says.
“Sustain one,” Lan Zhan repeats. “For how long can you hold yourself up?”
Well, he has no idea what to say to that. Wei Ying does pull-ups a lot, but he doesn’t think he ever tried keeping himself up. Who would practice that, anyway?
“What, no questions about my leg strength?” he asks, trying to change the subject. “You’re gonna let me skip leg day?”
Lan Zhan doesn’t even blink at his joke. “I haven’t gotten to those yet.”
“Stop terrorizing the new guy, will you?” a female voice comes from across the stage, startling Wei Ying.
They both turn to the voice. A woman who is just as strong and defined as Lan Zhan walks towards them, stepping toes first on the stage like a ballerina would. She’s wearing regular clothes, jeans and a shirt, but her hair is up in a high bun like she’s about to start performing.
“I’m not terrorizing him,” Lan Zhan says. “I am working.”
The woman approaches Wei Ying and offers him her hand.
“I’m Mian Mian. Lan Zhan’s trapeze partner. Don’t worry about him,” she nods in Lan Zhan’s direction. “He’s actually soft and gooey inside.”
“Mian Mian,” Lan Zhan says.
Wei Ying takes her hand, and it’s his time to transfer the residue of chalk that was left on him by Lan Zhan’s hands. She doesn’t seem at all bothered by it, though.
“I’m Wei Ying,” he says. “I have to say I don’t see a lot of softness yet.”
“You will!” she says excitedly. “You’re the fire dancer, right? Mingjue was so excited to get you! It’s so cool to finally have someone who does fire in our shows.”
Hearing that one of the owners was excited to have him as part of the crew is the boost of confidence Wei Ying needs. He smiles brightly at her, some of the tension he’s been feeling leaving his shoulders.
“That’s good to hear,” he says truly, his voice relieved. “I have to admit, I’ve been really nervous.”
He feels Lan Zhan’s eyes landing on him, and then looking away. What he must be thinking is a mystery. Wei Ying wonders just how difficult of a person this Hanguang Jun is.
“Did anyone show you around?” Mian Mian asks.
“No, not yet.”
“Well then, let’s go,” she says, hooking one arm on his and then another on Lan Zhan’s. “You need to know where everything is.”
Lan Zhan resists her grip, trying to stay behind, but she locks her arm on his and pulls him along.
“Mian Mian, I am practicing for–”
“Today is our day off. You’re not even supposed to be here,” she says. “Let’s show Wei Ying around with me. He’s your new roommate, after all. You need to get along, right?”
Lan Zhan’s shoulders sink a bit in defeat. Wei Ying raises his eyebrows in surprise. From the way Huaisang said it and the way Lan Zhan reacted, he thought them being roommates was a spur of the moment decision.
“How do you know we’re gonna be roommates?” Wei Ying asks.
Mian Mian sends him a pointed stare.
“Circus crew rule number one,” she says. “Nothing stays secret for long.”
-
The entire place turns out to be huge. This town is the Circus’ main spot, their fixed performance place, so it takes them a good while to show him around the whole thing.
Most of the main spaces are divided into trucks, Wei Ying notices. There are three different trucks for dressing and makeup, one for meetings, and a lot of others that just serve to carry the entire circus around. There is a slightly smaller tent next to the main one, obviously a place for practicing. Inside, Wei Ying sees what seems like a copy of the main tent, except without a stage and a place for an audience. It has a fixed trapeze, a huge string of fabric falling to the ground, aerial hoops, a russian swing, and a bunch of other things Wei Ying can’t say he recognizes yet. The floors are heavily padded, contrary to the clean floors of the actual stage, and the lights are much brighter here.
Wei Ying wonders, not for the last time, how in the hell do they manage to carry this entire thing around from town to town.
Mian Mian continues the tour, showing him only what is most relevant. Lan Zhan follows them quietly, without saying a single thing. Two of the trucks are gyms that feel much bigger on the inside than they look on the outside, but Wei Ying supposes that is the magic of the circus.
“This is where you’ll be spending most of your mornings,” Mian Mian tells him inside the smaller container that serves as one of the gyms. “You’ll probably want to practice your fire routine out in the open, but mornings are for the gym. Working out with the amazing Hanguang Jun. How lucky,” she gives him a wink.
Wei Ying nods at her, wondering how she seems to know so much already. Gossip really must travel fast here.
He glances at Lan Zhan, to see if he thinks anything of this, and sees him staring right back. Before he can understand what the look means, Lan Zhan clenches his jaw, and looks away.
The last place she shows him is the kitchen. This is a much smaller and cozier tent, with several tables and benches scattered around. At the very end of it, as Wei Ying should’ve probably guessed, is another truck. It serves as the kitchen, and it opens completely to one side.
“Darling,” Mian Mian walks a few steps ahead of them and falls into the arms of a man behind the sink. “This is the fire guy. Wei Ying, this is my husband. He’s the cook.”
