Oh, No! Not Her!

Wei Ying was unable to take a nap, but he did snooze for a while. Lan Zhan idly massaged his feet as he rested and checked a few things on his tablet.

The latter was aggrieved as he pondered over what Wei Ying had said earlier. He didn't blame him for being scared of contracting an infection or a virus, of course. It was a very real and understandable fear. And if he did, it would be highly unjust. He would never have deserved it, and yet he would be forced to carry it unless he was able to have it remedied.

It was bad enough that Wei Ying felt guilty at the mere thought of it. He should not. It would not be his fault if he had to bear that burden. As Lan Zhan had told him, it wasn't as if he had cheated on him. The circumstances would have been different otherwise.

Even worse, he knew that Wei Ying didn't feel attractive or good enough for him already. He didn't even understand how he would be capable of loving him either. After all, he had been scared that he would dump him because of what Wen Chao did. And knowing him, he still was. If any of his tests came back positive, especially for an incurable disease, he would feel this way even more.

This suddenly led to a horrifying thought, one that hadn't occurred to Lan Zhan before. What if Wei Ying chose to leave him because of that instead? He didn't want to infect him by accident, so he knew it was possible that he would if it meant that he would be safe. He may also decide to if he wrongly sensed that he was no longer attracted to him, or that he no longer loved him.

The idea of it made Lan Zhan's heart clench painfully. As much as Wei Ying didn't want him to go, the last thing he wished was for him to end their engagement too, for those reasons. He didn't know what he would do with him either, and a life without him was too terrible to imagine. He hoped that he would understand just how much he truly loved him soon, and that he deserved all the love in the world.

Then again, Wei Ying never quite believed that he was worthy of love even before all of this happened. He wasn't exactly raised in the most ideal household. If it wasn't for Uncle Jiang and Jiang Yanli, who adored him with all their hearts, Lan Zhan doubted that he would have a good concept of it. Madam Yu was often overly harsh with him, and while his brother did love him and defended him whenever he was in trouble, he wasn't always kind to him.

Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu were not an adequate example of what a married couple should be either. Their union was a highly toxic one. They were coldly civil to each other at best - if they were speaking at all - and explosively argumentative at other times.

Lan Zhan sighed deeply and waved these thoughts away. They were giving him a headache, and for the thousandth time, they made him want to beat the shit out of Wen Chao for causing Wei Ying turmoil.

It was after five o'clock when they prepared to leave for Uncle Jiang's house. Wei Ying looked a bit better then since he had rested, but it was obvious that he still felt uneasy about going.

Everybody's cars were already parked outside when they arrived there twenty minutes later. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan walked up to the door after checking their surroundings, the former collecting himself before ringing the doorbell.

Uncle Jiang opened it within seconds. "Ah. Hello, A-Ying, A-Wangji," he declared with a grim expression. They couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding at this. "Come in. You know dinner will be ready soon."

"Yeah. Hi Shushu," Wei Ying greeted in return.

"Good evening, Jiang-shushu," Lan Zhan added, bowing respectfully.

After Uncle Jiang embraced them, he gestured to the family room. "Everyone is in there. Why don't you make yourselves comfortable? I need to attend to something. I'll be right back."

"Okay. Is...Is Madam Yu...?" the latter was unable to finish his question.

"She's in the kitchen...she hasn't spoken much today."

That wasn't good, but at least there wouldn't be any quarreling...or so they hoped. She had practically blown up quite a few times during her sulking spells.

"Oh," Wei Ying mumbled. "Well...we'll go and sit down, then."

"All right."

Even though the TV was on in the family room, it was still quieter than usual when he and Lan Zhan stepped into it. Jiang Cheng, who was holding the remote, glared at it sullenly. Wen Ning didn't seem too upbeat either as he watched it along with him. Jiang Yanli and Wen Qing were talking to each other in low voices. Jin Zixuan scrolled through his phone, as if he were trying to find something. However, they all looked up after noticing them.

Jiang Yanli smiled as she stood. "A-Xian, Lan Zhan-didi! I thought that was you two," she remarked, hugging him.

