Lan Zhan trusts his brother in most things. He does. Really. As he sits at the empty table -- generously reserved for Lan Zhan; his brother is so, so kind and so very diligent in his attention to detail -- he just thinks this might require more faith than even Lan Zhan can muster.
A blind date. Him. The very thought is impossible to truly comprehend even while he's living within the reality where he's been set up on a blind date. Who in their right mind would agree to such a thing? At least two people, it seems: himself and his date.
He checks his phone, studies the image on the screen and the short biography Lan Huan's composed for him. Mo Xuanyu, 24, personal assistant to Wei Ying, CEO of Wei Cybernetics. Likes animals and spicy food. Dislikes, well. Lan Zhan has no idea what he dislikes. His brother isn't the sort of person who thinks about such things if at all possible. It's how they end up hosting dinners where Meng Yao and Nie Mingjue are both invited, an awkward affair every single time it happens. That is also entirely ignoring the time Meng Yao brought along Su She; he and his brother both suffered on that occasion, but Lan Huan never learns from such things.
This is a bad idea.
Lan Zhan has a sudden premonition of all the ways it can go wrong. As such, he should extricate himself as quickly as possible. His brother is well-intentioned, but misguided. Mo Xuanyu will do better finding another person to date. Lan Zhan won't--
"Hi!" Mo Xuanyu says, cheerful, as he throws himself into the chair across from Lan Zhan's. His gaze flicks keenly between the table, Lan Zhan's hands, and Lan Zhan's face before he reaches for the laminated sheet tucked innocently into a wire stand near the wall. He whips his phone out and scans the QR code. "Going somewhere?"
Lan Zhan, suddenly realizing he's half standing, sits again, chastened by Mo Xuanyu's blunt inquiry.
Mo Xuanyu looks a little older than the picture his brother sent and he's wearing black rimmed glasses, but the signs of maturity only serve to enhance his beauty and his confidence is compelling, even if his choice of attire is not. A tight-fitting black t-shirt emblazoned with Wei Cybernetics is probably not quite inappropriate for a casual dining establishment such as this one, but it seems rather odd for a date. Unless Mo Xuanyu is the sort who thinks showing off an admittedly very appealing physique is a winning choice. Considering the interest a certain piece of his anatomy is beginning to show, it might very well be. Those arms are quite something.
Or maybe he'd worn it to identify himself for Lan Zhan's benefit. In which case, he's being rather thoughtful and Lan Zhan should appreciate it.
"What's good here?" Mo Xuanyu asks.
"I wouldn't know," Lan Zhan answers. "I've never been."
Mo Xuanyu's eyes crinkle at the corners. An idol-worthy smile spreads across his mouth. "An adventure for both of us then!" he says, tapping away at his phone. When he's done, he pushes it into Lan Zhan's hands. "Choose whatever you like."
Lan Zhan studies the menu, noting Mo Xuanyu's already chosen a handful of spicy dishes Lan Zhan won't be able to enjoy. Awkward, Lan Zhan adds only one. He'd intended to pay, but he might have a hard time sniping the check from someone this assertive. It wouldn't be fair to impose on someone so much younger than him, who might not make as much money as Lan Zhan. Quickly, he returns the phone to Mo Xuanyu, who furrows his brow. "Ah? What are you, a bird? Pick something else, too."
Schooling his expression into a calm, porcelain mask, he lies through his teeth. "What you've chosen is fine."
Mo Xuanyu's smile brightens. Lan Zhan would need sunglasses to look at it head on. "You like spice, too?"
Lan Zhan nods once, miserable. Mentally, he prepares himself for death and/or gastroenterological distress. Probably death. He'll stop at a pharmacy on the way home.
"You know, I was told you'd be good looking, but you're, well, beautiful," Mo Xuanyu says as they wait for Lan Zhan's final meal on Earth to arrive. "I hope that's okay for me to say. I don't really..." He weaves his hand through the air, a nebulous gesture that might mean anything, but enchants Lan Zhan regardless. "You're gorgeous in any case. Wow."