The man kisses his wife first, and then nods briefly in his direction.
Wei Ying has a moment where he almost feels shocked. For some reason, hearing that Lan Zhan and Mian Mian were trapeze partners, he assumed they were dating. It’s a weird misconception to have, he realizes it, but it had been on the back of his mind nonetheless.
He tries not to look extremely surprised, and opens another smile to the man in front of him.
“I hear the food around here is amazing,” he lies blatantly. He has heard nothing of the food. Still, the compliment seems to work.
“It would be even more amazing, if I was allowed to actually season it like I want to,” the man glances at Lan Zhan. “But alas, we must please all taste buds, even the bland ones.”
Lan Zhan has the decency to look slightly embarrassed by that. Wei Ying sees his face changing and has the urge to tease him about it.
“What?” he asks, bumping his shoulder slightly on Lan Zhan’s huge – seriously, huge – arm. “Hanguang Jun can’t handle a little spice?”
Lan Zhan looks at the place where their shoulders touched, and then at him. His face shows nothing but a tiny hint of annoyance.
“I cannot,” he says, blankly. Just like that. Wei Ying takes one look at his serious face, and bursts out laughing.
The others look at him like he has a death wish, but Wei Ying can’t help it.
“You’re so serious!” he says, trying to hold in his giggles and failing. “I’m sorry, that was just. So funny. You just said that with the blankest face– Ah, sorry, sorry.”
He controls himself a bit, and finds Lan Zhan still staring at him. This time, Wei Ying can’t read his expression at all. He just looks, and looks, until Wei Ying is forced to look away.
“Anyway,” Mian Mian says, with a hint of amusement in her voice. “It’s dinner time, so let’s all sit down and eat.”
It’s only then Wei Ying realizes he’s starving.
“Yes, please,” he says.
-
The food is good, but it isn’t amazing. Mian Mian and her husband encourage him to use the condiments in the fridge if he needs a little more of a kick, and Wei Ying gladly follows their instructions. He isn’t mad about it, though. He understands that to feed as many people as they must feed a day, some concessions have to be made.
They sit in a six-person table, with two benches on opposite sides. Mian Mian sits by her husband, which means Lan Zhan sits right by his side. He doesn’t look pleased about it, scooting to the edge as much as he can.
Wei Ying lowers his head a little and tries to smell himself. But he still smells like the perfume he applied to come here, and he didn’t sweat at all. He wonders what’s wrong with this Hanguang Jun guy.
As they’re eating, an adorable little girl comes over and sits on Mian Mian’s lap. She must be no older than three, and her curious eyes immediately land on Wei Ying.
“Hello,” Wei Ying waves at her, smiling excitedly. She hides her face in Mian Mian’s neck.
“Sorry, she’s shy,” Mian Mian says. “Baby, say hi to Wei Ying. He’s new! We have to be nice.”
She speaks with all the love and authority of a mother. Wei Ying’s eyes go slightly wide, but he quickly controls them. Mian Mian looks so young to already have a child. But the resemblance between them is undeniable.
The girl turns slightly in his direction, and her nose is exactly the same as her mom’s.
“I’m little Mian Mian,” she says in a small voice. “Hi.”
“Little Mian Mian?” Wei Ying asks, glancing between them. “The same name as your mom? That’s so cute!”
Instead of being pleased, the girl looks offended.
“No. My mom’s name is Luo Qingyang,” she says, enunciating each syllable slowly. “I’m Mian Mian.”
Then she promptly hides her face in her mother’s neck again. Mian Mian laughs a little and strokes her hair.
“Mian Mian is my stage name,” she says. “But everyone’s always called her like this since she was born, so she gets a bit possessive of it.”
Wei Ying nods in understanding. He wonders what it would’ve been like for him, to grow up as a child in the circus. Would he also be known by a version of his parent’s names? What would his life even be like, if things had happened differently?
The girl leans into Mian Mian’s ear and whispers something almost loud enough for him to hear. Mian Mian laughs a little, and bumps her nose.
“Why don’t you tell him yourself?”
Little Mian Mian looks at him. Wei Ying doesn’t know what’s happening, but he waits patiently.
“I can’t tell him,” she says.
“But it’s something nice,” Mian Mian says. “We should always say nice things, right?”
The girl seems conflicted. She gets up from her mother’s lap and stares at Wei Ying directly in the eyes. They all turn to her, including Lan Zhan.
“You’re–” she starts, fidgeting with her clothes. “You’re pretty!”
She says it fast, almost angrily, and then turns and runs away. Wei Ying gapes after her, not knowing how to react. Children have told him that he’s funny, that he’s weird, that he’s loud, that he’s cool, but never that he’s pretty.
“That is…” he laughs a little. “The angriest compliment I’ve ever received, I think.”
“Yeah, she’s starting to act a little more serious and angry than usual,” Mian Mian rolls her eyes. “Spending too much time with someone I know, who also hates giving compliments.”
