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

Chapter 28

Lan Wangji felt slightly uneasy as he watched Wei Ying read in the armchair. He was not sure from where this feeling had originated. By all means, he should be happy, overjoyed even, that the boy found it apparently enjoyable to read and was making himself comfortable in the armchair. He almost looked like any other young master right now.

Still, something about this situation did not feel quite right. It was great to see Wei Ying at ease for once, hungrily devouring page after page of the book. His lips would even sometimes move to soundlessly pronounce a word here and there. It really seemed like Wei Ying was wholly absorbed in reading.

It should have put Lan Wangji well at ease but he just could not relax. It would have been great if he could believe that Wei Ying was simply trusting him this much and feeling a little confident in what he could and could not do around him.

The boy had at first been sitting on the very edge of the armchair, Lan Wangji had even been afraid that he would fall down any second due to his precarious position. He had wanted to tell him that it was fine to relax and sit comfortably. But he just could not. He feared that if he would disturb or startle Wei Ying at this time, it would have exactly the opposite effect of him being more at ease. So he remained quiet and only watched with worried eyes.

Luckily, the boy was slowly relaxing by himself. Be it because he was absorbed in the book or because he was finally letting his guard down, as time went by, he was getting himself more and more comfortable. It was nice to see him sitting in the armchair properly and then even leaning lazily on the headrest. He looked so content that Lan Wangji had to figuratively rub his eyes to make sure he was not seeing a lazy cat.

It would have been such a great progress this way. Lan Wangji's thoughts were swirling inside his head and when he caught himself reading the same sentence for the fourth time, he just gave up on paying attention to his book altogether. He kept it open in his lap though, still pretending he was reading. He did not want Wei Ying to start suspecting that he was being observed closely.

Although Lan Wangji wanted to wholeheartedly believe that he had, somehow, finally gotten through to the boy, he just could not. It could not be that because he had asked Wei Ying about his opinion concerning wanting or not wanting to read, the boy was now without fear.

After his previous experiences, it was simply too good to be true. There must have been something that he was missing. And he just knew that if he would not find the reason for his uneasiness soon, it would only result in another catastrophe, for Wei Ying, that was.

Only too soon did he discover just how true his fears were.

Lunchtime was slowly approaching and Lan Wangji was just thinking how he should remind the boy of this fact without startling him too much. He knew himself that when he was so absorbed in a book, he wold stop paying attention to his surroundings and after someone would finally call out to him, he would be surprised at best.

In Wei Ying's case, there was no doubt in Lan Wangji's mind that the boy would be completely terrified. He would surely start thinking that he had failed in his duties because he did not pay enough attention to his believed master. It could send him right back to where they had started and all that careful progress in his recovery could be lost.

Lan Wangji was no longer as naïve as to think that Wei Ying did not still believe he was a servant in the Cloud Recesses Manor. They had tried to explain, but from his behaviour – he had even bowed to a true servant earlier which done by anyone else would only seem like showing respect, but in Wei Ying's case, that probably meant he thought of himself as inferior –, Lan Wangji had no grounds to hope he had accepted their words. At least not just yet.

As things stood, the boy would most probably try to apologize for getting himself comfortable in the armchair or for some other completely ridiculous thing. Lan Wangji just could not have that. He had to get Wei Ying to pay attention to him on his own so he would not be startled out of his reading.

Not that he had any idea how to do that or any time to execute it however. The next second, there was knocking at the door. Someone must have come looking for them at last, the lunch time was upon them after all.

Lan Wangji's eyes immediately darted in Wei Ying's direction, afraid that what he had feared had just happened. But the boy did not seem disturbed from his reading, he must have really enjoyed that book. Cautiously, Lan Wangji invited the servant to come in.

Everything seemed fine up to the point when the servant announced that the lunch was ready and asked if the young masters wanted to eat it in the library perhaps.

It was at that exact moment, when Lan Wangji was paying more attention to the servant than to Wei Ying, that the boy suddenly jumped up from his seat. The second young master of the Cloud Recesses Manor's head shot up immediately to look at him. It was too late though, way too late.

Wei Ying seemingly could not stand on his feet, or perhaps he could but was in such a hurry to kowtow that it looked like his knees just gave out. He fell to the ground with a loud 'thud' sound. Lan Wangji winced in sympathy for the boy's poor knees. He was in motion even before Wei Ying banged his forehead on the ground.

He had been right; this had been the reason for his uneasiness all this while. He had just known that it would end up like this. Or more like he feared it would come to this but hoped it would not.

It reminded him of the first morning that Wei Ying had spent in the Cloud Recesses Manor, of him kowtowing to Lan Wangji while his whole body was trembling violently. All that because Lan Wangji had been too confused after waking up and finding Wei Ying in his rooms, ready to serve him while helping with his morning routine. This truly was no good.

Lan Wangji quickly took hold of the boy's hands and tried to pull him up from his kneeling position. Or at least make him stop kowtowing and kneel normally. This was getting way too overboard.

When their hands touched, he realized that matters were even worse than he had feared. Wei Ying's skin was too hot for comfort. Lan Wangji did not even have to touch the boy's forehead to understand that his fever had come back.