Wei Ying managed a grin. "Hi Shijie. Are you okay?" he inquired.

"Yes. How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad at the moment."

"Good. What about you, Zhanzhan-didi?"

He wrapped an arm around her briefly. "I am fine, A-Jie."

The others greeted them after that, embracing them too or shaking hands in Lan Zhan's case. Wei Ying was glad to see Wen Qing in particular. He hadn't for several days.

"How is your internship going?" he asked once he had said hello to her. "Was it crazy at the hospital this week?"

She nodded. "A little. Some of the patients tried to give me a bit of trouble, but I was able to handle them. A-Ning said you were on campus yesterday."

"Yeah. I didn't want to fall behind in my classes, so I went back."

"Mmmm. I hope that nobody gave you any trouble."

Wei Ying shook his head. "No. Everything went the same as usual."

She didn't mention Wen Chao at all. For that, he was grateful.

He was just about to sit on one of the loveseats when Madam Yu appeared in the doorway. Her scowl became more prominent as her gaze landed on him, making him cringe. She made him feel as if he had done something wrong just by being there. Lan Zhan watched her carefully as he took his hand.

She stared at Wei Ying for what seemed like an eternity. Then, with a huff, she gave them a curt nod. "Wei Wuxian. Wangji," she greeted shortly.

They bowed.

"Madam Yu," Wei Ying whispered.

"Hello," Lan Zhan said next.

She then turned to Jiang Yanli. "I need you in the kitchen. Come help me finish making dinner."

"Yes, A-Niang," the latter replied.

Wei Ying slumped onto the loveseat after they were gone. "Oh, man. She must really be pissed off."

Jiang Cheng moped. "Who are you telling? She's been flat out ignoring me since I came. She didn't even say hello."

"And I was surprised that she spoke to me at all," Wen Ning piped up. "I almost didn't come today...I didn't think that she would want me here."

"She certainly wished that I hadn't. It would have been better if she just slammed the door in my face or told me to go back home since I'm obviously not welcome here. At least she wouldn't have to go through the trouble of ignoring me."

Wen Qing pursed her lips. "She probably only let you in because Jiang-shushu asked her to. Otherwise, she would have done either one or the other."

"Well, maybe he shouldn't have, if she's going to be like this," Jiang Cheng grumbled.

Secretly, Wei Ying agreed with him. And like Wen Ning, he wondered if it would have been best if he hadn't shown up too. He didn't know which was worse: being coldly acknowledged by Madam Yu or being treated as if one didn't exist to her.

He clutched his elbows. It was all his fault that his brother and best friend were going through this. And from the stare she gave him earlier, he felt that she still blamed him for them beating up Wen Chao too...

"What is wrong, Wei Ying?" Lan Zhan queried then, breaking into his reverie.

He shook his head and relaxed his arms. "Nothing. I...It's just a little chilly in here," he responded, giving him a part truth.

"Mmm." Lan Zhan took his jacket off and wrapped it around him, deciding not to question him further.

"Thanks."

"You are welcome."

Jin Zixuan put his phone away. "I do not believe that Madam Yu honestly wants any of us here. She did not give me, A-Li, or Wen Qing a warm welcome either," he noted.

"So, why didn't she just cancel for today? We would have understood," Wei Ying pointed out.

Lan Zhan rubbed his arm. "Perhaps she did at first. But Jiang-shushu may have asked her to change her mind."

Everyone nodded as they thought this over.

"That's possible," Wen Qing agreed. Then she stood. "I'm going to go and help A-Li. She might need it."

No doubt; Madam Yu was likely giving her a hard time.

When dinner was ready soon after that, they all went to the kitchen. Madam Yu was clearly aware of Jiang Cheng's existence by then because a full dish was at his place on the table. Then again, Jiang Yanli or Wen Qing may have put it there.

The atmosphere was tense as everyone started on their meal. Nobody said a word. Madam Yu was still too angry to, and the others believed that a tirade would come upon them if they dared to open their mouths for anything other than food.

