"Wanyin." Lan Xichen's voice alone fills the hanshi, amidst the rustle of cloth, and Jiang Cheng finishes tying the side of her inner garment shut, picking up the belt.

"Wanyin, I lov-"

"Shh!" She hissed, smoothing down the white fabric before picking up the first outer layer.

"I didn't take you to be someone who spoke nonsense so easily." She slipped her arms into the clothing, fastening it in front. Hair on the back of her neck stood as she felt the alpha inch closer behind her.

"It's not nonsense, Wanyin,"

"Just because you spend your ruts with me

doesn't mean I am your mate, Lan Xichen." She says matter-of-factly, winding her belt around herself. "I am a beta, in case you've forgotten?"

The nearly empty bottle of lubricant on the bedside table attested to that, most of it practically poured straight into her cunt to ease

the stretch of taking an alpha's knot. It was easier to bed a beta woman, someone whom the alpha Lan Xichen couldn't bond with like he could an omega.

"I am absolutely aware of it. And your secondary gender is none of my concern, Wanyin. I want you."

She was glad to be facing

away from him, such that the alpha would not see her face heat up scarlet.

Zewu-jun, unparalleled mediator, naturally had a way with words.

"We have a Discussion Conference to attend, Zewu-jun." She reminded him, standing up and trying to ignore her racing heart.

It was safer this way, Jiang Cheng had told herself. She already got the chance to lay in his embrace, to be utterly consumed by him, as long as they had this arrangement, she would be satisfied.

But now - with his confession - what was she supposed to do?

Alphas liked those who bowed and submitted to them, of course, even if they weren't alphas, who wouldn't?

Her mother had always told her to be wary of those who flattered and tried to charm their way into her good graces.

But Zewu-jun wasn't like that...

...was he?

He was kind, pure-hearted, benevolent and righteous...

Yet he had also entered a purely physical relationship with her, a beta, for sexual gratification.

Jiang Cheng downed the bitter tea and steeled her heart, then tried to convince herself not to trust his words.

---

Irritation after irritation filled her days as of late.

She had no idea what the kitchens were doing but the smell coming for them had been foul. After demanding that they stop cooking fish dishes, despite their protest regarding the prevalence of fish in their menus,

her shoes were too small for her, requiring her to order new ones made, and when she fought and sparred, a sudden vertigo threatened to overwhelm her in the worst times, turning the lash of her whip even harsher as she struggled to maintain the upper hand.

She suspected that her disciples were letting her win, in fear of her temper flaring up again, and barked at them to run ten more laps around the Pier, and go through the forms again, she would not permit such disgraceful behaviour. If they were to best her, it was their glory.

After she nearly fell from her sword after a routine patrol, she knew something was wrong.

The physician's brow furrowed as she examined Jiang Cheng's pulse, before asking for a urine sample. Jiang Cheng complied, though anxiety was starting to mount at what was wrong with her.

The physician returned with one slightly raised brow, but calmly informed her, "You are with child, Sect Leader."

Jiang Cheng remained impassive, but inwardly it felt as if she was ready to fall off her flying sword again. She was a beta, the gender known for their infertility

as compared to alphas and omegas, yet she was pregnant.

An unmarried woman having a child was always met with scorn, what more the female Sect Leader of a Great Sect.

But who would marry her? Who would volunteer to remain by her side and be husband and father to her children?

Beta pregnancies were already uncommon, low in frequency...she could have the pregnancy terminated whenever she chose, but-

Her hand rested on her flat stomach, where the heir to YunMeng Jiang and the Jiang bloodline slept.

The future of the nearly extinguished Jiang.

The Wen tried to destroy them completely, but now was irrefutable proof that the Jiang would continue, that Lotus Pier would have a new master or mistress in the years to come.

Her heart quickened with an undeniable wave of affection at the thought of a little one, a child.

A babe, who would make her a mother.

She would raise them and love them, father or not.

---

"I am with child."

Her eyes flew to the man sitting across her, staring oddly at the way his teacup slipped from his hands, the porcelain cup hitting the wooden table with a dull thud

and tea spilling all across its surface. Lan Xichen immediately stood up, flustered, and started to wipe the tea away with his own pristine white sleeves.

