#all my xie lian takes are wonderful and deep and all my hua cheng takes are HES CRINGE | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

disastermages · 4 months

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All The Best, All for You

[read it on ao3]

Xie Lian can’t help but shift from side to side in his seat, eyes scanning the room round and round hoping to see Hua Cheng rounding some corner or gliding out of some doorway, cool and collected as ever. He’d personally shown Xie Lian to this private table, his hand at the small of Xie Lian’s back as he ushered him through the busy and crowded restaurant. Xie Lian hadn’t felt out of place until Hua Cheng had left his side.

Heads had turned to watch him walk with Hua Cheng, the expressions gobsmacked and the eyes wide. Xie Lian hadn’t noticed because he’d been focused on what Hua Cheng was telling him, his voice deep and quiet and only for Xie Lian’s ears, but now, Xie Lian can hear the soft whispers of the patrons, some of them murmuring over their own extravagant meals, others wondering who he was to deserve such treatment from their Chengzhu.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng’s voice rings out, clear and indulgent, as he reappears from some hidden doorway. Anyone else would’ve buckled under the weight of the tray, but Hua Cheng carries it with one hand, refusing to let it wobble even once before he sets it down in front of Xie Lian. Dozens of small bowls and plates steam in front of him, their smells wrapping around Xie Lian like a lover’s hands as he marvels at each and every one of them. It doesn’t seem possible, Hua Cheng hadn’t been gone that long. “All my best recipes, just for you.”

Hua Cheng had cooked for Xie Lian before, but never here, never so many dishes at once, Xie Lian doesn’t know where to start. Instead, he looks up at Hua Cheng. “San Lang! Did you really make all of this yourself? I thought you weren’t in the kitchen today.” The dark red chef’s coat was nowhere to be seen, leaving Hua Cheng sitting across from Xie Lian in a dark suit with silver accents that couldn’t even be dulled by the low lighting of the private section, long legs crossed and his hand propping his chin up.

“I wouldn’t dream of letting anyone else cook for gege.” Hua Cheng says simply, plucking up a pair of chopsticks, but holding them out to Xie Lian. Their fingers brush as Xie Lian takes the chopsticks and Xie Lian can’t make himself pull back right away, not when he catches the way Hua Cheng is watching him, with a kind of smile that makes him feel as if he’s burning up from the inside out.

Xie Lian can only look away when he remembers the food going cold in front of him. “Aren’t you going to eat too?” Hua Cheng had made no move to pick up a pair of chopsticks nor a spoon for himself. Looking over the food, Xie Lian can pick out simple dishes made extravagant along with extravagant dishes dragged up to the heavens by Hua Cheng’s own hands. With Hua Cheng’s eye still watching him, Xie Lian picks out something Hua Cheng has pressed into his hands before, in his own kitchen, his voice urging Xie Lian to eat.

Now, as Hua Cheng shakes his head, his smile still in place, is no different, “Everything here is for gege, no one else. Eat as much as you like.” Xie Lian almost argues, but the growling of his stomach stops him. There’d been a time when his stomach had given up on growling, sullen in the knowledge that there wouldn’t be anything to fill it until Xie Lian either worked for it or found it on his own, but Hua Cheng has spoiled him rotten. Before that, Xie Lian could’ve had anything he craved, wanting for nothing. Nothing from Xie Lian’s memory tastes nearly as good as Hua Cheng’s cooking, though. His chopsticks scrape the bottom of the bowl before Xie Lian realizes he’s finished, heat creeping across his face.

Gently, Hua Cheng reaches over and plucks the bowl from Xie Lian’s grip with one hand, replacing it with something else with the other. Xie Lian dips his head just a little as he accepts the plate, eggplant fried to perfection singing across his tongue. “Is San Lang still having trouble finding a sous chef?” Xie Lian asks, remembering how he’d snuck into the alleyway behind the restaurant the other day on the off chance that he might find Hua Cheng. He had, but he hadn’t missed the murderous look in Hua Cheng’s eye before it landed on him and dissipated completely. Hua Cheng had insisted on folding his coat to make a cushion for the milk crate he offered to Xie Lian as a seat.

They’d sat like that for as long as they could, their knees touching, until Hua Cheng truly couldn’t avoid going back into the kitchen. Xie Lian had taken his leave before Hua Cheng could push food into his arms.

“Is gege finally taking me up on the offer to come work here?” Hua Cheng raises a single eyebrow, his fingertips drumming against the table and Xie Lian doesn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. Working for Hua Cheng would pay more than odd jobs, scrap collecting, or dumpster diving combined, that much is certain, but Xie Lian still shakes his head.

“I’d drive away all your guests!” It’s an old argument, but a true one. Xie Lian cooks just like his mother did, the only one who could stomach it is Hua Cheng. “I wouldn’t get much done, either…” It’s another fact. He would try his best, but he would let himself get distracted by Hua Cheng too easily. It doesn’t matter how much Xie Lian would enjoy working with Hua Cheng, he would only make messes.

Hua Cheng spares one disdainful glance behind himself into the main dining room before turning his attention back to Xie Lian. “I would have gege here even if all he did was sit where he is now and smile at me when I walk by.” This time, as his plate empties, Xie Lian is the one who stacks it underneath the bowl from earlier, heaving a sigh in the face of Hua Cheng’s grin.

“Then you wouldn’t get anything done!” Xie Lian wishes he could pretend to be more frustrated with Hua Cheng, but as it stands, he’s more flustered than anything else. With nothing else in his grasp, Xie Lian bites the edge off of a dumpling and lets the soup flood his mouth before he blows into the hole. He scalds his mouth, but it’s worth it, and only gets better as Hua Cheng offers a smaller dish of chili oil, keeping it held in his palm rather than handing it over.

Chewing, Xie Lian watches as Hua Cheng twists the dish of chili oil back and forth in his grasp, the smile fading a little while he works something in his mind.

“Gege,” Hua Cheng starts, but a crash from the main dining room and shouts from the kitchen stop him short, the both of them standing up. “Stay here and finish, go to my office when you’re done.” The order isn’t unkind, but Xie Lian can’t even begin to argue before Hua Cheng stands up and walks away, pulling at the tie against his throat. For a moment, all Xie Lian can do is stand and watch, unable to even sit as Hua Cheng doesn’t waver on which direction to go for even a second.

Without Hua Cheng in front of him, Xie Lian’s cheeks are free to burn as bright and as red as they wish. He makes a point of savoring each bite, even if Hua Cheng isn’t here to watch him enjoy the food, no matter how unfair it feels.

Xie Lian wants to shake himself at the thought. Just how spoiled has he really become? Hua Cheng must have better things to do than sit around chatting with him. He doesn’t even realize he’s failed to pick up anything with his chopsticks until his teeth sink into them and nothing else. If Hua Cheng had seen that, he would’ve laughed, Xie Lian knows that much without having to think about it.

Hua Cheng hadn’t managed to reappear by the time Xie Lian had finished, though Xie Lian hadn’t expected him to, he still makes his way through the kitchen to Hua Cheng’s office, waving to the familiar faces of the kitchen staff as he walks through. He only stops when he catches sight of Hua Cheng, his back turned to Xie Lian, but his movements sure, even as flames lick at the bottom of the pan as he tosses the contents of it. He says something and the cook next to him goes running in the opposite direction before coming back with a collection of different things held in their arms. If he weren’t in the way, Xie Lian could stand there and watch Hua Cheng all night, never looking away, but Hua Cheng’s staff was already dodging and weaving around him.

Xie Lian forces himself to move into Hua Cheng’s office, out of the way and tucked onto the soft, black couch. Occasionally, he would find Yin Yu in here, on some errand for Hua Cheng or tying up some loose end for the restaurant, but tonight, Xie Lian is left alone and Hua Cheng’s office is too warm and smells too much like Hua Cheng. Something fluttery and even warmer rises up in Xie Lian as he settles against the couch, his hands between his knees.

Eventually the dinner rush would have to end, it always did, and whether or not Hua Cheng made his way back here depended on how much needed taking care of, in the kitchen, out front, Hua Cheng did it all himself and an arrow of guilt wedges itself into Xie Lian’s heart as he stifles a yawn. He should have come up with some sort of excuse to stop intruding on Hua Cheng after he ate, he shouldn’t have even accepted Hua Cheng’s offer to come to the restaurant today. He just… He wanted to see Hua Cheng so badly. He wanted to hear Hua Cheng’s voice, even if that voice was laughing at him. Even if that voice was scolding him.

Gathering himself up onto the couch, Xie Lian lets his cheek rest against the back of it, the soft upholstery absorbing the warmth from one cheek. His arms are tight around his legs, his blunt nails digging into his own knees. It doesn’t feel fair how much time he gets to spend with Hua Cheng, how often he gets to come visit him. Hua Cheng never seems sick of him, either. Xie Lian doesn’t claim to understand it, heat gathering behind his eyes as he squeezes them shut.

Hua Cheng was the first person he thought of whenever anything good happened. He was always the first person Xie Lian texted or called whenever he found a treasure among the scraps, whenever some little thing made him happy. Hua Cheng never responded with the canned indulgence everyone else seemed to hold for him. Hua Cheng laughed or teased him, but he was always so devastatingly sincere.

Blinking slowly, Xie Lian doesn’t realize he’s falling asleep until sometime later, when Hua Cheng’s cool hand on his cheek stirs him from his rest, Hua Cheng’s suit jacket already draped over his front.

“San Lang?” Xie Lian calls softly, his voice slurred by sleep, the whole of him feeling too soft to move.

“This San Lang kept gege waiting too long,” Hua Cheng says, an apology in his tone and worry in his eye as he kneels in front of the couch, in front of Xie Lian. Careful not to step on Hua Cheng, Xie Lian puts his feet down slowly, only for Hua Cheng to place both hands on his knees. He should, but Xie Lian can’t bring himself to brush Hua Cheng’s hands away. He can’t even bring himself to return Hua Cheng’s suit jacket, hugging it closer to his chest instead. “What were you dreaming about?”

Hua Cheng had been brushing something from Xie Lian’s cheek when Xie Lian had woken up, and now Hua Cheng was on one knee in front of Xie Lian as if he’d been the one who did something wrong. Sitting up straight, Xie Lian lifts one hand to his own cheek, finding only remnants of something wet and catching sight of a bigger, darker blotch on the back of the couch.

“I was just thinking how lucky I am to have San Lang.” Xie Lian says, trying his best to smile. It isn’t a lie, he is lucky to have Hua Cheng in his life. He’s lucky to have Hua Cheng’s eye solely focused on him as often as it is.

“I’m the one who’s lucky to have gege.” Hua Cheng answers with a shake of his head, both hands lifting Xie Lian’s foot onto his leg before pulling the knots of his shoe laces loose and pulling the shoe off altogether. He does the same for the other one before standing up, his hand reaching for Xie Lian’s cheek again. Xie Lian doesn’t dare back away from that hand, leaning into it like a cat deprived of affection. “If gege is tired, he should sleep, this San Lang will wait for him to wake up.”

The words make Xie Lian’s chest feel as if it's caving in, his tongue suddenly feeling clumsy and numb as Hua Cheng starts to stand. Where words fail him, Xie Lian lets himself reach out and grab onto Hua Cheng’s wrist to keep him from going any further. “Gege?” Hua Cheng looks at Xie Lian when he holds onto him, but says nothing. Xie Lian half expects his fingers to peeled off one by one when Hua Cheng reaches for his wrist, but instead, those cool fingers curl around him in reply.

“San Lang, could you sit with me? Just for a little while?” Xie Lian asks carefully, peering up at Hua Cheng but looking away just as quickly. He’s already taken up so much of Hua Cheng’s time, there are things he needs to do, Xie Lian is sure of it. He doesn’t expect Hua Cheng to sit down next to him so easily, their knees brushing again.

It all feels too easy. The way he touches Hua Cheng, the way Hua Cheng touches him, even the warmth that builds so quickly between them no matter how cold Hua Cheng’s hands feel when Xie Lian holds onto them to warm them up. Carefully, Xie Lian surrenders his grip on Hua Cheng’s wrist, all for the sake of pressing his hand against Hua Cheng’s cheek, just like Hua Cheng had done for him, but something holds him back, something that threatens to choke him, a lump building up in his throat.

The next time Xie Lian dares to sneak a glance at Hua Cheng, the only thing he finds is amusement, rather than irritation or confusion, the corners of Hua Cheng’s mouth tipping upwards. The suit jacket puddles around Xie Lian’s lap now, even as Xie Lian pulls his knees underneath himself and turns towards Hua Cheng, embarrassment already burning underneath his skin. “What would it take for San Lang to be angry with me?” Xie Lian asks the question carefully, idly playing with Hua Cheng’s fingers, hoping against everything that Hua Cheng might stop him just so he’ll know where they stand.

Hua Cheng is the one who laces their fingers together, splaying his fingers wide and making Xie Lian’s do the same for his own amusement, humming while he thinks. “Gege already knows the answer to his question.” Hua Cheng answers thoughtfully, loosening his grip on Xie Lian’s wrist to reach for his other hand, though he only holds it, nothing else.

“Then San Lang wouldn’t be angry with me if I did something to him right now?” Xie Lian asks carefully.

“I trust gege.” Hua Cheng answers, his eye molten soft when he looks at Xie Lian, his thumb stroking over his knuckles exactly one time. Nodding his head, Xie Lian swallows thickly before licking his lips. Hua Cheng trusts him. Hua Cheng trusts him and what Xie Lian is about to do will either break that trust completely or… Xie Lian doesn’t have an answer.

Before he can stop himself, Xie Lian leans in and brushes his lips against the center of Hua Cheng’s mouth as softly as he dares before pressing himself to the corner of the couch, watching for his reaction. For a long, long moment, Hua Cheng’s hands still. He doesn’t release Xie Lian from his grasp, his grip doesn’t even slacken.

“San Lang, I-”

Whatever excuse he’d had to offer for his behavior dies in the meeting of their lips. Hua Cheng had pulled him back in by their hands and now both of their hands are crushed between their bodies while Hua Cheng kisses him, hungry but trying hard not to push too far. Xie Lian can’t stop himself from moaning into Hua Cheng’s mouth, his hands twisting away from Hua Cheng’s fingers just to press against Hua Cheng’s chest, searching for and finding his heartbeat. He hadn’t known what he expected, but he hadn’t expected to feel Hua Cheng’s heart hammering against his ribcage, as if it were trying to break through the bones keeping it contained. With nothing to hold their attention, Hua Cheng’s hands find places at the back of Xie Lian’s head and at the small of his back respectively, keeping him crushed as close as they both need to be more than they need air in their lungs.

Only when his lungs start to ache does Xie Lian begin to pull away from Hua Cheng, refusing to go far when he does pull back, his hands sliding up to Hua Cheng’s shoulders. He doesn’t stop Hua Cheng from littering his face and neck with a thousand smaller kisses, nor does he stop himself from sighing softly. “I thought… I thought you would’ve been upset with me.” Xie Lian says it quietly, as if it could pass between them as a secret. He doesn’t expect to be pulled tighter against Hua Cheng’s chest before he’s laid down on the couch, his legs spread to make room for Hua Cheng to kneel between them.

Hua Cheng’s hair falls over one shoulder, tickling Xie Lian’s nose before Hua Cheng has a chance to shake it out of the way, the look in his eye serious enough to make Xie Lian shiver. “Are you sure you want this, gege?” The softness of Hua Cheng’s voice breaks Xie Lian’s heart in two. Hua Cheng’s fingertips brush against a gap of skin left exposed between Xie Lian’s shirt and jeans, sliding further and further under his shirt until only Hua Cheng’s thumbs brush against the fabric.

Xie Lian’s skin catches fire under Hua Cheng’s touch, making him gasp softly as his body innately seeks out more of that feeling. “I want this, San Lang. I want you.” He’d tried to be unselfish, he’d tried to share, he’d tried so hard to not keep Hua Cheng for himself, but Xie Lian can’t make himself do it anymore, even as he covers his own face. He can’t look at Hua Cheng and say all of this.

