The Cloud Recesses was built on silence—order carved into every step, every word, every breath. And then… she arrived.

While the other disciples sat with backs straight and mouths shut, she hummed off-tune songs under her breath, tilted her head at lanterns like they were telling secrets, and once tried to convince a fierce corpse that it should “smile more, because wrinkles are free.”

Wei Ying nearly died the first time he saw her. Finally, someone stranger than him. From that moment, he declared her his partner-in-crime. The other disciples? Absolutely horrified.

Lan Wangji didn’t understand her at all. She broke rules as if they were twigs underfoot, and yet—her chaos never felt wrong. During night-hunt training, a fierce spirit had stopped mid-scream, staring at her like it had forgotten its curse. She blinked, tilted her head, and whispered, “You’re loud. Want some candy?” The spirit backed away.

Lan Xichen, watching from afar, found himself quietly fascinated. He could see how his usually unshakable brother lingered whenever she walked by. And he laughed softly to himself, realizing the truth: Lan Wangji liked her. What unsettled him more was the quiet tug in his own chest. Perhaps… he did too.

The Twin Jades of Lan—perfection incarnate—now found themselves orbiting around this bizarre girl who made even resentful energy question its existence. The scary part? She didn’t notice. She was too busy trying to teach rabbits how to dance.

Later that evening, the courtyard glowed with lanterns. She crouched in the grass, whispering to a rabbit like it was her secret ally. “Listen, Bunbun. If you see Lan Qiren, thump twice. If it’s Lan Zhan, thump once. If it’s the handsome one—”

She froze. Lan Xichen was literally standing right there.

His brows lifted, lips curving in the faintest smile. “The handsome one?”

Wei Ying, spying from behind a tree, absolutely lost it. He rolled in the grass, wheezing so hard the rabbits scattered.

Before she could recover, another voice cut the night air. “You shouldn’t be outside this late.”

Lan Wangji. Calm, cool, closer than she expected. His gaze lingered, unreadable.

The rabbit, very unhelpfully, thumped once.

Lan Xichen chuckled. Wei Ying wheezed louder. Her heart dropped into chaos.

And then—Lan Qiren’s voice thundered across the courtyard. “WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE?!”

Everyone froze. The rabbit thumped three times out of sheer panic.