Chapter 136 Tiger Dad Cat Dad
After seeing Jiang Yanli and Jin Ling off and settling Lan Jingyi in the guest room, Wei Wuxian turned around and went back to his room when he saw Lan Wangji taking Si Zhui to the study.
Father and son walked one in front, one behind, their figures stretched out in the hallway light. Lan Wangji walked steadily, his face calm, his emotions invisible. Sizhui lowered his head, his hands tightly clutching the corner of his clothes, following obediently like a deer that had done something wrong.
Wei Wuxian's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood - Second Brother Lan was going to "teach" the child a lesson.
He followed quietly and stood outside the study door. He could hear Lan Wangji's deep voice from inside: "Kneel down."
Then there was the sound of fabric rubbing against each other, and it seemed that Si Zhui knelt down as he was told.
Wei Wuxian's heart clenched. He knew Lan Wangji wasn't really going to punish the child; he was simply using the Lan family's way to make Sizhui understand that avoiding emotions wasn't an option. But he still felt bad. The child had already suffered enough in school during the day, and now he must be terrified.
Sure enough, after a while, the sound of Lan Wangji picking up the ruler was heard.
Wei Wuxian couldn't hold back any longer, so he gently pushed open the study door and walked in.
In the study, Lan Sizhui knelt on a futon, his shoulders heaving slightly, his eyes red, yet he fought back tears. Lan Wangji, holding a ruler in hand, was about to bring it down when he saw Wei Wuxian suddenly enter and paused.
"Lan Zhan." Wei Wuxian's voice trembled slightly.
He walked over quickly, squatted in front of Sizhui, and hugged him in his arms: "Don't be afraid, Sizhui, Daddy is here."
The moment Lan Sizhui was hugged by him, all his strength collapsed and he cried out "Wow", his little hands tightly grasping Wei Wuxian's clothes, as if he was grabbing a life-saving straw.
"Daddy..." Si Zhui's voice was choked with sobs, filled with grievance and fear, "I was wrong... I shouldn't have been distracted in class... But I really miss you..."
"I know, Daddy knows." Wei Wuxian's heart felt like it was being tugged at, a pain a hundred times worse than the initial onset of his physical pain. He tightly hugged the little person in his arms, tears falling without warning, hitting Sizhui's head. "It's Daddy's fault. Daddy shouldn't have been gone for so long, leaving you worrying all alone."
"Daddy... can you not leave?" Si Zhui raised his head and looked at him with tearful eyes, his little face full of pleading, "I don't want Daddy to leave, I just want Daddy to stay with me..."
Wei Wuxian looked into his son's reddened eyes, seeing the bottomless fear and dependence in them, and felt so distressed that he could hardly breathe. He nodded vigorously, his voice choking with sobs, "I'm not leaving. Daddy's not leaving. I'll stay with Sizhui forever, okay?"
"Really?"
“Really.” Wei Wuxian kissed his forehead, tears mixed with heartache. “Daddy promises you that he will never leave you again.”
Lan Sizhui finally felt relieved and buried his face in Wei Wuxian's arms, crying even harder, as if he wanted to cry out all the fear and longing that had accumulated over the past few days.
Wei Wuxian hugged him, patting his back non-stop, tears streaming down his face. He knew the child's request was simple: a complete family and the companionship of his family, but he could barely give them that.
Lan Wangji stood aside, watching the father and son embrace and cry, the ruler in his hand slipping silently. The principles and rules he had wanted to talk about seemed so pale at this moment.
He was too harsh after all.
Sizhui was just a child. It was normal for him to feel worried, afraid, and miss her after being apart for half a month. He shouldn't have used the Lan family's rules to ask a child to endure all this alone.
Lan Wangji walked forward and gently touched Wei Wuxian's shoulder, his tone apologetic: "It's my fault."
Wei WuXian shook his head and looked up at him, his eyes red. “I don’t blame you. We all ignored SiZhui’s feelings.”
He lowered his head, wiped Sizhui's tears, and said softly, "Sizhui, if you miss Daddy or feel unhappy in the future, you must tell Daddy and Father, understand? Don't keep it in your heart, and don't let it affect your studies, okay?"
Si Zhui sniffed and nodded heavily: "Yeah!"
"Then, are you still afraid of father?" Wei Wuxian asked with a smile.
Si Zhui glanced at Lan Wangji, shook his head, and whispered, "Don't be afraid, Father is doing this for my own good."
Lan Wangji's heart softened. He bent down and lifted Si Zhui from Wei Wuxian's arms, his movements gentle: "The ground is cold, get up."
He looked at Wei Wuxian and said, "You're tired too. Go back to your room and rest."
Wei Wuxian nodded and followed them out of the study.
After sending Sizhui back to his room and watching him fall asleep with tears on his face, Wei Wuxian went back to his room with Lan Wangji.
In the room, Wei Wuxian leaned in Lan Wangji's arms, still sobbing a little: "Lan Zhan, am I being too indulgent with him?"
"No." Lan Wangji kissed the top of his head. "What children need is never strict rules, but honest communication and a sufficient sense of security."
He paused, then tightened his grip on Wei Wuxian's hand. "From now on, we'll stay with him and won't let him get scared again."
Wei Wuxian looked up at him and nodded. The tears in his eyes finally faded away, leaving only warmth.
Yes, they will all accompany Sizhui in the future.
Accompany him as he grows up in the most gentle way.
The moonlight outside the window shone through the window lattice and fell on the two people's clasped hands, warm and peaceful.
Some debts require a lifetime to make up for; some promises require a lifetime to protect.
And they will do what they say.
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