“I’m sorry, San Lang, I really thought I could just be your friend,” Xie Lian babbles, hiding behind his own hands even when Hua Cheng starts to pull at his wrists, his grip gentle but firm. “I shouldn’t want to keep you all to myself, but I do.” Distantly, Xie Lian registers Hua Cheng calling him, calling him gege first, and then resorting to his name when that fails, until his voice trails off and Xie Lian feels Hua Cheng leaning forward, pinning Xie Lian to the couch with his weight before he kisses him again, still holding onto his wrists as he sweeps his tongue over Xie Lian’s lips.

“Look at me, gege, look at me and see how much your San Lang wants you too.” There’s a raggedness to Hua Cheng’s voice that Xie Lian hasn’t heard before. He peeks through the cracks of his fingers to start with, but lowers them slowly, until Hua Cheng can trap them against Xie Lian’s own collarbones. Hua Cheng switches both wrists to one hand with ease, brushing Xie Lian’s bangs away from his face and then letting himself caress his cheek, thumb stroking back and forth underneath Xie Lian’s eye. Xie Lian doesn’t even notice when Hua Cheng releases his wrists entirely, trusting that they’d say right where he left them laying.

Hua Cheng’s name is on Xie Lian’s lips, but whether or not sound follows after it, Xie Lian doesn’t know. “Gege is all I’ve ever wanted.” Hua Cheng sighs reverently, rolling his hips and making Xie Lian gasp, even through the layers of Xie Lian’s jeans and Hua Cheng’s pants. Something soft, something almost like a grunt pushes itself out of Xie Lian’s throat when Hua Cheng does that, and does it again again when Hua Cheng slides his hand further up Xie Lian’s shirt. His thumb rubbing against Xie Lian’s nipple, stroking back and forth over.

More and more of those little noises from before rise up like smoke in Xie Lian’s lungs and he tries so hard to bite them back, turning his head to the side just to muffle one of them against the couch. That kind of escape only lasts for a moment, though, before Hua Cheng decides that he won’t allow it. He’d kept his hand on Xie Lian’s cheek just for this purpose, Xie Lian is almost sure of it.

“San Lang!” Xie Lian starts, but the tone of his own voice makes him stop, embarrassment blooming anew in his chest. It sounded more like a whine than an actual protest. It sounded pitiful and Xie Lian doesn’t even get the chance to dwell on it because Hua Cheng is pressing his thumb against the swell of his bottom lip, the heat of his gaze keeping Xie Lian pinned down against the couch.

“I don’t like it when gege hides from me, I like it best when I can see him just like this.” Hua Cheng looms closer, his voice going deep and dark enough to make Xie Lian shiver, only to drive away the cold in the same breath as he kisses Xie Lian again, his tongue slipping into Xie Lian’s mouth without invitation or resistance. It takes a moment too long for Xie Lian to catch up, his brain freezing as Hua Cheng’s tongue strokes up alongside his own, twisting and making Xie Lian moan. There was no hope of catching himself right then, Xie Lian couldn’t even try.

The grinding of Hua Cheng’s hips is constant and maddening, making Xie Lian gasp for breath as he feels something hard and thick rutting against him. He’s not much better, he’s already straining at the front of his jeans, aching for Hua Cheng in ways that he’s never let himself give in to, no matter how much relief it would’ve given him. “Is gege hard?” Hua Cheng asks and Xie Lian wishes he could hide again, but there’s no hope for it. Hua Cheng is too close and Xie Lian is too far gone, too tightly wrapped around Hua Cheng’s finger. “Does gege want me to touch him?”

There was power in Hua Cheng’s hands, immense strength that Xie Lian himself has seen before, only to feel those same hands press against him with impossible gentility seconds later. He wants those hands on him now so badly it makes his muscles ache and burn.

“Don’t-” Xie Lian starts, only for Hua Cheng to pinch his nipple between his thumb and forefinger, rolling it cruelly while dragging his tongue over Xie Lian’s lower lip. “Don’t tease me, San Lang, please. I can’t take it, I haven’t done this before.” Desperation has made him too honest, but Xie Lian can’t stop himself. His legs try to snap shut, only to be kept open by Hua Cheng’s body.

The next time Xie Lian looks up, Hua Cheng is watching him, something dark and possessive overtaking his eye, both of his hands moving to hold Xie Lian by the waist, thumbs pressing hard into the soft skin of his belly. The next round of kisses land against his cheeks, each of them lingering and gentle until they begin to trail down his neck, dripping heavily like sweat on a too hot day. Those hard kisses give way to teeth, sharp enough to make Xie Lian jolt and cry out as Hua Cheng bites him. Skilled but impatient hands yank the button of his jeans and drag down the zipper, parting the fabric before those same hands catch the waistband.

Xie Lian’s jeans are pushed down to his knees, the denim catching and tangling around his legs as Hua Cheng wraps his hand around Xie Lian’s cock, his teeth moving onto a new, unblemished part of Xie Lian’s neck. Xie Lian’s fingers twist and pull at the back of Hua Cheng’s shirt, wrinkling the fabric hopelessly.

He hears himself calling Hua Cheng’s name, he hears himself being too loud, but he can’t stop himself. He can’t even stop himself from coming too soon, the worst of it dripping down Hua Cheng’s fist and onto the pants of his suit as he sits back to look at Xie Lian. Mortification sets in faster than anything, making Xie Lian scramble to sit up and grab for Hua Cheng’s wrist, stopping the come from dripping onto his pants. Xie Lian knows he’s ruined them, but Hua Cheng doesn’t even look angry.

“I… I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry, San Lang.” He’s still holding onto Hua Cheng’s wrist as he looks for something to wipe his mess up with, his head still feeling fuzzy. He purposefully hadn’t let himself sit in whatever amazing feelings Hua Cheng had just set into his skin, it felt too nice after what he just did.

When Xie Lian comes up empty, guilt building and building in his throat as he turns to face Hua Cheng, only to catch him licking at a thick line of come that was threatening to drip into the cuff of his shirt. Mischief sparkles in Hua Cheng’s eye as he grins at Xie Lian before he turns his head to clean off the rest of the come. “Gege tastes so sweet, I couldn’t help myself.”

Xie Lian isn’t sure whether to laugh or to cry as Hua Cheng leans in and kisses him again, his clean hand catching Xie Lian by the throat to keep him from pulling away. Xie Lian feels his cock twitch with interest, but tries hard to push it down. “I ruined your suit, San Lang, aren’t you upset?” Earlier, he’d been scrabbling at Hua Cheng’s back, needing something to hold onto as he was dragged over the edge by someone else for the first time, but now, his hands twitch nervously, catching Hua Cheng’s collar and pretending to fix it while Hua Cheng’s lips brush against his forehead. “San Lang didn’t even get to come.” Xie Lian scolds himself, eyeing the still hard shape of Hua Cheng’s cock through his ruined pants.

“Gege doesn’t have to worry about that.” Hua Cheng says, tipping Xie Lian’s face up with his forefinger, a smile making Hua Cheng’s delicate features look even softer, “If one suit gets ruined, I have a hundred more. Ruin as many as you like.” Xie Lian has seen the expanse of Hua Cheng’s wardrobe, all the different suits for different occasions, but that still didn’t make it right. Xie Lian can’t even afford to try and get it cleaned for him.

“San Lang,” Xie Lian says suddenly, trying hard not to talk himself out of it before he’s even started, “do you think you could stand up?” Xie Lian explains nothing and Hua Cheng raises an eyebrow, but stands without argument, looming over Xie Lian as he stands just long enough to step out of his jeans and drop down to his knees in front of him. He couldn’t pay to replace or clean Hua Cheng’s suit, so that’s something he’ll have to live with, but Xie Lian can solve one problem for Hua Cheng just like this. “I haven’t done this before either, so I hope San Lang can be patient with me.”

If the things hecklers used to yell at him when he used to swallow swords were true, Xie Lian should be good at this, shouldn’t he?

Carefully, Xie Lian palms Hua Cheng through his pants, his thumb rolling over the head of his cock before he leans in, licking his lips, only to be stopped by Hua Cheng’s hand on his shoulder, thumb pressing hard into the place where Xie Lian’s neck and shoulder met.

“Gege, don’t do this because you feel like you have to make something up to me, please.” Hua Cheng begs quietly, his eye and voice turning desperate as he looks down at Xie Lian. His hand squeezes Xie Lian’s shoulder tight, but not painfully so. All Xie Lian can do is smile and shake his head before he turns his face to rest his forehead against Hua Cheng’s inner wrist.

“I’m not.” Xie Lian answers honestly, with a smile still on his face even as heat creeps up his neck, “I’ve thought about doing this with San Lang for some time now, I just didn’t know if he would want it too.” Xie Lian works hard not to look up at Hua Cheng as he says it, leaning in all over again but refusing to be stopped by Hua Cheng’s hand at his shoulder.

He makes a show of licking his own come off of Hua Cheng’s pants, his nose scrunching up when he finds he doesn’t taste anywhere as sweet as Hua Cheng led him to believe. “Gege,” Hua Cheng calls, his voice sounding different from how Xie Lian has ever heard it before as he licks and licks until the traces of him are gone.

Only after that does Xie Lian even begin struggling with Hua Cheng’s button and zipper, his fingers clumsy and unpracticed in the echoes of Hua Cheng’s skill and urgency. “San Lang is so big.” Xie Lian murmurs, more to himself once he’s finally managed to pull Hua Cheng free. Experimentally, Xie Lian lets himself lick the pearling precome off the tip of Hua Cheng’s cock, feeling Hua Cheng twitch against the tip of his tongue before he hears a muffled sound make it past Hua Cheng’s lips.

He catches Hua Cheng with his hand over his mouth when he glances up, but Xie Lian won’t be cruel, he’ll let his Hua Cheng keep his hand there if he likes, even as he picks a vein and follows the length of it with his tongue. When he reaches the base of Hua Cheng’s cock, he picks another, following it backwards, to Hua Cheng’s cockhead. Another muffled sound comes from above him and Hua Cheng looks as if he’s ready to cry, his eye locked onto Xie Lian. That’s what makes Xie Lian finally give up his teasing, taking the head into his mouth and sucking hard. His eyes flutter shut and Xie Lian takes more of Hua Cheng into his mouth, minding his teeth as he stands up on his knees, both his hands pressing against Hua Cheng’s exposed thighs. Xie Lian’s own cock is hard again, tipping backwards against his stomach, but Xie Lian pays himself no mind and presses his tongue hard against the underside of Hua Cheng’s cock. His lack of a gag reflex makes it easier and easier for him to take more and more of Hua Cheng into his mouth.

He should take the rest of Hua Cheng into his throat now, he should swallow around him and make Hua Cheng moan just for him, but instead, Xie Lian pulls back, saliva dripping off the length of Hua Cheng’s cock and clinging to his lips like gloss. The whine Hua Cheng lets out is high and desperate, but Xie Lian only smiles up at him. His hands leave Hua Cheng’s thighs to wrap around his cock, one at the base, and one stroking from length to head.

Xie Lian knows it’s no comparison to the heat of his mouth, but that’s why he offers no warning before he leans in even closer and drags the broad flat of his tongue over one side of Hua Cheng’s balls. He can feel Hua Cheng throbbing and twitching in his hands as he turns his attention to the other side, sucking just to see what might happen before Xie Lian pulls away entirely. He hadn’t expected to make Hua Cheng lurch forward, but he doesn’t regret it. How could he? Hua Cheng finally pulled his hand away from his mouth just to catch himself by the edge of his desk because of it. Xie Lian presses his smile against the curve of Hua Cheng’s cock to show his appreciation.

“Gege, have some mercy for this San Lang, won’t you?” Hua Cheng gasps, his voice sounding rough and ragged, as if Xie Lian himself had ripped him to shreds.The only mercy Xie Lian grants is pressing a kiss to Hua Cheng’s belly before going back to work. His tongue works round and round the head of Hua Cheng’s cock as if Hua Cheng were made of candy, lapping up every last drop of precome before it can form that perfect pearl from before.

“San Lang likes to bully others, but can’t take it when someone bullies him right back.” Xie Lian lets his lips move against Hua Cheng’s length as he speaks between kitten licks, “He even begs for mercy from his gege.” In the middle of his lecture, Xie Lian takes half of Hua Cheng into his mouth in one go, his fingers creeping up and down the backsides of Hua Cheng’s thighs before pulling away again. “What kind of lesson would I be teaching San Lang if I spoiled him and let him do whatever he wanted?”

Hua Cheng whines again, but that whine turns into something much, much louder as Xie Lian takes him all the way to the back of his throat without preamble or warm up. There’s no gagging or coughing, only Xie Lian’s throat swallowing hard around Hua Cheng’s cock. The hand at his shoulder tightens its grip, nails digging into Xie Lian’s skin before that hand leaves entirely, flying to the back of Xie Lian’s head to keep him where he is as Hua Cheng comes, hips and cock jerking as he fills Xie Lian’s throat. Xie Lian struggles to keep up, listening to Hua Cheng’s breathing turn hard and breathless, redness gathering under that pale skin.

Xie Lian keeps himself in place, swallowing down every last drop until nothing more comes and he feels Hua Cheng start to soften in his mouth, his fingers going limp in Xie Lian’s hair. When Xie Lian finally lets himself stand, he pulls Hua Cheng against himself, cradling him in his arms and leading him back to the couch. He doesn’t settle himself into Hua Cheng’s lap, no matter how badly he wants to, but he does let himself flutter kisses against the side of Hua Cheng’s face, his hand pressed against Hua Cheng’s heart once more. “San Lang did so well.” Xie Lian praises, letting himself be pulled when Hua Cheng decides to hold him in his lap, the look in his eye still hazy and listless, but trying hard to focus on Xie Lian’s face. From his new vantage point, Xie Lian can fix kisses to Hua Cheng’s entire face, both of his cheeks, his nose, his forehead, his chin, all of it. Xie Lian gets to kiss all of Hua Cheng and Hua Cheng just lets him.

“Did gege have fun?” Hua Cheng asks, voice sounding thick with something. Both of Hua Cheng’s arms lock tight around Xie Lian’s waist, as if Hua Cheng worried about Xie Lian making even a single move to leave him.

Working his fingers through Hua Cheng’s hair, Xie Lian smiles sheepishly down at him, “I did.” He should be more embarrassed, behaving the way he did, but the smile on Hua Cheng’s face dissipates anything like embarrassment or guilt before it can take root in Xie Lian’s chest. Without anything else to do, Xie Lian doesn’t stop himself from unbuttoning and rebuttoning Hua Cheng’s shirt, never going further than the top three.

“I hope gege doesn’t think he’s done, I still plan on taking him home with me tonight.” Xie Lian blinks at Hua Cheng with wide eyes as he leans back against the couch, chin resting on the back of one hand while the other arm stays right where it had been before, keeping Xie Lian from moving more than an inch away from him.

That something from before, Xie Lian knows what it is now, and it makes him swallow, his throat feeling thick and swollen.

Xie Lian should’ve known what he was getting himself into.

#hualian #hua cheng/xie lian #xie lian #hua cheng #heaven official's blessing #tian guan ci fu #tgcf #modern au #restaurant au #this was just supposed to be smut yall the plot surprised me too #anyways this is for elyse <33

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c-h-e-r-r-i-e-s · 1 month

Text

Okay hear me out

This is Hua Chengs song guys

You took my sadness out of context

At the Mariners Apartment Complex

I ain't no candle in the wind

{he’s not here to play or for a short time and Xie Lian is always misunderstanding his sadness}

I'm the board, the lightning, the thunder

Kind of girl who's gonna make you wonder

Who you are and who you've been

And who I've been is with you on these beaches

Your Venice bitch, your die-hard, your weakness

Maybe I could save you from your sins

{literally makes Xie Lian question his whole cultivation path, then casually follows him into black waters territory, and they make out all night in that order}

So, kiss the sky and whisper to Jesus

My, my, my, you found this, you need this

Take a deep breath, baby, let me in

{Makes Xie Lian recite his daoist prayers but still wiggles his way into his life}

You lose your way, just take my hand

You're lost at sea, then I'll command your boat to me again

Don't look too far, right where you are, that's where I am

I'm your man

{do I need to explain? He’s lingering for his beloved for 8 centuries}

They mistook my kindness for weakness

I fucked up, I know that, but Jesus

Can't a girl just do the best she can?

