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pt 2. #xicheng not very happy though
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the breakfast had been going fine. it /had/. jiang cheng was content to slip into the background and not speak. speaking would only spur on yelling and argument. he observed his family and was content seeing them all happy. https://twitter.com/flouury/status/1428575984836661251
—
the breakfast had been going fine. it /had/. jiang cheng was content to slip into the background and not speak. speaking would only spur on yelling and argument. he observed his family and was content seeing them all happy. https://twitter.com/flouury/status/1428575984836661251
then his mother’s questions started. it was almost comical how the table went silent.
“jiang cheng, when do you plan to get back to work?” ‘soon, mother.’ and he wasn’t lying, he’s going to get a job… just not here.
“jiang cheng, when do you plan to get back to work?” ‘soon, mother.’ and he wasn’t lying, he’s going to get a job… just not here.
“i gave you an education for a reason! don’t waste it, do you understand me?” ‘yes, mother.’ the high education would be a waste because jiang cheng is getting a job at a café and not in business like he went to university for.
every question was answered with a simple ‘yes, mother.’ or ‘no, mother.’, and like that the table was back talking and jiang cheng resumes being invisible.
he would have been fine. if only wei wuxian didn’t speak.
he would have been fine. if only wei wuxian didn’t speak.
“jiang cheng, we barely heard from you after you got married! did you forget about us?” wei wuxian exclaimed loudly with a small pout. the focus was on jiang cheng again. not where he wants it to be.
jiang cheng knows how it’s going to go. soon his parents are going to arguing, yanli and jin zixuan will leave with a-ling, uncle qiren will leave and wei wuxian will stay to help but only make it worse.
jiang cheng thinks it’s his fatal flaw, helping but only making it worse. but jiang cheng never has the heart to tell him to leave because if he’s there, there is at least a witness.
“a-xian, you have gotten newly married as well. tell us how yours is treating you.” jiang fengmian cuts in before jiang cheng can answer.
and like jiang cheng predicted, yanli and her family step out under the guise of needing to have a-ling run around.
and like jiang cheng predicted, yanli and her family step out under the guise of needing to have a-ling run around.
lan qiren quietly leaves but not before squeezing jiang cheng’s shoulder in silent support (which jiang cheng is endlessly thankful for and he will miss their weekly tea meetings dearly)
and now there is only his parents, lan wangji and wei wuxian, and… lan xichen. jiang cheng looks over at the man next to him. he’s looking down at his phone, jiang cheng can guess who it is.
another development that has happened so far has been lan xichen on his phone more often than not, typing furiously with a content smile on his face.
a smile that used to be directed at jiang cheng. jiang cheng is aware that his husbands precious “a-yao” takes up his time and whether is it good or bad, jiang cheng can’t find it in him to be furious.
he will be out of lan xichen’s hair soon enough and then he won’t have to look at a phone that way, he’ll have a real person then. jiang cheng has made peace with the fact.
at the beginning he felt many things. anger, grief, jealousy, bitterness… loneliness and betrayal. but now, there is only a longing. a longing to be away from this city. to be away from them, to be away from him.
no longer do those nasty emotions fill his body when he thinks of the situation. he won’t be his mother. he promised himself. jiang cheng will not be his mother. he will choose his ending, he will choose to leave.
jiang cheng knows his mother will classify it as weakness, that he’s running from this marriage. but jiang cheng calls it strength for doing what she could not. being able to give up on a man that won’t change. being able to back out and pick something better.
something better for himself. he chooses himself and if that’s a weakness, then he will carry it proudly.
“fengmian! your son was asked the question! your son! wei wuxian is not your son, why did you not let jiang cheng finish?” yu ziyuan quickly shouted out. and like every time, jiang fengmian only partially side eyed her before taking a big sigh.
“my lady, a-cheng has been married longer than a-xian has.” he answers like it somehow makes up for the lack of interest. jiang cheng looks at his mother and is not surprised to see it scowl even harder.