"Did any of the tea get on you? I am deeply sorry, Sect Leader Jiang-"

"Pull yourself together!" She barked, standing up to

lift his soaked sleeves off the table. "This is a waste of white silk!"

"I wasn't thinking straight-" he defended himself, cheeks red with embarrassment, and she sighed, calling for an attendant to clean up the mess.

It was fortunate that this table was wide enough that none of

the tea had reached her, and it was wiped dry soon enough.

"What...what do you intend to do?" Lan Xichen asked fearfully, and it took her a moment to remember that he was referring to the child.

Instinctively, her hand went to her stomach, where a small but definite curve now

could be felt.

"I will keep the child." She declared, watching his eyes widen.

"You will?" He nearly choked out in surprise, and her eyes narrowed. Of course, given their arrangement, Lan Xichen certainly wasn't expecting for her to be expecting, and now that she was, it would

be natural if he lost interest in her.

It hurt, but she forced herself to remember there were no feelings in the so-called relationship they had.

"I will take responsibility," came his next statement, and it was her turn to stare at him in shock, "I will marry you."

"Why?!" She demanded. "This is my child, they will be the heir to YunMeng Jiang, you don't have to concern yourself!"

"I understand your need for a heir, Wanyin," Lan Xichen reasoned, and she hated how her cheeks heated at the more intimate address, "I would never dream of

impeding you or your sect in such a manner. But would it not be appropriate for a child to have two married parents?"

"I am hardly concerned about the opinions of others." She scoffed at his diplomatic wording.

"This is not about them." He said gently, "but about the child. Do they not deserve the love of two parents?"

"If we were not married, would you ignore them, then?" She challenged, raising an unimpressed brow.

"Of course not, Wanyin. It is the exact opposite, and why I want to

marry you."

For the child. She could understand where he was coming from, but- "The child of two unmarried parents has nothing to be ashamed of." She declared.

"I agree. But if our child could be born into parents united in marriage, would that not be ideal?"

It would, truly.

Lan Xichen did not hate her. He was not resentful nor indifferent. It might not be so bad, married to the most sought-after bachelor in the cultivation world.

Yet again - "You are not obliged to do anything, Lan Xichen. We were not courting."

"We weren't." He acknowledged.

"But we could, before we are married."

Jiang Cheng fell silent, trying to quash the rising blush she could feel on her cheeks. "You were the one who suggested this, don't forget." She sniped, intent on reminding him it was his fault to begin with should he ever be unhappy.

"Do you agree to marrying me, Wanyin?" He said, eyes shining, and he was indistinguishable from a puppy who had received a treat, brainless and foolish as his metaphorical tail wagged.

"Do what you like." She clicked her tongue, and glared at his broad grin.

She hadn't forced him into anything. If anyone accused her of coercing him to do her bidding, she would immediately point the finger at the one responsible.

"I will draw up the marriage proposal immediately," Lan Xichen said, and smiled wider at the glare he received.

Wanyin had always been meticulous in her use of contraceptives, yet a pregnancy had still somehow resulted.

He did not know how it could have happened, but it was a blessing nonetheless.

Even if she relented for the child, and not for him, she would still be his wife.

When the formal proposal arrived at Lotus Pier in a red scroll covered in gold clouds, Jiang Cheng couldn't help the blush that stained her cheeks as she read the concrete details.

No matter what Lan Xichen claimed, shame was inescapable.

He was an honourable man, whose principles and innate kindness dictated he take responsibility for having caused her pregnancy, nothing else.

Telling him about her pregnancy was the truthful thing to do, no matter how manipulative.

She rolled up the scroll upon writing her acceptance, reminding herself that it was Lan Xichen proposed first, despite her making herself very clear that she did not expect it of him, he proposed, he insisted, it was all his fault.

The news of their upcoming marriage had surely reached the rest of the cultivation world, but, with a sect to manage, their reactions did not reach her ears nor did she care to know. It was certain to be made up mostly of unfounded, judgmental nonsense.