Wei Ying kept his eyes on his as he ate. He felt too guilty and wretched to look at any of them. The only thing that only made him feel slightly better was that he wasn't Jiang Yanli or Wen Ning, who sat nearest to Madam Yu. He wouldn't be able to get one spoonful down if he were.

Lan Zhan, who was across from him as usual, watched him morosely. He regretted not convincing him to stay at home. That would have been more preferable than seeing him so downtrodden here.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glared at Madam Yu. He desired nothing more than to (respectfully) call her out on her behavior, and it wasn't the first time he did either. He also wanted to make her stand in the corner or eat alone for acting like an overgrown child.

He understood that she was not happy with Jiang Cheng or Wen Ning, and possibly Wei Ying too, but she could at least be more mature about it. There was no need for her to be so inhospitable. It was rude, it was spoiling everything, and it was making them all miserable--

BANG!

Everybody jumped as something slammed into the glass window behind Uncle Jiang, causing it to rattle violently. It was often hidden by curtains, but they had been pulled aside, revealing the backyard and dark-blue sky.

"WEI WUXIAN!" a horribly familiar voice screeched. "COME HERE RIGHT NOW, YOU BASTARD!"

Wei Ying's insides froze as he slowly turned to see Wang Lingjiao standing outside. She held a rock in her hand as she scowled at him.

Great. It was her. She must have seen Lan Zhan's car out front, otherwise she wouldn't be there. He knew he shouldn't have come.

"I KNOW YOU HEARD ME! COME OUT HERE RIGHT NOW! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR GETTING MY BOYFRIEND ARRESTED, YOU LYING MOTHERFUCKER!" she bellowed.

See? I warned you. I told you worse would happen if you opened your fat mouth, Wen Chao's voice sneered in his head as it cackled evilly.

He moved to stand up then. Not to go out and talk to her, but to leave the house. He had to. He had to draw her away so that he could protect his family and Lan Zhan. It was him that she wanted. What if she broke the window and hurt one of them? He could not allow that to happen.

However, before he could do more than push his chair back, Madam Yu suddenly spoke.

"Don't you dare get up," she hissed. She was not looking at him, but at Wang Lingjiao with outrage.

Wei Ying ignored her. He had to leave.

Jiang Cheng reached out to pull him down. "Please, gege. Listen to her. Don't go out there. It might be a trick."

"He is right, Wei Ying," Lan Zhan agreed. "She may not be alone. Wen Chao's gang members may be with her, but hiding nearby."

All the more reason why he needed to go.

"Exactly. No...!" Jiang Cheng added, holding onto his arm.

"Get off of me! Let me go!" Wei Ying ordered as he struggled against them.

"HELLO-O! WEI WUXIAN! I'M TALKING TO YOU! GET YOUR LYING ASS OUT HERE!" Wang Lingjiao shouted.

"A-Cheng! Let go of me!"

"No!"

"Wei Ying, stop!" Lan Zhan said.

"Please don't go, A-Xian! It really might not be safe!" Jiang Yanli remarked imploringly.

Uncle Jiang also attempted to reason with him. "A-Ying, listen to them. Think about what A-Cheng told you just now. You can't go out there. You could get hurt!"

Wei Ying paid no heed to them either. He just continued to try to fight Jiang Cheng off. "Get off of me!" he hollered at him.

"No!"

Scowling, he shoved him before yanking his arm away. Just as he managed to stand, however, he was roughly pushed back down onto his chair.

"No!" Madam Yu said in a fierce voice, keeping her hands on his shoulders. "Stay there." She scooped more of the braised pork and vermicelli they were having for dinner into his bowl. "Eat!"

After that, she bent down. "Do not get up, do you understand me? Don't move from your seat! I will handle her myself."

Wei Ying's eyes widened at this statement. "But...Madam Yu...you shouldn't. It's me she wants," he argued.

"I don't care! You aren't moving from this chair until she's gone! Do you understand? Wangji! Make sure he doesn't get up!"

Lan Zhan nodded as he stood behind him.