“that boy is not your real son! why do you ignore your son?! huh?! he got married too!” yu ziyuan yelled at jiang fengmian. jiang cheng doesn’t want to listen to this. it’s grating, it’s typical and nothing about his father is going to change. this is pointless.
his arm is grabbed by his mother and he is pushed into his fathers space. it doesn’t hurt when his father quickly backs up. he is jostled by his mother but he has already tuned them out.
it’s probably the same old argument. a sharp pain in his arm pulls him from his head. his mother is gripping him very tight - that means his father has dismissed him again. no change.
jiang cheng looks around. lan wangji is standing protectively in front of wei wuxian and-
and lan xichen is texting happily on his phone. he is smiling. then he is walking out of the room. jiang cheng watches as his phone is lifted to his ear as he turns the corner. he sees the radiant smile that grows on his face.
jiang cheng wants to leave. he wants to leave. he wants to leave. he wants to leave. he wants to leave.
he walks out.
jiang cheng turns around and walks out of the dining room. he ignored the enraged yelling of his name from his mother and the other calls from his siblings. he’s done.
jiang cheng turns around and walks out of the dining room. he ignored the enraged yelling of his name from his mother and the other calls from his siblings. he’s done.
he walks passed the chattering lan xichen in the hallway and ignores his ask of where he’s going. jiang cheng brushes of the hand that grabs for his wrist.
no more of this. he has every thing already ready, house and job. means to get there. everything is already prepped to go.
he was going to give it one week more to spend time with his family but this was the breaking point. it was foolish to think it would be different. it won’t change, it will never change.
—
that day jiang cheng makes himself scarce. he pulls away from contact with anyone in the city and only answers calls and texts when necessary.
that day jiang cheng makes himself scarce. he pulls away from contact with anyone in the city and only answers calls and texts when necessary.
jiang cheng is glad that his presence was only scarce before anyway. it makes leaving easier. no one is suspicious.
the divorce documents are left on the kitchen table, his dresser drawers and closet cleaned out. now only holding clothes of his soon-to-be ex-husband.
his mark on the apartment is erased. most of jiang cheng’s belongings have already been shipped to his new home and will arrive when he does.
with one last glance at the room, he leaves. jiang cheng feels no pain leaving this cold place. the only feelings connected there is loneliness - he wants no more of it.
he steps out the door, leaving his keys on the table by the shoe rack. he is finally leaving. with luck he won’t see any of them again.
jiang cheng would feel bad but he did leave letters for jiang yanli and wei wuxian. not an explanation, but a reason, a farewell and well wishes.
he would feel bad but this is for him. the one action he is taking towards his happiness after only looking after other people’s.
he would feel bad but this is for him. the one action he is taking towards his happiness after only looking after other people’s.
before jiang cheng can process it, he has gotten himself into the car and is on the highway leaving the city.
without a single glance back.
without a single glance back.
—
the drive went uneventfully. it was a calm drive hours from the city. jiang cheng stopped only a few times to eat, use the bathroom, and stretch his legs.
the drive went uneventfully. it was a calm drive hours from the city. jiang cheng stopped only a few times to eat, use the bathroom, and stretch his legs.
with his new phone (and phone number) he checked the directions to his new home.
it was only a few minutes drive from the main part of town but since it was a small rural town, a few minutes out of town were farms.
it was only a few minutes drive from the main part of town but since it was a small rural town, a few minutes out of town were farms.
jiang cheng slowly drove down the roads, taking in the scene. it was fairly busy, the cafe was getting lots of customers (jiang cheng was glad his new work place would be busy) and all the people seemed kind, all with smiles or content faces.
it was so different from the furrowed brows of business workers and how the city seemed to be always shrouded in a sense of hurry and stress.
this was a good change, jiang cheng decided.
driving down a twisty road lined with trees, he spots a little house. it looks exactly like the image, picturesque in the way it sits in a little clearing with a orchard and plenty of space to make a garden.
driving down a twisty road lined with trees, he spots a little house. it looks exactly like the image, picturesque in the way it sits in a little clearing with a orchard and plenty of space to make a garden.
jiang cheng feels himself smile for the first time in a while. it feels like his world that had been monochrome is suddenly bursting with vibrant hues.