Her stomach had visibly swollen by the time the next Discussion Conference arrived, something Lan Xichen had become intimately familiar with. Ever proper, he adhered to the appropriate period of courting and came down to Lotus Pier himself, always sweetly concerned over their

child in her womb.

At the Discussion Conference, Lan Xichen automatically reached for her stomach to caress it, murmuring "How are you, Wanyin?" and she automatically smacked his hand away. "Not in public!" She hissed, hoping no one had noticed.

An astute observer would have seen her pregnancy despite the voluminous robes she wore to hide it, and while she hadn't denied her current state, neither did she announce it, not wanting to draw more attention to the upcoming union which had audaciously rude minor Sect Leaders

and rogue cultivators attending the Conference openly discussing with barely hushed whispers the compatibility between her and Xichen, and how their marriage had even materialized - what she did to convince him.

Her face twisted into a scowl, and she would have spoken up if not

for the thought that Lan Xichen had been the one to propose first keeping her silent.

Her silence meant that they could not say she was bragging about her upcoming union and warp the narrative into her coercing Lan Xichen somehow. Zewu-jun was an entirely grown man with the arm

strength of a god (she knew, from the way he easily jerked her bodily up and down his cock like she weighed nothing,) and the minor leaders were sooner able to wring clear acceptance of their unreasonable demands from Lan Xichen's diplomatic maneuvering than she force him into

marrying her.

(but she had, hadn't she?)

She steeled her jaw. She had already told him loud and clear. This was his idea, they did not have to do this. If he could command a room and get a group of Sect Leaders to stop arguing like children, then he could tell her no.

As her hands automatically curled into an idle fist, she was once again aware of the delicate amethyst ring he had given her as one of her many courting gifts, purple like the colour of the Jiang clan, and blushed faintly with how he had gracefully slipped it onto her finger.

He was attentive to her needs the way he observed her regarding her pregnancy, offering to massage her back and bring her food and drink, even attending to her ridiculous cravings once they struck her.

She had waved him away when he tried to massage her feet, but one failed

argument later, his thumbs dug into her soles, her protest of "they're dirty!" completely useless, as he had then proceeded to clean her feet with a soaked cloth before the massage, and all she could do was angrily accept how good it felt.

He was the number one bachelor for a reason, and he had already stolen her heart and secured a marriage with her, he didn't have to try so hard.

They married, and their wedding night was nothing extraordinary - they had already coupled numerous times to produce the baby sleeping within her, only that the ceremony and her full pregnancy seemed to excite Lan Xichen more, hands on her belly as he drove energetically into her

for yet another round.

The birth unnerved her - it was harder for beta women to birth children as compared to omegas, with their wider hips, but the event was inevitable. Her water broke just when Lan Xichen was away from Lotus Pier, the dutiful husband leaving to sate her

cravings just before the baby was to come, and while she wanted to whine for him, yearning for him at her side, she knew how ridiculous she was being. Their baby couldn't wait for the father to return, they were entering the world and it was happening now.

As she strained and panted on all fours, bearing the waves of pain wracking her body to birth the child, she absently caught shouting and the sound of tussling from outside the delivery room and groaned - who was causing trouble now, of all times? Whichever errant disciple

would be harshly punished for their behaviour.

A low and guttural voice then roared "WANYIN!" and the shock that it was Lan Xichen yelling and fighting was enough to take her mind off the pain for a moment.

A Jiang disciple entered the room then, clothes rumpled, to report that

her husband had gone into an alpha rut, and to reassure her as their Sect Leader that he would not be allowed near the birth (despite his struggles to enter the room) in case of any troubles his rut state might create.

She scoffed, then whimpered as fresh pain hit her,

cold sweat on her brow being wiped away by the midwife, what an utterly ridiculous man she had married! While a rut was not something he could control, how was that going to help the situation?!

After several long hours of straining and labour, her child was finally placed into her arms after a successful and relatively smooth birth, which she was thankful for as a beta.