"I'll come with you," Wen Qing declared, rolling up her sleeves. She wanted to give Wang Lingjiao a piece of her mind and teach her a lesson.

"Jiejie..." Wen Ning protested.

Madam Yu pointed at her. "No! Don't you dare get up either, Qingqing! All of you, stay here!"

BANG!

"WEI WU-XIAN!"

Closing her eyes, she gritted her teeth before opening the glass door. Everybody watched in fear as she marched across the yard.

Wei Ying was especially afraid. He didn't want something to happen to her because of him. If she got hurt, he would be responsible.

"Excuse me. Do we have a problem?" Madam Yu asked Wang Lingjiao harshly.

She glared at her. "You're damn right I have a problem!" she shrieked. "Get your fucking nephew out here! I need to talk to him, not you! He's the reason why my Chaochao's in jail!"

"Good! He deserves to be there with all of the trouble he gets into, and he certainly does after what he did," she huffed.

"Chaochao didn't do a fucking thing! He told me so himself! He said that your nephew told the police a lie just to get him arrested!"

Madam Yu snorted. "Are you aware of what he was thrown in jail for? Because if you do, I hope that you have enough sense to know that Wei Wuxian wouldn't dare to lie about it, young lady."

Wei Ying's mouth fell at this. She...she was defending him?

"Oh, I know he did! He always thinks that he's so clever, but he never had any sense himself! Why else would he lie about my Chaochao raping him?! As if he would lower himself to even bother with street trash!"

Lan Zhan's hand clenched in fury. And his wasn't the only one that did.

"Your Chaochao has lowered himself to do many things," Madam Yu retorted coolly. "But as far as Wei Wuxian is concerned, no one would have to lower themselves when it comes to him. There is nothing low about him.

"Maybe he had been on the street at one point in his life. Maybe he doesn't have much sense...but he definitely has more than you or your Chaochao put together. If he had any, he would have known better than to even lay his hands on him. Wei Wuxian is not stupid, whatever can be said about him. He was not raised to be. So as far as I am concerned, he is clever."

Wang Lingjiao stamped her foot impatiently. "I don't have time to listen to this! As I said, I'm here to speak to him, not you! Get out of my way!" she yelled, trying to walk past her.

Madam Yu blocked her. "I wouldn't take another step if I were you," she admonished in a low voice.

"Are you threatening me?! No one dares to do that! Don't you know who my boyfriend is?! Don't you know who his father is?! Don't you know who his friends are?! Do you know what they would do if I told them about this?! Move out of my way, bitch-!"

CRACK!

Everybody jumped or exclaimed with horror as Madam Yu smacked her in the face with her purple belt. Wang Lingjiao yelped as she staggered away from her.

Uncle Jiang, who had been standing next to Wei Ying, rushed out to diffuse the situation. However, Madam Yu rose her hand to stop him without looking at him before addressing her again.

"How about you get off of my property and go home where you need to be? You ought to be ashamed of yourself for coming here to start trouble and disturbing the peace! Go!"

Wang Lingjiao huffed and stormed away. She clearly had enough sense to realize that she wouldn't be able to get by her no matter how hard she tried. But before she left the yard, she paused to glare at Wei Ying a second time.

"You better watch your back from now on, you lying bastard! I know where you live! I know where you go to school! And you watch your back too, bitch! You'll be lucky if I don't call the police and have you arrested for what you did to my face!" she added to Madam Yu, pointing to the red mark on her cheek.

"Go on and do that. That doesn't frighten me. I would be more than happy to fully explain to them why I did it. They would listen to me quicker than they would to you. And I am sure that they wouldn't notice your face anyway."

"You...you...! Ugh!"

Wang Lingjiao flipped her off and disappeared from view. They heard the sound of tires screeching and a car racing down the street after that, followed by a heavy silence.

Madam Yu and Uncle Jiang came back inside with rigid expressions. The former shut the door and put the curtains down over the window before turning to Wei Ying.

