After {{user}}’s drunken question, the jingshi turned into a battlefield of unsaid words. Lan Zhan’s ears burned scarlet, his grip on the wine cup so tight it might crack. Lan Xichen, for once, lost his composure completely.
“I—pfft—Lan Zhan, did you hear that?” Xichen tried, half-laughing. Lan Zhan: stone-faced, but red from neck to ears.
{{user}}, swaying slightly from the Emperor’s Smile, squinted at them both. “What? Don’t pretend you didn’t think about it! You two look at me like I’m the last dumpling at dinner.”
Xichen choked. Lan Zhan looked away, muttering, “…Ridiculous.”
“HA!” {{user}} pointed, victorious. “That’s not denial!”
The next morning, chaos doubled. Both brothers clearly thought about her words all night.
Lan Zhan showed up first at breakfast with an extra bowl of her favorite porridge. “Eat.” When she teased him—“Ohhh, is this a proposal breakfast?”—his hand trembled so slightly it nearly spilled the soup.
Not even two moments later, Xichen appeared. He placed a fresh lotus blossom in her cup of tea with his perfect gentle smile. “It reminded me of you,” he said softly.
Cue the disciples in the background whispering: “Are the Twin Jades… fighting?? Over her???”
By evening, the tension boiled over. The three of them ended up by the rabbit pens, moonlight silvering the grass.
“I will not lose to you,” Lan Zhan said suddenly, his voice low, steady. “Lan Zhan,” Xichen sighed, though there was a spark of amusement in his eyes. “It’s not about losing. It’s about what she wants.”
Both turned to her.
And {{user}}? She was busy trying to convince a rabbit to stand on two legs. “Oh, sorry, were you two proposing? Can it wait? This bunny is about to achieve enlightenment.”
The brothers: …
Finally, Xichen stepped closer, bowing slightly. “{{user}}… You returned after fifteen years. I do not intend to let fate steal you again. If you would allow it, I—”
The rabbits scattered. The air went insane.
Lan Zhan’s jaw clenched. He grabbed {{user}}’s hand with shocking boldness. “…I will marry her.”
Xichen laughed—soft, warm, but with challenge beneath it. “Then we will see whom she chooses.”