{Hua Cheng is quick to admit his faults as a ghost because everyone underestimated him in his life}

Catch a wave and take in the sweetness

Think about it, the darkness, the deepness

All the things that make me who I am

And who I am is a big-time believer

That people can change, but you don't have to leave her

{His emotions and devotion knows no ends, and his belief in Xie Lian is questioned over and over}

When everyone's talking, you can make a stand

'Cause even in the dark I feel your resistance

You can see my heart burning in the distance

Baby, baby, baby, I'm your man, yeah

{so many times our man guys get stuck in a cave together but the real pinnacle is in the cave of 10,000 gods where Hua Cheng feels the hesitation of Xie Lian. But it’s literally the burning passions of his heart manifested in physical form as statues}

These men plague my every waking thought

#Spotify #tgcf #mxtx tgcf #mxtx #hua cheng #hualian #hua Cheng is So Lana coded #fight with the wall #heaven official's blessing #danmei

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ghooostbaby · 10 months

Text

thinking about this AU/head canon more, it does feel so impossible for hua cheng to ever even pretend to lose his memory. his investment in his identity, especially through very obvious not at all subtle visual aesthetics, is such an integral part of him.

and then he xuan is a total inversion this, integral to his identity is disappearance and disguise, his identity is unknowable, shifting, deceptive, hidden, opaque. (verrrry deep ocean creature of him, if i must say)

and god, this is the whole poetry of huaxuan for me ...

so allow me to change it to say that he xuan finds the imploded husk of a ghost form hua cheng after the end of tgcf and takes him in, and disguises himself

but as hua cheng heals he of course realizes it's he xuan but seeing as he's in disguise, assumes it because he xuan does not want to be recognized or want anything to do with hua cheng any more, perhaps he's only doing it to fulfill the "debt"

so he just soaks up all these moments of he xuan being sweet and open with him

and he xuan thinks hua cheng doesn't want to see him anymore, when hua cheng never shows signs of thinking about anything but xie lian. after the black water arc where he xuan made hua cheng go against his xie lian's wishes and then hua cheng never looked for him again except to demand he help shi qingxuan with the human array in imperial city, he assumes it was over. hua cheng never shows signs of wondering about he xuan, or even seeing through he xuan’s disguise, it is pretty weak after all (maybe on purpose). so he plans to only stay until hua cheng is well enough to go back to dianxia and then vanish again

so they're both lying to each other, while devouring every moment they get to be close to be each other before it ends. allowing myself the rare hurt&fluff

oh and stealing a scene from the show that gave me this brain worm - when hua cheng is back in a human form, (and of course there is only one bed!) in the middle of the night hua cheng wakes up to feel he xuan’s limbs holding him (octopus lover) and sees he xuan has unconsciously transformed into his true form and tentatively cuddles him back

also: i spent a lot of nearly-delirious-with-exhaustion-too-hot-to-sleep hours last night imagining hua cheng's post-implosion forms. i would especially enjoy if hua cheng never claimed to be hua cheng toward he-xuan-in-disguise, and thinks he's done a good job playing it cool, but his forms have been the most crimson rain dramatic aesthetic of all time...

he xuan finds in the volcano a tiny silver egg with fine tiny engravings (probably should be a cocoon for the butterflies but caterpillars/butterflies kind of disgust me so that can kindly get OUT of my imagination thank u) that after a few weeks of keeping it warm hatches to a deep red one eyed bird that sits on he xuan's shoulder singing the tune of the lullabye hua cheng's mother sang to him while he xuan is trying to read

anyway... after hua cheng left one day when he had recovered (he xuan thinking since he never said goodbye and went directly to xie lian he must have realized his real identity, and hua cheng thinking since he xuan never came after him he must really have only been doing it out of obligation). enter xie lian! who on his scrap collecting journeys he had found an old lonely scholar with a lot of rare and beautiful scrolls, and often had a lot of junk as well. they become friends and she would give xie lian scraps after sharing a cup of tea and snacks and getting xie lian to blushingly tell stories about his husband

one day at the end of the visit xie lian sighs and says "forgive me lord black water, but san lang really misses you."

*he xuan being shaken to his core*

anyway then hualian start dating he xuan and they all fall in love and are happy and cuddly and well fed forever :)

also he xuan wrote the scrap immortal ghost king smutty fairy tales book (who else would know both of their sexual proclivities, and personal tendencies so well?)

until the next climate despair avoidance heat wave sleep deprivation delirium night!

also, like i said in the previous post, i think there’s plenty of evidence that hua cheng and he xuan are important to each other and get along throughout and after the black water arc but for the purposes of angsty fluff here we are

#huaxuan #tgcf #hua cheng #he xuan #hehualian

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naighostxng · 2 years

Text

𝓶 𝓸 𝓷 𝓼 𝓽 𝓮 𝓻

hualian one shot part 1

ENGLISH//SPANISH

Sorry for the mistakes, my english it´s not as good as I would like!!!

Hua Cheng: Vampire King Xie Lian: Mortal Prince

The room was cold and the light dim, but he could feel the heat and fear and tension from the other side. A large man lurked in the shadows, watching him, wondering and analyzing. Xie Lian was completely disoriented, afraid of whatever happened to him to end up in the house and in a stranger's bed.

"Who are you?" Xie Lian asked the shadow, but he didn't reply. That strange being gave off an aura of evil and darkness from deep within his soul. He knew that being wasn't human, and if he wasn't human then he was a demon and if he was a demon he would want to kill him wouldn't he?

"What are you?" Xie Lian asked this time. He was not afraid of what would happen next, because if he was going to die there and now he would do it fighting against that unknown enemy.

For a long moment, nothing else happened. Xie Lian was already thinking of a thousand ways to escape from that place, but for that he must first find a weapon to defend himself, and when he saw his sword placed in a corner he decided that perhaps he should try to attack. He didn't know the strength of his opponent, which put him at a disadvantage; However, he didn't care.

"I'm not afraid of you" Xie Lian whispered.

He was about to jump out of bed to make his attack, when the being from across the room moved cautiously through the shadows, putting himself between the sword and Xie Lian.

Then, the shadow vampire extended a long, white and cold hand, his unyielding and death-threatening claws moved in the wind in Xie Lian's direction, but nothing happened after that. Xie Lian had thought that the demon would finish him off with a single blow since he was completely defenseless, but that being's hand did not move anymore. Stretched out in the air, waiting for Xie Lian to take it.

"W-what?" Xie Lian stammered. Perhaps that demon expected something in return, but what could it be? "What do you want" he said this time with a firm voice.

From all of that, Xie Lian only knew one thing, it was that this being had no intention of hurting him, did he? Or else he might have done it before when Xie Lian was just captured.

"Don't be afraid" at last a soft voice answered from the shadows, his voice was strong actually but he had spoken so softly that it could even be considered good intentions. But he wasn't foolish enough to believe that kindness, "a vampire can't be nice, he will never be nice to you" that was what his grandmother used to tell him all the time so little Xie Lian wouldn't talk to strangers.

And in a moment of heedlessness by the vampire hiding in the shadows, Xie Lian took the opportunity to run to where his sword rested. A surprisingly nimble move, he couldn't tell if the vampire was dumb or if Xie Lian was faster and more cunning. Either way, from one moment to another, Xie Lian pointed his sword at the "enemy's" throat.

"What do you want?" Xie Lian asked again angrily.

The demon made no move to feel threatened or disadvantaged, on the contrary, his body and his expression on his beautiful pale face was calm. He gave a small chuckle before saying honestly: "Want something? I've waited so long and lived too long that I want nothing and expect nothing from anyone in this world. But, this time, just this time I want something... from you."

"Then say it or die"

"I just want you to come with me"

Fanart credits to whom it may concern // Créditos del fanart a quien corresponda

Hua Cheng: Rey Vampiro Xie Lian: Príncipe Mortal

La habitación era fría y la luz tenue, pero podía sentirse el calor, el miedo y la tensión desde el otro lado. Un hombre corpulento se ocultaba en las sombras, mirándolo, dudando y analizando. Xie Lian estaba desorientado por completo, temeroso de lo que sea que le haya sucedido para terminar en la casa y en la cama de un extraño.

—¿Quién eres? —preguntó Xie Lian a la sombra, pero esta no respondió. Ese extraño ser desprendía un aura de maldad y oscuridad desde lo profundo de su alma. Sabía que aquel ser no era humano, y si no era humano entonces era un demonio y si era un demonio querría matarlo ¿o no?

—¿Qué eres? —Xie Lian preguntó esta vez. No temía por lo que ocurriera después, porque si iba morir ahí y ahora lo haría luchando contra aquel desconocido enemigo.

Por un largo momento, nada más ocurrió. Xie Lian ya estaba pensando en mil maneras de escapar de aquel lugar, pero para eso primero debía encontrar un arma para defenderse, y cuando vio su espada colocada en una esquina decidió que quizás debería intentar atacar. No conocía la fuerza de su rival, lo que lo tenía en desventaja; Sin embargo, no le importó.

—No te temo— Xie Lian susurró.

Estaba a punto de levantarse de la cama de un salto para realizar su ataque, cuando aquel ser desde el otro lado de la habitación se movió con cautela entre las sombras interponiéndose entre la espada y Xie Lian.

Entonces, el vampiro de las sombras extendió una mano larga, blanca y fría, sus garras inquebrantables y amenazantes de muerte se movieron en el viento en dirección de Xie Lian, pero nada ocurrió después de eso. Xie Lian había pensado que el demonio acabara con el de un solo golpe al estar completamente indefenso, pero la mano de aquel ser no se movió mas. Extendida en el aire, esperando a que Xie Lian la tomara.

—¿Q-qué? — Xie Lian balbuceo. Tal vez aquel demonio esperaba algo a cambio, pero ¿qué podría ser? —Que quieres —, dijo esta vez con voz firme.

De todo eso, Xie Lian solo sabía una única cosa, era que ese ser no tenía ninguna intención de lastimarlo ¿o sí? O sino podría haberlo hecho antes cuando Xie Lian recién fue capturado.

—No temas — al fin respondió una voz suave desde las sombras, su voz era fuerte en realidad pero había hablando con tanta suavidad que incluso podría considerarse de buenas intenciones. Pero no era tan tonto como para creerse de esa amabilidad, "un vampiro no puede ser amable, nunca será amable contigo" eso era lo que su abuela solía decirle todo el tiempo para que el pequeño Xie Lian no hablara con desconocidos.

Y en un momento de descuido del vampiro que se ocultaba en las sombras, Xie Lian tomó la oportunidad de correr hacia donde su espada descansaba. Un movimiento sorprendente y ágil, no sabría decir si el vampiro era tonto o si Xie Lian fue más rápido y más astuto. De cualquier forma, de un momento a otro, Xie Lian apuntó su espada a la garganta del "enemigo".

—¿Qué quieres?— Preguntó Xie Lian de nuevo con rabia.

El demonio no hizo ademán de sentirse amenazado o en desventaja, al contrario, su cuerpo y la expresión en su bello y pálido rostro era calmo. Soltó una pequeña risita antes de decir con honestidad: —¿Querer algo? He esperado tanto tiempo y he vivido demasiado que no quiero nada y no espero nada de nadie en este mundo. Pero, esta vez, solo por esta vez quiero algo... de ti.

—Entonces dilo o muere.

—Sólo quiero que vengas conmigo.

#fanfic #tgcf hua cheng #hua cheng #hualian #mxtx tgcf #tgcf san lang #tgcf novel #tgcf fanfic #tgcf reread #xie lian #dianxia #wei wuxian #bai wuxiang #eternal #eternal faith #heavens official blessing #la bendición del oficial del cielo #tgcf meme #oneshot

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gutouhua · 2 years

Text

summary: a oneshot where hc pines for his gege & finds out that his gege also has feelings for him <3 / read on ao3.

wc: 1.85k

tags: mentions of violence (gunshot wound), pet names, not beta read we die like rex lapis

a/n: i love these two so much. also did you catch some of the references I made to the novel/manhua here hehe ^^

The first time Hua Cheng met Xie Lian, he was lying in an empty alleyway near a convenience store at midnight, pressing down on a gunshot wound to his stomach. There was blood everywhere, so deep, so red, that the crimson color had stained the weeds growing in the cracks of the road. Hua Cheng thought that he’d probably be dead by the time morning came, but Xie Lian, with a plastic bag in one hand and a fresh, steaming meat bun from the store in the other had passed by and saw him lying in a pool of his blood.

Xie Lian thought him a crimson ghost.

Hua Cheng thought him an angel in white.

So surely, if an angel had appeared before him, then that’d meant he was dead or soon to be dead, correct?

But Xie Lian had merely dropped everything (even his precious meat bun) to kneel and help Hua Cheng up. Hua Cheng had not liked the fact that his angel was soiling himself on the ground for him, but his angel had ignored his complaints and hailed a taxi for the two of them to the nearest hospital.

When Hua Cheng had finally come to, his angel was before him and wearing a white lab coat with “Dr. Xie Lian” embroidered over his heart. Oh, Hua Cheng had thought faintly, so my angel is also a doctor. What a talented angel.

And when the drugs had worn out of his system and he truly came to, Xie Lian had given him a harsh scolding about taking better care of his body with a doctor’s order to stay on bed rest for at least a week. (He had said that all so angrily, but Hua Cheng couldn’t help but find it cute and want to squish his cheeks – but his angel would’ve thought he was a weird pervert. So he didn’t.)

But Hua Cheng found himself not able to be away for too long from his angel so after he was discharged, he visited Xie Lian at the hospital every day (much to the annoyance of his second-in-command, E-Ming, and advisors in his mafia) and tried to woo him in all sorts of manners: pretty words, chocolates, flowers, fancy dinners, and even jewelry. But Xie Lian had no interest in any of those things – nothing except for his beloved convenience store meat buns.

So of course, as his angel’s most devoted, Hua Cheng had fresh meat buns ready for Xie Lian every day, even going as far as making sure the meat buns were kept warm in a steamer and changed out every few hours lest he feed his beloved something stale.

Somewhere along the lines, Hua Cheng had discovered that despite his youthful looks, Xie Lian was actually older than him. And wanting to call his angel something other than “doctor,” which sounded much too impersonal, or “Xie Lian,” which sounded much too formal, Hua Cheng decided to call him Gege.

Every day he watched his gege perform what he thought of as acts of miracles and every day he wondered how the world could have such a radiant, selfless being. Surely he was no normal human being. Xie Lian never turned away any patients — even the ones who could not afford hospital services, instead choosing to foot the bill himself — and was always so kind and patient with his explanations that even the most irritable or anguished family member listened to him calmly. Of course, Hua Cheng was more than capable of paying those hospital bills, so he gladly did so for his gege.

Xie Lian was flattered by this mysterious man’s affections and generosities, but surely there was no way such a handsome, wealthy young man would be interested in a recently graduated doctor saddled with enormous student debt. On top of that, he was an orphan and had no relatives. (Although truth be told, Hua Cheng had E-ming run a background check on Xie Lian the day he was discharged already paid off all of his student loans. Xie Lian was merely disorganized and hadn’t seen the email informing him that all his loans were paid off.)

One day, after waiting for Gege to finish a particularly long shift, Hua Cheng handed Xie Lian a freshly steamed meat bun. He waited in silence as Xie Lian ate the meat bun before unwrapping another one for his gege to eat and only when Xie Lian finished eating did Hua Cheng say something.

“Gege, you know how I’ve been talking about this person who is very dear to me?”

“Yes,” Xie Lian said softly, “You speak of this person often – how kind, noble, and selfless they are.”

Hua Cheng hesitated then, his next words stuck like a lump in his throat. He’d never experienced this – he always knew what and when to something, to scare and threaten others, to make them feel vulnerable, but when it came to his own vulnerability, well, that was a different story.