A little boy, all squishy and in the midst of forming, and she smiled as she stroked his tiny little

nose, his weight settling on her chest giving her a surge in warmth of affection and security she had always associated with her child while in the womb.

The future heir and Master of YunMeng Jiang, the child she and Xichen had created together.

Her family.

His wife slumbered silently and calmly after all she had endured to birth their child, a beautiful baby boy resting in his own polished wood cradle, and she sight made Xichen's heart soften unbearably.

Upon returning to the Pier to discover she was in the midst of labour, her

water having broken, he had lost control of himself and had to be restrained. It was rather embarrassing conduct, but at least he was genuine in his affections for her, for his sincere worry at what she now had to face.

Now, he looked at Wanyin in awe.

He had gazed at the child - his child, together with Wanyin - that she had miraculously delivered from her own loins, her stomach swelling to accommodate the growing babe, and babies were nothing extraordinary apart from the natural continuation of life, yet he was still amazed.

Amazed at this tiny, perfect child that had come from his wife, a new person with life of his own, humbled immensely at Wanyin's agreement to bear this child through the agony of childbirth, and these thoughts kept him watching over his son lovingly for a long while.

Wanyin had every right to terminate the pregnancy, and he would have accepted it had she chose to, yet she had decided to have his child and marry him.

Even if she did not love him back, he counted himself as the luckiest person who had ever lived.

"Wanyin, I love you." Xichen murmurs, gently kissing her lips while he holds their child in his arms. "You are simply marvelous."

She chuckles wryly, even though her heart warms. He is every inch a loving, doting father, she has nothing to worry about. "Don't speak nonsense."

She is thankful he adores their child so much, and has been such a responsible and attentive husband.

He is grateful to have her as a wife, to get to form a family together with her with a darling child.

Even if they are not loved, this is enough.

Her son grows up to be an energetic child. He has her pale eyes and his father's smile, which appears often from how easily entertained he is, at fish darting through the waters, butterflies dancing in the sky, the business of attendants and tinkling of bells and everything

else which catches his attention. He giggled and shrieked gleefully as a babe when toys were waved in his face or simple games played with him, and the wonder and innocence held in his gaze never fails to make her heart clench with how precious he is, how she gives in to many an

urge to bow her head and kiss him adoringly on his little face. She named him Jiang En, for gratitude, how thankful she felt that she had her own son, and a hope - now seemingly prescient - that he will always be as humbled and awed by the good in the world as he currently is.

He turns into a little scamp as he grows up, always curious and asking questions, a good-hearted child who loves to run and play and was always interested in some little story or fact that an adult could tell him. Jiang Cheng caught him playing with a bow far bigger than him,

accidentally smacking himself in the face with the recoil of the stiff string, look confused, before resuming his fiddling completely unaffected with a tinkling little laugh.

"You little monkey." She chided gently, but with a smile as he looked at her with a happy, gummy grin

and abandoned the bow to toddle towards her, hands open and wanting to be carried. "Aiya...you can walk on your own, you don't need to be carried everywhere!" She said, while hoisting him up into her arms and picking up the bow to put it back in its proper place.

Her child is bright and does well in his studies, taking to a brush as easily as a fish takes to water, and is particularly gifted in painting, producing images far beyond what is accepted for a child his age.

At the age of seven, he holds up a charming picture of three birds

perched on branches he's completed in his painting lesson earlier, eyes shining when he sees that his father is now in Lotus Pier to see him. "Baba!" He chirrups, before looking happily at her, "Mama look!"

"En-er, that is a marvelous painting." Lan Xichen beams, full of pride,

and looking into her husband and son's happy faces is like staring into twin suns. "You did very well, En-er. It looks very pretty." She adds, and her son hastens to point at his painting. "There are three birds!" He proclaims, "Laoshi wanted me to just paint one but I wanted

three." He says, tone full of childlike conviction that comes with the simple self-assurance of a child.

"Oh? Why's that?" Lan Xichen asks curiously.

"They're a bird family!" Jiang En declares, pointing to the individual birds - "This is Mama, Baba, and me!"