"You are likewise very attractive," Lan Zhan replies, flustered heart tucked safely behind his sternum.
"So hurdle one crossed, yeah? Physical compatibility achieved. Unless..." A dusting of pink spreads across Mo Xuanyu's cheeks.
Blood pulses in Lan Zhan's temples. The very thought of getting this man into bed with him is enough to stir him. "That is correct."
"Ah. Good. That is... I'm cool regardless, but."
"I understand."
"I like the thought of dating! I prefer it actually." Mo Xuanyu scrubs at the back of his neck and laughs, so charming that Lan Zhan nearly loses his composure. His brother did mention Mo Xuanyu could be a bit shy, but he didn't mention how deadly it was. All Lan Zhan wants to do is find ways to make him feel even more shy. "But I've found it's good to know up front. Or, well. Actually I've discovered the opposite. I'm kind of assuming based on the evidence that it's better to know." He clears his throat. After a moment, his poise returns to him. "I was told you work in restoration?"
"I restore musical instruments, yes."
He expects Mo Xuanyu's eyes to glaze over the way everyone's does when he talks about the work he holds most dear, but they gleam with interest. "And?" Leaning forward, he plants his elbows on the table and laces his fingers together, delicately perching his chin on the bridge he's made of his hands. "Tell me about it!"
For about half a minute, he falters through an explanation of his work. It is the most painful, vulnerable thirty seconds he's passed in a long time, but Mo Xuanyu's attention never wavers and he asks insightful questions that draw Lan Zhan unwillingly from the shell he's worn since childhood. He speaks so much that his voice goes hoarse and he's drawn so deeply into the spell Mo Xuanyu's cast that he's startled when the waiter arrives with their plates.
As their meal is placed before them, Mo Xuanyu's eyes sparkle in a new and exceedingly lovely way. Lan Zhan's not sure how or why he can identify the shades of nuance between one form of excitement and another, but he can and does.
"You have to try this," Mo Xuanyu says of the entire spread, stretching across the table to drop a little bit of everything into Lan Zhan's bowl. He taps his finger to the side of his nose. "It's going to be good, I can tell."
Lan Zhan is sure it would be for someone who enjoys such sensations when they eat. For himself, he's not sure he'll feel anything except chemical burns for the rest of his life. Luckily, Mo Xuanyu is distracted enough by his own enjoyment of the food that he doesn't notice how slowly Lan Zhan eats, how often he presses his handkerchief to his face, and how much of the tea he's hogged for himself.
With the contented look of a cat who has gotten the cream and everything else it might ever want, Mo Xuanyu leans back and kicks his legs out beneath the table. The tip of his shoe grazes Lan Zhan's ankle and stays there. His expression turns soft and pleased.
Lan Zhan has aged three hundred years within the span of an hour. He's never been this young in all his life.
He wants so, so much and he thinks for once he might get it.
"I've had a really good time today, Su She," Mo Xuanyu says.
Lan Zhan's thoughts screech to a halt. At the sound of that name, every good feeling withers and dies in his chest. "Su... She?"
Mo Xuanyu blinks. "Yes? I'm sorry. Did I pronounce your name incorrectly? Meng Yao told me..."
"Meng Yao."
"I went to university with him. He's a... friend, I guess. He told me I'd be meeting Su She for lunch? He'd be wearing a white shirt, has long hair, is good looking? That's what he told me. That's not you?"
Su She is not good looking, Lan Zhan thinks, perhaps unfairly. "My name is Lan Zhan."
Mo Xuanyu's -- no, not Mo Xuanyu, but Lan Zhan doesn't know what to call him -- nose scrunches. "I'm... so you just let me sit here bothering you for an hour? You could've told me to fuck off."
"I thought you were my date."
The guy who's not Mo Xuanyu laughs again, bewildered. "Weird coincidence, but alright. Who am I supposed to be?"
There's a commotion on the other side of the restaurant. A man who looks remarkably like Mo Xuanyu stands. Another man, Su fucking She, stands, too, and follows. There's a thunderous expression on his dripping wet face. Water or maybe tea has soaked his shirt as well. Apparently his date hasn't gone well. A waiter yells about someone needing to pay, but neither Mo Xuanyu -- the real Mo Xuanyu -- nor Su She pays him any mind.
