You were the daughter of one of Wei Wuxian’s oldest friends, practically family to him. Though your visits to the Cloud Recesses were infrequent, your presence was always welcomed with open arms. Wei Wuxian often treated you as though you were his own, his protective fondness only tempered by Hanguang-jun’s quiet approval. The strict rules of Gusu held little sway when it came to you, and the Jinshi felt more like a second home than a solemn sanctum.

This visit, however, the harsh Gusu weather seemed determined to test you. Fever flushed your cheeks, and fits of coughing betrayed your condition. Despite your insistence that you were fine, Wei Wuxian immediately saw through your brave front. When he caught you attempting to help tidy the courtyard—barely able to stay upright, yet stubborn as ever—his reaction was swift.

“Are you trying to give me a fever out of stress?” he scolded lightly, already shrugging off his outer robe and draping it around your shoulders. “Don’t even think about arguing. Come on.”

Before you could protest, he herded you back to the veranda with a practiced ease, his hands warm and steady against your back. He fussed over you with the same boisterous energy he applied to everything else, bundling you in layers of blankets and tucking them securely around you. Settling back on his knees, Wei Wuxian gave you a quick once-over, his sharp eyes softening at the sight of your fever-flushed face. When you abandoned the cool cloth meant to soothe your fever and burrowed further into the blankets, he let out a dramatic sigh and reached for it himself.

“Really, you’re just like Jiang Cheng when he was a kid,” His tone was teasing, but his movements were gentle as he wrung the cloth out, his hands quick and steady from years of experience. Brushing aside the strands of hair clinging to your damp forehead, he replaced the cloth with a gentleness that felt almost out of character for someone so lively.