“Um, Gege…”

Xie Lian didn’t say anything, even as the silence dragged on and it became increasingly evident that Hua Cheng, who had always brazenly paraded himself in front of Xie Lian and shied away from nothing (except for the times when he’d avoid eye contact with Xie Lian on the days he had to patch him up after a particularly bloody day), was afraid of what he was going to say. Or perhaps, Xie Lian thought, afraid of what Xie Lian was going to say in response.

“Hua Cheng, you know I would never judge you, not for anything you say or do. So go ahead and say what you want to say. It’s never a good idea to bottle up your feelings or avoid communication.”

His gege was so kind and understanding.

Hua Cheng was sure Xie Lian was going to reject him. But he blurted it out anyway.

“That person is you. I love you, Gege.”

Emptied of his feelings for Gege, Hua Cheng’s heart felt hollow. Numb. He didn’t dare look over at Xie Lian, afraid of the rejection, or worse, the disgust that would surely be on his gege’s face. After all, he was an ugly, scarred one-eyed glorified gangster who’d been dirtied beyond help. And Xie Lian…his sweet, beautiful angel knew nothing of his wretched world. There was no way he’d be okay with Hua Cheng’s confession. He’ll reject me for sure, Hua Cheng thought.

“You don’t have to say anything back to me,” Hua Cheng said quickly, “I don’t expect anything from you at all. I know there’s nothing good about me.”

Xie Lian’s voice was gentle. “And why is that?”

Hua Cheng furrowed elegant, arched brows. “Well, you’re, well you’re you, everything that is good about this world, and I’m…” his voice broke off, “I’m me. A horrible, violent, selfish, dirty mafia boss. There’s no way you’d want someone like me.”

“And why is that?” Xie Lian said again softly. “Why wouldn’t I want someone like you? Someone kind, sincere, generous, and handsome.”

The broad back that faced Xie Lian felt so lonely so he reached over to try to wrap his arms around the large man. Hua Cheng stiffened when he felt Xie Lian behind him.

“Gege, what are you doing?”

Xie Lian hummed. “Hugging you. Isn’t that obvious?”

“Yes…but why?”

“And why not?” Xie Lian pressed his face against Hua Cheng’s muscled body, breathing in his spicy maple scent. “Why should I not hug the one I love?”

Hua Cheng stilled. There was no way. He wouldn’t even dare entertain that idea.

“Surely you jest, Gege, for why else would you say such a thing? I know you wouldn’t lie so it must be a joke.” But secretly, his foolish, foolish heart was chanting those three words again and again and again – so much so that his heart pounded so fiercely it hurt.

Gege loves me. Gege loves me. Gege loves me.

“But I am not joking with you, Hua Cheng. I would never play with someone’s emotions. That would be a terrible thing to do.”

Indeed, that would be a terrible thing and his Gege was not capable of committing any acts of sin.

“Hua Cheng, will you not look at me?” Xie Lian tried coaxing him.

He shook his head like a sulking child, refusing to look at Xie Lian. So Xie Lian, of course, tried something else he knew would work.

“If you don’t look at me Hua Cheng, I fear I shall perish right this instance.”

Hua Cheng whipped around so fast that Xie Lian could’ve sworn he saw the air around him move.

“Yes Gege, is something wrong?” He frantically looked Xie Lian up and down, lifted his arms up, moved his legs around, and even reached underneath his lab coat.

Xie Lian smiled. “I’m okay now that you’re looking at me.” Then he reached up, lightly smashing his palms against Hua Cheng’s cheeks so he looked like a cute furry animal. A fox perhaps, Xie Lian mused.

“Hua Cheng, I want you to repeat after me. I am a cute human sandwich.”

“Gege,” Hua Cheng’s face was squished between Xie Lian’s hands – something he welcomed very much – so his words were garbled, “What aryoo doo-ing?”

“Do as I say. Repeat after me. I am a cute human sandwich.”

“‘M a cyoot hooman sanwich.”

“I am beautiful.”

Hua Cheng frowned. He wasn’t. Why did his gege want him to lie about his looks?

“I am beautiful,” Xie Lian said again, this time with more force.

Hua Cheng managed a reluctant, “‘M bootiful.”

“Gege loves me.”

When Hua Cheng didn’t immediately repeat those words, Xie Lian squished his cheeks slightly harder so that Hua Cheng let out a small yelp. “It would please me greatly if you could repeat after me, Hua Cheng. Will you do that for me?”

Hua Cheng pouted. His gege knew just how to press his buttons. “Gege…lobs me.”

Xie Lian beamed at Hua Cheng, releasing his cheeks. “Now see, that wasn’t that hard. We’re going to do that every day until you can say it without my assistance and until you think those thoughts yourself.”

Hua Cheng turned away from Xie Lian, so he studied the younger man’s profile. One slightly red cheek was illuminated by a nearby lamp post and his nose was beautiful but slightly crooked, no doubt from having been in one too many fights. His black hair was pulled messily up into a high ponytail and his lips – those full, crimson lips that Xie Lian had dreamed about one too many times were pouty and delicious and he wanted nothing more than to kiss Hua Cheng.

But Xie Lian felt that he had traumatized Hua Cheng more than enough for today, so instead he pecked him across one ruddy high cheekbone, watching with glee as Hua Cheng blushed almost as deep as his red clothes.

“You’re a menace, Gege.” Hua Cheng mumbled.

“But only to the one I love.”

“You’re my menace.”

Hua Cheng swallowed hard and his eyes shone deeply when he looked at Xie Lian. So bright, so pure, that Xie Lian could see his reflection in those dark eyes.

“And the only one I will ever love.”

#hualian #hua cheng x xie lian #hualian fanfic #tgcf #heaven's official blessing #tian guan ci fu #hua!writes

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hualianff · 3 years

Text

More Than This

Modern AU where famous actor HC and landscaper XL meet through a dating app. HC had a reputation of being a massive flirt who bedded people left and right, which wasn’t completely wrong–just blown out of proportion. His partners were usually other celebrities who mutually swore to keep their mouths shut in the preservation of their own images.

When HC received a message on the dating app asking about the brand of the wristwatch he wore in his profile pic (which only showcased his hands), the other user hoping to purchase a cheaper, similar style for his friend’s birthday, HC responded for the first time since downloading the app.

What could he say? The other man was gorgeous and if he were simply asking just to slide into HC’s DMs, the actor wasn’t opposed.

Turns out XL asked out of genuine curiosity. FX’s birthday was still a month away. Why XL thought about gifting him a watch similar to the one the stranger wore when XL should’ve been paying attention to the sheer strength those large hands seemed to possess was beyond him.

The name in the bio read: San Lang. The few pictures that were displayed on his profile were minimalistic yet downright sexy. XL blinked in wonder as he typed out another message, hoping to continue the conversation.

Two weeks after chatting back and forth through the app, XL asked if he could meet HC in person. The actor pondered this for a grand total of thirty seconds before agreeing to meet. XL seemed like a sincere character, someone who put other peoples’ comfort above any task at hand–if his emoticon overkill and frequent check-ins with HC were anything to go by.

HC figured he’d cross the bridge once XL recognized him as a well-loved actor starring in the hottest films in the media.

Except when HC arrived in his expensive jeep that screamed wealth, dressed in appropriate clothes for a hike with a baseball cap concealing his features from far away, XL did not have an aha! moment.

“Hello, San Lang! It’s me, Xie Lian,” XL waved as he bounced his way over. “I hope the ride up the mountain wasn’t too scary. You get used to it once you begin visiting more often. Thank you for meeting with me today.”

“It’s no problem at all. Nice to meet you, Xie Lian,” HC greets, guiding them away from his car as soon as he locks the doors, not wanting to draw any onlookers’ attention.

XL gives him a kind smile, adjusting the clasp of his bamboo hat. He explains that there are three main trails and he was thinking they could take the medium-level route. Judging from his white work-out T, jean shorts, and hiking boots, HC deduces that XL spends much time outside, even when he’s not gardening for his clients.

“Lead the way, Gege,” HC says, the title naturally falling from his lips. In XL’s dating profile, his age read thirty-two, just under three years older than HC. (This was followed by a dozen tree, flower, and water emoticons.)

“Okay! Onwards.”

Following their initial meeting, HC met up with XL numerous times after, attracted to XL’s mellow and eccentric personality. Whenever it was XL’s turn to plan their time together, he brought HC to different places each time. National parks, plant nurseries, museums–places that could be considered unconventional compared to the standard meetups from dating apps.

HC’s fondness for XL only grew because of this.

Their chemistry flourished in the bedroom as well, both HC and XL eager for giving and receiving pleasure. In addition to being fuckbuddies, they quickly developed a wholesome friendship that HC never saw coming.

But then again, this was XL. Once HC got a taste, his infatuation with the landscaper shouldn’t be surprising. HC stopped seeing his other speed dials after he met XL.

One of their nights ended by watching a film, XL mentioning off-handedly how he doesn't keep up with pop culture–including popular films–but his friend SQX had begged XL to watch this one. Of course, this had to be a film HC was in, one of his most recent projects. There was no avoiding the impending reveal.

They sit side-by-side on XL’s lumpy couch, watching the movie when XL gasps as the antagonist comes into view.

That is his San Lang! On the screen!

When XL pokes HC on the bicep, asking why the actor hadn’t told him, HC simply says that “My fame isn’t important to who I am.”

To HC’s surprise, XL accepts the answer without protest, nodding.

“San Lang is San Lang, who happens to be a marvelous actor,” XL solemnly says, flashing HC a delighted smile. HC hums in content, subtly repositioning his arm so it rested on the back of the couch, curling around XL’s shoulders.

Except after the movie ended and a google search later, XL finds out that San Lang isn’t San Lang after all.

“Should I call you Hua Cheng from now on? Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’ve been calling you the wrong name for three months now-” XL rushes out, guilt painted across his face.

“Gege, it’s fine. I used it as an alias for my profile to protect my identity,” HC explains. He reaches forward to tuck a long strand of XL’s hair behind his ear. “Besides, I quite like it when you call me San Lang.”

“Really?” XL sheepishly asks.

“Really.”

From that moment on, HC and XL clicked perfectly, learning more about each other when time permitted them to meet up. XL felt a little foolish for not knowing who HC was as a celebrity. But like HC said, his fame did not define him as a person, which XL clearly saw from the playful way he held himself when there were no cameras around.

HC matched XL’s enthusiasm in whatever activity they were doing, even if it was something XL’s previous partners couldn’t care less about. Eight months into their arrangement, XL finally admitted to himself that he had deep feelings for HC.

While they had great chemistry as friends, XL selfishly wanted more.

But how could XL ask for something more? They already agreed to keep things casual, to remain as friends who used each other to release their sexual urges. It didn’t matter how delicate HC cleaned XL up or always ran him a bath after their climaxes. It didn’t matter how HC always set out his clothes for XL to stay the night. And it didn’t matter how close HC held onto him as they slept.

XL was simply a landscaper with a passion for nature and helping others. He wasn’t built for the limelight. He was barely in the loop with societal trends, and only recently began watching the latest movies with HC–many of which HC himself acted in.

Frankly speaking, HC could have anyone he wanted. XL was the one who should be grateful HC even sought him out a second time.

XL is thirty-three now. He wanted to find someone to settle down with, to spend the rest of his life with, falling deeper in love with every single day. He was not sure HC, who was just entering his thirties and continuing to make a name for himself, would want something like that with someone like XL.

Even when every one of HC’s actions alluded that he truly cared for XL, XL had learned that hope was a dangerous thing to mindlessly cling to. XL has had past partners come into his life, then leave him like he was nothing, like none of him was worth staying for. XL didn’t think he could bear it if HC became just another name on that list.

Furthermore, XL didn’t want to put HC or his career on spot, nor put his heart in a position where it was bound to be broken.

As XL grappled with his perceived one-sided feelings, HC only allowed himself to yearn when laying on the bed in his penthouse. It was much larger than XL’s bed. It was also much lonelier.

HC was unable to grant XL the verbal confirmation of where they stood, held back by the weight of his status, which had always been his selling point alongside his hypersexualized image. Not only did HC not want to risk pressuring XL into pursuing a relationship with a celebrity, but somewhere deep inside, HC didn’t believe XL could want him for who he is–even after the year and a half they’ve known each other.

Much of HC’s self-worth had come from his accomplishments as an actor, untouchable yet fantasized by the public. Peeling back all the layers he hid behind, HC saw his true self as too ugly, damaged, and undesirable; phrases many people in his past have spat to his face, including his parents.

In HC’s mind, he had already tied XL down to their routine no-strings-attached meet-ups. While HC savored every moment he spent with XL, he didn’t want to further intrude on XL’s simple life and have the other man resent him in the end.

《II》

(Thanks to @no-one-says-hi for helping)

#tgcf #heaven official's blessing #hualian #hualian au #xie lian #hua cheng #modern au #cerdrabbles #TBC #I love them so much #they love each other too #they just need to confess uwu

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its-miichan · 3 years

Text

TGCF criticisms

Spoilers and unpopular/critical opinions ahead! Beware! I tried to like this, I really did, but this novel really makes me frustrated. It clearly has so much potential, but so much of that potential was wasted on pandering romance and shallow caricatures of main characters. Overall 1.5-2 stars because it gets worse the more you think about it. CHARACTERS: 1. The main character, Xie Lian was wildly bland and boring. He is presented as the kindest, purest, most selfless person in the world, but really he was just a bland white lotus. With Xie Lian, his personality can be described in just a sentence or so, while the author's other two MC's (Wei Wuxian and Shen Qingqiu) are both charming, funny, and deep with their own motivations. Xie Lian just walks around in the story with no purpose and he says that he wants to help the common people, but he really hasn't done that! He's barely helped anyone at all, and those times he did help people are quickly followed by flirting with the ML and forgetting all about the people he was supposed to help. Honestly, in the past, Xie Lian was also the biggest jerk ever. He gave up his own friends and family's well being for his own sense of justice and was stubborn to a fault and refused to listen. What's worse is that none of these flaws are actually addressed, and the story just lets him roll with it and never actually calls him out on it. If you want to see all the reasons why he's a poorly written character, check out this reddit post: https://www. reddit. com/r/MXTX/comments/j2l9ye/why_xl_is_a_poorly_written_character_in_my_opinion/

2. The ML, Hua Cheng, is equally as bad. He is extremely shallow and such a static character, with his development in the present times being nonexistent and his development from the past to the present being wholly nonsensical. His personality is very cliche and his motivations and thoughts are left entirely up to the reader's imagination, which significantly reduces character depth. He could've been such a great character, a ghost king who rules over hell and is morally grey, but instead he is dumbed down to a Xie Lian fanboy. Everything about him not related to Xie Lian is thrown at us in a few paragraphs if at all, and what little motivation and thoughts about him we do get always fall flat. [Like apparently this guy saved him once, and he fell in love with him and became devoted to him for 800 years? Like people get saved all the time and we don't see them going 800 years and 3 deaths for a guy they've barely talked to] Also, he is wildly unlikable. Of course, this is purely subjective, but he is irritatingly smug and lords over literally everyone he meets. It doesn't help that he's an insufferable Mary Sue with an endless array of powers, intelligent as hell and knows literally everything, really good at painting, sculpting, woodworking, and on top of that the richest, most powerful, most handsome, and most charismatic man in the book. His biggest flaw is supposed to be his insecurity and inferiority complex, but that barely ever comes up and 90% of the time he is arrogant and smug. More information on why he's badly written here: https://www. reddit. com/r/MXTX/comments/iskkp5/why_hc_is_a_bad_character_in_my_opinion/

3. The side characters in my opinion are written far better, but obviously quite underdeveloped. They are all three dimensional and have their own thoughts, emotions, and feelings as well as a believable backstory, but so many of them are quickly offed to make way for the main couple, some of them not only not becoming better, but actually getting quite a whole lot worse. Qi Rong, who was supposed to be super strong demon that is one of the 4 great evils becomes a comedic relief gremlin who just shows up for some comedy and then leaves. Feng Xin and Mu Qing, the MC's childhood caretakers disappear for like 100 chapters after we're given their backstories and then once they reappear, they don't do anything either. Shi Qingxuan, who in my opinion is by far the best character in the book, has his arc left open with no ending at all, only to be forgotten about for 80+ chapters only to reappear completely the same with no character growth at all. All of this is because the main couple take up so much of the book, and the rest of the side characters and their character growth is sabotaged for the author's ego so that the main couple can look better and get more screen time.