Indeed, the bird meant to be himself was smaller than the other two, and the larger birds representing Xichen and herself were both looking at the littler bird protected between his parents, focused on her child.

Jiang Cheng's heart melted, and Lan Xichen stepped forward to

sweep his child into his arms. "You're so creative, En-er! Is this one supposed to be me? Or your Niang?" cheerfully chattering with their son about his masterpiece, the willowly branches of the tree artfully rendered even in his child's grasp, and Xichen brought Jiang En closer

to her with a cheerful smile, wanting to include her in their little family moment as Jiang En babbled about his painting.

Overcome with affection, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to her son's soft cheeks, heart overflowing with happiness.

"Mama," Jiang En said one day, perched on her lap as she took tea with Xichen in one of the courtyards of the Cloud Recesses, "can I have a meimei?"

His blue eyes were full of innocence and excitement, and Jiang Cheng stared before swallowing. "What...where is this coming from,"

"En-er?"

"Shihai-ge and Xinhua-jie both have their own meimeis!" He chorused, thinking about his older martial siblings in Lotus Pier and the Cloud Recesses. "They're so little! They have very soft cheeks that are fun to poke!"

"So are your cheeks, En-er," Lan Xichen smiled,

poking his son's ruddy cheeks to make him giggle. "But it's not as fun to poke my own, A-Die."

"A younger sibling is a responsibility, Jiang En, they're not a toy." Jiang Cheng reminded him with a sigh, before reminding herself that he was just a child. "There are plenty of

small didis and meimeis in the Cloud Recesses and Lotus Pier for you to play with."

Besides, she didn't want to force Lan Xichen into having more children than they already had in this marriage.

"But they're not my didi or meimei," Jiang En pouted. "At the end of the day they

are still taken away by their jiejies or geges or parents."

Exhaling, Jiang Cheng's eyes flickered instinctively to Lan Xichen's face, whose fondness quickly morphed into sheepishness.

"That's because they belong to their families, En-er, you don't want to take them away from

their family, would you?" She declared, and he shook his head no - before brightening.

"So can I have a didi or meimei of my own?"

"Ah-" Lan Xichen murmured, looking to his wife for her answer, whose brows furrowed.

"Not right now, En-er, it's complicated."

Encountering a rare denial, Jiang En pouted even harder and looked down. Soon, an idea struck him.

"How are didis and meimeis made, A-Niang?! If you tell me, I can go find one!"

"Jiang En, drop it!' Jiang Cheng said sternly. "I'll tell you when you're older!"

Lan Xichen laughed (bearing his wife's glare) at his son's whine, gently patting his boy's little back in comfort.

Jiang Cheng drank enough bitter contraceptive tea to keep up with his libido, he really mustn't force her into carrying another child.

---

Despite their high cultivation, dark spirits and yao were not to be underestimated, and night hunts were conducted in groups for that very reason. A single cultivator could be easily outmaneuvered or overwhelmed, and backup was necessary.

Even still, some demonic creatures were too powerful even for cultivators of the highest calibre.

"Retreat!" Lan Xichen bid, as cultivators of purple and white turned their backs and fled from the monstrous creature in the form of a massive lion, resentful energy leaking from

every pore. Its size was accompanied with the potency of its miasma, which weakened the junior disciples and made them easy targets for the beast to swipe away. They lost consciousness as their skin began to bruise, and as more of their disciples were taken with protecting the

injured, the more their defenses fell. Musical cultivation only seemed to enrage it further, and a Sect Leader's responsibilities were to their disciples. The casualties were bodily carried as Jiang Cheng lured the monster away with Zidian, Lan Xichen watching her in worry as he

ensured that there was enough distance between the beast and their fleeing disciples before attending to his wife.

"Retreat to Caiyi Town, I will soon return with Sect Leader Jiang." He instructed sternly to the inner disciple, and as they left with a swish of white, he took off

with Shuoyue in his hand, anxiety prickling his skin. His wife, Jiang Wanyin, Sandu Shengshou, was one of the best cultivators in the land with her sword skills and legendary Zidian. Violet sparks lit up the dark thicket of the forest and those dancing lights soothed him, to see

his Wanyin in action, fighting in a mesmerizing dance as her whip flicked out and kept the beast at bay. Fingers swirling with qi, he commanded a floating Shuoyue to pierce directly into the back of the beast, earning him an infernal howl as he directed his attention to her.