"If you're thinking of going home any time soon, forget it. She might try to wait for you there or come back. You will stay here for a couple of hours. I will have your uncle escort you and Wangji to your place later," she stated.

He didn't respond to this. As much as he was relieved that she and Uncle Jiang were unharmed, he still felt terrible that they were put in this position.

Besides, what if she did get arrested? It was bad enough that Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning were for sticking up for him. He didn't want the same for her. And even if she wasn't, Wang Lingjiao could retaliate against her in some way. Either instance would only give Madam Yu even more reasons to hate him.

Yet a voice in his head asked him: Would she have gone out there in your place if she truly did despise you?

Wei Ying couldn't answer that question. He wasn't sure, and didn't he know how he felt about it either.

On top of all that, he was embarrassed and humiliated that Wang Lingjiao practically revealed what Wen Chao did to the entire neighborhood. It would sparks rumors, and that was the last thing he needed. He was already dealing with more than he could handle as it was.

"Wei Wuxian! Did you hear me?" Madam Yu demanded, interrupted his thoughts.

He nodded. "Yes," he whispered.

"Good. A-Li, Qingqing, help me clear the food away and wash the dishes. There's no point in finishing dinner. All of our appetites are gone, I'm sure. The rest of you, leave the kitchen. Out."

Everyone obeyed immediately. They knew not to argue with her when she was like this.

Uncle Jiang laid a hand on Wei Ying's shoulder as they returned to the family room. "I know you're worried, A-Ying, but it will be all right. You will be fine too. Wang Lingjiao isn't going to get away with this. I guarantee it," he assured him.

Lan Zhan took Wei Ying's hand. "Do not pay attention to what she said either, baobei."

"Yeah, don't. She was wrong as hell!" Jiang Cheng fumed.

"She has a lot of nerve to say that you're a liar and call you street trash. She needs to be put away just like her worthless boyfriend," Wen Ning added with a scowl.

Jin Zixuan didn't comment on any of this, but they could tell that he agreed with them.

"I will make sure that she will not try to harass you again. I promise you," Lan Zhan vowed.

"Don't worry about A-Niang either, gege. She knows how to take care of herself. And you know that she's not going to put up with her shit," Jiang Cheng remarked.

Wei Ying gently pulled his hand away from Lan Zhan as he sat on the couch. "Guys, please. Don't talk about it anymore. Just...just leave me alone," he muttered. He hid his face in his jacket. "Let me know when we can go home, sweetheart. I'm going to rest for a while."

The latter rubbed his back. "Mn. I am here if you need anything."

"Okay."

Wei Ying did not resurface until it was almost nine o'clock, when Madam Yu allowed them to go home. He wouldn't speak to anyone, not even Jiang Yanli, who attempted to comfort him after helping her in the kitchen. He was just so tired of everything that he wanted to vanish.

Both he and Lan Zhan were putting on their coats when Madam Yu approached them with a bag with two containers of food in it. After a brief hesitation, she offered it to the latter.

"Here. You should eat something later since neither of you had finished your dinner. You may keep the containers if you want," she stated.

Lan Zhan was mildly surprised by this gesture, but took it with a nod. "Thank you, Madam Yu. Please...be safe over the next few days," he murmured.

She bobbed her head as well. "I advise you and Wei Wuxian to do the same. Keep an eye on him whenever you can. Call if you need anything, and get home safe."

And with that, she turned to go upstairs. However, before she could, Wei Ying stepped forward.

"Wait," he blurted out.

She looked around again. "...Yes?" she inquired stiffly.

He opened his mouth to respond, but he didn't want to tell her what he had to say in front of Lan Zhan or Uncle Jiang, who were in the hall with them. He lifted a finger to them. "Give me a minute."

They nodded.

"We'll wait outside," Lan Zhan whispered, sensing that he needed privacy. After that, he bowed to Madam Yu. "Good-bye. Thank you for having us over."

She inclined her head.

After he and Uncle Jiang were gone, she eyed Wei Ying questioningly and prompted him a second time. "Yes? What is it?"