4. I lost interest in the story pretty quickly due to the bland characters and their out of place romance and how unlikable they were. A lot of this novel was very surface level, and it's pretty on paper, but when you think about the characters a bit longer, the more bland and shallow they become.

PLOT: 1. The plot was... There was no plot. It was just a collection of monster of the day arcs that aimlessly meander about and then everything returns to the status quo once they return to Xie Lian's temple/home. Obviously books 4 and 5 were a lot more to my taste because the writing was a lot more concise and the pacing was less slow and pointless, as well as actually incorporating fantasy elements and shaking up the status quo. However, the other 3 books, especially books 1 and 2 had way too much fan service, pointless romance, and plot lines that don't go anywhere and don't contribute to the story.

2. The past plot line, or the flashbacks were pretty interesting, except for how b*tchy the MC was. Book 2 has a lot of important information and some action, but a lot of it was boring fluff that didn't really contribute to the story other than introducing the villain and showing how XL and HC met. The rest, we're literally told already and there's no new information. Book 4 was supposed to be suffering heavy, and I agree that the character development was alright, but it was too brooding and oppressive. In the end, I just stopped feeling bad for Xie Lian because of how bad the story was trying to make you feel for him. I was not invested in him, and although he was significantly more deep in this book than in the other 4, the bad logic is still there. [you wanna kill people but then someone gives you a bamboo hat and you're all sunshine and rainbows again?] The suffering is excessive in my opinion, and although it's supposed to provide contrast to the romance, it just feels done in poor taste. seriously, 20 chapters straight of suffering is not necessary, and the pacing and tone suffers because of this. The flashbacks really don't contribute too much to XL or HC's character development, but is just there to be angsty and cryp*rn.

3. The final battle was the most unbelievable thing I've ever read. All the gods got together and the first part seemed pretty epic as we got to see all the side characters finally showcase their powers.... Until the MC and ML show up. The MC and ML show up, and instantly the background extras—excuse me I mean side characters, go back into hibernation as the main couple show off how cool and powerful they are. And then we get to the final confrontation, which has our MC, ML, and MC's two friends face off against literally the most powerful being in the freaking universe. I thought it would be a tense fight scene with lots of close calls, but I was so disappointed. Instead the ML is so OP that he breaks the spells binding MC's powers, and MC becomes so overpowered and slams the big boss into the wall with the power of love while his two friends just stand there doing nothing.

4. A lot of what happens in the flashback is directly Xie Lian's fault, but the book never seems to register it? I won't go into detail on this point since it's already covered in the first Reddit thread, but basically because of XL's s*upidity and refusal to listen to anyone else, the people around him suffer.

WRITING: 1. The writing wasn't great. It was very choppy and as I said previously, very monotonous and monster-of-the-day. Yes there were great scenes which got to me, but most of it was really boring and descriptions and dialogue dragged on and on with no end, and with the bland MC, it wasn't even interesting such as the dialogue in MDZS was. Side arcs were introduced with no warning and ended with no warning, leaving the reader wondering "Why was that even there in the first place if it was just going to be forgotten about?"

2. The water demon/wind god arc. The opening and most of the middle of this arc was extremely good, the logic and mystery was written well, and Shi Qingxuan's (the wind god) antics were funny. But after the big reveal and the tense climax, the story just... stops. Like it's literally forgotten about. [The MC gets dragged out by his all powerful lover, they romance some more, and forget all about Shi Qingxuan who is literally left in the hands of the second or third most powerful demon ever who is also his mortal enemy]

3. The incessant flirting really got on my nerves. The tension and tone of the entire story got completely ruined because of the MC and ML flirting and the MC blushing and giggling while the ML teases him and everyone else is literally fighting for their lives. This felt very fan-service like, and it felt like the author stopped trying and just fed us dog food after an emotionally taxing arc so that she wouldn't have to close out the arc properly, completely destroying the tone. Speaking of the tone, the tone whiplash was just... wow. You're fed fluff and romance during or after a high tensity and highly emotional scene with no connection at all, and you're just supposed to accept it instead of wondering what's happening to the characters you actually care about.

4. Romance and side arcs quite disconnected from the story. Quite frankly, most of this book is just romance with the plot and characters put in second place because "lOOk hOw CuTe the COuPLe iS!" You could literally take out all the side arcs and the story would literally be no different. The romance overtakes the entire plot and becomes the main point of the story. With her other two books, the romance is like the icing on the cake. With this book, the icing overtakes the cake and becomes the cake.

5. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons I was uninterested through most of the book was due to the lack of tension and suspense. The flashbacks were better in the sense that Xie Lian was helpless and couldn't figure anything out, which was why he was just as likely to get hurt as anyone, making the stakes significantly higher. But in the present, with the existence of Hua Cheng, that tension is completely gone. This is because HC knows basically all there is to know, and what he doesn't know he can figure out in seconds. Additionally, he is super powerful to the point that anything that can harm XL can be one shot K.O'ed by him. At this point the conflict becomes trivial to the point where I'm just asking "why are we solving this mystery anyways when HC can just blast it into oblivion?"

6. The fact that HC does the bare minimum in arcs frustrates me. If you're going to include a character with powers that will basically deem any threat against them null, then actually use them at least! HC's apathy does not feel like a coherent part of his character, but an excuse for MXTX to drag out plot lines and make things unnecessarily long and winded. Additionally, his apathy is contradictory. On one hand, he is super overprotective of XL and wants to make sure he won't get hurt a single bit, but on the other hand, he has this advanced ideology of the 21st century that he believes XL is capable so won't constrain him as much. If anything, they should start out with HC as this overprotective follower and have a dysfunctional relationship, and end up with XL teaching HC that he is able to do things and doesn't mind doing them, and that HC can live a life outside of him as well. That would've introduced some narrative stakes and romantic tension, but no, MXTX just had to make these characters perfect in every way.

ROMANCE: 1. The logic is so flawed here. The reason that HC started loving XL is literally because Xie Lian saved him once as a child and therefore he will devote his entire life to XL, not caring about literally anything else. The reason that XL started loving HC is even more so. The thing is someone like say Shi Qingxuan has done every bit as much for XL as HC has, but we don't see XL fall in love with SQX, do we? HC literally listens to him talk and XL falls in love with him, and although it does make sense due to XL being lonely for 800 years, how low the bar is set really bothers me.

2. The constant blue-balling was annoying. At some point, the ignorant MC became annoying and self indulgent instead of cute, and having it be drawn out over nearly 200 chapters makes it even worse. The MC is supposed to be super intelligent, but he literally misses all of the super obvious hints the ML drops at him, which is so weird.

3. It felt like MXTX (the author) went overboard on the romance here. Like she tried way too hard to the point where it was obvious she wanted to make this "the most romantic CP ever". The aesthetics went so overboard with butterflies and flowers as romantic themes, thousands of lanterns, the red string of fate (which didn't even do anything in the actual story), poetry, etc.

4. The romance could almost be described as kind of creepy. Like the ML obsesses over the MC for 800 years, isolating himself from the world and not taking any side of the story besides MC's is supposed to be romantic, but it really isn't. The ML carves thousands of statues of the MC, which is sweet in a way, but also really, really creepy. To quote someone from NovelUpdates who put it 100x better than I could: " They don't feel like equal lovers, HC obviously worships XL to an unbelievably amazing degree while XL only knew he existed from only a while ago (Is this obsession? Stalker-ish? I know his stalker-ish tendencies are usually played for laughs, but realistically?) HC very very very rarely calls XL by his given name but with GeGe or CrownPrince, dude has a name you know. I know you feel lower than XL, but seriously man, the guy's your life partner. HC would destroy the world if XL said to. He'd probably try to talk to XL first, confirm things, but if at the end XL really does want it, HC would do it. He lives for XL, he has no other reason to do something aside for XL. No reason to say NO for himself. They're not equals in which one wanna do something bad, the other would stop him because they have their own convictions. You can't tell me one only lives for one person's sake, will do anything for that guy, and has no attachments in the world aside from that guy, is a healthy person. It may seem romantic, but when you actually think about it, it becomes uncomfortable."

5. The romance was really cheesy. There were some powerful moments, but it was mostly flirting and "he fell on top of me" or "he needs mouth to mouth". Most of it was just the ML flirting with the MC, which you may like if you like this kind of stuff, but I really didn't enjoy it. Overall, I was desperate to love this novel, but I couldn't because of the shallow characters, unlikable main pair, and the constant abandonment of great plot lines in favor of the shallow romance. It felt like MXTX was constantly trying to one-up MDZS in angst, drama, and romance, but at the same time it felt like she didn't know what to do with the characters and world, and therefore fed us fan service and took the easy way out. This review is purely subjective, and if you want to read this go ahead, but I'll be seeing myself out.

#tgcf criticism #tianguancifu #tgcf #mxtx critical #xie lan #hua cheng #ok but this kinda sucks

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maryniss · 3 years

Text

burn the letters so that you never find the burn in my heart

‘Today I came back. And I hope that you are still somewhere there, I am still here waiting. I am going to search for you, so just stay there and also wait for me. I am still your most devoted believer.’

Hua Cheng looked over at his horrible calligraphy, feeling rage burn deep inside him. He didn’t want to blame himself, he knew that he was still a little weak, proof in how his hands were shaking uncontrollably, proof in how his head was spinning with the past events, with the past feelings that the death of his soul couldn’t wash away. He wanted to burn it all, his love and his hatred because he felt so confused, and he felt so unworthy, unworthy of even worshipping the god of his life.

He could die a million times more and he still wouldn’t know if His Highness would feel the love Hua Cheng himself had felt when Xie Lian caught him during the parade. He wants to show Xie Lian just how much that meant for him, how his heart and will to live were light up, fireworks to mirror the ones Hua Cheng associated with the Crown Prince.

It was the first time somebody looked at Hua Cheng like that. It was the first time when a glance didn’t stab his bloody soul that had been cut and torn to pieces so many times again and again and again; it was the first time Hua Cheng thought that he maybe wasn’t that bad, that he maybe was worth something, that he could now maybe find a meaning to his life.

He knows he didn’t ask for that much, yet why does it feel like two deaths weren’t enough to show Xie Lian his utmost devotion?

He could not put it into words, he could not show it with his actions. Then what was left for him do to?

‘I don’t know what to do, but I’ll continue to follow you even with my eyes closed.’

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

‘It was only the moment when I died, that was the moment when I saw you looking at me from the other side of the field. It was dark and maybe I didn’t see it right, maybe the glint in your eye wasn’t worry, but I like to think that at that moment you looked at me and you felt the love that exploded once my body which contained it disappeared. Even a ray of it would have been enough, a fraction for you to know that you are not alone, that there is somebody still believing in you.’

Hua Cheng was somehow relieved that his handwriting was so ugly and that no one could actually understand it. He rested his head on the paper and he thought that he could hear a breath somewhere far away, whispering soft words he could not understand in his ear. How warm he felt at that moment!

But then why was he crying and dirtying the pages he tried so hard to write? Why couldn’t he control his face? From under his eyepatch, trails of blood fell down on the words and mixed in with the ink.

He felt so alone. He wanted to feel again loved and worthy of something.

‘I, will never leave your side, for which I know how it is to be left in the dark with only the dogs of your thoughts to bite and scratch at you over and over.’

It was cold. It was empty.

Hua Cheng could wait for the sun to shine, though. He knew that, at some point, golden streaks of light will set his heart’s fire up once again.

‘I don’t know what to do, but I’ll continue to follow you even with my eyes closed.’

‘Today I cried. For no reason at all. It’s getting tiring. There are too many things to do, all at once, there is so much pressure that I can’t handle. I have to be perfect in their eyes or else they won’t accept me as their leader. I have to scare them off, I have to be the strongest.

But it is so, so hard to scare somebody when you can’t even look at your own reflection without wanting to punch it so hard, to shatter the mirror and never see that face again. I am getting scared of myself, what should I do?

I am still following you. I haven’t found you, but one day I will and I will make sure that you will never have such bad thoughts about yourself as I do.’

Hua Cheng folded the letter and stacked it next to the other letters that have been growing over the years. He had been writing to His Highness for over 200 years, but he never found him, he never caught a glimpse of that brightness again.

He wondered if that’s how Xie Lian felt. He wondered if that was the pressure Xie Lian felt daily, the weight of a smile that hanged hard above his shoulders, pulling the corners of his mouth down. How did he deal with all of this, alone, on his own…?

Hua Cheng tried to be there for him. He did everything he could, he tried so hard, but he in the end failed. If His Highness is still out there in the world, does he know that he is still not alone? Does he know that? And if he would, would it help revive some of the pain that built inside of his rose shaped soul?

Hua Cheng wants to be there with Xie Lian, every day, at any time, whenever he is needed. He wants to at least have the chance to worship his god properly. Is that really too much to ask?

He guesses maybe it is. Maybe he doesn’t deserve that. Maybe he had already used up all of his chances.

He rests on the bed in Paradise Manor, falling asleep with the thought of bringing Xie Lian there one day.

‘Today was such a great day! I saw a white flower and I thought of you again. Its petals were so delicate when I looked at them, holding up big tears of rain; I picked it up and I brought it back home. I put it below the altar and I still hope that one day I can find you again, maybe just by chance, as I did with this flower.’

That was the only letter Hua Cheng still had after somebody sneaked in and stole his chest with treasures. It was during one of his moments of weakness, when his head was throbbing with unbearable pain and his eye could no longer concentrate enough to connect with the butterflies.

He didn’t care about all of the gold and jewelry that was there; but the letters, the letter were so important to him, it was his whole soul on thin papers, written in an ugly and unreadable handwriting, a reflection of his feelings and mind.

Those were only for Xie Lian to see. And he wanted nothing more than for them to find him.

Hua Cheng continued to write after that incident happened, he wrote everything that felt important to him. It was weird to think that he found comfort in exposing his soul to a person that was not there, to a person that might not be there anymore even.

He could hope still. He dedicated his life to Xie Lian, was there anything left other than hope?

When the vendor offered Xie Lian those pieces of paper, he was reluctant to take them. He had no need for such objects, so why would he?

“Here, take them, please, I don’t know what to do with them. These are some letters, and some of them seem to be so old, yet the handwriting is the same. Please, take them, I don’t want the one who wrote these letters to come after me!”

Xie Lian wondered why the man stole them still? But such questions never left his mouth and after a lot of pleading, even begging by Xie Lian’s feet, the past god ended up with a pile of letters almost as tall as him. There were a lot and he, not knowing what do, stood down under the shadow of a tree and opened the first one.

It felt like his eyes had been gouged out with a fork. How could anybody have such a handwriting, such a messy handwriting? His head started to hurt as he looked at the letters on the paper. He looked at the words splayed unruly across the page, starting to distinguish some of the characters. The first letter he opened was nothing like he ever read or hear before. It almost seemed like the person who wrote it was talking to their lover after not being with them for a long time.

He started to get accustomed with the writing and soon he could easily read what was written there.

‘I didn’t know it would be this hard. To live. I was foolish back then, but looking at it now, I still don’t regret listening to you. It would just be so, so much easier if you were here. I can handle it still.

But there is no day that I don’t think about you. The warmth I felt when I met you for the first time; it burned me, it was the first time I felt like that. I told you this before in previous letters, but I need to show you, even by repeating my words a hundred times, how much I owe you.

I often find myself asking what you would do if you were in my place. I still hope one day we will find the solution together.

And I am sure we will, as I still follow you, even with my sight not as good as before.’

Xie Lian laughed at the last bit for a second, before wondering what happened to the person’s eyes. It was endearing, there was something about the letters that made Xie Lian want to open more of them up and read them, to find out the secrets hidden between the walls of that thorny writing.

But, as he swam through the emotions exposed there, he felt like he should give some of his story too, to reciprocate the accidental sincerity he was being faced with. He took a coal from his sleeve and started gently writing on the back of those pages.

