Won't you believe me? (Servant no more - book 2)

Short summary - what happened in book 1

Wei Wuxian comes to the Cloud Recesses Manor to help improve his adoptive family's, the Jiangs, financial situation. The Jiangs had taken a fall in the war for power which had upturned their world politics and threw the Wens off of the emperor's throne to be replaced by Nie Mingjue. The Jiangs had tried to be as neutral as possible but still had taken a fall in the end, becoming an impoverished noble family.

Wei Wuxian was taken in by them when he was younger and at first, he had been treated as a young master of the family. He was bright, intelligent and a little mischievous. It however did not last long as he was soon demoted in the family to become their servant in order to pay for his living costs despite still being only a child. His adoptive mother would never accept that he would overshadow her biological son. Wei Wuxian accepted the role pushed onto him as well as all the rules which made him the lowest of the servants, one that Madame Yu could easily mould to her taste.

When the war erupted, he was send as a hostage to the Wens, the ruling family at that point in time. He was abused there by Wen Chao and started truly acting as a servant, all hope and happiness beaten and abused out of him until only obedience and deference were left.

After the war ended, Wei Wuxian came back to the Jiangs and continued to serve them. Jiang Fengmian was sending him to different households for him to work there and earn money for his family. Despite slavery being banished by the new emperor, it could not have been called anything else since no one ever asked Wei Wuxian what he himself wanted and he never say a single coin he was so painstakingly earning.

Several years passed and the fortune of the Jiangs was all but gone, leaving the once noble and rich family at a loss. In the end, Jiang Fengmian sent Wei Wuxian to serve under the Lans. He hoped his old friend would not find out about how he had treated his adoptive son in the past and would pay a hefty monthly sums to help his family out of their misery.

At the Cloud Recesses Manor, Wei Wuxian meets Lan Wangji, his new master. Lan Wangji however does not see him as a servant but as his companion. He does not understand why Wei Wuxian would always behave so deferentially and insists on serving him. And also why he is so scared all the time. He wants to help the boy.

And so does his entire family when they finally learn about Wei Wuxian's terrible past. Lan Wangji does his best to befriend the boy, showing him kindness that Wei Wuxian had never experienced before, not even from Jiang Yanli who had tried to help him back in the Lotus Pier Manor but had been stopped by her mother. Lan Xichen tasks himself with investigating the situation at the Jiangs and revealing their slavery trades with Wei Wuxian over the years. Lan Qiren, who had at first hated the boy because he thought Wei Wuxian was behaving oddly in order to anger him, comes to an enlightenment at just the right time. Only after Jiang Yanli comes to plead for her brother to be rescued from the Lotus Pier Manor though.

However, little do they know that Wei Wuxian is actually being abused even under their own roof. Su She has recognized him from his time at the Wens and he has decided that since Wei Wuxian is basically mute when it comes to talking with his masters, he will try the same as Wen Chao had done. He orders Wei Wuxian around and beats him without anyone's knowledge.

Things seem quite bad for Wei Wuxian, he is confused by the behaviour of his masters: some of them want to be kind and reassure him that his life will change from now on but some are harshly punishing him for anything and everything, sometimes even without any reason at all. He is however used to that so he does not say anything and only secretly enjoys his time spent with Lan Wangji who he starts to believe unconditionally and take him as his source of support.

In the end, the Lans learn about Su She's despicable behaviour because of the toddler A-Yuan and his care taker Mo Xuanyu, Wei Wuxian's only friend from his time at the Jins. Upon learning the truth, Lan Qiren quickly banishes Su She from the Cloud Recesses Manor and explains to Wei Wuxian that what he suffered had not been right. The boy does not believe him as he had never known anything else than abuse and blind obedience in his life.

From that point on, they all do their very best to help Wei Wuxian in his recovery and in changing his life for the better. They want the boy to start trusting them and stop behaving in such a scared and panicked manner. They want him to forget about the rules that Yu Ziyuan had made him follow and behave more normally. Lan Xichen manages at last to explain the situation for what it really is: Wei Wuxian is not to be a servant in the Cloud Recesses Manor, but a companion for Lan Wangji, his equal.

And thus, starts Wei Wuxian's journey to build up trust and be able to enjoy his time at the Lans. All the while, there are still some misunderstandings to be cleared. But everyone is there for Wei Wuxian and they are determined to pry him away from the Jiangs' influence so he would be able to live happily and without fear of the future.

Unknown to him at that time, they promise never to let him go back to his family. The same goes for Jiang Yanli who is now invited to happily live by her brother's side in the Cloud Recesses Manor.