He tried to answer her again, but couldn't at first. He had so many things he wanted to say to her. So many questions he had to ask.

But one in particular rose above all of them.

"Why?" he queried.

She frowned. "Why what?"

"...Why did go and speak to Wang Lingjiao in my place? Why...why did you defend me? I told you that it was me she wanted. You didn't need to do any of that."

Madam Yu harrumphed. "Did you really think that I would have let her have the chance to harm you? Or let someone else hurt you? If you did, then think again. No one here would have forgiven me if I had, especially your uncle and Wangji."

"But I wasn't going to talk to her. I just wanted to leave and go home so that she wouldn't drag you any further into whatever she had planned. And now, you might get in trouble...especially for hitting her with your belt."

"Like Wanyin said, I can take care of myself, so don't worry about it. If she really wanted to have me arrested so much, I would have been by now," she remarked sarcastically.

Wei Ying had to admit that this was true. He couldn't help but wonder why the police hadn't shown up. Perhaps Wang Lingjiao had been embarrassed?

"Besides," Madam Yu went on. "Do you really think that it would have been a good idea for you to draw her away from here? That would have been just as bad, if not worse. It would only have given her the opportunity to put you in even more danger. You're smart enough to know this, Wei Wuxian. Act like it."

"But...!"

She lifted her hand. "Not another word. I know what you are trying to tell me. I know that you do not want anything to happen to me. You don't have to say it because I know you well enough. As I said, I can take care of myself, so don't worry about me."

"But..."

Her eyes hardened. "Wei Wuxian, did you hear what I told you? Do I have to repeat it, or do I need to get my point across some other way?"

Pouting, his shoulders slumped. "No, Madam Yu."

"Good. Now, go home. It's getting late."

Wei Ying nodded. "Okay. I...I guess I'll see you soon, then...and..."

She rose her eyebrow.

"...thank you. You didn't have to do that, but...thank you." He appreciated that she tried to keep him out of harm's way deep down inside, even if she didn't like him.

Madam Yu's expression become unreadable, but she inclined her head again and waved her hand to the door. "Good-bye. Be careful."

"Okay. I'll try."

And with a bow, he left the house.

Uncle Jiang followed him and Lan Zhan as they went back to their place, which was thankfully still intact. They checked for Wang Lingjiao's car, but it was nowhere to be seen. None of the vehicles belonging to Wen Chao's gang members - or his father - were around either.

"Go inside quickly. They may still be nearby," Uncle Jiang warned them nonetheless after rolling down his window.

"Mn," Lan Zhan agreed. "Thank you for escorting us. Please have a safe return trip home."

"I will try to. Madam Yu had informed the police about Wang Lingjiao, so I will keep you updated on that. I just hope she doesn't get in trouble for her sake."

Wei Ying scowled. She hadn't mentioned this when they were talking about Wang Lingjiao earlier.

"A-Ying, be safe, do you understand?" Uncle Jiang continued. "Keep an eye on your surroundings wherever you go. You too, A-Wangji."

"Mn."

Wei Ying nodded. "I will, Jiang-shushu. I'll call you tomorrow. Let me know when you get home."

"All right. And you let me know if you need anything before then, or if something happens."

"Okay." He reached inside the window to give him a quick hug. "Bye."

Uncle Jiang kissed his temple. "Good-bye, A-Ying. Good-bye, A-Wangji."

"Good-bye, Shushu," Lan Zhan returned.

And with a wave, he drove away. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan went inside and took off their coats.

"Come on, baobei. Let's eat before we go to bed," the latter said once they had.

Wei Ying shook his head. "I don't want anything right now...I'm not hungry. You can eat if you want, though. I'm just going to take care of my injuries and go to sleep."

Lan Zhan placed a hand on his arm. "Are you sure? Would you like me to help you? Or...do you want to talk about what happened?"

"No, I'm not in the mood. And I don't need any help. I have it. Thank you, though."

Wei Ying then kissed him and made his way upstairs. Lan Zhan let him, listening as he went to the bathroom before going to their room. After that, the door closed, and all was quiet again.