‘I am glad that you think your love is still worth fighting for. In this world, you must always have something that makes you go forward. It’s just so much easier. I-I remember how I once told someone to keep living for me.

Now that I think about it, it really was foolish of me and too much to ask. I was young back then, I didn’t know how easily trust could be betrayed and how easily people left. I am still thinking about it till this day. I am thinking about that person that listened to my words so carefully and I wonder what he’s doing right now. Truth to be told, I would want to meet them again, to apologize to them. I don’t know if they are still around though.

I want to tell you something, as I’ve seen you struggling. I know it’s hard without somebody by your side; but you can fight for them if that’s what you want to do. Continue on fighting even if you start to bleed, if that’s what is the right thing to do or so you appreciate.

Maybe I am not the best to talk about this. I was stubborn when I was young and I always tried to fulfill my goal, to never give up. And I ended all alone, but I managed.’

Xie Lian stopped for a second and looked up. Clouds were gathering above his head, but something told him it wasn’t going to rain. He let out a soft chuckle and then a sigh.

‘I honestly don’t remember so much of my teenage years. I wanted to save the people all of them, that’s how I was thinking back then. I know it’s not possible, but I am still trying to this day. I can never let it go; it’s just my guilt creeping up on me for letting all of those people die back then.

I remember that there was once a ghost that helped me when I was at my lowest. I couldn’t save them in the end, I couldn’t and that has haunted me for more than I can remember. I wake up in cold sweat remembering how I couldn’t, at the end of it all, save them. There were other people before that that I couldn’t reach out to. But my memory has caved itself and everything from that period is a little blurry. I still remember some things…to well even, things I wish I could forget.’

A drop of water landed on the paper and Xie Lian didn’t know if it was his tears or the rain that started contrary to what he believed. He folded the letters and run quickly back to his improved home in the village, to hide from the rain.

It wasn’t so bad, talking to somebody who would listen. Shame they were not there.

It was a rainy day at Puqi Shrine when Xie Lian found that letter again. It fell from the sleeves of his robes and he picked it up curiously. Where did that come from?

“What did you find there, gege?” Hua Cheng peeked over Xie Lian’s shoulder, nestling his chin in the crook of his neck. It was still something new for them both, and at the same time, something that they were long used to, each other’s presence.

“I am not sure, San Lang, let me take a look.” He unfolded the paper, holding it gently, feeling that it may disappear under his hands if he handled it without care. Xie Lian was met with Hua Cheng’s messy writing and he was confused for a second.

“San Lang, did you write this now…” He could not finish his thoughts as he read the first words; they seemed so familiar, a mirror made out of water which his arm could only pass through. Why did he suddenly feel surrounded by a warmth enveloping him like honey, smothering over him, cradling him close? Was this…?

Hua Cheng took the letter from Xie Lian’s hands. “Gege, where do you have this from?” Xie Lian looked as surprised as him.

“I thought you wrote it? Shouldn’t you know? Didn’t you put it there?” Hua Cheng flipped it over and his eyes roamed the back of the paper.

“…but this is your writing here?” said Hua Cheng as he handed the paper to Xie Lian. The Crown Prince glanced at it and he remembered.

He remembered the vendor that wouldn’t let him alone no matter what, he remembered the cloudy day and how he cried that day. It struck him, all of sudden and he could not stop himself from putting the pieces together. He looked up at Hua Cheng.

“Did you…Were these letters meant for me?” Hua Cheng glanced down, red in the ears, and Xie Lian was stunned that something like this could make him flush so darkly. He smiled fondly.

He loved him.

“Gege shouldn’t look anymore,” murmured he as he stepped out with the intention to take the letter away from Xie Lian, as far away as possible, burn it afterwards so that Xie Lian never found the burn in his heart. “They are unfit to be read by Gege. I was just saying nonsense there, don’t worry about it…”

“But if I can’t look once more time, again, at San Lang’s words, neither can he read my response,” said Xie Lian promptly. Hua Cheng took in a deep breath, something gleaming in his eyes. Hope, love, or just the stars that could be seen splattered across the sky?

“Gege’s…response?” Xie Lian smiled again and started to read aloud what he wrote that time, under the alone shadow of a tree. His face was getting a little bit pink, he knew it, but Hua Cheng was way worse than him, almost as red now as his robes.

When he finished reading, he looked up and to his surprise, tears were rolling down Hua Cheng’s reddened cheeks. He stepped closer and ensured one of his arms behind his beloved’s waist, keeping him close, the other hand wiping away the tars gently, stroking the pale skin there.

“I am sorry, gege…” Hua Cheng took Xie Lian’s hand into his and tenderly kissed it. “I just…Back then I didn’t expect you to be alive, I…” He let out a shaky breath. “It’s just… I don’t know how to say to say it but I feel like I gained another part of myself right now. I feel so full. I am so happy. I always wanted to show you these letters. Yes, I did wrote them down for you and I…” Xie Lian brushed his lips across Hua Cheng’s erratic ones, shutting him up.

“I remember reading the letters and thinking…” Xie Lian’s eyes glanced down at Hua Cheng’s mouth and he thought about all of the words that came out of it, about all of the kisses laid on his skin with that mouth (his face got a closer to red) about everything that Hua Cheng ever said to him and how those simple words hold him up for so long.

“…that they were probably for the lover of the one who was writing. I never thought they would turn out to be for me.” He could see Hua Cheng shivering as his hot breath gasped over the cold skin. And maybe that was love, hope or maybe just the stars reflected in his eyes.

He leaned down and kissed Hua Cheng, slow, molding their lips together, not pushing too far. It was a sweet moment draped in even sweeter honey. He wanted to say so much to Hua Cheng but his mouth would get tired of all the unspoken words his soul had to carry alone.

But, he never grew tired of kissing Hua Cheng. Of the striking feeling that that man was him to kiss and love and adore and exchange secret letters. It was a feeling that bathed him completely, almost drowned him in his magnitude.

Hua Cheng shyly licked at Xie Lian’s lips and the Crown Prince slightly parted them, letting his beloved explore him once more time, like the first time. It was always going to be like the first time.

Words were not enough.

Kissed were not enough.

So how could the two possibly show their love for each other?

Maybe it should be a secret, maybe it should be a surprise like the letters.

Or maybe they should wait for the burn in their heart to heal sot that their soul could once again feel as light as once. Then, they could share their love and fill each other’s hearts.

But, for tonight, kissing didn’t seem so bad. They had an eternity ahead of them.

An eternity and a death. And it still didn’t seem enough.

‘I don’t know what to do, but I’ll continue to follow you even with my eyes closed.’

and they were infinite like the stars in the sly, they were infinite because of the path their loved set ahead of them

reblog if you enjoyed it!

#hua cheng #xie lian #hualian #hualian fic #fluff #tgcf fluff #tgcf fic

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righteousinadversity · 2 years

Note

Hi , I am the anon who asked about the anti wangxian and anti lwj drama and let's just forget and ignore those people who do shitty takes like those.

I wanna know how you came to know about mxtx.

I discovered her in the most random ways that one can , it's really funny and I am really lucky for discovering her the way I did.

I saw an ad on YouTube about the tgcf's donghua trailer on a video which I skipped halfway , I didn't know what it was , but what I knew about it was that it was a Chinese anime , I don't know why but I picked up gay romance vibes from it , I don't know how I picked it up because I was a oblivious fool during that time when it came to picking up romance vibes from any piece of fiction or media and I didn't even see Hua Cheng in the trailer , nothing related to romance was in the trailer . I didn't know the show's name during that time , but I was quite curious about it , but during that time thought that I shouldn't watch it , since I never understood romance in fiction as well as in real life . This happened in my birthday month by the way .

One month later , I again saw a sneak peak of it on Netflix when it got recommended to me , but still decided not to watch it since I might not understand it . I knew though that it was not a cringey romance show which I hate , and thanks to those stuffy shows I hated romance as a genre and never understood anything about it.

Two months later after it's title card on Netflix kept staring at me and curiosity won me over , I decided to give it a chance and watched it , I am glad that my curiosity won me over that day and my intuition about the show came true cuz it didn't turned out to be those cringey romances and it was full of symbolism , trust , bonding , romance, adventure , oh I could rant and rant and will stop only after I don't have energy left.

The show won me over , Xie Lian and Hua Cheng took control over me and I could not stop gushing about it . After that , I discovered mxtx and then discovered mdzs and svsss.

One month later , I watched mdzs's season 1 and wondered how could the author write such perfect stories. There was not a lot of romance between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian , but it was enough for me to understand that they cared a lot about each other and that Lan Wangji had fallen in love in the Xuanwu Cave.

Fast forward to 2 months , I watched svsss and loved it , and started reading the novel , I loved it but still have some questionable thoughts about the romance . Everything else was perfect. OOC IS OOC became my new catchphrase and I say it most of the times.

Fast forward to October , I watched 21 episodes of the untamed because apparently everyone was recommending it to me , I didn't watched it completely and found it a little bit boring (might get hate 😝, the actors were great but it still felt boring) compared to the donghua's 1st season , it just wasn't doing it for me ( they introduced yin iron which I didn't liked at all and changed some things) , then I started reading mdzs and felt all different sort of things , it is the most perfect story I have ever read in my life , I can rant more and more and more and would never stop until I die because of not having proper food , water and sleep because of ranting.

Tgcf is the only one I haven't read yet , and will probably start after volume 2 of the novel releases , I can't wait to see what it has in store , I can't wait to feel a plethora of emotions.

I can't still believe that an oblivious fool and a romance hater experienced so many different emotions , mxtx changed me so much and I will forever be grateful to her . And the stupid thing is I still don't grasp romance because it is still written in such a shallow way when it comes to many works , but when it comes to mxtx's works everything is so deep and symbolic.

Mxtx changed the meaning of romance and so many things for me.

I will forever be grateful to YouTube and Netflix for letting me discover mxtx .

Heaven Official's Blessing was literally a blessing for me. Everyday I thank God for making me discover mxtx.

Sorry it got a bit too long and is a bit cliché but I can still rant more and more ,thanks for reading. 🤗

Feel free to rant, anon! I am glad that you discovered this lovely author!

I have restricted myself from reading either TGCF or SVSSS just yet because my academic life can't handle it. MDZS lives in my head rent-free.

How I discovered MXTX? Hm. Let's see. In the early Jan of 2020, I came across an untamed edit on youtube that was basically crack, but I was won over by WWX's smile and Wangxian's interaction. I think there was the scene where WWX goes on reciting the Lan rules to WC, and while I didn't understand the significance of it then, I was intrigued, and because I had time, then, I looked up the show and went to watch CQL.

Now, three episodes in is when I found out that it was an adaptation, and I went searching for the actual novel version because I have always preferred books over visual media. After finishing the novel, I loved and adored it, both WWX and LWJ stole my heart. Every theme it explored, from mob mentality to righteousness to power plays to resentment to staying true to your heart, was absolutely beautiful.

I didn't delve into any of the adaptations until like, April, because I had exams and stuff, but afterwards, I finished CQL and I didn't... find it as appealing. Honestly, I was in it for Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo and that was it. I only started watching the donghua much, much later, binge-watching it during my winter break.

I am genuinely thankful for MDZS. It gave me life lessons that I aspire to live by.

"let the self judge the right and the wrong, let others decide to praise or to blame, let gains and losses remain uncommented on."

"You have to remember the things others do for you, not the things you do for others. Only when people don’t hold so much in their hearts would they finally feel free."

As MXTX said, I hope to be like Lan WangJi in virtue and Wei WuXian in character.

#MXTX #mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #asks

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veliseraptor · 3 years

Note

top 5 brotps?

oh boy let’s see here. okay okay okay okay. the hard one here is like...do I include things where I also ship them non-platonically?? and I decided to go with “fine to do so but it’s gotta be things where the primary interest is brotpdom”

1. Thor & Loki. Look, I had to. I just...there’s a lot there, there’s a lot there, a lot of it alarmingly personal and emotionally fraught for me personally, and I have accepted that about myself and it is still very true. The pain and love and dysfunction, all of it blown up to very dramatic levels - way beyond what would be “reasonable” obviously because these are characters written to be larger than life - and yet still recognizable to me in...yeah, alarmingly personal ways.

Never forget the long conversation I had with a couple friends about my childhood that ended with “no wonder you like Loki so much.” And a lot of why I like Loki so much? Has a lot to do with his relationship with Thor.

2. Jiang Cheng & Wei Wuxian. Get into a show for the gay, come out if it with a new pair of (martial) siblings, is my motto. Here we have not only the deep feelings and dysfunction going on, the relationship rupture that’s deep and difficult and ugly, but also the sheer ambiguity of their relationship to each other and what its status is, and the way that their mutual dysfunctions align perfectly to make everything between them even more dysfunctional.

I love a pair where both people are equally but differently fucked up and how that plays into the way they relate to each other and that is so much about Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. They’re a mess and I love them.

3. Felix Harrowgate & Mildmay. What’s a brotp that doesn’t involve undertones of incest, or overtones of, actually, though some of that is the sublimated connection between love and sex in Felix’s head and anyway, I love these two, they’re having a horrible time all of the time and are often very miserable and honestly, I just have a thing for codependent siblings who mean a lot to each other while simultaneously having an excruciatingly fucked up relationship, which fits these two to a T. And just! The arc of their relationship, too!

Sarah Monette gave me, specifically, a gift with these two and their relationship arc and I’m never going to be over it.

4. Celegorm & Curufin. The terrible twosome! Two brothers who love each other very much and are also not particularly good influences on each other! But who needs a good influence when you have love and a fucked up family legacy you’re trying to live up to?

Anyway I’m always on some level up in my Celegorm and Curufin feelings and particularly how I think about their relationship developing over the course of The Silmarillion and becoming both more codependent and more strained over time. They do everything together! Including, eventually, die.

And thinking about them is making me want to write Silm fic again. No, Lise, that’s the devil talking.

5. This one was harder because it’s less obvious to me another that’s, like, on this level? But ultimately I decided to go with a current fandom one and do Mu Qing & Xie Lian. Which is kind of an outlier because their relationship is not really like others on this list! It’s closest to Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian’s in some ways, but it’s very different - the status differential, for one, is an even greater factor and stress point between these two than it is with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. And their relationship is...it spends more time being bad (or at least, not great) than it does being good. But I just...it is important to me, in its messiness (yes, again!) and its dysfunction (again!) and the ways in which Xie Lian knows Mu Qing very well, and values him, and the ways that Mu Qing both resents and cares deeply about Xie Lian.

This is one of those archetypal relationships for me, too, where I’m like but I want more because there is more, I want to know where they go post-canon, where they leave things at the end of TGCF proper is just a beginning.

Anyway this relationship is important to me and I wish people would do more with it in fic, obligatory plug for @curiosity-killed’s fic the reel of this life.

but this is of course leaving off a whole bunch of other possibilities, among which I could consider He Xuan and Hua Cheng, Xue Yang and Jin Guangyao (when it’s not Xue Yang/Jin Guangyao), almost all my Black Jewels Trilogy feelings, any number of dynamics where I’m not picky about form it takes but just like the character interactions...

it is funny to me that this list of brotps is characterized by three actual sibling relationships, one martial sibling relationship, and one outlier. I really went literal here, didn’t I.

#anonymous #conversating #top five meme #dysfunctional gods and ghost kinks #noldor are the best dor #i have no generic mcu tag #the sad queer cultivators show

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razberryyum · 3 years

Text

TGCF donghua Episode 9 Thoughts (SPOILERS! for episode and novel)

I've heard of the words Sinner's Pit a while back, probably when I first heard of TGCF, but it wasn't until a couple weeks ago when I started reading the book that I finally understood what they meant, and why it was an event in the saga of HuaLian. Even though I've only been acquainted with it for such a short period of time, I still teared up when watching the scene, so I can only imagine how much more emotional this moment was for fellow fans who have been waiting years to see it. I really hope it lived up to everyone's expectations cuz it kinda blew my mind.