"Wanyin, the disciples have left, let's go!"

Gritting her teeth, she ground out a "I got it!" before breaking into a sprint.

She really had run out of her reserves of qi at that point, if she did not fly on her sword, and he couldn't blame her. She had been fighting non-stop

that night, Zidian the best long-range weapon they had to keep their distance from the creature.

Xichen wrenched Shuoyue out of the beast's back as they ran, and Wanyin lashed Zidian at it one last time as it howled in pain, stunning it to give them enough time to run.

As Shuoyue kept pace with them, hovering over the ground wreathed in qi, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his sword, smiling at the her surprised squeak as he steadied her - blood and adrenaline singing in their veins at the narrow escape.

Except that he probably should not have thought that the coast was clear so prematurely, as the beast's roar echoed through the night and the ground shook asa galloping footsteps drew louder and louder, both cultivators looking back to see the beast charging full speed at them.

It had been far too powerful for them to subdue, and was now enraged by their attacks. Continuing on their current path would only bring it to the town full of innocent civilians, and Xichen quickly changed direction to lead it deeper into the forest.

Truly a formidable beast - strong, swift, and venomous, and the swipe of its enormous paw came crashing down on them far too quickly - Wanyin crying out "Huan-!" in fear, and Xichen instinctively could only think of one thing to do.

He pushed Wanyin off with all his strength before the paw slammed into him. He heard Wanyin's panicked yell as his body bore the impact - feeling as if every bone in his body had shattered. Hitting the ground was dull by comparison, pain surging through him like fire.

He couldn't move a muscle against the damp ground, but a guttural scream in the distance comforted him, somewhat.

Slipping in and out of consciousness, he felt as if ages had passed - the passage of time a mystery to him - until a pair of clammy hands pressed against his face.

"Lan Huan!"

There was an incoherent scream that pierced through the haze.

"Stupid, stupid man! Why did you push me out of the way?!"

He felt himself lifted off the ground and heard the rustle of fabric and warmth embracing him.

"Open your eyes! Don't you dare leave me!"

"Say something! Please!" He heard his heart scream, and that made him ache worse than the injuries he currently felt.

"Wanyin..." He murmured, feeling his wife relax - only minimally.

"Don't you have a brain?!" She cried, and he could see tears trickling down her face, her hair

disheveled from combat, "Why didn't you jump down with me?!"

"Had to save...Wanyin...." He smiled, watching her expression twist into a deeper heartbroken scowl. "...my love..."

She was safe, and that was all that mattered. He slipped back into comforting darkness, her screams

dissolving together with his consciousness.

In the midst of his rest, he still could feel. Could feel finger wrapped tightly around his hand, could feel feather-light kisses against his forehead and lips, felt drops of rain falling onto his face. Could still hear.

"Stay with me, please. I love you. I love you so much."

Warmth, like the heat from a hearty bonfire, blazed through his entire body, rushing through his meridians.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry I never told you until now."

"I've loved you for such a long time."

He awoke to his hair unbound and flowing from the pillow, staring up at the ceiling of a room in the Cloud Recesses. A heavy weight settled on his chest and he peered down to see Wanyin sleeping on him in her lilac underrobes, her brows frowning in worry even in slumber.

He gently rubbed her brows to erase the creases of her brows as joy bubbled up in him - his Wanyin loved him. He had heard her loud and clear, and she finally returned his feelings that he had harboured for her through all these years.

A voice calling from outside made Wanyin shift and stir, the high-pitched voice of their son with his approaching footsteps. "Baba, baba, are you awake? Did you wake up? Mama's been very sad, you mustn't make her cry anymore-" Jiang En babbled as he pulled open the door and

stepped inside - his face lighting up in joy when he saw his father's eyes open.

"En-er, entering a room without permission is forbidden." Lan Xichen said fondly.