"Him," Lan Zhan says, "I think."
"My assistant?"
Lan Zhan nods. "You're Wei Ying then?"
"I... yeah," Wei Ying replies, distracted. "Just, wow. Mo Xuanyu's the unluckiest guy on the planet right now. Sit tight, okay? I'm going to... take care of that. It's the least I can do for stealing his date."
Before Lan Zhan can reply, Wei Ying's already approaching the waiter. As Wei Ying speaks with him, his expression clears. Wei Ying claps him on the shoulder and follows him to the cash register. Helpless, Lan Zhan watches as he points back at their table, too.
So he won't be getting the check today.
All it took was an hour for his life to change irrevocably and here it is coming to an end already. Lan Zhan's not ready. Worse, he's been made confused and annoyed by the ridiculous contrivances that led them to this moment. How could such an important event have been the result of such a stupid coincidence?
And what will happen now that Wei Ying knows Lan Zhan's not Su She?
He waits impatiently for Wei Ying to return. Maybe if he insists he should pay, he could leverage at least one more encounter with Wei Ying.
"There are really two good looking men with long hair in the business of restoring of musical instruments in this city?" Wei Ying asks as soon as he comes back. He remains standing, awkward as this is now the end of their date. They will be leaving one another's company soon.
Lan Zhan is not pleased.
"Stop saying Su She's good looking," Lan Zhan replies, thoughtless, "and unfortunately, yes, we are in the same microscopic industry."
"Bad blood?" Wei Ying asks, sympathetic.
"He's ruined more antique qins with his clumsy technique than any one person should be allowed. He is a menace and an embarrassment."
A mischievous smile curls at the corner of Wei Ying's mouth. "Meng Yao said he was good at his job."
"Anyone can become good at anything if given the chance to fail repeatedly without consequence and barely enough censure to teach them correct technique. That doesn't mean he should be allowed anywhere near such precious instruments."
Huffing in amusement, Wei Ying nods and presses his hand to Lan Zhan's shoulder, squeezing lightly as he urges Lan Zhan to stand. "I guess I dodged a bullet, then," he says, placating.
"You did."
"Is there any chance I can continue dodging that bullet?" Wei Ying asks once they're hovering on the street outside. "If you'd like to go out with Mo Xuanyu, I won't blame you or stop you. He's a good guy. I think you'd get along. But..."
"Wei Ying, I would like to date you," Lan Zhan blurts before Wei Ying can go any further with that nonsense. There have already been far too many misunderstandings today. It's unfortunate for Mo Xuanyu that he was forced to spend an hour dining with Su She, but that is not Lan Zhan's problem. Mo Xuanyu could be the best guy on the planet and it would not matter. He is not Wei Ying. Therefore, he is not for Lan Zhan.
"Oh," Wei Ying says. "Oh, that's good."
"Mn." Though he's given to understand most dates end at this point, he is not ready to leave Wei Ying's presence. He can be bold the same way Wei Ying has been bold. "Shall we get dessert?"
"Ah, Lan Zhan. You like me enough to get dessert?" He begins tugging on Lan Zhan's arm before he's even gotten confirmation. Lan Zhan is still happy to give it.
More than that, he wants to say it. "Yes." Yes, he likes Wei Ying enough to get dessert.
Wei Ying stills, blinks, considers this for a few seconds before clasping Lan Zhan's hand in his. "Great! I know a place nearby that makes cakes with chili powder in the frosting. You'll love it."
He might not love it, but he'll love the extra time he'll get in Wei Ying's presence.
They pass a pharmacy on their way to hell on Earth; Lan Zhan offers it a longing glance, promising he'll take better care of himself later.
If he eats the candied peppers Wei Ying sacrifices to him in what can be considered a gesture of selfless care, that's between him and the heartburn he spends the rest of the evening nursing.
It's worth it for the many, many smiles Wei Ying favors him with through the rest of the day and all the days that follow.