When the episode was delayed in its broadcast I actually felt dread, since I immediately assumed that the HuaLian Sinner's Pit scenes didn't pass the restrictions and it was going to be edited to death or worse yet, completely cut out. Thank God that was not the case. I was looking forward to much groppage of Hua Cheng from Dianxia, and that's exactly what I got...with an extra large dose of romance too thanks to the amazing score. If anything was left out in the scene I sure couldn't tell nor did I feel anything was missing.

I've watched countless fall and rescue scenes in cdramas, to the degree that sometimes it feels like it's a required element in romance cdramas, and of course it's usually the woman in the couple falling from somewhere and the man coming to her rescue and catching her. And they're usually so poorly done that I either eyeroll so hard my eyes feel like they're gonna pop out of their sockets or I feel almost nauseated from the cheesiness.

But the donghua did it PERFECTLY. Those stupidass cdramas should learn from them. HuaLian's fall and catch scene was paced just right, scored just right, shot just right...simple PERFECTION. Not at all cheesy or cringey, utterly sublime...and everything that followed between them was utterly sublime as well.

Talk about another perfectly captured scene. I loved this line. So sweet and wonderful. No wonder Hua Cheng's in love with this man.

Btw, I know it says friendship, but just in case anyone's worried the donghua is trying to friendzone HuaLian, those Chinese characters can just be a general way of saying getting along, usually in a friendly way, but it's not as friend zone-y as it sounds. Although, I doubt anyone actually watching the show and paying attention to it would even think Hua Cheng only wants to be bro-friends with Xie Lian.

I mean, I guessss bros can be touchy feely and eyefuck eyelove each other all the time, but I would personally like to meet them bros like that.

Also, not fair of the donghua team to cuteify these boys even more. My poor heart almost couldn't take it. Too adorable!!

Honestly, after that HuaLian-ful sequence, my brain was barely able to register anything else. Doesn't help that I already know how things will resolve in terms of this mystery. I am mostly looking forward to how the "new" characters whom are being introduced to looks and how they will bring to life certain non-HuaLian related events that sounded dramatic or even epic in writing.

For example the Banyue Guoshi...was totally not expecting her to look this adorable. She looks so innocent and pretty, who in their right mind would bully such a beautiful little girl??

Although, when she is on the attack, she definitely does feel like a wraith bringing instant death upon her victims. This was so beautifully animated: it looked both terrifying and truly impressive.

Lastly:

Hiiii puppyyyyy!!!! Nice to finally meet you!! Who's a good boy?? 😂 E-Ming's a total cutie pie and his first appearance was cool AF too. I freaked out a little.

OMG I almost forgot!! I LOVE the new ED theme!!! I hope they release an official MV for it soon!

NOVEL SPOILERS

Current Reading Progress: finished book 1, currently in book 2, knee-deep in Yong'an famine crisis. Every HuaLian interaction is a treasure, I know I didn't mention them at all last week but pretty much every time they meet up again I scream a bit. The temple scene, when Dianxia told chibi HC to live for him, got me so emotional (I also really want to hug little HC and protect him forever). Seriously felt like I finally reached some kind of important milestone since I read that line somewhere even before I even knew who or what HuaLian was. I don't know how many seasons of the donghua we'll be blessed with, but if we don't get as far as Dianxia's past, then I do hope we at least get to see Ghost City, Gambler's Den, Paradise Manor,and Qi Rong's cave. I can imagine getting into some of that next season but unless it's a long one, I doubt we'd be able to see all of it in one season.

And also, I don't think I love Qi Rong anymore. He really is a bad, bad boy...and not in the sexy way, but more in the holy shit you really are fucked up way.

Finally, the Yong'an thing... I'm already bracing myself. I could be wrong but I already see how that could lead to Xianle's downfall. The knives are probably coming, huh?

TGCF novel translation can be found at: https://tgcfmxtx.carrd.co/

#Tian Guan Ci Fu #TGCF #Heaven Official's Blessing #HuaLian #SanLian #TGCF donghua

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unforth · 3 years

Text

May Trope Mayhem Fill Day 1: Friends to Lovers

Fandom: Tian Guan Ci Fu/Heaven Official’s Blessing

Ship: Xie Lian/Hua Cheng

Rating: Gen

Tags: modern au, tooth-rotting fluff, 520 day, florist Xie Lian

Word count: 2,492

Cross-posted to AO3

@duckprintspress

The bell over the door rang and Xie Lian turned from the bouquet he was arranging, forcing his expression into a tired smile as he prepared to greet yet another customer. 520 was an auspicious day for love, and a great day for Xie Lian’s shop, but it was exhausting. His smile widened and became more genuine, though, when he saw his customer: Hua Cheng, one of the few regulars that Xie Lian knew well enough to consider a friend.

Not that they’d ever met any place outside of “Buds to Blooms.”

Not that they’d ever spent much time together.

Not that they talked about anything other than flowers, at least not most of the time.

Not that they had really any relationship at all, no matter how much Xie Lian might want one.

Hua Cheng looked especially dapper for the holiday, tall, slim form clothed in black slacks, a red button up shirt, and a black suit jacket. Silver jewelry adorned his neck, an intricate filigree in the shape of butterfly nestled between the open buttons of the top of his shirt. His fingers were beringed, one looped with a red string that seemed oddly familiar, and sparkling chains were threaded through his long hair. Tiny chimes sounded every time he moved his head. As if his attire wasn’t enough to demonstrate that he had a date for the evening, his eye patch, usually plain, today was decorated with a red felt heart that Xie Lian suspected had been sewn on by hand.

He was gorgeous.

(read more!)

Something unpleasantly like jealousy curdled in Xie Lian’s stomach. If only he were the one that Hua Cheng got dressed up for...if only he were the one Hua Cheng wanted...if only--

“Xie Lian?” Hua Cheng asked.

Blinking, Xie Lian flushed. He’d been staring, a white rose stem still clutched in one hand, his trimmers in the other. With a shake of his head, he shoved the blossom into the arrangement he’d been working on, set the clippers down, and wiped his hands on his apron as he stepped out from behind the counter.

“Good evening, Hua Cheng,” he said brightly. Being jealous of the man, woman, or genderqueer individual privileged to spend the evening with Hua Cheng was absurd. “You’ve got perfect timing, I was just about to close up for the night.” Xie Lian was under no delusions of what his actual relationship with Hua Cheng was - customer and businessman, with a splash of friendship. “Indeed...I’d probably be closed already, except I wanted to get a head start on tomorrow.”

“I know,” said Hua Cheng with a toothy grin. “I got tired of waiting.” Confused, Xie Lian tilted his head to one side. Stopping in the middle of the open store floor, Hua Cheng turned a slow circle, eye searching the decimated shelves and coolers. “Wow, you musta been busy.” Xie Lian usually prided himself on the profusion and variety of flowers he kept in stock, but closing time on the busiest day of the year saw him nearly cleaned out.

“I’m exhausted,” Xie Lian confessed. With any normal customer, he’d never have admitted it - always have to be bright and perky and indefatigable for the clientele! - but Hua Cheng wasn’t a normal customer. “But 520 day alone pays my rent for most of the year, so it’s worth it.”

“I’m sure it is,” Hua Cheng murmured. “And I’m sure you need a break, so…” A decisive nod set of a cascade of beautiful music as Hua Cheng strode to one of the coolers and pulled it open. A few bedraggled bouquets and a single bucket full of stalks of cape jasmine were all that remained within. Every year, Xie Lian stocked up on the cape jasmine, tiny white blossoms nestled in profusion amidst evergreen leaves, and every year hardly anyone bought any. Xie Lian didn’t care. They were his favorite flower, and a small indulgence, and when no one bought them, he got to take them home and put them on his dining room table and imagine impossible things while he ate dinner for one on the most romantic night of the year.

Except apparently not this year, because Hua Cheng ignored the arrangements and grabbed the entire plastic vase of jasmine.

“How much for all of these?” Hua Cheng asked, hefting the container and letting the cooler door slide shut behind him.

Could he be any more perfect?

“Oh...uh…” Catching his lip between his teeth, Xie Lian looked at the flowers, looked at Hua Cheng, looked at the darkness outside his shop window, and sighed. “...just take them. You’re a loyal customer, and it’s not like I was going to sell them to anyone else tonight. They’ll be past selling by tomorrow, so…”

“No,” replied Hua Cheng firmly. Xie Lian frowned, confusion intensifying. “Name a price.”

“But--”

“Look. There’s this person. I’ve tried everything I can think of to let them know how I feel, and nothing has worked. And I have a suspicion or three about why they won’t listen, so tonight is the night. They’re worth it, and I need them to know they’re worth it, and so I’m paying, and then I’m taking these flowers to them, and then - unless I’m devastatingly wrong about their opinion of me - we’re spending the evening together, and I’m getting them dinner, and maybe giving them a foot massage. So. Tell me how much I owe you, Xie Lian.”

No, seriously - could he be any more perfect?

Yes, he could...if I was the person he was doing all those nice things for.

Xie Lian heaved a sigh. “250 yuan,” he said. Hua Cheng lifted a suspicious eyebrow. Yeah, Xie Lian might have low-balled that number a little...a lot… “...okay, more like 400.”

“Perfect,” Hua Cheng announced. Setting the container down at his feet, he reached into a pocket, withdrew a billfold, and deliberately counted out 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 100 renminbi bills.

“Hua Ch--”

“Zip it,” Hua Cheng said, setting the money down on the counter just behind Xie Lian. Because Xie Lian was still just standing there. With his hands at his sides. Staring. And feeling sorry for himself. “I’m taking the container too.”

“That still doesn’t cost--”

Oh, but he was so tired.

“This person is worth it.”

Xie Lian struggled to keep his exhale from leaving as a forlorn sigh; it whispered from him, leaving his shoulders slumped, his mind fogged, and his chest hollow. “Alright. Have a nice night, Hua Cheng.”

“I will.” There was an inexplicable intensity to Hua Cheng’s voice, but Xie Lian didn’t want to try to understand. What he already knew hurt enough, and he knew he was being absurd. Dwelling on it would only intensify his sadness. Hua Cheng lifted the bucket of jasmine again, hugged it close with apparent indifference to the damage it might do to his expensive suit, and walked to the door. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” said Xie Lian, his voice empty, his heart empty, his store empty, his life...he shook his head and followed Hua Cheng to the door. Given Hua Cheng’s burdens, Xie Lian hustled and stepped before him, opening the door so he could leave without even more difficulty. “Thanks as always for your business.”

“My business…” Hua Cheng echoed. “Is that what this is?”

Xie Lian had no idea what Hua Cheng meant.

Xie Lian refused to think about what Hua Cheng meant, as Hua Cheng stepped out of the store, and Xie Lian closed and locked the door behind him, and Xie Lian turned and stared at his barren shelves, cast in deep shadow in the low evening light.

Tomorrow, he’d be up bright and early to receive his shipments, make the day’s deliveries, run the business, do all the work of owning a florist shop himself.

Tomorrow, he’d be collected, and calm, and professional.

Today…

A single teardrop made a wet, cool line down his cheek.

...today, he was being ridiculous.

Shaking off his melancholy, Xie Lian set about shutting down. There were cases to refill, vases to wash, coolers to clean. There was work to do, so much work to do, and he lost himself in the rhythm of it, in the simple joy it brought him. Minutes passed, the evening stretching later. Outside, he could hear as celebrators walked by. There was so much joy and jollity in their voices, and brought him a sense of pride to reflect and think - he helped make the day better for many people. His flowers brought happiness to dozens, hundreds, of people.

It was enough.

His flowers brought happiness to Hua Cheng.

It was almost enough.

It was--

A knock-knock-knock startled Xie Lian as he carefully swept bits of leaf and petal into his palm after wiping the cooler interior. Tumbling to his bottom, scattering flower bits over his lap, he sat there blinking. It was probably just some doomed boyfriend or husband realizing they’d forgotten to buy their love a gift. It was probably...but he glanced toward the exterior door, and there was no one there.

Knock, knock, knock.

Uncertain, Xie Lian rose and walked toward the back of the store. The knocking grew louder the closer he drew to the receiving door, and finally, baffled, Xie Lian went to it and peered through the peekhole.

Hua Cheng stood outside, smile suave, arms embracing the container of cape jasmine branches.

Xie Lian hesitantly unlocked the door and pulled it open. “Apologies, was there something wrong with…?”

“Oh, never,” replied Hua Cheng brightly. “I just got tired of waiting. Again.”

“I don’t…um...?”

“I told you, I have someone very important I want to see tonight, and they deserve to know how much I value them.”

Hearing it again stung. Did Hua Cheng really have to rub in how special this person was to him? What did any of it have to do with Xie Lian? Why was Hua Cheng here, instead of with them? None of it made any sense, and Xie Lian didn’t want to think about it, except how could he not think, and wonder, and mourn, with Hua Cheng standing in front of him once more?

“I’m sorry...I don’t…”

Hua Cheng rolled his eye. “Unfortunately, he’s not always the most observant individual, but I forgive him for that. To tell you the truth,” Hua Cheng whispered, leaning forward conspiratorially, “I’d forgive him anything.”

Wait.

Was Hua Cheng implying…

Don’t think about it.

“Huh?” asked Xie Lian.

...but it almost sounds like...

With a hearty, gorgeous laugh that set flower bucket water sloshing to the ground, Hua Cheng threw his head back. “They’re for you, Xie Lian,” he managed between gales. “They’re your favorite, right?”

Oh.

Oh...oh, wow.

No...it couldn’t be.

“Huh?!”

Setting the container of flowers down beside the door, Hua Cheng withdrew one stalk, length heavily bowed with tiny white blossoms, and held it out for Xie Lian to take. Too tired, too bemused, too drunk on nascent hope to decline, Xie Lian took it.

“I couldn’t exactly ask you out while you were on the clock,” Hua Cheng explained. “For a long time, I thought I’d been so clear about my interest, and that surely you’d pick up on it and, if you were interested, respond in kind. But even though you flirted back, you never, ever did, and I started to wonder...I was pretty depressed about it for a while there…”

“...you stopped coming for a few months…” murmured Xie Lian.

“Yup, exactly - then. But I couldn’t stay away, and when I returned you were so happy to see me, and I couldn’t believe I’d misread your mutual interest so completely. And then it occurred to me...what if it wasn’t your interest I’d misread, but...you?”

“Me?”

“You’re so quiet.” Hua Cheng’s voice was fond, his expression gentle, and he reached out with a hand to cup Xie Lian’s chin. “You’re so kind.” The red string tied around Hua Cheng’s finger brushed Xie Lian’s cheek. “You’re so self-effacing.” The feel of it was familiar, and Xie Lian finally recognized it - it was one of his strings, from the store, the ones he used to tie bouquets. “You would never presume that I’d be more interested in you than in the flowers you sold.” Hua Cheng was wearing it like jewelry. “Not that I don’t love flowers - I do, truly.” That was so… “Almost as much as I love you.”

...so…

...wait, what?

“Hua Cheng,” Xie Lian breathed, heart in his throat, tears in his eyes.

“Will you go out with me tonight, A-Lian?” asked Hua Cheng, deep and rich and gloriously sincere.

Xie Lian opened his mouth, closed it, opened it, closed it, blinked away tears, and then smiled. “I guess it depends,” he said with a grin.

It was gratifying to see Hua Cheng look a fraction as confused as Xie Lian had felt most of the evening. “On what?”

“...did you mean what you said earlier?”

“Every word.”

“Even the part about the foot massage?”

“Especially the part about the foot massage!” said Hua Cheng. “When was the last time you sat down?”

“I don’t even remember,” Xie Lian admitted. “It’s been a long day.”

“I know, A-Lian.” Sliding a hand down Xie Lian’s neck, along his shoulder, and down his arm, Hua Cheng took Xie Lian’s hand in his own, clasped both their fingers around the jasmine stem, raised it to his lips, and gave it a gentle kiss. Jasmine petals rained down between them like spring rain. “So I hope you’ll forgive me for making it even longer.”

“Oh, Hua Cheng…” Joy bursting through his heart, Xie Lian allowed Hua Cheng to gently tug him out the back and pull the door closed behind them. “...A-Cheng…” The soothing scent of jasmine flowers filled the alley. “I’d forgive you anything.”