"Baba is awake!" Jiang En cried, rushing to his parents' side for Xichen to pinch his cheek. "You slept for a

really long time, Baba! Mama, wake up! Baba's okay now!"

Wanyin was awoken by her son's clear voice, and she opened eyes that frowned and softened and filled with tears. "Oh no- Mama don't cry everything's okay now-" Jiang En hastened to soothe, wrapping his arms around her.

"Wanyin," Xichen murmured, caressing her face as tears poured down her cheeks. "I'm here."

"You stupid man! You almost gave me a heartattack!" She sobbed, burying her face into his chest as he ruffled her hair soothingly. "Don't you ever dare do that again!"

"If I don't," Xichen ventured with a mischievous smile on his face, "will you tell me how much you love me?"

There was a brief silence as she stared at him stunned until her face scrunched up. "You-!"

"Ah, Wanyin, please be gentle with me, I'm still recuperating-"

She wiped her tears away furiously. "of course I will. I love you. I love you so much." Her cheeks flamed red and her expression was tearful yet embarrassed, and Xichen's heart felt as if it had grown wings. He tried to sit up, but she pushed him down "Don't sit up! What are you

doing?! You just woke up!" exclaiming at their son giggled.

"I want a kiss, Wanyin." Xichen whined, and Jiang Cheng looked as if she was going to refuse until she leaned down and kissed him deeply.

"I want to kiss Baba too!" Jiang En chirped, planting a wet kiss onto Xichen's

cheek as the man chuckled in joy and contentment, wrapping his arms around his most loved ones.

---
"I'm so happy that you finally told me you loved me, Wanyin."

The sky was dark, and it was just the two of them, Jiang Cheng adamant on being by his side. She blushed again.

"I've loved you for so long, Wanyin. Since we fought together at the Sunshot Campaign."

"But then..." She regarded him with a creased brow, "why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you court me?"

"I thought you only wanted me for my body, back then..." She mumbled, and he

looked sheepish. "I...You were a young sect leader trying to rebuild YunMeng Jiang, and I didn't want to intrude upon your authority in any way, to suggest that I was trying to usurp the Jiang Sect. And also I..." It was his turn to blush, "I wasn't sure if you returned my-"

"-feelings, and I thought it was...the arrangement - was the only way I could have you."

"You silly man." She said, her frown turning into a small smile, "I've loved you since I came to the Cloud Recesses."

"Wanyin's silly, too." He pointed out. "I've told you so many times I

love you, and yet you never believed me." He nudged her playfully, which made her go a deep crimson.

"I...you could have just been taking responsibility! Since I was pregnant-! I told you you didn't need to-"

"Yes, you did, but still I wanted. I've given my everything to our

marriage, our family, haven't I?" He insisted, and she could only nod.

"You did, I was also....also scared." Jiang Cheng let out a groan. "We're both idiots-!"

She buried her face into her hands, but Lan Xichen gently coaxed her out to lavish his warm fondness on her.

"It doesn't matter now." He smiled, "We're together, and you love me, and that's all that matters."

They shared a sweet kiss that soon grew hotter, and Jiang Cheng had to break the kiss, murmuring "you need to rest, A-Huan..."

"I will. But first, tell me you love me."

She blinked, before turning bashful. "I...I love you." She murmured.

"Say it again, Wanyin."

"I love you."

"Again."

"I, Jiang Cheng of YunMeng Jiang, love Lan Xichen." She said bravely.

"Wife of Zewu-jun." He murmured possessively, stroking her cheek. "Again."

"I love you!"

"For how long?"

"For as long as I shall live!" Her eyes were squeezed shut, cheeks flaming in mortification, yet she still declared it.

"Even beyond death," he kissed her nose, her cheek, and then finally her lips, glimpsing her close her eyes "I will love you."

(a few months later)

"En-er, we have good news for you."

Jiang En looked up from the paper he was drawing on, his brush making idle little doodles. "Good news?" His eyes sparkled.

Lan Xichen smiled, placing a hand on his mate's gently curved stomach, "You're having a sibling."

(END)