Lan Zhan gets up from the bench so suddenly it almost startles him.
“I’m leaving now,” he says, bowing his head slightly.
Mian Mian laughs, and kicks his foot playfully. “Oh come on, don’t be like that. You know you’re a good influence on her.”
Lan Zhan shakes his head. “You play too much.”
“Just a little. But you know I’m right. You’re just as bad at saying nice things as she is.”
Lan Zhan sends her an icy glare, but she seems unbothered by it.
“I’ll be going to sleep,” he says. “Goodnight.”
And just like that, like Little Mian Mian before him, he turns around and leaves.
Wei Ying watches him go, despite trying not to. The sight of him from the back is somehow more impressive than the front. His thighs are so well defined Wei Ying thinks he could teach an anatomy class with them. His back, even through the shirt, looks broad and strong. And his ass is just the most round, bubbly–
“You should follow him,” Mian Mian says, yanking him out of his thoughts.
Wei Ying feels caught like a deer in headlights, simply staring at him like that. He blushes a little, and quickly tries to fix it.
“I’m not– I wasn’t–” he stutters. “Why would I follow him? I was just–”
“You’re his roommate,” Mian Mian says, holding back a smile. “You need to know where you’ll be sleeping, right?”
It’s like a bucket of cold water on his head. Right. He still needs to sleep with the man. Well. Not with him. Just. Near him. In the same room.
He swallows, wondering just how awkward this entire experience is going to be, and quickly gets up to run after the fast steps of Hanguang Jun.
-
“Here are the rules,” Lan Zhan says as soon as he opens the door, not wasting any time.
Wei Ying caught up with him fast, but even though he tried to start a conversation during their walk, Lan Zhan wouldn’t say anything. He just reluctantly guided them to where their RV is, to which Wei Ying supposes he should be… grateful? At least he’s not actively refusing to share with him. That’s a good start.
“Number one, I will always shower first once we arrive from practice,” Lan Zhan says.
Wei Ying steps into the RV, and is shocked to find it’s a lot more spacious than he initially thought it would be. Everything in this circus looks bigger on the inside, what the hell. There’s a tiny sink with a microwave and a cooktop with two heating areas. There’s a small table on the opposite side of it, with room enough for two people sitting one in front of the other. There are two separate beds, next to each other, near the end of the vehicle. And there’s a closed door that probably leads into the bathroom, and, apparently… a shower?
“Number two, we’ll always make our bed before we leave for work,” Lan Zhan is saying by his side. “I’m sure you would find arriving home to a messy room as annoying as I do.”
Wei Ying is barely paying attention. He steps further into the room and sees something very interesting that catches his eyes. It’s a very old-looking plush bunny, sitting on the pillow of one of the beds.
“Is that a bunny?” he asks, turning to Lan Zhan again. “It’s so cute! Is it yours?”
In the weak yellow lights of the RV, Wei Ying thinks he sees Lan Zhan’s ears blush, just a little.
“That is none of your business,” Lan Zhan says. “Rule number three. Main lights will be out by 9 pm, although if you need a small lamp, that is fine.”
“But what about the bunny, though?” Wei Ying asks.
Lan Zhan meets his eyes, frowning. “What about it?”
“What if it doesn’t want to sleep at 9?” he asks. “Can I take it for a nice walk, just to keep it entertained?”
Lan Zhan doesn’t seem amused at all.
“Don’t touch the bunny under any circumstances,” he says, in the most serious voice Wei Ying has heard him use so far, which is saying something. “I’m going to take a shower.”
He opens the door to the small bathroom and disappears. Wei Ying sighs to himself, thinking at least it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be.
He sits on the bed he assumes is his, the one without the bunny on it. Tomorrow he will go and fetch his things from Jiang Cheng’s place, as much as he can keep in storage here. There isn’t a lot of space, but that’s fine. His fire gear will go to the locker in one of the circus’ trucks, and he was never one to have a lot of things anyway. He has the bag he brought and two changes of clothes. That should be enough for now.
He doesn’t even have a nice cozy plush bunny that he carries around, like Lan Zhan seems to.
Wei Ying laughs quietly to himself. Mian Mian said to him that there was a soft side to the serious Hanguang Jun. Seeing the old bunny, he almost believes it.
“Well, your owner is a bit of an uptight ass, isn’t he?” he asks the plushie on the other bed. “Such a waste of a beautiful face.”
The bunny, of course, has no answer for him. It just stares back, with one of its eyes loose, almost slipping from the socket. Wei Ying wonders how old the thing actually is.
The shower water turns on, a shock of noise in the very quiet RV. Wei Ying winces a bit, and wonders if Lan Zhan heard what he said to the empty air.
Well, if he did, too bad for him. Someone had to tell him he was an ass, anyway.
A very hot, very gorgeous, very rude ass.
Wei Ying lets his head fall back and sighs heavily.
Tomorrow will be better. He’s ready for his new life to start.