“Anything, anything?”

“Anything, anything,” Xie Lian confirmed. “Though--”

“Knew there’d be a catch.”

“--I’d appreciate if I could go home and change before dinner?”

“...that’s fair. Should I wait for you here?” asked Hua Cheng with a gesture to the narrow, dirty alley.

“Why don’t you walk me back?” Xie Lian suggested.

“Not nervous about inviting a strange man back to your place?” Hua Cheng teased.

“I think only a strange man would want to come back to my place…”

“As I suspected - you sell yourself far too short.”

“Then aren’t I lucky to have you to tell me your worth?”

I do have you, right? You really think…

“You are,” Hua Cheng replied, unhesitating and firm. “And I will.”

...you really do.

“Wow.”

I was right.

“You’re worth everything to me, A-Lian.”

He really is so perfect...

“And you, to me.”

...we’re really perfect.

And, hand-in-hand, in a cloud of cape jasmine blossoms and a choir of chimes, they walked toward Xie Lian’s apartment.

Together.

#may trope mayhem #unforth writes #tgcf #hualian #hua cheng #xie lian #tgcf fanfiction #what me know how to tag things #never

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spockandawe · 3 years

Note

Than you so much, spockandawe for answering my ask. Do you mind if I ask a few questions again?

Who is your favorite main couple in mxtx novels (wangxian or hualian or bingqiu)? And why?

Who are your fav side couple (don't have to be canon) in mxtx novels (in each of the 3 novels)? And why?

Sorry if you have answered the questions before...

No worries whatsoever! I love talking about fandom things like this :D

Hmmm. I think... I'm going to have to go with hualian as my favorite main couple. It's a really tight race with bingqiu, but the metaphor I've used before is that svsss hits me like I'm eating a bag of doritos, where shh yes okay i know it's lighter on nutritional content than I want it to be, but i can't stop eating and if you try to take it away I will FIGHT YOU-- But tgcf in general and hualian in particular are like a big fancy dinner, and no matter how much i LIKE my doritos, I still have to admit that a real dinner has more substance to it.

I think that a big element of it really is mxtx developing as a writer, and that it's unrealistic to expect a novel she wrote when she was barely an adult to compare to where she is now, and by any standard, tgcf is ambitious as HELL, but that's not all there is to it. I think that for me in particular, there something about the difference between Luo Binghe falling in love as a teenager and achieving love in his mid-twenties and Hua Cheng falling in love comparably young and staying devoted and steadfast without any external support for eight hundred years. I can conceptualize the passage of eight years, but trying to picture eight HUNDRED years of that kind of single-minded adoration just leaves me reeling. And it opens the door to intense gestures of devotion that bingqiu just never had TIME for, like the statues.

There's also something for both these ships that doesn't wangxian doesn't have as much of (which knocked it out of the running ssfdf) and that's that regardless of gong/shou dynamics, there is an intensely submissive element to way that Luo Binghe and Hua Cheng love. And like... that really, really does it for me. And looking at it now, i think that's the real final deciding factor in tipping me in favor of hualian. Luo Binghe begs Shen Qingqiu to choose him, using any and all methods at his disposal. He's 200% down to be as shameless as it takes to get what he wants, and I love it.

But I just DIE at the way Hua Cheng is ready to tie himself into knots to avoid inconveniencing Xie Lian in any way. He's the ruler of a city and lives in a lavish palace, but is completely down to stay in puqi shrine because that's what Xie Lian wants. Xie Lian is part of a heavenly contingent that invades his city, and steals his prisoner and bURNS HIS HOUSE DOWN, and Hua Cheng is furious........ because when Xie Lian consciously decided to jump in front of Hua Cheng's sword, he got hit with Hua Cheng's sword. And it mean I SCREAMED in Mount Tong'lu, when after so much dedication and service, Hua Cheng decides NOT to remove the paralyzing talisman from Xie Lian's body! It makes me appreciate the depths of how much he's FEELING when we see his self-control finally waver! When we get to see those little moments of fear! I can't exactly say that choosing hualian over bingqiu was an EASY choice, but it was the CLEAR choice for me, hahaha

And my favorite side ship....

Oh man, I have no idea how I'm going to explain this, but...... moshang. I just. I love them.

And see, I don't think mxtx even did that great of a job writing them, or at least she didn't spend enough energy addressing the whole 'hmm, casual violence as a display of affection does not actually work with humans, aight' thing. There's still more... fear than I would like at the end of canon, when I think a quick abrupt turnaround for mbj would have legit been appropriate, and if anyone can recognize the difference between his appearance and his actual thoughts, it should be sqh

But also.... this relationship hits so many of my buttons, even if mxtx kind of like, set the microwave timer, and fan creators had to come along and actually hit START.

The shameful truth........ (afdhfj not actually shameful) is that if I had to pick one mxtx character and be like 'it me', i would have a hard time justifying anyone but shang qinghua. The last time i reread the extras and saw the bit about how mbj's cold face was a gift from shang qinghua to his favorite character, I was legit like 'YES, QUEEN!' And in a transmigration story like this, an author being loved by their own character is just THE most indulgent, wonderful thing!

And as far as canon plot goes, one, I VERY much want to write some actual in-depth thoughts about mbj's trauma and baggage from being imprisoned by huan hua palace when he was just a toddler, and realizing that his dad was... not going to protect him from his uncle. I want to pore over that lingering fear and lack of trust, and a gradual swooning over one of the most nonthreatening men around, and terrible (mutual) communication skills leading to a near-fatal falling out and a miracle save. I want to scream about how he puts ALL his faith in shang qinghua to protect him from his uncle, the bogeyman of his youth, and COMPLETELY neglects to warn or inform shang qinghua in any way, and shang qinghua loses like ten years of his life to the stress, but manages to pull it off in the end.

This ship DOES embody some of the things I like most about wangxian, especially the part where two people of intensely different temperaments still manage to build up a deep understanding. Now, wangxian gets messy in large part thanks to external forced, while these two manage to fail at everything, starting with basic communication, all on their own, but like.... I like dumbassery..... these two endear themselves to me XD

#i need all of the moshang wedding aus out there please and thank #i literally cannot consume too many #spock replies #long post/#svsss #tgcf

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coldwind-shiningstars · 3 years

Note

ok ok prompts!!! so, I would be Delighted by some more qinxiyao family fic (deleted scenes or things you might have wanted to include in the big bang fic but didn't get to?), or, alternately, anything in the modern tcgf au? anything at all; they're all so excellent <3

both of these are such excellent prompts I started working on both of them, but the modern au got finished first! I’ll probably both a) do a lot of edits on this and b) do the qinxiyao family fic in a week or so, but here this is for now. Also, for those not in James and my brains, this is a very small part of a very large AU! Small note, all characters appearing in this fic are trans; however, He Xuan is still very much an egg and so they are referred to throughout the fic as “he/him,” although SQX at least is aware of this and wondering when to bring it up with her. She is, however, unaware that “Ming Yi” is a stolen identity and He Xuan is actually the eco-terrorist who’s been blowing up her brother’s fish hatcheries. It’s a long story.

If Xie Lian was being honest, he didn't much like the internet. It was so bright and everything moved too fast. People used a bewildering array of slang and images. It was surprisingly difficult to avoid spending hours reading upsetting news stories. People spent days arguing about pornography.

Also, his phone didn't really connect to WiFi very well. Even by the loosest definitions of the word, he hardly counted as a netizen.

People were usually shocked when he told them this, though, because Xie Lian's best friend was one of China's most popular beauty influencers.

Xie Lian's face appeared on her Weibo with some regularity. She talked about him often. He'd gone viral three separate times on Douyin, entirely accidentally.

What Shi Qingxuan was most famous for, however, was makeup tutorials. He had never actually appeared in one of these, but, since there were very few people in the world capable of saying no to a very determined Shi Qingxuan, this was about to change. He was used to being in her charmingly decorated little apartment but not quite used to becoming a decorated thing himself. He'd even put on one of the outfits Hua Cheng had designed and sewn for him, based on some of his old dance costumes and a few frantic weeks of historical research, and kept swishing the skirts around his legs.

Shi Qingxuan started setting up, chattering away to Xie Lian as she did. "You need anything before we start? Bathroom, water, a snack? I edit my videos pretty heavily, so we can always take a break, but it’s good to be comfy."

"No, I'm fine," Xie Lian said, and then had to close his eyes when she clicked on the ring light.

He fiddled with the makeup compacts laid out on the table.

Shi Qingxuan adjusted her light, scootched Xie Lian’s chair a little to the left and a little back, and then fiddled with the camera. It was quite the involved operation, Xie Lian thought; he knew a lot went into making videos, but he hadn’t realized it took this much effort before the camera was even on. Shi Qingxuan had done his makeup before, of course, but mostly just for fun, or something she could take a picture of and post on Weibo. It had been so long since he'd been filmed.

He watched Shi Qingxuan press record on her camera and then sit back and flash it a smile, putting on her Influencer Face. She squeezed his hand under the table.

“Hi everyone, welcome to Feng Shi!” she said, chirpy. “I’m Shi Qingxuan, and today we’re doing xianxia makeup with my good friend, Xie Lian. Now, for this look, we’re going to need…”

When Xie Lian was little, the makeup artists for his dance troupe had known he took about twice as long as anyone else did to get his makeup done. He was the darling of the company, though, so this was tolerated with fondness.

He didn't like the way the foundation felt on his face when it dried. His eyes watered when they put on eyeliner. He liked to spin his chair from side to side.

He'd had much worse things on his face than paint since then, and had learned how to be still.

Shi Qingxuan patted his hand cheerfully as she pulled out the setting powder.

"You're always one of my favorite models," she said. "You're so photogenic and so patient!"

"Thank you," Xie Lian said, and held still while she brushed it in his face.

Ruoye, probably noticing the warmth, slithered out of Xie Lian's robes and curled up on top of his head so she could get the full blast of heat from the ring light. She flickered out her tongue to scent Shi Qingxuan when she leaned in with a liquid eyeliner pen.

Shi Qingxuan made little kissy sounds at her, which only confirmed Xie Lian's certainty that he had good taste in friends. Most people were startled by Ruoye originally, but how they responded to her after Xie Lian introduced them was a good litmus test.

Ruoye settled in, and Xie Lian reached up a finger to stroke her scales.

He was feeling good, content and warm, happy to sit still. Then the apartment door clicked open, and Xie Lian stiffened.

"Ming-xiong? Is that you?" Shi Qingxuan called.

Ming Yi mumbled something back and shuffled into the room, buried deep in his black hoodie. As always, Xie Lian's first thought upon seeing him was wondering how he could see through all that hair.

The hoodie had a fish skeleton painted on it that he recognized instantly as one of Hua Cheng's drawings; it made Xie Lian smile, thinking of how insistent San Lang was that they absolutely weren't friends, no way, there was no particular reason he would make custom hoodies for Ming Yi. The fish were a coincidence. He’d even made Ming Yi custom salmon breakup boots while proclaiming it meant nothing.

Xie Lian, wearing an elaborate hanfu Hua Cheng had designed, sewn, and embroidered himself, even making him a period-appropriate duduo to flatten his chest, absolutely did not buy any of these excuses. Hua Cheng covered people he cared about with his art.

Ming Yi grunted a greeting and wandered off, probably to raid the fridge. Shi Qingxuan winked at Xie Lian.

“I’ll edit most of this out,” she said, conspiratorial, “But my viewers love Ming-xiong. Especially when he’s out of focus in the background. They’ve made memes. I haven’t told them anything about him. It’s good to keep a little mystery! It keeps people watching.”

Xie Lian, having no real idea what she was talking about, smiled and suppressed his instinct to nod. Shi Qingxuan began painting a flower on his forehead with red pigment.

Finally, Shi Qingxuan gently removed Ruoye from Xie Lian’s head and shoulders and settled a wig cap over his hair, then the wig she’d pre-prepared. A few bobby pins, a few tucks, and then she stepped back, grinning.

“Ta-dah! How do you like it, taizi dianxia?”

“It’s beautiful,” Xie Lian said, honestly.

“We’ll end the video here, I think,” she said, “But I’ll get some posed photos of you to edit in here if that’s alright. Oh, tilt your head back and forth a little? Good. Smile at the camera!”

Shi Qingxuan fluttered her fingers at the camera in a wave; Xie Lian waved too, a few seconds later. As she leaned forward to click off the camera he straightened his legs out to try and loosen them up. His knees made terrible crunching sounds as they stretched.

“You can take a little break if you want,” Shi Qingxuan said. “I’ll set up the area where we’ll take photos, but I’ll try to make it quick. You’re a darling for sitting through all this, you know?"

She was already bustling around again. She seemed to have an endless fountain of energy; Xie Lian found it admirable. He laid flat on his back on her bed, careful to not get makeup on her sheets or wrinkle his clothes. Ming Yi sat next to him, eating shrimp chips. He put a few directly into Xie Lian's mouth, feeding him like a little bird, and Xie Lian felt warm. Like Hua Cheng, it could be hard to know when Ming Yi liked you, but there were ways to tell.

He let Shi Qingxuan pose him until she was satisfied with the numbers of pictures she’d taken, trying very hard not to feel like the chuunibyou teenager he’d once been. He felt himself mostly immune to embarrassment at this point, but he supposed there were always exceptions.

Eventually, they cleaned up, although Xie Lian had promised Hua Cheng to show off the full look, so he didn’t get changed or clean his face.

“I’ll buy dinner,” Shi Qingxuan said. “We deserve it. You too, Ming-xiong!”

She herded them both out of the apartment and down the street to a small noodles stall. They all ordered (in He Xuan’s case, three bowls) and Xie Lian was fumbling for his phone when he heard Shi Qingxuan cheerfully tell the clerk to put it all on the same ticket. She tapped her phone to pay for it all before Xie Lian could protest.

A few people asked Xie Lian for pictures as they ate. He posed obligingly, hoping he hadn't spilled any sauce on his clothes while eating. When he was done, he packed up his leftovers, let Shi Qingxuan nag him into calling a Didi instead of trying to walk home, and bid both her and Ming Yi farewell. Ruoye, who had spent most of the time they were eating in Xie Lian's backpack, made a brief appearance too like she wanted to say goodbye as well.

Xie Lian clicked his own apartment door closed quietly and tiptoed over to slide his leftovers into the refrigerator. Down the hall, a light shone out from underneath Hua Cheng's studio door.

There was an old picture of the two of them on the fridge; it was them in a hospital pediatric ward group room. Xie Lian, age fifteen, was beaming at the camera, his "FIGHT! JUVENILE SLE" shirt a bright red and his pants an immaculate white. Next to him, Hua Cheng, his right eye patched with patterned tape, bald and tiny, stared up at him with devotion.

Ruoye bonked her head gently on the freezer door. Xie Lian pulled out one of her mice and slid her gently into her tank before giving her the treat; she was swallowing the mouse as he left the kitchen.

Hua Cheng turned to him as Xie Lian opened the door to his studio. His eye got wide, and his face looked like it did sometimes when he looked at Xie Lian, like he was seeing something holy. He slid his headphones off his ears.

Xie Lian did a little twirl for him, letting him see the way the fabric moved, and then tilted his face up for a kiss when Hua Cheng came over to him.

“Gege, you look beautiful,” he said.

“San Lang,” said Xie Lian. “It’s all you and Qingxuan. I’ll get her to send you the pictures later.”

Hua Cheng kissed the top of his head. He was dressed down, in a soft shirt and pants, not wearing his prosthetic eye. Xie Lian leaned his head into Hua Cheng’s chest.

“Gege seems tired,” Hua Cheng said. “Would you like to get ready for bed? Do you need dinner or your medicine? I can help you take all that off.”

“San Lang, you’re working,” Xie Lian said. “I already ate, so I think I’d like to sleep. But you don’t have to help.”

"Gege is more important than commissions," Hua Cheng said, and Xie Lian let him bundle him off to bed.

post about prompts!

#replies #my writing #body in abyss heart in paradise #paradife-loft

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